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 publishing poetry and yarn-like novels in his fifties. A Murri…
Mal Anderson, the Australian tennis player, died on May 11, 2026, at the age of 91. Born Malcolm James Anderson in Theodore, Queensland, on March 3, 1935, he was active from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Anderson won the…
Legh Davis, Australian politician and former South Australian Legislative Council member, died on May 11, 2026, aged 85. He served in the council from 1979 to 2002 as a member of the Liberal Party and was past president of the…
Doug Searl, an Australian footballer who played for Fitzroy and Collingwood, died on May 10, 2026, aged 79. He began his VFL career with Collingwood in 1966 and played mostly as a centre half-forward, including in the 1966 VFL Grand…
Geoff Ablett, the Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn, Richmond and St Kilda, died on May 5, 2026, from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 71. Ablett played in the Victorian Football League during the 1970s and 1980s,…
Chris Phelan, an Irish-born Australian rugby league player, died on May 5, 2026, aged 70, after pancreatic cancer. Born in Borris-in-Ossory, Portloise, Ireland, on December 12, 1955, he played in the 1980s as a versatile forward for Queensland and was…
Michael Sollis, an Australian musician, died on May 1, 2026, aged 40, from bowel cancer. He was also an interdisciplinary artist, artistic director, researcher and teaching artist. Sollis founded and directed The Griffyn Ensemble in the early 2000s, serving as…
Robyn Woodhouse, the Australian Olympic high jumper who competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics, died on April 29, 2026, at the age of 82. Born in New South Wales on July 26, 1943, she competed mainly in the high jump…
Bill Grayden, an Australian politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1949 to 1954 and as a Western Australian Legislative Assembly member from 1947 to 1949 and again from 1956 to 1993, died on…
Damien Christensen, an Australian footballer who played for Geelong, died on April 28, 2026, aged 62. Christensen played 17 games for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League. After his playing career, he coached the Geelong Falcons, Williamstown…
Steve Maslow, an American sound mixer who won three Academy Awards for Best Sound, died on April 27, 2026, at the age of 81, of cancer. He worked on more than 200 films from 1978 and was credited on The…
Leigh Crawford, an Australian footballer who played for Geelong, died on April 27, 2026, aged 80. Crawford was born on April 19, 1946, and played Australian rules football for Geelong in the Victorian Football League, now known as the Australian…
Brian Wilkinson, the Australian Olympic swimmer who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, died on April 27, 2026, aged 88. Born in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, on February 12, 1938, he represented Australia in the men's 200 metre butterfly at…
Peter Morris, the Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1998 and as minister of transport from 1983 to 1987, died on April 26, 2026, aged 93. Born in Sydney on July…
Kim Bowers, an Australian musician, music director and sound artist associated with Spdfgh, died on April 24, 2026, of breast cancer. Bowers was a founding member of Spdfgh, an Australian rock band active from 1990 to 1997. The band was…
Gordon Ingate, an Australian Olympic sailor who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics, died on April 24, 2026, at the age of 100. Born Gordon Wilson Ingate on March 29, 1926, he sailed in the Tempest class keelboat at the…
James Valentine, an Australian radio and television presenter and musician, died on April 23, 2026, by assisted suicide. He was 64. Born in Ballarat, Victoria, Valentine worked as a saxophonist and was a member of Jo Jo Zep, Models and…
Kay Denman, an Australian politician and former schoolteacher, died on April 23, 2026. She was 88. Denman was a Senator for Tasmania from 1993 to 2005, representing the Australian Labor Party. Born in Latrobe, Tasmania, and raised in Railton, she…
David Malouf, the Australian writer, died on April 22, 2026, at the age of 92. Born in Brisbane on March 20, 1934, he was a novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright and librettist. He lectured at the University of Queensland…
