Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Deaths in May 2012

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

The following is a list of notable deaths in May 2012.

Contents

Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:

  • Name, age, country of citizenship and reason for notability, established cause of death, reference (and language of reference, if not English).
  • 1

  • Gonçalo Amorim, 39, Portuguese Olympic cyclist.
  • Gogó Andreu, 92, Argentine comedian and actor.
  • Cali Carranza, 59, American Tejano musician, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
  • Joseph Erhardy, c. 84, American sculptor.
  • John Spencer Hardy, 98, American lieutenant general, NATO commander for Southern Europe.
  • Harold K. Hoskins, 85, American pilot, Tuskegee Airman, Congressional Gold Medal winner, complications from a fall.
  • Greg Jackson, 60, American basketball player (New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns), heart attack.
  • Eric James, 87, British Anglican clergyman and broadcaster.
  • Senteza Kajubi, 86, Ugandan university administrator and academic.
  • James Kinley, 86, Canadian engineer and industrialist, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1994–2000).
  • Viktoras Petkus, 83, Lithuanian political activist and dissident.
  • Charles Pitts, 65, American soul musician, guitarist for Isaac Hayes, lung cancer.
  • Harriet Presser, 76, American sociologist and demographer.
  • Earl Rose, 85, American medical examiner, attempted to autopsy President Kennedy after assassination, Parkinson's disease.
  • Shanmugasundari, 75, Indian film actress, heart attack.
  • Mordechai Virshubski, 82, Israeli politician, MK (1977–1992) and Deputy Speaker of the Knesset (1988–1992).
  • 2

  • Bram Bogart, 90, Dutch-born Belgian painter.
  • Peter Connolly, 77, British historian.
  • Mark Deutch, 67, Russian journalist, drowned.
  • Andrew Ganigan, 59, American boxer, cancer.
  • Nélida Gómez de Navajas, 84, Argentine human rights activist (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo).
  • Fernando Lopes, 76, Portuguese film director, throat cancer.
  • Zenaida Manfugás, 80, Cuban-born American pianist.
  • James Marker, 90, American-born Canadian businessman, inventor of Cheezies.
  • Charlotte Mitchell, 85, British actress.
  • Tufan Miñnullin, 76, Russian Tatar writer and playwright, heart attack.
  • Les Mogg, 82, Australian football player.
  • Donald L. Owens, 82, American military officer.
  • Ernst Rau, 85, German Olympic fencer.
  • J. T. Ready, 39, American border militia leader, former neo-Nazi, suicide by gunshot.
  • Tracy Reed, 69, English actress (Dr. Strangelove, Casino Royale), cancer.
  • Junior Seau, 43, American football player (San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots), suicide by gunshot.
  • Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, 57, Indonesian physician, Minister of Health (2009–2012), cancer.
  • Akira Tonomura, 70, Japanese physicist, pancreatic cancer. (Japanese)
  • Digby Wolfe, 82, British actor and screenwriter (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), cancer.
  • Zvi Zeitlin, 90, Belorussian-born American classical violinist, pneumonia.
  • 3

  • Edith Bliss, 52, Australian pop singer and television presenter.
  • Lloyd Brevett, 80, Jamaican double bassist (The Skatalites), complications from stroke.
  • Elizabeth Busche, 20, American curler, cancer.
  • Peter K. Cullins, 83, American admiral, first commander of the Naval Data Automation Command, complications from hepatitis B.
  • John Miles Foley, 65, American folklorist and literary scholar.
  • Jorge Illueca, 93, Panamanian politician, President (1984), respiratory failure.
  • Andrew Suknaski, 69, Canadian poet and visual artist.
  • Richie Thomson, 71, New Zealand Olympic cyclist. [3]
  • František Tondra, 75, Slovak Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Spiš (1989–2011), heart failure.
  • Tú Duyên, 96, Vietnamese painter.
  • Felix Werder, 90, German-born Australian composer.
  • 4

