Deaths in 2003
Famous celebrities who have died recently.
- May 16 Edwin Alonzo Boyd noted Canadian bank-robber and prison escaper of the 1950's.
- May 16 Alex Campbell, Australia's last surviving ANZAC died in a nursing home, aged 103.
- May 13 Dame Ruth Cracknell, redoubtable Australian actress most famous for the long-running role of Maggie Beer, aged 76.
- May 7 Seattle Slew last triple crown winner on 25th anniversary of winning Kentucky Derby
- 06 Pim Fortuyn, controversial politician in the Netherlands, shot.
- 05 Hugo Banzer Suárez, former president of Bolivia, as dictator 1971-1978 and democratic president 1997-2001.
- 03 Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, president of Somaliland and former prime minister of Somalia and British Somaliland.
- 28 Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician
- Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll
- 27 Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, Industrialist and art collector.
- Robert Urich, Actor cancer
- Lisa Lopes, Singer with band TLC
- Maria Felix, Mexican actress.
- 23 Linda Boreman better known as Linda Lovelace, Actress and political activist
- 18 Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian anthropologist
- 16 Franz Krienbühl, Swiss speed skater
- 15 Byron White, US athlete and Supreme Court justice
- 31 Barry Took, UK comedian and writer, also wrote in the US
- 30 Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen mother, member of the British Royal Family.
- 27 Milton Berle, Mr. Television, US comedian
- 27 Dudley Moore, UK actor and writer
- 25 Kenneth Wolstenholme, British football commentator
- 20 Ivan Novikoff, Russian premier ballet master
- 27 Spike Milligan, UK comedian, writer and actor
- 22 Chuck Jones, US animator
- 21 John Thaw, British actor, most famous for the detective series,Morse and The Sweeney.
- 9, Princess Margaret, British royal family (sister of Queen Elizabeth II)
- 6, Max Perutz, founder of molecular biology
- 28, Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children's book author
- 23, Robert Nozick, philosopher
- 22, Peggy Lee, US Singer, Actress
- 14, Ted Demme, film and television director
- 12, Stanley Unwin, comedian
- 11, Cyrus Vance, US ex-Secretary Of State, international peacemaker.
- 8, Dave Thomas, US entrepreaneur, founder of Wendys hamburger restaurants.
- 3, Freddy Heineken, beer magnate.
- 30, Eileen Heckart, US actor, Oscar winner
- 5, Don Tennant, US advertising executive, invented Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's
- 5, Sir Peter Blake, British sailor and environmentalist, shot by pirates on the Amazon River.
- 29, John Knowles, author, "A Separate Peace"
- 29, George Harrison, British musician
- 28, William Kienzle, writer, murder mysters with Catholic priest detective
- 24, Melanie Thornton, aged 34, singer, (plane crash near Zurich)
- 22, Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics.
- 11, Ken Kesey, author, counter-cultural figure.
- 15, Zhang Xue-liang, aged 101 -- important figure in recent Chinese history
- 12, Lord Hailsham (Quintin Hogg), aged 94 -- British lawyer and politician
- 22, Isaac Stern, aged 81 -- violinist
- 13, Victor Wong, aged 74 --American Movie Actor/Artist,
- 11, Barbara K. Olson, US television commentator
- 9, Ahmed Shah Massoud, Afghani Northern Alliance military commander.
- 3, Pauline Kael, aged 82 -- American movie critic
- 2, Christiaan Barnard, aged 78 -- South African heart surgeon, first to perform a human-to-human heart transplant
- 25, Aaliyah, aged 22 -- American singer and actress
- 20, Fred Hoyle -- Astronomer and science fiction writer
- 6, Jorge Amado, aged 88 -- Brazilian writer
- 1, Poul Anderson -- fantasy / sci-fi author
- 29, Henryk Jablonski -- president of Poland (1972-1985)
- 27, Leon Wilkeson, aged 49 -- Bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd
- 11, Herman Brood, aged 54 -- Dutch rock musician, painter and publicity freak (suicide)
- 5, Hannelore Kohl, aged 68 -- wife of ex-chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl (suicide)
- 30, Chet Atkins, aged 77 -- US country musician
- 28, Joan Sims, aged 71 -- UK actress
- 28, Jack Lemmon, aged 76 -- US actor
- 21, Carroll O'Connor, aged 76 -- actor
- 21, John Lee Hooker, aged 83 -- Blues musician
- 11, Timothy McVeigh, aged 33 -- US terrorist (executed by U.S. government)
- 3, Anthony Quinn, aged 86 -- Mexican actor
- 1, King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya of Nepal -- (shot, possibly murdererd)
- 1, Hank Ketcham, aged 81 -- US cartonist, creator of Dennis the Menace
- 12, Perry Como, aged 87 -- US singer
- 12, Douglas Adams, aged 49 -- UK author (heart attack) ("Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), "Dirk Gently", Dr Who
- 5, Cliff Hillegass, aged 83 -- creator of Cliff Notes (stroke)
- 15, Joey Ramone -- US singer, lead singer for The Ramones
- 11, Harry Secombe, aged 79 -- actor, comedian, member of The Goon Show (prostate cancer)
- 10, Willie Stargell -- US baseball player, Baseball Hall of Famer
For earlier deaths see Year in Review 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 ...