Elisabeth Kirkby, the Australian actress, politician and radio broadcaster known for Number 96, died on April 20, 2026, aged 105. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, in 1921, she began her career as an assistant stage manager before working in theatre,…
Billy Knight, the British tennis player, died on April 17, 2026, aged 90. Born William Arthur Knight in Northampton, England, on 12 November 1935, he competed on the amateur tour from 1951 to 1968 and won 47 career singles titles.… · America · 11 July 2018 · July 2018 · July 11
Barry Seton, an Australian racing driver, died on April 17, 2026, aged 89. Known as Bo, he won the Bathurst 500 in 1965 with co-driver Midge Bosworth in a Ford Cortina GT500. Seton competed in the Bathurst 500 and later…
David Smith, an Australian politician and Western Australia MLA from 1983 to 1996, died on April 16, 2026, aged 82. He was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1983 to 1996 and served as… · America · 08 March 2014 · March 2014 · March 8 · Other
Michael "Mick" Erwin, an Australian footballer who played for Richmond and Collingwood, died on April 15, 2026, aged 82. Born in Stawell, Victoria, on June 6, 1943, he played in the VFL for Collingwood from 1962 to 1964 and for…
Trish Crossin, Australian politician and senator for the Northern Territory from 1998 to 2013, died on April 13, 2026, of a heart attack. Born Patricia Margaret Crossin in Melbourne on March 21, 1956, she was educated at Deakin University, where…
John Dalgleish Donaldson, a Scottish-Australian mathematician and professor, died on April 12, 2026, at the age of 84. Death was announced on that date. Born on September 5, 1941, in Cockenzie and Port Seton, Scotland, he later emigrated to Tasmania,… · 12 April 2026 · April 2026
Jimmy Sullivan, an Australian politician and Queensland MLA, died on April 8, 2026, aged 44. James Anthony Sullivan served as the member for Stafford in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2020 until his death. He was promoted to Assistant Minister… · 08 April 2026 · April 2026
Ken Smale, an Australian footballer and music director, died on April 7, 2026. He was 92. Smale played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was a forward for the town team in Warracknabeal, where he won the… · 07 April 2026 · April 2026
John Flanagan, the Australian fantasy author best known for the Ranger's Apprentice series, died on April 7, 2026, at the age of 81. Born John Anthony Flanagan in Sydney, Australia, on May 22, 1944, he was also a novelist and… · 07 April 2026 · April 2026
Lawrence J. Ryan, an Australian-born scholar of German literature, died on April 5, 2026, at age 93 in Tübingen, Germany. Born in Sydney on December 20, 1932, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Sydney in 1953 and…
Neville Glover, the Australian rugby league player who represented Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers and Australia, died on April 2, 2026, aged 70. Neville Kenneth Glover OAM was born in Sydney on July 22, 1955, and played as a wing in… · 02 April 2026 · April 2026
Peter V. Smith, an Australian footballer who played with Melbourne and Carlton, died on April 1, 2026, aged 78. Born in Brunswick, Victoria, on September 22, 1947, Peter Victor Smith played Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League with… · 01 April 2026 · April 2026
Lionel Fernando, a Sri Lankan-born Australian cricketer, died on March 31, 2026, aged 86. Born in Negombo, British Ceylon, in 1939, he played for Ceylon from 1964 to 1971 as a batsman and slip fielder. He made his first-class debut… · 31 March 2026 · March 2026
Dallas O'Neill, an Australian rugby league and rugby union player, died on March 28, 2026, aged 83. Born in Mackay, Queensland, O'Neill was an Australian rugby union international who represented Australia in two Test matches. He also played rugby league… · New Zealand · 28 March 2026 · March 2026
Mel Schilling, the Australian television presenter and psychologist best known for appearing as one of the dating experts on Married at First Sight, died on March 24, 2026, at the age of 53. Schilling, born Melanie Jane Schilling in Melbourne… · 24 March 2026 · March 2026 · Cancer
Andrew Pawley, an Australian linguist and academic, died on March 22, 2026, at the age of 84. Andrew Kenneth Pawley was an Australian–New Zealand linguist who served as a professor at the Australian National University. Born in Sydney on March… · 22 March 2026 · March 2026
Rhoda Roberts, an Australian Aboriginal arts director, died on March 21, 2026, aged 66. She was an Australian theatre and arts director, arts executive, television presenter and actress who served as head of Indigenous programming at the Sydney Opera House… · 21 March 2026 · March 2026
