Deaths in January 2026

The following is a list of **deaths that should be noted in January 2026**. For deaths that should be noted before the month that the world is in, please see "Months". Names under each date are noted in the order of the alphabet by last name or pseudonym. Deaths of non-humans are noted here also if it is worth noting.

Every entry must have a source. If no reference is included, the death notice will be removed. The following are the requirements of adding a name to the list in its order: name, age, where they came from, what the person is known for, cause of death (if known) and a source.

## January
### 31
*Fitim Makashi, 81, Albanian actor (*The Death of the Horse*, *Rrugicat që kërkonin diell*, *Nga mesi i errësirës*), Merited Artist of Albania.

### 30
*Catherine O'Hara, 71, Canadian-American actress (''Schitt's Creek*, *Home Alone*, *Beetlejuice*), Emmy winner (1982, 2019).
*Demond Wilson, 79, American actor (*Sanford and Son*, *The New Odd Couple*, *Me and the Kid*) and author, complications from cancer.

### 29
*João Canijo, 68, Portuguese film director (*Get a Life*, *Blood of My Blood*, *Bad Living*), heart attack.

### 28
*Bryan Loren, 59, American songwriter ("Do the Bartman").

### 27
### 26
*Sly Dunbar, 73, Jamaican drummer (Sly and Robbie), record producer ("Underneath It All"), and songwriter ("Murder She Wrote").
*Billy Bass Nelson, 74, American Hall of Fame bassist (Funkadelic).

### 25
*Lee Hae-chan, 73, South Korean politician, prime minister (2004–2006), minister of education (1998–1999) and MNA (1988–2020).

### 24
*Michel Barbey, 98, French actor (*Rendezvous in July*, *Three Sailors in a Convent*, *Dominique*).

### 23
*Carlo Cecchi, 86, Italian actor (*His Day of Glory*, *Martin Eden*, *The Red Violin*).
*Yvonne Lime, 90, American actress (*I Was a Teenage Werewolf*, *The Rainmaker*, *Father Knows Best*).
*Anda Zaice, 84, Latvian actress (*Trial on the Road*).

### 22
### 21
*Reza Rooygari, 79, Iranian actor (*Eagles*, *The Tenants*, *The Old Bachelor*), heart attack.
*Aleksandr Shavlokhov, 86, South Ossetian politician, prime minister (1996–1998).

### 20
*Norman Gifford, 85, English cricketer (Worcestershire, Warwickshire, national team). (death announced on this date)
*Rob Hirst, 70, Australian musician (Midnight Oil), pancreatic cancer. (death announced on this date)

### 19
*Senka Veletanlić, 89, Bosnian actress (*Svanuće*, *Three*).

### 18
*Valentino Garavani, 93, fashion designer.

### 17
*Roger Allers, 76, American film director (*The Lion King*, *Open Season*) and screenwriter (*Aladdin*).
*Wilbur Wood, 84, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox).

### 16
*Grant Batty, 74, New Zealand rugby union player (Wellington, Bay of Plenty, national team).
*János Koltai, 90, Hungarian actor and director (*The Round-Up*, *Ten Thousand Days*, *Szomszédok*).
*Melpo Zarokosta, 92, Greek actress (*Maiden's Cheek*, *A Matter of Earnestness*).

### 15
*Kenny Morris, 68, English drummer (Siouxsie and the Banshees). (death announced on this date)

### 14
*Igor Zolotovitskiy, 64, Russian actor (*Taxi Blues*, *Luna Park*, *Composition for Victory Day*), theater teacher and television director.

### 13
*Scott Adams, 68, American cartoonist (*Dilbert*) and political commentator, prostate cancer.
*Lina Bernardi, 87, Italian actress (*The Story of Piera*, *The Last Kiss*, *The Embalmer*).
*George Vassiliou, 94, Cypriot politician, president of Cyprus (1988–1993).

### 12
*Mohammad Ilyas, 79, Pakistani cricketer (Lahore, Pakistan International Airlines, national team), cancer.
*Catherine Samie, 92, French actress (*Lovers of Paris*, *The Old Maid*, *They Came Back*).

### 11
### 10
*Erich von Däniken, 90, Swiss author
*Derek Martin, 92, English actor (*Law & Order*, *Eldorado*, *EastEnders*)
*Bob Weir, 78, American Hall of Fame musician (Grateful Dead), lung issues. (death announced on this date)

### 9
*, 75, French writer.
*Andrés Caniulef, 48, Chilean journalist, heart attack.
*Beatriz González, 93, Colombian artist.
*Hans Herrmann, 97, German racing driver (Formula One).
*Khawlhring Lalremruata, 38, Indian cricketer (Mizoram), heart attack.
*, 59, Russian biathlete.
*, 82, Spanish politician.
*, 75, Taiwanese politician.
*Vincenzo Zarri, 96, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, auxiliary bishop of Bologna (1976–1988) and bishop of Forlì-Bertinoro (1988–2005).

### 8
*Murat Bisembin, 53, Kazakh actor, cancer.
*Loraine Braham, 87, Australian politician, member (1994–2008) and speaker (1997–1999, 2001–2005) of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. (death announced on this date)
*Heloísa de Carvalho, 56, Brazilian writer and political activist, suicide.
*Conrado Corsalette, 47, Brazilian journalist.
*Mieczysław Czerniawski, 77, Polish politician, MP (1989–1991, 1993–2005).
*Jim Furlong, 85, Canadian football player (Calgary Stampeders).
*Sergio Goizauskas, 69, Argentine-born French cartoonist.
*Vijay Singh Gond, 68, Indian politician, Uttar Pradesh MLA (1980–2007, since 2024), kidney failure.
*Heber Jentzsch, 90, American Scientology executive (Church of Scientology International), actor and journalist (*Los Angeles Free Press*). (death announced on this date)
*, 96, Chinese academian.
*Philippe Junot, 85, French venture capitalist and property developer.
*Madalitso Kazombo, 46, Malawian politician, first deputy speaker of the National Assembly (2019–2025), asthma attack.
*, 81, Portuguese actress (*Sabor da Paixão*,*Morangos com Açúcar*,*A Impostora*).
*, 51, Russian politician.
*, 75, Italian marathon and middle-distance runner.
*Hiroshi Nakamura, 93, Japanese surrealist painter, pancreatic cancer.
*Astrid Roemer, 78, Surinamese-Dutch writer and teacher.
*Uljana Semjonova, 73, Latvian basketball player, Olympic champion (1976, 1980).
*Sir Tim Shadbolt, 78, New Zealand politician, mayor of Waitemata City (1983–1989) and Invercargill (1993–1995, 1998–2022).
*Meinam Bhorot Singh, 75, Indian politician, Manipur MLA (2002–2007).
*Terry Yorath, 75, Welsh football player (Leeds United, national team) and manager (national team).

### 7
*Madjoulba Batocfetou, Togolese agronomic engineer.
*James Bernard, American music journalist and magazine editor (*The Source*, *XXL*). (death announced on this date)
*Ihor Blazhkov, 89, Ukrainian conductor.
*Albert Bourgi, 90, French jurist.
*Raffaella Bragazzi, 66, Italian television presenter and radio host.
*Camilo Isaac Chavarría, 27, Panamanian model (Mister Panamá) and reality show contestant (*Calle 7''), heart attack.
*Martin Chivers, 80, English footballer (Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, national team).
*Ángel Coerezza, 92, Argentine football referee (AFA).
*Hiroya Ebina, 67, Japanese politician, mayor of Kushiro (2008–2024), member of the Hokkaido Legislative Assembly
## References