Dead People Server
Celebrities and Notable People Who Died in the Year 2003
Dead People Server Sitemap
2002 * * 2004
January
Sydney Omarr (astrologer) -- Dead. Pneumonia/Multiple Sclerosis. Died January 2, 2003. Born August 5, 1926. Wrote columns, books and cast horoscopes for various celebrities Obituary
Roy Jenkins (politician/writer) -- Dead. Died January 5, 2003. Born 1920. Liberal home secretary in the '60s, a founder of the Social Democrats in 1981, author of a well-received biography of Winston Churchill Obituary
Jean Kerr
(writer) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died January 5, 2003.
Born July 10, 1922. Wrote Please Don't Eat the Daisies and Mary, Mary
IBDB IMDb
Obituary
Maurice Gibb
(singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Heart attack/intestinal blockage. Died January 12, 2003.
Born December 22, 1949. Part of the Bee Gees (the one with the
hat), briefly married to Lulu in
the early '70s, Saturday Night Fever.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
FindAGrave
Richard Crenna (actor) -- Dead. Pancreatic cancer. Died January 17, 2003. Born November 30, 1927. Actor on many TV shows (The Real McCoys), Rambo's colonel IMDb
Nedra Volz (actress) -- Dead. Alzheimer's. Died January 20, 2003. Born June 18, 1908. Adelaide Brubaker on Diff'rent Strokes, IMDb
Al Hirschfeld
(cartoonist) -- Dead. Died January 20, 2003.
Born June 21, 1903. IMDb
Bill Mauldin
(cartoonist) -- Dead. Alzheimer's/pneumonia. Died January 22, 2003.
Born October 29, 1921. Drew cartoons about WWII Army grunts, Willie and Joe Obituary IMDb
Nell Carter (actress) -- Dead. Probable effects of diabetes. Died January 23, 2003. Born September 13, 1948. Broadway's Ain't Misbehavin' and later on Gimme a Break, and like Wilford Brimley, sold diabetic supplies Obituary IMDb
February
Michael Anderson
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born December 25, 1959. Payload specialist
on the Columbia
David Brown
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born April 16, 1956. Mission specialist
on the Columbia
Kalpana Chawla
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born July 1, 1961. First Asian Indian woman in space, payload specialist on the Columbia
Laurel Clark
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born October 3, 1961. Physician for the Columbia mission
Rick Husband
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born July 12, 1957. Commander of the
Columbia
William McCool
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born September 23, 1961. Columbia pilot
Ilan Ramon
(Columbia (STS-107) astronaut) -- Dead. Shuttle break-up. Died February 1, 2003.
Born June 20, 1954. Pilot who participated in the bombing of an Iraqi nuclear plant in the '80s, was the first Israeli in space
Lana Clarkson
(actress) -- Dead. Murder by gun. Died February 3, 2003. Born April 5, 1962. Amazon Women on the Moon, many bit parts in movies and on TV, shot by Phil Spector, who was convicted of her murder in 2009.
IMDb
Obituary
FindAGrave
Johnny Paycheck (singer) -- Dead. Emphysema. Died February 18, 2003. Born May 31, 1937. Singer of the hit song "Take This Job and Shove It" IMDb
Fred Rogers
(writer/actor/minister/musician) -- Dead. Stomach cancer. Died February 27, 2003.
Born March 20, 1928. Mister Rogers has left the neighborhood... IMDb
March
Horst Buchholz (actor) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died March 3, 2003. Born December 4, 1933. The Magnificent SevenIMDb
Howard Fast (novelist) -- Dead. Died March 12, 2003. Born November 11, 1914. Wrote Spartacus, was blacklisted for his radical activities Obituary IMDb
Lynne Thigpen (actress) -- Dead. Died March 12, 2003. Born December 22, 1948. Maybe best known for playing the Chief on Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, she was starring on The District at the time of her sudden death IMDb
Paul Zindel
(playwright/YA author) -- Dead. Cancer. Died March 27, 2003.
