Famous people and celebrities who died in May 2011

This page is dedicated to commemorating the celebrities and famous people who passed away in May 2011. 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

• May 1 Henry Cooper

  Legendary British heavyweight boxer known for his famous bout with Muhammad Ali and his significant contributions to boxing. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire and had a remarkable 17-year professional career. Cooper was particularly famous for his powerful left hook and his memorable fights.

• May 1 Ted Lowe

  Legendary English snooker commentator who became known as the 'Voice of Snooker' and significantly contributed to the sport's popularity in the United Kingdom.

• May 2 Osama Bin Laden

  Founder of al-Qaeda, mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and a key figure in global terrorism who was killed by US special forces in Pakistan.

• May 3 Jackie Cooper

  Renowned child actor who was one of the most famous Hollywood performers of the early 1930s. He was the youngest person ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor at that time. His performances in films like 'Skippy' and 'The Champ' were groundbreaking for child actors.

• May 5 Dana Wynter

  German-English actress known for her roles in classic films, including the science fiction thriller 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1956).

• May 5 Claude Choules

  Claude Choules was a British Royal Navy sailor who served in World War I and was one of the last surviving veterans of that conflict. He lived an extraordinary life, passing away at the remarkable age of 110 and becoming known as the last combat veteran of World War I.

• May 7 Seve Ballesteros

  Legendary Spanish golfer who revolutionized golf with his creative and passionate playing style. He was a two-time Masters Tournament champion and one of Europe's most influential golf players of the 20th century.

• May 7 Willard S. Boyle

  Nobel Prize laureate for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit - the CCD sensor

• May 7 Gunter Sachs

  German-born Swiss photographer, author, and industrialist known for his playboy lifestyle. He famously courted actress Brigitte Bardot by flying a helicopter over her villa near Saint Tropez.

• May 8 Lionel Rose

  Groundbreaking Australian boxer who became the first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title, breaking significant racial barriers in sports.

• May 11 Robert Traylor

  Professional basketball player who played in the NBA, tragically passing away in 2011 at a relatively young age.

• May 13 Derek Boogaard

  Derek Boogaard was a prominent Canadian-American ice hockey enforcer known for his intimidating physical presence and fighting skills in the NHL, particularly with the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers.

• May 17 Edward Hardwicke

  English actor known for his roles in film and television, particularly for portraying Dr. Watson alongside Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes.

• May 17 Harmon Killebrew

  Legendary Major League Baseball player who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was one of the most prolific home run hitters of his era, playing primarily for the Minnesota Twins.

• May 19 Garret FitzGerald

  Prominent Irish politician who served as the 7th Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 1981 to 1987. He was a key figure in Irish politics during a transformative period and played a significant role in Northern Ireland peace negotiations.

• May 20 Randy Savage

  Professional wrestler known as 'Macho Man', WWE Hall of Fame inductee famous for his charismatic personality and iconic wrestling style.

• May 27 Jeff Conaway

  American actor known for roles in 'Grease' and 'Taxi', who was also a musician and model in his early career. He appeared in Broadway and film, releasing a vocal album in 1980.

• May 27 Gil Scott-Heron

  Influential African American poet, musician, and author known for his powerful spoken word performances and socially conscious music that significantly impacted the civil rights and jazz poetry movements.

• May 27 Margo Dydek

  Pioneering Polish professional basketball player and coach who was known for her exceptional height and significant contributions to women's basketball, tragically passing away in 2011.

• May 29 Bill Clements

  Distinguished American politician and military professional who served as the 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense and was a pivotal Republican governor of Texas.

• May 29 Sergei Bagapsh

  Abkhazian politician who served as the 2nd president of Abkhazia, a partially recognized state, until his death in 2011.

• May 29 Ferenc Mádl

  Hungarian politician and academic who served as the 2nd President of Hungary from 2000 to 2005, known for his scholarly background and diplomatic contributions.

• May 30 Rosalyn Sussman Yalow

  MED - American physicist and academic, nobel prize laureate (b. 1921)

• May 30 Rosalyn Yalow

  Rosalyn Yalow was a pioneering medical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1977 for developing radioimmunoassay, a groundbreaking technique for measuring hormones and proteins in the human body.

• May 30 Isikia Savua

  Fijian police officer and diplomat (b. 1952)

• May 30 Saleem Shahzad

  Pakistani journalist (b. 1970)

• May 31 Pauline Betz

  Renowned American tennis player who won the Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship in 1946, marking a significant achievement in her professional tennis career.