Famous Dead Writers: Recent Writer Deaths and Obituaries
Over 8,000 obituaries of famous dead writers. Notable deaths, news, info, and memorial pages.
Gene Shalit dead at age 100, film and book critic and television personality
Gene Shalit, the American journalist, film and book critic, and television personality who became a familiar presence on NBC’s “Today,” died on June 12, 2026, at age 100. Born in…
![Jane Yolen, American author and editor.[better source needed], died on June 11, 2026](https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/06/Jane_Yolen_p1620504.jpg)
Jane Yolen dead at age 87, American author and editor.[better source needed]
Jane Yolen, an American author and editor best known for The Devil’s Arithmetic, died on June 11, 2026, at age 87. Born Jane Hyatt Yolen in New York City on…
Lhasang Tsering dead at age 74, Tibetan writer and political activist
Lhasang Tsering, a Tibetan writer and political activist, died on June 11, 2026, at the age of 74. Born in 1952 in Tradün, in western Tibet, he became known as…
Bharathiraja dead at age 84, Indian film director
Bharathiraja, the Indian film director who shaped Tamil cinema with his realistic and sensitive depictions of rural life, died on June 10, 2026, at the age of 84. Born Chinnasaamy…
Manu Lann Huel dead at age 77, French singer-songwriter and poet
Manu Lann Huel, the French singer-songwriter and poet, died on June 10, 2026, at the age of 77. Born in Le Juch in 1949, he studied at the faculty of…
Orlando Senna dead at age 86, Brazilian film director
Orlando Senna died on June 9, 2026. He was a Brazilian film director best known for Iracema: Uma Transa Amazônica. Senna also worked as a writer and producer on film…
Sophie Faucher dead at age 68, Ding et Dong, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas)
Sophie Faucher, a Canadian actress known for Bethune: The Making of a Hero, Ding et Dong and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, died on June 9, 2026, in Montreal.…
Mehdi Charef dead at age 73, French film director
Mehdi Charef, the French film director and screenwriter, died on June 9, 2026. He was 73. Born on October 21, 1952, in Maghnia, Algeria, he built a career in French…
Matteo Fantuzzi dead at age 46, Italian poet
Matteo Fantuzzi died on June 9, 2026. He was an Italian poet. Tags Writers, 09 June 2026, Cancer, Fantuzzi, Italy, Matteo, June 2026, June 9
Jürgen Kesting dead at age 85, German journalist and music critic
Jürgen Kesting, the German journalist, music critic and author, died on June 7, 2026, at the age of 85. Born in Duisburg on January 1, 1940, he studied German and…
Ingeborg Kaiser dead at age 95, German-Swiss writer
Ingeborg Kaiser died on June 6, 2026. She was a German-Swiss writer, born on August 7, 1930, in Neuburg an der Donau. Tags Writers, 06 June 2026, Germany, Ingeborg, Kaiser,…
William Hasley dead at age 78, The Smurfs, The Young Riders
William Hasley, an American biographer and television writer best known for work on "The Smurfs," "Swift Justice" and "The Young Riders," died on June 6, 2026, at the age of…
Alan Riding dead at age 82, British journalist
Alan Riding, a British journalist and author who spent much of his career with The New York Times, died on June 6, 2026. He was 82. Born in Rio de…
Lady Pamela Hicks dead at age 97, British aristocrat
Lady Pamela Hicks, a British aristocrat and memoirist, died on June 5, 2026, at the age of 97. Born Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten on April 19, 1929, in Barcelona,…
A. C. Sreehari dead at age 56, Indian poet and writer
A. C. Sreehari, an Indian poet and writer, died on June 5, 2026, at the age of 56. A Malayalam-language poet and teacher, he was associated with Payyanur College in…
Sheila Mitchell dead at age 100, Z-Cars, Grange Hill) and author
Sheila Mitchell, a British actress and author known for her work in Lillie, Z-Cars and Grange Hill, died on June 4, 2026, aged 100. Born Sheila Mary Mitchell in Kingston-upon-Thames…
Rabilal Tudu dead at age 76, Indian Santali-language writer and Padma Shri awardee
Rabilal Tudu, an Indian Santali-language writer, playwright and banker, died on June 4, 2026, at the age of 76. Born in 1949 in Nowara village in Bardhaman district, West Bengal,…
Robert Coles dead at age 97, American child psychiatrist