Born May 16, 1936. Wrote the play The Effects of
Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and best-selling
YA My Darling, My Hamburger Obituary IMDb
Carlo Urbani (WHO doctor) -- Dead. SARS. Died March 29, 2003. Born 1956. Italian doctor who worked to identify SARS and treated the businessman who spread it outside of China in February 2003; served as president of the Italian branch of "Doctors without Borders" Obituary
Michael Jeter (actor) -- Dead. Probably AIDS-related. Died March 30, 2003. Born August 26, 1952. Versatile actor who won a Tony for Grand Hotel and an Emmy for Evening Shade; was shooting The Polar Express at the time of his sudden death Obituary IMDb
April
Michael Kelly (journalist) -- Dead. Humvee accident. Died April 3, 2003. Born 1956. Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large, formerly of The New Republic, killed in an accident in Iraq
David Bloom (TV journalist) -- Dead. Pulmonary embolism. Died April 6, 2003. Born 1963. Today newscaster who died in Iraq of non-war-related causes. IMDb
Graham Jarvis (actor) -- Dead. Multiple myeloma. Died April 16, 2003. Born August 25, 1930. Actor in many TV shows, may be best-remembered for Charles Jackson in Seventh Heaven IMDb
Robert Atkins
(diet doctor) -- Dead. Complications of a fall. Died April 17, 2003.
Born October 17, 1930. Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution
Nina Simone
(singer) -- Dead. Died April 21, 2003.
Born February 21, 1933. "I Put a Spell on You" IMDb
Felice Bryant
(Songwriter) -- Dead. Cancer. Died April 22, 2003.
Born August 7, 1925. Co-wrote many songs with
Boudleaux, including
"Wake Up, Little Susie"
IMDb
May
Suzy Parker (model) -- Dead. Died May 3, 2003. Born October 28, 1932. Elegant model of the '50s and '60s, married Bradford Dillman in 1963 IMDb
Wendy Hiller (actress) -- Dead. . Died May 14, 2003. Born August 15, 1912. Wonderful character actress who played Eliza Doolittle in the original Pygmalion IMDb
Robert Stack
(actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died May 14, 2003.
Born January 13, 1919. TV's Eliot Ness, longtime host of Unsolved Mysteries IMDb
June Carter Cash
(singer/actress) -- Dead. Complications of heart surgery. Died May 15, 2003.
Born June 23, 1929. Married to Johnny Cash, appeared in The Apostle, first wife of
Carl Smith. IMDb
Rachel Kempson (actress) -- Dead. Died May 24, 2003. Born May 28, 1910. Married to Michael Redgrave for fifty years, mother of Vanessa, Lynn and Corin Redgrave, mostly a theater actress, she played Lady Manners in Jewel in the Crown and Kat Ashley in Elizabeth R IMDb
Martha Scott (actress) -- Dead. Died May 28, 2003. Born September 22, 1914. Emily in the first filmed Our Town, Miriam in Ben Hur IMDb
DeVon "Robot Man" Smith (world champion hitchhiker) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died May 30, 2003. Born April 8, 1926. A character who created robot and flying saucer art and hitchhiked over 200,000 miles
June
Trevor Goddard (actor/boxer) -- Dead. Multiple drug intoxication. Died June 7, 2003. Born October 14, 1962. JAG, many bit parts including Pirates of the Caribbean. IMDb
David Brinkley (TV journalist) -- Dead. Complications of a fall. Died June 11, 2003. Born July 10, 1920. Longtime news anchor for NBC "Good night, Chet," later a journalist and commentator for ABC IMDb
William Marshall (actor) -- Dead. Alzheimer's. Died June 11, 2003. Born August 19, 1924. From Blacula to Pee Wee's Playhouse, with a short stop in a Star Trek as the memorable Dr. Richard Daystrom in "The Ultimate Computer" IMDb
Gregory Peck
(actor) -- Dead. Died June 12, 2003.
Born April 5, 1916. Won the Best Actor Oscar for one of the best movies ever, To Kill a Mockingbird; named the AFI's Top Movie Hero the week before he died IMDb
Hume Cronyn (actor) -- Dead. Prostate cancer. Died June 15, 2003. Born July 18, 1911. Cocoon, Lifeboat, married to the talented Jessica Tandy until her death, later married the playwright Susan Cooper IMDb
Carol Shields
(author) -- Dead. Breast cancer. Died June 16, 2003.
Born June 2, 1935. Won the Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries in 1993
IMDb
Leon Uris (writer) -- Dead. Died June 21, 2003. Born August 3, 1924. Exodus and Trinity IMDb
Maynard Jackson (lawyer/mayor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died June 23, 2003. Born 1938. First black mayor of Atlanta
Strom Thurmond
(politician) -- Dead. Extreme old age. Died June 26, 2003.
Born December 5, 1902. Long-serving senator, moderated slighted from segregationist views, but ample evidence that voters in the Carolinas operated on auto-pilot (like the ones in Florida...)
