Marshall Herff Applewhite was the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious group. He was a self-proclaimed prophet. He died in the group's mass suicide in 1997.
1931-1997
American singer LaVern Baker helped pioneer the R&B sound in the 1950s and released multiple hits with Atlantic Records, including the famous "Tweedle Dee."
1929-1997
Isaiah Berlin was a trailblazing 20th century scholar, philosopher and author, who championed pluralistic thinking and openness to ideas.
1909-1997
Biggie Smalls, also known as Notorious B.I.G., was a revered hip-hop artist and face of East Coast gangsta rap. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997.
1972-1997
1906-1997
Jeff Buckley was an American singer-songwriter who became widely known for his stirring cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah."
1966-1997
William S. Burroughs was a Beat Generation writer known for his startling, nontraditional accounts of drug culture, most famously in the book Naked Lunch.
1914-1997
1911-1997
Jacques Cousteau was a French undersea explorer, researcher, photographer and documentary host who invented diving and scuba devices, including the Aqua-Lung. He also conducted underwater expeditions and produced films and television series, including the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
1910-1997
Andrew Cunanan was a serial murder who killed fashion designer Gianni Versace, and at least four other people, before commiting suicide in a Miami houseboat.
1969-1997
1904-1997
John Denver was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s. His hits include "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."
1943-1997
James Dickey was a Poet Laureate and novelist best known for his 1970 book Deliverance.
1923-1997
Comedian and actor Chris Farley had an ensemble role on Saturday Night Live, and was also know for his movie roles in the comedies Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.
1964-1997
Dodi Fayed was an Egyptian heir and film producer who dated and was dled with Princess Diana of Wales in a Paris car crash.
1955-1997
Allen Ginsberg is one of the 20th century's most influential poets, regarded as a founding father of the Beat Movement and known for works like "Howl."
1926-1997
Roberto Críspulo Goizueta served as chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company. Over 16-years, he increased Coca-Cola's market value from $4 to $150 billion.
1931-1997
Art Hanes was mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, between 1961 and 1963. He actively opposed racial integration.
1916-1997
American biologist A.D. Hershey won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1969 for his research done on viruses that infect bacteria.
1908-1997
1960-1997
1948-1997
Charles Kuralt was a multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning broadcast journalist who produced the well-loved "On The Road" segments for the CBS Evening News.
1934-1997
Musician and activist Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned the Nigerian government.
1938-1997
1923-1997
Roy Lichtenstein was an American pop artist best known for his boldly-colored parodies of comic strips and advertisements.
1923-1997
Dora Maar was a French artist and poet best known as Pablo Picasso's lover and muse.
1907-1997
1907-1997
1907-1997
A legendary tough guy on and off-screen, Robert Mitchum was one of the most memorable leading men of the twentieth century.
1917-1997
Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.
1910-1997
Laura Nyro is best known for her musical career as a singer-songwriter, which began in the 1960s.
1947-1997
Princess Diana was Princess of Wales while married to Prince Charles. One of the most adored members of the British royal family, she died in a 1997 car crash.
1961-1997
1903-1997
Mobutu Sésé Seko was president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was also known as Zaire for much of his reign, from 1965 to 1997.
1930-1997
Betty Shabazz is best known as the wife of African-American nationalist leader Malcolm X, who was assassinated in New York City in 1965.
1934-1997
Son of a circus clown, Red Skelton was a radio and television comedian and host best known for his emotionally complex routines.
1913-1997
Jimmy Stewart was a major motion-picture star known for his portrayals of diffident but morally resolute characters in films such as It’s a Wonderful Life.
1908-1997
Brandon Tartikoff was the president of NBC Television during its rise to the top from 1980 till 1991.
1949-1997
Townes Van Zandt was a critically acclaimed folk-country singer/songwriter known for songs like "If I Needed You," "Loretta" and "To Live's to Fly."
1944-1997
A designer to celebrities and royalty such as Princess Diana, Gianni Versace brought vitality and art to an industry considered out of touch with the street.
1946-1997
Noted economist Robert Weaver, was the first African American to serve in the U.S. cabinet as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
1907-1997
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese communist leader, the most powerful figure in the People's Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997.
1904-1997
1918-1997
1907-1997