{ "site": "Dead-People.com", "feed_type": "deaths_on_date", "date": "2026-05-21", "timezone": "+01:00", "generated_at": "2026-07-06T02:19:16+01:00", "canonical_html_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/tag/21-may-2026", "permanent_archive_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/tag/21-may-2026", "items": [ { "name": "Lennart Aspegren dead at age 94, Swedish judge", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/lennart-aspegren", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "dn.se", "url": "https://www.dn.se/familj/dodsannonser/#/CaseInline/1029448", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Dödsannonser" } ], "age": 94, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T16:15:36+01:00", "occupation": [ "swedish judge", "lawyers" ], "nationality": [ "Sweden" ], "description": "Lennart Aspegren, Swedish judge.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennart_Aspegren" }, { "name": "Mary Ellen Edmunds dead at age 86, American Latter-day Saints missionary and speaker", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/mary-ellen-edmunds", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "deseret.com", "url": "https://www.deseret.com/obituaries/2026/06/03/mary-ellen-edmunds/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Mary Ellen Edmunds, beloved Latter-day Saint author and BYU Women’s Conference pillar, dies at 86" } ], "age": 86, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T16:15:17+01:00", "occupation": [ "american latter-day saints missionary and speaker", "politicians", "writers" ], "nationality": [ "America", "Taiwan" ], "description": "Mary Ellen Edmunds, American Latter-day Saints missionary and speaker.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Mary_Ellen_Edmunds_p1655826.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellen_Edmunds" }, { "name": "Liam Ferguson dead at age 85, Irish hurler", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/liam-ferguson", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "rip.ie", "url": "https://rip.ie/death-notice/liam-ferguson-meath-dunsany-631379", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "The death has occurred of Liam Ferguson" } ], "age": 85, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T16:15:01+01:00", "occupation": [ "irish hurler", "other" ], "nationality": [ "Ireland" ], "description": "Liam Ferguson, Irish hurler.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Ferguson" }, { "name": "Julienne Bušić dead at age 77, public figure", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/julienne-busic", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 77, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "twa flight 355 hijacking", "writers" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "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 in the 1976 hijacking of TWA Flight 355, when she was arrested with her husband, Zvonko Bušić, and later sentenced to life in prison with early parole. She was raised in Portland, studied at the University of Oregon and Vienna University, and earned a master’s degree in German language, literature and linguistics from Portland State University. In Oregon, she worked as a nurse’s aid, teacher and mental health therapist for abused teenagers. She and her husband also promoted Croatian independence and publicized human rights abuses in the former Yugoslavia.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Julienne_Bu_i.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julienne_Bu%C5%A1i%C4%87" }, { "name": "Karl E. Weick dead at age 89, American organizational theorist", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/karl-e-weick", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 89, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "american organizational theorist", "other" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "Karl E. Weick, American organizational theorist.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_E._Weick" }, { "name": "Howard Fendrich dead at age 55, American sports writer, cancer", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/howard-fendrich", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 55, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "writers" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "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.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Fendrich", "cause_of_death": { "label": "Cancer", "status": "reported", "cause_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/Deaths-From-cancer-cause" } }, { "name": "Carlo Petrini dead at age 76, Italian gastronomist, founder of Slow Food", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/carlo-petrini", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Foodpolitics.com", "url": "https://www.foodpolitics.com/2026/05/rip-carlo-petrini-a-huge-loss-to-the-food-world-and-to-humanity/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "RIP Carlo Petrini: a huge loss to the food world and to humanity" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Roadsandkingdoms.com", "url": "https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2026/no-justice-without-joy-remembering-slow-foods-carlo-petrini/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "No Justice without Joy: Remembering Slow Food’s Carlo Petrini" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Newser", "url": "https://www.newser.com/story/389646/slow-food-visionary-carlo-petrini-dies-at-76.html", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Slow Food Visionary Carlo Petrini Dies at 76" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Digital Journal", "url": "https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/slow-foods-visionary-founder-carlo-petrini-dies-aged-76/article", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Slow Food’s ‘visionary’ founder Carlo Petrini dies aged 76" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "BBC News", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9pe1py9zwo", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini dies aged 76" } ], "age": 76, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "founder of the slow food movement", "writers" ], "nationality": [ "Italy" ], "description": "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 founded the International Slow Food Movement and the Terra Madre festivals. Born in Bra, Italy, on June 22, 1949, Petrini studied sociology at the University of Trento and became involved in local politics. He was formerly active in the communist Proletarian Unity Party and began writing culinary articles in 1977 for il manifesto and l'Unità, later contributing food and wine writing to major Italian newspapers.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Carlo_Petrini.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Petrini" }, { "name": "Tamati Reedy dead at age 89, New Zealand Māori academic, rugby union player, and public servant", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/tamati-reedy", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 89, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes", "politicians", "scientists" ], "nationality": [ "New Zealand" ], "description": "Sir Tamati Reedy, a New Zealand Māori academic, rugby union player and public servant, died on May 21, 2026. Born in Ruatoria in 1936, he served as secretary of the Department of Maori Affairs from 1983 to 1989, and was involved in the Māori loans affair during that period. In 1996 he became the foundation dean and professor of the School of Māori and Pacific Development at the University of Waikato, later serving as professor of Māori sustainable enterprise in the School of Management. He was knighted in 2011 for services to education.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Tamati_Reedy.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamati_Reedy" }, { "name": "Maurizio Gori dead at age 80, Italian footballer", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/maurizio-gori", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 80, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes" ], "nationality": [ "Italy" ], "description": "Maurizio Gori, an Italian footballer, died on May 21, 2026.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Maurizio_Gori.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurizio_Gori" }, { "name": "Alfredo Magni dead at age 86, Italian footballer", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/alfredo-magni", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 86, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes" ], "nationality": [ "Italy" ], "description": "Alfredo Magni died on May 21, 2026. He was an Italian footballer.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Alfredo_Magni.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Magni" }, { "name": "Judith Chalmers dead at age 90, public figure", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/judith-chalmers", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "RTE", "url": "https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0522/1574746-judith-chalmers-wish-you-were-here-host-dies-at-90/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Judith Chalmers, Wish You Were Here...? host, dies at 90" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "The-independent.com", "url": "https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/judith-chalmers-dead-age-wish-you-were-here-b2981943.html", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Judith Chalmers death: Wish You Were Here host dies aged 90" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Dailymail.com", "url": "https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-15840943/Judith-Chalmers-presenter-son-Mark-Durden-Smith-three-invaluable-tips-gave-embarked-TV-career-legendary-Wish-You-star-dies-aged-90.html", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Judith Chalmers' presenter son Mark Durden-Smith and the three invaluable tips she gave him before he embarked on a TV career as legendary Wish You Were Here star dies aged 90" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "The-independent.com", "url": "https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/judith-chalmers-wish-you-were-here-confession-b2982046.html", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Judith Chalmers: The ‘Wish You Were Here’ presenter’s cheeky confession that became a talking point" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Dailymail.com", "url": "https://www.dailymail.com/travel/article-15840951/Judith-Chalmers-envious-life-luxury-travel-late-Wish-you-host-earned-nickname-Miss-Five-Star-ditched-underwear-looked-better-camera.html", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Judith Chalmers' enviable life of luxury travel and how late Wish You Were Here host earned the nickname 'Miss Five-Star' - and ditched underwear 'because it looked better on camera'" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "BBC News", "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgz8vp28nlo", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "TV presenter Judith Chalmers dies aged 90" } ], "age": 90, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "television presenter", "journalists" ], "nationality": [ "England" ], "description": "Judith Chalmers, the English television presenter best known for Wish You Were Here...?, died on May 22, 2026, aged 90. Born Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers in Gatley, Cheshire, on October 10, 1935, she began broadcasting for the BBC at 13 after being selected for BBC Northern Children's Hour. Her career in television lasted from 1948 to 2017, and she presented the travel programme Wish You Were Here...? from 1974 to 2003. She was awarded an OBE.