  • Haukur Angantýsson, 63, Icelandic chess player.
  • T. P. Chandrasekharan, 51, Indian politician.
  • Aleksandre Chikvaidze, 74, Georgian diplomat.
  • Neville Coleman, 74, Australian underwater nature photographer.
  • Angelica Garnett, 93, British writer and painter.
  • Crawford Hallock Greenewalt, Jr., 74, American archaeologist.
  • Mort Lindsey, 89, American orchestra leader and composer.
  • Alikhan Nakotskhoyev, 25, Russian football player.
  • Anthony O'Connell, 73, Irish-born American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Knoxville (1988–1998) and Palm Beach (1998–2002).
  • Edward Short, Baron Glenamara, 99, British politician, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (1972–1976), MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (1951–1976).
  • Bob Stewart, 91, American television game show producer (Password, To Tell the Truth, The Price Is Right), natural causes.
  • Adam Yauch, 47, American musician (Beastie Boys) and film director (Gunnin' for That No. 1 Spot), salivary gland cancer.
  • Rashidi Yekini, 48, Nigerian footballer.
  • 5

  • Ramón Arano, 72, Mexican baseball player.
  • Stevan Bena, 76, Serbian footballer.
  • Frederick J. Brown, 67, American artist.
  • Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, 95, Swedish royal, youngest son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.
  • James R. Browning, 93, American judge.
  • Aatos Erkko, 79, Finnish journalist and publisher, after long illness.
  • Florida Pearl, 20, Irish racehorse, winner of the Champion Bumper (1997), euthanized.
  • George Knobel, 89, Dutch football manager, complications of Alzheimer's disease.
  • Don Leshnock, 65, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers).
  • Michail Markov, 73, Russian cyclist and coach.
  • Meow, c. 2, American cat, heaviest cat at his time of death, lung failure.
  • Miguel Mora Gornals, 75, Spanish Olympic cyclist.
  • Roy Padayachie, 62, South African politician.
  • Mendel Sachs, 85, American theoretical physicist.
  • Ivica Šangulin, 75, Croatian football player and manager.
  • Surendranath, 75, Indian cricketer.
  • Ali Uras, 88, Turkish Olympic basketball player and president of Galatasaray S.K. (1979–1986).
  • 6

  • Lubna Agha, 63, Pakistani-American artist, cancer.
  • Fahd al-Quso, 37, Yemeni militant, al-Qaeda member, airstrike.
  • Michael Burks, 54, American blues musician, heart attack.
  • Ekalavyan, 77, Indian writer.
  • Pat Frink, 67, American basketball player (Cincinnati Royals), automobile accident.
  • Iraj Ghaderi, 77, Iranian film director and actor.
  • Kåre Øistein Hansen, 84, Norwegian politician.
  • James Isaac, 51, American film director, producer (Jason X, Skinwalkers) and special effects supervisor, multiple myeloma and blood cancer.
  • Kostas Karras, 76, Greek actor, MP (2000–2007), prostate cancer.
  • Félix Kouadjo, 73, Ivorian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Bondoukou (since 1996).
  • Jean Laplanche, 87, French psychoanalyst, pulmonary fibrosis,
  • George Lindsey, 83, American actor (The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D., Hee Haw), after brief illness.
  • Georgi Lozanov, 85, Bulgarian educator, developed Suggestopedia.
  • Marika Mitsotakis, 82, Greek politician, wife of the Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis (1990–1993), complications of poliomyelitis.
  • John Slack, 81, English cricketer and judge.
  • Yale Summers, 78, American actor (Daktari).
  • Tran Dinh Truong, 80, Vietnamese businessman. (Vietnamese)
  • Jan Trøjborg, 56, Danish politician, member of the Folketing (1987–2005), and Defence Minister (2000–2001), heart failure.
  • John Worrall, 84, New Zealand cricketer. [4]
  • 7

  • Ivan Allen, 81, American ballet dancer (Metropolitan Opera).
  • Ferenc Bartha, 68, Hungarian economist, Governor of the National Bank of Hungary (1988–1990), suicide.
  • Sammy Barr, 80, Scottish trade union leader.
  • Jules Bocandé, 53, Senegalese footballer, complications of surgery and stroke.
  • R. Michael Canjar, 58, American mathematician.
  • Robert Everett Coyle, 82, American federal judge.
  • Andrea Crisanti, 75, Italian production designer and art director.
  • Dennis E. Fitch, 69, American pilot (United Airlines Flight 232), brain cancer.
  • Hirotada Hayase, 71, Japanese track and field athlete (1960 Summer Olympics, 1964 Summer Olympics), blood poisoning.
  • Alexander Keynan, 90, Israeli microbiologist, co-founder and the first director of Israel Institute for Biological Research.
  • Eva Rausing, 48, American philanthropist.
  • Gene Visich, 85, American AAGPBL baseball player.
  • 8

