Deaths in May 2009
Deaths in 2009 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- →
The following is a list of deaths in May 2009.
May 2009
- Martin Clemens, 94, British colonial administrator and soldier. [1]
- Millvina Dean, 97, British woman, last living passenger aboard the Titanic, pneumonia. [2]
- Brian Edrich, 86, British cricketer. [3]
- Sir John Holland, 94, Australian engineer, construction magnate. [4]
- Danny La Rue, 81, Irish-born British female impersonator and singer, prostate cancer. [5]
- Vyacheslav Nevinny, 74, Russian actor, diabetes. [6] (Russian)
- Emil L. Smith, 97, American biochemist, myocardial infarction. [7]
- Kamala Surayya, 75, Indian writer, after long illness. [8]
- George Tiller, 67, American physician and abortion provider, shot. [9]
- Torsten Andersson, 82, Swedish painter. [10] (Swedish)
- Luís Cabral, 78, Guinea-Bissauan politician, President (1973–1980). [11]
- Eva Dawes, 96, Canadian bronze medal-winning Olympic high jumper (1932), stroke. [12]
- Susanna Haapoja, 42, Finnish politician, cerebral haemorrhage. [13]
- Eric Hammond, 79, British trade unionist, General Secretary of the EETPU. [14]
- Ephraim Katzir, 93, Israeli biophysicist and politician, President (1973–1978). [15]
- Herma Kirchschläger, 93, Austrian widow of former President Rudolf Kirchschläger. [16] (German)
- Waldemar Matuška, 76, Czech singer, pneumonia and heart failure. [17] (Czech)
- Gaafar Nimeiry, 79, Sudanese politician, President (1969–1985). [18]
- Alexander Obregón, 32, Colombian footballer, car accident. [19]
- Hank Bassen, 76, Canadian ice hockey player, heart attack. [20]
- Kevin Beurle, 53, British scientist, hot air balloon accident. [21]
- Reginald Golledge, 71, Australian-born American geographer. [22]
- Phale Hale, 94, American politician, member of the Ohio House of Representatives. [23]
- Ed Murray, 80, American politician, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1987–1991). [24]
- Bill Perkins, 89, Australian footballer (Richmond). [25]
- Steve Prest, 43, British snooker player and coach, peritonitis. [26]
- Karine Ruby, 31, French Olympic gold (1998) and silver (2002) medal-winning snowboarder, fall. [27]
- Mort Abrahams, 93, American film and television producer (Planet of the Apes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), natural causes. [28]
- Terence Alexander, 86, British film and television actor (Bergerac). [29]
- Terry Barr, 73, American football player (Detroit Lions), Alzheimer's disease. [30]
- Friedrich Blond, 89, German Waffen SS member. [31] (Portuguese)
- Manuel Collantes, 91, Filipino diplomat, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs (1984), cardiac arrest. [32]
- Ed Dorohoy, 80, Canadian ice hockey player. [33]
- Carlton Forbes, 72, Jamaican-born British first-class cricketer. [34]
- Roger Kaffer, 81, American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Joliet. [35]
- Luis María de Larrea y Legarreta, 91, Spanish Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Bilbao. [36] (Spanish)
- Lenrie Peters, 76, Gambian surgeon and novelist, after short illness. [37]
- Ercole Rabitti, 87, Italian footballer and trainer. [38] (Italian)
- Oleg Shenin, 71, Russian politician, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1990–1991). [39]
- Betty Tancock, 98, Canadian Olympic swimmer (1932). [40]
- John Tolos, 78, Canadian professional wrestler, renal failure. [41]
- Ammo Baba, 74, Iraqi footballer and athletic trainer, diabetes. [42].
- Thomas Franck, 77, American lawyer. [43]
- Sir Clive Grainger, 74, British economist, Nobel Prize winner for economics. [44]
- Mona Grey, 98, British public servant, Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland. [45].
