Celebrity Deaths in
2026
This page contains a list of the most famous people who died in 2026. The pantheon dataset contains 90 who passed this year, the most famous by HPI being Ali Khamenei, Robert Duvall, Erich von Däniken, Rifaat al-Assad, and Valentino. The cities with the most deaths were Tehran (3), Moscow (2), and Rome (2). The most common occupations for people who died this year were Politician (16), Soccer Player (11), Writer (9), Actor (9), and Musician (5).
2026 Deaths: Honoring Lives and Legacies
The year 2026 saw the passing of many beloved celebrities, leaving behind legacies that continue to inspire fans across the globe. From legendary actors like Robert Duvall, Bud Cort, and Jana Brejchová and iconic musicians like Neil Sedaka, José van Dam, and Helmuth Rilling to groundbreaking athletes like Sepp Piontek, Jan Timman, and Lucien Muller, these remarkable individuals have made a lasting impact in their fields. This page is dedicated to commemorating the lives of those we lost in 2026, celebrating their achievements and remembering their contributions to art, culture, and history. Below are the list of the most famous people to have died in 2026 based on cultural impact.
Ali Khamenei
Iranian Politician
Jul 17, 1939 - Feb 28, 2026
Age 87
HPI: 81.36
Robert Duvall
American Actor
Jan 5, 1931 - Feb 15, 2026
Age 95
HPI: 75.73
Erich von Däniken
Swiss Writer
Apr 14, 1935 - Jan 10, 2026
Age 91
HPI: 73.20
Rifaat al-Assad
Politician
Aug 22, 1937 - Jan 20, 2026
Age 89
HPI: 71.24
Valentino
Italian Designer
May 11, 1932 - Jan 19, 2026
Age 94
HPI: 70.11
Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld
Swedish Politician
Jun 2, 1938 - Jan 21, 2026
Age 88
HPI: 69.39
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
South African Nobleman
May 11, 1942 - Jan 15, 2026
Age 84
HPI: 69.20
António Lobo Antunes
Portuguese Politician
Sep 1, 1942 - Mar 5, 2026
Age 84
HPI: 67.36
Antonio Tejero
Spanish Military Personnel
Apr 30, 1932 - Feb 25, 2026
Age 94
HPI: 65.79
Sepp Piontek
German Soccer Player
Mar 5, 1940 - Feb 18, 2026
Age 86
HPI: 65.77
Cees Nooteboom
Dutch Writer
Jul 31, 1933 - Feb 11, 2026
Age 93
HPI: 65.75
Béla Tarr
Hungarian Film Director
Jul 21, 1955 - Jan 6, 2026
Age 71
HPI: 65.51
Dan Simmons
American Writer
Apr 4, 1948 - Feb 21, 2026
Age 78
HPI: 65.38
Marie-Rose Tessier
French Celebrity
May 21, 1910 - Feb 10, 2026
Age 116
HPI: 63.87
Jan Timman
Dutch Chess Player
Dec 14, 1951 - Feb 18, 2026
Age 75
HPI: 63.83
Louis E. Brus
American Chemist
Aug 10, 1943 - Jan 11, 2026
Age 83
HPI: 63.32
Deaths by Month in 2026
January 2026
The following is a chronological list of the most famous people to have died in January of 2026. Sorted by popularity, the most famous people to pass away in January were Erich von Däniken (HPI: 73.20), Rifaat al-Assad (HPI: 71.24), and Valentino (HPI: 70.11).
Colin McDonald
Jan 1, 2026
British Soccer Player
HPI: 59.74
Mukhsin Mukhamadiev
Jan 1, 2026
Tadzhik Soccer Player
HPI: 41.78
Eva Schloss
Jan 3, 2026
Austrian Writer
HPI: 62.58
Dimitar Penev
Jan 3, 2026
Bulgarian Soccer Player
HPI: 61.28
Nora Ikstena
Jan 4, 2026
Latvian Writer
HPI: 52.29
Aldrich Ames
Jan 5, 2026
American Extremist
HPI: 62.47
Béla Tarr
Jan 6, 2026
Hungarian Film Director
HPI: 65.51
Edith M. Flanigen
Jan 6, 2026
American Chemist
HPI: 53.61
Doug LaMalfa
Jan 6, 2026
American Politician
HPI: 37.72
Glenn Hall
Jan 7, 2026
Canadian Hockey Player
HPI: 53.70
Martin Chivers
Jan 7, 2026
British Soccer Player
HPI: 53.49
Terry Yorath
Jan 7, 2026
British Soccer Player
HPI: 49.27
Uljana Semjonova
Jan 8, 2026
Lithuanian Basketball Player
HPI: 63.04
Hans Herrmann
Jan 9, 2026
German Racing Driver
HPI: 61.06
T. K. Carter
Jan 9, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 49.39
Erich von Däniken
Jan 10, 2026
Swiss Writer
HPI: 73.20
Bob Weir
Jan 10, 2026
American Musician
HPI: 48.69
Louis E. Brus
Jan 11, 2026
American Chemist
HPI: 63.32
Richard Codey
Jan 11, 2026
American Politician
HPI: 48.80
Rolland Courbis
Jan 12, 2026
French Soccer Player
HPI: 58.75
Eddie McCreadie
Jan 12, 2026
British Soccer Player
HPI: 50.52
George Vassiliou
Jan 13, 2026
Politician
HPI: 62.80
Claudette Colvin
Jan 13, 2026
American Social Activist
HPI: 57.98
Peter Duesberg
Jan 13, 2026
German Biologist
HPI: 50.91
Scott Adams
Jan 13, 2026
American Comic Artist
HPI: 48.66
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
Jan 15, 2026
South African Nobleman
HPI: 69.20
Luísa Diogo
Jan 16, 2026
Mozambican Politician
HPI: 60.31
Tony Dallara
Jan 16, 2026
Singer
HPI: 55.44
Gladys West
Jan 17, 2026
American Mathematician
HPI: 57.14
Roger Allers
Jan 17, 2026
American Film Director
HPI: 53.64
Ralph Towner
Jan 18, 2026
American Musician
HPI: 56.23
Valentino
Jan 19, 2026
Italian Designer
HPI: 70.11
Rifaat al-Assad
Jan 20, 2026
Politician
HPI: 71.24
Lucien Muller
Jan 20, 2026
French Soccer Player
HPI: 63.08
Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld
Jan 21, 2026
Swedish Politician
HPI: 69.39
Francis Buchholz
Jan 22, 2026
German Musician
HPI: 55.43
Ota Zaremba
Jan 23, 2026
Czech Athlete
HPI: 45.87
David Abulafia
Jan 24, 2026
British Historian
HPI: 54.62
Michael Parenti
Jan 24, 2026
American Writer
HPI: 53.56
Lee Hae-chan
Jan 25, 2026
South Korean Politician
HPI: 57.68
Franco Menichelli
Jan 28, 2026
Italian Gymnast
HPI: 54.81
Fathi Kameel
Jan 31, 2026
Kuwaiti Soccer Player
HPI: 47.88
February 2026
The following is a chronological list of the most famous people to have died in February of 2026. Sorted by popularity, the most famous people to pass away in February were Ali Khamenei (HPI: 81.36), Robert Duvall (HPI: 75.73), and Antonio Tejero (HPI: 65.79).
