What Happened in 2016 — Events, Births & Deaths

In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world's most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.

West Air Sweden Flight 294 crashes near the Swedish reservoir of Akkajaure; both pilots, the only people on board, are killed.

Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Multiple explosions reported near the Sarinah Building, Jakarta, followed by shootout between perpetrators and the police, killing seven people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility.

The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle.

Thirty-three out of 126 freed hostages are injured and 23 killed in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on a hotel and a nearby restaurant.

President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program.

New Zealand politician Steven Joyce is hit by a flung rubber dildo in a Waitangi Day protest.

Cybercriminals initiate the Bangladesh Bank robbery, using the SWIFT network to fraudulently transfer $101 million from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York account of Bangladesh Bank.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes southern Taiwan, killing 117 people.

North Korea launches Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space violating multiple UN treaties and prompting condemnation from around the world.

Two passenger trains collide in the German town of Bad Aibling in the state of Bavaria. Twelve people die and 85 others are injured.

South Korea decides to stop the operation of the Kaesong joint industrial complex with North Korea in response to the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4.

A man shoots seven people dead at an education center in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.

Military vehicles explode outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.

Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Tara Air Flight 193, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, crashes, with 23 fatalities, in Solighopte, Myagdi District, Dhaulagiri Zone, while en route from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport.

Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.

In the Miqdadiyah bombing: at least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala, Iraq.

The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people.

Three gunmen attack two hotels in the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people.

A bomb detonates in a bus carrying government employees in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 15 and injuring at least 30.

Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 24 and injuring 18.

Rojava conflict: At a conference in Rmelan, the Movement for a Democratic Society declares the establishment of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.

Flydubai Flight 981 crashes while attempting to land at Rostov-on-Don international airport, killing all 62 on board.

An explosion occurs in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, killing five people and injuring 36.

Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.

A suicide blast in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Lahore claims over 70 lives and leaves almost 300 others injured. The target of the bombing are Christians celebrating Easter.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station.

The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact.

The Panama Papers, a leak of legal documents, reveals information on 214,488 offshore companies.

The Paravur temple accident, in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for the seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.

An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, impacting India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.

The foreshock of a major earthquake occurs in Kumamoto, Japan.

Ecuador's worst earthquake in nearly 40 years kills 676 and injures more than 230,000.

The Paris Agreement is signed, an agreement to help fight global warming.

Eighty-eight thousand people are evacuated from their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada as a wildfire rips through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings.

One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad.

EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Paris to Cairo, killing all on board.

The government of Singapore authorises the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a Chinese construction worker despite international pleas for clemency, notably from Amnesty International and the United Nations.

Two suicide bombings, conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, kill at least 45 potential army recruits in Aden, Yemen.

Eight bombings are carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in Jableh and Tartus, coastline cities in Syria. One hundred eighty-four people are killed and at least 200 people injured.

Barack Obama is the first president of the United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.

Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various internet memes.

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launch the Manbij offensive, in order to capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Two shootings in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, kill six people.

Forty-nine civilians are killed and 58 others injured in an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States; the gunman, Omar Mateen, is killed in a gunfight with police.

Shanghai Disneyland Park, the first Disney Park in mainland China, opens to the public.

Brexit: The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.

A terrorist attack in Turkey's Istanbul Atatürk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others.

The Juno space probe arrives at Jupiter and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.

Ex-US Army soldier Micah Xavier Johnson shoots fourteen policemen, killing five of them, in downtown Dallas, Texas at the end of a protest of recent police killings of Black men. He is subsequently killed by a robot-delivered bomb.

Portugal defeats France in the UEFA Euro 2016 Final to win their first European title.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron resigns, and is succeeded by Theresa May.

A man ploughs a truck into a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring another 434 before being shot by police.

Factions of the Turkish Armed Forces attempt a coup.

The Sagamihara stabbings occur in Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Nineteen people are killed.

Hillary Clinton becomes the first female nominee for president of the United States by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.

Terrorists attack a government hospital in Quetta, Pakistan with a suicide blast and shooting, killing between 70 and 94 people, and injuring around 130 others.

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Fifty-four people are killed when a suicide bomber detonates himself at a Kurdish wedding party in Gaziantep, Turkey.

An earthquake strikes Central Italy with a magnitude of 6.2, with aftershocks felt as far as Rome and Florence. Around 300 people are killed.

