1,572,522 votes 87,789 voters 872,714 views 847 items tags f p @

People We Wish Were Still Alive

List Criteria: Upvote the famous people who died before they lived up to their complete potential

RIP to our world's greatest achievers, those who changed the way we live and the ways we thought.

This list of people we wish were still alive includes some of the greatest humanitarians, artists, politicians, and celebrities we wished could have stayed with us longer. These notable dead people often died ahead of their time (some of them are among the celebrities who died in 2013) while others passed from natural causes. Regardless of the cause and timing, these are famous people who died while they still had very much to contribute to the world.

There are myriad great people who died too soon on this list of people we wish were still alive. Among them scientists like Albert Einstein, musicians like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, politicians like Ronald Reagan and JFK, and even celebrity personalities like the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. All these famous dead people left too soon, and left a void most people can never fill.

Who are some famous dead celebrities who should still be alive? Who are the celebrities that died before their time? There are many reasons you might have to vote up your favorite notable deceased person, so make sure to do so on this list of famous people you wish were still alive. If your favorite dead celebrity isn't listed, feel free to add them to the discussion.

If the macabre is your thing, check out the celebrity death pool 2013 to see who the public believes will be the next sad addition to the list of notable people who died too soon.


List Photo: user uploaded image
People We Wish Were Still Alive People
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  1. 1
    + 29544
    - 12701
    Jesus Christ

    most listed
    Died at 33 Jesus, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity, whom the teachings of most Christian denominations hold to be the Son of God. Christianity regards Jesus as the

    ;
  2. 2
    + 21049
    - 8864
    Leonardo da Vinci

    added by isadora
    Died at 67 (1452-1519) Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is

    ;
  3. 3
    + 25544
    - 10884
    Albert Einstein


    Died at 76 (1879-1955) Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist. Einstein's work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two

    ;
  4. 4
    + 21873
    - 10002
    John F. Kennedy


    Died at 46 (1917-1963) John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, John Kennedy or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. He served from 1961

    ;
  5. 5
    + 16758
    - 7460
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    added by isadora
    Died at 35 (1756-1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. Mozart showed prodigious ability from his

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  7. 6
    + 19894
    - 9040
    Martin Luther King, Jr.


    Died at 39 (1929-1968) Martin Luther King is a fictional character in the film Theme of the Traitor and the Hero.

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  8. 7
    + 17798
    - 10241
    Steve Irwin


    Died at 44 (1962-2006) Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin, nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert, television personality, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from

    ;
  9. 8
    + 18888
    - 9134
    Diana, Princess of Wales


    Died at 36 (1961-1997) Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into an aristocratic British family with royal

    ;
  10. 9
    + 21819
    - 10316
    John Lennon


    Died at 40 (1940-1980) John Winston Ono Lennon MBE was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular

    ;
  11. 10
    + 11360
    - 4627
    Robin Williams

    added by kierandell1409
    Died at 63 (1951-2014) Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian. Starting as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, he is credited with leading San Francisco's comedy

    ;
  12. 11
    + 18160
    - 8447
    Walt Disney


    Died at 65 (1901-1966) Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American entrepreneur, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, and film producer. As a prominent figure within the American animation industry and throughout the

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  13. 12
    + 11600
    - 6067
    Isaac Newton

    added by HumbertoIbarra
    Died at 84 (1643-1727) Sir Isaac Newton PRS MP was an English physicist and mathematician who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution. His

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  14. 13
    + 14949
    - 6738
    Freddie Mercury


    Died at 45 (1946-1991) Freddie Mercury was a British singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and

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  15. 14
    + 14537
    - 6182
    Abraham Lincoln


    Died at 56 (1809-1865) Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and

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  16. 15
    + 13454
    - 6717
    Bruce Lee


    Died at 33 (1940-1973) Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist, Hong Kong action film actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, filmmaker, and the founder of Jeet Kune Do. Lee was the son of Cantonese opera

    ;
  18. 16
    + 13758
    - 6771
    Jimi Hendrix


    Died at 28 (1942-1970) James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential

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  19. 17
    + 9784
    - 4021
    William Shakespeare


    Died at 52 (1564-1616) William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's

    ;
  20. 18
    + 15675
    - 7294
    Elvis Presley


    Died at 42 (1935-1977) Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or

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  21. 19
    + 13475
    - 6597
    Bob Marley

    added by wiabux
    Died at 36 (1945-1981) Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley OM was a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. Starting out in 1963 with the group the Wailers, he

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  22. 20
    + 7216
    - 3869
    Nikola Tesla


    Died at 87 (1856-1943) Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current

    ;
  23. 21
    + 7913
    - 3407
    Edgar Allan Poe

    added by MadameLil
    Died at 40 (1809-1849) Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the

    ;
  24. 22
    + 11068
    - 5158
    Mahatma Gandhi


    Died at 79 (1869-1948) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the preeminent leader of Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired

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  25. 23
    + 11837
    - 4973
    Heath Ledger


    Died at 29 (1979-2008) Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian actor and director. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger left for the United States in 1998 to develop his film

