Deaths in December 2015

The following is a list of notable deaths in December 2015.

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.

December 2015

1 Edwar al-Kharrat, 89, Egyptian novelist, pneumonia. Rob Blokzijl, 72, Dutch physicist and computer scientist.Rob Blokzijl Obituary Marc Breslow, 90, American game show director (The Price is Right, Match Game, Family Feud).RIP Game Show Director Marc Breslow Joseph Engelberger, 90, American engineer and inventor.Father of Robotics Joseph F. Engelberger Dies at Age 90 Leoni Franco, 73, Uruguayan musician, composer and guitarist.Fallece en Guatemala Leonardo Franco, uno de los fundadores de los Iracundos Robert E. Glennen, 82, American academic, President of Emporia State University (1985–1997).Former WNMU President Glennen dies at 82 Shirley Gunter, 81, American R&B singer.Shirley Gunter: Obituary William W. Joscelyn, 89, American politician.Mr. William W. Joscelyn John F. Kurtzke, 89, American neurologist.National MS Society Mourns the Passing of Dr. John Kurtzke Jim Loscutoff, 85, American basketball player (Boston Celtics), NBA champion (1957, 1959–1964), complications of pneumonia and Parkinson's disease.Team Statement on Celtics Legend Jim Loscutoff Maurice Martel, 79, Canadian politician.Martel, Maurice Trevor Obst, 75, Australian football player (Port Adelaide).Port Adelaide mourns passing of 1967 Magarey Medallist Trevor Obst Xavier Olea Muñoz, 92, Mexican lawyer and politician, Governor of Guerrero (1975).Muere Xavier Olea Muñoz, ex gobernador de Guerrero Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye, 87, English-born Kenyan writer. Randy Owens, 56, American basketball player.Randolph Owens Jr V. Ramachandran, 84, Indian civil servant. Antonio Troyo Calderón, 92, Costa Rican Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of San José de Costa Rica (1979–2002).Bishop Antonio Troyo Calderón

2 Jon Arfstrom, 87, American artist.Obituary: From watercolors to Weird Tales, illustrator Jon Arfstrom did it all Sandy Berger, 70, American political consultant, United States National Security Advisor (1997–2001), cancer.Sandy Berger, Ex-Clinton National Security Adviser, Dies Theodor Borchgrevink, 92, Norwegian civil engineer.Nekrolog Theodor Borchgrevink Bryony Brind, 55, English ballerina, heart attack. John Eaton, 81, American composer, brain hemorrhage. Gabriele Ferzetti, 90, Italian actor (L'Avventura, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Once Upon a Time in the West).Actor Gabriele Ferzetti dies Ray Gandolf, 85, American sportscaster. Phila Hach, 89, American chef.Phila Hach, Who Spread The Gospel Of Southern Cuisine, Dies At 89 Shelby Highsmith, 86, American federal judge, adrenal cancer. Sam Ibiam, 90, Nigerian footballer (national team).First Nigerian goalkeeper, Sam Ibiam, dies at 90 Portia James, 62, American curator and historian. Ferenc Juhász, 87, Hungarian poet.Meghalt Juhász Ferenc költő Wim Kolijn, 71, Dutch politician.Oud SGP-voorzitter Wim Kolijn overleden Ernst Larsen, 89, Norwegian runner, Olympic bronze medalist (1956).Ernst «Kruska» Larsen er død Bob Martyn, 85, American baseball player (Kansas City Athletics). Will McMillan, 71, American actor (General Hospital, The Crazies), producer, and director.Will MacMillan, Soap Opera Actor And Star Of George A. Romero’s ‘The Crazies’, Dies At 71 Joan L. Mitchell, 68, American computer scientist, co-inventor of JPEG. Sir John Osborn, 92, British politician, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam (1959–1987).Osborn M. A. M. Ramaswamy, 84, Indian industrialist and politician. John Rassias, 90, American language professor.Dartmouth language Prof. Rassias, method founder, dies at 90 Wally Roker, 78, American R&B singer and music executive, complications following brain surgery. George T. Sakato, 94, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient. A. Sheriff, 74, Indian screenwriter (Avalude Ravukal).Scriptwriter Alleppey Sheriff of Avalude Ravukal-fame dies at 74 Thom Thomas, 80, American playwright, leukemia.Co-Author of Broadway-Aimed Beaches Musical Dies Anthony Valentine, 76, British actor (Colditz, Coronation Street, Escape to Athena), Parkinson's disease. Luz Marina Zuluaga, 77, Colombian beauty queen, Miss Universe (1958). Perpetrators of the 2015 San Bernardino attack shot dead by police: Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, American. Tashfeen Malik, 29, Pakistani.