Rita Süssmuth
Feb 1, 2026
German Politician
HPI: 62.94
Teresa de Lauretis
Feb 2, 2026
Italian Writer
HPI: 58.62
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
Feb 3, 2026
Libyan Politician
HPI: 62.04
Tamás Vásáry
Feb 5, 2026
Hungarian Musician
HPI: 57.28
Jana Brejchová
Feb 6, 2026
Czech Actor
HPI: 60.32
Brad Arnold
Feb 7, 2026
American Singer
HPI: 49.78
Eddy Antoine
Feb 8, 2026
Haitian Soccer Player
HPI: 59.38
Antonino Zichichi
Feb 9, 2026
Italian Physicist
HPI: 58.50
Marie-Rose Tessier
Feb 10, 2026
French Celebrity
HPI: 63.87
Cees Nooteboom
Feb 11, 2026
Dutch Writer
HPI: 65.75
Bud Cort
Feb 11, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 60.41
Helmuth Rilling
Feb 11, 2026
German Musician
HPI: 57.81
James Van Der Beek
Feb 11, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 50.16
Bożena Dykiel
Feb 12, 2026
Polish Actor
HPI: 58.92
Michel Portal
Feb 12, 2026
French Composer
HPI: 57.50
Roy Medvedev
Feb 13, 2026
Georgian Writer
HPI: 60.74
Dóra Maurer
Feb 14, 2026
Hungarian Painter
HPI: 57.96
Susan George
Feb 14, 2026
American Philosopher
HPI: 57.74
Tom Noonan
Feb 14, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 57.41
Robert Duvall
Feb 15, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 75.73
Frederick Wiseman
Feb 16, 2026
American Film Director
HPI: 57.77
Helene Ahrweiler
Feb 16, 2026
Greek Historian
HPI: 55.15
José van Dam
Feb 17, 2026
Belgian Singer
HPI: 62.16
Jesse Jackson
Feb 17, 2026
American Social Activist
HPI: 60.65
Sepp Piontek
Feb 18, 2026
German Soccer Player
HPI: 65.77
Jan Timman
Feb 18, 2026
Dutch Chess Player
HPI: 63.83
Leila Shahid
Feb 18, 2026
Lebanese Diplomat
HPI: 62.35
Borislav Paravac
Feb 18, 2026
Bosnian, Herzegovinian Politician
HPI: 56.26
Polycarp Pengo
Feb 19, 2026
Tanzanian Religious Figure
HPI: 59.88
Eric Dane
Feb 19, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 57.90
Hans-Georg Reimann
Feb 20, 2026
Lithuanian Athlete
HPI: 56.22
Dan Simmons
Feb 21, 2026
American Writer
HPI: 65.38
Willie Colón
Feb 21, 2026
American Singer
HPI: 54.17
Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi
Feb 21, 2026
Italian Racing Driver
HPI: 51.61
Robert Carradine
Feb 23, 2026
American Actor
HPI: 55.74
Antonio Tejero
Feb 25, 2026
Spanish Military Personnel
HPI: 65.79
Ludwig Scotty
Feb 25, 2026
Nauruan Politician
HPI: 60.34
Neil Sedaka
Feb 27, 2026
American Singer
HPI: 62.23
Sandro Munari
Feb 27, 2026
Italian Racing Driver
HPI: 60.74
Ali Khamenei
Feb 28, 2026
Iranian Politician
HPI: 81.36
Abdolrahim Mousavi
Feb 28, 2026
Iranian Military Personnel
HPI: 60.34
Mojtaba Khamenei
Feb 28, 2026
Iranian Politician
HPI: 59.07
Mohammad Pakpour
Feb 28, 2026
Iranian Military Personnel
HPI: 58.94
Aziz Nasirzadeh
Feb 28, 2026
Iranian Military Personnel
HPI: 54.32
March 2026
The following is a chronological list of the most famous people to have died in March of 2026. Sorted by popularity, the most famous people to pass away in March were António Lobo Antunes (HPI: 67.36), Davíð Oddsson (HPI: 60.33), and Song Ping (HPI: 58.03).
