2001

Events from the year **2001 in the United States**.

## Incumbents

### Federal Government

* President: Bill Clinton (D-AR) (until January 20), George W. Bush (R-TX) (starting January 20)
* Vice President: Al Gore (D-TN) (until January 20), Dick Cheney (R-WY) (starting January 20)
* Chief Justice: William Rehnquist (WI)
* Speaker of the House of Representatives: Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
* Senate Majority Leader:
	+ until January 3: Trent Lott (R-MS)
	+ January 3–January 20: Tom Daschle (D-SD)
	+ January 20–June 6: Trent Lott (R-MS)
	+ starting June 6: Tom Daschle (D-SD)
* Congress: 106th (until January 3), 107th (starting January 3)

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Don Siegelman (Democratic)
* Governor of Alaska: Tony Knowles (Democratic)
* Governor of Arizona: Jane Dee Hull (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Mike Huckabee (Republican)
* Governor of California: Gray Davis (Democratic)
* Governor of Colorado: Bill Owens (Republican)
* Governor of Connecticut: John G. Rowland (Republican)
* Governor of Delaware: Thomas R. Carper (Democratic) (until January 3), Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic) (starting January 3)
* Governor of Florida: Jeb Bush (Republican)
* Governor of Georgia: Roy Barnes (Democratic)
* Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic)
* Governor of Idaho: Dirk Kempthorne (Republican)
* Governor of Illinois: George Ryan (Republican)
* Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic)
* Governor of Iowa: Tom Vilsack (Democratic)
* Governor of Kansas: Bill Graves (Republican)
* Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Murphy J. Foster Jr. (Republican)
* Governor of Maine: Angus King (Independent)
* Governor of Maryland: Parris N. Glendening (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican) (until April 10), Jane Swift (Republican) (starting April 10)
* Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican)
* Governor of Minnesota: Jesse Ventura (Independence)
* Governor of Mississippi: Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic)
* Governor of Missouri: Roger B. Wilson (Democratic) (until January 8), Bob Holden (Democratic) (starting January 8)
* Governor of Montana: Marc Racicot (Republican) (until January 1), Judy Martz (Republican) (starting January 1)
* Governor of Nebraska: Mike Johanns (Republican)
* Governor of Nevada: Kenny Guinn (Republican)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic)
* Governor of New Jersey: Christine Todd Whitman (Republican) (until January 31), Donald DiFrancesco (Republican) (starting January 31)
* Governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson (Republican)
* Governor of New York: George Pataki (Republican)
* Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic) (until January 6), Mike Easley (Democratic) (starting January 6)
* Governor of North Dakota: John Hoeven (Republican) (starting December 15)
* Governor of Ohio: Bob Taft (Republican)
* Governor of Oklahoma: Frank Keating (Republican)
* Governor of Oregon: John Kitzhaber (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Tom Ridge (Republican) (until October 5), Mark S. Schweiker (Republican) (starting October 5)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Lincoln C. Almond (Republican)
* Governor of South Carolina: Jim Hodges (Democratic)
* Governor of South Dakota: William J. Janklow (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Don Sundquist (Republican)
* Governor of Texas: Rick Perry (Republican)
* Governor of Utah: Mike Leavitt (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic)
* Governor of Virginia: Jim Gilmore (Republican)
* Governor of Washington: Gary Locke (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Cecil H. Underwood (Republican) (until January 15), Bob Wise (Democratic) (starting January 15)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican) (until February 1), Scott McCallum (Republican) (starting February 1)
* Governor of Wyoming: Jim Geringer (Republican)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Steve Windom (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Fran Ulmer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Cruz Bustamante (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Joe Rogers (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware:
	+ until January 3: Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic)
	+ January 3-January 16: vacant
	+ starting January 16: John Carney (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Frank Brogan (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Mark Taylor (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Mazie Hirono (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho:
	+ until January 3: Butch Otter (Republican)
	+ January 3-January 30: vacant
	+ starting January 30: Jack Riggs (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Corinne Wood (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Joe E. Kernan (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Sally Pederson (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Gary Sherrer (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Steve Henry (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Kathleen Blanco (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Jane Swift (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Dick Posthumus (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Mae Schunk (Independence)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Amy Tuck (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Joe Maxwell (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Judy Martz (Republican) (until January 1), Karl Ohs (Republican) (starting January 1)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: David I. Maurstad (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Lorraine Hunt (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Walter Dwight Bradley (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Mary Donohue (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Dennis A. Wicker (Democratic) (until January 6), Bev Perdue (Democratic) (starting January 6)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Jack Dalrymple (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Maureen O'Connor (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark S. Schweiker (Republican) (until October 5), Robert Jubelirer (Republican) (starting October 5)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Charles J. Fogarty (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Bob Peeler (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Carole Hillard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Bill Ratliff (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Olene S. Walker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Doug Racine (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: John H. Hager (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Brad Owen (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin:
	+ until February 1: Scott McCallum (Republican)
	+ February 1-May 9: vacant
	+ starting May 9: Margaret A. Farrow (Republican)

