Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Mohammed Arkoun

محمد أركون

Algeria

1928 – 2010 (82 years old)

Renowned Algerian philosopher, historian of Islamic thought, and professor at the Sorbonne who pioneered 'Applied Islamology', deconstructing both theological fundamentalism and Western orientalist dogmas.

Algiers, Algeria

34 Full Record →

14

Claude Chabrol

Claude Henri Jean Chabrol

France

1930 – 2010 (80 years old)

Prolific French film director who launched the French New Wave with Le Beau Serge (1958) and created fifty feature films dissecting bourgeois hypocrisy and crime with Hitchcockian precision.

Paris, France

14 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

Laurent Fignon

Laurent Patrick Fignon

France

1960 – 2010 (50 years old)

French road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, the Giro d'Italia in 1989, and was legendary for his fiery intellect, ponytail, and round spectacles.

Paris, France

13 Full Record →

16

Alain Corneau

France

1943 – 2010 (67 years old)

Acclaimed French film director whose versatile career spanned stylized neo-noirs like Police Python 355 and the celebrated 1991 baroque music masterpiece Tous les matins du monde.

Paris, France

16 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

31

🕯️ 340

Antonius Johannes Geesink

Netherlands

1934 – 2010 (76 years old)

Dutch judoka, 10th dan, 1964 Olympic open category champion whose historic victory in Tokyo broke Japan's monopoly and made judo a global sport.

Utrecht, Netherlands

31 Full Record →

14

Resistance & Human Rights

Satoshi Kon

今敏

Japan

1963 – 2010 (46 years old)

Visionary Japanese anime director and manga artist whose psychological masterpieces Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Paprika blurred the boundaries of reality, memory, and dreams.

Tokyo, Japan

14 Full Record →

23

Lakhdar Bentobal

لخضر بن طوبال (سليمان)

Algeria

1923 – 2010 (87 years old)

One of the 22 historic pioneers who launched the Algerian Revolution in 1954, member of the powerful revolutionary '3Bs' triumvirate, and Minister of the Interior of the GPRA.

Algiers, Algeria

23 Full Record →

Sports & Athletics

11

Bobby Thomson

Robert Brown Thomson

Great Britain

1923 – 2010 (86 years old)

Scottish-born Major League Baseball outfielder who hit the famous 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' in 1951, one of the most dramatic home runs in sports history.

Savannah, United States

11 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

1

Ghazi Al-Gosaibi

غازي القصيبي

Saudi Arabia

3 March 1940 – 15 August 2010 (70 years old)

Celebrated Saudi cabinet minister, ambassador to London, and bestselling novelist whose satirical novel 'An Apartment Called Freedom' challenged taboos.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

1 Full Record →

Statesmanship & Statesmen

Abbey Lincoln

Anna Marie Wooldridge

United States

1930 – 2010 (80 years old)

Iconic American jazz vocalist, composer, and civil rights activist who collaborated with Max Roach on the landmark 1960 album We Insist! Freedom Now Suite.

New York City, United States

13 Full Record →

14

Guido de Marco

Malta

1931 – 2010 (79 years old)

Sixth President of Malta who formally submitted Malta's application to join the European Union and served as President of the 45th United Nations General Assembly.

Paola, Malta

14 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

15

Tahar Ouettar

الطاهر وطار

Algeria

1936 – 2010 (73 years old)

Eminent Algerian Arabic novelist and intellectual whose iconic works 'The Earthquake' and 'The Fisherman and the Palace' dissected social transformations, while his cultural association Al-Jahidhiya nurtured writers.

Algiers, Algeria

15 Full Record →

Patricia Neal

Patsy Louise Neal

United States

1926 – 2010 (84 years old)

Acclaimed American actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Hud (1963) and inspired millions worldwide by relearning to walk and speak after severe strokes.

Bethlehem, United States

13 Full Record →

12

Bruno Cremer

Bruno Jean Marie Crémer

France

1929 – 2010 (80 years old)

Distinguished French actor celebrated for his commanding presence on stage and in films like The 317th Platoon and Sorcerer, and as the definitive television Commissaire Maigret.

Paris, France

12 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

Tony Judt

Tony Robert Judt

Great Britain

1948 – 2010 (62 years old)

British historian and essayist renowned for his magisterial history of post-1945 Europe, Postwar, and his spirited defense of social democracy.

London, United Kingdom

13 Full Record →

Suso Cecchi d'Amico

Giovanna Cecchi

Italy

1914 – 2010 (96 years old)

Legendary Italian screenwriter who shaped the golden age of Italian cinema, writing masterpieces including Bicycle Thieves, Miracle in Milan, Senso, Rocco and His Brothers, and The Leopard.

Rome, Italy

13 Full Record →

16