Welcome! Check out today's deaths, recent deaths, or our deaths stats.
Feeling experimental? Head on over to our newest (and darkest) feature: Next-2-Die™ predictions
In the year 1997
656 Notable deaths
Helene Hanff
Screenwriter, writer (1916-1997).
Born April 15th, 1916 in Philadelphia. [ref]
Died April 9th, 1997 at 80 years old in New York City (diabetes). [ref]
Dharamvir Bharati
Writer, novelist (1926–1997).
Born December 25th, 1926 in Prayagraj.
Died September 4th, 1997 at 70 years old in Mumbai.
Edward Mills Purcell
American physicist (1912-1997).
Born August 30th, 1912 in Taylorville.
Died March 7th, 1997 at 84 years old in Cambridge.
Luther Allison
American blues guitarist (1939-1997).
Born August 17th, 1939 in Widener. [ref]
Died August 12th, 1997 at 57 years old in Madison (lung cancer). [ref]
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.
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.
Miguel Najdorf
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).
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).
Deaths 181 to 190 of 656
Death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent, it clears out the old to make way for the new. Steve Jobs