- Abram Hoffer, 92, Canadian orthomolecular psychiatrist. [46]
- Gérard Jean-Juste, 62, Haitian political activist, after long illness. [47]
- Carol Anne O'Marie, 75, American Roman Catholic nun and mystery novelist, Parkinson's disease. [48]
- Sir William Refshauge, 96, Australian public health administrator. [49]
- Paul Sharratt, 75, British-born American television producer, cancer. [50]
- Antonio Braga, 80, Italian composer. [51] (Italian)
- Kaoru Kurimoto, 56, Japanese author, pancreatic cancer. [52]
- Mihalis Papagiannakis, 68, Greek politician, Member of Parliament, cancer. [53] (Greek)
- Michael Ross, 89, American screenwriter and director (Three's Company), complications from a heart attack and stroke. [54]
- Ronald Takaki, 70, American sociologist, professor of ethnic studies (University of California, Berkeley), suicide. [55]
- Marek Walczewski, 72, Polish actor. [56]
- Peter Zezel, 44, Canadian ice hockey player, haemolytic anemia. [57]
- Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, 48, Nigerian Pan African activist, car accident. [58]
- Billy Baxter, 70, British footballer, cancer. [59]
- Rolf Brahde, 91, Norwegian astronomer. [60] (Norwegian)
- Amos Elon, 82, Austrian-born Israeli author and journalist. [61] (German)
- Haakon Lie, 103, Norwegian politician. [62] (Norwegian)
- Ivan van Sertima, 74, Guyanese-born British historian, linguist and anthropologist (Rutgers University). [63]
- Charles Albury, 88, American co-pilot of the Bockscar at atomic bombing of Nagasaki, heart failure. [66]
- Raleigh Brown, 87, American politician, state representative (Texas), heart attack. [67]
- Lawrence Daly, 84, British trade union leader. [68]
- Joseph Duval, 80, French Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Rouen (1981–2004). [69] (French)
- Ken Gill, 81, British trade union leader. [70]
- David Lunceford, 75, American football player, Alzheimer's disease. [71]
- Tadeusz Pyka, 79, Polish politician. [72] (Polish)
- Roh Moo-hyun, 62, South Korean politician, President (2003–2008), suicide by jumping. [73]
- Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa, 88, Cook Islands public servant, Queen's Representative (1985–1990). [74]
- Joan Alexander, 94, American radio actress (The Adventures of Superman), intestinal blockage. [78]
- Walter da Silva, 68, Brazilian footballer and coach, heart attack. [79]
- Fathi Eljahmi, 68, Libyan political activist, blood infection. [80]
- Barry England, 77, British novelist and playwright. [81]
- Anatoli Kirilov, 42, Bulgarian football coach (PFC Spartak Varna), car accident. [82]
- Him Mark Lai, 83, American historian, bladder cancer. [83]
- Sam Maloof, 93, American woodworker, pneumonia. [84]
- Rolf McPherson, 96, American evangelist, son of Aimee Semple McPherson, natural causes. [85]
- Robert Müller, 28, German ice hockey player, brain cancer. [86] (German)
- Kanagasabai Pathmanathan, 64, Sri Lankan politician. [87]
- Togo Tanaka, 93, American journalist, natural causes. [88]
- Arthur Erickson, 84, Canadian architect (Simon Fraser University, Roy Thomson Hall). [89]
- Lucy Gordon, 28, British actress (Spider-Man 3, The Four Feathers), suicide by hanging. [90]
- Alan Kelly, Sr., 72, Irish footballer, cancer. [91]
- Matthew Krel, 64, Russian-born Australian conductor, founder of the SBS Youth Orchestra, encephalitis. [92]
- Randi Lindtner Næss, 104, Norwegian actress. [93] (Norwegian)
- Nguyen Ba Can, Vietnamese politician, Prime Minister of South Vietnam (1975). [94]
- Simon Oates, 77, British actor, prostate cancer. [95]
- Larry Rice, 63, American racing driver, lung cancer. [96]
- María Amelia López Soliño, 97, Spanish blogger, world's oldest blogger. [97]
- Paul Vinar, 69, Australian footballer. [98]
