Celebrities and global icons who died in 2023

Politicians & Thinkers

Alan Budd, economist, died 13 January, aged 85.
Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan, died 5 February, aged 79.
Betty Boothroyd, Labour politician, died 26 February, aged 93.
Nigel Lawson, Conservative politician, died 3 April, aged 91.
Peter Brooke, Conservative politician, died 13 May, aged 89.
Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian premier, died 12 June, aged 86.
Winifred Ewing, SNP politician, died 21 June, aged 93.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, South African politician, died 9 September, aged 95.
Henry Kissinger, US academic and diplomat, died 29 November, aged 100.
Alistair Darling, Labour politician, died 30 November, aged 70.
Glenys Kinnock, Labour politician, died 3 December, aged 79.

Writers & Artists

Fay Weldon, author, died 4 January, aged 91.
Paul Johnson, journalist and author, died 12 January, aged 94.
Ronald Blythe, writer, died 14 January, aged 100.
Jonathan Raban, travel writer and novelist, died 17 January, aged 80.
Philip Ziegler, historian and biographer, died 22 February, aged 93.
Phyllida Barlow, artist, died 12 March, aged 78.
Isabel Colegate, author, died 12 March, aged 91.
Patrick French, historian and writer, died 16 March, aged 56.
Martin Amis, novelist, died 19 May, aged 73.
Françoise Gilot, painter, died 6 June, aged 101.
Cormac McCarthy, novelist, died 13 June, aged 89.
Robert Gottlieb, writer and editor, died 14 June, aged 92.
Mavis Cheek, novelist, died 16 June, aged 75.
Milan Kundera, novelist, died 11 July, aged 94.
Fernando Botero, artist, died 15 September, aged 91.
Benjamin Zephaniah, poet, died 7 December, aged 65.

Scientists & Entrepreneurs

Jacqueline Gold, businesswoman, died 16 March, aged 62.
Roger Payne, biologist, died 10 June, aged 88.
John B. Goodenough, scientist, died 25 June, aged 100.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, businessman, died 30 August, aged 94.
Nico Ladenis, chef and restaurateur, died 10 September, aged 89.
Ian Wilmut, embryologist, died 10 September, aged 79.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Stage & Screen

Julian Sands, actor, died c.13 January, aged 65.
Gina Lollobrigida, actress, died 16 January, aged 95.
Hugh Hudson, film director, died 10 February, aged 86.
Raquel Welch, actress, died 15 February, aged 82.
Chaim Topol, actor and singer, died 8 March, aged 87.
Paul O'Grady, comedian and broadcaster, died 28 March, aged 67.
Barry Humphries, satirist, died 22 April, aged 89.
Len Goodman, ballroom dancer, died 22 April, aged 78.
Jerry Springer, talk show host, died 27 April, aged 79.
Glenda Jackson, actress and Labour politician, died 15 June, aged 87.
Alan Arkin, actor, died 29 June, aged 89.
Michael Boyd, theatre director, died 3 August, aged 68.
William Friedkin, film director and TV producer, died 7 August, aged 87.
Mike Yarwood, comedian, died 8 September, aged 82.
Jean Boht, actress, died 12 September, aged 91.
David McCallum, actor, died 25 September, aged 90.
Michael Gambon, actor, died 27 September, aged 82.
Terence Davies, screenwriter and director, died 7 October, aged 77.
Bill Kenwright, theatre producer, died 23 October, aged 78.
Richard Roundtree, actor, died 24 October, aged 81.
Matthew Perry, actor, died 28 October, aged 54.
Joss Ackland, actor, died 19 November, aged 95.

Media & Fashion

Donald Trelford, journalist and newspaper editor, died 27 January, aged 85.
Paco Rabanne, fashion designer, died 3 February, aged 88.
Hilary Alexander, fashion journalist, died 5 February, aged 77.
Wally Fawkes, political cartoonist, died 1 March, aged 98.
Margaret "Mystic Meg" Lake, astrologer, died 9 March, aged 80.
Mary Quant, fashion designer, died 13 April, aged 93.
Ann Leslie, journalist, died 25 June, aged 82.
Derek Malcolm, film critic, died 15 July, aged 91.
George Alagiah, journalist and broadcaster, died 24 July, aged 67.
Michael Parkinson, chat show host, died 16 August, aged 88.

Public Servants & War Veterans

Bernard Ingham, journalist and civil servant, died 24 February, aged 90.
Baroness Masham, disability campaigner and paralympian, died 12 March, aged 87.
Lt. Col. Bob Steen, D-Day veteran, died 10 April, aged 98.
Lord Kerslake, former mandarin and civil servant, died 1 July, aged 68.
Léon Gautier, France’s last surviving D-Day veteran, died 3 July, aged 100.
Phyllis Latour, SOE agent, died 7 October, aged 102.

Musicians

Jeff Beck, guitarist, died 10 January, aged 78.
Lisa Marie Presley, singer and songwriter, died 12 January, aged 54.
David Crosby, singer-songwriter and guitarist, died 18 January, aged 81.
Kit Hesketh-Harvey, musical performer and composer, died 1 February, aged 65.
Burt Bacharach, composer and songwriter, died 8 February, aged 94.
Harry Belafonte, singer and civil rights activist, died 25 April, aged 96.
Grace Bumbry, opera singer, died 7 May, aged 86.
Andy Rourke, bassist, died 19 May, aged 59.
Tina Turner, rock'n'roll star, died 24 May, aged 83.
Jane Birkin, actress and singer, died 16 July, aged 76.
Tony Bennett, singer, died 21 July, aged 96.
Sinéad O'Connor, singer-songwriter, died 26 July, aged 56.
Carl Davis, conductor and composer, died 3 August, aged 86.
Robbie Robertson, folk-rock musician, died 9 August, aged 80.
Roger Whittaker, folk singer and songwriter, died 13 September, aged 87.
Shane MacGowan, singer-songwriter, died 30 November, aged 65.

Sport

Gianluca Vialli, footballer and manager, died 6 January, aged 58.
Dickie Davies, presenter, died 19 February, aged 94.
John Motson, commentator, died 23 February, aged 77.
Dick Fosbury, athlete, died 12 March, aged 76.
Ben Helfgott, Olympian, died 16 June, aged 93.
Craig Brown, footballer and manager, died 26 June, aged 82.
Trevor Francis, footballer, died 24 July, aged 69.
Clive Rowlands, rugby player, died 29 July, aged 85.
Francis Lee, footballer, died 2 October, aged 79.
Bobby Charlton, footballer, died 21 October, aged 86.
Bishan Bedi, spin bowler, died 23 October, aged 77.
Terry Venables, footballer and manager, died 25 November, aged 80.