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Chalmers" }, { "name": "Jan Adamski dead at age 82, Polish chess player", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/jan-adamski", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 82, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes" ], "nationality": [ "Poland" ], "description": "Jan Adamski, a Polish chess player, died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 82. Born in Warsaw on November 11, 1943, he won the Polish Chess Championship in 1982 and was awarded the International Master title in 1976. Adamski placed fourth in the World U-20 Championship in Vrnjačka Banja in 1963 and collected five silver medals and two bronze medals in the Polish Chess Championship. He also won the Polish Rapid Chess Championship twice and was part of nine Polish Team Chess Championship victories.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Jan_Adamski.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Adamski" }, { "name": "Kyösti Virrankoski dead at age 82, Finnish politician, MP, MEP", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/kyosti-virrankoski", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 82, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "politicians" ], "nationality": [ "Finland" ], "description": "Kyösti Virrankoski, the Finnish politician who served as an MP from 1991 to 1995 and as an MEP from 1996 to 2009, died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 82. Born in Kauhava on April 4, 1944, he represented the Centre Party of Finland in both the Finnish parliament and the European Parliament. In the European Parliament, he sat with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and served on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on Budgetary Control and the Committee on Budgets.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Ky_sti_Virrankoski.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C3%B6sti_Virrankoski" }, { "name": "DJ Congélateur dead, Ivorian singer and artist", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/dj-congelateur", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "singer", "artists", "musicians" ], "description": "DJ Congélateur, the stage name of Ivorian singer and artist Koffi Kouakou Elias, died on May 21, 2026. Born in Ivory Coast, he also worked as a coupé-décalé artist and became known in the 2020s for social media videos that combined music with humor. He later gained wider attention online before moving further into music, releasing tracks including “Cailloux dans ton Zoreille” and “Grâce à Dieu, je vais avancer.” Before his music career, he had worked in television with Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirienne, NCI, and La 3.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Cong%C3%A9lateur" }, { "name": "John M. Fabian dead at age 87, American astronaut", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/john-m-fabian", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 87, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "other" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "John M. Fabian, an American astronaut and Air Force officer, died on May 21, 2026, at age 87. Born John McCreary Fabian on January 28, 1939, in Goose Creek, Texas, he flew two Space Shuttle missions and worked on the development of the Shuttle’s robotic arm. He later led the Air Force’s space operations. Fabian considered Pullman, Washington, his hometown and retired to Port Ludlow, Washington, in 1998. He also helped form the Hood Canal Coalition in 2002, an environmental watchdog group.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/John_M._Fabian.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Fabian" }, { "name": "Liz Howard dead, public figure", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/liz-howard", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "RTE", "url": "https://www.rte.ie/sport/camogie/2026/0521/1574466-death-announced-of-former-camogie-president-liz-howard/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Death announced of former camogie president Liz Howard" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "The Irish Times", "url": "https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2026/05/21/groundbreaking-former-camogie-association-president-liz-howard-dies/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Groundbreaking former Camogie Association president Liz Howard dies" } ], "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes", "politicians" ], "nationality": [ "Ireland" ], "description": "Liz Howard, an Irish camogie player and former 27th president of the Camogie Association, died on May 21, 2026. Howard was from Deerpark, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, and was the daughter of Limerick hurler Garrett Howard and Josephine Howard, née Barry, from Newtown, Nenagh. Under the guidance of her parents, she and her sisters started a camogie club in Feakle, County Clare. During the presidency of Miriam O'Callaghan, Howard worked with Sile Wallace, Jo Golden and Sinead O'Connor on the Strategic Plan 2004-2008, which was used to help develop the sport. After her election as president, she initiated an in-depth review of the Camogie Association.