- Ralph D. Winter, 84, American missionary (U.S. Center for World Mission), multiple myeloma and lymphoma. [99]
- Oleg Yankovsky, 65, Russian actor, pancreatic cancer. [100]
- Yehoshua Zettler, 91, Israeli resistance fighter (Lehi). [101]
- Jerzy Zubrzycki, 89, Polish-born Australian sociologist. [102]
- Michael Preston Barr, 82, American composer, diabetes. [103]
- Robert F. Furchgott, 92, American scientist, Nobel Prize winner. [104]
- Andrei Ivanov, 42, Russian footballer. [105] (Russian)
- Knut Hammer Larsen, 38, Norwegian footballer, leukemia. [106] (Norwegian)
- Nicholas Maw, 73, British composer (Odyssey), heart failure. [107]
- Clint Smith, 95, Canadian ice hockey player (New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks). [108]
- Herbert York, 87, American physicist. [109]
- Wayne Allwine, 62, American voice artist (Mickey Mouse), complications from diabetes. [110]
- Carole Cole, 64, American actress (Sanford and Son, Grady), daughter of Nat King Cole, lung cancer. [111]
- Dolla, 21, American rap artist, shot. [112]
- Sir David Hay, 92, Australian public servant, Ambassador to the United Nations, Administrator of Papua New Guinea. [113]
- K. Pattabhi Jois, 93, Indian yoga teacher, after short illness. [114]
- Balasingham Nadesan, Sri Lankan rebel, political chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), missile attack. [115]
- Paul Parin, 92, Swiss psychoanalyst, author and ethnologist. [116] (German)
- Velupillai Prabhakaran, 54, Sri Lankan rebel, leader of the LTTE, missile attack. [117]
- Türkan Saylan, 74, Turkish doctor, cancer. [118]
- Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan, 45, Sri Lankan rebel, leader of the LTTE naval wing (Sea Tigers), missile attack. [119]
- Shanmugalingam Sivashankar, Sri Lankan rebel, leader of the LTTE intelligence wing, missile attack. [120]
- Lee Solters, 89, American press agent, natural causes. [121]
- Mohammad-Taqi Bahjat Foumani, 96, Iranian cleric, heart disease. [122]
- Mario Benedetti, 88, Uruguayan author and poet. [123]
- Daniel Carasso, 103, Greek-born French businessman (Groupe Danone). [124]
- Adolf Dickfeld, 99, German World War II Luftwaffe flying ace. [125]
- David Herbert Donald, 88, American historian, heart failure. [126]
- Masaru Hayami, 84, Japanese public servant, Governor of the Bank of Japan (1998–2003), respiratory failure. [127]
- David Ireland, 78, American sculptor and conceptual artist, pneumonia. [128]
- Jung Seung-hye, 44, South Korean film producer, colon cancer. [129]
- Guillermo Lora, 87, Bolivian revolutionary leader, liver cancer. [130]
- Dame Patricia Mackinnon, 97, Australian community worker and philanthropist, President of the Royal Children's Hospital. [131]
- Prakash Mehra, 69, Indian film producer and director, pneumonia and multiple organ failure. [132]
- William Moore, 60, British loyalist paramilitary, member of the Shankill Butchers, suspected heart attack. [133]
- Peter Slabakov, 86, Bulgarian actor. [134]
- Ron Snidow, 67, American football player (Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns), complications from Lou Gehrig's disease. [135]
- Octavia St. Laurent, American transwoman and performer. [136]
- Mark Young, 23, British motorcycle racer, race crash. [137]
- Prospero Amatong, 77, Filipino politician, Congressman (1998–2007), Governor of Davao del Norte (1992–1998), fall. [138]
- Antonio Chocano, 96, Guatemalan Olympic fencer and diplomat, emphysema. [139] (Spanish)
- John E. Connelly, 82, American entrepreneur, founder of Gateway Clipper Fleet, heart failure. [140]
- Henry David Halsey, 90, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Carlisle (1972–1989), after short illness. [141]
- Sándor Katona, 66, Hungarian footballer and Olympic champion. [142] (Hungarian)
