60 Famous People Who Died from COVID-19

60 Famous People Who Died from COVID-19

Corona Virus famously known as COVID-19 is an infectious human respiratory system disease. The term Covid 19 is an acronym derived from “Novel Corona Virus Disease 2019”. The COVID-19 crisis not only challenged disease control and crisis management, but has impacted on nations and international cooperation. This pandemic affected especially 2020) millions of peoples, who either fell sick or were killed due to the spread of this disease. COVID-19 killed people on a large scale and exposed the social impact the burden of disease for instance United States data by different social identities (such as class, gender, age, race and medical history) showed that minorities were disproportionally affected by the pandemic because their right to health were not being fulfilled.

To control the pandemic many governments implemented nationwide lockdowns limiting the movements of populations globally. Despite the measures, 6,759,381 people have died so far from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak as of January 30, 2023 (According to Worldometre).  A number of famous people have tested positive for COVID-19 since early 2020 and some were lucky enough to recover from the disease. Unfortunately, the world also lost many famous people to Covid -19 related complications. Read through to learn about 60 famous people who died from coronavirus.

 

Famous People Who Died from COVID-19 – North America

1.      Colin Powell – 4 Star General

Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. Secretary of State, died from complications of COVID-19 on Oct. 18, 2021, at the age of 84. He was the son of Jamaican immigrants and was born in the Harlem section of New York City. Powell grew up in the South Bronx, where he graduated from Morris High School.  The general joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) where he found a sense of direction. He became company commander of the Pershing Rifles, attained ROTC’s highest rank of cadet colonel and was named a “distinguished military graduate.” When he graduated in l958. The general led the U.S. military to victory in the 1991 Persian Gulf War as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but struggled over the U.S. invasion of Iraq as a secretary of state under President George W. Bush. He served 35 years in the Army, receiving the Purple Heart, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit, among other honours.

Learn about the 30 most famous African-Americans in History.

2.      Tommy DeVito – Musician

Gaetano “Tommy” DeVito was an American musician and singer, best known as a founding member, vocalist, and lead guitarist of the rock band the Four Seasons. He is a founding member of the US vocal quartet the Four Seasons, which made history by being in the first group to score three US No 1 hits in succession, with Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man in 1962 and 1963. Tommy DeVito was born in Belleville, New Jersey, United States to an Italian-American family. At eight years old, he taught himself to play his brother’s guitar by listening to country music on the radio. DeVito died in a hospital in Las Vegas in 2020, at the age of 92 after contracting COVID-19 in Nevada.

3.      Linda Torres – Reality TV Star

Big Ang star Linda Torres died on April 2, 2021, at Staten Island University Hospital after contracting COVID and being placed on a ventilator. Torres made a few cameos on the VH1 reality show Mob Wives alongside Ang (Angela “Big Ang” Raiola) and was ultimately made part of the series spinoff which only ran for one season in 2012. Ang was a breakout star on the show about women with mob-related ties became a notable personality on account of her raspy voice and accentuated bust and was given her own show. Torres and Big Ang were very close friends. On her death, her sister Janine said, “Linda was truly a strong woman, like a rock star. Fun to hang out with, the life of the party, really great person. Great mother, and great-grandmother, she really was a very strong woman. I really thought that she would pull out of this.”

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4.      Charley Pride – Country Music Star

 

A fine baritone voice ensured that Charley Pride enjoyed dozens of US country hits and worldwide popularity died at the age of 86 from complications related to Covid-19. Pride was a sharecropper’s son from Mississippi, who went on to become a black American who became a superstar of a genre dominated by whites then.  He was also the first African American to enjoy any kind of success singing country music – and for quite a time the only one. Besides selling millions of records, he was the first Black performer to become a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

5.      Nick Cordero – Actor

Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero passed on in 2020 after a months-long battle with complications from COVID-19. He was a Canadian actor and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Cheech in the 2014 Broadway musical Bullets Over Broadway and was twice nominated for Drama Desk Awards. Additional Broadway credits include Rock of Ages, Waitress and the musical adaptation of Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale. The Hamilton, Ontario, native appeared off-Broadway in The Toxic Avenger and Brooklynite. He recently appeared as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. in the Kennedy Center’s production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Who are the wealthiest Canadians? CLICK HERE to find out

6.      Raymundo Capetillo – Protest Singer

Raymundo Sánchez y Capetillo, known as Raymundo Capetillo, was a Mexican theater, film, television and radio actor. He was also an economist by profession and an English teacher. Capetillo was born in Mexico City where he began acting in the late 1960s. Some of his most famous performances were Los Perros de Dios in 1974 and “Santo en Anonymous Mortal” in 1975. The actor is also remembered for starring in popular soap operas, such as Muchacha Italiana Viene a Casarse, Rosa Salvaje and Cadenas de Amargura. He died at the age of 76 after hospitalization in Mexico with COVID-19 complications in July 2020.

