Who we said goodbye to this year

Adrian Alper, 51, acting coach, director, writer, comedian, voice artist and presenter who appeared in tele­vision series such as Gaz’lam, 7de Laan, Plek van die Vleisvreters and Sterlopers. Died 14 May.

Alain Delon, 88, French actor, producer and writer who won numerous awards, including the Palme d’Or for the director of the Best Feature Film at the Cannes Film Festival, for his contribution to French and European cinema. Died 18 August.

Alberto Fujimori, 86, president of Peru from 1990 to 2000, who was convicted of ordering military death squads to carry out killings and kidnappings, among other crimes including corruption. Died 11  September.

Alexey Navalny, 47, outspoken opposition leader and Kremlin critic who was poisoned in 2020 and later jailed. The prison service said it was investigating his “sudden death”. Died 16 February.

Aletta Bezuidenhout, 76, award-winning actress, playwright and director. Her plays include Time of Footsteps; her TV serials include The Lady of the Camellias and her films include Country of My Skull. Died 13  February. 

Bob Newhart, 94, known for his understated satire, achieved fame as a stand-up comic and TV star. He received three Grammys, an Emmy, a Golden Globe and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Died 18  July.

Breyten Breytenbach, 85, leading Afrikaner poet and critic of apartheid who spent seven years in prison on terrorism charges and went into exile, becoming a French citizen. Died 24 November.

Chris April, 84, veteran actor from Nyanga who performed alongside stars such as Forest Whitaker and John Kani. He was attacked by robbers and admitted to hospital. Died 31  March.

Cissy Houston, 91, two-time Grammy-winning singer whose career began at the age of five. She recorded 10 solo albums and four compilations. She was the mother of Whitney Houston. Died 7  October. 

Connie Chiume, 72, actress made famous in the US for her role in Black Panther. She received the South African Film and Television Awards’ lifetime achievement award in 2022. Died 6 August.

Dingaan Thobela, 57, three-time world boxing champion known as “The Rose of Soweto”. Died 29 April. 

Donald Sutherland, 88, veteran actor of 60 years who starred in M*A*S*H, Klute and The Hunger Games and received a Primetime Emmy, two Golden Globes, a Bafta, an Academy and an Academy Honorary award. Died 20 June. 

Ebrahim Raisi, 63, cleric, prosecutor (known as the “Butcher of Tehran”) and president of Iran (2021–24), during which time citizens protested after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, who died in custody for wearing “improper” clothing. Died 19  May.

Edna O’Brien, 93, Irish novelist, short-story writer and screenwriter who wrote among other topics about female sexuality and desire (The Country Girls) and the Troubles (House of Splendid Isolation). Died 27  July.

Ethel Kennedy, 96, human rights advocate to whom Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for advancing social justice, environmental protection and poverty reduction. Died 10 October.

Fethullah Gülen, 83, Turkish Islamic scholar and spiritual leader of a movement for social and civic reform, the Hizmet (“service”) or Gülen movement. Died 20 October.

Frances Ndlazilwana, 89, actress who played Lydia Maema in the controversial mini-series After Nine and in TV drama series such as 4Play: Sex Tips for Girls, Erfsondes and Diamonds. Died 24 February.

Françoise Hardy, 80, one of France’s most popular singers and a style icon who inspired designers such as Yves Saint Laurent. Her  ballad Tous les Garçons et les Filles launched her career in 1962. Died 11 June.

Franz Beckenbauer, 78, German football player, manager and official nicknamed der Kaiser (the Emperor). Died 7 January.

Gerald “Mac” McKenzie, 72, innovative composer and bassist called the Goema Captain, was the frontman of The Genuines, whose music included the song Die Struggle. Died 29 April.

Gustavo Gutiérrez, 96, influential Peruvian priest who was the father of liberation theology and regarded as a prophet of the poor. Died 22 October.

Hage Geingob, 82, third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death, and prime minister from 1990 to 2002 and from 2012 to 2015. Died 4  February.

Hassan Nasrallah, 64, secretary general of Hezbollah, killed in an Israeli air strike during its bombardment of Lebanon. Died 27 September.

Ismail Haniye, 62, Hamas leader and prime minister of the Palestinian Authority assassinated by a covert Israeli operation in Tehran while there for the inauguration of the Iranian president. Died 31 July.