## Events

### January

* January 1 – A black monolith measuring 270 cm (8.9 ft) tall appears in Seattle's Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous artist in reference to the monolith from the movie *2001: A Space Odyssey*.
* January 2 – Sila Calderón becomes the first female governor of U.S. territory Puerto Rico.
* January 10 – Nevada County shootings: In Nevada County, California, 40-year-old Scott Harlan Thorpe kills three people in a shooting spree. He is later found incompetent to stand trial and declared not guilty by reason of insanity.
* January 11 – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approves the merger of America Online and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner.
* January 15 – Children's stop motion animated series *Bob the Builder* starts its American debut for the first time on Nick Jr.
* January 16
	+ President Bill Clinton awards former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service during the Spanish–American War; 11 of Roosevelt's descendants accept on his behalf.
	+ A man drives a semi-trailer truck into the side of the California State Capitol building, killing the driver and damaging the building's interior.
* January 18 – President Bill Clinton delivers his farewell address to the nation.
* January 20 – George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States, and Dick Cheney is sworn in as Vice President of the United States.
* January 22 – The "Texas Seven", a group of convicts who escaped from the John B. Connally Unit in Texas, are found in Colorado.
* January 26 – Lacrosse player and coach Diane Whipple is killed by two Presa Canarios named Bane and Hera, owned by her neighbors and attorneys Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel.
* January 28 – Super Bowl XXXV: The Baltimore Ravens defeat the New York Giants 34–7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

### February

* February 9 – The submarine USS *Greeneville* (SSN-772) accidentally strikes and sinks the Japanese fishing vessel *Ehime-Maru* near Hawaii.
* February 16 – Iraq disarmament crisis: British and U.S. forces carry out bombing raids, attempting to disable Iraq's air defense network.
* February 18
	+ NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt dies in a last lap crash in the 43rd annual Daytona 500.
	+ FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested and charged with spying for Russia for 15 years.
* February 19 – An Oklahoma City bombing museum is dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
* February 23 – Isla Vista massacre: In Isla Vista, California, David Attias drives a car into five pedestrians, killing four and critically injuring one. He is later convicted of murder and declared legally insane.
* February 28 – The 6.8 Mw Nisqually earthquake shook the Puget Sound region of western Washington with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (*Severe*), causing 1 death, 400 injuries, and 1 to US$4 billion in losses.

### March

* March 1 – The United States enters the early 2000s recession; the unemployment rate rises to 4.4%.
* March 24 – Apple Computer releases the Mac OS X next-generation operating system, with version 10.0. It goes on to be the second-most used desktop operating system with a market share of roughly 10 percent.
* March 25 – The 73rd Academy Awards, hosted by Steve Martin, are held at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Ridley Scott's *Gladiator* winning five awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture. Steven Soderbergh is nominated twice for Best Director, winning for *Traffic*. The telecast garners 42.9 million viewers.
* March 28 – The Bush administration withdraws U.S. support for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gases.
* March 30 – *The Fairly OddParents* debuts on Nickelodeon.

