Famous People Who Died of Cancer
David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016) was an English singer born in London, the son of a fundraiser and a waitress. He is credited for his experimental and creative musical discography which has won praise and accolades for many critics and fans... read more A truly talented genius who was pretty much everything the world wanted in music. He had a wide variety in genres yet reinvented all music & became the Picasso of pop as well as the king of glam rock. He lost a private battle to liver cancer after turning 69. R.I.P. to a true legend.
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer, singer, and songwriter. Having gained fame with appearances in films during the 1980s, he became popular for playing tough guys and romantic lead males.
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (February 21st 1946 - Janurary 14th 2016) was an English actor and director known for playing a variety of roles on stage and screen, most notably Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and Hans Gruber in Die Hard. He passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2016
Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned and nominations by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with... read more
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. The classic king of reggae. Too bad he had malignant melanoma & passed away at only 36. R.I.P. Bob you'll never be forgotten.
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and business magnate. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and a co-founder of Apple Inc., chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT. Jobs is widely recognized as... read more The co-founder of Apple, which reinvented computers & phones for the world as we know it. He had pancreatic cancer & lost his battle to it at 56 years 7 months 10 days of age. R.I.P. Godfather of modern electronics.
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide. The greatest singer of the 20th century. He was known for his fabulous & unique style of music along with his voice. He's also known for 1 perhaps the most famous cover in music (his cover of the New York theme). He had bladder cancer along with cardiac arrest & dementia style symptoms. He was 82 & a half years old. R.I.P.
George Harrison (1943 - 2001) was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles.
Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona; July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal singer, songwriter and musician. He fronted and/or founded numerous groups including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell. He is credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture in metal culture and is known for his medieval themed lyrics. Dio possessed a powerful versatile... read more
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and illustrator best known for authoring popular children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. I used to love his books.
Adam Nathaniel Yauch was an American rapper, singer, musician, songwriter, director and film distributor. He was best known as a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, professional racing driver and team owner, environmentalist, activist and philanthropist.
Ian Fraser Kilmister, known as Lemmy, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who founded and fronted the rock band Motörhead. He was a bassist and a singer known for his raspy voice. He died in 2015 from cancer and other health problems.
George Herman Ruth Jr., better known as Babe Ruth, was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.
Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett (February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress and artist. A four-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she posed for her iconic red swimsuit poster – which became the best selling pin-up poster in history – and starred as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television... read more
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder and vocalist, guitarist and bassist of the American heavy metal band Death. He is considered the most influential figure in Death Metal, with some publications referring to Chuck as the "Godfather of Death Metal". Schuldiner died in December 13, 2001 of brain cancer, his death... read more
Chadwick Aaron Boseman (November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020) was an American actor born in Anderson, South Carolina. He was best known for playing T'Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Why hasn't this been on here for more than a month?! This was the most shocking death from such a reason in 2020 & of any actor we've EVER witnessed! He was known for his role as the Black Panther! He was 3 months shy of his 44th birthday (his 1st of the 2020's) & nobody outside of his doctors or family knew he had cancer. Yet he was a true fighter & hero for the black community & the rest of the world. There's a reason the news of his death became among the most viral on social media (yet certainly the most viral & liked ever on Twitter). By FAR the most shocking death of an actor in the history of entertainment. No death in 2020 even compared to this (unless you think about Kobe Bryant & his daughter Gianna being killed in their helicopter crash). No death in the 2010's even matched this (not even Whitney Houston, Robin Williams, Paul Walker, David Bowie, Prince, Christina Grimmie, Carrie Fisher or Cameron Boyce). No death in even the 2000's was as shocking as this (Not even Fred Rogers, Steve Irwin or Michael Jackson). The 1990's had no match either (even though Selena's death from murder came into question & even that didn't go on the same road). He was truly the strongest & bravest actor in the Marvel universe. 2020 became the darkest year for the filming industry since the year of Judy Garland's loss. This should truly be number 1. He's now the most important & remembered cancer victim of all time. R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman.
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on an east to west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