  • Ampon Tangnoppakul, 64, Thai detainee.
  • William Aquin Carew, 89, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate, Apostolic Nuncio to Japan (1983–1997).
  • Nicholas Katzenbach, 90, American lawyer, United States Attorney General (1965–1966).
  • Lau Teng Chuan, 83, Singaporean sports administrator, stomach cancer.
  • Everett Lilly, 87, American bluegrass musician (The Lilly Brothers).
  • Carlos Loiseau, 63, Argentine cartoonist, cancer.
  • Sergio Marqués Fernández, 65, Spanish politician, President of the Principality of Asturias (1995–1999).
  • Bob Marshall, 77, American politician. Mayor of San Bruno, California (1980–1991).
  • Jerry McMorris, 71, American baseball executive (Colorado Rockies), pancreatic cancer.
  • Frank Parr, 83, English cricketer and jazz musician.
  • Louis H. Pollak, 89, American federal judge.
  • Ingvill Raaum, 76, Norwegian politician.
  • George Stephen Ritchie, 97, British war hero and hydrographer.
  • Stacy Robinson, 50, American football player (New York Giants), cancer.
  • Robert de La Rochefoucauld, 88, French Resistance member.
  • Maurice Sendak, 83, American author and illustrator (Where the Wild Things Are, Little Bear), complications of a stroke.
  • Roman Totenberg, 101, Polish-born American violinist, renal failure.
  • Vo Rogue, 28, Australian Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the Australian Cup (1989, 1990).
  • Garth Webb, 93, Canadian soldier and museum founder (Juno Beach Centre).
  • 9

  • Carl Beane, 59, American sports broadcaster and public address announcer (Fenway Park), heart attack.
  • James Carter, 100, American basketball coach (University of Dayton).
  • Bertram Cohler, 73, American psychologist.
  • Gunnar Dybwad, 83, Norwegian footballer.
  • Alain Fossoul, 83, Belgian footballer,
  • Sir Geoffrey Henry, 71, Cook Islands politician, Prime Minister (1983, 1989–1999), and Speaker of Parliament (since 2011), cancer.
  • Northerly, 15, Australian racehorse, winner of the Australian Cup (2001, 2003) and Cox Plate (2001, 2002), euthanized.
  • Constantin Piron, 80, Belgian physicist.
  • Vidal Sassoon, 84, British hairstylist, leukemia.
  • Ingvald M. Smith-Kielland, 92, Norwegian royal servant.
  • Lajos Somodi, Sr., 83, Hungarian Olympic fencer.
  • 10

  • George Birimisa, 88, American playwright, actor, and director.
  • Peter David, 60, British journalist (The Economist).
  • Horst Faas, 79, German photojournalist (Associated Press).
  • Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad, 74, Indian politician, member of the Lok Sabha (1980–1989), Maharaja of Baroda (since 1988).
  • Evelyn Bryan Johnson, 102, American aviator.
  • Günther Kaufmann, 64, German film actor, heart attack.
  • Pekka Marjamäki, 64, Finnish Olympic ice hockey player, heart attack.
  • Eddie Perkins, 75, American boxer.
  • Joyce Redman, 96, Irish-born British actress (Othello, Tom Jones), pneumonia.
  • Bernardo Sassetti, 41, Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer, fall.
  • Carroll Shelby, 89, American automobile racer and designer.
  • Andreas Shipanga, 80, Namibian politician, Chairman of the Transitional Government of National Unity (1987, 1988), heart attack.
  • Gunnar Sønsteby, 94, Norwegian resistance movement member.
  • Walter Wink, 76, American theologian, complications of dementia.
  • Gulumbu Yunupingu, 69, Australian Aboriginal artist.
  • 11