### April

* April 1 – A Chinese fighter jet collides with a U.S. EP-3E surveillance aircraft, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Hainan, China. The U.S. crew is detained for 10 days, and the F-8 Chinese pilot goes missing and is presumed dead.
* April 7 – Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old African-American, is shot by a police officer in Cincinnati, sparking riots in downtown Cincinnati from April 10 to April 12.
* April 17 – The 2001 Mississippi flag referendum occurred, 64.39% of the population voted to formally adopt the 1894 U.S. state flag over the new 2001 proposed state flag design.
* April 19 – The multiple Tony Award-winning musical *The Producers* by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, opens on Broadway at the St. James Theatre.
* April 21 – The small Kansas town of Hoisington is hit by an F4 tornado, destroying one-third of the city and killing one.
* April 24 – Bee Gees' final album, *This Is Where I Came In* is released in the United States.
* April 28 – Soyuz TM-32 lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the first space tourist, American Dennis Tito.

### May

* May 6 – Space tourist Dennis Tito returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-31. (Soyuz TM-32 is left docked at the International Space Station as a new lifeboat.)
* May 18 – *Shrek* is released in theaters.

### June

* June 5
	+ U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords leaves the Republican Party, an act which changes control of the United States Senate from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
	+ Tropical Storm Allison produces 36 inches (900 mm) of rain in Houston, Texas, killing 22, damaging the Texas Medical Center, and causing more than US$5 billion of damage.
* June 7 – The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 is signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush, the first of a series of acts which becomes known as the Bush tax cuts.
* June 9 – The Colorado Avalanche wins their second Stanley Cup, and Ray Bourque wins his first Cup after a lengthy career.
* June 11 – In Terre Haute, Indiana, Timothy McVeigh is executed for the Oklahoma City bombing.
* June 15 – Walt Disney Pictures' 41st feature film, *Atlantis: The Lost Empire*, is released. Though reception is mixed and it performs modestly at the box office, it has since become a cult favorite among fans due in part to the visual influence of comics artist Mike Mignola.
* June 19 – A missile hits a soccer field in Tal Afar, Iraq, killing 23 and wounding 11. The Iraqi government claims it was an American-British airstrike; U.S. officials say it was actually an Iraqi missile that malfunctioned.
* June 20 – Andrea Yates drowns her five children in a bath tub in Houston, Texas.

### July

* July 9 – The Thirty Mile Fire ignites in Okanogan County, Washington. Four firefighters die while battling the blaze.
* July 16 – The FBI arrests Dmitry Sklyarov at a convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, for violating a provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
* July 18 – In Baltimore, Maryland, a 60-car train derailment occurs in a tunnel, sparking a fire that lasts days and virtually shuts down downtown Baltimore.

### August

* August 1 – Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has a 2.5-short-ton (2,300 kg) monument of the Ten Commandments installed in the Rotunda of the Judiciary Building. He is later sued to have it removed, and is eventually removed from office.
* August 2 – The House of Representatives approves oil exploration in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
* August 5 – Having acquired the Jim Henson Company's interest in the Odyssey cable network the previous year, Crown Media Holdings rebrands Odyssey as the Hallmark Channel, after Crown Media's corporate parent Hallmark Cards. The Hallmark Channel branding continues to this day.
* August 9 – President Bush announces his limited support for federal funding of research on embryonic stem cells.
* August 25 – U.S. singer Aaliyah dies in a plane crash in the Bahamas.
* August 28 – The U.S. governors of New England agree with the Quebec and Atlantic Canadian premiers to the Climate Change Action Plan 2001.