Garry Leo, an Australian rugby league footballer who played for the Balmain Tigers, died on March 19, 2026, aged 81. Born in 1944 or 1945, he played in the 1960s and 1970s and was a prop-forward for Balmain. Leo attended… · 19 March 2026 · March 2026
Eurogliders, the Australian band formed in Perth in 1980, died on March 17, 2026. The group included Grace Knight on vocals, Bernie Lynch on guitar and vocals, and Amanda Vincent on keyboards. In 1984, Eurogliders released the top ten album… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026
Anthony Mason, the Australian jurist who served as chief justice of Australia from 1987 to 1995, died on March 17, 2026. He was born in Sydney on April 21, 1925. Mason served as a judge of the Supreme Court of… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026
Jamie Blanks, the Australian film director and composer behind Urban Legend and Valentine, died on March 16, 2026, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Born in Melbourne on November 29, 1971, Blanks studied at Swinburne Film School, later part of the Victorian… · 16 March 2026 · March 2026
Ken Cole, an Australian basketball coach and player, died on March 15, 2026, aged 82. Born Kenneth Frank Cole in Sydney on October 15, 1943, he represented Australia in the men’s basketball tournament at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He later… · 15 March 2026 · March 2026
Bill Dempsey, an Australian rules footballer, died on March 15, 2026, aged 83. Born in Birdum, Northern Territory, on March 17, 1942, he played for Darwin in the Northern Territory Football League and for West Perth in the Western Australian… · 15 March 2026 · March 2026
Patricia Clarke, an Australian writer and historian, died on March 12, 2026. Born Mary Patricia Clarke in Alphington, Melbourne, on July 30, 1926, she was educated in Melbourne, later in Sale and at the University of Melbourne. She worked as… · 12 March 2026 · March 2026
Blood Duster, an Australian drummer with the Melbourne grindcore and stoner rock band Blood Duster, died on March 12, 2026. The band was formed in 1991 by Jason Fuller, Anthony Barry and Andrew Brown, and later underwent several lineup changes.… · 12 March 2026 · March 2026
Wendy Playfair, the Australian actress best known for her role in Prisoner, died on March 11, 2026, aged 99. Born in Woollahra, New South Wales, on August 28, 1926, she began her career in radio serials before moving into theatre,… · 11 March 2026 · March 2026
Wylie Gibbs, the Australian politician and surgeon who served as the Liberal member for the Queensland seat of Bowman in the House of Representatives from 1963 to 1969, died on March 9, 2026, aged 103. Wylie Talbot Gibbs was born… · 09 March 2026 · March 2026
Pat Hyland, an Australian jockey and horse trainer, died on March 9, 2026. Born in Port Fairy in 1941, he rode from 1956 to 1990 and recorded 2,382 winners, including 30 at Group 1 level. He is best known for… · 09 March 2026 · March 2026
Philip Bourne, an Australian bioinformatician and writer, died on March 8, 2026, at age 72. Philip Eric Bourne was the Stephenson Chair of Data Science, director of the School of Data Science and professor of biomedical engineering, and served as… · 08 March 2026 · March 2026
Jamie Dunn, the Australian puppeteer, television and radio personality, and voice artist known for performing Agro, died on March 7, 2026. He began his entertainment career as a drummer and singer-songwriter before moving into television. Dunn found success working the… · 07 March 2026 · March 2026
Eddie Illingworth, Australian cricketer for Victoria, died on March 7, 2026, aged 87. Born Edward Philip Illingworth in Fairfield, Victoria, on November 27, 1938, he played five first-class matches for Victoria between 1962 and 1964 as a right-arm medium pace… · 07 March 2026 · March 2026
Nick Ciancio, an Australian Olympic weightlifter, died on March 7, 2026, in Melbourne at the age of 79. Born in Militello in Val di Catania, Italy, on February 21, 1947, he competed in the men's middle heavyweight event at the… · 07 March 2026 · March 2026
Alan Ridge, an Australian politician, died on March 6, 2026, aged 91. Born in Perth on July 18, 1934, he attended John Forrest High School and worked as a clerk before entering state politics. He was a Liberal Party member… · 06 March 2026 · March 2026