3 Omar Ali, 76, Bangladeshi poet.কবি ওমর আলী আর নেই Gladstone Anderson, 81, Jamaican musician.Musician Gladdy Anderson dies Willie Burden, 64, Canadian football player (Calgary Stampeders) and sports administrator.Former NC State football star Willie Burden dies at 64 Roy Evans, 84, Welsh trade union leader. Sunil Hettiarachchi, 78, Sri Lankan actor.Veteran actor Sunil Hettiarachchi passes away Eevi Huttunen, 93, Finnish speed skater, world champion (1951, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959), Olympic bronze medalist (1960).Olympiamitalisti Eevi Pirinen kuoli 93-vuotiaana Bill Kiskaddon, 85, American politician.William V. Kiskaddon Lawrence Pugh, 82, American businessman, chief executive of VF Corporation. *Shared Belief, 4, American racehorse, colic. Arthur R. Taylor, 80, American businessman, president of CBS. Scott Weiland, 48, American musician (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, The Wondergirls), accidental drug and alcohol overdose. Howard West, 84, American television producer (Seinfeld). Melvin Williams, 73, American drug trafficker and actor (The Wire), cancer. Michael Wilson, 75, New Zealand cricketer.

4 Jaime Camino, 79, Spanish film director (The Long Winter, Lights and Shadows).Muere Jaime Camino, director de 'Dragón Rapide' Erik De Vlaeminck, 70, Belgian cyclist, seven-time world-champion cyclo-cross (1966, 1968–1973).Zevenvoudig wereldkampioen veldrijden Eric De Vlaeminck is overleden Norman Engleback, 88, British architect. Sarah Nash Gates, 66, American costume designer, cancer.Sarah Nash Gates, theater artist and leader, dies at 66 John Glad, 73, American academic and translator.Русее иных русских Ricardo Guízar Díaz, 82, Mexican Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Tlalnepantla (1996–2009).Archbishop Ricardo Guízar Díaz Henry Hall, 87, British physicist.Prof. Henry Edgar Hall F.r.s Robert Loggia, 85, American actor (Jagged Edge, Scarface, Big), complications from Alzheimer's disease. Rodney Milnes, 79, British opera critic. Karen Montgomery, 66, American actress and film producer, breast cancer.Karen Montgomery, ‘Star Trek’ Actress and Film Producer, Dies at 66 Irakli Ochiauri, 91, Georgian sculptor.Irakli Ochiauri dies at age 91 Takamasa Sakurai, 49, Japanese author and popular culture expert, proponent of anime for cultural exchange, hit by train. Yossi Sarid, 75, Israeli politician, member of Knesset (1974–2006), Minister of Environment (1992–1996) and Education (1999–2000). Dmitry Shumkov, 43, Russian lawyer and investor, asphyxiation. Dag Skogheim, 87, Norwegian writer.Dag Skogheim er død Akiko Sugimoto, 62, Japanese novelist, breast cancer.天に召されました作家・杉本章子さんの永遠の平安を心よりお祈りいたします。 Walter C. Sweet, 88, American paleontologist, complications from a heart attack.Memorial to Walter C. Sweet 1927–2015 Lajos Takács, 91, Hungarian mathematician.Dr. Lajos Takacs Obituary Xu Ming, 44, Chinese entrepreneur and billionaire.