7.      Nashom Benjamin Wooden – Drag Queen

Nashom Benjamin Wooden was an American performing artist. Wooden was a member of the electronic dance music band The Ones and performed as a drag queen under the stage name Mona Foot. He died at the age of 50 on March 23, 2020, of the COVID-19 virus. Nashom was unique, talented with a massive presence and just finished writing a television show treatment.

8.      Oscar Chavez –  Singer

Well-known Mexican protest singer Oscar Chavez (20 March 1935 – 30 April 2020)  is also a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.  He was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Chavez studied theatre at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and went on to produce and act in several plays, movies and telenovelas in Mexico. He achieved international fame through his music. His songs Por Ti and Macondo are particularly well-known in Latin America. In addition, Chavez recorded many Mexican folk songs and was a major proponent of the Nueva Trova movement in Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s. Oscar Chavez was a respected protest singer in Mexico known for his folk-style songs such as La Casita which took on Mexico’s political corruption.

9.      Armando Manzanero – Mexican Balladeer

Armando Manzanero Canché was a Mexican Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful composers of Latin America. He was the president of the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers (Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México). Some of his best-known songs include Somos Novios (the Anglicized version, “It’s Impossible,” is a pop standard that has been recorded dozens of times), as well as Esta Tarde Vi Llover, Contigo Aprendí and Adoro. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in the United States in 2014.

here are the 20 most famous Mexican female Singer.

10.  Mike Longo – Musician

Best known for his long association with Dizzy Gillespie, Mr. Longo, the band leader promoted the work of other musicians. He died on March 22 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. His health was compromised by COVID-19, but also Longo also suffered from pre-existing medical conditions. As recently as 2017, Longo was leading three bands: the Mike Longo Trio, the 17-piece New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble and a sextet called the Mike Longo Funk Band. As an educator, Mr. Longo wrote 10 books and produced four DVDs, espousing concepts he had refined while working with Mr. Gillespie. He also advocated tirelessly for other artists, engaging them for concerts and releasing their recordings on CAP (Consolidated Artists Productions).

11.  Brad Johnson – Marlboro Man

 

Brad William Johnson was an American actor, model, real estate agent, and Marlboro Man. He was also a Calvin Klein model who starred in Steven Spielberg’s romantic drama “Always” and appeared on “Melrose Place. Born on a small ranch in Tucson, Johnson, the son of a horse trainer/used car salesman, did everything from shoeing horses to repossessing cars to serving as a hunting and fishing guide. His humble beginnings nurtured his modesty. Many critics have compared him to greats like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and James Stewart. His first break came with a three-year run as the Marlboro Man, and the rest is history. Unfortunately, he died from COVID-19 complications on Feb. 18, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas.

12.  Victor Batista Falla

Batista fled Cuba following the Cuban Revolution and settled in New York City. In the United States, he financed the creation of the magazine Exilio, intended for publishing young writers in exile. He then founded the Colibrí publishing house in Madrid and lived there for most of the remainder of his life. His father, Agustín Batista y González de Mendoza, was the founder of the Trust Company of Cuba, the most powerful Cuban bank prior to the Cuban Revolution. He was also the last living uncle of Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. After 60 years in exile, Batista returned to Cuba in April 2020, where he contracted COVID-19 and died in Havana.

13.  Kathy Manning – Beauty Queen

Former beauty queen Kathy Manning who was crowned Miss Mississippi 1984 and was the second runner-up in the Miss America 1985 pageant died on Dec. 23, 2021, after several weeks of fighting COVID-19. In her later years, she worked as a weather reporter for ABC affiliate WHBQ 13 and did a USO tour for the military in Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. The Christian music artist also modelled for brands including Coppertone and Maybelline. She battled the illness for several weeks and succumbed to it in Collierville, Tennessee, according to her obituary. Manning was survived by her children; Robert Edwin Loeb, Anne Hensley Loeb and Jackson Manning Loeb.

Get to know the most famous people from Mississippi.

 

Famous People who Died from COVID-19 – Asia

14.  Kenzo Takada- Fashion Designer

Kenzo Takada was a Japanese fashion designer living in France. He founded Kenzo, a worldwide clothing brand, that also markets skincare and perfumes, Takada was the honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation. His mantra was disarmingly simple: ‘The world is beautiful.” Takada was strong on separate; his use of layering was both literal and conceptual. A graduate of Bunka College of Fashion, the designer moved to Paris in 1960 where he worked freelance until 1970 when he opened his Jungle Jap boutique. Kenzo Takada will be remembered for his style that meant ‘freedom for the woman’s body’. He died aged 81 from Covid 19 complications in France.

15.  Chu Lanlan

Chinese Soprano Chu Lanlan Died at 39 of COVID-19 complications. Her death came as a shock to many, given how young she was. She first appeared as a child actress in the Chinese State Television (CCTV) series Affection when she was only eight years old. She then studied at the Chinese Academy of Traditional Opera and became a renowned performer on the stage. Lanlan specialized in Peking Opera – a theatrical art in which performers use speech, song, dance and combat movements to tell stories. Furthermore, Lanlan also taught at the Beijing College of Opera and the Arts College, founded the I Beijing Opera group and led the Lanxin Troupe, as part of the same initiative. She was also involved in charitable causes.

