Deaths in December 2016 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This article lists some important people who passed away in December 2016. Each person is listed by the day they died, in alphabetical order by their last name. You'll find their name, age, country, what they were famous for, and if known, how they died.

December 2016 Notable People

December 1

Don Calfa, 76, an American actor known for movies like The Return of the Living Dead.
Joe McKnight, 28, an American football player for the New York Jets. He passed away after being shot.

December 2

Coral Atkins, 80, an English actress from TV shows like Emmerdale. She died from cancer.
Sammy Lee, 96, an American diver who won Olympic gold medals in 1948 and 1952. He passed away from pneumonia.

December 3

Newman Darby, 88, the American inventor of the sailboard.
Rémy Pflimlin, 62, a French businessman who was the CEO of France Télévisions. He died from cancer.

December 4

Gotlib, 82, a famous French comic artist known for his funny drawings.
Margaret Whitton, 67, an American actress known for films like Major League. She died from cancer.

December 5

Jayalalithaa, 68, an Indian actress and a very important politician. She served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu multiple times. She passed away from a heart attack.

December 6

Peter Vaughan, 93, a British actor known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Brazil. He died from epilepsy.

December 7

Paul Elvstrøm, 88, a Danish yachtsman who won four Olympic gold medals in sailing.
Hildegard Hamm-Brücher, 95, a German politician who was a presidential candidate.
Junaid Jamshed, 52, a Pakistani musician and TV personality. He passed away in a plane crash.
Greg Lake, 69, an English singer and musician from bands like King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He died from cancer.

December 8

John Glenn, 95, a very famous American astronaut and politician. He was the first American to orbit Earth and later became a U.S. Senator for Ohio.
Joseph Mascolo, 87, an American actor known for his roles in TV shows like Days of Our Lives. He passed away due to problems from Alzheimer's disease.

December 10

A. A. Gill, 62, a British writer and restaurant critic for The Sunday Times. He died from lung cancer.
Ken Hechler, 102, an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and Secretary of State of West Virginia. He passed away from a stroke.
William Usery, Jr., 92, an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of Labor. He died from heart failure.

December 11

Thressa Stadtman, 96, an American biochemist who was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

December 12

E. R. Braithwaite, 104, a Guyanese novelist and diplomat, famous for his book To Sir, With Love. He died from heart failure.
Shirley Hazzard, 85, an Australian-born American writer.
Jim Prior, Baron Prior, 89, a British politician who served as a Secretary of State.

December 13

Thomas Schelling, 95, an American economist and professor who won the Nobel Prize in 2005. He passed away due to problems from a hip fracture.
Alan Thicke, 69, a Canadian actor known for the TV show Growing Pains. He also hosted talk shows and wrote songs. He died from a ruptured aorta.

December 14

Bernard Fox, 89, a Welsh actor known for movies like Titanic and the TV show Bewitched. He died from heart failure.

December 15

Craig Sager, 65, an American sportscaster famous for his colorful suits while covering the NBA on TNT. He passed away from leukemia.

December 17

Benjamin A. Gilman, 94, an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives. He passed away due to problems from hip surgery.
Henry Heimlich, 96, an American physician who invented the Heimlich maneuver, a life-saving technique. He died from problems caused by a heart attack.

December 18

Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99, a Hungarian-born American actress and socialite known for movies like Moulin Rouge. She passed away from a heart attack.
William H. Hudnut III, 84, an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and Mayor of Indianapolis.

December 19

Andrei Karlov, 62, a Russian politician who was the Ambassador to Turkey.

December 20

Michèle Morgan, 96, a French actress known for films like Port of Shadows.

December 22

Franca Sozzani, 66, an Italian journalist who was the Editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia.

December 23

Piers Sellers, 61, a British astronaut and meteorologist. He died from pancreatic cancer.
Vesna Vulović, 66, a Serbian flight attendant who holds a world record for surviving the longest fall without a parachute.

December 24

Richard Adams, 96, a British author famous for his books Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. He died from complications of a blood disorder.
Rick Parfitt, 68, a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the band Status Quo. He passed away from sepsis caused by an infection.
Liz Smith, 95, an English actress known for TV shows like The Royle Family and the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

December 25

George Michael, 53, a British singer and songwriter from the band Wham!. He was famous for songs like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper". He won several Grammy Awards. He passed away from cardiomyopathy, a heart condition.
Vera Rubin, 88, an American astronomer who made important discoveries about dark matter. She died from dementia.
Several notable Russian people passed away in the Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash:
- Elizaveta Glinka, 54, a humanitarian worker who helped many people.
- Valery Khalilov, 64, a military band conductor.

December 26

George S. Irving, 94, an American actor known for his voice work in Underdog and roles in musicals. He died from heart failure.

December 27

Carrie Fisher, 60, a beloved American actress, novelist, and screenwriter. She was most famous for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies. She passed away from cardiac arrest.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, 83, a Sri Lankan politician who served as the Prime Minister multiple times.

December 28

Debbie Reynolds, 84, an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was famous for her role in Singin' in the Rain. She passed away from a stroke, just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher.

December 29

LaVell Edwards, 86, a well-known American football coach for the BYU Cougars. He passed away due to problems from a broken hip.
William Salice, 83, an Italian businessman and the inventor of the Kinder Surprise egg. He died from a stroke.