The following is a list of notable deaths in December 2004. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: * Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.

December 2004

1

Fathi Arafat Fathi Arafat ( ar, فتحي عرفات; January 11, 1933 – December 1, 2004), born in Cairo, was a Palestinian people, Palestinian physician and a founder and long-term chairman of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. He studied medicine a ...

, 71, Palestinian physician, founder of the Palestinian

Red Crescent The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Society, stomach cancer. *

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , house = Lippe , father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe , mother = Armgard von Cramm , birth_date = , birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld , birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany , death_date = ...

, 93, Dutch royal, lung and colon cancer. *

Norman Newell Norman Newell (25 January 1919 – 1 December 2004) was an English record producer, who was mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also the co-writer of many notable songs. As an A&R manager for EMI, he worked with musicians such as Shi ...

, 85, English record producer. * Damon Simonelli, 45, American

planetary scientist Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their fo ...

, led pioneering studies in the exploration of the satellites of the Solar System with spacecraft. * David Vienneau, 53, Canadian journalist, pancreatic cancer.

2

Larry Buchanan Larry Buchanan (January 31, 1923 − December 2, 2004), born Marcus Larry Seale Jr., was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a " schlockmeister". Many of his extremely low-budget films have landed on "worst movie" lists or ...

, 81, American B-movie director, producer and writer, complications of collapsed lung. * Elizabeth Azcona Cranwell, 71, Argentine poet and translator. *

Cachita Galán Leticia Noemí De León (stage name, Cachita Galán; 1943 in Buenos Aires – 2 December 2004, in Parque Patricios) was an Argentine singer. She is remembered for her vocal interpretations at the Club del Clan, and for her performance in the 1964 f ...

, 61, Argentine singer, cancer. * Dame Alicia Markova, 94, English ballerina. * Charles McLelland, 74, British radio executive. * Nadine Shamir, 32, American techno singer/songwriter, complications in childbirth. *

Mona Van Duyn Mona Jane Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 – December 2, 2004) was an American poet. She was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 1992. Biography Early years Van Duyn was born May 9, 1921 in Waterloo, Iowa."Van Duyn, Mona (1921–2004)." '' Dictio ...

, 83, American poet, US Poet Laureate (1992), bone cancer.

3

* Shiing-Shen Chern, 93, Chinese mathematician, heart failure following heart attack. *

Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster (27 May 1914 – 3 December 2004) was the premier Duke, Marquess and Earl in the Peerage of Ireland. Early life Gerald FitzGerald was the only child of Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster, and his fi ...

, 90, Irish nobleman. * Pavel Pavlov, 52, Bulgarian Olympic sprinter ( men's 200 metres and men's 4 × 100 metres relay at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

). *

Maria Perschy Herta-Maria Perschy (23 September 1938 – 3 December 2004) was an Austrian actress whose career included performances on screen with actor Rock Hudson and on American television in both daytime and prime time. Early life Perschy was born in E ...

, 66, Austrian film, stage and TV actress, cancer. * Helmut Rix, 78, German linguist, car accident. * Josef Schwammberger, 92, German former Nazi labor camp commander. * Marek Stachowski, 68, Polish composer.

4

Carl Esmond Carl Esmond (born Karl Simon; June 14, 1902– December 4, 2004) was an Austrian-born American film and stage actor, born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Although his age was given as 33 in the passenger list when he arrived in the USA in January 19 ...

, 102, Austrian film and stage actor. * Tom Fitzgerald, 53, American soccer coach (

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

), injuries from motorcycle accident. *

Elena Souliotis Elena Souliotis (spelled Suliotis in the early part of her career; el, Έλενα Σουλιώτη; 28 May 19434 December 2004) was a Greek operatic soprano. Biography Elena Souliotis was born in Athens, Greece, of Greek and Russian parents b ...

, 61, Greek operatic soprano, heart failure. * Matthew Troy, 75, American lawyer and politician, Parkinsons Disease.

5

* Big Boy Henry, 83, American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

guitarist, singer and songwriter. *

Seymour Ginsburg Seymour Ginsburg (December 12, 1927 – December 5, 2004) was an American pioneer of automata theory, formal language theory, and database theory, in particular; and computer science, in general. His work was influential in distinguishing theo ...

, 76, American computer scientist, Alzheimer's disease. * Neil Hallett, 80, Belgian-English actor. * Cristiano Júnior, 24, Brazilian footballer, cardiac arrest after on-field collision. *

Jose Pellissery Jose Pellissery (1950 – 5 December 2004) was an Indian film and theatre actor. Biography As an actor in Malayalam cinema, he played supporting roles in about 100 films. His 15-year film career included roles in such movies as ''Aadhaaram'', ...