### September

* September 1 – The libertarian Free State Project is founded at Yale University.
* September 2 – Adult Swim, an adult-oriented programming block, debuts on its Turner sister cable channel Cartoon Network.
* September 4 – Robert Mueller becomes the FBI's director.
* September 5 – The piece *As Slow as Possible*, composed by John Cage, begins. It will last 639 years, finishing in the year 2640.
* September 6 – *United States v. Microsoft*: The United States Justice Department announces that it no longer seeks to break up software maker Microsoft, and will instead seek a lesser antitrust penalty.
* September 11 – 9/11 attacks: Almost 3,000 people are killed in four suicide attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City; the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attack launches the global War on Terrorism.
* September 15 – The Queen Isabella Causeway in Texas collapses after being hit by a tugboat, killing eight.
* September 18 – A series of anthrax attacks commence as anthrax letters are mailed from Princeton, New Jersey, to ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the *New York Post*, and the *National Enquirer*.
* September 21 – *America: A Tribute to Heroes* is broadcast by over 35 network and cable channels, raising over $200 million for the victims of the September 11 attacks.

### October

* October 3 – 2001 Greyhound bus attack: A passenger slits the throat of the driver, causing the bus to crash near Manchester, Tennessee, killing seven people.
* October 5 – Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks the single season home run record, with his 71st and 72nd home runs of the year.
* October 7 – The United States invades Afghanistan, accompanied by other nations participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.
* October 9 – The 2001 anthrax attacks continue as contaminated letters are mailed from Princeton, New Jersey, to U.S. Senators Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
* October 15 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles (180 km) of Jupiter's moon Io.
* October 26 – U.S. President George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act into law.

### November

* November 1 – The New York Yankees defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series to tie the series at 2 in the first World Series game to be played in the month of November. Derek Jeter's walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th earns him the nickname "Mr. November".
* November 2 – Pixar Animation Studios' fourth feature film, *Monsters, Inc.*, is released in theaters.
* November 4 – The Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the New York Yankees in seven games to win their first world series.
* November 5 – Andrew Bagby is murdered in Keystone State Park, Pennsylvania by his former partner Shirley Jane Turner. While awaiting trial and extraction from Canada, she gained custody of the couple's son who she then also murdered. The deaths later became the basis for the 2008 documentary *Dear Zachary*.
* November 12 – In New York City, American Airlines Flight 587, headed to the Dominican Republic, crashes in Queens just minutes after takeoff from the John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 on board and five on the ground.
* November 13 – War on Terror: In the first such act since World War II, U.S. President George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against any foreigners suspected of having connections to terrorist acts or planned acts against the United States.
* November 16 – *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, directed by Chris Columbus is released in theaters as the first film of the Harry Potter film series.
* November 18 – Nintendo releases the Nintendo Gamecube in North America.
* November 29 - English musician, singer, songwriter, music and film producer, and former Beatle George Harrison dies of lung cancer in Los Angeles.
* November 30 – Gary Ridgway, a.k.a. The Green River Killer, is arrested outside the truck factory where he had worked in Renton, Washington. His arrest marks the end of one of the longest running homicide investigations in U.S. history.

### December

* December 1 – The unemployment rate rises to 5.7%, the highest since January 1996; the early 2000s recession ends.
* December 2 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection five days after Dynegy cancels a US$8.4 billion buyout bid. Enron's bankruptcy becomes the largest in U.S. history.
* December 3 – Officials announce that one of the Taliban prisoners captured after the prison uprising at Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan is John Walker Lindh, an American citizen.
* December 11 – The United States government indicts Zacarias Moussaoui for involvement in the September 11 attacks.
* December 13 – U.S. President George W. Bush announces the United States' withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
* December 16 – Cleveland Browns fans riot by throwing bottles after the team's 15-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars following a controversial call by the referees regarding a fourth-down pass from Tim Couch.
* December 19 – *The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring*, directed by Peter Jackson, is released in theaters as the first film of *The Lord of the Rings* film series.
* December 22 – A flight from Paris, France to Miami, Florida is diverted to Boston, Massachusetts after passenger Richard Reid attempts to detonate explosives hidden in his shoes.
* December 27 – The People's Republic of China is granted permanent normal trade status with the United States.