  • Alma Bella, 102, Filipino actress.
  • Jack Benaroya, 90, American real estate developer.
  • Patrick Bosch, 47, Dutch footballer (FC Twente), car accident.
  • Stanislav Brebera, 86, Czech chemist.
  • Dankwart Danckwerts, 79, German sociologist.
  • Tony DeZuniga, 79, Filipino comic book artist and co-creator of Jonah Hex and Black Orchid, complications from stroke.
  • Alfred Diamant, 94, Austrian-born American political scientist.
  • Rose Mary Glaser, 90, American AAGPBL baseball player.
  • Thea Hochleitner, 86, Austrian Olympic bronze medal-winning (1956) alpine skier.
  • Grant Jeffrey, 63, Canadian Bible teacher and writer.
  • Rodolfo Kappenberger, 95, Swiss footballer.
  • Sir Michael Kerry, 88, British public servant, Treasury Solicitor (1980–1984).
  • Annemarie Roeper, 93, Austrian-born American educator, co-founder of the Roeper School, pneumonia.
  • László Seregi, 82, Hungarian dancer and choreographer.
  • Roland Shaw, 91, British bandleader and music arranger.
  • Martin Stovold, 56, English cricketer.
  • Travis H. Tomlinson, 98, American politician, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina (1965–1969).
  • Frank Wills, 53, American baseball player (Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians).
  • 12

  • Jan Bens, 91, Dutch footballer (Feyenoord).
  • Paul Cyr, 48, Canadian hockey player (Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers), heart failure.
  • Paul Dee, 65, American lawyer and athletic director (University of Miami).
  • Ernst Josef Fittkau, 84, German entomologist.
  • Ruth Foster, 92, American actress (Little House on the Prairie).
  • Terry Martin, 74, American surfboard shaper.
  • Neil McKenty, 87, Canadian radio talk-show host and author.
  • Donald Nicholson, 96, British biochemist.
  • Eddy Paape, 91, Belgian comics artist (Luc Orient). (Dutch)
  • Harold Arthur Poling, 86, American businessman, CEO and Chairman of Ford Motor Company (1990–1993).
  • Sam Porcello, 76, American food scientist, created the Oreo cookie filling.
  • Ken Selby, 76, American businessman, founder of Mazzio's, complications from lung cancer.
  • Fritz Ursell, 89, German-born British mathematician (Ursell number).
  • 13

  • Trond Bråthen, 34, Norwegian singer and guitarist (Urgehal), natural causes.
  • Marek Cichosz, 32, Polish cyclist.
  • Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician, Afghan High Peace Council member, shot.
  • Donald "Duck" Dunn, 70, American bass guitarist (The Blues Brothers, Booker T. & the M.G.'s).
  • Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, 69, American theologian, cancer.
  • Les Leston, 91, British racing driver.
  • Andy Mate, 72, American soccer player.
  • Jean McFarlane, Baroness McFarlane of Llandaff, 86, British nurse and peer.
  • Nguyen Van Thien, 106, Vietnamese Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Vĩnh Long (1960–1968).
  • Lee Richardson, 33, British speedway rider, race crash.
  • Nolan Richardson III, 47, American college basketball coach (Tennessee State University).
  • Don Ritchie, 85, Australian volunteer, rescued 160 people from suicide.
  • Jack Simcock, 82, British artist.
  • Bill Walsh, 84, American football player (Pittsburgh Steelers).
  • Trevor Young, 86, New Zealand politician, MP for Hutt (1968–1978); Eastern Hutt (1978–1990).
  • 14

  • Vladimer Aptsiauri, 50, Georgian Olympic gold medal-winning (1988) fencer.
  • Tor Marius Gromstad, 22, Norwegian footballer (Stabæk), fall. (body discovered on this date; Norwegian)
  • Mitchell Guist, 48, American reality series cast member (Swamp People), natural causes.
  • Derek Hammond-Stroud, 86, English opera singer.
  • Ernst Hinterberger, 80, Austrian author and screenwriter (Kaisermühlen Blues, Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter).
  • Taruni Sachdev, 14, Indian film actress (Paa), plane crash.
  • Mario Trejo, 86, Argentine poet.
  • Belita Woods, 63, American funk singer (Brainstorm, Parliament-Funkadelic), heart failure.
  • 15