, 53/54, Indian film and theatre actor. *

Hicham Zerouali Hicham Zerouali ( ar, هشام زروالي; 17 January 1977 – 5 December 2004), nicknamed 'Zero' or the 'Moroccan Magician', was a Moroccan footballer. He played as a forward for clubs in Morocco, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates. He pl ...

, 27, Moroccan footballer, car accident.

6

Frank Reginald Carey Frank Reginald "Chota" Carey, (7 May 1912 – 6 December 2004) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilot and flying ace who served during World War II. Born in Brixton, London, Carey was educated at Belvedere School before he joined the RAF i ...

, 92, British World War II fighter ace. *

Raymond Goethals Raymond Goethals (, ; 7 October 1921 – 6 December 2004) was a Belgian football coach who led Marseille to victory in the UEFA Champions League final in 1993, becoming the first and only coach to win a European trophy with a French club. Someti ...

, 83, Belgian soccer coach. * Manzanita, 48, Spanish singer and guitarist. * Adrian Morris, 75, English painter. * John Norton, 86, American

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

general. *

Enrique Salinas Enrique Eduardo Guillermo Salinas de Gortari (November 15, 1952 – December 6, 2004) was the third of four brothers of former president of Mexico Carlos Salinas. Death On December 6, 2004 his corpse was found, with a plastic bag placed over ...

, 52, Mexican businessman, asphyxiation.

7

Pacita Abad Pacita Barsana Abad (October 5, 1946 – December 7, 2004) was an Ivatan people, Ivatan and Philippine painter. She was born in Basco, Batanes, a small island in the northernmost part of the Philippines, between Luzon and Taiwan. Her more than 30- ...

, 58, Filipino painter. *

Frederick Fennell Frederick Fennell (July 2, 1914 – December 7, 2004) was an internationally recognized conductor and one of the primary figures in promoting the Eastman Wind Ensemble as a performing group. He was also influential as a band pedagogue, and gre ...

, 90, American conductor, founder of Eastman Wind Ensemble. * Floyd Nattrass, 86, Canadian Olympic sports shooter ( men's trap shooting at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

). * Oscar M. Ruebhausen, 92, American prominent

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

lawyer, adviser to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Nelson A. Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

and president of the

New York City Bar Association The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

. * Jerry Scoggins, 93, American musician ("

The Ballad of Jed Clampett "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" is the theme song for the television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and the later movie of that name, providing the introductory story for the series. The song was composed by Paul Henning, and recorded first by ...

"), natural causes. *

Jay Van Andel Jay Van Andel (June 3, 1924 – December 7, 2004) was an American billionaire businessman, best known as co-founder of the Amway Corporation, along with Richard DeVos. He also served as chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1979 to 1980 ...

, 80, American co-founder and former chairman of Amway, Parkinson's disease.

8

Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside hi ...

, 38, American heavy metal guitarist (

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup cons ...

, Damageplan), shot. * Cleve Gray, 86, American abstract painter. * Jackson Mac Low, 82, American poet, composer and performance artist, complications from stroke. * Leslie Scarman, Baron Scarman, 93, British jurist,

Lord of Appeal in Ordinary Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House o ...

(1977–1986). * Edgar Toppin, 76, American historian.

9

Henny Backus Henny Backus (born Henrietta Kaye, March 21, 1911 – December 9, 2004) was a Broadway showgirl in the 1930s whose stage credits include Orson Welles's '' Horse Eats Hat''. She was the wife of actor and comedian Jim Backus. Career Henrietta ...

, 93, American actress. * David Brudnoy, 64, American radio talk show host (

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

), Merkel cell carcinoma. * Paul Edwards, 81, Austrian-born American philosopher. * Sir Peter Emery, 78, British Conservative politician (

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

, 1967–1997;

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). The district was formed ...

, 1997–2001). * Philippe Gigantès, 81, Canadian former senator, cancer. * Andrea Absolonová, 27, Czech diver and adult model known as Lea De Mae, brain cancer. * Sergey Voychenko, 49, Belarusian artist and designer.

10

* Norman Borrett, 87, English sportsman. * Emilio Cruz, 66, Cuban-American artist,

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

. * Bob King, 81, American college basketball coach. * Brian Ernest Maitland Prophet, 76, British civil servant. * Homi Wadia, 93, Indian film director and producer. *

Gary Webb Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 – December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. He began his career working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative ...