5 Zafar Altaf, 74, Pakistani cricketer, administrator and civil servant, heart attack.Dr Zafar Altaf passes away Willie Coburn, 74, Scottish footballer (St Johnstone).Former Player Willie Coburn passes away Peter Cochrane, 96, Scottish World War II army officer. Luigi Conti, 86, Italian-born Vatican diplomat, Apostolic nuncio (1975–2003).È morto il nunzio apostolico Luigi Conti Ray Crooke, 93, Australian artist, winner of the Archibald Prize (1969). Bruce Day, 87, Australian structural engineer.Hubert Bruce Day Kiki Divaris, 90, Greek fashion designer, complications from pneumonia.Greek Fashion Guru Kiki Divaris Passes Away Vic Eliason, 79, American Christian broadcaster, cancer.Vic Eliason 5/14/1936-12/5/2015 Home with the Lord Marty Feldman, 93, American football coach (Oakland Raiders). Markku Häkkinen, 69, Finnish botanist.Botanicum - Markku Häkkinen 14.1.1946 – 5.12.2015 Yolande Henderson, 81, Pakistani teacher, intestinal cancer.Mrs Henderson’s pupils will cherish her legacy William McIlvanney, 79, Scottish novelist and poet. Hack Meyers, 41, American professional wrestler (ECW), complications from brain surgery.ECW Original Hack Meyers passes away Marília Pêra, 72, Brazilian actress (Pixote, Better Days Ahead), lung cancer.Morre a atriz Marília Pêra, aos 72 anos Dimitar Iliev Popov, 88, Bulgarian politician, Prime Minister (1990–1991). Tibor Rubin, 86, Hungarian-born American Medal of Honor recipient and Holocaust survivor. Wolfgang Sandner, 66, German physicist. Siddhi Savetsila, 96, Thai politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1980–1990), Deputy Prime Minister (1986). Dave Scholz, 67, American basketball player (Philadelphia 76ers).Scholz, once Illini's leading scorer, dies at 67 Horst Schuldes, 76, German Olympic ice hockey player (1960), (1964).Horst Schuldes Franz Speta, 74, Austrian botanist.Univ. Doz. Dr. Franz Speta Byron Vlahakis, 83, American mobster.Byron J. Vlahakis Chuck Williams, 100, American business executive and author, founder of Williams Sonoma. Bruce Yorke, 91, Canadian politician.

6 Dale Anderson, 83, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings). Ken Beatrice, 72, American radio personality (WMAL, WTEM), complications from pneumonia.Ken Beatrice, leading figure of Washington sports radio, dies at 72 Ian Burns, 76, Scottish footballer (Aberdeen).Former Aberdeen player Ian Burns dies, aged 76 Max Hauri, 73, Swiss Olympic equestrian.Max Hauri Mack Herron, 67, American football player (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, New England Patriots). Ko Chun-hsiung, 70, Taiwanese actor (Eight Hundred Heroes, Attack Force Z), director and politician, member of the Legislative Yuan (2005–2008), lung cancer. Franzl Lang, 84, German yodeler."Kufsteinlied"-Interpret Franzl Lang ist tot Liu Juying, 98, Chinese politician and army general.Major General Liu Juying founding died in Beijing at the age of 98 years Mariuccia Mandelli, 90, Italian fashion designer, founder of Krizia. Mike Mangold, 60, American commercial and aerobatics pilot, world champion (2005, 2007), plane crash.Famous Red Bull Pilot Killed in Apple Valley Plane Crash Mick McLaughlin, 72, Welsh footballer (Hereford United, Newport County). John L. Myers, 68, American politician.John Myers Jaafar Mohammed Saad, Yemeni politician and general, Governor of Aden (since 2015), car bombing. Georg Smefjell, 78, Norwegian Olympic ice hockey player (1964), (1968).Georg Smefjell Nicholas Smith, 81, British actor (Are You Being Served?, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Doctor Who), complications from a fall. Zoltán Szabó, 86, Hungarian cardiac surgeon, performed nation's first successful heart transplant.Elhunyt az első sikeres magyar szívtranszplantációt elvégző orvos Tomi Taira, 87, Japanese actress, respiratory failure. Holly Woodlawn, 69, Puerto Rican-born American actress and Warhol superstar, brain and liver cancer.Holly Woodlawn, Warhol Superstar And Trans Troublemaker, Dead At 69 Wu Te-mei, 68, Taiwanese politician, MLY (1984–1996), kidney failure caused by diabetes.

7 Betty Bourke, 91, New Zealand health administrator. Martin E. Brooks, 90, American actor (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Dallas). Lolita Aniyar de Castro, 78, Venezuelan politician.Falleció Lolita de Castro, exgobernadora del Zulia Horn Chen, 83, American businessman.Former Thunder owner Horn Chen dies Jesse C. Deen, 93, American politician.Jesse C. Deen Heinz Fricke, 88, German conductor and music director.Heinz Fricke, East German conductor who transformed WNO orchestra, dies at 88