Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Sports & Athletics

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George Chuvalo

Boom Boom

Canada

12 September 1937 – 18 April 2023 (85 years old)

Legendary Canadian heavyweight champion celebrated as boxing's iron man, who fought Muhammad Ali for fifteen ferocious rounds in 1966 and was never knocked down in 93 bouts.

Toronto, Canada

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Sports & Athletics

49

🕯️ 2,650

Willis Reed

Willis Reed Jr.

United States

25 June 1942 – 21 March 2023 (80 years old)

Willis Reed Jr., beloved as 'The Captain', was the revered leader and spiritual heart of the New York Knicks' golden era, captaining the team to two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. In 1970, he became the first player in NBA history to win the All-Star MVP, regular season MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season, immortalized for his legendary hobbled entrance onto the court in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals.

Houston, Texas, United States

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Sports & Athletics

27

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Richard Douglas Fosbury

Dick Fosbury

United States

1947 – 2023 (76 years old)

Pioneering American high jumper who revolutionized the sport by inventing the "Fosbury Flop"—jumping backward head-first over the bar—which won him the gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and became the universal technique worldwide.

Ketchum, United States

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Sports & Athletics

53

🕯️ 2,120

Just Fontaine

Just Fontaine

Morocco

18 August 1933 – 1 March 2023 (89 years old)

Just Fontaine was a legendary French striker who holds the eternal, unbreakable record for the most goals scored in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, netting an astonishing 13 goals in six games at the 1958 tournament in Sweden. A star of Stade de Reims, he scored 30 goals in just 21 international matches for France before injury ended his playing career at age twenty-eight.

Toulouse, France

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Sports & Athletics

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Gregory Foster

Greg Foster

United States

1958 – 2023 (64 years old)

Dominant American track and field hurdler who became the only athlete in history to win three consecutive World Championship gold medals in the 110-meter hurdles (1983, 1987, 1991), also winning silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Chicago, United States

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Sports & Athletics

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Miroslav Blažević

Miroslav Blažević

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1935 – 2023 (87 years old)

Revered Croatian football manager nicknamed "Trener svih trenera" (Coach of all coaches), who led Dinamo Zagreb to their famous 1982 Yugoslav title and guided newly independent Croatia to third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Zagreb, Croatia

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Sports & Athletics

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Elena Fanchini

Elena Fanchini

Italy

1985 – 2023 (37 years old)

Beloved Italian alpine ski racer and downhill specialist who won the silver medal in the Downhill at the 2005 World Championships in Bormio, competed in three Winter Olympic Games, and won two World Cup downhill races.

Pian Camuno, Italy

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Sports & Athletics

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Christian Atsu Twasam

Christian Atsu

Ghana

1992 – 2023 (31 years old)

Ghanaian international winger who won Player of the Tournament at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, played for Chelsea, Porto, and Newcastle United, and dedicated his life to freeing petty offenders from prison and financing schools in Ghana.

Accra, Ghana

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Sports & Athletics

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Bobby Hull

The Golden Jet

Canada

3 January 1939 – 30 January 2023 (84 years old)

Electrifying hockey superstar whose 119 mph slapshot and blazing blond rushes earned him the nickname "The Golden Jet," revolutionizing professional hockey in the 1960s and 70s.

Hillside, United States

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Sports & Athletics

26

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Carlos Roberto de Oliveira

Roberto Dinamite

Brazil

1954 – 2023 (68 years old)

Legendary Brazilian footballer who remains the all-time top goalscorer in the history of the Brazilian Championship (Campeonato Brasileiro) with 190 goals, scoring 708 goals for Vasco da Gama, and serving as the club's president.

Duque de Caxias, Brazil

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Sports & Athletics

24

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Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli

Italy

1964 – 2023 (58 years old)

Beloved Italian football striker and manager who formed the "Goal Twins" partnership with Roberto Mancini at Sampdoria, captained Juventus to Champions League glory in 1996, won European trophies managing Chelsea, and guided Italy to triumph at Euro 2020.

London, United Kingdom

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Sports & Athletics

45

🕯️ 380

Kenneth Paul Block

Kenneth Paul Block

United States

1967 – 2023 (55 years old)

American rally driver, action sports innovator, and co-founder of DC Shoes and Hoonigan, revolutionized automotive culture with his Gymkhana series.

Woodland, Utah, United States

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Sports & Athletics

169

🕯️ 4,250

Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento

Brazil

23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022 (82 years old)

Pelé is universally revered as one of the greatest football players in the history of the sport, and the only player ever to win three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970). Renowned for his incandescent brilliance, acrobatic athleticism, and more than 1,200 career goals, he transformed the sport into 'The Beautiful Game' (O Jogo Bonito) and became a transcendent cultural icon for Brazil and the globe.

São Paulo, Brazil

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Sports & Athletics

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Siniša Mihajlović

Синиша Михајловић

Croatia

1969 – 2022 (53 years old)

Legendary Serbian footballer and manager regarded as one of the greatest free-kick specialists in football history, who won the 1991 European Cup with Red Star Belgrade and scored an all-time record 28 Serie A free-kick goals.

Rome, Italy

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Sports & Athletics

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Antonio Inoki

アントニオ猪木 (猪木 寛至)

Japan

1943 – 2022 (79 years old)

Legendary Japanese professional wrestler, founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and pioneer of mixed martial arts who fought Muhammad Ali in the historic 1976 Boxer vs. Wrestler bout.

Yokohama (Kanagawa), Japan

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Sports & Athletics

58

🕯️ 3,450

Bill Russell

William Felton Russell

United States

12 February 1934 – 31 July 2022 (88 years old)

William Felton 'Bill' Russell is universally revered as the greatest winner in North American team sports history, having anchored the Boston Celtics dynasty to eleven NBA championships in thirteen seasons (1957–1969). A five-time NBA MVP who revolutionized defensive basketball with shot-blocking and fastbreak initiation, he was also the first Black head coach in major American professional sports and a towering civil rights leader.

Mercer Island, Washington, United States

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Sports & Athletics

27

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Guy Damien Lafleur

Guy Lafleur

Canada

1951 – 2022 (70 years old)

Legendary Montreal Canadiens right winger known as "The Flower" and "Le Démon Blond" whose blazing speed without a helmet and thunderous slapshots led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup championships, becoming the first NHL player to score 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Sports & Athletics

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Michael Dean Bossy

Mike Bossy

Canada

1957 – 2022 (65 years old)

Deadly, gentlemanly New York Islanders sniper celebrated as the most pure and prolific goal-scorer in NHL history, leading the Islanders dynasty to four consecutive Stanley Cups (1980–1983) and holding the NHL record for highest goals-per-game average (0.762).

Rosemère, Quebec, Canada

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