Famous people and celebrities who died in December 1996

This page is dedicated to commemorating the celebrities and famous people who passed away in December 1996. This month marked the loss of influential and beloved figures whose contributions spanned various fields and touched many lives. Explore our detailed list to remember and celebrate their enduring legacies and the remarkable impact they had on the world

Dec. 3 Georges Duby
Georges Duby was a renowned French medieval historian who revolutionized understanding of social and economic structures in the Middle Ages. He was a leading public intellectual in France from the 1970s until his death, significantly influencing historical scholarship.
Dec. 3 Babrak Karmal
Afghan political leader who served as Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1980 to 1981, playing a significant role during the Soviet-Afghan War.
Dec. 6 Pete Rozelle
Pete Rozelle was a transformative NFL commissioner who revolutionized professional football by overseeing the AFL-NFL merger and creating the Super Bowl, serving the league for 29 years.
Dec. 7 Jose Donoso
Renowned Chilean novelist and key figure in the Latin American literary boom, best known for his surrealist novel 'The Obscene Bird of Night'.
Dec. 8 Howard Rollins
American actor known for his roles in 'Amos & Andrew' and the TV series 'In the Heat of the Night', who received an Oscar nomination for 'A Soldier's Story'.
Dec. 9 Mary Leakey
Renowned English-Kenyan archaeologist and paleoanthropologist who made significant contributions to human origins research in East Africa.
Dec. 9 Alain Poher
French politician who served as President of the Senate and twice acted as interim President of France, playing a significant role in French political history during the mid-20th century.
Dec. 9 Patty Donahue
Lead singer of the new wave band The Waitresses, known for their hit song 'I Know What Boys Like'.
Dec. 10 Faron Young
Country singer/actor, hidden guns, commits suicide at the age of 34.
Dec. 10 John Duffey
John Duffey was a significant bluegrass musician, founding member of The Country Gentlemen and The Seldom Scene, who greatly influenced the genre.
Dec. 11 Willie Rushton
English cartoonist, author, and publisher, co-founded private eye (b. 1937)
Dec. 12 Vance Packard
Influential American social critic and author who explored the psychological manipulation in advertising and consumer culture, most famously in his groundbreaking book 'The Hidden Persuaders'.
Dec. 13 Cao Yu
Cao Yu was a renowned Chinese dramatist and playwright who significantly influenced modern Chinese literature during the 20th century.
Dec. 14 Gaston Miron
Prominent French-Canadian poet and editor who significantly contributed to Quebec's literary landscape in the 20th century.
Dec. 16 Laurens van der Post
Renowned South African author, farmer, and war hero who served as a cultural anthropologist and political adviser, known for his profound insights into human nature and indigenous cultures.
Dec. 16 Jean-Pierre Lévy
Prominent French Resistance leader during World War II, heading the significant resistance movement Franc-tireur, who played a crucial role in fighting Nazi occupation.
Dec. 16 Quentin Bell
English historian and author (b. 1910)
Dec. 18 Yulii Borisovich Khariton
Yulii Borisovich Khariton was a prominent Russian physicist who played a crucial role in the Soviet nuclear weapons program during the Cold War.
Dec. 18 Irving Caesar
American composer (b. 1895)
Dec. 19 Marcello Mastroianni
Legendary Italian actor who became an international cinema icon, starring in Federico Fellini's masterpieces and defining the style of European art cinema in the 1960s and 1970s.
Dec. 20 Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan was a renowned American astronomer, astrophysicist, and science communicator who popularized complex scientific concepts for the general public through his groundbreaking TV series 'Cosmos' and numerous influential books.
Dec. 23 Rina Ketty
Renowned Italian-French singer of the mid-20th century, known for her melodic performances in the chanson tradition and popular during the 1930s and 1940s.
Dec. 25 JonBenet Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey was a 6-year-old child beauty pageant contestant who was tragically murdered in her family home in Boulder, Colorado in 1996. Her unsolved murder became a high-profile case that captivated national media attention and remains one of the most mysterious criminal investigations in American history.
Dec. 29 Robert Morris
Influential American minimalist artist known for his sculptural and conceptual works. Morris was a key figure in the development of post-war contemporary art, particularly in minimalism and performance art. His innovative approach challenged traditional artistic boundaries.
Dec. 29 Pennar Davies
Welsh clergyman and author (b. 1911)
Dec. 29 Peggy Herbison
Scottish politician (b. 1907)
Dec. 30 Lew Ayres
Prominent American actor known for his roles in classic films like 'All Quiet on the Western Front' and 'Johnny Belinda', for which he received Oscar nominations. He was also famous for pioneering the Dr. Kildare film series in the late 1930s.
Dec. 30 Jack Nance
Iconic American actor known for his collaborations with David Lynch, most famously starring in 'Eraserhead' and appearing in 'Twin Peaks'.