March 17 — Notable Deaths & Obituaries

Gholamreza Soleimani 61–62 dead at age 61

an Iranian military officer and senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who commanded the paramilitary Basij forces, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 61–62. He was killed in the 2026 Iran war by Israeli strikes.… · Israeli Strikes · 17 March 2026 · March 2026 · Other

March 17, 2026

Manuel Etura Spanish footballer dead at age 93

a Spanish footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for Athletic Bilbao, died on March 17, 2026. Born Manuel González Etura on February 21, 1933, in Sestao, Biscay, he spent 13 seasons in La Liga with Athletic after joining from… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Lorena Clare Facio Costa Rican first lady dead at age 82

Costa Rican first lady from 1998 to 2002, died on March 17, 2026. She was born in San José, Costa Rica, on June 30, 1943, to Manuel Emilio Clare and María Elena Facio. The only daughter in her family, she… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026 · Other

March 17, 2026

Robert White (tenor) public figure dead at age 89

an American tenor and voice teacher, died on March 17, 2026. Born on October 27, 1936, he had an active performance career for eight decades. He began performing Irish songs on the radio in 1942 at age six on programs… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

John Coley Painting, art criticism, curation and art administration dead at age 91

a New Zealand painter and art critic, died on March 17, 2026, aged 91. John William Coley MBE was born in Palmerston North on 28 January 1935. He attended Palmerston North Boys’ High School and took evening art classes at… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Aníbal Cristobo Writer, poet, critic dead at age 54

Argentine poet, writer and critic, died on March 17, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 54. Born in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on September 1, 1971, he published poems and poetry books, and also worked as an… · Portugal · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Jakub Derech-Krzycki Polish politician, MP dead at age 56

a Polish politician and member of parliament from 2001 to 2005, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 55. Born in Poznań on June 24, 1970, he served in the Sejm from 2001 to 2005. He was a… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

László Gallé Biologist dead at age 83

a Hungarian biologist, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 83. Born in Szeged, Hungary, on November 18, 1942, he was a recipient of the Széchenyi Prize in 2007 · 17 March 2026 · March 2026 · Galle

March 17, 2026

G. M. Fazlul Haque Bangladeshi politician, MP dead at age 83

a Bangladeshi politician and former member of parliament for Chandpur-3, died on March 17, 2026. He was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician who served as an MP from 1996 to 2006. Haque was elected to parliament from the Chandpur-3 constituency… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Ilia II of Georgia Georgian Orthodox hiearch, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, gastrointestinal…

the Georgian Orthodox hierarch who served as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia since 1977, died on March 17, 2026, at age 93. Born Irakli Gudushauri-Shiolashvili on January 4, 1933, in Ordzhonikidze, in the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, he was the longest… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Ali Larijani Iranian politician, twice secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, speaker…

Iranian politician and twice secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, died on March 17, 2026, in Tehran, Iran, at the age of 67 after being assassinated. He served as speaker of the Parliament from 2008 to 2020 and as… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Anthony Mason (judge) Australian jurist, chief justice, judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wal…

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 New South… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Mark McLane Canadian politician, Prince Edward Island MLA dead at age 56

a Canadian politician and Prince Edward Island MLA, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 56. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island in a by-election on November 15, 2021, representing the electoral district… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026 · Illness

March 17, 2026

Zlatko Šimenc Croatian water polo player, Olympic silver medallist dead at age 87

a Croatian water polo player and coach, died on March 17, 2026. Born in Zagreb on November 29, 1938, he was of Slovenian origin and played for the Yugoslav team that won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympics after… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Alicia Caro Actress dead at age 95

a Colombian-Mexican actress, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 95. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, on July 8, 1930, she settled in Mexico and appeared in films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Her credits included My… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Shams Sumon Actor dead at age 59

a Bangladeshi actor, died on March 17, 2026, of a heart attack. Born in Rajshahi on March 2, 1967, he completed his graduation and post-graduation from Rajshahi University. His acting career ran from 1997 to 2023. Sumon won the Bangladesh… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Carl Poelker American athletics coach dead at age 82

an American athletics coach, died on March 17, 2026, at age 82. He coached football, wrestling and track and field, and was head football coach at Millikin University from 1982 to 1995 and at McKendree University from 1996 to 2012.… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Marian Kielec Polish footballer (Pogoń Szczecin dead at age 84

a Polish footballer who played as a forward, died on March 17, 2026, at the age of 84. He spent his entire career with Pogoń Szczecin and remains the club's leading all-time league goalscorer with 113 goals. Kielec made one… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Sue Wagner American politician, lieutenant governor of Nevada dead at age 86

an American politician who served as lieutenant governor of Nevada from 1991 to 1995, died on March 17, 2026, at age 86. She was the 30th lieutenant governor of Nevada and the first woman elected to the office. A moderate… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Eurogliders Australian musician and songwriter dead at age 65

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 This… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Timeline of the Gaza war (3 October 2025 – present) Palestinian militant, senior field commander of…

a Palestinian militant and senior field commander of the Khan Younis brigade, died on March 17, 2026. The death was noted in the context of the Gaza war, which began on October 3, 2025. No further details were provided · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Ove Pihl Swedish painter and art director dead at age 87

a Swedish painter and art director, died on March 17, 2026. He was also a Swedish art director, book publisher and graphic designer, and was best known as the founder of the advertising agency Falk & Pihl and the publishing… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026

Lois Delmore American politician, member of the North Dakota House of Representatives dead at age 76

an American politician and member of the North Dakota House of Representatives, died on March 17, 2026. She served in the House from the 43rd District from 1994 to 2018 and was a member of the Democratic-NPL party. Delmore was… · 17 March 2026 · March 2026

March 17, 2026