Deaths in October 2019

The following is a list of deaths that should be noted in October 2019. 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.
October
1
Joseph Bismuth, 92, Tunisian businessman and politician, member of the Chamber of Advisors (since 2005).
Cain Hope Felder, 76, American theologian and writer.
Karel Gott, 80, Czech pop singer ("Tausend Fenster"), Eurovision contestant (1968), acute myeloid leukemia.
Miguel Leon-Portilla, 93, Mexican anthropologist and historian.
C. K. Menon, 70, Indian businessman and philanthropist, Padma Shri recipient (2009).
Eric Pleskow, 95, Austrian-born American movie producer, President of United Artists (1973-1978), Orion Pictures (1978-1992) and Vienna International Film Festival (since 1998).
Peter Sissons, 77, English journalist and broadcaster (BBC News, ITN, Question Time).
Arto Tchakmaktchian, 86, Egyptian-born Armenian-Canadian sculptor and painter, member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (since 1974).
2
Bill Bidwill, 88, American businessman and philanthropist, owner and Chair of the Arizona Cardinals (since 1972).
Julie Gibson, 106, American actress (Nice Girl?, The Feminine Touch, Lucky Cowboy) and singer.
Tiny Hill, 92, New Zealand rugby union player (Canterbury, Counties, national team) and selector.
Giya Kancheli, 84, Georgian composer (Unusual Exhibition, Don't Grieve, Mimino).
Jafar Kashani, 75, Iranian footballer (Shahin, Persepolis, national team), heart attack.
John Kirby, 79, American lawyer, namesake of Kirby, problems caused by myelodysplastic syndrome.
Isaac Promise, 31, Nigerian footballer (Genclerbirligi, Antalyaspor, national team), Olympic silver medalist (2008), heart attack.
Kim Shattuck, 56, American punk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Muffs, The Pandoras, Pixies), problems caused by ALS.
Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi, 87, Indian nephrologist, Padma Shri recipient (2015), problems caused by Parkinson's disease.
3
John Buchanan, 88, Canadian politician, MLA (1967-1990) and Premier of Nova Scotia (1978-1990).
Diogo Freitas do Amaral, 78, Portuguese politician, acting Prime Minister of Portugal (1980-1981), President of the United Nations General Assembly (1995-1996), Minister of National Defence (1981-1983) and Foreign Affairs (1980-1981, 2005-2006), 1986 CDS presidential nominee, bone cancer.
Hu Yamei, 96, Chinese physician and medical researcher, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (since 1994).
Stephen J. Lukasik, 88, American physicist, respiratory failure.
Ignacio Noguer Carmona, 88, Spanish Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Guadix (1976-1990) and Huelva (1993-2006).
4
Mikhail Biryukov, 27, Russian tennis player, Youth Olympic silver medalist (2010).
Diahann Carroll, 84, American actress (Julia, Dynasty, White Collar), model and singer, Tony (1962) and Golden Globe winner (1968), cancer.
Bill McKnight, 79, Canadian politician, MP (1979-1993).
Alberto Testa, 96, Italian dancer and choreographer, pneumonia.
5
Andy Etchebarren, 76, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers).
Marcello Giordani, 56, Italian operatic tenor, heart attack.
David Greaves, 73, English snooker player.
Tony Hoar, 87, British racing cyclist, cancer.
Henry Keizer, 58, Dutch businessman and politician, Chairman of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (2014-2017).
Blaine Lindgren, 80, American sprinter, Olympic silver medalist (1964).
Margaret Lyons, 95, Canadian radio executive, first female Vice President of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, assisted suicide.
John Mbiti, 87, Kenyan-born Swiss scholar.
Philippe Vandevelde, 62, Belgian comics writer (Le Petit Spirou, Soda, Spirou et Fantasio).
6
Ginger Baker, 80, English Hall of Fame drummer (Cream, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker's Air Force), subject of Beware of Mr. Baker, problems caused by COPD.
Yevgeny Bushmin, 61, Russian politician, member of the Federal Assembly (since 2001).
Vlasta Chramostova, 92, Czech actress (The Trap, The Cassandra Cat, The Cremator).
Stuart Heydinger, 92, British photojournalist (The Observer).
