The following is a list of notable deaths in February 2009.
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.
February 2009
1 Charles W. Akers, 88, American historian. Joe Ades, 74, American salesman. Anna Donald, 42, Australian epidemiologist, breast cancer. Lukas Foss, 86, American composer, conductor, pianist and educator, heart attack. Tim Grundy, 50, British radio and television presenter, heart attack. Michael Homer, 50, American business executive (Netscape), Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Ranbir Singh Hooda, 94, Indian politician, after long illness. Peter Howson, 89, Australian politician, Minister for Air (1964–1968) and Environment, Aborigines and the Arts (1971–1972), fall. Arieh Levavi, 96, Lithuanian-born Israeli public servant, ambassador to Argentina during capture of Adolf Eichmann. (Hebrew) Yoya Martínez, 96, Chilean actress, natural causes. (Spanish) Jim McWithey, 81, American race car driver. Roy Magee, 79, Northern Irish peace activist. *Sir Alan Muir Wood, 87, British civil engineer. Edward Joseph O'Donnell, 77, American Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Lafayette (1994–2002). John Roy Whinnery, 92, American electrical engineer and educator.
2 Donald Alexander, 87, American government official, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (1973–1977), cancer. Paul Birch, 46, English footballer (Aston Villa, Wolves), bone cancer. Ralph Carpenter, 99, American antique and architecture preservationist, natural causes. Alan Davies, 75, English rugby league player, (Oldham, Wigan, Great Britain).Alan Davies: Rugby league centre who won 20 Test caps Lublin Dilja, 51, Albanian ambassador. Yusril Djalinus, 64, Indonesian journalist, co-founder of Tempo Magazine, stroke. Phil Easton, 59, English radio presenter and football announcer. Russ Germain, 62, Canadian radio presenter, lung cancer. Paul Galloway, 74, American journalist (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune), heart attack. Susan Hibbert, 84, British secretary, last surviving British witness to signing of the World War II German Instrument of Surrender. Howard Kanovitz, 79, American painter, bacterial infection after heart surgery. Ralph Kaplowitz, 89, American basketball player (New York Knicks), kidney failure. Fredrik Kayser, 90, Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II, after long illness. John A. Knight, 77, American church leader, General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene (1985–2001). James E. Long, 68, American politician, North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance (1985–2009), complications of a stroke. Jean Martin, 86, French actor (The Battle of Algiers, The Day of the Jackal), cancer. Ezzat Negahban, 82, Iranian archaeologist. (Persian) Louis Proost, 73, Belgian racing cyclist. Joe M. Rodgers, 75, American construction executive, Ambassador to France (1985–1989), cancer. Sunny Skylar, 95, American songwriter. Ralf Veidemann, 96, Estonian footballer. Jim Wilson, 67, American football player (San Francisco 49ers) and wrestler, cancer. Kazuhiro Yamauchi, 76, Japanese baseball player, liver failure.
3 Ben Blank, 87, American television graphics innovator (CBS, ABC), complications from a stroke. Tom Brumley, 73, American steel guitarist (The Buckaroos), heart attack. Rabindra Kumar Das Gupta, 93, Indian scholar of Bengali and English literature. Kurt Demmler, 65, German songwriter, suicide by hanging. Sid Finney, 79, British ice hockey player. Millard Fuller, 74, American co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International, after short illness. Henry Hsu, 96, Chinese-born Taiwanese athlete and politician, MLY (1973–1987), heart failure. Warren Kimbro, 74, American Black Panther member, convicted murderer and charitable organization executive, heart attack. Mike Maloy, 59, American-born Austrian basketball player, influenza. Max Neuhaus, 69, American musician, cancer. António dos Reis Rodrigues, 90, Portuguese Roman Catholic prelate Bishop of Madarsuma (1966–1998). Jorge Serguera, 76, Cuban journalist, President of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (death announced on this date). Sheng-yen, 79, Chinese-born Taiwanese Buddhist Zen master, kidney disease. Pavlo Zahrebelnyi, 84, Ukrainian writer, after long illness.