## Memoriam

### January

* January 1 – Ray Walston, actor (aged 86; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* January 2 – William P. Rogers, politician (aged 87; Bethesda, MD, USA)
* January 4 – Les Brown, jazz musician (aged 88; Pacific Palisades, CA, USA)
* January 5 – Nancy Parsons, actress (aged 58; La Crosse, WI, USA)
* January 6 – Gene Taylor, media personality (aged 53; Franklin, MI, USA)
* January 8 – Edwin Etherington, writer, lawyer, and civil rights advocate (aged 76; Jupiter Island, FL, USA)
* January 10 – John G. Schmitz, politician (aged 70; Bethesda, MD, USA)
* January 11
	+ Dorothy M. Horstmann, virologist who made important discoveries about polio (aged 89; New Haven, CT, USA)
	+ Louis Krages, German-American racing driver and businessman (aged 51; Atlanta, GA, USA)
* January 12
	+ Affirmed, race horse (aged 25; Lexington, KY, USA)
	+ William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (aged 87; Palo Alto, CA, USA)
* January 14 – John S. Hunt II, politician (aged 72; Monroe, LA, USA)
* January 15 – Bob Braun, actor (aged 71; Cincinnati, OH, USA)
* January 16
	+ Virginia O'Brien, actress (aged 81; Woodland Hills, CA, USA)
	+ Leonard Woodcock, trade unionist and diplomat (aged 89; Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
* January 17 – Gregory Corso, poet (aged 70; Minneapolis, MN, USA)
* January 19 – Maxine Mesinger, newspaper columnist (aged 75; Houston, TX, USA)
* January 21
	+ Sandy Baron, actor (aged 64; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Byron De La Beckwith, white supremacist and murderer (aged 80; Jackson, MS, USA)
* January 22 – Roy Brown, clown (aged 68; Chicago, IL, USA)
* January 23 – Jack McDuff, jazz organist and bandleader (aged 74; Minneapolis, MN, USA)
* January 26
	+ Murray Edelman, political scientist (aged 82; Madison, WI, USA)
	+ Diane Whipple, lacrosse player and coach and dog mauling victim (aged 33; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* January 28
	+ Curt Blefary, baseball player (aged 57; Pompano Beach, FL, USA)
	+ Sally Mansfield, actress (aged 77; Westlake Village, CA, USA)
* January 29 – Frances Bible, American operatic mezzo-soprano (aged 82; Hemet, CA, USA)
* January 30 – Joseph Ransohoff, neurosurgeon (aged 85; Tampa, FL, USA)
* January 31 – Gordon R. Dickson, science fiction writer (aged 77; Minneapolis, MN, USA)

### February

* February 4 – J. J. Johnson, jazz musician (aged 77; Indianapolis, IN, USA)
* February 6 – Arthur W. Hummel Jr., diplomat (aged 80; Chevy Chase, MD, USA)
* February 7 – Dale Evans, actress, wife of Roy Rogers (aged 88; Apple Valley, CA, USA)
* February 8 – Arlene Eisenberg, author (aged 66; West Babylon, NY, USA)
* February 9 – Herbert A. Simon, Nobel award-winning economist (aged 84; Pittsburgh, PA, USA)
* February 10 – Abraham Beame, Mayor of New York City (aged 94; New York City, NY, USA)
* February 13 – Victor Veysey, American politician (aged 85; Hemet, CA, USA)
* February 15 – Jack McGowan, American professional golfer (aged 70; Concord, NH, USA)
* February 17 – Debbie Dean, American singer (aged 73; Ojai, CA, USA)
* February 18 – Dale Earnhardt, race car driver (aged 49; Daytona Beach, FL, USA)
* February 19 – Stanley Kramer, director (aged 87; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 20 – Rosemary DeCamp, actress (aged 90; Newport Beach, CA, USA)
* February 23 – Anthony Giacalone, organized crime figure (aged 82; Detroit, MI, USA)
* February 24 – Phil Collier, sports writer (aged 75; San Diego, CA, USA)

