The following is a list of notable deaths in December 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.
December 2009
1 Christoph Budde, 46, German football player (Borussia Mönchengladbach), swine flu. Maurice Clemmons, 37, American felon, perpetrator of the 2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers, shot. Neil Dougall, 88, British footballer (Plymouth Argyle). Tommy Henrich, 96, American baseball player (New York Yankees). Bilal Omer Khan, 55, Pakistani general, victim of December 2009 Rawalpindi terrorist attack Nat Kipner, 85, American songwriter and record producer. Bill Lister, 86, American honky tonk singer. Alberto Martínez, 59, Uruguayan football player (FK Austria Wien), heart failure. Cordelia Oliver, 86, Scottish painter, journalist and art critic. Ramses Shaffy, 76, Dutch singer and actor, esophageal cancer. Shilendra Kumar Singh, 77, Indian politician, Governor of Rajasthan (2007–2009). Éva Szörényi, 92, Hungarian actress, Kossuth Prize winner. Donald Washington Sr., 79, American jazz tenor saxophonist, lung cancer.
2 Harold A. Ackerman, 81, American federal judge, natural causes. Luis María Bandrés, 65, Spanish leader of Basque Nationalist Party. Elizabeth Berridge, 89, British novelist. Foge Fazio, 71, American football coach, leukemia. Shoji Hashimoto, 75, Japanese go master, myocardial infarction.前關西棋院理事長橋本昌二辭世-繼秀行-安倍-梶原 Ikuo Hirayama, 79, Japanese painter, stroke. Maggie Jones, 75, British actress (Coronation Street). Jozo Križanović, 65, Bosnian politician, Croat member of the Presidency (2001–2002), complications from surgery. Brian Morrison, 76, Australian priest and humanitarian. Luís Lombardi Neto, 69, Brazilian announcer (Silvio Santos television program), stroke. Aaron Schroeder, 83, American songwriter, Alzheimer's disease. Ian Thompson, 74, Australian politician, member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1971–1993). Vjekoslav Šutej, 58, Croatian conductor, leukemia. Eric Woolfson, 64, Scottish singer and keyboardist (The Alan Parsons Project), cancer.
3 Ibrahim Hassan Addou, Somali Higher Education Minister, bombing. Qamar Aden Ali, 52, Somali Health Minister, bombing. Swadesh Bose, 81, Bangladeshi economist. Nat Boxer, 84, American sound engineer (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation), Oscar winner (1980). *Estêvão Cardoso de Avellar, 92, Brazilian Roman Catholic Bishop of Uberlândia (1978–1992). Paula Hawkins, 82, American politician, Senator from Florida (1981–1987), complications from a fall.Senator Paula Hawkins dies István Iglódi, 65, Hungarian actor.Iglódi István: rendező, színész, dramaturg Leila Lopes, 50, Brazilian actress, suicide by poisoning. Bert Main, 90, Australian zoologist.Albert Russell ('Bert') Main 1919–2009 Brian Mason, 92, New Zealand scientist, renal failure. Curtis Nkondo, 81, South African politician, activist and diplomat.Struggle veteran Nkondo dies Pat Power, 67, Australian politician, member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Jika Jika (1992–1999). Sam Salt, 69, British rear admiral, captain of during the Falklands War. Peter Scanlon, 78, American accountant and chairman (Coopers & Lybrand), cancer. Åsmund L. Strømnes, 82, Norwegian educationalist. *Valbjörn Þorláksson, 75, Icelandic decathlete. Richard Todd, 90, Irish-born British Academy Award-nominated actor (The Hasty Heart, The Dam Busters), (The Longest Day), cancer. Ahmed Abdulahi Waayeel, Somali Education Minister, bombing. Bobby Wayne Woods, 44, American convicted rapist, kidnapper and murderer, execution by lethal injection. Torrie Zito, 76, American pianist and arranger, emphysema.Torrie Zito, Pianist and Arranger, Is Dead at 76
4 Richard T. Antoun, 77, American anthropologist and professor, stabbed. Harold Bell, 90, American marketer, licensing agent and technical advisor, creator of Woodsy Owl.Harold Bell, a Creator of Woodsy Owl, Is Dead at 90 Liam Clancy, 74, Irish folk singer (The Clancy Brothers), pulmonary fibrosis. Marjorie Kowalski Cole, 56, American writer. Tim Costello, 64, American labor and anti-globalization advocate, pancreatic cancer. *Matthew Luo Duxi, 90, Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop of Jiading. Jérôme-Michel-Francis Martin, 68, French Roman Catholic Bishop of Berbérati (1987–1991). Bryan O'Byrne, 78, American character actor. Vyacheslav Tikhonov, 81, Russian actor (Seventeen Moments of Spring). Stephen Toulmin, 87, British philosopher and author, heart failure. Spyridon Trantellis, 83, Greek Metropolitan Bishop of Lagkadas, after long illness. Jordi Solé Tura, 79, Spanish politician and lawyer, co-author of Spanish Constitution and Minister of Culture (1991–1993). Umaga, 36, American professional wrestler (WWE), prescription drug overdose. Mall Vaasma, 64, Estonian mycologist. Mary Curtis Verna, 88, American operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera), complications from a broken hip. Francis Wilford-Smith, 82, British cartoonist.