  • Henry Denker, 99, American novelist and playwright, lung cancer.
  • Carlos Fuentes, 83, Panamanian-born Mexican novelist, internal hemorrhage.
  • Jean Craighead George, 92, American children's author (Julie of the Wolves, My Side of the Mountain), heart failure.
  • Peter Koslowski, 59, German philosopher and academic. (German)
  • Arno Lustiger, 88, Upper Silesian-born German writer and Judaic historian.
  • Zakaria Mohieddin, 93, Egyptian politician and military officer, Vice President (1961–1964, 1965–1968), Prime Minister (1965–1966).
  • John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, 83, South African-born hereditary peer of the Peerage of Scotland.
  • Dominique Rolin, 99, Belgian author.
  • Sir Roy Shaw, 93, British arts administrator.
  • Frederick E. Smith, 93, British author (633 Squadron), heart attack.
  • Betty Miller Unterberger, 89, Scottish-born American historian.
  • Ángel Alfredo Villatoro, 47, Honduran journalist and radio personality, killed.
  • Horst Walter, 75, German artist.
  • George Wyllie, 90, Scottish sculptor.
  • 16

  • Patricia Aakhus, 59, American novelist, cancer.
  • James Abdnor, 89, American politician, U.S. Representative (1973–1981) and U.S. Senator (1981–1987) from South Dakota.
  • Maria Bieşu, 76, Moldovan opera singer, leukemia.
  • Chuck Brown, 75, American singer and musician ("Bustin' Loose"), multiple organ failure.
  • Ernie Chan, 71, Filipino-born American comic book artist (Batman, Doctor Strange).
  • Pat Dickie, 93, Australian politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Ballarat (1956–1978).
  • Doug Dillard, 75, American bluegrass musician (The Dillards) and actor (The Andy Griffith Show), lung infection.
  • Kurt Felix, 71, Swiss television presenter, thymoma.
  • Hans Geister, 83, German runner.
  • Hugo Gottfrit, 61, Argentine football player.
  • Kevin Hickey, 56, American baseball player (Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles), complications of a seizure.
  • Andrei Mylnikov, 93, Russian painter.
  • Thad Tillotson, 71, American baseball player (New York Yankees, Nakai Hawks).
  • Anne Warner, 71, British biologist, cerebral haemorrhage.
  • 17

  • Warda Al-Jazairia, 72, Algerian singer, cardiac arrest.
  • Herbert Breslin, 87, American music industry executive, heart attack.
  • France Clidat, 79, French classical pianist.
  • Gideon Ezra, 74, Israeli politician, MK (since 1996), lung cancer.
  • Patrick Mafisango, 32, Congolese-born Rwandan footballer, car accident.
  • Stepan Karapetovich Pogosyan, 80, Armenian historian and politician.
  • Derek Round, 77, New Zealand journalist, injuries following assault. (body discovered on this date)
  • Ron Shock, 69, American stand-up comedian, urethral cancer.
  • Donna Summer, 63, American singer ("Bad Girls", "Hot Stuff", "Last Dance", "I Feel Love"), lung cancer.
  • Harald Synnes, 81, Norwegian politician.
  • Sir Moti Tikaram, 87, Fijian judge and ombudsman.
  • 18

  • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, 86, German baritone and conductor.
  • Tom Fuentes, 63, American political leader, Orange County Republican Party chairman (1985–2004), liver cancer.
  • Jai Gurudev, 116, Indian religious leader.
  • Peter Jones, 49, British drummer (Crowded House), brain cancer.
  • Justo Justo, 70, Filipino columnist and politician.
  • Eugene Lacritz, 82, American conductor.
  • Hans-Dieter Lange, 85, German TV journalist.
  • Alan Oakley, 85, British designer of Raleigh Chopper bicycle, cancer.
  • Paul O'Sullivan, 48, Canadian comedian and actor, car accident.
  • Gavin Packard, 48, British-born Indian Bollywood film actor, respiratory disease.
  • Joe Sampite, 81, American politician, Mayor of Natchitoches, Louisiana (1980–2000).
  • A. Teeuw, 90, Dutch critic of Indonesian literature.
  • 19