Buddy Hackett (comedian/actor) -- Dead. Died June 29, 2003. Born August 31, 1924. The Music Man and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World IMDb
Katharine Hepburn (actress) -- Dead. Died June 29, 2003. Born May 12, 1907. Lion in Winter, Desk Set and many classic flicks, won four Academy Awards IMDb
Robert McCloskey (writer/illustrator) -- Dead. Died June 30, 2003. Born September 14, 1914. Make Way for Ducklings
July
Herbie Mann
(flutist) -- Dead. Prostate cancer. Died July 1, 2003.
Born April 16, 1930. Performer/composer who put the "fusion" in jazz by combining Carribean and African rhythms Obituary IMDb
N!xau (bushman/actor) -- Dead. Died July 1, 2003. Born 1944. The unlikely star of The Gods Must Be Crazy IMDb
Barry White (man with velvet voice) -- Dead. High blood pressure/kidney failure. Died July 4, 2003. Born September 12, 1944. Barry White's Greatest Hits, "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" IMDb
Buddy Ebsen (actor/dancer) -- Dead. Died July 6, 2003. Born April 2, 1908. Well-known as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, but was first-cast as the Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz before a make-up allergy forced him out IMDb
Celia Cruz (singer/actress) -- Dead. Brain cancer. Died July 16, 2003. Born October 21, 1925. Cuban salsa singer IMDb
John Schlesinger (director) -- Dead. After-effects of a stroke. Died July 25, 2003. Born February 16, 1926. Directed a range of offbeat films from Midnight Cowboy to Cold Comfort Farm IMDb
Bob Hope
(comedian) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died July 27, 2003.
Born May 29, 1903. Retired comic, world traveler, golfer, made it past 100! IMDb
Obituary
FindAGrave
Sam Phillips
(entreprenuer/DJ) -- Dead. Died July 30, 2003.
Born January 5, 1923. Started Sun Records, signed BB King, Ike Turner, Elvis and Johnny Cash to record contracts
IMDb
August
Gregory Hines (dancer/actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died August 9, 2003. Born February 14, 1946. Won a Tony for Jelly's Last Jam, starred as a dancer in many movies, like White Nights IMDb
Roy Neal (TV journalist) -- Dead. After heart surgery. Died August 15, 2003. Born 1921. NASA correspondent Obituary
Charles Bronson (tough actor) -- Dead. Pneumonia/Alzheimer's. Died August 30, 2003. Born November 3, 1921. Made many movies, including five Death Wish movies, married to Jill Ireland until her death in 1990. IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
September
Rand Brooks (actor/businessman) -- Dead. Cancer. Died September 1, 2003. Born September 21, 1918. Played Charles Hamilton, Scarlett's first husband in Gone With the Wind, later started a major ambulance service in California IMDb
Gisele MacKenzie
(singer, actress) -- Dead. Colon cancer. Died September 5, 2003.
Born January 10, 1927. Your Hit Parade IMDb
Warren Zevon
(singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died September 7, 2003.
Born January 24, 1946.
"Werewolves of London," diagnosed with inoperable cancer in late 2002, but outlived his doctor's prediction by about six months and produced one last album The Wind IMDb
Leni Riefenstahl (director) -- Dead. Extreme old age. Died September 8, 2003. Born August 22, 1902. Hitler's documentary director. IMDb
Larry Hovis (actor/teacher) -- Dead. Cancer. Died September 9, 2003. Born February 20, 1936. Carter on Hogan's Heroes, acting professor later in life IMDb
Edward Teller (scientist) -- Dead. Stroke. Died September 9, 2003. Born January 15, 1908. "The father of the H-bomb"
Anna Lindh (Swedish politician) -- Dead. Murdered (stabbed by assassin). Died September 11, 2003. Born June 19, 1957. Swedish foreign minister who was a likely candidate for Prime Minister at the time of her murder
John Ritter (actor/comic) -- Dead. Torn aorta (see Richard Biggs). Died September 11, 2003. Born September 17, 1948. Collapsed on the set of his last series 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, mostly known for many TV movies and the '70s classic Three's Company IMDb
Johnny Cash
(man-in-black) -- Dead. Complications of diabetes and lung ailments. Died September 12, 2003.
Born February 26, 1932. Country singer and songwriter, married to singer June Carter Cash for over 30 years. Had many health problems, but outlived his wife by several months. IMDb
Sheb Wooley (singer/actor) -- Dead. Leukemia. Died September 16, 2003. Born April 10, 1921. While most-known as a one-hit wonder for "One-eyed, One-horn Flying Purple People Eater," he was a country western singer and character actor in Western IMDb
Stanley Fafara (kid actor) -- Dead. After-effects of surgery and drug abuse. Died September 20, 2003. Born September 20, 1950. Starred as Whitey on Leave It to Beaver, but then spent many years as an addict before recovering a few years ago. IMDb
Gordon Jump (actor) -- Dead. Pulmonary fibrosis. Died September 22, 2003. Born April 1, 1932. WKRP and the '90s Maytag repairman IMDb
Herb Gardner (writer) -- Dead. Lung disease. Died September 24, 2003. Born December 28, 1934. A Thousand Clowns IBDB IMDb
George Plimpton
(writer/adventurer/actor) -- Dead. Died September 25, 2003.