Masaichi Kaneda, 86, Japanese Hall of Fame baseball player (Kokutetsu Swallows, Yomiuri Giants) and manager (Lotte Orions), sepsis.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, 95, Tibetan Karma Kagyu lama, abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (since 1976).
Martin Lauer, 82, German sprinter, Olympic champion (1960).
Neale Lavis, 89, Australian equestrian, Olympic champion and silver medalist (1960).
Karen Pendleton, 73, American actress (The Mickey Mouse Club), heart attack.
David Petel, 98, Iraqi-born Israeli politician, member of the Knesset (1959-1969).
Richard Pfeiffer, 70, American LGBT activist, Director of Chicago Pride Parade (since 1974), cancer.
Rip Taylor, 84, American actor (The $1.98 Beauty Show, Chatterbox, Jackass) and comedian, congestive heart failure caused by a seizure.
7
Pepe Oneto, 77, Spanish journalist (Cambio 16) and writer, sepsis caused by peritonitis.
Ella Vogelaar, 69, Dutch politician and trade union leader, Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration (2007-2008), suicide.
8
Eduard Admetlla i Lazaro, 95, Spanish scuba diver, photographer and inventor, first person to dive 100 meters underwater.
Francis S. Currey, 94, American Army technical sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (1944).
Ted Green, 79, Canadian ice hockey player (Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets) and coach (Edmonton Oilers).
Reg Watson, 93, Australian television producer (Prisoner, Neighbours, Sons and Daughters) and screenwriter.
9
Richard Askey, 86, American mathematician, discoverer of Askey-Wilson polynomials, Askey scheme and Askey-Gasper inequality.
Beppe Bigazzi, 86, Italian journalist and businessman, liver cancer.
Lorand Gaspar, 94, Hungarian-born French poet.
Andres Gimeno, 82, Spanish tennis player, French Open champion (1972), cancer.
James O. Mason, 89, American physician and public health administrator, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1983-1989), Surgeon General (1989-1990) and Assistant Secretary for Health (1989-1993).
Filippo Penati, 66, Italian politician, Mayor of Sesto San Giovanni (1994-2001) and Milan (2004-2009), pancreatic cancer.
Jan Szyszko, 75, Polish environmental scientist and politician, Minister of Environment (1997-1999, 2005-2007, 2015-2018), heart attack.
David Weisman, 77, American movie director (Ciao! Manhattan), producer (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and author, problems caused by West Nile virus.
Louis-Christophe Zaleski-Zamenhof, 94, Polish engineer.
10
Raymond Baumhart, 95, American educator, President of Loyola University Chicago (1970-1993).
Ugo Colombo, 79, Italian racing cyclist.
Richard Jeranian, 98, Armenian-French painter and draftsman.
Tarek Kamel, 57, Egyptian politician and computer engineer, Minister of Communications and Information Technology (2004-2011).
Juliette Kaplan, 80, British actress (Last of the Summer Wine, Coronation Street), cancer of unknown primary origin.
Enrique Moreno, 63, Mexican-American lawyer, problems caused from cancer.
Marie-Jose Nat, 79, French actress (A Woman in White, Violins at the Ball, La Verite), cancer.
11
Sam Bobrick, 87, American television writer (Saved by the Bell, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), stroke.
Robert Forster, 78, American actor (Jackie Brown, The Black Hole, Medium Cool), brain cancer.
John Giorno, 82, American poet and performance artist (Sleep), heart attack.
Kadri Gopalnath, 69, Indian saxophonist and composer (Duet), cardiac arrest.
Alexei Leonov, 85, Russian cosmonaut (Voskhod 2), first person to walk in space, problems caused from diabetes.
12
Mel Aull, 90, Canadian football player (Ottawa Rough Riders).
Carlo Croccolo, 92, Italian actor (47 morto che parla, After the Fox, Three Men and a Leg) and comedian, pneumonia.
Sara Danius, 57, Swedish writer and professor, member of the Swedish Academy (2013-2019), breast cancer.
Ding Shisun, 92, Chinese mathematician and politician, President of Peking University (1984-1989), Chairman of the China Democratic League (1996-2005) and Vice Chairperson of the National People's Congress (1998-2008).
Hevrin Khalaf, 35, Syrian politician and activist, Secretary General of the Kurdish Future Movement in Syria, shot.
Emilio Nicolas Sr., 88, Mexican-American television station owner (KWEX), co-founder of Univision, problems caused by progressive supranuclear palsy.