Dennis Cometti, the Australian sports commentator and former Australian rules football player and coach, died on March 4, 2026, aged 76. Born in Geraldton, Western Australia, on March 26, 1949, he worked in sports broadcasting for 51 years and was… · 04 March 2026 · March 2026
Ted Emery, an Australian film and television director and producer, died on March 3, 2026. Born in 1947, he served in the Royal Australian Navy during the Vietnam War before joining the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Melbourne. He became a… · 03 March 2026 · March 2026
Don Baird, an Australian Olympic pole vaulter who competed in 1976, died on March 3, 2026. Born Donald George Baird on 29 May 1951, he was coached by Walter Chisholm and set a personal best of 5.53 metres on 16… · 03 March 2026 · March 2026
Australian Benedictine monk · 28 February 2026 · February 2026 · February 28 · Other
Lorraine Bayly, the Australian actress best known for her role in The Sullivans, died on February 28, 2026, aged 89. Born in Booligal, New South Wales, on January 16, 1937, she began performing as a child and became a professional… · 28 February 2026 · February 2026
Makybe Diva, the Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and only horse to win three Melbourne Cups, died on February 28, 2026, aged 26. She won the Melbourne Cup in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and remains the only mare to have won the… · 28 February 2026 · February 2026 · Other
Bevan Morris, an Australian-born American academic and politician who served as president of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, for 36 years and was a founder of the Natural Law Party, died on February 26, 2026, at age 76.… · 26 February 2026 · February 2026
Burnie Payne, an Australian footballer who played for Hobart and St Kilda, died on February 25, 2026, aged 86. Born Burnet Thomas Payne on 8 May 1939, he made his TANFL debut at 16 and was a member of Hobart's… · 25 February 2026 · February 2026
Arthur Gooch, an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL), died on February 24, 2026, aged 94. Gooch played for Collingwood between 1950 and 1956 and was a member of the club’s 1953 premiership team against… · 24 February 2026 · February 2026
Daryl Cumming, an Australian footballer who played for Richmond, died on February 24, 2026, aged 74. Born on 15 May 1951, he played in the VFL during the 1970s for Richmond, Melbourne, North Melbourne and South Melbourne. Cumming was part… · 24 February 2026 · February 2026
Maurie Raper, an Australian rugby league footballer who played for Penrith and Cronulla-Sutherland, died on February 22, 2026. He played as a five-eighth in the 1960s and 1970s in the NSWRL premiership. Raper was an inaugural Penrith player and took… · 22 February 2026 · February 2026
Maxi Shield, the Australian drag performer known professionally as Maxi Shield, died on February 21, 2026, at the age of 51. Born Kristopher Elliot in Ballina, New South Wales, on June 1, 1974, she competed on the first season of… · 21 February 2026 · February 2026
Daryl Jackson, Australian architect and educator, died on February 21, 2026, aged 89. Daryl Sanders Jackson AO was responsible for a number of notable designs, working alone and with partners from the late 1960s into the 2010s. Born in Clunes,… · 21 February 2026 · February 2026
MaryAnn Bin-Sallik, an Australian Indigenous Djaru elder and academic, died on February 21, 2026, aged 85. Born in Broome, Western Australia, on 2 November 1940, she moved with her family to Darwin at age nine. After training as a nursing… · 21 February 2026 · February 2026
Mark Kennedy, an Australian musician and record producer who played drums for Spectrum, Ayers Rock and Marcia Hines, died on February 21, 2026, aged 74. Born in Melbourne on August 20, 1951, he was trained in classical piano at the… · 21 February 2026 · February 2026
Anna dePeyster, the British-Australian journalist and author known as Anna Maria dePeyster, died on February 17, 2026, at age 81. Born Anna Maria Torv in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 30, 1944, she later became the second wife of media mogul… · 17 February 2026 · February 2026
John Fraser, an Australian tennis player and medical doctor, died on February 14, 2026, aged 90. Born in Melbourne on August 1, 1935, he attended St Kevin’s College before studying medicine at Melbourne University, graduating in 1958. He later completed… · 14 February 2026 · February 2026