For a list of China’s wealthiest people. Click Here

16.  Siti Sarah Raisuddin – Singer & Actress

Siti Sarah Raissuddin was a Malaysian singer and actress. She started her career in the music industry when she became the final contestant of the 2001 edition of Bintang RTM. She also won Best New Artist, Best Pop Album and Best Album at the 2003 Anugerah Industri Muzik. The popular Malaysian singer Siti Sarah Raisuddin died young of COVID-19 on August 9, 2021, days after giving birth to her fourth child. Raisuddin was hospitalized after experiencing breathing problems related to COVID-19. The then Eight-month pregnant performer experienced low oxygen levels and had to be put into an induced coma so her baby could be delivered via surgery.

17.  Aytac Yalman – Former Army General

The former Turkish Land Forces Commander died at the age of 80 in a hospital where he was receiving treatment late on March 16, 2020.  Yalman’s name made headlines frequently with the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case, which was marked by top generals accusing each other. Former army general Ozkok accused Yalman of formulating the idea of issuing a memorandum against the AKP, while Yalman questioned the portrayal of Ozkok as being the sole actor in preventing the coup plot. Yalman’s  Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case was later revealed to be a conspiracy plotted by followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen and which led to the dismissal of soldiers who were not Gulenists.

18.  Rahul Vohra – Actor & Youtuber

Actor-YouTuber Rahul Vohra died just a day after he shared his Covid-19 diagnosis with his followers on Facebook which made his death all the more poignant. He shared his helplessness with his Facebook followers, Vohra wrote, “Mujhe bhi accha treatment mil jaata to mai bhi bach jaata tumhara Rahul Vohra… Jald janam lunga or acha kaam karunga. Ab himmat haar chuka hu. (If I had also received proper medical treatment, I would have survived. Yours, Rahul Vohra. I will be reborn and do good deeds, then. Now, I have lost all courage.) The YouTuber had developed medical complications while receiving treatment for Covid-19 at Delhi’s Rajeev Gandhi Super Speciality hospital but did not make it.

Who are the funniest Indian comedians, Find out here.

19.  Hu Fuming – Journalist

Hu Fuming, a former journalist and retired professor of Nanjing University, died on 2 January at the age of 87 of Covid 19. He studied journalism at Peking University. In 1956, he entered the Philosophy Research Class of Renmin University of China. After graduating in 1962, he taught at the Political Department of Nanjing University (later renamed the Department of Philosophy). On 11 May 1978, his essay article Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth was published and was revised several times. This publication was noteworthy in connection to the Boluan Fanzheng era (a time of eliminating chaos and returning to normal after the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution under the country’s first Communist leader Mao Zedong). In 1982, Fuming became the Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, before being appointed Minister in 1985.

20.  Fariborz Raisdana – Economist

Raisdana was born in Tehran on January 19, 1945. His father, Haji Khan, was a Lab Doctor in Tehran and was originally from Ebrahimabad (Buin Zahra) as such Fariborz would spend most of the summers during his early years in Ebrahimabad. He was an Iranian economist, socialist, activist, professor, and member of the Iranian Writers’ Association. He was the author of numerous articles and books, including Applied Development Economics; Money and Inflation; Political Economy of Development, and Globalization. The prominent Iranian economist, died of coronavirus on March 16, 2020, only six days after being admitted to a Tehran hospital.

21.  Saranya – Actress

Saranya Ponvannan was an Indian actress who predominantly appeared in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Saranya made her debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan and went on to play lead roles from 1987 to 1996. Following an eight-year sabbatical, she returned to films in 2003 as a character actor. She died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, purportedly due to Covid-19 complications.  Saranya had tested positive for Covid-19 in then tested negative a few weeks later but a bout of pneumonia and other respiratory issues prolonged her stay at the hospital. As an actress, she was known for Velaiyilla Pattathari (2014), Ennamo Nadakkudhu (2014) and Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010).

22.  Shravan Rathod – Composer

Rathod created some of Bollywood’s most enduring hits of the 1990s, alongside his musical partner Nadeem Saifi. Shravan Rathod was born on November 13, 1954, in Rajasthan, India. He was a composer and actor. The man who created chart-topping soundtracks in films like Aashiqui (1990), Saajan (1991), Pardes and Raja Hindustani, passed away on April 20 from covid-19 complications. The music composer had attended Kumbh Mela a religious ceremony against his son’s advice. Rathod came into the Hindi film music space when it was in flux, and woke up a melody-starved nation with gentle tunes that remain popular to this day.