Ismail Kadare, 88, internationally renowned Albanian novelist and poet. Died 1 July.

James Lawson Jr, 95, American Civil Rights activist who helped devise the movement’s strategy of non-violent protest. Died 9 June.

James Selfe, 68, former Democratic Alliance federal council chairperson. Died 21 May.

Kris Kristofferson, 88, a Rhodes scholar who became a country music star and Hollywood actor. Died 28 September.

Luke Fleurs, 24, a footballer from Mitchells Plain, who played centre-back for Kaizer Chiefs and was called up to play for Bafana Bafana, was shot dead in a hijacking. Died 3 April.

Maggie Smith, 89, British actress whose long career included working with Laurence Olivier in Othello and playing roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Died 27 September. 

Markus Jooste, 63, former chief executive of Steinhoff International, who allegedly masterminded the huge fraud case. Died 21 March.

Mário Zagallo, 92, four-time Football World Cup winner with Brazil as a player and coach. Died 6  January. 

Mpho Sebeng, 32, actor in productions including Miseducation, Ring of Lies and Collision. Died 5 May.

OJ Simpson, 76, NFL professional and broadcaster who was acquitted of the killings of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Died 11 April. 

Peter Higgs, 94, physicist, who in the 1960s developed the theory explaining why the building blocks of the universe have mass. His theory was validated in 2012 at CERN with the detection of the Higgs boson particle, for which he was awarded the 2013 Nobel prize for physics. Died 9  April. 

Peter Magubane, 91, photographer whose images recorded the worst of apartheid and people’s opposition to it. He spent 586 days in solitary confinement, was shot at and his home burnt down. Died 1 January. 

Phil Lesh, 84, the founding member and bassist of the Grateful Dead. Died 25 October.

Pravin Gordhan, 75, anti-apartheid activist who was detained three times and tortured. Post-apartheid, he was the finance minister, South African Revenue Service commissioner and public enterprises minister, and opposed state capture under the Zuma administration. Died 13  September.

Paul Auster, 77, author of The New York Trilogy, Leviathan and 4  3  2  1 and the screenplay for Smoke. He was awarded the Prince of Asturias prize for literature and the Prix Médicis Étranger and was a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Died 30  April.

Quincy Jones, 91, composer, musician and producer whose style ranged from jazz, swing and pop to soul and funk. He worked with stars such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Michael Jackson and composed soundtracks for film and TV. Died 3  November. 

Ray McCauley, 75, evangelical leader and founder of the Rhema Bible Church. Died 8 October.

Rebecca Cheptegei, 33, Ugandan Olympic marathon runner who was doused in petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend. Died 5 September.

Robin Renwick, 86, British diplomat, author and a member of the House of Lords who served as British ambassador to South Africa from 1987 to 1991. Died 4 November.

Sello Motloung, 54, TV and theatre actor whose work included Human Cargo, uBab’ Stivovo, Master Harold and the Boys and Cold Stone Jug. Died 15  September.

Steven Goldblatt, 67, lawyer and one of the founders of the Weekly Mail (now the Mail & Guardian), who made significant contributions to reforms in various sectors after democracy. Died in May.

Tito Mboweni, 65, democratic South Africa’s first minister of labour, South African Reserve Bank governor and minister of finance. Died 12  October.

Tony Cedras, 72, musician who performed with artists such as Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Gigi. Died 29 January.

Tony Heard, 86, former editor of the Cape Times, who opposed the apartheid regime. Died 27 March.

Viktoriia Roshchyna, 27, journalist, detained in a part of Ukraine occupied by Russia. The defence ministry in Moscow gave the death date as 19  September but no cause of death.

Violet Sizani Siwela, 68, member of the ANC’s national executive committee, the National Assembly and of the Mpumalanga legislature. Died 18  January.

Willem Heath, 79, a judge appointed by Nelson Mandela to head the commission of inquiry into maladministration and corruption in the Eastern Cape, from which he became the founding head of the Special Investigating Unit.

Yahya Sinwar, 62, a Hamas leader killed by Israeli troops during a gun battle in southern Gaza. He spent 22 years in an Israeli prison until his release in a prisoner swap. Died 16  October.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC, TimesLive