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A photo of Desmond Tutu by Benny Gool –

10 Celebrities and Famous People Who Died in 2021

2021 was a year of high mortality rates for many celebrities, public figures, and many other famous people all over the world. As a world we lost some of the best people we believe we could see a little bit longer.

However, most of those who were affected by the loss of these celebrities and famous people were their immediate families and friends. In the article are ten celebrities and famous people who died in 2021.

1. E. O. Wilson

A photo of O. E. Wilson by Jim Harrison – Wikimedia commons

Edward Osborne Wilson was born on 10 June 1929. He was an American biologist, naturalist, and writer. His speciality was myrmecology, the study of ants. According to David Attenborough, he was the world’s leading expert. He was nicknamed the “ant man”. Wilson died in nearby Burlington on December 26, 2021, at the age of 92.

2. Jean-Marc Vallee

A photo of Jean-Marc Vallee by Alan Langford –

Jean-Marc Vallée born on 9 March 1963 was a Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make several critically acclaimed short films, including Stéréotypes, Les Fleurs magiques, and Les Mots magiques.

On 25 December 2021 Vallée died at age 58. The cause of his death was a cardiac arrhythmia secondary to severe atherosclerosis. He was found at his chalet in Berthier-sur-Mer, Quebec.

3. Sarah Weddington

A photo of Sarah Weddington by an Unknown author –

Sarah Catherine Ragle Weddington born on February 5, 1945, was an American attorney, law professor, advocate for women’s rights and reproductive health, and Texas House of Representatives member.

She was best known for representing “Jane Roe” (real name Norma McCorvey) in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the United States Supreme Court. She also was the first woman General Counsel for the US Department of Agriculture. Weddington died at her home in Austin on December 26, 2021, at age 76, after a period of declining health.

4. Wanda Young

A photo of Wanda young by James Kriegsmann –

Wanda LaFaye Young born on 9 August 1943 was also known as Wanda Rogers. She was an American singer, known for being a member of the Motown all-female singing group the Marvelettes, and after 1965, the lead singer.

She died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Garden City, Michigan on December 15, 2021, at the age of 78.

5. Desmond Tutu

A photo of desmond Tutu by Libris Förlag –

Desmond Mpilo Tutu OMSG CH GCStJ was born on 7 October 1931. He was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.

He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.

Tutu died from cancer at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town on 26 December 2021, aged 90. Tutu’s body lay in state for two days before the funeral. Tutu’s funeral was held at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on 1 January 2022.

6. John Madden

A photo of john Madden by an Unknown author –

John Earl Madden born on 10 April 1936 was an American football player, coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978.

He also led to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL / AFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI.

Never having a losing season, Madden holds the highest winning percentage among NFL head coaches who coached 100 games. Madden died of undisclosed causes at his home in Pleasanton, California, on December 28, 2021, at the age of 85.

7. Joan Didion

A photo of Joan Didion by David Shankbone –

Joan Didion born on 5 December 1934was an American writer. Her career began in the 1950s after she won an essay contest sponsored by Vogue magazine. Her writing during the 1960s through the late 1970s engaged audiences in the realities of the counterculture of the 1960s and the Hollywood lifestyle.

Didion died from complications of Parkinson’s disease at her home in Manhattan on December 23, 2021, at the age of 87.

8. Vicente Fernandez

A photo of Vicente Fernandez by Julio Enriquez –

Vicente Fernández Gómez born on 17 February 1940 was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Fernández started his career as a busker and went on to become a cultural icon, having recorded more than 100 albums and contributing to more than 30 films. His repertoire consisted of rancheras and other Mexican classics.

Fernández was hospitalized in serious condition after falling at his ranch in Guadalajara on 6 August 2021. He had injured his cervical spine and was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. Fernández died of complications from his injuries on 12 December 2021, at 81.

9. Michael Nesmith

A photo of Michael Nesmith by Michael Borkson –

Robert Michael Nesmith born on 30 December 1942 was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist. He was best known as the quiet member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees. His songwriting credits include “Different Drum,” which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published on July 26 2021, Nesmith said he had undergone quadruple bypass heart surgery and had been hospitalized for over a month. Nesmith died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California, on December 10, 2021, at the age of 78.

10. Al Unser Sr

A photo of Al Unser Sr by Carey Akin –

Alfred Unser born on 29 May 1939 was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr.

He was the second of four men (A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves) to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987), the fourth of five to have won the race in consecutive years, and won the National Championship in 1970, 1983, and 1985.

Unser suffered from hereditary haemochromatosis, which contributed to his liver cancer diagnosis in 2004. He had a tumour and half of his liver removed in 2005. Unser continued to suffer from cancer for the next 17 years before dying from the disease aged 82 on December 9, 2021, in his home in Chama, New Mexico.