5 Barrel Man, 69, American fan of the Denver Broncos, lung failure. Jerry Birn, 86, American television writer (The Young and the Restless). Nina Fishman, 63, British historian and political activist, cancer. Alfred Hrdlicka, 81, Austrian architect and draughtsman. Otto Graf Lambsdorff, 82, German politician, Minister of Economics (1977–1982; 1982–1984). William Lederer, 97, American author (The Ugly American), respiratory failure. Kálmán Markovits, 78, Hungarian Olympic gold (1952, 1956) and bronze (1960) medalist in water polo.Kálmán Markovits Garfield Morgan, 78, British actor (The Sweeney), cancer. Malcolm Perry, 80, American attending physician to President John F. Kennedy after his assassination, lung cancer. Manuel Prado y Colón de Carvajal, 78, Spanish diplomat. Dumitru Puntea, 66, Moldovan politician. Jim Rohn, 79, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, pulmonary fibrosis. Jack Rose, 38, American guitarist, heart attack. Princess Vimolchatra of Thailand, 88, Thai royal, cousin of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, renal failure.Princess Vimolchatra dies in the morning of the King's birthday William A. Wilson, 95, American Ambassador to the Holy See (1984–1986).William A. Wilson: Envoy, Reagan friend, 95
6 Dennis P. Collins, 85, American politician, mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey (1974–1990). Rupprecht Geiger, 101, German painter. Garland Lewis, 97, American basketball player. Dermott Monteith, 66, Irish cricketer. John Pittenger, 79, American politician, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education (1972–1976), Parkinson's disease. Bina Rai, 78, Indian actress (Anarkali), heart attack. Daouda Sow, 76, Senegalese politician, President of National Assembly (1984–1998).
7 Frank M. Coffin, 90, American politician, Representative from Maine (1957–1961), complications of aortic aneurysm surgery. Royden G. Derrick, 94, American general authority of the LDS Church, natural causes. Al Dorow, 80, American football player (Washington Redskins, New York Titans), bone cancer.Ex-MSU quarterback Al Dorow dies at 80 Shunkichi Hamada, 99, Japanese Olympic silver medal-winning (1932) field hockey player. Lorenzo Ochoa Salas, Mexican archeologist. Grady Patterson, 85, American politician, South Carolina state Treasurer (1966–1995; 1999–2007), natural causes.Former State Treasurer Grady Patterson dies Carlene Hatcher Polite, 77, American novelist, cancer. Mark Ritts, 63, American actor and puppeteer (Beakman's World), kidney cancer.Mark Ritts, an Actor Best Known as a Lab Rat, Is Dead at 63 Ray Solomonoff, 83, American physicist and artificial intelligence pioneer. Pyotr Vail, 60, Russian essayist and journalist.Writer and Journalist Pyotr Vail Passes Away
8 James Bingham, 84, British artist. Kenneth Biros, 51, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection. Joan Bridge, 97, British costume designer (A Man for All Seasons, Julia, Fiddler on the Roof), Oscar winner (1967).Funeral of colourful Oscar winner from Totteridge held in Golders Green Su Cruickshank, 63, Australian jazz singer and actress (Young Einstein), heart and kidney failure. Luis Días, 57, Dominican musician and songwriter, heart attack. Dean Fasano, 54, American vocalist (Prophet, Message), coronary artery disease. John Givens, 83, American basketball coach (Kentucky Colonels, 1967).John Givens Jr.'s Obituary in The Courier-Journal Arthur Glasser, 95, American missionary and theologian. Robert