Robert Coles, an American child psychiatrist and professor emeritus at Harvard University, died on June 4, 2026. He was 97. Born in Boston on October 12, 1929, Coles studied at…
Reha Muhtar dead at age 66, columnist and television reporter, heart failure
Reha Muhtar, a Turkish anchorman, columnist and television reporter, died on June 3, 2026, at age 66. Born in Istanbul on July 21, 1959, he began his career as a…
Jagannath Prasad Das dead at age 90, Indian writer and poet
Jagannath Prasad Das, the Indian writer and poet known for his work in Odia, died on June 3, 2026, at the age of 90. Born in Puri on April 26,…
Lieke Marsman dead at age 35, Dutch poet
Lieke Marsman, a Dutch poet and writer, died on June 3, 2026, at the age of 35. Born in Den Bosch in 1990, she grew up in Zaltbommel and later…
Matthieu d’Epenoux dead at age 60, French businessman and board game designer
Matthieu d'Epenoux, a French businessman and board game designer, died on June 3, 2026, at the age of 60. Born on October 10, 1965, he founded the board game publishing…
Lyuben Dilov Jr. dead at age 61, MP, complications from a heart attack
Lyuben Dilov Jr., the Bulgarian writer, journalist and lawmaker, died on June 2, 2026, from complications of a heart attack. He was 61. Born in Sofia on November 19, 1964,…
Mildred Pitts Walter dead at age 103, American writer
Mildred Pitts Walter, an American writer whose children’s books often featured African-American protagonists, died on June 2, 2026, at age 103. Born Mildred Pitts on September 9, 1922, in Sweetville,…
Homa Mirafshar dead at age 89, Iranian poet
Homa Mirafshar, an Iranian poet and songwriter, died on June 2, 2026, at age 89, according to a death announcement. Born Homa Homayoun in Tehran on February 22, 1937, she…
Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi dead at age 65, poet and political prisoner
Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, a Burmese film director, poet and political prisoner, died on June 2, 2026. He was 65. Born in 1961, he was also known as a…
Aleksandr Ivanchenko dead at age 80, Russian writer
Aleksandr Ivanchenko, a Russian writer born on June 1, 1945, died on June 1, 2026. Born in Krasnoturyinsk, in the Sverdlovsk region, he studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute…
Stéphane-Albert Boulais dead at age 76, Canadian writer and film critic
Stéphane-Albert Boulais, a Canadian writer and film critic, died on June 1, 2026, at the age of 76. Born in Maniwaki, Quebec, on June 17, 1949, he studied at Laval…
Bruce Van Sant dead at age 88, American-born Dominican sailor and author
Bruce Van Sant died on June 1, 2026. He was an American-born Dominican sailor and author. His books included "Tricks of the Trades" (2002), "Margarita Cat" (2010) and "The Gentleman's…
Matthew Spender dead at age 81, English sculptor and writer
Matthew Spender, the English sculptor and writer whose death was announced on May 31, 2026, died at 81. Born in London in 1945, he was also a painter and biographer,…
Tomi Reichental dead at age 90, Slovak-born Irish Holocaust survivor
Tomi Reichental, a Slovak-born Irish Holocaust survivor and author, died on May 31, 2026, at the age of 90. Born Tomáš Reichental in Merašice, then in Czechoslovakia and now Slovakia,…
Josefina Molina dead at age 89, screenwriter and television producer
Josefina Molina, the Spanish film director, screenwriter and television producer, died on May 30, 2026. She was 89. Born in Córdoba, Spain, on November 14, 1936, Molina became one of…
Steve Barrow dead at age 80, co-founder of Blood and Fire
Steve Barrow, the British reggae producer and historiographer who co-founded the Blood and Fire record label, died on May 30, 2026, at the age of 80. Born on September 29,…
Jutta Zilliacus dead at age 100, journalist and author
Jutta Zilliacus, a Finnish-Estonian politician, journalist and author, died on May 30, 2026, at the age of 100. Born Jutta Armelle Zilliacus in Helsinki on July 25, 1925, she worked…
Sidney Moko Mead dead at age 99, New Zealand Māori anthropologist and historian
Sidney Moko Mead, a New Zealand Māori anthropologist and historian, died on May 29, 2026. He was 99. Born in Wairoa on January 8, 1927, Mead was also known as…
José Manuel Blecua Perdices dead at age 86, director of the Royal Spanish Academy
José Manuel Blecua Perdices, the Spanish philologist who directed the Royal Spanish Academy from 2010 to 2014, died on May 29, 2026. He was 86. Born in Zaragoza on June…