- Peter Sampson, 81, British footballer (Bristol Rovers), Alzheimer's disease. [143]
- Susanna Agnelli, 87, Italian politician and writer, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1995–1996). [144]
- Alexander Gordon Bearn, 86, British physician. [145]
- Si Frumkin, 78, Lithuanian-born Holocaust survivor. [146]
- Alan Hackney, 84, British screenwriter. [147]
- Rodger McFarlane, 54, American gay rights activist, first executive director of Gay Men's Health Crisis, suicide. [148]
- Mohammad-Amin Riahi, 86, Iranian historian and literary scholar. [149]
- E. Beatrice Riley, 112, Australian supercentenarian. [150]
- Edwin S. Shneidman, 91, American suicidologist. [151]
- Helvi Sipilä, 94, Finnish diplomat. [152]
- Roy Talbot, 94, Bermudan calypso musician, last surviving member of original Talbot Brothers. [153]
- Bud Tingwell, 86, Australian actor, prostate cancer. [154]
- Wayman Tisdale, 44, American basketball player and jazz bassist, cancer. [155]
- Hubert van Es, 67, Dutch photographer at the fall of Saigon, brain hemorrhage. [156]
- Monica Bleibtreu, 65, Austrian actress, screenwriter and drama teacher, cancer. [157] (German)
- Newt Heisley, 88, American commercial artist, designer of POW/MIA flag, after long illness. [158]
- Ken Hollyman, 86, British footballer. [159]
- Marian McDougall, 95, American amateur golfer. [160]
- Buddy Montgomery, 79, American jazz musician, heart failure. [161]
- William J. Passmore, 77, American jockey, complications from emphysema. [162]
- Bob Rosburg, 82, American golfer and television color analyst, fall. [163]
- Frank Aletter, 83, American character actor (It's About Time), cancer. [164]
- Waldemar Levy Cardoso, 108, Brazilian Field Marshal, WWI-era veteran. [165] (Portuguese)
- Achille Compagnoni, 94, Italian mountaineer, first person to ascend K2. [166] (Italian)
- Don Cordner, 87, Australian footballer. [167]
- Rafael Escalona, 81, Colombian Vallenato composer and troubador. [168] (Spanish)
- Norbert Eschmann, 75, Swiss footballer. [169] (French)
- Anne Scott-James, 96, British journalist and author, widow of Sir Osbert Lancaster. [170]
- L. William Seidman, 88, American public servant, Chairman of the FDIC (1985–1991), after short illness. [171]
- Joe Tandy, 26, British auto racing team owner, car crash. [172]
- Christopher Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe, 74, British aristocrat and politician, heart failure. [173]
- Dame Heather Begg, 76, New Zealand operatic soprano, leukemia. [174]
- Mohan Saliya Ellawala, 61, Sri Lankan politician, Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province (2008–2009), after long illness. [175]
- Eden Ross Lipson, 66, American book editor, pancreatic cancer. [176]
- Thomas Nordseth-Tiller, 28, Norwegian screenwriter (Max Manus), cancer. [177] (Norwegian)
- Roger Planchon, 77, French theatre director, heart attack. [178] (French)
- Sidique Ali Merican, 78, Malaysian sprinter, stroke. [179]
- Antonio Vega, 51, Spanish pop singer-songwriter (Nacha Pop), pneumonia. [180] (Spanish)
- Heini Walter, 81, Swiss racing driver. [181]
- Pat Booth, 66, British model and writer, cancer. [182]
- Lude Check, 91, Canadian ice hockey player. [183]
- Abel Goumba, 82, Central African politician, Prime Minister (1957–58, 1959, 2003) and Vice-President (2003–2005). [184] (French)
- Claudio Huepe, 69, Chilean politician and diplomat, heart attack. [185]
- Bill Kelso, 69, American baseball player. [186]
- Mark Landon, 60, American actor, adopted son of Michael Landon. [187]
- Shanthi Lekha, 79, Sri Lankan actress. [188]
- S. M. Nanda, 93, Indian admiral, Chief of Naval Staff (1970–1973). [189]
- Peter Philips, 81, Australian politician, Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (1976–1988). [190]
- Leonard Shlain, 71, American surgeon and writer, brain cancer. [191]