4 Antonie Dixon, 40, New Zealand murderer, suicide. Christophe Dupouey, 40, French cyclist, World Cross Country Champion (1996), suicide. Arnljot Eggen, 85, Norwegian writer. Ramón Hernández, 68, Puerto Rican baseball player. (Spanish) Lux Interior, 62, American singer, songwriter and musician (The Cramps), aortic dissection. Ed Schwartz, 62, American radio personality, kidney and heart disease. Mark Shepherd, 86, American chairman of Texas Instruments (1976–1988), complications from pulmonary fibrosis. David Snow, 84, British ornithologist.
5 Sigurd Andersson, 82, Swedish Olympic bronze medal-winning (1952) cross-country skier. Albert Barillé, 88, French television screenwriter and producer. John W. Grace, 82, Canadian Privacy Commissioner (1983–1990), heart attack. Khalid Hasan, 74, Pakistani journalist and author, cancer. George Hughes, 83, American football player (Pittsburgh Steelers). Payton Jordan, 91, American coach of 1968 United States Olympic track and field team, cancer. Frederiek Nolf, 21, Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Leo Orenstein, 89, Canadian director, producer and writer. Raaphi Persitz, 74, Israeli chess master. Dana Vávrová, 41, Czech-German actress and film director, cervical cancer. (German) Noah Weinberg, 78, American-born Israeli rabbi, founder of Aish HaTorah. Xiangzhong Yang, 49, Chinese-born American stem cell scientist, cancer. Anthony Finigan, 83, British actor.
6 Bashir Ahmad, 68, Indian-born Scottish politician, MSP for Glasgow region, heart attack. Philip Carey, 83, American actor (One Life to Live), lung cancer. Anthony Finigan, 83, British actor. Alfred Flores, 92, Guamanian rancher and politician, member of the Legislature of Guam. George Karpati, 74, Canadian neurologist. Shirley Jean Rickert, 82, American actress (Our Gang). Susan Walsh, 60, American actress (Female Trouble, Pink Flamingos, Multiple Maniacs). James Whitmore, 87, American actor (Oklahoma!. Planet of the Apes, The Shawshank Redemption), Emmy winner (2000), lung cancer.
7 Molly Bee, 69, American country singer ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"), complications from a stroke. Jack Cover, 88, American scientist, inventor of the Taser, pneumonia. Blossom Dearie, 82, American jazz singer and pianist (Schoolhouse Rock!), after long illness. Reg Evans, 80, Australian actor, bushfire. John Gabler, 78, American baseball pitcher (New York Yankees, Washington Senators). Sir George Godber, 100, British physician and public servant, Chief Medical Officer (1960–1973). Richard Gordon, 61, British author, heart attack. (Chinese) Joe Haverty, 72, Irish footballer (Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Republic of Ireland). Betty Jameson, 89, American golfer, three-time major championship winner. Jacques Lancelot, 88, French clarinetist, heart failure. Mel Kaufman, 50, American football player (Washington Redskins). Brian Naylor, 78, Australian news presenter, bushfire. Jorge Reyes, 56, Mexican musician (Chac Mool), heart attack. (Spanish) Piotr Stańczak, 42, Polish geologist, beheaded. Richard Zann, 64, Australian ornithologist, bushfire.
8 Marian Cozma, 26, Romanian handball player, stabbed. William Alexander Deer, 98, British geologist, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1971–1973). Sigurdur Helgason, 87, Icelandic business executive, CEO of Icelandair and pioneer of low cost airlines. Harry Hillaker, 89, American aeronautical engineer. Paul Himmel, 94-95, American photographer. Wenche Klouman, 90, Norwegian actress. Wesley L. McDonald, 84, American admiral and naval aviator. Neil McNeill, 87, Australian politician, member of the House of Representatives (1961–1963). Giorgio Melchiori, 88, Italian literary critic.addio a giorgio melchiori grande shakespeariano Francis Dennis Ramsay, 83, Scottish painter. Terry Spencer, 90, British RAF fighter pilot and war photographer, cancer. Bob Stephen, 50, Canadian football player, heart attack.