Trevor Wilson, an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond and Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL), died on February 14, 2026, aged 75. Born on December 10, 1950, Wilson was a VFL player whose career included time with… · 14 February 2026 · February 2026
Lionel Fogarty, an Indigenous Australian poet and political activist, died on February 13, 2026. Also published as Lionel Lacey, he was born in 1958 on an Aboriginal reserve at Barambah, now called Cherbourg, in Queensland, where he grew up. He… · 13 February 2026 · February 2026
Jon Kudelka, an Australian cartoonist, died on February 8, 2026, in Hobart, Tasmania, at the age of 53. Born in Burnie, Tasmania, on February 22, 1972, he was an editorial cartoonist whose work regularly appeared in The Australian, The Mercury… · 08 February 2026 · February 2026
Graham Morgan, an Australian drummer and teacher of drumming, died on February 1, 2026, aged 88. Born in Melbourne on April 30, 1937, he was educated at Melbourne Grammar School. In 1962, he travelled to Los Angeles to study under… · 01 February 2026 · February 2026
Normana Wight, an Australian artist best known as a painter and printmaker, died on January 31, 2026, aged 89. Born on March 9, 1936, she studied painting at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology from 1954 to 1957 and later… · 31 January 2026 · January 2026
Len Pavy, an Australian cricketer, died on January 31, 2026, aged 89. Born Leonard Pavy in Boulder, Western Australia, he played seven first-class matches for Western Australia in 1954 and 1955. A middle-order batsman, he made his first-class debut for… · 31 January 2026 · January 2026
Bruno Zorzi, an Australian footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League, died on January 30, 2026, aged 88. Bruno John Zorzi was born on December 10, 1937, and played with Fitzroy between 1957 and 1958 before receiving… · 30 January 2026 · January 2026
Bruce Bentley, an Australian footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL), died on January 30, 2026, at the age of 81. Bruce Edward Bentley was born on September 9, 1944, and was the son of Perce… · 30 January 2026 · January 2026
Australian librarian and activist · 29 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 29 · Other
Australian field hockey player (national team) and coach (India) · 28 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 28
Heather Goodall, an Australian academic and historian, died on January 29, 2026, at the age of 75. She was Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research and writing focused on Indigenous and environmental history and intercolonial networks.… · 29 January 2026 · January 2026
Australian Aboriginal mezzo-soprano singer · 27 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 27
Jim Ferguson, an Australian diplomat, senior public servant and sport administrator, died on January 27, 2026, aged 85. Born James Alexander Ferguson in Sydney on November 29, 1940, he was executive director of the Australian Sports Commission from 1990 to… · 27 January 2026 · January 2026
Croatian-Australian football manager (Brisbane Roar · 26 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 26 · Other
Australian footballer (Fitzroy) · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25
John Dwyer, an Australian field hockey player who competed in the men's tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics, died on January 26, 2026, at the age of 97. John Phillip Dwyer was born on July 10, 1928, and died in… · 26 January 2026 · January 2026
Robyn Thorn, an Australian swimmer and Olympic silver medalist, died on January 24, 2026, aged 80. Also known by her married name Robyn Nock, she won silver in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Born… · 24 January 2026 · January 2026
Australian Aboriginal elder (Bidjara) · 22 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 22 · Other
Australian motorcycle speedway rider · 22 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 22 · Other
Australian rules footballer (South Melbourne · 21 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 21
Australian rules footballer (Collingwood) · 21 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 21
Australian footballer (Essendon) · 20 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 20
Australian actress (Prisoner · 20 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 20
Australian psychiatrist and viceroy · 19 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 19 · Bashir · Other
Australian musician (Midnight Oil) · 19 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 19