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Howard" }, { "name": "Dan Newman dead at age 63, Canadian politician", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/dan-newman", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 63, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "newspaper manager", "politicians" ], "nationality": [ "Canada" ], "description": "Dan Newman, a Canadian politician, died on May 21, 2026. He was 63. Newman was born in Toronto and served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003. He was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Newman studied at University College at the University of Toronto, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987. From 1985 to 1995, he worked as manager of the Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation, and he also served as president of the Scarborough PC Association in 1992-93.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Dan_Newman.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Newman" }, { "name": "Vincenzo Santapaola dead at age 56, Italian mobster", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/vincenzo-santapaola", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 56, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "mafioso", "criminals" ], "nationality": [ "Italy" ], "description": "Vincenzo Santapaola, an Italian mobster associated with the Sicilian Mafia, died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 56. Born in Catania, Sicily, on June 2, 1969, he was commonly known as Enzo and was the eldest son of Benedetto Santapaola and Carmela Minniti. Authorities considered him the current official boss of the Catania Mafia family.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Vincenzo_Santapaola.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Santapaola" }, { "name": "Gerald M. Pomper dead at age 91, American political scientist", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/gerald-m-pomper", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 91, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "politicians", "scientists" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "Gerald M. Pomper, an American political scientist, died on May 21, 2026. He was 91. Pomper specialized in American elections and politics and was the Board of Governors Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Born in The Bronx in 1935 to Jewish immigrants from Poland, he grew up in Manhattan and graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in 1955 and later earned a PhD from Princeton University. Pomper began his academic career at the City College of New York before joining Rutgers, where he served as founding chair of the political science department at Livingston College. He was also a Fulbright scholar from 1971 to 1972 at Tel Aviv University.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_M._Pomper" }, { "name": "Matthew Biggs dead at age 65, British radio personality, cancer", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/matthew-biggs", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 65, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "other" ], "nationality": [ "Britain" ], "description": "Matthew Biggs, the British radio personality best known for his work on Gardeners' Question Time, died on May 21, 2026, of cancer. He was 65. Biggs was a professional gardener for more than 25 years, having studied at Pershore College of Horticulture and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He made his first television appearance on Channel 4's Garden Club and directed the long-running ITV programme Grass Roots. He also contributed to BBC Gardeners' World magazine and wrote the Matthew Biggs Gardening Diary blog.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Biggs", "cause_of_death": { "label": "Cancer", "status": "reported", "cause_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/Deaths-From-cancer-cause" } }, { "name": "Peter Helm dead at age 84, Canadian-American actor", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/peter-helm", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Hollywood Reporter", "url": "http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/peter-helm-dead-inside-daisy-clover-andromeda-strain-1236605073/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Peter Helm Dead: ‘Daisy Clover,’ ‘Andromeda Strain’ Actor Was 84" } ], "age": 84, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "actors" ], "nationality": [ "America", "Canada" ], "description": "Peter Helm, the Canadian-American actor known for Inside Daisy Clover, The Andromeda Strain and The Longest Day, died on May 21, 2026. Born Peter John Helm Jr. on December 22, 1941, in Toronto, Ontario, he was a film and television actor whose career ran from 1959 to 1971. He began acting in 1959 with the television sitcom Too Young to Go Steady and later appeared in the Broadway play There Was a Little Girl in 1960. Helm also guest-starred on television series including Rawhide, Wagon Train, Mr. Novak, Bonanza and Perry Mason.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Peter_Helm.