Yoshihisa Yoshikawa, 83, Japanese sport shooter, Olympic bronze medalist (1960, 1964), heart failure.
13
Scotty Bowers, 96, American author (Full Service) and pimp, kidney failure.
Richard Huckle, 33, British convicted sex offender, stabbed.
Charles Jencks, 80, American architect and philanthropist, co-founder of Maggie's Centres, cancer.
Vasim Mammadaliyev, 77, Azerbaijani theologian and orientalist, member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (since 1989).
Adolfo Mexiac, 92, Mexican graphic artist.
14
Harold Bloom, 89, American literary critic and writer (The Anxiety of Influence, The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages).
Bohdan Butenko, 88, Polish cartoonist.
Emmett Chappelle, 93, American astronomer (NASA) and World War II veteran (Buffalo Soldier), kidney failure.
Louis Frey Jr., 85, American politician and radio personality (WMFE-FM), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 5th and 9th congressional district (1969-1979), problems caused by dementia.
Anke Fuchs, 82, German lawyer and politician, Federal Minister of Health (1982) and Vice President of the Bundestag (1998-2002).
Rosemary Harris, 96, British children's writer (The Moon in the Cloud).
Baby Saroja, 88, Indian actress (Balayogini, Thyaga Bhoomi, Kamadhenu).
Jeffrey Spalding, 67, Scottish-born Canadian artist and art curator.
Sulli, 25, South Korean singer-songwriter (f(x)), actress (Ballad of Seodong, Real), and model, suspected suicide.
15
Tamara Buciuceanu, 90, Romanian actress (Premiera, Silent Wedding, Everybody in Our Family), heart disease.
Cacho Castana, 77, Argentine singer-songwriter, actor (Merry Christmas) and composer (Los Hijos de Lopez, El Cabo Tijereta), problems caused by COPD.
Hossein Dehlavi, 92, Iranian composer (Mana and Mani), problems caused by Alzheimer's disease.
Michael D. Reynolds, 65, American astronomer and educator, cardiac arrest.
16
Ed Beck, 83, American basketball player (Kentucky Wildcats).
Paolo Bonaiuti, 79, Italian politician and journalist (Il Giorno), member of the Chamber of Deputies (1996-2013) and Senate (2013-2018).
Leah Bracknell, 55, British actress (Emmerdale, Casualty 1900s, The Royal Today), lung cancer. (death announced on this date)
John Clarke, 88, American actor (Days of Our Lives), problems caused by pneumonia.
Bernard Fisher, 101, American physician and surgeon, redeveloped methods to treat breast cancer.
Morton Mandel, 98, American industrial parts executive and philanthropist.
John Tate, 94, American mathematician (Tate conjecture, Tate module), Abel Prize laureate (2010).
17
Alicia Alonso, 98, Cuban ballet dancer (Giselle, Carmen) and choreographer, founder of the Cuban National Ballet.
Hildegard Bachert, 98, German-born American art dealer (Galerie St. Etienne) and gallery director.
Elijah Cummings, 68, American politician and civil rights activist, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 7th congressional district (since 1996) and Maryland House of Delegates (1983-1996).
Bob Kingsley, 80, American Hall of Fame radio host (American Country Countdown, Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40), bladder cancer.
Marta Kurtag, 92, Hungarian pianist.
Bill Macy, 97, American actor (Maude, The Jerk, Analyze This).
Goran Malmqvist, 95, Swedish linguist, sinologist and literary historian, member of the Swedish Academy (since 1985).
Angel Perez Garcia, 62, Spanish football player (Real Madrid, Real Murcia) and manager (Sangonera), cancer.
18
Nicolas Diaz, 90, Chilean politician and cardiologist, member of the Christian Democrat Party of Chile (PDC) and Mayor of Rancagua (1963-1964, 1967-1968).
Michael Flaksman, 73, American cellist.
Horace Romano Harre, 91, New Zealand-born British philosopher and psychologist.
Mark Hurd, 62, American businessman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard (2005-2010) and Oracle Corporation (since 2014).
Rui Jordao, 67, Angolan-born Portuguese footballer (Benfica, Sporting CP, national team), heart disease.
William Milliken, 97, American politician, Governor of Michigan (1969-1983).
Mike Reilly, 77, American football player (Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings).