23.  Aileen Baviera – China Expert

Aileen San Pablo-Baviera was a Filipino political scientist and sinologist. She was one of the leading China experts in her country. As a young university graduate in the Philippines, Aileen Baviera was among the first foreigners to receive a Chinese government scholarship to study in Beijing. She arrived in 1981, five years after the end of the Cultural Revolution and as the country was beginning to open up. Dr. Baviera died on March 21, 2020)  at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila from complications of the coronavirus. She leaves behind a legacy of scholarship, public intellectualism, institution-building and mentorship.

24.  Ken Shimura – Commedian

Throughout his comedy career, Shimura was known for his “Bakatono-sama” character, which was unusual among Japanese comedians, in that he could satirize the deeds of powerful figures (a company president, a politician, a family head, a school principal, the head of a Japanese yakuza gang) under the garb of a foolish king who lived in the country a long time ago. Variously described as “Japan’s Robin Williams,” the country’s television networks heavily covered his death which was deeply mourned in Japan. The famed Japanese comedian died after contracting the novel coronavirus and after suffering pneumonia-like symptoms and passed away on a Sunday night in March 2020.

Read the 25  renowned Japanese artists. Here!

25.  Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini

Ayatollah Ebrahim Amini was an Iranian conservative politician who was a member of the Assembly of Experts. He was also a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and was previously identified as a possible candidate to become the next Iranian Supreme Leader. Ayatollah Amini was a moderate supporter of jurisprudential Islam and a supporter of the maximum ruling term of a Supreme Leader being ten years. Amini was known as a critic of the government of former president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. Amini died in April 2020 at the age of 94, at the Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom.

26.  Sonny Chiba – Martial Arts Actor

Shinichi Chiba, known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. He was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. The Japanese actor and martial arts legend had roles in American films like Kill Bill and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.  Chiba’s career in film and television spanned five decades from the 1960s through the 2010s and he appeared in countless Japanese titles, in addition to some popular American movies. Also, Chiba formed the Japan Action Club, where he trained aspiring martial arts actors and stunt workers. It was confirmed he died in a hospital in Chiba Prefecture, Japan in 2021 following complications from COVID-19.

27.  Pandit Rajan Mishra – Classical Musician

Pandit Rajan Mishra is an Indian celebrity who died of COVID-19 in the second wave. The Indian Classical vocalist Pt Rajan Mishra, of the famous musical duo Rajan-Sajan Mishra, passed away in Delhi, on April 25, 2021, after he developed heart complications along with Covid-19. Rajan Mishra and his younger brother Sajan Mishra were acclaimed artistes of the Banaras Gharana of Hindustani classical music Although they were known for their khayal singing, their repertoire included bhajan, tappa, tarana and thumri. Mishra is survived by his wife and three children, daughter Anju and sons Ritesh and Rajnish, who like their father and uncle, are singers.

28.  Liang Wudong – Doctor

Liang Wudong was a physician at Xinhua Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei, notable for being the first doctor to die from COVID-19 due to a nosocomial infection (A hospital-acquired infection). The Chinese ENT specialist was in Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak and died after treating patients. At the time local hospitals were “flooding” with thousands of patients, and there was not enough protective gear for everybody working. Overworked medical professionals also faced other dangers besides the coronavirus.

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29.  Fatemeh Rahbar – Politician

Fatemeh Rahbar was an Iranian conservative politician who served three terms as a member of the Iranian Parliament representing Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat, and Eslamshahr. Rahbar was elected to serve in the Parliament for a fourth time but died before the start of her term. As a member of parliament, Rahbar served as vice president of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, chair of the Women’s Fraction, and chair of the Media and Art Committee. Rahbar also served as deputy head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation. Her party had won the most seats in a vote that was marred by the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.  Rahbar had gone into a coma due to the virus and died on 7 March 2020 due to complications caused by the disease

 

Famous People from Africa who died from COVID-19

30.  Manu Dibango – Saxophonist

Africa and the world lost a music legend because of covid-19– Emmanuel N’Djoke Dibango, better known as Manu Dibango. The Afro-jazz artiste died on March 24, 2020 after contracting the coronavirus in a Paris hospital where he was being treated for another illness. He played saxophone and vibraphone and developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music. He was best known for his 1972 song Soul Makossa which is said to have influenced Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting’ Something, which was the opening track of the American’s famous 1982 album “Thriller”. Notably, the song was originally written as the anthem of the 1972 African Cup of Nations football tournament that Cameroon hosted.

31.  Zindzi Mandela – Diplomat

Zindziswa “Zindzi” Mandela, also known as Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, was a South African diplomat and poet and the daughter of anti-apartheid activists and politicians Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. She grew up at the height of the fight against white-minority rule with her father imprisoned on Robben Island and endured years of intimidation by the apartheid regime. In February 1985 she read out her father’s rejection of then-President PW Botha’s offer of conditional release from prison at a public meeting. She went on to become an activist in her own right, pushing for radical land reforms.The youngest daughter of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela, she was serving as ambassador to Denmark when she died from Covid-19 in July.