- Angel Arce Torres, 78, American hit and run victim, bronchial pneumonia due to spinal injury. [192]
- Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, Libyan Al-Qaeda paramilitary trainer accused of terrorism, alleged suicide. [193]
- Robert John Cornell, 89, American politician and Roman Catholic priest, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin (1975–1979). [194]
- Sergio Escobedo, 78, Mexican Olympic modern pentathlete and fencer. [195]
- James Kirkup, 91, British poet, translator and travel writer, stroke. [196]
- Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano, 47, Guatemalan lawyer, shot. [197]
- Clive Scott, 64, British keyboardist and songwriter (Jigsaw), stroke. [198]
- Brian Simnjanovski, 27, American football player (Berlin Thunder), car accident. [199]
- Robert J. Sinclair, 77, American executive, CEO of Saab-Scania of America, cancer. [200]
- Stephen Bruton, 60, American songwriter and guitarist (Kris Kristofferson band), throat cancer. [201]
- Chuck Daly, 78, American basketball coach, pancreatic cancer. [202]
- Sahan Dosova, 130?, Kazakhstani supercentenarian and longevity claimant. [203] (Hungarian)
- Travis Edmonson, 76, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Bud & Travis), heart failure. [204]
- Henry T. King, 89, American attorney, Nuremberg trials prosecutor, cancer. [205]
- David Marcus, 85, Irish literary editor, after long illness. [206]
- Ernest Millington, 93, British politician and educator, last living World War II-era member of the British Parliament. [207]
- Eugene Smith, 88, American gospel singer. [208]
- Evgenios Spatharis, 85, Greek shadow play artist, fall. [209] (Greek)
- Jean-Claude Van Geenberghe, 46, Belgian-born Ukrainian equestrian. [210] (German)
- George Zinkhan, 57, American academic and suspected murderer, suicide by gunshot. [211]
- Gianni Baget Bozzo, 84, Italian Roman Catholic priest and politician. [212]
- Fons Brijdenbach, 54, Belgian athlete, cancer. [213] (Dutch)
- Dom DiMaggio, 92, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox), brother of Joe DiMaggio, pneumonia. [214]
- Hideyuki Fujisawa, 83, Japanese Go player, aspiration pneumonia. [215] (Japanese)
- Carlos Kloppenburg, 89, Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Novo Hamburgo (1986–1995). [216]
- Ninel Kurgapkina, 80, Russian prima ballerina, road accident. [217] (Russian)
- Greg Palmer, 61, American writer, television reporter and Emmy Award-winning journalist, lung cancer. [218]
- Bud Shrake, 77, American journalist and novelist, lung cancer. [219]
- Eunice Taylor, 75, American baseball player (Kenosha Comets). [220]
- Robin Blaser, 83, American-born Canadian poet, Griffin Poetry Prize winner. [221]
- Mickey Carroll, 89, American actor (The Wizard of Oz). [222]
- Ian Cundy, 64, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Peterborough, mesothelioma. [223]
- Linda Dangcil, 66, American actress (The Flying Nun), throat cancer. [224]
- John Furia, Jr., 79, American screenwriter (The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare), President of the Writers Guild, West (1973–1975). [225]
- Tony Marsh, 77, British racing driver. [226]
- David Mellor, 78, British industrial designer, manufacturer and retailer. [227]
- Frank Melton, 60, American politician, Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. [228]
- Danny Ozark, 85, American baseball manager. [229]
- Wayland Young, 2nd Baron Kennet, 85, British politician and writer. [230]
- Erik Bluemel, 32, American professor (University of Denver), bicycle accident. [231]
- Sam Cohn, 79, American talent agent, after short illness. [232]
- Leon Despres, 101, American attorney and politician, heart failure. [233]