Proxima Centauri b, the closest exoplanet to Earth, is discovered by the European Southern Observatory.

The first experimental mission of ISRO's Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System is successfully conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is impeached and removed from office.

The U.S. and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally ratify the Paris global climate agreement.

NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe visited 101955 Bennu and returned with samples in September 2023.

The government of North Korea conducts its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test. World leaders condemn the act, with South Korea calling it "maniacal recklessness".

Two bombs explode in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and Manhattan. Thirty-one people are injured in the Manhattan bombing.

The 2016 Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir, India by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed results in the deaths of nineteen Indian Army soldiers and all four attackers.

In the wake of a manhunt, the suspect in a series of bombings in New York and New Jersey is apprehended after a shootout with police.

The 2016 South Australian blackout occurs, lasting up to three days in some areas.

Eleven days after the Uri attack, the Indian Army conducts "surgical strikes" against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Hurricane Matthew becomes a Category 5 hurricane, making it the strongest hurricane to form in the Caribbean Sea since 2007.

Two paintings with a combined value of $100 million are recovered after having been stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in 2002.

The leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, Pedro Sánchez, resigns. He would return to the position a year later.

Ethiopian protests break out during a festival in the Oromia region, killing dozens of people.

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to over 800.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launches its first attack on Myanmar security forces along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border.

The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations.

One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons.

A French surveillance aircraft flying to Libya crashes on takeoff in Malta, killing all five people on board.

Three heavily armed terrorists from the Islamic State – Khorasan Province open fire on and eventually suicide bomb a police training centre in Balochistan, Pakistan, killing at least 59 cadets and injuring more than 165 others.

The Chicago Cubs defeat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, ending the longest Major League Baseball championship drought at 108 years.

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces launch an offensive to capture the ISIL-held city of Raqqa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly announces the withdrawal of ₹500 and ₹1000 denomination banknotes.

Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton, the first woman ever to receive a major party's nomination.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Kaikōura, New Zealand, at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), resulting in the deaths of two people.

Hong Kong's High Court bans elected politicians Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung from the city's Parliament.

Jimmie Johnson wins his seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time.

The government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People's Army sign a revised peace deal, bringing an end to the country's more than 50-year-long civil war.

LaMia Flight 2933 crashes near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 of 77 people on board, including members of the Brazilian football club Chapecoense

Thirty-six people die in a fire at a converted Oakland, California, warehouse serving as an artist collective.

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 661, a domestic passenger flight from Chitral to Islamabad, operated by an ATR-42-500 crashes near Havelian, killing all 47 on board.

President Park Geun-hye of South Korea is impeached by the country's National Assembly in response to a major political scandal.

At least 57 people are killed and a further 177 injured when two schoolgirl suicide bombers attack a market area in Madagali, Adamawa, Nigeria in the Madagali suicide bombings.

Two explosions outside a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, kill 38 people and injure 166 others.

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is assassinated while at an art exhibition in Ankara. The assassin, Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, is shot and killed by a Turkish guard.

A vehicular attack in Berlin, Germany, kills 12 and injures 56 people at a Christmas market.

Aerosucre Flight 157 crashes during takeoff from Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia, killing five people.

A study finds the VSV-EBOV vaccine against the Ebola virus between 70 and 100% effective, making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.

A Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 92 people on board.

Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince

Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne

The Rizzler, American internet personality

Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (born 1932)

Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (born 1925)

Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1924)

Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (born 1935)

Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabian religious leader (born 1959)

Gisela Mota Ocampo, mayor of Temixco, Morelos, Mexico, assassinated (born 1982)

Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (born 1932)

Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (born 1928)

Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1945)

Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (born 1957)

S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (born 1947)

Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (born 1939)

Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1925)

Pat Harrington, Jr., American actor and screenwriter (born 1929)

Florence King, American journalist and author (born 1936)

Christy O'Connor Jnr, Irish golfer and architect (born 1948)

Silvana Pampanini, Italian model, actress, and director, Miss Italy 1946 (born 1925)

Bill Foster, American basketball player and coach (born 1929)

John Johnson, American basketball player (born 1947)

Kitty Kallen, American singer (born 1921)

Judith Kaye, American lawyer and jurist (born 1938)

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (born 1936)

Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian racing driver (born 1926)