Born March 18, 1927. Wrote many books, founded The Paris Review and led
a very interesting life. IMDb
Robert Palmer (resistable performer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died September 25, 2003. Born January 19, 1949. Responsible for '80s dance tune "Addicted to Love." IMDb
Donald O'Connor
(actor/dancer) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died September 27, 2003.
Born August 28, 1925. Cosmo in Singing in the Rain and later the friend of Francis the talking mule, he was in show business for 77 years. His family reports one of his deathbed quotes was
"I'd like to thank the Academy for my lifetime achievement award that I will eventually get."
IMDb
Althea Gibson
(tennis/golf great) -- Dead. Died September 28, 2003.
Born August 25, 1927. First black woman to win Wimbledon IMDb
Elia Kazan
(director) -- Dead. Died September 28, 2003.
Born September 7, 1909. On the Waterfront and many other great pictures, controversial for his naming of names during the McCarthy era IMDb
John Hawkesworth (producer/writer) -- Dead. Died September 30, 2003. Born December 7, 1920. Producer of Upstairs, Downstairs and Dutchess of Duke StreetIMDb
October
William Steig (cartoonist/writer) -- Dead.. Died October 3, 2003.
Born November 14, 1907. New Yorker cartoonist who later turned to writing children's books, including Shrek! IMDb
Florence Stanley (actress) -- Dead. Stroke. Died October 3, 2003. Born July 1, 1924. Mrs. Fish on Barney Miller IMDb
Timothy Treadwell
(eco-warrior) -- Dead. Bear attack. Died October 6, 2003. Born April 29, 1957. Posthumously starred in Grizzly Man, wrote Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska.
IMDb
Obituary
Joan Kroc (philanthropist/former baseball team owner) -- Dead. Brain cancer. Died October 12, 2003. Born August 27, 1928. Started Peace Institutes at several universities, large donor to the Ronald McDonald House Charity, bequeathed $200,000,000 to NPR
Willie Shoemaker
(jockey) -- Dead. Died October 12, 2003.
Born August 19, 1931. Winning jockey from the '50s-'80s, paralyzed in a car crash after his retirement
Elizabeth
"Ma Pampo" Israel
(for a time, may have been older person than the "offcial" oldest person) -- Dead. Died October 14, 2003.
Born January 27, 1875. One of several centenarians in the Dominican Republic; not validated by Guinness Book of World Records, but...
Jack Elam (actor) -- Dead. Died October 20, 2003. Born November 13, 1918. Mostly played villanous cowboys in movies like Rawhide IMDb
Fred Berry (comic) -- Dead. Died October 21, 2003. Born March 13, 1951. Rerun on Whats Happening IMDb
Elliott Smith
(singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Suicide. Died October 21, 2003.
Born August 6, 1969. Nominated for an Oscar
for
"Miss Misery"
for Good Will Hunting IMDb
Madame Chiang Kai-shek (more-than-just-a-political-widow) -- Dead. Died October 23, 2003. Born March 5, 1898.
Rod Roddy (announcer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died October 27, 2003. Born September 18, 1937. Called out "Come on Down!" for The Price Is Right and recapped the events of each episode for Soap IMDb
Hal Clement
(science fiction writer/chemistry teacher/educator) -- Dead. Died October 29, 2003.
Born May 30, 1922. Wrote classic hard SF books like Mission of Gravity, taught high school chemistry for many years (under his birth name of Harry Stubbs), panelist par excellence at many science fiction conventions
Donations in Harry's memory may be made to
Joslin Diabetes Development
Office or St. Michael's Episcopal Church,
112 Randolph Ave, Milton MA 02186.
Franco Corelli (opera singer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died October 29, 2003. Born April 8, 1921. Italian opera star who made his Met debut the same night as Leontyne Price IMDb
Kamato Hongo (old man) -- Dead. Died October 31, 2003. Born 1887. World's oldest well-documented person for almost four years
November
Bobby Hatfield
(singer) -- Dead. Died November 5, 2003.