, 49, American investigative reporter (" Dark Alliance"), apparent suicide.

11

Christopher Blake Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' ( ...

, 55, English actor and screenwriter,

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredne ...

. * Bum Bright, 84, American businessman and philanthropist. * José Luis Cuciuffo, 42, Argentinian footballer and

1986 Football World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...

champion, hunting accident. *

Arthur Lydiard Arthur Leslie Lydiard (6 July 1917 – 11 December 2004) was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. He has been lauded as one of the outstanding athletics coaches of all time and is credited with popularising the sport of running and making ...

, 87, New Zealand marathon runner and athletics coach. *

Harry Roesli Djauhar Zaharsjah Fachruddin Roesli (10 September 1951 – 11 December 2004), better known as Harry Roesli, was an Indonesian singer-songwriter. Biography Roesli was born with the full name Djauhar Zaharsjah Fachruddin Roesli in Bandung, We ...

, 53, Indonesian singer-songwriter, heart attack. *

Margaret Fay Shaw Margaret Fay Shaw (9 November 1903 – 11 December 2004) was a pioneering Scottish-American ethnomusicologist, photographer, and folklorist. She is best known for her work among Scottish Gaelic-speakers in the Hebrides and among Canadian Gae ...

, 101, American photographer and folklorist. * M. S. Subbulakshmi, 88, Indian

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It ...

ian, heart irregularities. *

Masao Yazawa Masao Yazawa (15 May 1915 – 11 December 2004) was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 200 metres and the men's 4 x 100 meters relay events at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German language, German: ''Olym ...

, 89, Japanese Olympic sprinter.

12

Joseph Beyrle Joseph R. Beyrle (russian: Джозеф Вильямович Байерли; romanized: ''Dzhozef Vilyamovich Bayyerli''; August 25, 1923 – December 12, 2004) is the only known American soldier to have served in combat with both the United State ...

, 81,

and Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

soldier. *

Antonio Paredes Candia Hello Guyes my name is roshan mourya i leve in rajasthan jaipur Antonio Paredes Candia (10 July 1924, La Paz – 12 December 2004) was a Bolivian writer, folklorist and researcher who wrote over 100 books on Bolivian culture during his lifetime. ...

, 81, Bolivian folklorist and writer. *

Pramod Chakravorty Pramod Chakravorty (15 August 1929 – 12 December 2004) was an Indian Hindi film producer and director. Career Chakravorty is best known for directing Hindi film classics like ''Ziddi'', ''Love in Tokyo'', '' Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai'' in romanti ...

, 75, Indian film producer and director. * Simon Combes, 64, British wildlife artist, gored by a buffalo. *

Herbert Dreilich Herbert Dreilich (5 December 1942 – 12 December 2004) was a German-language rock musician. He was an early pioneer in, and an important contributor to, German-language Rock music. An accomplished singer, songwriter, and acoustic guitarist, he ...

, 62, German rock musician, cancer. * George Ephgrave, 86, English footballer. *

Rollin Hotchkiss Rollin Douglas Hotchkiss (1911 – December 12, 2004) was an American biochemist who helped to establish the role of DNA as the genetic material and contributed to the isolation and purification of the first antibiotics. His work on bacterial tr ...

, 93, American biochemist and

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

pioneer. * Harry McNally, 68, English football player, coach and manager, heart attack. *

Phaswane Mpe Phaswane Mpe (10 September 1970 – 12 December 2004) was a South African poet and novelist. He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was a lecturer in African literature. He did his master's degree in publishing at Oxford ...

, 34, South African novelist, after short illness. *

Fabian O'Dea Fabian Aloysius O'Dea, (January 20, 1918 – December 12, 2004) was a Newfoundland and Canadian lawyer and the fourth lieutenant governor of Newfoundland. Family He was the son of John V. O'Dea and May (Coady) O'Dea. In 1950, O'Dea married ...

, 86, Canadian lawyer and politician,

Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as ...

. *

Syed Mir Qasim Syed Mir Qasim (1921 - 12 December 2004) was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1971 to 1975. Syed Mir Qasim's political career first began during the British Raj, when he became a leader of the non-sectarian, pro-democracy Quit Kash ...

, 83, Indian politician, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (1971–1975). * William B. Rosson, 86,

general, heart attack. *

Bernarda Bryson Shahn Bernarda Bryson Shahn (March 7, 1903 – December 12, 2004) was an American painter and lithographer. She also wrote and illustrated children's books including ''The Zoo of Zeus'' and ''Gilgamesh.'' The artist Ben Shahn was her "life companion ...