German Moreno, Filipino television host, actor, comedian and talent manager (born 1933)

John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (born 1938)

Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (born 1926)

David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1947)

Bård Breivik, Norwegian sculptor and art instructor (born 1948)

George Jonas, Hungarian-Canadian journalist, author, and poet (born 1935)

Monte Irvin, American baseball player (born 1919)

David Margulies, American actor (born 1937)

Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (born 1935)

Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (born 1934)

Lawrence Phillips, American football player (born 1975)

René Angélil, Canadian music producer, talent manager, and singer (born 1942)

Alan Rickman, English actor (born 1946)

Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (born 1954)

Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (born 1958)

Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (born 1943)

Joannis Avramidis, Greek sculptor (born 1922)

Ted Marchibroda, American football player and coach (born 1931)

Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939)

Melvin Day, New Zealand painter and historian (born 1923)

V. Rama Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor of Sikkim (born 1935)

Sudhindra Thirtha, Indian religious leader (born 1926)

Johnny Bach, American basketball player and coach (born 1924)

Glenn Frey, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1948)

T. S. Sinnathuray, Judge of the High Court of Singapore (born 1930)

Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (born 1924)

Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (born 1930)

Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1931)

Sheila Sim (Lady Attenborough), English actress (born 1922)

Mykolas Burokevičius, Lithuanian carpenter and politician (born 1927)

Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (born 1920)

Bill Johnson, American skier (born 1960)

Mrinalini Sarabhai, a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (born 1918)

Homayoun Behzadi, Iranian footballer and coach (born 1942)

Cecil Parkinson, English politician (born 1931)

Lois Ramsey, Australian actress (born 1922)

Kamer Genç, Turkish politician (born 1940)

Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (born 1928)

Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic (born 1927)

Henry Worsley, English colonel and explorer (born 1960)

Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani military leader, foreign minister, and diplomat (born 1920)

Abe Vigoda, American actor (born 1921)

Carlos Loyzaga, Filipino basketball player and coach (born 1930)

Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (born 1941)

Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941)

Franklin Gene Bissell, American football player and coach (born 1926)

Buddy Cianci, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Providence (born 1941)

Bob Tizard, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1924)

Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (born 1938)

Jacques Rivette, French director, screenwriter, and critic (born 1928)

Frank Finlay, English actor (born 1926)

Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (born 1959)

Georgia Davis Powers, American activist and politician (born 1923)

Gaston Mialaret, French pedagogist and professor (born 1918)

Terry Wogan, Irish radio and television host (born 1938)

Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (born 1930)

Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1923)

Joe Alaskey, American actor (born 1952)

Balram Jakhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Madhya Pradesh (born 1923)

József Kasza, Serbian politician and economist (born 1945)

Edgar Mitchell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (born 1930)

Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (born 1919)

Dan Gerson, American screenwriter (born 1966)

Dan Hicks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941)

Amelia Bence, Argentine actress (born 1914)

Nida Fazli, Indian poet and songwriter (born 1938)

Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (born 1938)

Violette Verdy, French ballerina (born 1933)

Sushil Koirala, Nepalese politician, 37th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1939)

Zdravko Tolimir, Bosnian Serb military commander (born 1948)

Fatima Surayya Bajia, Indian-Pakistani author and playwright (born 1930)

Kevin Randleman, American mixed martial artist and wrestler (born 1971)

Zeng Xuelin, Thai-Chinese footballer and manager (born 1929)

Dominique D'Onofrio, Italian-Belgian footballer and coach (born 1953)

Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (born 1945)

Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (born 1930)

O. N. V. Kurup, Indian poet and academic (born 1931)

Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and judge, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (born 1936)

Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (born 1928)

Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (born 1949)

George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (born 1917)

Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (born 1959)

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1922)

Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer (born 1921)

Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist (born 1923)

Claude Jeancolas, French historian, author, and journalist (born 1949)

Tony Phillips, American baseball player (born 1959)

Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director (born 1940)

Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (born 1932)

Harper Lee, American author (born 1926)

Chiaki Morosawa, Japanese anime screenwriter (born 1959)

Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (born 1923)

Fernando Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest and politician (born 1934)

Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (born 1919)

Peter Lustig, German television host and author (born 1937)

Jacqueline Mattson, American baseball player (born 1928)

Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (born 1943)

Nabil Maleh, Syrian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1936)

George C. Nichopoulos, American soldier and physician (born 1927)

Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1932)

Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (born 1933)

Yi Cheol-seung, South Korean lawyer and politician (born 1922)

James Z. Davis, American lawyer and judge (born 1943)

George Kennedy, American actor (born 1925)

Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (born 1966)

Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (born 1931)

Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (born 1969)

Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin, executed (born 1985)

Louise Rennison, English author (born 1951)

Carole Achache, French writer, photographer and actress (born 1952)

Benoît Lacroix, Canadian priest, historian, and philosopher (born 1915)

Aubrey McClendon, American businessman (born 1959)

Hayabusa, Japanese wrestler (born 1968)

Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmentalist (born 1973)

Martin Crowe, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster (born 1962)

Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (born 1914)

Sarah Tait, Australian Olympic rower (born 1983)

Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (born 1929)

Pat Conroy, American author (born 1945)

P. A. Sangma, Indian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (born 1947)

Zhou Xiaoyan, Chinese soprano and educator (born 1917)

Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (born 1932)

Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (born 1941)

Al Wistert, American football player and coach (born 1920)

Nancy Reagan, American actress, 42nd First Lady of the United States (born 1921)

Sheila Varian, American horse trainer and breeder (born 1937)

Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (born 1951)

Leonard Berney, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp liberator (born 1920)

George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (born 1926)

Robert Horton, American actor (born 1924)

Clyde Lovellette, American basketball player and coach (born 1929)

Ken Adam, German-English production designer and art director (born 1921)

Roberto Perfumo, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster (born 1942)

Jovito Salonga, Filipino lawyer and politician, 14th President of the Senate of the Philippines (born 1920)

Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian (born 1928)

Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper (born 1936)

Doreen Massey, English geographer and political activist (born 1944)

Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet and author (born 1942)

Felix Ibru, Nigerian architect and politician, Governor of Delta State (born 1935)

Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923)

Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926)

John W. Cahn, German-American metallurgist and academic (born 1928)

Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (born 1934)

Suranimala Rajapaksha, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (born 1949)

Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress and television and film producer (born 1927)

Asa Briggs, English historian and academic (born 1921)

Seru Rabeni, Fijian rugby player (born 1978)

Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (born 1924)

Frank Sinatra Jr., American singer and actor (born 1944)

Meir Dagan, Israeli general (born 1945)

Zoltán Kamondi, Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1960)

Barry Hines, English author and screenwriter (born 1939)

Jan Němec, Czech director and screenwriter (born 1936)

Tray Walker, American football player (born 1992)

Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (born 1961)

Roger Agnelli, Brazilian banker and businessman (born 1959)

Jack Mansell, English footballer and manager (born 1927)

Anker Jørgensen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (born 1922)

Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (born 1969)

Rita Gam, American actress (born 1927)

Joe Garagiola, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1926)

Ken Howard, American actor (born 1944)

Johan Cruyff, Dutch footballer (born 1947)

Garry Shandling, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1949)

Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (born 1917)

Jim Harrison, American novelist, essayist, and poet (born 1937)

Mother Angelica, American Roman Catholic religious leader and media personality (born 1923)

James Noble, American actor (born 1922)

Patty Duke, American actress (born 1946)

Ronnie Corbett, Scottish comedian, actor and screenwriter (born 1930)

Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician (born 1927)

Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-born English architect and academic, designed the Bridge Pavilion (born 1950)

Imre Kertész, Hungarian author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929)

Denise Robertson, British writer and television broadcaster (born 1932)

Gallieno Ferri, Italian comic book artist and illustrator (born 1929)

Robert Abajyan, Armenian sergeant (born 1996)

Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (born 1932)

Joe Medicine Crow, American anthropologist, historian, and author (born 1913)

Koji Wada, Japanese singer and songwriter (born 1974)

Chus Lampreave, Spanish actress (born 1930)

Koço Kasapoğlu, Turkish footballer (born 1936)

Merle Haggard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1937)

Duane Clarridge, American spy (born 1932)

Will Smith, American football player (born 1981)

Howard Marks, Welsh cannabis smuggler, writer, and legalisation campaigner (born 1945)

Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat (born 1930)

Anne Jackson, American actress (born 1925)

Chyna, American wrestler (born 1969)

Doris Roberts, American actress (born 1925)

Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (born 1918)

Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (born 1953)

Prince, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1958)

Inge King, German-born Australian sculptor (born 1915)