Do you know the most famous people in South Africa? Find Out

32.  Dr. Anastasie Akamba – Doctor

She was the head of a district hospital in the capital Yaounde and also a doctor for the Under-17 national women’s football team. The football federation FECAFOOT in their condolence message described her as a “servant of women’s football.” She died from COVID-19 and fell into respiratory distress for days before succumbing. Her demise exposed the plight of medics on the frontline of the virus fight that continues to beset Africa’s already bogged-down health system

33.  Queen Noloyiso Sandile – Regent

AmaRharhabe Kingdom Queen Regent Noloyiso Sandile died in 2020 of Covid-19 at the age of 56 years. Princess Nomusa kaBhekuzulu was the daughter of the then Zulu King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon and one of his wives, Mavis Zungu, popularly known as Ndlunkulu Gwabini. Her siblings among others include, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, Prince Mbonisi, and Princess Thembi kaBhekuzulu Ndlovu. Nomusa married the Royal House of the AmaRharhabe Monarch Maxhob’ayakhawuleza Sandile. The Sandile family and nation of AmaRharhabe honored her with the name Noloyiso, as she undertook royal duties serving as queen consort. Following the death of her husband in 2011, Noloyiso was appointed as Queen Regent and interim ruler of the AmaRharhabe Kingdom, a position she held until her death in 2020.

Also, Read A Brief History of South Africa.

34.  Pape Diouf – Footballer

Mababa Diouf, known as Papa Diouf or Pape Diouf (1951 – 2020) was a Franco-Senegalese football personality who was a sports journalist, agent for football players and later president of Olympique de Marseille from 2005 to 2009. Pape Diouf organized jubilees (homage tournaments) for players in Africa, including Roger Milla, Eusébio and Boubacar Sarr. After retiring from football he started the idea of becoming an agent for players. His first players under contract were Basile Boli and Joseph-Antoine Bell, both playing at Olympique de Marseille at the time. Later, his clients would include Marcel Desailly, Abedi Pelé, David Sommeil, Marc-Vivien Foé, Frédéric Kanouté, Noureddine Naybet, Didier Drogba, William Gallas and Samir Nasri (since the age of 13).

35.  Geoff Makhubo – Politician

Moloantoa Geoffrey Makhubo was a South African politician who served as the Mayor of Johannesburg from December 2019 until his death from COVID-19 in July 2021. He was a member of the African National Congress and the party’s regional chair. During the administration of Parks Tau, he served as the MMC (Member of the Mayoral Committee) for Finance. He held many senior leadership roles in the African National Congress’s Greater Johannesburg Region. Makhubo died of COVID-19-related complications on 9 July 2021. He had been hospitalised a week prior. The news of the mayor’s death sent shock waves across Johannesburg and prominent people took to social media platforms to send their condolences to the family.

36.  Zororo Makamba – Journalist

He was Zimbabwe’s first coronavirus casualty. Famous for his online social and political commentary, under the banner “State of the Nation” and hosted current affairs programs on ZiFM Stereo and M-Net television affiliate Zambezi Magic. He had myasthenia gravis, a neuro skeletomuscular autoimmune disease and underwent surgery to remove a thymoma gland tumour in November 2019. The journalist was diagnosed with COVID-19 days after returning from New York City and five days after going to a doctor with a cough and fever. He died in Harare on 23rd March 2020. The nation was shocked due to the fact that Makamba came from a wealthy and high profile and could not be saved.

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37.  Aurlus Mabele – Musician

The music star from Congo, nicknamed by his fans “King of Soukous”- a high tempo dance, died in a Parisian hospital of Covid 19 complications aged 67. Born as Aurélien Miatsonama, from Congo-Brazzaville he left the Congo for greener pastures in Europe, he founded the Loketo group in 1986 with Diblo Dibala and Mav Cacharel,. He then created the soukous of which he would be proclaimed “king”. Accompanied by talented guitarists, he made the whole of Africa dance to music with its typical soukous rhythms (Africa Mousso, La Femme ivoirienne, Embargo, Betty, Asta De, Evelyne, Loketo, In his 25 years of career, he sold more than 10 million albums the world over and  contributed to making the soukous known outside the African continent.

38.  Yhombi Opango – Ex President Congo-Brazaville

Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango was a Congolese politician. He was an army officer who became Congo-Brazzaville’s first general and served as Head of State of the People’s Republic of the Congo from 1977 to 1979. He served as President from 1977 to 1979 when he was overthrown by the current president Denis Sassou Nguesso. Consequently, he was thrown into prison for some years and was released in 1991 when the country introduced multi-party democracy. Between 1992 and 1997, he served as Prime Minister under the leadership of Pascal Lissouba, until a civil war broke out in 1997. Following the civil war, the deceased went into exile in France and was allowed to return home 10 years later. Yhombi-Opango, former president of the Republic of the Congo died in a Paris hospital in 2020 after contracting coronavirus.