### March

* March 1
	+ John Painter, American supercentenarian (aged 112; Hermitage Springs, TN, USA)
	+ Henry Wade, soldier and lawyer (aged 86; Dallas, TX, USA)
* March 2 – Lonnie Glosson, musician (aged 93; Searcy, AR, USA)
* March 4
	+ Glenn Hughes, musician (aged 50; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Jim Rhodes, politician (aged 91; Columbus, OH, USA)
	+ Harold Stassen, politician (aged 93; Bloomington, MN, USA)
* March 8 – Edward Winter, actor (aged 63; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 10 – Michael Elkins, broadcaster and journalist (aged 84; Jerusalem, Israel)
* March 12
	+ Robert Ludlum, writer (aged 73; Naples, FL, USA)
	+ John Anderson, canoeist (aged 76; Seville, OH, USA)
* March 13 – Walter Dukes, basketball player (aged 70; Detroit, MI, USA)
* March 15
	+ Durward Gorham Hall, politician, (aged 90; Albany, OR, USA)
	+ Ann Sothern, actress (aged 92; Ketchum, ID, USA)
* March 18 – John Phillips, American singer, guitarist, songwriter and promoter (aged 65; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 21 – Billy Ray Smith Sr., football player (aged 66; Little Rock, AR, USA)
* March 22 – William Hanna, animator (aged 90; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 26 – Brenda Helser, Olympic swimmer (aged 76; San Francisco, CA, USA)
* March 28
	+ Jim Benton, footballer (aged 84; Pine Bluff, AR, USA)
	+ George Connor, American racecar driver (aged 94; Hesperia, CA, USA)
* March 31 – Clifford Shull, Nobel physicist (aged 85; Medford, MA, USA)

### April

* April 1 – Jo-Jo Moore, baseball player (aged 92; Gause, TX, USA)
* April 2 – Jennifer Syme, murder victim (aged 28; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* April 4 – Ed Roth, artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder (aged 69; Manti, UT, USA)
* April 6 – Charles Pettigrew, singer (aged 37; Philadelphia, PA, USA)
* April 7
	+ David Graf, American actor (aged 50; Phoenix, AZ, USA)
	+ Beatrice Straight, American actress (aged 86; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* April 8
	+ Safiya Henderson-Holmes, poet (aged 50; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Van Stephenson, singer-songwriter (aged 47; Nashville, TN, USA)
* April 9 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (aged 61; Wilmington, NC, USA)
* April 10 – Richard Evans Schultes, American ethnobotanist (aged 86; Boston, MA, USA)
* April 11 – Sandy Bull, folk musician and composer (aged 60; Franklin, TN, USA)
* April 15 – Joey Ramone, musician (aged 49; New York City, NY, USA)
* April 19 – Egor Popov, Russian-born American civil engineer (aged 88; Berkeley, CA, USA)
* April 21 – Jack Haley Jr., director, producer and writer (aged 67; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* April 24 – Leon Sullivan, minister and activist (aged 78; Scottsdale, AZ, USA)
* April 27 – Charlie Applewhite, singer and radio host (aged 68; Plano, TX, USA)
* April 28 – Precious Doe, murder victim (aged 3; Kansas City, MO, USA)

### May

* May 5
	+ Charles Black, constitutional scholar (aged 85; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Morris Graves, expressionist painter (aged 90; Loleta, CA, USA)
	+ Clifton Hillegass, creator of CliffsNotes (aged 83; Lincoln, NE, USA)
* May 6 – Weldon B. Gibson, economist (aged 84; Stanford, CA, USA)
* May 12 – Perry Como, singer (aged 88; Jupiter Inlet Colony, FL, USA)
* May 23 – Harry Townes, American actor (aged 86; Huntsville, AL, USA)
* May 26 – Anne Haney, American actress (aged 67; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 31 – Arlene Francis, American actress and game show panelist (aged 93; San Francisco, CA, USA)

### June

* June 1 – Hank Ketcham, cartoonist, creator of Dennis the Menace (aged 81; Carmel, CA, USA)
* June 2 – Imogene Coca, actress (aged 92; Westport, CT, USA)
* June 3 – Anthony Quinn, actor (aged 86; Boston, MA, USA)
* June 4 – John Hartford, musician and composer (aged 63; Nashville, TN, USA)
* June 10 – Mike Mentzer, bodybuilder (aged 49; Rolling Hills, CA, USA)
* June 11 – Timothy McVeigh, domestic terrorist (aged 33; Terre Haute, IN, USA)
* June 17 – Donald J. Cram, Nobel chemist (aged 82; Palm Desert, CA, USA)
* June 21
	+ John Lee Hooker, musician (aged 88; Los Altos, CA, USA)
	+ Carroll O'Connor, actor (aged 76; Culver City, CA, USA)
* June 22 – George Evans, cartoonist and illustrator (aged 81; Mount Joy, PA, USA)
* June 24 – William H. Sewell, sociologist (aged 91; Madison, WI, USA)
* June 26 – John F. Yardley, aeronautical engineer (aged 76; St. Louis, MO, USA)
* June 27 – Jack Lemmon, actor (aged 76; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 28 – Mortimer J. Adler, philosopher (aged 98; San Mateo, CA, USA)
* June 30
	+ Chet Atkins, guitarist and record producer (aged 77; Nashville, TN, USA)
	+ Joe Henderson, jazz tenor saxophonist (aged 64; San Francisco, CA, USA)

### July

* July 3
	+ Roy Nichols, guitarist (aged 68; Bakersfield, CA, USA)
	+ Johnny Russell, country singer (aged 61; Nashville, TN, USA)
* July 4 – Keenan Milton, skateboarder (aged 26; Atlanta, GA, USA)
* July 17 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (aged 84; Boise, ID, USA)
* July 22 – Bob Ferguson, American country music songwriter and record producer (aged 73; Jackson, MS, USA)
* July 28 – John Easton, American professional baseball player (aged 68; Princeton, NJ, USA)
* July 31 – Poul Anderson, writer (aged 74; Orinda, CA, USA)

### August

* August 8 – Big Ed, rapper (aged 29; New Orleans, LA, USA)
* August 11 – Kevin Kowalcyk, son of Barbara Kowalcyk (aged 2; Mount Horeb, WI, USA)
* August 24 – George Benson, American football player (aged 82; Cape Coral, FL, USA)
* August 25
	+ Aaliyah, singer and actress (aged 22; Marsh Harbour, Bahamas)
	+ John Chambers, American make-up artist (aged 78; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ John L. Nelson, American jazz musician (aged 85; Chanhassen, MN, USA)
	+ Diana Golden, American disabled ski racer (aged 38; Providence, RI, USA)
* August 30 – Julie Bishop, film and television actress (aged 87; Mendocino, CA, USA)
* August 31 – Crash Davis, American professional baseball player (aged 82; Greensboro, NC, USA)