Hill, Jamaican entertainer, shot. Karel Klančnik, 92, Yugoslavian Olympic ski jumper. Elza Medeiros, 88, Brazilian nurse, World War II veteran. (Portuguese) William C. McInnes, 86, American Jesuit, president of Fairfield University (1964–1973); USF (1973–1976).The Rev. William C. McInnes, Leader of 2 Jesuit Universities, Dies at 86 Anthony Sanusi, 98, Nigerian Roman Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode (1969–1990). Fred Sheffield, 86, American basketball player. Sir Philip Watson, 90, British admiral.Philip Alexander Watson Obituary
9 Luiz Carlos Alborghetti, 64, Brazilian television presenter and politician, lung cancer. Gene Barry, 90, American actor (The War of the Worlds, Burke's Law, Bat Masterson), heart failure. Robert J. Carney, 76, Canadian educator and father of Mark Carney.Robert Carney Obituary Roger Jacobi, 62, British archaeologist.Roger Michael Jacobi 1947-2009 Sa'ad Khair, 56, Jordanian secret service chief, heart attack. Piotr Krzywicki, 45, Polish politician, pancreatic cancer.
Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García, 79, Guatemalan President (1974–1978), complications from cancer. Rodrigo Carazo Odio, 82, Costa Rican politician, President (1978–1982), heart failure. Faramarz Payvar, 76, Iranian composer and santur player, brain damage. Onofre Cândido Rosa, 85, Brazilian Roman Catholic Bishop of Jardim (1981–1999). Goldie Semple, 56, Canadian stage actor, breast cancer. Norman Sykes, 73, English footballer (Bristol Rovers).
10 Apolonia Muñoz Abarca, 89, American activist. Gene Carpenter, 70, American football coach. Dilip Chitre, 70, Indian poet, cancer. Kenny Dino, 70, American pop singer. Val Eastwood, 82, Australian businessperson. Jean-Robert Gauthier, 80, Canadian MP for Ottawa East (1972–1974), Ottawa—Vanier (1974–1994); Senator (1994–2004), stroke. Sir John Gingell, 84, British Air Chief Marshal and Black Rod (1985–1992). Thomas Hoving, 78, American director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1967–1977), lung cancer. Sir Alan Huggins, 88, British jurist, vice-president of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong (1980–1987). Colin James, 83, British Anglican prelate, Bishop of Winchester (1985–1995), chest infection. József Kóczián, 83, Hungarian table tennis player. William L. Reilly, 94, American Jesuit and philosophy professor, President of Le Moyne College (1964–1976).
11 Brindley Benn, 86, Guyanese politician, Deputy Prime Minister, natural causes. Ernest E. Chabot, 87, American politician.Ernest E. Chabot Francisco Piquer, 87, Spanish actor. Ciarán Mac Mathúna, 84, Irish radio presenter and music collector. Eric Wrinkles, 49, American convicted murderer, execution by lethal injection.Matthew Eric Wrinkles: The story of the last inmate executed in Indiana
12 Val Avery, 85, American actor (The Killing of a Chinese Bookie). Klavdiya Boyarskikh, 70, Russian cross-country skier, Olympic gold medalist (1964). Charles Copland, 99, British Anglican priest, Dean of Argyll and The Isles (1977–1979).Obituary:Canon Charles Copland Charles Davis, 84, American actor, heart attack.T.O. actor, political candidate Charles Davis dies at 84 Ali Gharbi, 54, Tunisian swimmer.Natation - décès de l'ancien nageur tunisien Ali Gharbi Howard Wesley Johnson, 87, American educator, president of MIT (1966–1971).Former MIT President Howard W. Johnson dies at age 87 Napoleon A. Jones Jr., 69, American federal judge. Manuel Ruiz Sosa, 72, Spanish footballer and coach.