Banharn Silpa-archa, Thai politician, Prime Minister from 1995 to 1996 (born 1932)

Tommy Kono, American weightlifter and coach (born 1930)

Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (born 1922)

Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (born 1937)

Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (born 1947)

Dmytro Hnatyuk, Ukrainian singer (born 1925)

Renato Corona, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (born 1948)

Daniel Berrigan, American priest and activist (born 1921)

Harry Kroto, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1939)

Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (born 1947)

Ian Deans, Canadian politician (born 1937)

Jadranka Stojaković, Yugoslav singer-songwriter (born 1950)

Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, Burundian politician (born 1946)

Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (born 1990)

Reg Grundy, Australian businessman (born 1923)

William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (born 1922)

Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (born 1935)

Murray A. Straus, American sociologist and academic (born 1926)

Darwyn Cooke, American comic book writer and artist (born 1962)

Jelesko Grancharoff, Bulgarian-Australian resistance fighter and anarchist (born 1925)

Alan Young, English-born Canadian-American actor (born 1919)

Morley Safer, Canadian-born American journalist (born 1931)

Kho Jabing, Malaysian convicted murderer who was executed by hanging in Singapore (born 1984)

Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (born 1964)

Velimir "Bata" Živojinović, Serbian actor and politician (born 1933)

Hedy Epstein, German-born American human rights activist and Holocaust survivor (born 1924)

Harambe, Cincinnati Zoo western lowland gorilla (born 1999)

Tom Lysiak, Polish-Canadian ice hockey player (born 1953)

Rick MacLeish, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1950)

Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976–2016) (born 1947)

Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (born 1938)

Carla Lane, English television writer (born 1928)

Rupert Neudeck, German journalist and humanitarian (born 1939)

Muhammad Ali, American boxer (born 1942)

Carmen Pereira, Bissau-Guinean politician (born 1937)

Jerome Bruner, American psychologist (born 1915)

Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess grandmaster; arguably the best player never to become World Chess Champion (born 1931)

Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter; works included Equus and Amadeus (born 1926)

Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (born 1994)

Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1928)

Rudi Altig, German track and road racing cyclist (born 1937)

Ann Morgan Guilbert, American actress and singer (born 1928)

Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian politician, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (born 1919)

Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (born 1974)

Jeppiaar, Indian educationist, founder and chancellor of Sathyabama University (born 1931)

Anton Yelchin, American actor (born 1989)

Pierre Lalonde, Canadian television host and singer (born 1941)

Ralph Stanley, American singer and banjo player (born 1927)

Adam Small, South African writer of apartheid-period (born 1936)

Bud Spencer, Italian swimmer, actor, and screenwriter (born 1929)

Scotty Moore, American guitarist (born 1931)

Pat Summitt, American women's college basketball head coach (born 1952)

Buddy Ryan, American football coach (born 1931)

Jan Hettema, Springbok cyclist and five times South African National Rally Champion (born 1933)

Robin Hardy, English author and film director (born 1929)

Caroline Aherne, English actress and comedian (born 1963)

Michael Cimino, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1939)

Patrick Manning, 4th & 6th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (born 1946)

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, activist, and author (born 1928)

Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, and photographer (born 1940)

Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistani philanthropist (born 1928)

Katharina Focke, German politician (born 1922)

Goran Hadžić, Serbian politician (born 1958)

Garry Marshall, American actor, director, and producer (born 1934)

Radu Beligan, Romanian actor, director, and essayist (born 1918)

Dennis Green, American football player and coach (born 1949)

Marni Nixon, American actress and singer (born 1930)

Tim LaHaye, American Christian minister and author (born 1926)

Tom Peterson, American television personality (born 1930)

Solomon Feferman, American philosopher and mathematician (born 1928)

Einojuhani Rautavaara, Finnish composer (born 1928)

James Alan McPherson, American short story writer and essayist (born 1943)

Jerry Doyle, American actor and talk show host (born 1956)

Piet de Jong, Dutch politician and naval officer, Minister of Defence, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1915)

Émile Derlin Zinsou, Beninese politician (born 1918)

Mahasweta Devi, Indian Bengali fiction writer and socio-political activist (born 1926)

Gloria DeHaven, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1925)

Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 58th Yokozuna (born 1955)

Seymour Papert, South African mathematician (born 1928)

Queen Anne of Romania (born 1923)

Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (born 1930)

David Huddleston, American actor (born 1930)

Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (born 1927)

Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1946)

Bryan Clauson, American racing driver (born 1989)

Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, third-richest British citizen (born 1951)

Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (born 1958)

Kenny Baker, English actor and musician (born 1934)

Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Indian Hindu leader (born 1921)

Fyvush Finkel, American actor (born 1922)

João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (born 1916)

John McLaughlin, American television personality (born 1927)

Arthur Hiller, Canadian actor, director, and producer (born 1923)

Ernst Nolte, German historian (born 1923)

S. R. Nathan, 6th President of Singapore (born 1924)

Toots Thielemans, Belgian and American jazz musician (born 1922)

Walter Scheel, German politician, 4th President of Germany (born 1919)

Marvin Kaplan, American actor (born 1927)

Cookie, Australian Major Mitchell's cockatoo, oldest recorded parrot (born 1933)

Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer and songwriter (born 1950)

Mr. Fuji, American professional wrestler and manager (born 1934)

Gene Wilder, American stage and screen comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author (born 1933)

Jerry Heller, American music manager (born 1940)

Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (born 1938)

Clarence D. Rappleyea Jr., lawyer and politician (born 1933)

Hugh O'Brian, American actor (born 1925)

Phyllis Schlafly, American lawyer, writer, and political activist (born 1924)

Hannes Arch, Austrian race pilot (born 1967)

Dragiša Pešić, Montenegrin politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (born 1954)

Prince Buster, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (born 1938)

Alexis Arquette, American actress, musician and cabaret performer (born 1969)

Jonathan Riley-Smith, British historian (born 1938)

Tarık Akan, Turkish actor, director and activist (born 1949)

Edward Albee, American director and playwright (born 1928)

Gabriele Amorth, Italian priest and exorcist (born 1925)

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italian economist and politician, 10th President of Italy and 49th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1920)

W. P. Kinsella, Canadian novelist (born 1935)

Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, French-born American businessman (born 1932)

António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cabo Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (born 1944)

Bahman Golbarnezhad, Iranian racing cyclist (born 1968)

Sigge Parling, Swedish footballer (born 1936)

Curtis Hanson, American film director and screenwriter (born 1945)

Peter Leo Gerety, American bishop (born 1912)

Delphine Medjo, Cameroonian politician (born 1941)

Mel Charles, Welsh footballer (born 1935)

Bill Mollison, Australian researcher, author and biologist (born 1928)

Bill Nunn, American actor (born 1953)

Buckwheat Zydeco, American accordionist and bandleader (born 1947)

José Fernández, Cuban-American baseball player (born 1992)

Arnold Palmer, American golfer (born 1929)

Nahid Hattar, Jordanian writer and political activist (born 1960)

Toughie, last known Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog (h. fl. 2005)

Agnes Nixon, American television writer and director (born 1922)

Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (born 1966)

Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli statesman and politician, 9th President of Israel (born 1923)

Gloria Naylor, American novelist (born 1950)

Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipina politician (born 1945)

Neville Marriner, British conductor (born 1924)

Brock Yates, American journalist and author (born 1933)

Ross Higgins, Australian actor, comedian (born 1930)

Andrzej Wajda, Polish film and theatre director (born 1926)

Donn Fendler, American author and speaker (born 1926)

Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), King of Thailand (born 1927)

Dario Fo, Italian playwright, actor, director, and composer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926)

Jim Prentice, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Alberta (born 1956)

Helen Kelly, New Zealand trade union leader (born 1964)

Calvin Carl "Kelly" Gotlieb, Canadian professor and computer scientist (born 1921)

Phil Chess, Czech-American record producer, co-founded Chess Records (born 1921)

Giovanni Steffè, Italian rower (born 1928)

Kaneta Kimotsuki, Japanese actor, voice actor, and theater director (born 1935)

Robert E. Kramek, former United States Coast Guard admiral (born 1939)

Michael Massee, American actor (born 1952)

Junko Tabei, Japanese mountaineer (born 1939)

Steve Dillon, British comic book artist (born 1962)

Sheri S. Tepper, American writer (born 1929)

Jack Chick, American cartoonist and publisher (born 1924)

Wim van der Voort, Dutch speed skater (born 1923)

Pete Burns, English singer-songwriter (born 1959)

Bobby Vee, American pop singer (born 1943)

Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, Uruguayan politician, 38th president of Uruguay (born 1927)

Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian football player and manager (born 1944)

Bob Hoover, USAF, Test, and Airshow pilot (born 1922)

Takahito, Prince Mikasa, member of the Imperial Family of Japan (born 1915)

Kay Starr, American singer (born 1922)

Catherine Davani, first female Papua New Guinean judge (born 1960)

Mansour Pourheidari, Iranian football player and coach (born 1946)

Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter and poet (born 1934)

Janet Reno, American lawyer and government official; Attorney General of the United States (1993–2001) (born 1938)

Jimmy Young, British singer and radio personality (born 1921)

Greg Ballard, American basketball player and coach (born 1955)

Victor Bailey, American singer and bass player (born 1960)

Robert Vaughn, American actor (born 1932)

Lupita Tovar, Mexican-American actress (born 1910)

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Egyptian actor (born 1946)

Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter (born 1942)

Gwen Ifill, American television journalist (born 1955)

Mose Allison, American pianist and songwriter (born 1927)

Jay Wright Forrester, American computer engineer (born 1918)

Melvin Laird, American politician and writer (born 1922)

Daniel Prodan, Romanian football player (born 1972)

Sharon Jones, American soul and funk singer (born 1956)

Denton Cooley, American surgeon and scientist (born 1920)

Gabriel Badilla, Costa Rican footballer (born 1984)

Gene Guarilia, American basketball player (born 1937)

Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek statesman (born 1926)

William Trevor, Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer (born 1928)

Hassan Sadpara, Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer (born 1963)

M. Balamuralikrishna, Indian vocalist and singer (born 1930)

Rita Barberá Nolla, Spanish politician (born 1948)

Ralph Branca, American baseball player (born 1926)

Andrew Sachs, German-born British actor (born 1930)

Joe Esposito, road manager for Elvis Presley (born 1938)

Paul Futcher, English footballer (born 1956)

Florence Henderson, American actress, singer and television personality (born 1934)

Fidel Castro, Communist leader of Cuba, and revolutionary (born 1926)

Ron Glass, American actor (born 1945)

Fritz Weaver, American actor (born 1926)

Ioannis Grivas, Greek statesman (born 1923)

Luis Alberto Monge, Costa Rican politician, 39th President of Costa Rica (born 1925)

Ruta Šaca-Marjaša, Latvian lawyer, writer and politician (born 1927)

Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (born 1921)

Tyruss Himes ("Big Syke"), American rapper (born 1968)

J. Jayalalithaa, Indian actress and Former Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (born 1948)

Peter Vaughan, British actor (born 1923)

Junaid Jamshed, Pakistani recording artist, television personality, fashion designer, occasional actor, singer-songwriter and preacher. (born 1964)

Greg Lake, English musician (born 1947)

John Glenn, American astronaut and senator, first American to go into orbit (born 1921)

Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1931)

Alan Thicke, Canadian actor, songwriter, game and talk-show host (born 1947)

Paulo Evaristo Arns, Brazilian cardinal (born 1921)

Bernard Fox, Welsh actor (born 1927)

Craig Sager, American sports journalist (born 1951)

Benjamin A. Gilman, American soldier and politician (born 1922)

Henry Heimlich, American doctor (born 1920)

Gordon Hunt, American voice director (born 1929)

Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (born 1917)

Andrei Karlov, Russian diplomat, Ambassador to Turkey (born 1954)

Chad Robinson, Australian rugby league player (born 1980)

Rick Parfitt, British musician (born 1948)

Liz Smith, English actress (born 1921)

Richard Adams, English author (born 1920)

Ben Xi, Chinese singer (born 1994)

Valery Khalilov, Russian military musician and composer (born 1952)

George Michael, British singer and songwriter (born 1963)

Vera Rubin, American astronomer (born 1928)

Ricky Harris, American comedian, actor (born 1962)

George S. Irving, American actor, singer and dancer (born 1922)

Carrie Fisher, American actress, screenwriter, author, producer, and speaker (born 1956)

Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Sri Lankan politician (born 1933)

Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer and dancer (born 1932)

Jean-Christophe Victor, French political scientist (born 1947)

Keion Carpenter, American football defensive back (born 1977)

LaVell Edwards, American football head coach (born 1930)

William Christopher, American actor (born 1932)