R. W. Johnson: key obituary facts
Is R. W. Johnson dead? Yes. R. W. Johnson died on July 21, 2026, at age 82.
Cause of death: R. W. Johnson's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was R. W. Johnson known for?
He was a South African journalist and historian.
More about R. W. Johnson
Born: 1 January 1943.
Gender: male.
Occupation: writer.
Education: University of Natal, Magdalen College.
Employer: Magdalen College.
Awards: Rhodes Scholarship.
Also known as: Richard William Johnson, RW Johnson, Richard Johnson.
R.
W. Johnson, the English-born South African historian and academic, died on July 21, 2026, aged 82.
Born Richard William Johnson in England in September 1943, he studied at Natal University and at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He spent 26 years as a politics fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford, later becoming an emeritus fellow, and in 1995 returned to South Africa, where he directed the Helen Suzman Foundation in Johannesburg until 2001. Johnson also worked as a South Africa correspondent for the Sunday Times and contributed regularly to the London Review of Books, writing often on South African affairs and, less frequently, on Zimbabwe.