, 101, American painter, lithographer, widow of

Ben Shahn Ben Shahn (September 12, 1898 – March 14, 1969) was an American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as ''The Shape of Content''. Biography Shahn was bor ...

. * Pavlo Vasylyk, 78, Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch.

13

* Donald S. Jones, 76, American admiral. *

Andre Rodgers Kenneth Andre Ian Rodgers (December 2, 1934 – December 13, 2004) was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the New York / San Francisco Giants (1957–60), Chicago Cubs (1961–64), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1965–67). He also played ...

, 70, Bahamian baseball player, first Bahamian to play in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

. *

Tom Turesson Tom Olov Turesson (17 May 1942 – 13 December 2004) was a Swedish football player and manager, best known for representing Hammarby IF. A full international between 1962 and 1971, he won 22 caps for Sweden and scored 9 goals, taking part in the 1 ...

, 62, Swedish footballer. * David Wheeler, 77, English computer scientist.

14

Harry Bowcott Henry Morgan Bowcott (30 April 1907 – 14 December 2004) was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh and later became president of the Welsh Rugby Union. Club career Bowcott was a product of t ...

, 97, Welsh rugby union player (London Welsh, Wales) and president of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, o ...

. *

Candice Daly Candice Mia Daly (January 4, 1966 – December 14, 2004) was an American film and television actress. In the late 1980s and early 1990s she starred in a number of B-movies and cult films such as '' After Death'' (1988) and '' Liquid Dreams'' ( ...

, 38, American film and TV actress (''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

''). * Danny Doyle, 87, American baseball player (

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

). * Rod Kanehl, 70, American baseball player who hit the first grand slam in the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

history, heart attack. * Alexey Korneyev, 65, Russian footballer. * Fernando Poe Jr., 65, Filipino actor and former presidential candidate, stroke. * Agostino Straulino, 90, Italian Olympic sailor (mixed two person keelboat: 1952 gold medal winner, 1956 silver medal winner). * Robert Watson, 81, American artist, cancer.

15

* Chiang Fang-liang, 88, Russian-born widow of

Chiang Ching-kuo Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...

and First Lady of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

on Taiwan (1978–1988), pulmonary and cardiac failure. * Harry Errington, 94, British firefighter, recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

. *

Vassal Gadoengin Vassal Abago Bagobagan Gadoengin (May 1, 1943 – December 15, 2004) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Nauru. Background Vassal attended school in the United States. He attended Skagit Valley College, Mt. Vernon, Wa., in the late ...

, 61,

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in ...

an politician and then-incumbent Speaker of Parliament, heart attack. *

Pauline LaFon Gore Pauline LaFon Gore ( LaFon; October 6, 1912 – December 15, 2004) was the mother of former United States Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr. and the wife of former United States Senator Albert A. Gore. She is credited with playing a signifi ...

, 92, American lawyer. * Jiban Ghosh, 69, Indian cricket umpire. * Sidonie Goossens, 105, British harpist. * Jim Holliday, 55–56, American pornographic film producer and historian, complications from diabetes. * Rodney O'Gliasain Kennedy-Minott, 76, American diplomat, former

United States Ambassador to Sweden The United States Ambassador to Sweden ( sv, Förenta Staternas ambassadör i Sverige) serves as the official diplomatic representative of the President and the Government of the United States of America to the King and the Government of the Kin ...

, complications of pancreatitis. * Lorenzo "Larry" J. Ponza Jr., 86, American baseball pitching machine innovator, cancer-related illness.

16

Ted Abernathy Ted Wade Abernathy (March 6, 1933 – December 16, 2004) was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher. He appeared in 681 games in Major League Baseball, 647 as a relief pitcher, for seven different clubs over all or part ...

, 71, American baseball player. *

Laxmikant Berde Laxmikant Berde (26 October 1954 – 16 December 2004) was an Indian Marathi language film actor who appeared in several Marathi and Hindi movies. He was known for his highly energetic slapstick performances. Berde started his career as an ...

, 50, Indian actor. * Richard B. Fisher, 68, American banker, cancer. * Stefano Madia, 49, Italian actor. *

Agnes Martin Agnes Bernice Martin (March 22, 1912 – December 16, 2004), was an American abstract painter. Her work has been defined as an "essay in discretion on inward-ness and silence". Although she is often considered or referred to as a minimalist, Mart ...