Mikhail Innokentyevich Semyonov, 80, Russian politician, Chairman of the People's Khural of the Republic of Buryatia (1994-2002).
Meir Shamgar, 94, Israeli lawyer and politician, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1983-1995).
19
Erhard Eppler, 92, German politician, Minister for Economic Development (1968-1974).
Salvador Giner, 85, Spanish sociologist, President of the Institute of Catalan Studies (2005-2013).
Ishmael Levenston, 79, Saban politician, MP (1975-1979, 1983-1987), founder of the Saba Labour Party, heart failure.
Joseph Lombardo, 90, American mafioso, member of the Chicago Outfit.
Warren Rosenthal, 96, American restaurateur (Long John Silver's) and philanthropist.
Alexander Volkov, 52, Russian tennis player.
20
Eric Cooper, 52, American baseball umpire, blood clot caused by knee surgery.
Thomas D'Alesandro III, 90, American politician, Mayor of Baltimore (1967-1971), problems caused by a stroke.
Huang Yong Ping, 65, Chinese-French avant-garde artist, cerebral hemorrhage.
Aquilino Pimentel Jr., 85, Filipino politician, President of the Senate (2000-2001) and Senator (1987-1992, 1998-2010), pneumonia caused by lymphoma.
21
Gilberto Aceves Navarro, 88, Mexican painter and sculptor, lung disease.
Willie Brown, 78, American Hall of Fame football player (Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders) and coach.
Josip Elic, 98, American actor (The Twilight Zone, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), problems caused by a fall.
Bengt Feldreich, 94, Swedish television journalist (Sveriges Television) and presenter (From All of Us to All of You), pneumonia.
Taras Kutovy, 43, Ukrainian politician, member of Verkhovna Rada (2012-2014) and Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food (2016-2018), helicopter crash.
Lho Shin-yong, 89, South Korean politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1980-1982) and Prime Minister (1985-1987).
Aila Meriluoto, 95, Finnish poet (Lasimaalaus) and translator.
22
Manfred Bruns, 85, German lawyer and LGBTQ rights activist, liver failure.
Vicki Ann Funk, 71, American botanist and researcher.
Til Gardeniers-Berendsen, 94, Dutch politician, Minister of Health (1981-1982), MP (1971-1977, 1981-1983) and member of the Council of State (1983-1995).
Gustav Gerneth, 114, German supercentenarian, world's oldest man (since 2019).
Ole Henrik Laub, 81, Danish children's writer (Et Svaerd Dyppet i Honning) and artist, stomach cancer.
Raymond Leppard, 92, British-American conductor and composer (Lord of the Flies), Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (1987-2001).
Sadako Ogata, 92, Japanese academic and politician, President of UNICEF (1978-1979) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1990-2000).
Miguel Saiz, 70, Uruguayan-born Argentine politician, Governor of Rio Negro (2003-2011), heart failure.
Marieke Vervoort, 40, Belgian wheelchair racer, Paralympic champion (2012), assisted suicide by euthanasia.
Hans Zender, 82, German conductor and composer (Stephen Climax).
Therese Zenz, 87, German sprint canoer, Olympic silver medalist (1956, 1960).
Jo Ann Zimmerman, 82, American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (1987-1991), problems caused by pulmonary fibrosis.
23
Santos Julia, 79, Spanish historian and sociologist.
James W. Montgomery, 98, American Episcopalian prelate, Bishop of Chicago (1971-1987).
Rolando Panerai, 95, Italian baritone singer, heart attack.
Bernie Parrish, 83, American football player (Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers), prostate cancer.
Francis A. Sullivan, 97, American theologian and Jesuit priest.
Alfred Znamierowski, 79, Polish vexillologist and editor (Voice of America), heart attack.
24
Janusz A. Brzozowski, 84, Polish-Canadian computer scientist, cancer.
Walter Franco, 74, Brazilian rock singer ("Especial Tom Jobim") and composer, stroke.
Kaoru Yachigusa, 88, Japanese actress (Samurai Trilogy, Hachiko Monogatari, Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple), pancreatic cancer.
25
Chou Wen-chung, 96, Chinese-born American composer.
Salvador Freixedo, 96, Spanish ufologist and Jesuit priest.
Mike Stone, 80, American baseball executive, President of the Texas Rangers and Commissioner of the Northern League.
