Ellie Goulding, British singer Deaths January January 4 Christopher Isherwood, English writer (b. 1904) Phil Lynott, Irish musician, lead singer and bassist (Thin Lizzy) (b. 1949) January 5 – Ilmari Salminen, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1902) January 6 – Una Merkel, American actress (b. 1903) January 7 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican writer (b. 1917) January 10 – Jaroslav Seifert, Czech writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901) January 12 – Juan Carlos Corazzo, Uruguayan football player (b. 1907) January 13 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Leader of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) (b. 1939) January 14 – Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921) January 16 – Herbert W. Armstrong, founded the Worldwide Church of God (b. 1892) January 17 – Abdul Majid Kubar, 4th Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1909) January 23 – Willard Van Dyke, American filmmaker and photographer (b. 1906) January 24 Victor Crutchley, British admiral (b. 1893) L. Ron Hubbard, American writer and founder of Scientology (b. 1911) Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921) January 27 Nikhil Banerjee, Indian classical sitarist (b. 1931) Lilli Palmer, German actress (b. 1914) January 28 – In the Challenger disaster: Gregory Jarvis, American astronaut (b. 1944) Christa McAuliffe, American astronaut and teacher (b. 1948) Ronald McNair, American astronaut (b. 1950) Ellison Onizuka, American astronaut (b. 1946) Judith Resnik, American astronaut (b. 1949) Dick Scobee, American astronaut (b. 1939) Michael J. Smith, American astronaut (b. 1945) January 29 – Leif Erickson, American actor (b. 1911) February February 1 Alva Myrdal, Swedish politician, diplomat, and writer, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1902) Ida Rhodes, American mathematician, pioneer in computer programming (b. 1900) February 7 Minoru Yamasaki, Japanese architect, designed the twin towers of the World Trade Center (b. 1912) Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician (b. 1923) February 10 – Brian Aherne, British actor (b. 1902) February 11 – Frank Herbert, American author (b. 1920) February 14 – Edmund Rubbra, British composer (b. 1901) February 16 – Howard Da Silva, American actor (b. 1909) February 17 Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (b. 1895) Paul Stewart, American actor (b. 1908) February 19 Francisco Mignone, Brazilian classical music (b. 1897) Barry Seal, American smuggler of drugs and arms, aircraft pilot, and money launderer and former Trans Worlds Airlines pilot (b. 1939) Adolfo Celi, Italian actor and director (b. 1922) February 20 – Bert Schneider, Canadian boxer (b. 1897)