### September

* September 4 – Pete Brown, footballer (aged 70; Atlanta, GA, USA)
* September 5 – Cawood Ledford, American radio announcer (Kentucky Wildcats) (aged 75; Harlan, KY, USA)
* September 7 – Glenn Thompson, American book publisher and activist (aged 60; London, England, UK)
* September 11
	+ Christopher Amoroso, police officer (aged 29; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ David Angell, producer (aged 55; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Todd Beamer, American airline passenger, United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 32; Stonycreek Township, PA, USA)
	+ Berry Berenson, actress and photographer, Passenger of American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 53; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Carolyn Beug, American filmmaker and video producer, Passenger of American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 48; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Bill Biggart, photojournalist (aged 54; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Mark Bingham, American airline passenger, United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 31; Stonycreek Township, PA, USA)
	+ Ronald Paul Bucca, American fire marshal (aged 47; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Charles Burlingame, airline pilot, American Airlines Flight 77 (aged 51; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ Tom Burnett, American airline passenger, United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 38; Somerset County, PA, USA)
	+ William E. Caswell, American physicist, Passenger of American Airlines Flight 77 (aged 54; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ Kevin Cosgrove, business executive (aged 46; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Welles Crowther, investment banker (aged 24; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ William M. Feehan, Deputy fire commissioner (aged 71; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Wilson Flagg, Rear Admiral (aged 62; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ Peter J. Ganci Jr., Chief of the Fire Department of New York (aged 55; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Jeremy Glick, American airline passenger, United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 31; Stonycreek Township, PA, USA)
	+ Lauren Grandcolas, American author, Passenger of United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 38; Stonycreek Township, PA, USA)
	+ Nezam Hafiz, American cricketer (aged 32; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Mohammad Salman Hamdani, American research technician (aged 23; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ LeRoy Homer Jr., American airline pilot, United Airlines Flight 93 (aged 36; Shanksville, PA, USA)
	+ Charles Edward Jones, American astronaut, Passenger of American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 48; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Mychal Judge, Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York (aged 68; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Neil David Levin, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (aged 46; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Daniel M. Lewin, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, Passenger of American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 31; Worcester, MA, USA)
	+ Eamon McEneaney, American lacrosse player (aged 46; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Timothy Maude, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (aged 53; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ John Ogonowski, American pilot, American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 50; Worcester, MA, USA)
	+ Barbara Olson, lawyer and media personality (aged 45; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ John P. O'Neill, Counterterrorism expert (aged 49; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Betty Ong, American flight attendant, American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 45; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Orio Palmer, American firefighter (aged 45; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Dominick Pezzulo, American police officer (aged 36; Manhattan, NY, USA)
	+ Sneha Anne Philip, American physician, presumed to have been a victim of the attacks (aged 31; Lower Manhattan, NY, USA)
	+ Rick Rescorla, World Trade Center security chief for Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter (aged 62; Manhattan, NY, USA)
	+ Michael Richards, Jamaican-born American sculptor (aged 38; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Victor Saracini, American pilot, United Airlines Flight 175 (aged 23; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Madeline Amy Sweeney, flight attendant, American Airlines Flight 11 (aged 35; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Alice Stewart Trillin, author and film producer (aged 63; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Abraham Zelmanowitz, American computer programmer (aged 55; New York City, NY, USA)
* September 15 – Richard Fegley, professional photographer (aged 64; Chicago, IL, USA)
* September 25 – John Powers, American professional baseball player (aged 72; Birmingham, AL, USA)
* September 29 – Gloria Foster, American actress (aged 67; Bronx, NY, USA)

### October

* October 5 – Mike Mansfield, American politician and diplomat (aged 98; Washington, DC, USA)
* October 9 – Dagmar, American actress, model and television personality (aged 79; Ceredo, WV, USA)
* October 14 – Chang Hsueh-liang, Chinese ruler of Manchuria (aged 100; Honolulu, HI, USA)
* October 19 – Joe Murray, American baseball player (aged 80; San Clemente, CA, USA)
* October 21 – Frank Craighead, conservationist and naturalist (aged 85; Jackson, WY, USA)

### November

* November 5 – Milton William Cooper, American author and radio host (aged 58; Eagar, AZ, USA)
* November 6 – John Simon White, Austrian-born American opera director (aged 91; Sarasota, FL, USA)
* November 7 – Bobby Bass, stunt performer (aged 65; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 10 – Ken Kesey, American author (aged 66; Eugene, OR, USA)
* November 11 – Frederick Allen, politician (aged 87; Gorham, ME, USA)
* November 13 – Panama Francis, American swing jazz drummer (aged 82; Orlando, FL, USA)
* November 17
	+ John M. Dawson, computational physicist (aged 71; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Harrison A. Williams, politician (aged 81; Denville, NJ, USA)
* November 21 – Fritz Herzog, German-born American mathematician (aged 98; Lansing, MI, USA)
* November 22 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman (aged 83; Dallas, TX, USA)
* November 29 – George Harrison, English guitarist, lead guitarist of the Beatles (aged 58; Los Angeles, CA, USA)

### December

* December 13 – Chuck Schuldiner, singer and guitarist (aged 34; Altamonte Springs, FL, USA)
* December 15 – Rufus Thomas, singer (aged 84; Memphis, TN, USA)
* December 30
	+ Frankie Gaye, soul musician (aged 60; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Ray Patterson, animator, producer, and director (aged 90; Encino, CA, USA)
* December 31 – Eileen Heckart, Oscar-winning actor (aged 82; Norwalk, CT, USA)