Carlo Strenger, 61, Swiss-Israeli psychologist and philosopher.
Don Valentine, 87, American venture capitalist (Sequoia Capital).
26
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, 48, Iraqi militant, Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq (2010-2013) and Leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (since 2013), suicide by explosive vest.
Paul Barrere, 71, American rock guitarist (Little Feat), liver cancer.
Enriqueta Basilio, 71, Mexican Olympic sprinter and hurdler (1968), pneumonia.
Robert Evans, 89, American movie producer (Chinatown, Marathon Man) and studio executive (Paramount Pictures), problems caused by a stroke.
Chuck Meriwether, 63, American baseball umpire, cancer.
Silvia Montanari, 76, Argentine actress (Son de ten, Alen Moonlight, Gasoleros), cancer.
V. Nanammal, 99, Indian yoga educator, problems caused by a fall.
Gregory E. Pyle, 70, American politician, Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (1997-2014).
Pascale Roberts, 89, French actress (The Women Couldn't Care Less, The Sleeping Car Murders, Plus belle la vie), colorectal cancer.
27
Vladimir Bukovsky, 76, Russian-born British human rights activist and political dissident, 2008 presidential candidate, heart failure.
Stephen P. Cohen, 83, American political scientist and security expert.
John Conyers, 90, American politician and civil rights activist, Dean (2015-2017) and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 1st, 14th and 15th congressional districts (1965-2017).
Ivan Milat, 74, Australian serial killer (backpacker murders), oesophageal and stomach cancer.
Anne Phelan, 75, Australian actress (Bellbird, Prisoner, Winners & Losers). (death announced on this date)
Natalia Pugachova, 83, Russian singer (Buranovskiye Babushki), stomach cancer.
28
Al Bianchi, 87, American basketball player (Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers), coach (Seattle SuperSonics) and general manager (New York Knicks), congestive heart failure.
Kay Hagan, 66, American politician, U.S. Senator from North Carolina (2009-2015) and member of the North Carolina Senate (1999-2009), problems caused by encephalitis.
Zoltan Jeney, 76, Hungarian composer.
29
Gerald Baliles, 79, American politician, Governor (1986-1990), Attorney General of Virginia (1982-1985) and member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1976-1982), pulmonary fibrosis caused by kidney cancer.
Kees Driehuis, 67, Dutch television presenter (Per Seconde Wijzer), bladder cancer.
Hans-Peter Uhl, 75, German politician, MP (1998-2017).
John Witherspoon, 77, American actor (Friday, Vampire in Brooklyn, The Boondocks), heart attack.
30
Russell Brookes, 74, British rally driver, British Rally Championship champion (1977, 1985).
Ron Fairly, 81, American baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals) and broadcaster (Seattle Mariners), cancer.
Jim Gregory, 83, Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey coach (Toronto Marlboros) and executive (Toronto Maple Leafs), amyloidosis.
William J. Hughes, 87, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 2nd congressional district (1975-1995) and Ambassador to Panama (1995-1998).
Mobolaji Johnson, 83, Nigerian military officer and politician, Governor of Lagos State (1967-1975).
Bernard Slade, 89, Canadian-American playwright (Same Time, Next Year) and screenwriter (The Flying Nun, The Partridge Family), problems caused by Lewy body dementia.
Azam Taleghani, 76, Iranian politician, activist and journalist, MP (1980-1984), cerebral hemorrhage caused by a fall.
J. Bob Traxler, 88, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 8th congressional district (1974-1993) and Michigan House of Representatives (19621974).
31
Ebrahim Abadi, 85, Iranian actor (Mokhtarnameh, Dar Chashm-e Baad, Grand Cinema), problems caused by a heart attack.
Enrico Braggiotti, 96, Turkish-born Monegasque banker, President of the Banca Commerciale Italiana (1988-1990).
Ann Crumb, 69, American actress (Anna Karenina), animal rights activist and singer, ovarian cancer.
Geetanjali, 72, Indian actress (Seetharama Kalyanam, Murali Krishna, Kalam Marindi), cardiac arrest.
References
Other websites
The Guardian, UK obituaries
The Telegraph obituaries
Obituaries, Chicago Tribune
Obituaries, Los Angeles Times
The New York Times, US obituaries
The Washington Post obituaries
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian obituaries
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Deaths