Notable deaths of 2025

A Look Back at the Notable Deaths of the Year

From religious leaders and scientists to artists, athletes, and political figures, the year saw the passing of many influential people who shaped global culture, politics, and thought. Here is a look back at some of the most notable figures who died this year.

RELIGION

Pope Francis, 88

“How much harm the women and men of the Church do when they erect walls,” Pope Francis said late in life. “Rigidity is a sin that often enters into clerics.”

The first Latin American pontiff rejected much of the papacy’s traditional pomp, softened Catholic attitudes toward homosexuality, and appointed more women to senior roles than any of his predecessors.

More than 250,000 people attended his funeral in April, according to the Vatican.

The Aga Khan, 88

“Your name it is heard in high places; you know the Aga Khan,” singer Peter Sarstedt crooned in 1969.

Karim Al Husseini, the fourth Aga Khan, died in February. A wealthy racehorse owner, he was also the hereditary spiritual leader of some 15 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide.

SCIENCE

Jane Goodall, 91

The globally renowned activist transformed a childhood fascination with primates into a lifelong mission to protect wildlife and the environment. She died in October.

Jim Lovell, 97

Commander of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission, the failed 1970 journey to the Moon that later inspired a Hollywood film starring Tom Hanks.

James Watson, 97

The biologist whose discovery of the structure of DNA ushered in the modern age of genetics.

CINEMA

Robert Redford, 89

Hollywood’s quintessential leading man starred in The Sting, Out of Africa, and All the President’s Men. As founder of the Sundance Film Festival, he became a powerful champion of independent cinema. He died in September.

Diane Keaton, 79

Her performances ranged from the troubled wife of a mob boss in The Godfather to the eccentric heroine of Annie Hall. She died in October.

Gene Hackman, 95

Best known for The French Connection and Unforgiven, Hackman retired from acting two decades ago.

He, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found dead in their home in February. Autopsy results showed Hackman, who had advanced Alzheimer’s disease, died of heart disease days after Arakawa, his primary caregiver, succumbed to a rare mouse-borne virus.

David Lynch, 78

The filmmaker behind The Elephant Man, Mulholland Drive, and the surreal television series Twin Peaks died in January.

Claudia Cardinale, 87

The Tunisian-born star of Italian cinema appeared in Federico Fellini’s 8½ and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West. She died in September.

Val Kilmer, 65

Famed for roles as Iceman in Top Gun, Jim Morrison in The Doors, and Batman in Batman Forever, Kilmer died of pneumonia in April after years of poor health caused by throat cancer.

Terence Stamp, 87

Stamp was on the verge of becoming a tantric sex teacher in India when he learned he was being considered for Superman. Cast as General Zod, the role made him a star. He died in August.

Rob Reiner, 78

The director of When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride was found dead with his wife, Michele, in their Los Angeles home in December. Their son has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

SPORT

George Foreman, 76

The heavyweight boxing champion famously lost his title to Muhammad Ali in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa.

Hulk Hogan, 71

The face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, Hogan helped turn the sport into a global, family-friendly entertainment industry worth billions. He died in July.

Diogo Jota, 28

The Portuguese footballer died in July after a Lamborghini crash that burst into flames. Just a month earlier, he had lifted the Premier League trophy with Liverpool.

Nicola Pietrangeli, 92

Italy’s greatest tennis player before Jannik Sinner, Pietrangeli was a master of clay courts.

LITERATURE

Tom Stoppard, 88

The Czech-born British playwright dazzled audiences with his verbal brilliance. He died in November.

Mario Vargas Llosa, 89

A giant of Latin American literature, the Peruvian novelist won the Nobel Prize in 2010. He died in April.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, 87

The Kenyan author’s fierce critiques of post-independence elites led to imprisonment and exile.

Frederick Forsyth, 86

Author of the bestselling thriller The Day of the Jackal.

Jilly Cooper, 88

The British novelist’s 1980s bestsellers mixed sex, satire, and class-based social commentary.

MUSIC

Ozzy Osbourne, 76

The “Prince of Darkness” and frontman of Black Sabbath died in July, prompting an outpouring of grief in his hometown of Birmingham, England.

Brian Wilson, 82

The Beach Boys co-founder crafted timeless hits such as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Good Vibrations.” He died in June.

Roberta Flack, 88

Her ballads “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” defined the 1970s. She died in February.

Jimmy Cliff, 81

The Jamaican singer helped bring reggae to global audiences. He died in November.

Sly Stone, 82

Leader of the groundbreaking funk band Sly and the Family Stone.

D’Angelo, 51

The neo-soul pioneer died in October after a long battle with cancer, his family said.

BUSINESS

Giorgio Armani, 91

The Italian designer built a fashion empire around the principle that elegance meant simplicity. His death in September triggered intense speculation after his will instructed heirs to sell large parts of the Armani Group.

Frederick Smith, 80

Founder of FedEx, Smith launched the delivery giant with just 14 planes in 1973. By 2022, it operated hundreds of aircraft and tens of thousands of vehicles.

JOURNALISM

Hussam al-Masri, 49

Five journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, were killed when Israeli forces fired on a hospital in Gaza on August 25.

Anthony Grey, 87

The former Reuters correspondent was detained for more than two years in 1960s China, an experience that shaped his later life.

POLITICS

Dick Cheney, 84

One of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history, Cheney was a key architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He died in November.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, 96

The longtime leader of France’s far-right movement died in January, leaving behind a deeply controversial legacy.

Muhammadu Buhari, 82

Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023, Buhari’s tenure was marred by economic hardship, security crises, and prolonged illness.

Jose Mujica, 89

The former Uruguayan president became a global symbol of humility, famously driving an old Volkswagen Beetle and living on a small farm.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sebastião Salgado, 81

The Brazilian photographer’s stark black-and-white images captured humanity’s fraught relationship with nature.

SOME MORE NOTABLE DEATHS

Architect Frank Gehry, activist Virginia Giuffre, MI5 chief Stella Rimington, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner were among many others whose deaths marked the year.

OTHERS WHO DIED THIS YEAR

The year also saw the passing of hundreds of figures from politics, sports, entertainment, science, and culture worldwide — a reminder of the breadth of influence carried by those who shaped their times and left lasting legacies behind.  

-Compiled by Olivier Holmey; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien/Reuters