Famous people and celebrities who died on May 12

Welcome to Takemeback.to's page dedicated to remembering the celebrities and famous people who passed away on May 12. On this day, we honor the lives and legacies of notable figures from various fields who left an indelible mark on the world. Explore our list to learn about their remarkable contributions and celebrate their enduring impact.

• 1956 Louis Calhern

  American actor and singer (d. 1956).

• 1957 Alfonso de Portago

  Famous Spanish race car driver and bobsledder who tragically died during the Mille Miglia race in Italy in 1957, known for his daring and adventurous racing style.

• 1970 Nelly Sachs

  LIT - German poet and playwright, nobel prize laureate (b. 1891)

• 1980 Lillian Roth

  Actress (animal crackers and alice sweet alice).

• 1985 Jean Dubuffet

  Jean Dubuffet was a pioneering French artist known for his raw, primitive art style that challenged traditional aesthetic norms. He founded the Art Brut movement, celebrating art created outside of professional artistic circles. His innovative techniques involved unconventional materials and expressive, textured surfaces that transformed painting into a visceral, tactile experience.

• 1986 Elisabeth Bergner

  German actress (b. 1897)

• 1992 Robert Reed

  Renowned American television actor best known for playing Mike Brady in the iconic sitcom 'The Brady Bunch'. He had a significant acting career spanning multiple television series including 'The Defenders', 'Mannix', 'Rich Man, Poor Man', and 'Roots'.

• 1992 Wanda Rutkiewicz

  Wanda Rutkiewicz was a pioneering Polish mountaineer who made history by becoming the first woman to summit K2, one of the world's most challenging and dangerous mountains.

• 1994 Erik Erikson

  Erik Erikson was a prominent developmental psychologist who developed the theory of psychosocial development, introducing influential concepts about human growth across the lifespan. He expanded Freud's psychosexual theory and proposed eight stages of psychological development from infancy to late adulthood. His work significantly impacted understanding of human psychological development and identity formation.

• 1994 John Smith

  Neil Kinnock, a Scottish politician who was elected as the Labour Party's leader.

• 1995 Mia Martini

  Italian pop singer, songwriter, and sister to rock singer loredana bertes. martini is ex-wife to bjorn borg, tennis champion.

• 1999 Saul Steinberg

  Iconic Romanian-American illustrator and cartoonist known for his distinctive, witty, and intellectually complex drawings in The New Yorker.

• 2000 Adam Petty

  Promising NASCAR driver from the legendary Petty racing family who tragically died young, cutting short a potential championship career.

• 2001 Alexei Tupolev

  Alexei Tupolev was a prominent Russian aerospace engineer who designed the Tupolev Tu-144, a pioneering supersonic passenger aircraft often compared to the Concorde.

• 2002 Joseph Bonanno

  Prominent Italian-American mafia boss who was a key figure in the Bonanno crime family and played a significant role in organized crime during the mid-20th century in the United States.

• 2003 Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan

  Influential French-Pakistani diplomat who made significant contributions to international humanitarian efforts.

• 2005 Monica Zetterlund

  Renowned Swedish jazz singer and actress known for her distinctive interpretative style and international performances. She was a significant cultural figure in Scandinavian entertainment during the mid-20th century.

• 2005 Martin Lings

  Renowned English scholar, author, and academic specializing in Islamic studies and biography, particularly known for his work on the life of Prophet Muhammad.

• 2008 Irena Sendler

  Polish nurse and social worker who saved approximately 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. She risked her life to rescue children and was recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations by Israel.

• 2008 Robert Rauschenberg

  A pioneering American artist who significantly influenced the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Neo-Dadaism and Pop Art. His innovative mixed-media works challenged traditional artistic boundaries and redefined contemporary art in the mid-20th century.

• 2009 Antonio Vega

  Antonio Vega was a prominent Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as the lead singer of the influential rock band Nacha Pop. He was a key figure in the Spanish rock music scene during the 1980s and early 1990s.

• 2012 Eddy Paape

  Renowned Belgian comic book illustrator who made significant contributions to the European graphic arts scene throughout his career.

• 2014 H R Giger

  H.R. Giger was a renowned Swiss artist famous for his groundbreaking biomechanical and surrealist artwork, most notably designing the iconic xenomorph creature for the Alien film series.

• 2014 Lorenzo Zambrano

  Prominent Mexican businessman who led CEMEX, a global cement manufacturing company, and was known for his philanthropic efforts in education and social development.

• 2014 Jacinto Convit

  Jacinto Convit was a renowned Venezuelan physician and medical researcher who made significant contributions to tropical disease treatment, particularly in developing a vaccine for leprosy.

• 2015 Peter Gay

  Renowned German-American historian and cultural critic who made significant contributions to intellectual and cultural history.

• 2016 Mike Agostini

  Renowned Trinidadian sprinter who competed at the highest levels of international athletics during the mid-20th century.

• 2017 Mauno Koivisto

  Prominent Finnish politician who served as the ninth President of Finland from 1982 to 1994, playing a crucial role during the late Cold War period.

• 2018 Dennis Nilsen

  Notorious British serial killer who murdered at least 15 young men between 1978 and 1983, known for his gruesome dismemberment and preservation of victims' bodies. His crimes shocked the UK and revealed disturbing psychological pathologies.