10 prominent personalities the world said goodbye to this year

Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, who faced numerous scandals to serve four terms, passed away at the age of 86 on June 12. Beyond his political endeavours, he was a formidable billionaire businessman, credited with founding Italy's largest media company.

As the longest-serving post-war Italian Prime Minister, he was involved in private life scandals and corruption accusations. Leading Italy three times between 1994 and 2011, totaling nine years, Berlusconi initially captivated voters with promises of economic prosperity, only to eventually step down amid a challenging debt crisis that enveloped the nation.

Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was another prominent political figure who passed away this year. Initially claiming to be a saviour with an agenda of "enlightened moderation", he rose to power in 1999 through a bloodless coup, ousting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Tina Turner

Tina Turner, the American-born singer who rose from a challenging farming community and overcame an abusive relationship to become one of the foremost recording artists of all time, passed away at the age of 83 on May 24.

Her illustrious singing career, marked by Grammy-winning achievements, includes iconic songs such as “Nutbush City Limits,” "Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It," and “We Don't Need Another Hero” from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Often referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," Turner earned six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s.

Sinead O’Connor / Shuhada Sadaqat

Sinead O'Connor, the iconic Irish singer and influential musician of the 1990s, passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, leaving behind a legacy marked by soul-stirring music, impactful political activism, and a later embrace of Islam.

Her breakthrough moment came in 1990 with a seething, shattering rendition of Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” topping charts globally. “Nothing Compares 2 U” garnered three Grammy nominations and served as the highlight of her acclaimed album “I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got,” leading Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.

In a bold move in 1992, she shocked the world by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a live appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” openly denouncing the Catholic Church as an adversary. In 2018, she publicly announced her conversion to Islam and adopted the name Shuhada Sadaqat.

Milan Kundera

Renowned Czech-French writer Milan Kundera, famed for "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," passed away at 94 on July 11. Known for his incisive, dark novels exploring the human condition, Kundera's work carried a satirical edge, influenced by his own experience of losing Czech nationality due to dissent.

Born on April 1, 1929, in Brno, Kundera studied in Prague, but his writing, notably "The Joke," a black comedy published in 1967, led to a ban in Czechoslovakia. Criticising the communist regime, he fled for France in 1975. He was stripped of Czech nationality in 1979, following the publication of "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting".

Despite criticism for distancing from his homeland and not allowing his French books to be translated of into Czech, Kundera regained Czech nationality in 2019.

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, along with 9 other passengers, died in a private jet crash in Russia’s Tver region on August 23. The death of Prigozhin came exactly after he led a daylong mutiny against Kremlin, where Wagner forces briefly seized Rostov-on-Don after tensions over their involvement in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the victims of the plane crash however in his remarks on the incident, Putin noted that Prigozhin had "made serious mistakes in life," possibly alluding to the brief mutiny.

Mohamed Al Fayed

Mohamed al Fayed, the former owner of London's renowned Harrods department store, passed away at the age of 94 on August 30.

A self-made Egyptian businessman and former owner of Fulham Football Club, Al Fayed was profoundly affected by the tragic car crash 26 years ago in Paris that claimed the lives of his son, Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana.

Bobby Charlton

Legendary England and Manchester United player Bobby Charlton passed away at the age of 86 on October 21. Over his illustrious 17-year career with Manchester United, he scored 249 goals in 758 appearances, securing victories in the European Cup, three English top-tier league titles, and the FA Cup. He scored 49 goals in 106 matches for England and led the country to the 1966 FIFA World Cup title.

Matthew Perry

Actor Matthew Perry, renowned for his leading role in the iconic US television comedy "Friends," was found dead at his home on October 28. Perry, who achieved widespread fame during the show's 10 seasons, stood out as one of Hollywood's most recognisable actors.

Alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer, he portrayed a member of the close-knit New York friend group. In his role as Chandler, Perry skillfully portrayed a character known for his sarcasm, and insecurity, serving as the roommate of Joey and Ross, played by LeBlanc and Schwimmer, respectively.

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize recipient and influential US diplomat, passed away at the age of 100 on November 29. Serving as a prominent advisor to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Kissinger left an enduring impact on US foreign policy.

While many admired his brilliance and extensive experience, others criticised him as a war criminal due to his support for dictatorships, particularly in Latin America.

In his later years, Kissinger faced restrictions on his travels as other nations sought to question him about past US foreign policy or even arrest him. The controversial 1973 Peace Prize, shared with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho (who declined it), stirred significant debate. The selection prompted two Nobel committee members to resign, and scrutiny arose over the US secret bombing of Cambodia during that period.

Refaat Alareer

As we list the globally renowned figures who passed away this year, it is with a profound sense of sorrow that we turn our attention the recent losses in Palestine.

As of December 22, the Israeli army's relentless bombings have resulted in the tragic loss of 20,057 Palestinian lives and left 53,320 individuals injured in Gaza since October 7. Among those who have perished is the esteemed Palestinian poet, Refaat Alareer, whose life was tragically cut short by an Israeli strike on December 7.

Alareer, a professor of English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he taught Shakespeare among other subjects, was also one of the co-founders of the "We are not numbers" project, which pairs authors from Gaza with mentors abroad who help them write stories in English about their experiences.

In November, Alareer poured his heart into a soul-stirring poem titled "If I must die," a profound testament that resonated with tens of thousands. Its concluding words echo in our hearts: "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale."