Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Deaths in December 2009

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The following is a list of notable deaths in December 2009.

Contents

1

  • Christoph Budde, 46, German football player (Borussia Mönchengladbach), swine flu. (German)
  • Maurice Clemmons, 37, American felon, perpetrator of the 2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers, shot.
  • Neil Dougall, 88, British footballer (Plymouth Argyle), after long illness.
  • Tommy Henrich, 96, American baseball player (New York Yankees).
  • Bill Lister, 86, American honky tonk singer, after short illness.
  • Alberto Martínez, 59, Uruguayan football player (FK Austria Wien), heart failure. (German)
  • Ramses Shaffy, 76, Dutch singer and actor, esophageal cancer. (Dutch)
  • Shilendra Kumar Singh, 77, Indian politician, Governor of Rajasthan (2007–2009), after short illness.
  • Éva Szörényi, 92, Hungarian actress, Kossuth Prize winner. (Hungarian)
  • Donald Washington, Sr., 79, American jazz tenor saxophonist, lung cancer.
  • 2

  • Harold Arnold Ackerman, 81, American federal judge, natural causes.
  • Luis María Bandrés, 65, Spanish leader of Basque Nationalist Party, after long illness. (Spanish)
  • Elizabeth Berridge, 89, British novelist.
  • Foge Fazio, 71, American football coach, leukemia.
  • Shoji Hashimoto, 75, Japanese go master, myocardial infarction. (Chinese)
  • Ikuo Hirayama, 79, Japanese painter, stroke.
  • István Iglódi, 65, Hungarian actor. (Hungarian)
  • Maggie Jones, 75, British actress (Coronation Street), after long illness.
  • Jozo Križanović, 65, Bosnian politician, Croat member of the Presidency (2001–2002), complications from surgery. (Bosnian)
  • Brian Morrison, 76, Australian priest and humanitarian.
  • Luiz Lombardi Neto, 69, Brazilian announcer (Silvio Santos television program), stroke. (Portuguese)
  • Aaron Schroeder, 83, American songwriter, Alzheimer's disease.
  • Ian Thompson, 74, Australian politician, member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1971–1993).
  • Vjekoslav Šutej, 58, Croatian conductor, leukemia.
  • Eric Woolfson, 64, Scottish singer and keyboardist (The Alan Parsons Project), cancer.
  • 3

  • Ibrahim Hassan Addou, Somali Higher Education Minister, bombing.
  • Qamar Aden Ali, Somali Health Minister, bombing.
  • Swadesh Bose, 81, Bangladeshi economist.
  • Nat Boxer, 84, American Academy Award-winning sound engineer (Apocalypse Now), natural causes.
  • Estêvão Cardoso de Avellar, 92, Brazilian Roman Catholic Bishop of Uberlândia (1978–1992).
  • Paula Hawkins, 82, American politician, Senator from Florida (1981–1987), complications from a fall.
  • Leila Lopes, 50, Brazilian actress, suicide.
  • Brian Harold Mason, 92, New Zealand scientist, renal failure.
  • Curtis Nkondo, 81, South African politician, activist and diplomat, after long illness.
  • Pat Power, 67, Australian politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Jika Jika (1992–1999).
  • Sam Salt, 69, British rear admiral, captain of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War.
  • Peter R. Scanlon, 78, American accountant and chairman (Coopers & Lybrand), cancer.
  • Åsmund L. Strømnes, 82, Norwegian educationalist. (Norwegian)
  • Valbjörn Þorláksson, 75, Icelandic decathlete. (Icelandic)
  • Richard Todd, 90, Irish-born British Academy Award-nominated actor (The Hasty Heart, The Dam Busters), (The Longest Day), cancer.
  • Ahmed Abdulahi Waayeel, Somali Education Minister, bombing.
  • Bobby Wayne Woods, 44, American convicted rapist, kidnapper and murderer, execution by lethal injection.
  • Torrie Zito, 76, American pianist and arranger, emphysema.
  • 4

  • Richard T. Antoun, 77, American anthropologist and professor, stabbed.
  • Harold Bell, 90, American marketer, licensing agent and technical advisor, creator of Woodsy Owl.
  • Liam Clancy, 74, Irish folk singer (The Clancy Brothers), pulmonary fibrosis.
  • Tim Costello, 64, American labor and anti-globalization advocate, pancreatic cancer.
  • Matthew Luo Duxi, 90, Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop of Jiading.
  • Jérôme-Michel-Francis Martin, 68, French Roman Catholic Bishop of Berbérati (1987–1991).
  • Bryan O'Byrne, 78, American character actor.
  • Spyridon, 83, Greek Metropolitan Bishop of Lagkadas, after long illness. (Greek)
  • Vyacheslav Tikhonov, 81, Russian actor (Seventeen Moments of Spring).
  • Stephen Toulmin, 87, British philosopher and author, heart failure.
  • Jordi Solé Tura, 79, Spanish politician and lawyer, Minister of Culture (1991–1993).
  • Umaga, 36, American professional wrestler, prescription drug overdose.
  • Mall Vaasma, 64, Estonian mycologist. (Estonian)
  • Mary Curtis Verna, 88, American operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera), complications from a broken hip.
  • Francis Wilford-Smith, 82, British cartoonist.
  • 5

  • Jerry Birn, 86, American television writer.
  • Nina Fishman, 63, British historian and political activist, cancer.
  • Alfred Hrdlicka, 81, Austrian architect and draughtsman.
  • Otto Graf Lambsdorff, 82, German politician, Minister of Economics (1977–1982; 1982–1984).
  • William Lederer, 97, American author (The Ugly American), respiratory failure.
  • Kálmán Markovits, 78, Hungarian Olympic gold (1952, 1956) and bronze (1960) medalist in water polo, after long illness.
  • Tim "Barrel Man" McKernan, 69, American fan of the Denver Broncos, lung failure.
  • Garfield Morgan, 78, British actor (The Sweeney), cancer.
  • Malcolm Perry, 80, American attending physician to President John F. Kennedy after his assassination, lung cancer.
  • Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal, 78, Spanish diplomat. (German)
  • Dumitru Puntea, 66, Moldovan politician. (Romanian)
  • Jim Rohn, 79, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, pulmonary fibrosis.
  • Jack Rose, 38, American guitarist, heart attack.
  • Princess Vimolchatra of Thailand, 88, Thai royal, cousin of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, renal failure. (Thai)
  • William A. Wilson, 95, American Ambassador to the Holy See (1984–1986).
  • 6

  • Dennis P. Collins, 85, American politician, mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey (1974–1990), multiple health problems.
  • Rupprecht Geiger, 101, German painter. (German)
  • Dermott Monteith, 66, Irish cricketer, after short illness.
  • John Pittenger, 79, American politician, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education (1972–1976), Parkinson's disease.
  • Bina Rai, 78, Indian actress (Anarkali), heart attack.
  • Daouda Sow, 76, Senegalese politician, President of National Assembly (1984–1998). (French)
  • 7

  • Bruce C. Allen, 54, American guitarist and vocalist (The Suburbs), organ failure.
  • Frank M. Coffin, 90, American politician, Representative from Maine (1957–1961), complications of aortic aneurysm surgery.
  • Royden G. Derrick, 94, American general authority of the LDS Church, natural causes.
  • Al Dorow, 80, American football player (Washington Redskins, New York Titans), bone cancer.
  • Shunkichi Hamada, 99, Japanese Olympic silver medal-winning (1932) field hockey player. (Japanese)
  • Rose Kaufman, 70, American screenwriter, cancer.
  • Lorenzo Ochoa Salas, Mexican archeologist. (Spanish)
  • Grady Patterson, 85, American politician, South Carolina state Treasurer (1966–1995; 1999–2007), natural causes.
  • Carlene Hatcher Polite, 77, American novelist, cancer.
  • Mark Ritts, 63, American actor and puppeteer (Beakman's World), kidney cancer.
  • Ray Solomonoff, 83, American physicist and artificial intelligence pioneer.
  • Pyotr Vail, 60, Russian essayist and journalist.
  • 8

  • James Bingham, 84, British artist.
  • Kenneth Biros, 51, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
  • Su Cruickshank, 63, Australian jazz singer and actress (Young Einstein), heart and kidney failure.
  • Luis Días, 57, Dominican musician and songwriter, heart attack.
  • Dean Fasano, 54, American vocalist (Prophet, Message), coronary artery disease.
  • John Givens, 83, American basketball coach (Kentucky Colonels, 1967).
  • Arthur Glasser, 95, American missionary and theologian.
  • Karel Klančnik, 92, Yugoslavian Olympic ski jumper. (Slovene)
  • Elza Medeiros, 88, Brazilian nurse, World War II veteran. (Portuguese)
  • William C. McInnes, 86, American Jesuit, president of Fairfield University (1964–1973); USF (1973–1976), after long illness.
  • Anthony Sanusi, 98, Nigerian Roman Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode (1969–1990).
  • Sir Philip Watson, 90, British admiral.
  • 9

  • Luiz Carlos Alborghetti, 64, Brazilian television presenter and politician, lung cancer. (Portuguese)
  • Gene Barry, 90, American actor (The War of the Worlds, Burke's Law, Bat Masterson), heart failure.
  • Sa'ad Khair, 56, Jordanian secret service chief, heart attack.
  • Piotr Krzywicki, 45, Polish politician, pancreatic cancer. (Polish)
  • Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García, 79, Guatemalan President (1974–1978), complications of cancer.
  • Rodrigo Carazo Odio, 82, Costa Rican politician, President (1978–1982), heart failure.
  • Faramarz Payvar, 77, Iranian composer and santur player, brain damage.
  • Onofre Cândido Rosa, 85, Brazilian Roman Catholic Bishop of Jardim (1981–1999).
  • Goldie Semple, 56, Canadian stage actor, breast cancer.
  • Norman Sykes, 83, English footballer (Bristol Rovers).
  • 10

  • Gene Carpenter, 70, American football coach.
  • Dilip Chitre, 70, Indian poet, cancer.
  • D'Arcy D'Souza, 96, Pakistani Roman Catholic priest.
  • Kenny Dino, 70, American pop singer.
  • Jean-Robert Gauthier, 80, Canadian MP for Ottawa East (1972–1974), Ottawa—Vanier (1974–1994); Senator (1994–2004), stroke.
  • Sir John Gingell, 84, British Air Chief Marshal and Black Rod (1985–1992).
  • Thomas Hoving, 78, American director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1967–1977), lung cancer.
  • Sir Alan Huggins, 88, British jurist, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong (1980–1987).
  • Colin Clement Walter James, 83, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Winchester (1985–1995), chest infection.
  • József Kóczián, 83, Hungarian table tennis player.
  • William L. Reilly, 94, American Jesuit and philosophy professor, President of Le Moyne College (1964–1976).
  • 11

  • Brindley Benn, 86, Guyanese politician, Deputy Prime Minister, natural causes.
  • Francisco Piquer Chanza, 87, Spanish actor. (Spanish)
  • Ciarán Mac Mathúna, 84, Irish radio presenter and music collector.
  • Eric Wrinkles, 49, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.
  • 12

  • Val Avery, 85, American actor (The Killing of a Chinese Bookie).
  • Klavdiya Boyarskikh, 70, Russian cross-country skier, Olympic gold medalist (1964). (Russian)
  • Charles MacAlester Copland, 99, British Anglican priest, Dean of Argyll and The Isles (1977–1979).
  • Charles Davis, 84, American actor, heart attack.
  • Robert G. Heft, 67, American designer of the 50-star American flag.
  • Napoleon A. Jones Jr., 69, American federal judge.
  • Manuel Ruiz Sosa, 72, Spanish footballer and coach. (Spanish)
  • Eugene van Tamelen, 84, American chemist, cancer.
  • 13

  • Dan Barton, 88, American actor and voice-over actor, heart failure and kidney disease.
  • Moyra Fraser, 86, Australian-born British actress (As Time Goes By).
  • Yvonne King, 89, American singer (The King Sisters).
  • Börje Langefors, 94, Swedish engineer and computer scientist. (Swedish)
  • Arne Næss, 84, Norwegian politician, Mayor of Bergen. (Norwegian)
  • Piergiorgio Nesti, 78, Italian Roman Catholic archbishop of Camerino-San Severino Marche. (Italian)
  • Paul Samuelson, 94, American economist, Nobel Prize winner (1970), after short illness.
  • Sha'ari Tadin, 77, Singaporean educator and public servant, Parkinson's disease.
  • Thomas F. Stroock, 84, American politician, Ambassador to Guatemala (1989–1992), after long illness.
  • Larry Sultan, 63, American photographer, cancer.
  • Wilton Cezar Xavier, 62, Brazilian footballer. (Portuguese)
  • 14

  • Alan A'Court, 75, English footballer (Liverpool, England), cancer.
  • Jack Denham, 85, Australian horse trainer, winner of 1997 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup (Might and Power), after long illness.
  • Chris Feinstein, 42, American bassist (The Cardinals).
  • Stocker Fontelieu, 86, American actor and executive director, complications from a fall.
  • Conard Fowkes, 76, American actor (Dark Shadows).
  • Miodrag Jovanović, 87, Serbian Olympic silver medal-winning (1948) footballer.
  • George McKinnon, 91, American basketball and baseball coach.
  • David Pecaut, 54, Canadian municipal entrepreneur, colorectal cancer.
  • Daniel Piscopo, 89, Maltese politician.
  • Sol Price, 93, American businessman, founder of Price Club, natural causes.
  • 15

  • Curtis Allina, 87, American businessman, executive of Pez Candy (1955–1979), heart failure.
  • C. D. B. Bryan, 73, American author (Friendly Fire), cancer.
  • Sir Chris Clarke, 68, British politician, leader of Somerset County Council.
  • Arnaldo Ribeiro, 79, Brazilian Roman Catholic archbishop of Ribeirão Preto (1988–2006).
  • Oral Roberts, 91, American evangelist, founder of Oral Roberts University, complications from pneumonia.
  • James Rossant, 81, American architect, designer of Reston, Virginia, leukemia.
  • Herbert Spiegel, 95, American psychiatrist.
  • 16

  • Arturo Beltrán Leyva, 48, Mexican drug lord, shot.
  • Arthur Cores, 52, American businessman, founder of Boston Market, esophageal cancer.
  • Drexell R. Davis, 88, American politician, Kentucky Secretary of State and state treasurer.
  • Roy E. Disney, 79, American entertainment executive (The Walt Disney Company), nephew of Walt Disney, stomach cancer.
  • Yegor Gaidar, 53, Russian politician, acting Prime Minister (1992), thrombus.
  • Dennis Herod, 86, English footballer (Stoke City).
  • Fred Honsberger, 58, American radio personality.
  • T. G. H. James, 86, British egyptologist.
  • Kelly Kwalik, Indonesian West Papua separatist leader and commander (Free Papua Movement), shot.
  • Dame Victoire Bennett, Lady Ridsdale, 88, British politician, World War II intelligence agent, inspiration for Miss Moneypenny.
  • Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, 69, South African politician, Minister of Health (1999–2008), complications from a liver transplant.
  • Vladimir Turchinsky, 46, Russian actor, bodybuilder and showman, heart attack.
  • Josef Voß, 72, German Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Munster, Titular Bishop of Thisiduo (since 1988).
  • Bob Waldmire, 64, American Route 66 artist, cancer.
  • 17

  • Amin al-Hafiz, 88, Syrian politician, President (1963–1966).
  • P.R. Anthonis, 98, Sri Lankan surgeon.
  • Fred Baden, 75, American politician, mayor of Pineville, Louisiana (1970–1998), complications from a fall.
  • Alaina Reed Hall, 63, American actress (Sesame Street, 227), breast cancer.
  • Chris Henry, 26, American football player (Cincinnati Bengals), blunt force trauma after fall from vehicle.
  • Warren Hogan, 80, Australian economics professor and government adviser, cancer.
  • Jennifer Jones, 90, American Academy Award-winning actress (The Song of Bernadette), natural causes.
  • Michel Leblond, 77, French Olympic footballer. (French)
  • Miljenko Mihić, 75, Serbian football coach. (Serbian)
  • Dan O'Bannon, 63, American screenwriter, director and actor, Crohn's disease.
  • Samuel Victor Perry, 91, British biochemist.
  • Hans Pfenninger, 80, Swiss Olympic cyclist.
  • Albert Ràfols-Casamada, 86, Spanish artist. (Spanish)
  • 18

  • Fred Bachrach, 95, Dutch art historian.
  • Charlie Balun, 61, American artist and journalist, cancer.
  • José Bardina, 70, Venezuelan actor, bladder cancer.
  • Oskar Danon, 96, Bosnian conductor and composer.
  • John Henry Fischer, 99, American educator, President of Teachers College, Columbia University (1962–1974), heart failure.
  • Connie Hines, 78, American actress (Mister Ed), heart failure.
  • Harold Lundrigan, 81, Canadian businessman.
  • Joasaph (McLellan), 47, American Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the ROCOR, cancer.
  • László Nagy, 88, Hungarian-born Swiss Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (1968–1988).
  • Job (Osacky), 63, American archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America.
  • Georgina Parkinson, 71, British ballet mistress, cancer.
  • Mike Simpson, 47, American politician, Michigan state Representative (since 2006), heart attack.
  • Del St. John, 78, Canadian-born Austrian ice hockey player. (German)
  • Bob Willoughby, 82, American photographer, cancer.
  • Robin Wood, 78, British film critic, leukaemia.
  • Rex Yetman, 76, Canadian bluegrass mandolin player
  • Jack Zilly, 88, American football player (Los Angeles Rams).
  • 19

  • Charles Birch, 91, Australian geneticist, after short illness.
  • Tony Bukovich, 94, American ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings).
  • Margaret Christensen, 88, Australian actress.
  • Edith Diaz, 70, Puerto Rican-born American actress, heart failure.
  • Lincoln Gordon, 96, American diplomat and academic, Ambassador to Brazil (1961–1966), President of Johns Hopkins University (1967–1971).
  • Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, 87, Iranian cleric and dissident, natural causes.
  • Zeki Ökten, 68, Turkish film director, heart disease.
  • Kim Peek, 58, American savant, inspiration for Rain Man, heart attack.
  • Donald Pickering, 76, British actor.
  • Roger Rawson, 70, American politician, former majority leader of the Utah House of Representatives, liver disease.
  • Loren Singer, 86, American novelist (The Parallax View).
  • 20

  • Joan Brosnan Walsh, 71, Irish actress (Fair City), motor neurone disease.
  • Jack Brownsword, 86, British footballer (Scunthorpe United).
  • Neil Farrington, 38, British drummer (Cerebral Fix).
  • Erik Gates, 47, American electrician and model rocket expert (MythBusters), injuries from a fall.
  • James Gurley, 69, American guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company), heart attack.
  • Jack Hixon, 88, British football scout.
  • Arun Krushnaji Kamble, 56, Indian Dalit activist, drowned. (body discovered on this date)
  • Yiannis Moralis, 93, Greek visual artist.
  • Brittany Murphy, 32, American actress (Clueless, King of the Hill, 8 Mile), pneumonia.
  • Shari Rhodes, 71, American casting director (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Breaking Bad).
  • Vera Rich, 73, British poet, journalist, historian, and translator. (Ukrainian)
  • Lester Rodney, 98, American sports journalist.
  • Arnold Stang, 91, American actor (Top Cat, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), pneumonia.
  • Ira Trombley, 57, American politician, member of the Vermont House of Representatives (since 2002), natural causes.
  • 21

  • Suryakant Acharya, 80, Indian politician, natural causes.
  • Jaime Agudelo, 84, Colombian comedian, respiratory failure. (Spanish)
  • Craigie Aitchison, 83, British painter.
  • Dick Archer, 82, Australian politician, member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council (1980–1992).
  • Ann Nixon Cooper, 107, American civil rights activist, mentioned in President Obama's election victory speech.
  • James Cowley, 90, British recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
  • Rick Hube, 62, American politician, member of the Vermont House of Representatives (since 1998).
  • David Isaacs, 63, Jamaican singer (The Itals).
  • Pete King, 80, British saxophonist, co-founder of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, after long illness.
  • Edwin G. Krebs, 91, American Nobel Prize-winning biochemist.
  • Christos Lambrakis, 75, Greek businessman, publisher and journalist, multiple organ failure.
  • Marianne Stone, 87, British character actress (Carry On series).
  • 22

  • Al Bernardin, 81, American restaurateur, inventor of the Quarter Pounder, stroke.
  • Mick Cocks, Australian guitarist (Rose Tattoo), liver cancer.
  • Luis Francisco Cuéllar, 69, Colombian politician, Governor of Caqueta, assassination by cut throat.
  • Michael Currie, 81, American actor (Dark Shadows, Sudden Impact).
  • Bernhard Droog, 88, Dutch actor, pneumonia. (Dutch)
  • Milena Dvorská, 71, Czech film actress. (Czech)
  • Edward Maitland Makgill Crichton, 93, British army general.
  • Andy Manson, 73, Australian politician, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (1995–2000).
  • Duncan Paterson, 66, Scottish rugby union player and administrator.
  • Sir Bob Phillis, 64, British media executive, cancer.
  • Albert Scanlon, 74, English footballer (Manchester United), survivor of Munich air disaster.
  • Piers Wardle, 49, British artist, brain haemorrhage.
  • 23

  • Lucas Abadamloora, 71, Ghanaian Roman Catholic Bishop of Navrongo-Bolgatanga (1994–2009).
  • Lilo Allgayer, 94, German Olympic fencer. (German)
  • Ike Aronowicz, 86, Israeli captain of the SS Exodus.
  • Grigory Baklanov, 86, Russian novelist.
  • Charles Bullen, 90, American politician, Utah House of Representatives (1971–1977) and Senate (1977–1985).
  • Robert L. Howard, 70, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (1971), pancreatic cancer.
  • Micah Naftalin, 76, American advocate for Soviet Jews. Archived October 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  • Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, 99, Chinese politician, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (1964–1968; 1981–1983).
  • Peter O'Hagan, Irish politician.
  • Edward Schillebeeckx, 95, Belgian theologian.
  • Rainer Zepperitz, 79, Indonesian-born German double bassist. (German)
  • 24

  • Marcus Bakker, 86, Dutch politician, party leader of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (1963–1982). (Dutch)
  • Stan Benjamin, 95, American baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies) and scout (Houston Astros).
  • Giulio Bosetti, 79, Italian actor and film director, cancer.
  • Rafael Caldera, 93, Venezuelan politician, President (1969–1974; 1994–1999).
  • George Cowling, 89, British weatherman.
  • Tim Hart, 61, British musician (Steeleye Span), lung cancer.
  • Terry Lawless, 76, British boxing manager and trainer.
  • Henry van Lieshout, 77, Dutch-born Papua New Guinean Roman Catholic Bishop of Lae (1966–2007).
  • George Michael, 70, American sportscaster and disc jockey, chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
  • Masahiko Shimura, 29, Japanese singer and musician, co-founder of the rock band Fujifabric.
  • Gero von Wilpert, 76, German literary scientist. (German)
  • Brian Young, 79, British naval officer.
  • 25

  • Christopher Bell, 35, American disability studies scholar.
  • Tony Bellamy, 63, American musician (Redbone), liver failure.
  • Bill Burich, 92, American baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies).
  • Charles Capps, 84, American politician, member of Mississippi House of Representatives (1972–2005).
  • Asheem Chakravarty, 50, Indian jazz fusion musician (Indian Ocean), heart attack.
  • Vic Chesnutt, 45, American folk rock musician, muscle relaxant overdose.
  • Rusty Dedrick, 91, American swing and bebop jazz trumpeter.
  • Knut Haugland, 92, Norwegian explorer and World War II veteran, last surviving member of the Kon-Tiki expedition.
  • Rick Kane, 55, American football player (Detroit Lions), pneumonia.
  • Morris E. Lasker, 92, American federal judge, cancer.
  • Rachel Wetzsteon, 42, American poet, suicide.
  • 26

  • Charles F. Baird, 87, American politician.
  • Dennis Brutus, 85, South African poet and anti-Apartheid activist, prostate cancer.
  • Giuseppe Chiappella, 85, Italian football player and manager. (Italian)
  • Peder Lunde, 91, Norwegian Olympic silver medal-winning (1952) sailor. (Norwegian)
  • Arthur McIntyre, 91, British cricketer.
  • Yves Rocher, 79, French entrepreneur and mayor of La Gacilly, founder of Yves Rocher Cosmetics.
  • Ihor Ševčenko, 87, Polish philologist.
  • Percy Sutton, 89, American civil rights activist, politician and attorney, Manhattan Borough President (1966–1977).
  • Jacques Sylla, 63, Malagasy politician, Prime Minister of Madagascar (2002–2007), after long illness.
  • David Taylor, 63, British politician, MP for North West Leicestershire (since 1997), heart attack.
  • Norval White, 83, American author (AIA Guide to New York City), heart attack.
  • Felix Wurman, 51, American cellist, cancer.
  • 27

  • Maryam Babangida, 61, Nigerian First Lady, wife of former President Ibrahim Babangida, ovarian cancer.
  • Terry L. Punt, 60, American politician, Pennsylvania State Senator (1989–2009) and State Representative (1979–1988).
  • Narra Venkateswara Rao, Indian actor, cancer.
  • Isaac Schwartz, 86, Russian composer (White Sun of the Desert). (Russian)
  • Takashi Takabayashi, 78, Japanese footballer. (Japanese)
  • 28

  • Allen Batsford, 77, British football manager (Wimbledon), heart attack.
  • Habib Bourguiba, Jr., 82, Tunisian diplomat and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1964–1970).
  • D. F. Cartwright, 93, British businessman.
  • Sir Jack Harman, 89, British general.
  • Zoltán Horváth, 30, Romanian-born Hungarian basketball player, car accident.
  • Terry Matte, 66, Canadian television news producer, cancer.
  • Manfred R. Schroeder, 83, German physicist.
  • J. David Singer, 84, American political scientist.
  • The Rev, 28, American hard rock and heavy metal drummer (Avenged Sevenfold), accidental overdose.
  • 29

  • Roberto Amadei, 76, Italian Roman Catholic monsignor, bishop of Bergamo (1991–2009).
  • C. Aswath, 71, Indian Kannada singer, liver and renal failure.
  • David Levine, 83, American caricaturist (The New York Review of Books), prostate cancer.
  • Paul Sapsford, 60, New Zealand rugby union player (Otago, national team), injuries sustained in a jetboat accident.
  • Akmal Shaikh, 53, Pakistani-born British drug trafficker, executed by lethal injection.
  • M. S. Sivasankariah, 82, Indian cricket umpire.
  • Robert H. Smith, 81, American real estate developer and philanthropist, creator of Crystal City, Virginia, stroke.
  • Steve Williams, 49, American professional wrestler, throat cancer.
  • 30

  • Anthony A. Alaimo, 89, American federal judge (Southern District of Georgia).
  • Bessie Blount Griffin, 95, American inventor and forensic scientist.
  • Peter Corren, 62, Canadian gay rights activist, cancer.
  • Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu, 86, Ugandan Roman Catholic Bishop of Masaka.
  • Rowland S. Howard, 50, Australian musician and songwriter (The Birthday Party), liver cancer.
  • Michelle Lang, 34, Canadian reporter (Calgary Herald), IED explosion.
  • Ruth Lilly, 94, American philanthropist (Eli Lilly and Company), heart failure.
  • Alberto Lysy, 74, Argentine violinist and composer.
  • Gloria Nord, 87, American skater.
  • Vasiliy Shandybin, 68, Russian politician. (Russian)
  • Peter Shirayanagi, 81, Japanese Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • Jacqueline Sturm, 82, New Zealand writer and poet.
  • Vishnuvardhan, 59, Indian Kannada actor, cardiac arrest.
  • Abdurrahman Wahid, 69, Indonesian politician, President (1999–2001), heart failure.
  • Norman Walker, 74, Australian rules footballer.
  • Perry Wilson, 93, American actress (Fear Strikes Out).
  • Leon Yao Liang, 86, Chinese bishop.
  • Ivan Zulueta, 66, Spanish designer and film director. (French)
  • 31

  • Arthur E. Bartlett, 76, American realtor, co-founder of Century 21, Alzheimer's disease.
  • Erica Boyer, 53, American pornographic actress, hit by car.
  • Tod Campeau, 86, Canadian ice hockey player.
  • John Cushnie, 66, Irish gardening expert and radio presenter, heart attack.
  • Cahal Daly, 92, Irish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic church, Primate of All Ireland (1990–1996).
  • Maurice Dupras, 86, Canadian politician.
  • George M. Holmes, 80, American politician, member of the North Carolina General Assembly (1975–1977, 1979–2009).
  • Ross Johnstone, 83, Canadian ice hockey player.
  • Rashidi Kawawa, 83, Tanzanian politician, Prime Minister of Tanganyika (1962) and Tanzania (1972–1977).
  • Justin Keating, 79, Irish humanist and Labour Party politician (Minister for Industry and Commerce, 1973–1977).
  • Helen Lewis, 93, Czech-born British dancer and concentration camp survivor.
  • Guido Lorraine, 97, Polish-born British actor.
  • William May, 56, American-born Australian artistic director (Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience), pneumonia.
  • Glauco Onorato, 73, Italian actor.
  • Bill Powell, 93, American golf course designer, stroke.
  • Qian Xinzhong, 98, Chinese politician, Minister of Health (1965–1973, 1979–1983). (Chinese)
  • Youssef Ibrahim Sarraf, 69, Egyptian Chaldean Bishop of Cairo (since 1984).
  • Frans Seda, 83, Indonesian economist, Minister of Finance (1966–1968).
  • William Tuohy, 83, American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent, following cardiac surgery.
  • Mikhail Vartanov, 72, Russian actor.
  • References

    Deaths in December 2009 Wikipedia