  • Willard Bond, 85, American painter.
  • Bob Boozer, 75, American Olympic gold medal-winning (1960) basketball player (New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls), brain aneurysm.
  • Tamara Brooks, 70, American choral conductor, heart attack.
  • Ian Burgess, 81, British racing driver.
  • Muriel Cerf, 61, French writer, cancer.
  • Isak Doera, 80, Philippines-born Indonesian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Sintang (1976–1996).
  • Ranjit Kumar Gupta, 93, Indian police chief.
  • Gerhard Hetz, 69, German Olympic silver and bronze medal-winning (1964) swimmer.
  • Phil Lamason, 93, New Zealand Air Force officer.
  • Ann Rosener, 97, American photojournalist.
  • 20

  • Safiuddin Ahmed, 89, Bangladeshi painter and printmaker.
  • Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, 60, Libyan terrorist, convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103, prostate cancer.
  • Bob Bethell, 69, American politician, Kansas State Representative (since 1999), car accident.
  • Louis F. Burns, 92, American tribal and Osage Nation historian.
  • Leela Dube, 89, Indian anthropologist.
  • Geoffrey Evans, 69, Irish serial killer.
  • John George, 81, Scottish officer of arms.
  • Robin Gibb, 62, British singer and songwriter (Bee Gees), liver and kidney failure.
  • Nils Jernsletten, 77, Norwegian linguist. (Norwegian)
  • David Littman, 78, British historian and human rights activist.
  • Eugene Polley, 96, American engineer, inventor of the wireless TV remote control.
  • Howie Richmond, 94, American music publisher and executive.
  • David Ridgway, 74, British archaeologist.
  • Raul Rojas, 70, American boxer.
  • Carrie Smith, 86, American blues and jazz singer.
  • Andrew B. Steinberg, 53, American lawyer.
  • Svenn Stray, 90, Norwegian politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1970–1971, 1981–1986).
  • 21

  • Bahram Alivandi, 84, Iranian artist.
  • Andreas Arntzen, 83, Norwegian barrister.
  • Kevin Barry, New Zealand rugby league player.
  • Eddie Blazonczyk, 70, American polka musician, natural causes.
  • Otis Clark, 109, American evangelist, oldest known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, and butler (Clark Gable, Joan Crawford), natural causes.
  • Constantine of Irinoupolis, 75, American Orthodox hierarch, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (since 1993).
  • Heiko Daxl, 54, German media artist.
  • Roman Dumbadze, 48, Georgian rebel commander, shooting.
  • Heinrich Holland, 84, German-born American scientist.
  • Ezell Lee, 74, American politician, Mississippi State Representative (1988–1992) and State Senator (1992–2012), cancer.
  • Master Oats, 26, British Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup (1995), myocardial infarction.
  • Juan Manuel Montero Vázquez, 64, Spanish military surgeon.
  • Douglas Rodríguez, 61, Cuban boxer, heart attack. (death announced on this date)
  • Bill Stewart, 59, American football coach (West Virginia University), apparent heart attack.
  • Alan Thorne, 73, Australian anthropologist, developer of the theory of multiregional origin of modern humans, Alzheimer's disease.
  • Rodolfo Félix Valdés, 86, Mexican politician, Governor of Sonora (1985–1991). (Spanish)
  • 22

  • Muzaffar Ahmed, 79, Bangladeshi economist, natural causes.
  • Muzafar Bhutto, 41, Pakistani Sindhi nationalist politician.
  • Wesley A. Brown, 85, American naval officer, first African-American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, cancer.
  • Janet Carroll, 71, American singer and actress (Risky Business, Married... with Children, Murphy Brown), brain tumor.
  • Shiu-Ying Hu, 102, Chinese botanist.
  • Henrik Kalocsai, 71, Hungarian Olympic track and field athlete. (Hungarian)
  • Flinder Anderson Khonglam, 67, Indian politician and physician, Chief Minister of Meghalaya (2001–2003).
  • Albion W. Knight, Jr., 87, American army officer, bishop and politician.
  • Dave Mann, 79, American football player (Chicago Cardinals, Toronto Argonauts), complications from dementia.
  • John Moores, Jr., 83, English businessman, Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University (1994–1999).
  • Elaine Mulqueen, 80, American children's television host and personality.
  • Edmund Potrzebowski, 85, Polish Olympic athlete.
  • Janet Lees Price, 69, British actress (Blake's 7, Z-Cars).
  • Ernie Smith, 81, American Negro League baseball player.
  • Mike Voight, 58, American football player.
  • Sir Derek Wanless, 64, British banker and public policy adviser, pancreatic cancer.
  • Jesse Whittenton, 78, American football player (Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams).
  • Hidekazu Yoshida, 98, Japanese music critic and literary critic.
  • 23

