Who died in 2025? Remembering notable figures from around the world
The year 2025 witnessed the passing of several influential leaders, artists, and intellectuals across the Global South and the Western world.
This list highlights some of the most notable figures whose contributions left a lasting legacy.
Africa
Muhammadu Buhari (82) – Former Nigerian military ruler and president (2015–2023); died on 13 July 2025.
Sam Nujoma (95) – Founding president of Namibia, who led from 1990 to 2005; passed away on 8 February 2025.
Edgar Lungu (68) – Former president of Zambia (2015–2021); died on 5 May 2025 from complications during surgery.
Raila Odinga (80) – Former Prime Minister of Kenya; passed away on 15 October 2025 following a cardiac arrest.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (87) – Prominent Kenyan writer known for A Grain of Wheat; died on 28 November 2025.
Daddy Lumba (60) – Known as one of the most prolific and influential musicians in Ghanaian history, whose birth name is Charles Kwadwo Fosu, passed away on 26 June 2025.
Asia
Khaleda Zia (80) – Bangladesh’s first female prime minister; passed away on 30 December 2025.
Kim Yong-nam (97) – Former head of state of North Korea; died on 3 November 2025 due to organ failure and colorectal cancer.
Queen Sirikit (93) – Queen Mother of Thailand; died on 24 November 2025 from a blood infection.
Aga Khan IV (88) – Spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili community and philanthropist; passed away on 4 February 2025.
Yang Chen-Ning (103) – Chinese theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate; died on 18 November 2025.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (85) – Malaysia’s former prime minister (2003–2009); died on 14 April 2025 due to organ failure.
Shigeo Nagashima (89) – Japanese baseball legend; passed away on 3 June 2025 from pneumonia.
Latin America
Pope Francis (88) – Argentine-born head of the Roman Catholic Church; died on 21 April 2025 from a stroke.
Mario Vargas Llosa (89) – Peruvian writer and Nobel laureate; passed away on 13 April 2025.
José Mujica (89) – Former Uruguayan president known for his modest lifestyle; died on 13 May 2025 from oesophageal cancer.
Violeta Chamorro (95) – Nicaragua’s first female president; passed away on 14 June 2025.
Mauricio Funes (65) – Former Salvadoran president; died on 21 February 2025 due to complications from a heart attack.
Lalo Schifrin (93) – Argentine composer best known for the Mission: Impossible theme; passed away on 26 June 2025 from pneumonia complications.
Beyond the high-profile losses in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the year 2025 was marked by the passing of several monumental figures from America and Europe whose influence defined modern politics, cinema, and music. Here are some of the most notable deaths that shook the Western world:
America and Europe
Dick Cheney (84) – Former U.S. Vice President (2001–2009), known for his role in shaping post-9/11 foreign policy, died on 3 November 2025 from pneumonia and heart disease.
Ozzy Osbourne (76) – English Hall of Fame musician and Black Sabbath frontman, passed away on 22 June 2025 following a heart attack.
Robert Redford (89) – Academy Award-winning actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival; died on 16 May 2025.
Brigitte Bardot (91) – French actress and 1960s cultural icon who later became an animal rights advocate; passed on 28 December 2025.
Gene Hackman (95) – Two-time Oscar winner, known for The French Connection and Unforgiven, died on 18 February 2025 from heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
Val Kilmer (65) – American actor famed for roles in Top Gun and Batman Forever; died on 1 April 2025 from pneumonia.
Jean-Marie Le Pen (96) – Founder of France’s National Front and long-time right-wing political figure; passed on 7 January 2025.
Jim Lovell (97) – U.S. astronaut and commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, who famously returned his crew safely to Earth, passed away on 7 August 2025.
Diane Keaton (79) – Oscar-winning actress known for roles in Annie Hall and The Godfather series; died on 11 October 2025 from bacterial pneumonia.
Charlie Kirk (31) – American conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA; fatally shot on 10 September 2025 during a university debate event.
Giorgio Armani (91) – Italian fashion designer and founder of the Armani brand; died on 4 September 2025 due to liver failure.
Hulk Hogan (71) – American professional wrestling icon and WWF/WCW star; died on 24 July 2025 from a heart attack.
Diogo Jota (28) – The sporting world was shocked by the sudden death of Portuguese footballer for Liverpool on 3 July 2025 in a traffic collision in Spain.
Rest of the world
Sir Julius Chan (85) – A founding father of Papua New Guinea and former Prime Minister, passed away on 30 January 2025.
Max Romeo (80) – The world-famous Jamaican reggae musician known for hits like "Chase the Devil" died on 11 April 2025 of heart complications.
Ena Collymore-Woodstock (108) – Jamaica’s first female magistrate and legal pioneer; died on 2 January 2025.
Octavio Dotel (51) – Dominican MLB pitcher and World Series champion; killed on 8 April 2025 in the Dominican nightclub tragedy.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