, 92, American abstract painter, pneumonia. * Bobby Mattick, 89, American former baseball player and manager, stroke. * Yehudit Naot, 60, Israeli scientist and politician, throat cancer. * Lawrence D. O'Brien, 53, Canadian politician, member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Commo ...

, cancer. * Freddie Perren, 61, American two-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winning record producer. * William Silverman, 87, American physician, known for making important contributions to

neonatology Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The ...

. * Athena Starwoman, 59, Australian astrologer, breast cancer.

17

* Dick Heckstall-Smith, 70, British saxophone player (Colosseum,

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

and the Bluesbreakers), cancer. *

Ib Mossin Ib Mossin (3 July 1933 – 17 December 2004) was a Danish actor, singer and director best known for his role as heartthrob Peter of the hugely popular '' Far til Fire'' film series. He had his breakthrough as the apprentice Egon in 1953's Far ...

, 71, Danish actor, singer and director. * Janina Niedźwiecka, 82, Polish film editor. *

Tom Wesselmann Thomas K. Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American artist associated with the Pop Art movement who worked in painting, collage and sculpture. Early years Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati. From 1949 to 1951 he atte ...

, 73, American pop artist, following heart surgery. * Sir James Wilson, 83, British army general.

18

* Noel Beaton, 78, Australian MP (

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

, 1960–1969) and journalist, after short illness. *

John W. Downey John W. Downey (October 5, 1927 – December 18, 2004) was a contemporary classical composer, conductor, pianist and educator. His works have been performed extensively in Western and Eastern Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, the Midd ...

, 77, American classical musician. *

Vijay Hazare Vijay Samuel Hazare (11 March 1915 – 18 December 2004) was an Indian cricketer. He captained India in 14 matches between 1951 and 1953. In India's 25th Test match, nearly 20 years after India achieved Test status, he led India to its first ...

, 89, Indian cricketer, Captain of India (1951–1953), illness following intestinal cancer. * Albert Nordengen, 81, Norwegian Conservative politician, Mayor of Oslo (1976–1990), heart failure. *

Anthony Sampson Anthony Terrell Seward Sampson (3 August 1926 – 18 December 2004) was a British writer and journalist. His most notable and successful book was '' Anatomy of Britain'', which was published in 1962 and was followed by five more "Anatomies", upd ...

, 78, British journalist and author, official biographer of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

, heart attack. * Princess Takamatsu, 92, Japanese member of the imperial family, blood poisoning. * Glenn Vaughan, 60, American baseball player ( Houston Colt .45s).

19

* Michael Alexander, 84, British soldier and '' Prominente'' German Prisoner of War. *

Gretchen Bender Gretchen Bender (1951 in Seaford, Delaware – 2004 in New York City) was an American artist who worked in film, video, and photography. She was from the so-called 1980s Pictures Generation of artists, which included Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, ...

, 53, American video artist, cancer. * Richard Best, 88, British film editor. *

Herbert C. Brown Herbert Charles Brown (May 22, 1912 – December 19, 2004) was an American chemist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with organoboranes. Life and career Brown was born Herbert Brovarnik in London, to Ukrainian Jewis ...

, 92, British

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning chemist (

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

, 1979), heart attack. * Mel Gabler, 89, American conservative textbook critic, brain hemorrhage after fall. * Sir Charles Pereira, 91, British hydrologist, stroke. *

Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi ( , ; 1 February 1922 – 19 December 2004) was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post- war period, and especially prominent as one of the stars of La Scala, San Carlo and, especially, the Metropolitan Opera. ...

, 82, Italian opera singer, after short illness. * Thomas Yamamoto, 87, American artist.

20

* Howard Feuer, 56, American casting director, colon cancer. * Ernő Gottesmann, 97, son of Ernő Gottesmann and Paula Manoilovich. *

Liliane Maigné Liliane Maigné (1 March 1928 – 20 December 2004) was a French actress. Biography Liliane Maigné was born 1 March 1928. Her father was André Maigné (1903–1936), her mother Madeleine Paroissien (1908–1983). She married Jean-Charles Tacch ...

, 76, French actress. * Helge Pukema, 87, American football player. *

Son Seals Frank "Son" Seals (August 13, 1942 – December 20, 2004) was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. In 2009, Seals was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Career Seals was born in Osceola, Arkansas, where his father, Jim "Son" Sea ...

, 62, American blues musician, complications of diabetes.