  • T. Garry Buckley, 89, American politician, Vermont State Senator (1955–1965), Lieutenant Governor (1977–1979).
  • Aub Carrigan, 94, Australian cricketer.
  • Gyula Elek, 80, Hungarian handball player and coach.
  • Sattareh Farmanfarmaian, 91, Iranian writer and princess.
  • Paul Fussell, 88, American literary scholar and social critic, natural causes.
  • Hal Jackson, 96, American disc jockey and radio personality.
  • Joseph Lesniewski, 91, American World War II veteran, member of Easy Company.
  • Leonel Mitchell, 81, American liturgical scholar.
  • William C. Wampler, 86, American politician, U.S. Representative for Virginia (1953–1955, 1967–1983).
  • 24

  • George Ceithaml, 81, American football player.
  • Klaas Carel Faber, 90, Dutch-born Nazi war criminal, kidney failure.
  • Kathi Kamen Goldmark, 63, American writer, cancer.
  • Jacqueline Harpman, 82, Belgian writer. (French)
  • Hermengild Li Yi, 88, Chinese Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Lu'an (since 1998).
  • Juan Francisco Lombardo, 86, Argentine football player. (Spanish)
  • Toby Maduot, 78, Sudanese politician.
  • Mark McConnell, 50, American drummer (Sebastian Bach, Blackfoot), multiple organ failure.
  • Ndombe Opetum, 68, Congolese musician.
  • William Rathje, 66, American archaeologist.
  • Lee Rich, 93, American television executive and producer (The Waltons, Dallas), co-founder of Lorimar Television, lung cancer.
  • 25

  • R. Dilip, 56, Indian actor, heart attack.
  • Robert Fossier, 84, French historian.
  • Keith Gardner, 82, Jamaican Olympic bronze medal-winning (1960) athlete, complications of surgery and stroke.
  • William Hanley, 80, American screenwriter and playwright.
  • Edoardo Mangiarotti, 93, Italian Olympic gold medal-winning (1936, 1952, 1956, 1960) fencer.
  • Peter D. Sieruta, 63, American writer and critic, complications due to a fall.
  • Beatrice Sparks, 95, American therapist and writer.
  • Doug Walton, English rugby league player.
  • Lou Watson, 88, American basketball player and coach (Indiana University).
  • 26

  • Zvi Aharoni, 91, German-born Israeli Mossad agent.
  • Orhan Boran, 84, Turkish television host, bone marrow cancer.
  • Adnan Catic Cata, 28, Bosnian-Herzegovinian sport climber, boating accident.
  • Arthur Decabooter, 75, Belgian professional racing cyclist, heart attack.
  • Leo Dillon, 79, American comic book illustrator (Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears), complications from lung surgery.
  • Anna-Lisa Eriksson, 83, Swedish Olympic bronze medal-winning (1956) cross-country skier.
  • Stephen Healey, 29, British Army officer and footballer (Swansea City), improvised explosive device.
  • Hiroshi Miyazawa, 90, Japanese politician, Minister of Justice (1995), Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture (1973–1981), natural causes.
  • Jean Morton, 91, British television presenter.
  • Hans Schmidt, 87, Canadian professional wrestler.
  • Roy Wilson, 72, Jamaican singer (Higgs and Wilson).
  • 27

  • Dee Caruso, 83, American television writer (Get Smart, The Monkees), pneumonia.
  • Simeon Daniel, 77, Kittitian politician, Premier of Nevis (1983–1992).
  • Friedrich Hirzebruch, 84, German mathematician.
  • Zita Kabátová, 99, Czech actress.
  • Richard Wall Lyman, 88, American educator and historian, President of Stanford University (1970–1980), heart failure.
  • William Lee Miller, 86, American historian.
  • David Rimoin, 75, American geneticist, pancreatic cancer.
  • Earl Shorris, 75, American writer and social critic.
  • Johnny Tapia, 45, American boxer.
  • Jan de Vries, 88, Canadian army veteran.
  • 28