9 Robert Anderson, 91, American Academy Award–nominated playwright and screenwriter, pneumonia. Kazys Bradūnas, 91, Lithuanian émigré poet and editor. Marc Burrows, 30, British footballer, cancer. Gareth Alban Davies, 82, British academic and poet. Reg Davies, 79, Welsh footballer (Newcastle United, Swansea Town, Wales). Eluana Englaro, 38, Italian patient in right to die case, withdrawal of nutrition. Neville Hamilton, 48, British footballer. Webster Kitchell, 77, American religious leader.Pulpit Aide Installed The New York Times, October 14, 1957 (fee access required) Vic Lewis, 89, British jazz guitarist. Orlando "Cachaíto" López, 76, Cuban bassist (Buena Vista Social Club), complications from prostate surgery. Don Maclennan, 79, South African poet and playwright. Maria Orwid, 78, Polish psychiatrist. Peer Portner, 69, Kenyan-born British developer of ventricular assist device, cancer. Sean F. Scott, 39, American amyotrophic lateral sclerosis activist, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
10 Jan Błoński, 78, Polish literary critic, Holocaust scholar. Carolyn George, 81, American dancer and photographer, primary lateral sclerosis. Eva Gustavson, 91, Norwegian-American contralto. Leila Hadley, 83, American travel writer. Philippe Kourouma, 76, Guinean Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of N’Zérékoré. Berting Labra, 75, Filipino character actor, emphysema. Jeremy Lusk, 24, American motocross racer, brain injury. Jean-Baptiste Mintsa-Mi-Mba, 60, Gabonese politician. (French) Nate Schenker, 91, American football player.
11 Estelle Bennett, 67, American singer (The Ronettes), colon cancer. Fred Graves, 84, Canadian Olympic rower. Virgil Lee Griffin, 64, American Ku Klux Klan leader. Vlastibor Klimeš, 84, Czech architect. Willem Johan Kolff, 97, Dutch-born American physician, inventor of the artificial kidney. Sir Peter Leng, 83, British Army general. Penny Ramsey, 61, Australian actress, cancer. Rail Rzayev, 64, Azerbaijani general, head of the Air Force, shot. Marina Svetlova, 86, French-born American ballerina and teacher, complications from stroke. Mildred Wolfe, 96, American artist, after long illness. Shyamala Gopalan, 70, Tamil-born American biomedical scientist, colon cancer.
12 Hermann Becht, 69, German opera singer. Vasanti N. Bhat-Nayak, 70, Indian professor of combinatorics and graph theory. Giacomo Bulgarelli, 68, Italian footballer, after long illness. Evan Ira Farber, 87, American Faculty Emeritus (Earlham College). Ed Grothus, 85, American anti-nuclear activist, cancer. Lis Hartel, 87, Danish equestrian. Hugh Leonard, 82, Irish playwright, multiple ailments. Mat Mathews, 84, Dutch jazz accordionist. Domenica Niehoff, 63, German prostitution activist, complications from lung disease. Malcolm Toon, 92, American ambassador (Czechoslovakia 1969–71, Yugoslavia 1971–75, Israel 1975–76, USSR 1976–79). Ted Uhlaender, 68, American baseball player (Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds), heart attack. Aasiya Zubair, 36, American businesswoman, co-founder of Bridges TV, beheaded. Notable Americans killed in the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407: Alison Des Forges, 66, human rights activist. Beverly Eckert, 57, activist, member of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee. Coleman Mellett, 34, jazz guitarist. Gerry Niewood, 65, jazz saxophonist. Susan Wehle, 55, jewish renewal cantor.
13 Gianna Maria Canale, 81, Italian actress. Joe Goldstein, 81, American sports promoter, heart attack and stroke. Geshe Gyeltsen, 85, Tibetan spiritual leader, founder of Thubten Dhargye Ling. Alfred J. Kahn, 90, American child welfare expert.