21

* Lennart Bernadotte, 95, Swedish prince. *

Michael Forrest Michael Forrest (July 1932 – 21 December 2004) was a Welsh television actor. He appeared in many British television series and films, which include ''Sir Francis Drake'', ''Z-Cars'', ''Danger Man'', '' The Saint'', '' The Avengers'', ''UFO'', ...

, Welsh television actor. * Richard Hamilton, 83, American actor (''

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi- government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses ...

'', '' Pale Rider'', '' Bret Maverick''). * Jack Newfield, 66, American journalist (''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'', ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

'', ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

''),

metastatic Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

kidney cancer. * Mack Vickery, 66, American musician and songwriter, heart attack. * Zvonimir Vučković, 88, Yugoslav

Chetnik The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...

military commander.

22

* Yusuf Soalih Ajura, 114, Ghanaian Islamic scholar, political activist and sect leader. * Doug Ault, 54, American

player (

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

), suicide by gunshot. * Pauline Clotworthy, 92, Irish teacher of fashion design. *

Joseph Bennet Odunton Joseph Bennet Komla Odunton (24 December 1920 – 22 December 2004) was a Ghanaian public servant and a communications expert. He served as director of information services in the Nkrumah government, an assistant press secretary to the queen an ...

, 83, Ghanaian public servant. *

John Tiedtke John Meyer Tiedtke (September 15, 1907 – December 22, 2004) was an American farmer, professor, college dean, businessman and philanthropist from Central Florida. He was the scion of a family that made its wealth in Toledo, Ohio, being the ...

, 97, American farmer, professor, businessman and philanthropist.

23

Richard Abel Smith Colonel Richard Francis Abel Smith DL (11 October 1933 – 23 December 2004) was a British Army officer. Early life He was the son of Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith (1900–1993) and his wife Lady May Cambridge (1906-1994), née Princess May ...

, 71, British Army officer and landowner, stroke. * Reuven Adiv, 74, Israeli actor, director and drama teacher, heart attack. * Richard Barnet, 75, American political activist. *

John W. Duarte John William Duarte (2 October 1919 – 23 December 2004) was a British composer, guitarist and writer. Duarte was born in Sheffield, England, but lived in Manchester from the age of six months. Career Duarte was educated at Manchester Central ...

, 85, British classical guitarist and writer, cancer. *

Ifor James Professor Ifor James (30 August 1931 – 23 December 2004) was a French horn, horn player and teacher, numbering among his pupils many future Principal Horns and horn professors at British music schools. James was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, Ca ...

, 73, British horn player. *

Roger Moorey Peter Roger Stuart Moorey, (30 May 1937 – 23 December 2004) was a British archaeologist, historian, and academic, specialising in Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. He was Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of the University of ...

, 67, British archaeologist and historian. *

P. V. Narasimha Rao Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, statesman and politician who served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to Indi ...

, 83, Indian Prime Minister (1991–1996), heart attack. *

Anne Truitt Anne Truitt (March 16, 1921December 23, 2004), born Anne Dean, was an American sculptor of the mid-20th century. She became well known in the late 1960s for her large-scale minimalist sculptures, especially after influential solo shows at Andr� ...

, 83, American sculptor.

24

* Capt. Richard Annand, 90, British soldier, first

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

recipient of World War II. * Sir Anthony Meyer, 84, British Conservative MP ( West Flintshire, 1970–1983; Clwyd North-West, 1983–1992), cancer. *

Johnny Oates Johnny Lane Oates (January 21, 1946 – December 24, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, ...

, 58, American Major League Baseball catcher (

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

) and manager (

, Texas Rangers), brain tumor. * Pete Palangio, 96, Canadian ice hockey player. * Dame Rosemary Rue, 76, British physician and civil servant. * Elwira Seroczynska, 73, Polish Olympic speed skater ( silver medal winner in women's 1500 metres at the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

). * Lauri Silvennoinen, 88, Finnish Olympic cross-country skier ( 1948 silver medal winner in men's 4 x 10 kilometre cross-country skiing relay).

25

Sandy Cameron A.M. "Sandy" Cameron (December 16, 1938 – December 25, 2004) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He represented the electoral district of Guysborough in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1973 to 1984. He was a member of the Nova Sco ...

, 66, Canadian politician. *

Nripen Chakraborty Nripen Chakraborty (4 April 1905 – 25 December 2004) was an Indian Communist politician who served as the Chief minister of Tripura state from 1978 to 1988. Nripen Chakraborty was involved in the Communist movement in India for six decades ...