  • Don Anthony, 83, British Olympic hammer thrower.
  • Ed Burton, 72, American basketball player.
  • Hugh Dawnay, 79, English soldier and polo player.
  • Bob Edwards, 86, British journalist.
  • Richard Killen, 82, Australian politician, member of the New South Wales Legislative Council (1981–1991).
  • Judith Nelson, 72, American opera singer.
  • Harry Parker, 64, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians).
  • Ludovic Quistin, 28, Guadeloupean footballer (Tamworth), traffic accident.
  • Yuri Susloparov, 53, Ukrainian-born Russian football player and coach.
  • Emmanuel David Tannenbaum, 33, Israeli scientist.
  • Matthew Yuricich, 89, American special effects artist (Field of Dreams, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner).
  • 29

  • Toni Arden, 88, American singer.
  • Frederick Gehring, 64, American mathematician.
  • Dick Beals, 85, American voice actor (Davey and Goliath, Speedy Alka-Seltzer).
  • Maureen Dunlop de Popp, 91, Argentinian-born British aviator.
  • Cassandra Jardine, 57, British journalist, cancer.
  • Mark Minkov, 67, Russian composer.
  • Mohamed Taieb Naciri, 73, Moroccan lawyer and politician.
  • Jim Paratore, 58, American television producer (TMZ, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show), heart attack.
  • Ivor Porter, 98, British diplomat.
  • Ola O. Røssum, 86, Norwegian politician. (Norwegian)
  • Kaneto Shindo, 100, Japanese film director, natural causes.
  • Jim Unger, 75, English-born Canadian cartoonist (Herman).
  • Doc Watson, 89, American folk and bluegrass musician, complications following surgery.
  • 30

  • Barton Lidice Beneš, 69, American artist.
  • Pierre Ceyrac, 98, French Jesuit missionary.
  • Aldo Conterno, 81, Italian winemaker.
  • Pete Cosey, 68, American guitarist.
  • Edi Federer, 57, Austrian ski jumper, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
  • John Fox, 55, American comedian, colon cancer.
  • Buddy Freitag, 80, American Broadway theatre producer (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can), brain tumor.
  • Sir Andrew Huxley, 94, British physiologist, biophysicist, and Nobel laureate (Physiology or Medicine, 1963).
  • Albertus Klijn, 89, Dutch religious scholar.
  • Charles Lemmond, 84, American politician, Pennsylvania State Senator (1985–2006).
  • Farideh Mashini, Iranian feminist activist. (Farsi)
  • Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani, 72, Moroccan economist and writer.
  • Mr. Imagination, 64, American outsider artist, blood infection.
  • Gerhard Pohl, 74, German politician, drowning. (German)
  • Rekin Teksoy, 84, Turkish lawyer, author and translator. (Turkish)
  • Jack Twyman, 78, American Hall of Fame basketball player (Rochester/Cincinnati Royals), blood cancer.
  • 31

  • Christopher Challis, 93, British cinematographer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Top Secret!, Mary, Queen of Scots).
  • John H. Ewing, 93, American politician.
  • Farid Habib, 77, Lebanese politician, MP for El Koura (since 2005), illness.
  • Nélson Jacobina, 58, Brazilian songwriter ("Maracatu Atômico"), lung cancer.
  • Randall B. Kester, 95, American attorney and judge.
  • Mark Midler, 80, Russian Olympic gold medal-winning (1960, 1964) foil fencer.
  • Paul Pietsch, 100, German Formula One and Grand Prix race car driver, first to reach the age of 100, pneumonia.
  • Paul Sussman, 45, British journalist (CNN), archaeologist, and author, ruptured aneurysm.
  • Gareth Walters, 83, Welsh musician.
  • Orlando Woolridge, 52, American basketball player (Chicago Bulls) and coach (Los Angeles Sparks), heart disease.
  • Zhou Ruchang, 94, Chinese academic and redologist.
  • References

    Deaths in May 2012 Wikipedia