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Helm" }, { "name": "Rafe Pomerance dead at age 79, American environmentalist, lung cancer", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/rafe-pomerance", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 79, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "other" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "Rafe Pomerance, an American environmentalist, died on May 21, 2026, of lung cancer. He was 79. Pomerance was a Distinguished Senior Arctic Policy Fellow of the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Beginning in the late 1970s, he played a key role in raising awareness of the risks of climate change for United States policymakers. His role during the period from 1979 to 1989 is detailed in the book \"Losing Earth\" by Nathaniel Rich. Pomerance graduated from Cornell University in 1968 with a B.A. in history.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafe_Pomerance", "cause_of_death": { "label": "lung cancer", "status": "reported", "cause_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/Deaths-From-lung-cancer" } }, { "name": "Wendelgard von Staden dead at age 100, German diplomat and author", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/wendelgard-von-staden", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 100, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "politicians", "writers" ], "nationality": [ "Germany" ], "description": "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 the Valley: Growing Up in Nazi Germany,\" in which she recalled her youth during the Nazi era, including memories of a concentration camp on her family’s estate and her mother’s efforts to help those imprisoned there.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendelgard_von_Staden" }, { "name": "Kyle Busch dead at age 41, American race car driver", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/kyle-busch", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [ { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Boredpanda.com", "url": "https://www.boredpanda.com/after-nascar-star-kyle-busch-passes-away-unexpectedly-doctors-reveal-dangers-of-sepsis/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Doctors Reveal Dangers Of Life-Threatening Condition That Led To NASCAR Star Kyle Busch’s Sudden Passing At 41" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Fox Sports", "url": "https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nascar/kyle-busch-coca-cola-600-tributes-video", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "NASCAR Honored Late Kyle Busch With Several Coca-Cola 600 Tributes" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Fox Sports", "url": "https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nascar/kyle-busch-cause-of-death-pneumonia-complications", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Family Statement Says Kyle Busch Died Of Pneumonia Complications" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Fox Sports", "url": "https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nascar/drivers-remember-kyle-busch-nascar-indycar", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Drivers Remember Kyle Busch For His Bravery, Kindness And Tenacity" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Boredpanda.com", "url": "https://www.boredpanda.com/kyle-busch-sudden-passing-conspiracy-theories-kobe-bryant-tragedy-connection/", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "NASCAR Star Kyle Busch’s Sudden Passing Sparks Conspiracy Theories After Fans Make Eerie Connection To Kobe Bryant Tragedy" }, { "source_type": "news_confirmation", "publisher": "Eonline.com", "url": "https://www.eonline.com/news/1432251/kyle-busch-dead-at-41-tributes-from-nascar-drivers-fans", "relationship": "confirms death", "title": "Kyle Busch Death: Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski & More Pay Tribute" } ], "age": 41, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "athletes" ], "nationality": [ "America" ], "description": "Kyle Busch, an American race car driver and team owner, died on May 21, 2026, at age 41. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 2, 1985, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Busch drove the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series and the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series. He was also the former owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports, which competed in the Xfinity Series from 2011 to 2013 and the Truck Series from 2010 to 2023.", "image_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/static/people/images/thumbnails/2026/05/Kyle_Busch.jpg", "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Busch" }, { "name": "Ole Wøhlers Olsen dead at age 84, Danish diplomat", "person_url": "https://www.dead-people.com/ole-wohlers-olsen", "verification_status": "reported", "sources": [], "age": 84, "death_date": "2026-05-21", "reported_date": "2026-05-21", "published_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00+01:00", "occupation": [ "politicians" ], "nationality": [ "Denmark", "Saudi Arabia" ], "description": "Ole Wøhlers Olsen, a Danish diplomat, died on May 21, 2026. Born on January 1, 1942, he was Denmark’s ambassador to Algeria. Olsen worked for Denmark’s Foreign Ministry from 1969 and served in Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Chile and Peru. He was also a practicing Muslim and, in 1993, completed a bicycle pilgrimage to Mecca. He was appointed coordinator for one of the US-led provisional authorities in Southern Iraq, based in Basra, during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.", "image_url": null, "wikidata_id": null, "wikipedia_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_W%C3%B8hlers_Olsen" } ], "fallback_items": [], "page": 1, "per_page": 100, "total": 25, "total_pages": 1, "count": 25 }