    ;
  26. 24
    + 5834
    - 3227
    Randy Savage


    Died at 59 (1952-2011) Randy Mario Poffo, better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and color commentator best known for his time in the World Wrestling

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  27. 25
    + 10158
    - 4549
    Johnny Cash


    Died at 71 (1932-2003) John R. "Johnny" Cash was a singer-songwriter, actor, and author, widely considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. Although primarily remembered as a

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  29. 26
    + 10950
    - 5071
    Mark Twain


    Died at 75 (1835-1910) Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the latter

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  30. 27
    + 4454
    - 2241
    Vincent van Gogh


    Died at 37 (1853-1890) Vincent Willem van Gogh was a major Post-Impressionist painter. He was a Dutch artist whose work had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. His output includes portraits, self portraits,

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  31. 28
    + 5044
    - 1697
    Socrates


    Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of classical writers, especially the

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  32. 29
    + 7901
    - 4180
    George Washington


    Died at 67 (1732-1799) George Washington was the first President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United

    ;
  33. 30
    + 3902
    - 2523
    Plato

    often listed & Ranked High on Reranks
    Plato was a philosopher, as well as mathematician, in Classical Greece. He is considered an essential figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition, and he founded the

    ;
  34. 31
    + 10033
    - 4096
    Anne Frank


    Died at 16 (1929-1945) Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was a diarist and writer. She is one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Her wartime diary The Diary of a Young Girl has been the basis for

    ;
  35. 32
    + 3559
    - 1583
    Jules Verne


    Died at 77 (1828-1905) Jules Gabriel Verne was a French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction. Verne was born to bourgeois

    ;
  36. 33
    + 2467
    - 1113
    Francis of Assisi

    added by Flufff
    Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women

    ;
  37. 34
    + 7340
    - 4692
    Kurt Cobain

    often listed & Ranked High on Reranks
    Died at 27 (1967-1994) Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen,

    ;
  38. 35
    + 3376
    - 2160
    Joan of Arc

    often listed & added by MadameLil
    Died at 19 (1412-1431) Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans", is considered a heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born to Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle, a peasant family, at

    ;
  40. 36
    + 3215
    - 1516
    Charles Dickens


    Died at 58 (1812-1870) Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His

    ;
  41. 37
    + 3583
    - 2006
    Marie Curie

    added by Gatvol
    Died at 67 (1867-1934) Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and

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  42. 38
    + 9670
    - 4747
    Marilyn Monroe


    Died at 36 (1926-1962) Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s. After

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  43. 39
    + 3431
    - 1267
    Michelangelo

    ranked low on reranks & added by Gatvol
    Died at 89 (1475-1564) Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer of the High Renaissance who exerted an unparalleled

    ;
  44. 40
    + 4134
    - 3012
    Charles Darwin

    added by RobHudson
    Died at 73 (1809-1882) Charles Robert Darwin, FRS was an English naturalist and geologist, best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory. He established that all species of life have descended over time from

    ;
  45. 41
    + 955
    - 970
    Rachel Corrie

    often listed & added by pelican
    Died at 24 (1979-2003) Rachel Aliene Corrie was an American peace activist and diarist. She was killed by an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer in a combat zone in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, under

    ;
  46. 42
    + 2564
    - 1772
    Johann Sebastian Bach

    added by Gatvol
    Died at 65 (1685-1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the

    ;
  47. 43
    + 2943
    - 2384
    Grace Kelly

    often listed & Ranked High on Reranks
    Died at 53 (1929-1982) Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, after marrying Prince Rainier III, became Princess of Monaco. After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Kelly appeared in New

    ;
  48. 44
    + 2159
    - 1299
    Oscar Wilde


    Died at 46 (1854-1900) Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish author, playwright and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early

    ;
  49. 45
    + 3237
    - 1573
    Bette Davis

    ranked low on reranks
    Died at 81 (1908-1989) Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known as Bette Davis, was an American actress of film, television and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in cinema history, she was noted for her willingness to play

    ;
  51. 46
    + 3599
    - 1631
    Galileo Galilei

    ranked low on reranks & added by AnnieLarson
    Died at 78 (1564-1642) Galileo Galilei, often known mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian physicist, mathematician, engineer, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the scientific revolution during the

    ;
  52. 47
    + 3228
    - 1972
    Marlene Dietrich

    added by Merker94
    Died at 91 (1901-1992) Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer. Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and

    ;
  53. 48
    + 4277
    - 2295
    Aristotle

    added by isadora
    Died at 62 (383 BC-321 BC) Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist born in the Macedonian city of Stagira, Chalkidice, on the northern periphery of Classical Greece. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a

    ;
  54. 49
    + 928
    - 741
    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

    often listed & added by fannon
    Died at 90 (1918-2008) Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, historian, and critic of Soviet totalitarianism. He helped to raise global awareness of the gulag and the Soviet Union's forced labor camp

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  55. 50
    + 3548
    - 1732
    Charlie Chaplin


    Died at 88 (1889-1977) Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor and filmmaker who rose to fame in the silent film era. Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona

    ;
848 +

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