39.  Prof. Gita Ramjee – HIV Researcher

Professor Ramjee was renowned for her work on finding HIV prevention methods that were conducive to the lifestyles, circumstances and perceived risk factors that South African women face, as well as attempts to find an effective HIV vaccine. He was internationally recognized for her expertise in the field of microbicide research, including receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for HIV Prevention and being honoured with the Outstanding Female Scientist award by the European Development Clinical Trials Partnerships for work in finding new HIV prevention methods. She contracted the virus on a trip to London and arrived back in SA without showing COVID-19 symptoms, but later fell sick and was admitted to a hospital in Durban on the East Coast where she died back in 2020. She was 64.

 

Famous Europeans who died from COVID-19

40.  Hana Horka – Folk Singer

Hana Horka was part of the folk group, Asonance. A folk singer from the Czech Republic has died after deliberately catching Covid, her son has told the BBC. Hana Horka, 57, was unvaccinated and had posted on social media that she was recovering after testing positive, but died two days later. A local anti-vax movement convinced her against vaccination. She voluntarily exposed herself to the virus when her husband and son, both vaccinated, caught it before Christmas, in an effort to natural immunity. Two days before her death, Horka took to social media to say: “I survived … It was intense” but it was not to be.

Get more info on the most Famous Singers from Czech Republic , HERE.

41.  Alexander Thynn – 7th Marquess of Bath

Alexander George Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, styled Viscount Weymouth between 1946 and 1992, was an English peer and landowner, who sat in the House of Lords from 1992 until 1999 and was also an artist and author. He is the eccentric owner of the popular stately home and safari park, Longleat House, complete with resident lions. He became the 7th Marquess of Bath on the death of his father in 1992. The pair had never become reconciled particularly after his father appointed his younger brother, Christopher, to run Longleat. On assuming the title, the new Lord Bath had his brother evicted from the estate. Over the years he amassed a collection of more than 70 girlfriends known as his “wifelets”, many of whom ended up living in cottages on the Longleat estate. The chatelain of Longleat, one of the grandest Tudor mansions in Britain, the Marquess of Bath died aged 87 after contracting Covid-19.

42.  Harry Aarts – Politician

Henricus Johannes Bernardus “Harry” Aarts (9 March 1930 – 25 March 2020) was a Dutch politician. He served in the House of Representatives for the Catholic People’s Party and later the Christian Democratic Appeal from 23 January 1973 until 1 October 1993. He became a member of the House of Representatives for the Catholic People’s Party in 1973. From 1975 to 1978 he served as chair of the commission of interior affairs. When the Catholic People’s Party merged with the Christian Democratic Appeal in 1980 Aarts remained a member. Aarts was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1985. He died on 25 March 2020 in Tilburg of COVID-19.

43.  Dave Egerton – Rugby Player

Dave Egerton, a five-time league winner with Bath and capped seven times by England, dies aged 59 – days after he was admitted to hospital with Covid-19. It takes a special kind of person and a special type of player to be the number eight in any rugby team, let alone somewhere like Bath Rugby. David Egerton was one such man during the eighties and early nineties yielding seven England caps. The charismatic, mobile and prolific number eight averaged something a try every three games between September 1985 and January 1995.

Do you know the 20 Best English Rugby Players of All Time? Click Here.

44.  Ty – Rapper

The English rapper who recorded several acclaimed albums, died of pneumonia as he was being treated for coronavirus. Benedict Okwuchukwu Godwin Chijioke, better known by his stage name Ty, was a Nigerian-British rapper. He released the albums Awkward, Upwards, Closer, Special Kind of Fool and A Work of Heart. Upwards was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Born in London in 1972, the son of Nigerian immigrants, Ty released his first album Awkward in 2001. His talent for storytelling in tracks like The Tale showed off and earned him a cult following. In 2004, Ty’s second album, Upwards, was nominated for the Mercury Prize alongside Amy Winehouse, The Streets and eventual winner Franz Ferdinand.

45.  Brittanya Karma – Performer

Brittanya Karma died of complications of Covid-19 in a Hamburg hospital. The rapper, comedian and social media star was 29. Her real name is Nguyen Tran Phuong Linh. She had 235,000 subscribers on YouTube and 756,000 followers on Facebook. Brittany is known to Vietnamese audiences after she participated in the reality show The Bachelor Vietnam. The comedianne also produced videos on the topic of body shaming, beauty and music videos on YouTube and Facebook. She was loved for her talent, humorous speaking and positive attitude.

Top 10 most Famous Vietnamese People.

46.  Carlos Marín – Member of Quartet Il Divo

Carlos Marín Menchero was a Spanish baritone and a member of the music group Il Divo, which has sold over 28 million records worldwide. Il Divo was formed in 2003 by Simon Cowell for his Sony Music Synco Label as a new generation quartet delivering covers of songs halfway between opera and pop. The singers came from over the world: Urs Bühler was a Swiss tenor, Marín a German-born Spaniard, David Miller an American tenor, Sébastien Izambard a French pop singer. The ever-smiling and sharply dressed baritone had been hospitalized in December 2021 in the Intensive Care Unit of the Manchester Royal Hospital while on tour in the U.K.