Bashir Badr dead at age 91, Indian poet
Bashir Badr, an Indian poet, died on May 28, 2026, at the age of 91. He was an Urdu poet who taught at Aligarh Muslim University and wrote primarily in…
Maureen Duffy dead at age 92, playwright and novelist
Maureen Duffy, the English poet, playwright and novelist, died on May 28, 2026, at the age of 92, with her death announced that day. Born Maureen Patricia Duffy in Worthing,…
Klaus Emmerich dead at age 82, Trokadero)
Klaus Emmerich, a German film director and screenwriter known for The First Polka and Trokadero, died on May 27, 2026. He was 82. Born in Freital on August 10, 1943,…
Anik Dutta dead, Ashchorjyo Prodeep, Meghnad Badh Rahasya), fall
Anik Dutta, the Indian film director behind Bhooter Bhabishyat, Ashchorjyo Prodeep and Meghnad Badh Rahasya, died on May 27, 2026, after a fall. He was a Bengali filmmaker whose directorial…
Paul Dorpat dead at age 87, American historian
Paul Dorpat, an American historian, died on May 27, 2026. He was 87. Dorpat was an author and photographer who focused on the history of Seattle and Washington state. He…
Howard Storm dead at age 94, Once Bitten, Mork & Mindy)
Howard Storm, an American actor and director known for work on "Take the Money and Run," "Once Bitten" and "Mork & Mindy," died on May 26, 2026. He was 94.…
Robert Daley dead at age 96, journalist, and New York City Police Department officer
Robert Daley, the American writer, journalist and New York City Police Department officer, died on May 26, 2026. He was 96. Daley, born in New York City on May 10,…
Martine Prenen dead at age 62, Expeditie Robinson), pancreatic cancer
Martine Prenen, the Belgian former model and television presenter known for Supertalent in Vlaanderen and Expeditie Robinson, died on May 26, 2026, of pancreatic cancer. She was 62. Prenen, born…
Yoshihiro Nishimura dead at age 59, Mutant Girls Squad, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl), cirrho…
Yoshihiro Nishimura, a Japanese film director, screenwriter and special effects artist, died on May 25, 2026. He was 59. Born on April 1, 1967, in Taitō-ku, Nishimura worked predominantly in…
Rene Belmonte dead at age 55, Novo Mundo, Federal Bank Heist)
Rene Belmonte, a Brazilian screenwriter whose work included If I Were You, Novo Mundo and Federal Bank Heist, died on May 25, 2026. He was 55. Born on January 27,…
Jordi Amorós i Ballester dead at age 82, autor de còmic, director de cinema, guionista
Jordi Amorós i Ballester died on May 24, 2026. He was a Spanish cartoonist and animator. Born in Barcelona on April 7, 1944, he worked as a comic author, film…
Ann Fox Chandonnet dead at age 83, American poet
Ann Fox Chandonnet, an American poet, died on May 23, 2026, at age 83. She was also known as a journalist, book reviewer, and culinary historian. Born Ann Alicia Fox…
Clarence B. Jones dead at age 95, American lawyer and counsel
Clarence B. Jones, an American lawyer and counsel, died on May 22, 2026. He was 95. Jones was the former personal counsel, adviser, draft speech writer and close friend of…
Benoist Rey dead at age 87, French writer
Benoist Rey, a French writer, died on May 22, 2026, at the age of 87. Born on June 2, 1938, in Paris, he was a typesetter for Marchand before serving…
Wendelgard von Staden dead at age 100, German diplomat and author
Wendelgard von Staden, a German diplomat and author, died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 100. Known as Wendi von Staden, she wrote the 1979 memoir "Darkness Over…
Julienne Bušić dead at age 77, public figure
Julienne Bušić, an American writer and activist, died on May 21, 2026, at age 77. Born Julienne Eden Schultz in Eugene, Oregon, in 1948, she was known for her role…
Howard Fendrich dead at age 55, American sports writer, cancer
Howard Fendrich died on May 21, 2026, of cancer. He was an American sports writer for The Associated Press. His death was reported in connection with the illness. Howard Fendrich,…
Carlo Petrini dead at age 76, Italian gastronomist, founder of Slow Food
Carlo Petrini, the Italian gastronomist and founder of Slow Food, died on May 21, 2026, at age 76. Also known as "Carlìn," he was an Italian activist and author who…
Jeffrey Lane dead at age 71, American television writer and playwright
