May 17 — Notable Deaths & Obituaries

Brenda Travis dead at age 81, American civil rights campaigner

an American civil rights campaigner, died on May 17, 2026. She was 81. Travis was an African American veteran of the Civil Rights Movement from McComb, Mississippi, whose imprisonments for protesting a segregated bus station and taking part in a… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Pisces

May 17, 2026

K. Rajan dead at age 85, Indian film producer and director, suicide by jumping

an Indian film producer and director, died on May 17, 2026, at the age of 85 after suicide by jumping. He worked on Tamil films and began his career as a producer with Brammacharigal (1983), starring Suresh. He later directed… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Pisces

May 17, 2026

Luis de la Peña dead at age 95, Mexican physicist

a Mexican physicist, died on May 17, 2026, at the age of 95. Born in Mexico City in 1931, he studied mechanical-electrical engineering at ESIME of the National Polytechnic Institute and began his professional career designing audio systems. He taught… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Cancer

May 17, 2026

Jennifer Paes dead at age 72, Indian Olympic basketball player, cancer

an Indian former basketball player who participated in the 1972 Summer Olympics, died on May 17, 2026, aged 72, of cancer. She captained the Indian national basketball team in 1982. Paes, née Dutton, also accompanied her husband, field hockey player… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Cancer

May 17, 2026

Juris Upatnieks dead at age 90, Latvian-American physicist and inventor

a Latvian-American physicist and inventor, died on May 17, 2026, at age 90. Born in Riga, Latvia, on May 7, 1936, he was a pioneer in holography and is known as a co-inventor of the field. After fleeing Latvia with… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Taurus

May 17, 2026

Scott Hastings dead at age 61, Scottish rugby union player, non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Scottish rugby union player and sports commentator, died on May 17, 2026, aged 61, in Edinburgh, Scotland, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was a Scotland international and played for Watsonians, Edinburgh District and, later, Edinburgh Rugby when the provincial side turned… · Britain · Ireland · 17 May 2026 · Sagittarius · May 2026

May 17, 2026

Fred Negrit dead at age 76, public figure

a French educator and cultural promoter, died on May 17, 2026, at the age of 76. He was known for his work promoting Indian languages and culture in Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France in the Caribbean. Born in Guadeloupe… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Gemini

May 17, 2026

Mohamed Ali Hafez dead at age 88, Served on the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of…

a Saudi Arabian scouting executive and journalist, died on May 17, 2026. He was an official of the Federation for Scouts and Girl Guides and served on the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement from… · 17 May 2026 · Capricorn · May 2026

May 17, 2026

Peter G. Neumann dead at age 93, American computer science researcher, complications from a fall

an American computer science researcher, died on May 17, 2026, at age 93 from complications from a fall. He worked on the Multics operating system in the 1960s and edited the RISKS Digest columns for ACM Software Engineering Notes and… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Virgo

May 17, 2026

Corrado Teneggi dead at age 90, Lecce, Como)

2026. He was an Italian footballer who played for Savona, Lecce and Como. Born on March 13, 1936, in Teano, he died in Savona · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · May 17 · Pisces

May 17, 2026

Anton Švajlen dead at age 88, Slovak footballer, Olympic silver medalist

a Slovak footballer and 1964 Olympic silver medalist, died on May 17, 2026, aged 88. A goalkeeper for VSS Košice, he made 336 appearances in the Czechoslovak First League between 1959 and 1975. He competed for Czechoslovakia at the 1964… · 17 May 2026 · Sagittarius · May 2026

May 17, 2026

M. J. K. Smith dead at age 92, English cricketer

the English cricketer who played for Leicestershire, Warwickshire and England, died on May 17, 2026, aged 92. Born Michael John Knight Smith on 30 June 1933 in Westcotes, Leicestershire, he was educated at Stamford School and St. Edmund Hall, Oxford,… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Cancer

May 17, 2026

French politician and former mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, died on May 17, 2026, aged 89. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze from 1995 to 2001 and as a deputy in the National Assembly from 1997… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · Gerard · Aries

May 17, 2026

Totó la Momposina dead at age 85, Colombian singer

the Colombian singer known for work in cumbia, bullerengue, porro and tambora chalupa, died on May 19, 2026, at age 85. Born Sonia Bazanta Vides on August 1, 1940, in Talaigua Nuevo, Bolívar, Colombia, she was of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026 · May 17 · Toto · Leo

May 17, 2026

Toyabali Ahmadali dead at age 95, Civil servant

a Surinamese politician and civil servant, died on May 17, 2026, at the age of 95. A member of the Progressive Reform Party, he served as Suriname’s minister of social affairs from 1969 to 1973. Born on January 21, 1931,… · 17 May 2026 · Aquarius · May 2026

May 17, 2026

Peter Checkland dead at age 95, British management scientist and academic

British management scientist and academic, died on May 17, 2026, at the age of 95. He was an emeritus professor of systems at Lancaster University and developed soft systems methodology, or SSM, a systems-thinking approach to complex problem situations. Born… · 17 May 2026 · May 2026

May 17, 2026

Deaths Tag: May 17