Read here about Top 10 famous Spanish people here.

47.  Linda de Suza

Teolinda Joaquina de Sousa Lança, better known as Linda de Suza, was a Portuguese Lusophone and Francophone singer and best-selling author. She was described by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as “a French icon of Portuguese migration. The popular Portuguese singer died from COVID-19 in a hospital in Gisors Normandy in northern France after being transferred there due to “respiratory failure. The unfortunate news threw the world of music in Brazil, France and the world, into mourning, since a remarkable artist lost her life.  She sang fado, folk, ballads and popular songs in both French and Portuguese and was nicknamed “Amália of France” after Amália Rodrigues, to whom she paid tribute in her song “Amália” because Amália Rodrigues, known as “Rainha do Fado” (“Queen of Fado”).

48.  Lucia Bose

Lucia Bose was was an Italian actress born in Milan to Francesca Borloni and Domenico Bose. After a number of years working in a bakery, Pasticceria Galli, in her native city, in 1947 she won the second edition of the Miss Italia beauty contest.  Her work was much admired in two landmark films of the 1950s: Michelangelo Antonioni’s first feature, Cronaca di un Amore (Story of a Love Affair, 1950), and Juan Antonio Bardem’s Muerte de un Ciclista (Death of a Cyclist, 1955). Her career flourished until 1955 when she fell in love with Spanish bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín during the filming of Muerte de un ciclista and gave up acting to marry and raise a family. The couple married twice, first on 1 March 1955 in Las Vegas and then on 19 October of that year, in a Catholic ceremony at the family estate or finca. The Italian actress has died on 23^rd  March 2020 aged 89, having contracted coronavirus.

49.  Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff

Igor Yourievitch Bogdanoff and Gregoire “Grichka” Yourievitch Bogdanoff were French twin television presenters and producers who, presented various subjects in science fiction, popular science and cosmology. The famous twins were inseparable in life, and in death. The Bogdanov brothers were born in 1949 in the small village of Saint-Lary, in the Gascony region of southwest France. The brothers each studied applied mathematics in Paris, but then began careers in television, hosting several popular programs on science and science fiction. They had refused to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, believing their good health would save them, but were admitted to a hospital on the same day.

 

Famous South Americans who died from COVID-19

50.  Glider Ushnahua – Politician

Glider Agustín Ushñahua Huasanga was a Peruvian Fujimorist politician who served as a Congressman, representing the Department of Ucayali between 2016 and 2019. According to a video posted on the Face to Face page, he was denied care at the Pucallpa Regional Hospital and the Yarinacocha Amazon Hospital. After that, he went to the EsSalud Hospital in the city, where he finally died. In the video, the former congressman stated that he has difficulty breathing and the policeman on guard at the entrance to the Amazon Hospital insisted that they did not have oxygen. The death of Ushnahua occurred at the EsSalud Hospital in Pucallpa.

51.  Diego Verdaguer – Singer/Songwriter

Argentine singer-songwriter Diego Verdaguer, the crooner of romantic hits such as Corazon de papel, Yo te amo and Volvere  that sold almost 50 million copies died of complications from COVID-19.  A versatile artist, who easily navigated from romantic ballads to cumbia gems to ranchera music, Verdaguer’s Mexicano Hasta Las Pampas album received a Latin Grammy nomination in 2009. Its sequel album, Mexicano Hasta Las Pampas 2, also received the best ranchero album nomination in 2015. The multiple Latin Grammy nominee was married to fellow Argentinesinger Amanda Miguel. In 2019, Verdaguer was recognized by the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers with a special award for his 50-year career.

52.  Augusto Iturburu – Journalist

Augusto Itúrburu Carabajo was an Ecuadorian teacher and sports journalist, known to his colleagues with the surname Tururu; he worked for the newspaper El Telegrafo. He studied journalism at the Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte in Guayaquil, where he later taught and where in 2011 he founded the university’s radio station, Radio Laica. Starting on 12 March 2020, Iturburu began to show symptoms related to COVID-19; he sought medical help and was prescribed antibiotics, but his condition did not improve. He was admitted for respiratory complications at IESS Hospital Los Ceibos on 23 March and obtained the results of the test, which came back positive, when he was already in serious condition. He died on 15 April 2020, due to complications of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, at the age of 40.

Discover the 10 most famous Ecuadorian football players.

53.  Ricardo Brennand – Businessman

Ricardo Coimbra de Almeida Brennand was a Brazilian businessman, engineer and art collector in the state of Pernambuco. In 2002 he founded the Ricardo Brennand Institute, which includes the world’s largest private collection of Frans Post paintings. The Ricardo Brennand Institute is a cultural institution located in the city of Recife, Brazil. It is a not-for-profit private organization that comprises a museum, an art gallery, a library and a large park. His life as a collector started at age 12 with the gift of a pocketknife from his father it sparked his passion to amass thousands of antique weapons, pieces of armour, clocks, keys and a trove of art and artefacts from Brazil’s colonial era. Brennand died on 25 April 2020, aged 92, at Real Hospital Portugues in Recife, due to complications from COVID-19.