, 99, Indian politician. *

James Hunter Blair James Hunter Blair (18 March 1926 – 25 December 2004) was a noted Scottish historic preservationist, landowner and forester. His family's estate, Blairquhan, is located near Straiton in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Early life Hunter-Blair was ...

, 78, Scottish historic preservationist. * Jane Muskie, 77, American model and bookkeeper, widow of politician

Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus Muskie (March 28, 1914March 26, 1996) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 58th United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, a United States Senator from Maine from 1959 to 1980, the 6 ...

, Alzheimer's disease. * Donald Pederson, 79, American electrical engineer, complications from Parkinson's disease. *

Antony Preston Antony Preston (26 February 1938 – 25 December 2004) was an English naval historian and editor, specialising in the area of 19th and 20th-century naval history and warship design. Life Antony Preston was born in 1938 in Salford, Lancashi ...

, 66, British naval historian and writer. *

Eddie Spicer Edwin "Eddie" "Ted" Spicer (20 September 1922 – 25 December 2004) was a professional English footballer who played for Liverpool. His parents were George Stephen Spicer (1894-1956) and Ethel Anne Warren (1900-1981). He was married to Norma An ...

, 82, English footballer (

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

). * Gennady Strekalov, 64, Russian cosmonaut,

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

, cancer.

26

* Sir Tristan Antico, 81, Australian businessman and arts patron. * Charles Biederman, 98, American

abstract artist Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th ...

. * Jonathan Drummond-Webb, 45, South African paediatric heart surgeon, suicide by overdose. * Garard Green, 80, British actor. * Marianne Heiberg, 59, Norwegian diplomat,

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993;

mediator, heart attack. * Eddie Layton, 77, American organist (

), after short illness. * David McKay, 83, Australian journalist and racing driver, cancer. * Don Nygord, 68, American Olympic sports shooter ( 50 metre 1984, 10 metre 1988, 50 metre 1988). * Sir Angus Ogilvy, 76, British businessman, husband of HRH

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...

, throat cancer. *

Frank Pantridge James Francis Pantridge, (3 October 1916 – 26 December 2004) was a Northern Irish physician, cardiologist, and professor who transformed emergency medicine and paramedic services with the invention of the portable defibrillator. Early life ...

, 88, British physician and cardiologist. *

Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...

, 43, American football player (

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

) and member of the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

, cardiac arrhythmia. *Notable people killed in the

2004 Asian tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

: **

Jane Attenborough Jane Mary Attenborough (30 September 1955 – 26 December 2004) was an English arts administrator and arts manager. The eldest daughter of the actor and filmmaker Richard Attenborough and the actress Sheila Sim, she was first employed as over ...

, 49, British arts administrator, daughter of actor

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

** Troy Broadbridge, 24, Australian Football League player (

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

). ** Kristina Fröjmark, 47, Swedish reality TV star. ** Bhumi Jensen, 21, Thai prince. ** Sujeewa Kamalasuriya, 39, Sri Lankan cricketer. **

Sigurd Køhn Sigurd Eystein Køhn (6 August 1959 – 26 December 2004) was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. Career Køhn was born in Kristiansand, Norway, and started playing the violin and the clarinet at the age of 9, and begun playing the al ...

, 45, Norwegian composer. **

Markus Sandlund Erik Markus Sandlund (26 April 1975, Norrfjärden, Sweden; – 26 December 2004, Khao Lak, Thailand) was a Swedish cellist. Early life and career Sandlund began playing cello when he was six years old and he studied at the Royal College of ...

, 29, Swedish cellist. **

Aki Sirkesalo Aki Pekka Antero Sirkesalo (25 July 1962 – 26 December 2004) was a Finnish singer and broadcaster. Career Sirkesalo started his public career in 1984 as an announcer in the Finnish Broadcasting Company radio show ''Rockradio''. In 1986, he f ...

, 42, Finnish musician. **

Mieszko Talarczyk Mieszko Talarczyk (December 23, 1974 – December 26, 2004) was the lead singer and guitarist of the Swedish grindcore band Nasum, Genocide Superstars, Krigshot and Charles Harfager. Known for his engineering and production abilities, he co- ...

, 30, Swedish musician. ** Robert Whymant, 60, British journalist (''The Times'') and author.

27

* Eneko Arieta, 71, Spanish footballer. * Mabel Blythe, 74, Sri Lankan actress and singer. *

Hank Garland Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...

