In the year 1997
722 Notable deaths
Melvin Calvin
American biochemist (1911–1997).
Born April 8th, 1911 in Saint Paul.
Died January 8th, 1997 at 85 years old in Berkeley (heart failure).
Olga Georges-Picot
French actress (1940-1997).
Born January 6th, 1940 in Shanghai.
Died June 19th, 1997 at 57 years old in 9th arrondissement of Paris (falling).
Son Sen
Cambodian politician (1930-1997).
Born June 12th, 1930 in Trà Vinh.
Died June 10th, 1997 at 66 years old in Anlong Veng District (summary execution). [ref]
Dharamvir Bharati
Writer, novelist (1926–1997).
Born December 25th, 1926 in Prayagraj.
Died September 4th, 1997 at 70 years old in Mumbai.
Henry Vestine
American guitarist (1944–1997).
Born December 25th, 1944 in Washington, D.C..
Died October 20th, 1997 at 52 years old in Gonesse (myocardial infarction).
Richard Warwick
British actor (1945-1997).
Born April 29th, 1945 in England.
Died December 16th, 1997 at 52 years old in St John's Wood (death from AIDS-related complications).
Feng-Shan Ho
Chinese diplomat whose actions during the second world war earned him the title "righteous among the nations" (1901–1997).
Born September 10th, 1901 in Yiyang prefecture.
Died September 28th, 1997 at 96 years old in San Francisco (disease).
Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
Vice president of nigeria (1943–1997).
Born March 5th, 1943 in Katsina.
Died December 8th, 1997 at 54 years old
Michael Dorris
American fiction writer, essayist, memoirist (1945–1997).
Born January 30th, 1945 in Louisville.
Died April 10th, 1997 at 52 years old in Concord (intoxication).
Helene Hanff
American screenwriter and writer (1916-1997).
Born April 15th, 1916 in Philadelphia.
Died April 9th, 1997 at 80 years old in New York City (diabetes).
Eric Gairy
Prime minister of grenada (1922-1997).
Born February 18th, 1922 in Dunfermline.
Died August 23rd, 1997 at 75 years old in Grand Anse.
Edward Mills Purcell
American physicist (1912-1997).
Born August 30th, 1912 in Taylorville.
Died March 7th, 1997 at 84 years old in Cambridge.
Simone Duvalier
Wife of haitian dictator (1913–1997).
Born March 13th, 1913 in Port-au-Prince.
Died December 26th, 1997 at 84 years old in Saint-Cloud.
Luther Allison
American blues guitarist (1939–1997).
Born August 17th, 1939 in Mayflower, Widener.
Died August 12th, 1997 at 57 years old in Madison (lung cancer).
Miguel Najdorf
Polish-argentine chess player (1910-1997).
Born April 15th, 1910 in Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
Died July 4th, 1997 at 87 years old in Málaga.
Roger Brown
American basketball player (1942-1997).
Born May 22nd, 1942 in Brooklyn.
Died March 4th, 1997 at 54 years old in Indianapolis (liver cancer).
Roland Topor
French writer, screenwriter, actor and painter (1938-1997).
Born January 7th, 1938 in 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
Died April 16th, 1997 at 59 years old in 13th arrondissement of Paris (cerebral hemorrhage).
Norio Nagayama
Japanese writer and murderer (1949–1997).
Born June 27th, 1949 in Abashiri.
Died August 1st, 1997 at 48 years old in Tokyo Detention House (hanging to death).
Alberto Rivera
Spanish activist (1935-1997).
Born September 19th, 1935 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Died June 20th, 1997 at 61 years old in Broken Arrow (colorectal cancer).
Denise Levertov
British-american poet (1923-1997).
Born October 24th, 1923 in Ilford.
Died December 20th, 1997 at 74 years old in Seattle.
Bulat Okudzhava
Soviet and russian writer and singer (1924-1997).
Born May 9th, 1924 in Moscow. [ref]
Died June 12th, 1997 at 73 years old in Clamart.
Yevgeny Khaldei
Soviet photographer (1917–1997).
Born March 23rd, 1916 in Donetsk. [ref]
Died October 6th, 1997 at 81 years old in Moscow.
Robert Clouse
American film director (1928–1997).
Born March 6th, 1928 in Wisconsin.
Died February 4th, 1997 at 68 years old in Ashland (kidney failure).
John Eccles
Australian neurophysiologist (1903–1997).
Born January 27th, 1903 in Melbourne.
Died May 2nd, 1997 at 94 years old in Tenero-Contra.
Yuri Nikulin
Soviet and russian actor and clown (1921-1997).
Born December 18th, 1921 in Demidov.
Died August 21st, 1997 at 75 years old in Moscow (heart failure).
Deaths 176 to 200 of 722
When we finally know we are dying, and all other sentient beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of the fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all beings. Sogyal Rinpoche