Famous people and celebrities who died in August 2004

This page is dedicated to commemorating the celebrities and famous people who passed away in August 2004. 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

• Aug. 1 Philip Abelson

  Renowned American physicist and science administrator who made significant contributions to nuclear physics and scientific research, particularly during World War II and the Manhattan Project.

• Aug. 2 François Craenhals

  Belgian comic book illustrator known for his significant contributions to Franco-Belgian comics during the mid-20th century.

• Aug. 3 Henri Cartier-Bresson

  Renowned French photographer considered a pioneer of street photography and modern photojournalism. He co-founded the Magnum Photos agency and significantly influenced 20th-century visual storytelling.

• Aug. 4 Hossein Panahi (Persian: حسین پناهی)

  Iranian actor and poet (b. 1956)

• Aug. 6 Rick James

  Legendary funk and R&B singer known for hits like 'Super Freak' and his influential role in 1980s music. A Grammy-nominated artist who significantly impacted popular music and influenced many future musicians.

• Aug. 7 Red Adair

  Legendary oil well firefighter known for extinguishing some of the most dangerous and complex oil fires worldwide, including those in Kuwait after the Gulf War.

• Aug. 7 Colin Bibby

  English ornithologist and academic (b. 1948)

• Aug. 8 Fay Wray

  Fay Wray was a famous Hollywood actress of the 1930s, best known for her iconic role as Ann Darrow in the groundbreaking 1933 film 'King Kong', which established her as a legendary figure in cinema history.

• Aug. 8 Dimitris Papamichael

  Prominent Greek actor and film director who made significant contributions to Greek cinema during the mid-20th century.

• Aug. 8 Leon Golub

  Prominent American figurative artist known for large-scale paintings exploring male aggression and social dynamics. A Chicago-based painter who made significant contributions to contemporary art in the mid-20th century.

• Aug. 9 David Raksin

  American composer from Philadelphia known for his contributions to modern music composition. He was a notable figure in 20th-century musical development.

• Aug. 12 Peter Woodthorpe

  British actor known for his stage and screen performances, with a career spanning several decades in theater and television.

• Aug. 12 Godfrey Hounsfield

  British electrical engineer who invented the CT scanner, revolutionizing medical imaging and winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1979.

• Aug. 13 Julia Child

  Renowned American chef who revolutionized French cooking in the United States through her groundbreaking cookbooks and television shows. She introduced sophisticated French cuisine to American home cooks and became a cultural icon in culinary television.

• Aug. 14 Czesław Miłosz

  LIT - Polish-born american novelist, essayist, and poet, nobel prize laureate (b. 1911)

• Aug. 15 Sune K. Bergström

  Nobel Prize laureate for their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances

• Aug. 15 Amarsinh Chaudhary

  Indian politician who served as the 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 1994 to 1995. He was a prominent figure in state politics during the mid-1990s.

• Aug. 16 Carl Mydans

  Renowned American photojournalist who documented major world events during the 20th century, including World War II and the Korean War.

• Aug. 16 Robert Quiroga

  American boxer (born 1969).

• Aug. 16 Ivan Hlinka

  Czech ice hockey player and coach (b. 1950)

• Aug. 17 Thea Astley

  Acclaimed Australian novelist who won multiple literary awards for her insightful works exploring Australian social dynamics and rural life.

• Aug. 18 Elmer Bernstein

  Legendary film composer who created memorable scores for numerous classic movies, significantly contributing to the golden age of Hollywood film music.

• Aug. 18 Hiram Fong

  Hiram Fong was a prominent Hawaiian-American politician who served as a United States Senator from Hawaii and was a key figure in Hawaiian politics.

• Aug. 22 Daniel Petrie

  Acclaimed Canadian film and television director known for directing numerous movies and TV productions across several decades of the 20th century.

• Aug. 24 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

  A pioneering Swiss psychiatrist who revolutionized understanding of death and dying through her groundbreaking five-stage grief model. Her seminal 1969 book 'On Death and Dying' transformed how healthcare professionals and society approach end-of-life experiences. She dedicated her life to understanding human emotional responses to mortality and helped thousands of patients and professionals comprehend the psychological journey of dying.

• Aug. 30 Fred Lawrence Whipple

  Fred Whipple was a renowned American astronomer who made significant contributions to understanding comets and developing methods for tracking space objects. He is best known for the 'Whipple Shield', a protective technique used in spacecraft design.