, 74, American studio guitarist (

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

staphylococcus ''Staphylococcus'' is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillales. Under the microscope, they appear spherical ( cocci), and form in grape-like clusters. ''Staphylococcus'' species are faculta ...

infection. * Ernest Groth, 82, American baseball player (

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

). * Donald L. Hollowell, 87, American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

attorney, heart failure. *

Heorhiy Kirpa Heorhiy Mykolayovych Kirpa ( uk, Георгій Миколайович Кірпа) (20 July 1946 in Klubivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast – 27 December 2004 in Bortnychi, Kyiv) was a Ukrainian railway manager, statesman and politician, best known ...

, 58, Ukrainian industrialist and politician (Transport Minister since 2002), shot.

28

* Jacques Dupuis, 81, Belgian Jesuit priest and theologian. *

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...

, 69, American actor (''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'', '' Dirty Dancing''), Tony winner (

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

), prostate cancer. * Johnny Pawk, 94, American basketball player. *

Susan Sontag Susan Sontag (; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay " Notes on 'Camp'", in 1964. He ...

, 71, American author, literary theorist and activist, acute myeloid leukemia. * Tzvi Tzur, 81, Israeli officer.

29

* Julius Axelrod, 92, American

-winning biochemist (

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, 1970), natural causes. *

William Boyett William Boyett (January 3, 1927 – December 29, 2004) was an American actor best known for his roles in law enforcement dramas on television from the 1950s through the 1990s. Early years Boyett was born in Akron, Ohio, and lived there until th ...

, 77, American actor (''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the st ...

''), complications from pneumonia and kidney failure. * John Bridgeman, 88, British sculptor. *

Ken Burkhart Kenneth William Burkhart (born Burkhardt) (November 18, 1916 – December 29, 2004) was an American right-handed pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball. From through he played with the St. Louis Cardinals (1945–48) and Cincinnati Reds ...

, 89, American Major League Baseball pitcher and umpire, emphysema. * Arthur B. Chapman, 96, British-born American geneticist. *

Liddy Holloway Elizabeth Brenda "Liddy" Holloway (27 March 1947 – 29 December 2004) was a New Zealand actress and television scriptwriter. Career Born in Wellington, New Zealand, the daughter of a politician, Phil Holloway, Liddy Holloway originally worked ...

, 57, New Zealand actress ('' Shortland Street'') and writer, liver cancer. * Gus Niarhos, 84, American baseball player (

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

30

* Biswajit Das, 68, Indian playwright, short story writer, film director and script writer. *

Mark Fiennes Mark Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (11 November 1933 – 30 December 2004) was an English photographer and illustrator. Fiennes was perhaps best known for his architectural studies. Biography Mark Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born at Dalton, Nor ...

, 71, English photographer and illustrator. * Masao Kato, 57, Japanese go player. * Mary Tuthill Lindheim, 92, American sculptor and

studio potter Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...

. * Meta Rosenberg, 89, American television producer and talent agent. *

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, 94, American jazz musician, complications of diabetes.

31

* M. E. H. Mohamed Ali, 77, Ceylonese politician. *

Aladi Aruna Aladi Aruna (alias) V Arunachalam was an Indian politician. He was the Law Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as a member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Alangulam constituency in the 1967, 1971 ...

, 71, Indian politician, murdered. *

John Chataway John Edward Chataway (March 3, 1947 – December 31, 2004) was a Canadian politician and Progressive Conservative Member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly for Chester-St. Margaret's from July 1999 until his death, and a cabinet ministe ...

, 57, Canadian politician, complications from stroke. * Charlie Cozart, 85, American baseball player (

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

). *

Gérard Debreu Gérard Debreu (; 4 July 1921 – 31 December 2004) was a French-born economist and mathematician. Best known as a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he began work in 1962, he won the 1983 Nobel Memorial Prize ...

, 83, French-born American

-winning economist (

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

, 1983), natural causes. * Jack Karwales, 84, American football player. * Balkrishan Singh, 71, Indian Olympic field hockey player ( gold medal winner in men's field hockey at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, w ...

). *

George Wackenhut George Russell Wackenhut, (September 3, 1919 December 31, 2004) was the founder of the Wackenhut private security corporation. Biography George Russell Wackenhut was the son of William and Frances (Hogan) Wackenhut. He grew up in Upper Darby, ...

, 85, American businessman, founder of

Wackenhut Corporation G4S Secure Solutions (USA) is an American / British-based security services company, and a subsidiary of G4S plc. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners (all are f ...

, heart failure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2004, Deaths In December *2004-12 12