May 21 — Notable Deaths & Obituaries

Howard Fendrich dead at age 55, American sports writer, cancer

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. Howard Fendrich,…

May 21, 2026

Carlo Petrini dead at age 76, Italian gastronomist, founder of Slow Food

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…

May 21, 2026

Tamati Reedy dead at age 89, New Zealand Māori academic, rugby union player, and public servant

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…

May 21, 2026

Maurizio Gori dead at age 80, Italian footballer

Maurizio Gori, an Italian footballer, died on May 21, 2026. Maurizio Gori [it], 80, Italian footballer. Tags Athletes, 21 May 2026, Gori, Italy, Maurizio, May 2026, May 21

May 21, 2026

Alfredo Magni dead at age 86, Italian footballer

Alfredo Magni died on May 21, 2026. He was an Italian footballer. Alfredo Magni [it], 86, Italian footballer. Tags Athletes, 21 May 2026, Alfredo, Italy, Magni, May 2026, May 21

May 21, 2026

Judith Chalmers dead at age 90, public figure

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…

May 21, 2026

Jan Adamski dead at age 82, Polish chess player

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…

May 21, 2026

Kyösti Virrankoski dead at age 82, Finnish politician, MP, MEP

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…

May 21, 2026

DJ Congélateur dead, Ivorian singer and artist

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…

May 21, 2026

John M. Fabian dead at age 87, American astronaut

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,…

May 21, 2026

Liz Howard dead, public figure

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…

May 21, 2026

Dan Newman dead at age 63, Canadian politician

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…

May 21, 2026

Vincenzo Santapaola dead at age 56, Italian mobster

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…

May 21, 2026

Gerald M. Pomper dead at age 91, American political scientist

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…

May 21, 2026

Matthew Biggs dead at age 65, British radio personality, cancer

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…

May 21, 2026

Peter Helm dead at age 84, Canadian-American actor

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,…

May 21, 2026

Rafe Pomerance dead at age 79, American environmentalist, lung cancer

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.…

May 21, 2026

Wendelgard von Staden dead at age 100, German diplomat and author

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…

May 21, 2026

Kyle Busch dead at age 41, American race car driver

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…

May 21, 2026

Ole Wøhlers Olsen dead at age 84, Danish diplomat

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…

May 21, 2026

Julienne Bušić dead at age 77, public figure

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…

May 21, 2026

Karl E. Weick dead at age 89, American organizational theorist

Karl E. Weick, the American organizational theorist who helped introduce the concepts of loose coupling, mindfulness and sensemaking into organizational studies, died on May 21, 2026. He was 89. Born…

May 21, 2026