- Ean Evans, 48, American bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), cancer. [234]
- Kevin Grubb, 31, American NASCAR driver, suicide by gunshot. [235]
- Sid Laverents, 100, American amateur filmmaker, pneumonia. [236]
- Lev Losev, 71, Russian poet and literary critic. [237] (Russian)
- Guy Mascolo, 65, Italian hairdresser, co-founder of Toni & Guy. [238]
- Bob Meyer, 76, Australian logician, lung cancer. [239]
- Valentin Varennikov, 85, Russian general. [240] (Russian)
- Viola Wills, 69, American pop singer, cancer.[241]
- Benjamín Flores, 24, Mexican boxer, brain injury during a match. [242]
- David S. King, 91, American politician, U.S. Representative for Utah (1959–1963). [243]
- Richard Miller, 83, American operatic tenor and educator, Professor Emeritus of Voice (Oberlin Conservatory of Music). [244]
- Elsie B. Washington, 66, American author, wrote first African American romance novel, multiple sclerosis and cancer. [245]
- Murasaki Yamada, 60, Japanese manga artist. [246]
- Bobby Campbell, 86, British footballer and manager. [247]
- Nicholas Clemente, 80, American judge (New York Supreme Court). [248]
- Dom DeLuise, 75, American actor and comedian (The Cannonball Run, The Secret of NIMH), writer and chef, kidney failure. [249]
- Charles Lugano, 59, Kenyan politician, after short illness. [250]
- Martha Mason, 71, American author, lived 60 years in an iron lung. [251]
- Fritz Muliar, 89, Austrian actor. [252]
- Jane Randolph, 93, American actress. [253]
- Gisela Stein, 73, German actress. [254] (German)
- Robert B. Choate, Jr., 84, American food lobbyist. [255]
- John Elsworthy, 77, British footballer. [256]
- Hui Ki On, 65, Hong Kong public servant, Commissioner of Police (1994–2001), cancer. [257]
- Eleanor Perenyi, 91, American gardener and writer, cerebral hemorrhage. [258]
- Ram Shewalkar, 78, Indian Marathi writer, cardiac arrest. [259]
- Ralph Thompson, 95, British animal artist. [260]
- Alfred Appel, 75, American scholar, expert on Vladimir Nabokov, heart failure. [261]
- K.Balaji, 74, Indian Tamil actor and producer, multiple organ failure. [262]
- Augusto Boal, 78, Brazilian dramatist and theater director (Theatre of the Oppressed), respiratory failure. [263] (Portuguese)
- Marilyn French, 79, American writer, heart failure. [264]
- Kiyoshiro Imawano, 58, Japanese rock musician. [265] (Japanese)
- Janus Kamban, 95, Faroese sculptor and graphic designer. [266]
- Jack Kemp, 73, American politician and football player, candidate for Vice President (1996), cancer. [267]
- Carole C. Noon, 59, American primatologist, founder of Save the Chimps, pancreatic cancer. [268]
- Robert Pauley, 85, American executive, President of ABC Radio (1961–1967), heart failure. [269]
- Virginia Prince, 96, American transgender activist. [270]
- Ralph J. Cappy, 65, American jurist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (2003–2008). [271]
- Delara Darabi, 22, Iranian convicted murderer, executed by hanging. [272]
- Fred Delmare, 87, German actor, complications from pneumonia. [273] (German)
- Ric Estrada, 81, Cuban-born American penciler of comic books, prostate cancer. [274]
- Danny Gans, 52, American entertainer. [275]
- Norman Gash, 97, British historian. [276]
- Albert Hamilton Gordon, 107, American businessman. [277]
- George Hannan, 98, Australian politician. [278]
- Jokke Kangaskorpi, 37, Finnish footballer. [279] (Finnish)
- Jack D. Maltester, 95, American politician, Mayor of San Leandro, California. [280]
- Derek Noonan, 62, British rugby league and rugby union player. [281]
- Marc Rocco, 46, American film director (Murder in the First, Where the Day Takes You) and screenwriter. [282]
- Sunline, 13, New Zealand champion racehorse, euthanized. [283]
- John Wilke, 54, American investigative reporter, pancreatic cancer. [284]