54.  Miqueias Fernandes – Politician

Miqueias Matias Fernandes, simply known as Miqueias Fernandes, was a Brazilian Politician, Lawyer and Pastor from the State of Roraima who represented the State of Amazonas politically. He passed on in April 2020, due to complications brought on by COVID-19. Before pursuing a career in politics, Fernandes worked as a Lawyer and also as a Pastor, just like his father. In the 1994 elections, he has re-elected a State Deputy. His second tenure went from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, Fernandes was re-elected for his third and last term as a State Deputy. This time he remained from 1998 to 2002. After his last term as a State Deputy, Fernandes retired from politics and resumed practising law and preaching at his church. He is survived by his wife  Helen Fernandes, three daughters and one son.

55.  Aldir Blanc Mendes – Composer

Aldir Blanc Mendes was a Brazilian author and lyricist. He co-composed many songs with singer-songwriter João Bosco, guitarist Guinga and others. Initially he wanted to be a doctor but ended up studying psychiatry in Rio de Janeiro. While in university he dabbled in music and in 1970 he had a chance encounter with a guitarist named Joao Bosco that changed the course of his life. The meeting led to a collaboration that would reimagine the boundaries of samba and help turn Mr. Blanc into one of the most revered lyricists of his generation. Mr. Blanc died on May 4 2020 at a hospital in Rio. He was 73. His stepdaughter Patrícia de Sá Freire Ferreira said the cause was Covid-19.

56.  Joao Kabecao – Skateboarder

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Kabecao was among the most famous skateboarders in Brazil, mainly known for his sessions at the Urquinha mini-track, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. In 1989, he won a stage of the professional Brazilian Skate Circuit as an amateur skateboarder, being the first to achieve this feat. The victory in this event earned the opportunity to launch a pro-model and the invitation to participate in the 1990 Itau Skate Cup, an event on the beach of Ipanema that featured the participation of Mark Gonzales among its highlights. He retired from the public scene and lived the last years of his life in the city of Buzios, where he worked as a teacher of jiu-jitsu. Kabecao died on 5 May 2020, aged 47, of COVID-19.

57.  Ciro Pessoa – Singer

Ciro Pessoa Mendes Correa  AKA by his Dharma name Tenzin Chöpel, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, screenwriter, journalist and poet, famous for being one of the founding members of the influential rock band Titas and for his later work with pioneering post-punk/gothic rock band Cabine C. He also formed numerous other short-lived and lesser known projects throughout the early to mid-1990s before beginning a solo career in 2003. When he was seven years old, he learned how to play the classical guitar. At the age of 12, he began to perform in music festivals around the city. On 5 May 2020, Pessoa died after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil while being treated for cancer.

 

Famous People who died from Covid – Australia & NewZealand

58.  James Kwan – Tourism Industry Pioneer

James Kwan was a pioneer in the tourism industry. Mr. Kwan contracted the virus on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship. West Australian tourism business operator James Kwan was the first Australian to die from COVID-19. He is remembered as an industry pioneer who helped to develop tourism to Australia from many Asian markets. He founded Western Australia-based inbound travel agent Wel-Travel in 1988, which later expanded nationally. James was always willing to share his knowledge and help others in the industry grow. He also mentored young and aspiring members of the tourism industry.

Take a look at 10 most famous Australian Prime Ministers.

59.  Glenn Wheatley – Musician

 

Glenn Wheatley, the former musician who earned a place in the ARIA Hall of Fame with The Masters Apprentices before pivoting into artist management, whereupon he guided some of Australia’s most successful recording artists, including John Farnham, Little River Band and Delta Goodrem. The Queensland-born Wheatley was bassist for the Masters Apprentices in the 1960s, playing on the hits Turn Up Your Radio and Because I Love You. He established the Wheatley Organisation in 1975 and became manager of Little River Band. Wheatley mortgaged his house to bankroll Farnham’s 1986 comeback album Whispering Jack, which topped the charts for 25 weeks and went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums in Australia. The renowned Australian music manager died at the age of 74, after being hospitalised with Covid-19.

60.  Joe Williams – Politician

Joseph Williams QSO (4 October 1934 – 4 September 2020) was a Cook Islands politician and physician who served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands for four months in 1999. He is credited with having worked to prevent the spread of the tropical disease lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis). He principally resided in Auckland, New Zealand, where he was medical director of the Mt Wellington Integrated Family Health Centre. Williams was first elected to the Cook Islands Parliament as a Cook Islands Party candidate for the electorate of Aitutaki in the 1968 election. He served as Minister of Health and Education from 1974 to 1978 in the government of Albert Henry {Founding Premier Cook Island) as well as being his personal physician.