Born August 10, 1940. Heart attack and cocaine. One of the Righteous Brothers, famous for "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' IMDb
Art Carney (actor) -- Dead. Died November 9, 2003. Born November 4, 1918. Starred in Harry and Tonto, Going in Style and played Ed in The Honeymooners IMDb
Irv Kupcinet
(columnist) -- Dead. Pneumonia. Died November 10, 2003.
Born July 31, 1912. Longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times Obituary
Jonathan Brandis (actor) -- Dead. Apparent suicide (hanging). Died November 12, 2003. Born April 13, 1976. The kid on Seaquest, appeared with Tobey Maguire in Ride with the Devil IMDb
Penny Singleton (actress/labor activist) -- Dead. Died November 12, 2003. Born September 15, 1908. Blondie, later a union organizer who led the Rockettes on their first strike in 1966, sister of Barney McNulty IMDb
Kellie Waymire (actress) -- Dead. Cardiac arrhythmia. Died November 13, 2003. Born July 27, 1967. Melissa on Six Feet Under, Elizabeth Cutler on Enterprise, Make memorial contributions to: Kellie Waymire Scholarship Fund through the UC San Diego Foundation, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093. IMDb FindAGrave
Gene Anthony Ray (dancer/actor) -- Dead. Stroke/AIDS. Died November 14, 2003. Born May 24, 1962. Fame IMDb
Dorothy Loudon (actress) -- Dead. Died November 15, 2003. Born September 17, 1933. The first Miss Hannigan in the Broadway production of Annie IBDB IMDb
Laurence Tisch (entrepreneur/philanthropist) -- Dead. Cancer. Died November 15, 2003. Born 1923. At varying times, president of CBS and Loews Theatres, gave lots of money to NYU
Don Gibson (songwriter/singer) -- Dead. Died November 17, 2003. Born April 3, 1928. Wrote songs like "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Oh Lonesome Me" IMDb
Michael Kamen (composer) -- Dead. Heart attack/Complications of Multiple Sclerosis. Died November 18, 2003. Born April 15, 1948. Wrote scores for movies like Brazil and X-Men IMDb
Gertrude Ederle (swimming celebrity/teacher) -- Dead. Died November 30, 2003. Born October 23, 1906. First woman (and fifth person) to swim the English Channel (on August 6, 1926), her record-breaking time stood for 24 years. Obituary IMDb
December
David Hemmings (actor/durectir) -- Dead. Died December 4, 2003. Born November 18, 1941. Most famous as the photographer in Blow Up, he also directed lots of American TV and was a famous boy soprano as a child IMDb
Jeanne Crain (actress) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 14, 2003. Born May 25, 1925. Many movies in the 40s and 50s including An Apartment for Peggy, had seven children IMDb
Jenifer Estess (activist/producer) -- Dead. A.L.S.. Died December 16, 2003. Born February 17, 1963. Theater producer who founded Project A.L.S with her sisters after she was diagnosed with the illness IMDb
Madlyn Rhue (actress) -- Dead. Pneumonia/multiple sclerosis. Died December 16, 2003. Born October 3, 1934. Many bit parts on TV, may be best-known as Lt. McGivers on the "Space Seed" episode of Star Trek Make memorial contributions to: Motion Picture and Television Fund IMDb
Hope Lange
(actress) -- Dead. Ischemic colitis. Died December 19, 2003.
Born November 28, 1933. In the movie version of Peyton Place and the TV version of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, met her first husband Don Murray while filming Bus Stop
IMDb
Obituary
Les Tremayne
(cartoon voice/bit player) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died December 19, 2003. Born April 16, 1913. Mentor in Shazaam.
IBDB
IMDb
FindAGrave
Alan Bates
(actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died December 27, 2003. Born February 17, 1934. British actor (easy to confuse with his contemporary Oliver Reed) who starred in The Entertainer, King of Hearts Women in Love and the Gibson Hamlet, completed the mini-series Spartacus, which was broadcast posthumously.
IBDB
IMDb
Obituary
FindAGrave
Helen Kleeb (actress) -- Dead. Died December 28, 2003. Born January 6, 1907. Miss Mamie Baldwin on The Waltons. IMDb FindAGrave
Earl Hindman (voice with hat) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died December 29, 2003. Born October 20, 1942. Achieved noteriety for playing Wilson on Home Improvement IMDb
John Gregory Dunne (writer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died December 30, 2003. Born May 25, 1932. Author of True Confessions and many essays, married to Joan Didion, he was also the uncle of Dominique and Griffin Dunne. IMDb
Anita Mui (singer/actress) -- Dead. Cervical cancer. Died December 30, 2003. Born October 10, 1963. Hong Kong movie star who was known as the Asia Madonna IMDb