Jeffrey Lane, an American television writer and playwright, died on May 20, 2026, at age 71. He wrote for the television series Ryan's Hope and Mad About You, and was…
Cleve Moler dead at age 86, American mathematician and computer programmer
Cleve Moler, an American mathematician and computer programmer known for MATLAB and MathWorks, died on May 20, 2026, at age 86. He specialized in numerical analysis and was one of…
George Eastman dead at age 83, Italian actor and screenwriter
George Eastman, an Italian actor and screenwriter, died on May 20, 2026, at the age of 83. Born Luigi Montefiori in Genoa in 1942, he was known for his acting…
Aglaia Kremezi dead at age 79, Greek food writer and journalist
Aglaia Kremezi, Greek food writer and journalist, died on May 19, 2026, in Athens at the age of 79. Born in Athens on May 4, 1947, she was often considered…
Veronika Valentová dead at age 52, Czech writer and translator
Veronika Valentová died on May 19, 2026. She was a Czech writer and translator. Veronika Valentová [cs], 52, Czech writer and translator. Tags Writers, 19 May 2026, Czechia, Veronika, May…
Alan Bradley dead at age 87, Canadian author
Alan Bradley, the Canadian author best known for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, died on May 19, 2026, at the age of 87. Born in Toronto in…
Robert Woodson dead at age 89, American political activist
Robert Woodson, an American political activist, died on May 19, 2026, at the age of 89. Born Robert Leon Woodson on April 8, 1937, in Philadelphia, he was a civil…
Piper J. Drake dead at age 49, American author
Piper J. Drake, an American author, died on May 18, 2026, at the age of 49. Better known by the pseudonym Piper J. Drake and also writing as PJ Schnyder,…
Patrick Sookhdeo dead at age 79, British activist, founder and director of Barnabas Aid
Patrick Sookhdeo, a British activist and founder and director of Barnabas Aid from 1993 to 2015, died on May 18, 2026, at the age of 79. Born in British Guiana…
Roberto Malenotti dead at age 86, Italian filmmaker
Roberto Malenotti died on May 18, 2026. He was 86. The Italian filmmaker was born in Pisa on June 6, 1939. Malenotti worked as a film director, screenwriter and producer.…
Serigne Ibrahima Mahmoud Cissé dead at age 73, Senegalese teacher and religious guide
Serigne Ibrahima Mahmoud Cissé, a Senegalese teacher and religious guide, died on May 18, 2026. Born in 1952, he taught traditional Arab and Islamic traditions in Senegalese schools in a…
Huguette Bouchardeau dead at age 90, French politician, minister of the environment
Huguette Bouchardeau, French politician and minister of the environment from 1984 to 1986, died on May 18, 2026, at the age of 90. Born in Saint-Étienne, Loire, France, on June…
Marideth Sisco dead at age 82, American author and musician
Marideth Sisco, an American author and musician, died on May 18, 2026, at the age of 82. Also known as Marideth Ann Sisco, she was an American storyteller, folklorist, singer-songwriter,…
Quinn G. McKay dead at age 99, American academic, writer and Mormon leader
Quinn G. McKay, an American academic, writer and Mormon leader, died on May 16, 2026. He was 99. McKay was born on October 30, 1926, and was raised in Huntsville,…
Altaf Hassan Qureshi dead at age 94, Pakistani journalist
Altaf Hassan Qureshi, a Pakistani journalist, author and editor-in-chief of monthly Urdu Digest, died on May 16, 2026, at the age of 94. Born on March 3, 1932, in Hisar…
James Robison dead at age 82, public figure
James Robison, an American televangelist, died on May 17, 2026, at age 82, according to an announcement of his death. He was also a pastor, theologian, and author, and founded…
André Laliberté dead at age 79, Canadian marionette puppeteer
André Laliberté, a Canadian marionette puppeteer, died on May 15, 2026, at the age of 79. From Quebec, he was best known as the cofounder and longtime artistic director of…
Tony Zappone dead at age 78, American journalist and radio personality
Tony Zappone, an American journalist and radio personality, died on May 15, 2026, at the age of 78. Born Anthony Nicholas Zappone on October 9, 1947, in Tampa, Florida, he…
Conceição Lima dead at age 64, São Toméan poet
Conceição Lima, a São Toméan poet known for A Dolorosa Raiz do Micondó, died on May 15, 2026, at the age of 64. Born Maria da Conceição de Deus Lima…
Anand Nadkarni dead at age 68, writer and playwright
Anand Nadkarni died on May 15, 2026. He was an Indian psychopathologist, writer and playwright. His death was reported without further details. Anand Nadkarni [mr], 68, Indian psychopathologist, writer and…
Jane Healy dead at age 77, American journalist
Jane Healy, an American journalist, died on May 15, 2026, at the age of 77. Born in Washington, D.C., on May 9, 1949, she was the daughter of Paul and…
Krzysztof Piesiewicz dead at age 80, public figure
Krzysztof Piesiewicz, a Polish lawyer, screenwriter and politician, died on May 14, 2026, at age 80. Born in Warsaw on October 25, 1945, he studied law at Warsaw University and…
David Henderson dead at age 83, American writer and poet
David Henderson, an American writer and poet, died on May 14, 2026, at the age of 83. He was a co-founder of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and…
Nikolay Tsaturyan dead at age 81, Armenian theatre director
Nikolay Tsaturyan, the Armenian theatre director, died on May 14, 2026, in Yerevan. Born in Yerevan on January 8, 1945, Tsaturyan was also an actor and playwright and was named…
Adone Brandalise dead at age 76, Italian literary critic and philosopher
Adone Brandalise died on May 14, 2026. He was an Italian literary critic and philosopher. A brief notice of his death was published without further details about the circumstances. Adone…
Kshetrimayum Ongbi Thouranisabi Devi dead at age 91, Indian classical dancer
Kshetrimayum Ongbi Thouranisabi Devi, an Indian classical dancer, died on May 12, 2026. She was associated with the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, where she served as Principal and taught…
Herb Wharton dead at age 89, public figure
Herb Wharton, an Australian writer, died on May 12, 2026. Herbert Morsley Wharton AM was born in Cunnamulla, Queensland, in 1936 and was an Indigenous Australian former stockman who began…
Ataur Rahman Bangladeshi actor dead at age 84
Ataur Rahman, a Bangladeshi stage and television actor, died on May 12, 2026. He was 84. Rahman was also a director and writer, and was known by the sobriquet Monchosharothi.…
Rex Reed dead at age 87, American film critic and journalist
Rex Reed, an American film critic and journalist, died on May 12, 2026, at age 87. Born Rex Taylor Reed on Oct. 2, 1938, in Fort Worth, Texas, he was…
Al Gregg dead at age 62, actor and screenwriter
Al Gregg, the English musician, actor and screenwriter best known for his work with punk band The Wall and appearances in ScreenPlay and Doctor Who, died on May 12, 2026,…
Bassek Ba Kobhio dead at age 69, Cameroonian writer and filmmaker
Bassek Ba Kobhio, a Cameroonian writer and filmmaker, died on May 12, 2026, at age 69. Born in Nindjé, French Cameroon, in 1957, he worked as a film director, producer,…
Mark Fuhrman dead at age 74, American detective, cancer
Mark Fuhrman, an American detective known for his role in the O. J. Simpson murder case, died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 74 from cancer. He was…
Barry W. Blaustein dead at age 72, American screenwriter and film director, pancreatic cancer
Barry W. Blaustein, an American screenwriter and film director, died on May 12, 2026, of pancreatic cancer. He was 72. Blaustein was best known for writing on Saturday Night Live…
Vladimir Molchanov dead at age 75, Russian television host and journalist
Vladimir Molchanov, the Russian television host and journalist, died on May 12, 2026, at the age of 75. Born in Moscow on October 7, 1950, he was a Soviet and…
Anja Breien Norwegian film director dead at age 85
Anja Breien, a Norwegian film director and screenwriter, died on May 10, 2026, at the age of 85. She was among the leading figures in the Norwegian film industry and…
Ralph Ottey dead at age 102, Jamaican-born British author and World War II veteran
Ralph Ottey, the Jamaican-born British author and Second World War veteran, died on May 10, 2026. Born in Little London, Jamaica, on February 17, 1924, he moved to the United…
J. J. Barrie dead at age 92, Canadian singer, songwriter and comedian
J. J. Barrie, a Canadian singer, songwriter and comedian known for “No Charge,” died on May 10, 2026, at age 92. Born Barry Jackson Authors in Oshawa, Ontario, on July…
Frid Ingulstad Norwegian novelist dead at age 90
Frid Ingulstad, a Norwegian novelist, died on May 9, 2026, at the age of 90. She wrote primarily historical novels, many of them in series, and published more than 200…