{"id":11401400,"date":"2025-12-23T05:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/?p=11401400"},"modified":"2025-12-24T04:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T12:46:17","slug":"2025-obituaries-pope-francis-rob-reiner-gene-hackman-jane-goodall-charlie-kirk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/12\/23\/2025-obituaries-pope-francis-rob-reiner-gene-hackman-jane-goodall-charlie-kirk\/","title":{"rendered":"End of an era: Famous people who died in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bernard McGhee | Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

The death of\u00a0Pope Francis<\/a>\u00a0brought change to the Catholic Church, which counts 1.4 billion adherents and is now led \u2014 for the first time \u2014 by an American pope<\/a>. The fatal shooting of conservative activist\u00a0Charlie Kirk<\/a>\u00a0as he spoke before a crowd horrified many and prompted somber conversations about political violence.<\/p>\n

And when trafficking victim\u00a0Virginia Giuffre<\/a> died by suicide, it brought additional scrutiny to the investigations of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>. They were among the noteworthy and influential people who died in 2025 where the deaths themselves had a widespread impact.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Obituaries: These Bay Area residents left us in 2025<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The deaths of Oscar-winning actor\u00a0Gene Hackman<\/a>\u00a0and his wife became a source of both sadness and mystery after their bodies were found in their home in February. Authorities ultimately determined that Hackman, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer\u2019s, died of heart disease, likely unaware that Betsy Arakawa<\/a> had died from hantavirus a week earlier.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the death of heavy metal icon\u00a0Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>, which came just weeks after his farewell concert, marked the end of an era in music. The year also saw the death of boxing great\u00a0George Foreman<\/a>, who memorably lost a much-watched match to Muhammad Ali but whose career had inspiring second and third acts as a world champion and successful business owner.<\/p>\n

And the world said goodbye this year to\u00a0Dick Cheney<\/a>, the hard-charging conservative whose long career in public service included becoming one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history under President George W. Bush.<\/p>\n

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who have died this year:<\/p>\n

\"David
David Lynch died Jan. 15. He was 78. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JANUARY<\/h4>\n

David Lodge<\/a><\/strong>, 89: The British novelist and critic gently satirized academia, religion and his own loss of hearing in such praised narratives as the Booker Prize finalists \u201cSmall World\u201d and \u201cNice Work\u201d; Jan. 1<\/p>\n

Rosita Missoni<\/strong><\/a>, 93: She was the matriarch of the iconic Italian fashion house that made colorful zigzag-patterned knitwear high fashion and helped launch Italian ready-to-wear; Jan. 1<\/p>\n

Wayne Osmond<\/a>,<\/strong> 73: The singer and guitarist was a founding member of the family act The Osmonds, who were known for such 1970s teen hits as \u201cOne Bad Apple,\u201d \u201cYo-Yo\u201d and \u201cDown By the Lazy River\u201d; Jan. 1<\/p>\n

James Arthur Ray<\/strong><\/a>, 67: He was a self-help guru whose multimillion-dollar business toppled after he led a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona that left three people dead; Jan. 3<\/p>\n

Mike Rinder<\/strong><\/a>, 69: He was a former spokesperson for Scientology who later became one of the church’s most outspoken critics; Jan. 5<\/p>\n

Jean-Marie Le Pen<\/strong><\/a>, 96: The founder of France\u2019s far-right National Front was known for fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism that earned him both staunch supporters and widespread condemnation; Jan. 7<\/p>\n

Peter Yarrow<\/a><\/strong>, 86: The singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war; Jan. 7.<\/p>\n

Nancy Leftenant-Colon<\/strong><\/a>, 104: She was the first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s; Jan. 8<\/p>\n

Mike Hynson<\/strong><\/a>, 82: The surf icon, who was known for his iconic style, starred in the definitive surf movie \u201cThe Endless Summer\u201d; Jan. 10<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 \u201cCha Cha\u201d Jim\u00e9nez<\/strong><\/a>, 76. The prominent civil rights and liberation movement figure was a founder of the Young Lords in Chicago and co-founder of the Rainbow Coalition; Jan. 10<\/p>\n

Sam Moore<\/strong><\/a>, 89: The surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave that was known for such definitive hits of the era as \u201cSoul Man\u201d and \u201cHold On, I\u2019m Comin\u2019\u201d; Jan. 10<\/p>\n

Leslie Charleson<\/strong><\/a>, 79: The film and TV star was best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital” for nearly 50 years; Jan. 12<\/p>\n

David Lynch<\/strong><\/a>, 78: The filmmaker was celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as \u201cBlue Velvet\u201d and \u201cMulholland Drive\u201d and the TV series \u201cTwin Peaks\u201d; Jan. 16<\/p>\n

Bob Uecker<\/strong><\/a>, 90: He parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as \u201cMr. Baseball\u201d and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure; Jan. 16<\/p>\n

Joan Plowright<\/strong><\/a>, 95: She was an award-winning British actor who with her late husband Laurence Olivier did much to revitalize the U.K.\u2019s theatrical scene in the decades after World War II; Jan. 16<\/p>\n

Jules Feiffer<\/strong><\/a>, 95: He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist whose prolific output ranged from a long-running comic strip to plays, screenplays and children\u2019s books; Jan. 17<\/p>\n

Cecile Richards<\/a><\/strong>, 67: She was a national leader for abortion access and women\u2019s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years; Jan. 20<\/p>\n

Mauricio Funes<\/strong><\/a>, 65: The former president of El Salvador spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences; Jan. 21<\/p>\n

Garth Hudson<\/strong><\/a>, 87: He was The Band\u2019s virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as \u201cUp on Cripple Creek,\u201d \u201cThe Weight\u201d and \u201cRag Mama Rag\u201d; Jan. 21<\/p>\n

Barry Goldberg<\/strong><\/a>, 83: The acclaimed blues-rock musician, who was part of the band that backed Bob Dylan during his electric outing at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, also performed with such stars as Steve Miller, Muddy Waters and Leonard Cohen; Jan. 22<\/p>\n

Dick Button<\/strong><\/a>, 95: He was one of the most accomplished men\u2019s figure skaters in history and one of his sport\u2019s great innovators and promoters; Jan. 30<\/p>\n

Marianne Faithfull<\/strong><\/a>, 78: She was a British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones\u2019 greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied; Jan. 30<\/p>\n

\"Honoree
Roberta Flack died Feb. 24. She was 88. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February<\/h4>\n

Horst K\u00f6hler<\/strong><\/a>, 81: The onetime head of the International Monetary Fund who became a popular German president before stunning the country by resigning abruptly in a flap over comments about the country\u2019s military; Feb. 1<\/p>\n

Fay Vincent<\/strong><\/a>, 86: The former Major League Baseball commissioner served his three tumultuous years, and his tenure included the 1989 World Series between the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants that was paused due to the Loma Prieta earthquake; Feb. 1<\/p>\n

Barbie Hsu<\/strong><\/a>, 48: She was a Taiwanese actress who starred in the popular TV drama \u201cMeteor Garden\u201d that once swept Asia; Feb. 2<\/p>\n

The Aga Khan<\/strong><\/a>, 88: He became the spiritual leader of the world\u2019s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate, and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries; Feb. 4<\/p>\n

Kultida Woods<\/a><\/strong>, 80: She was the Thai-born mother of Tiger Woods, whom he credits with instilling in him a dominant spirit and encouraging him to wear a red shirt on Sunday as his power color; Feb. 4.<\/p>\n

Irv Gotti<\/strong><\/a>, 54: He was a music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule; Feb. 5.<\/p>\n

Virginia McCaskey<\/strong><\/a>, 102: She inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during more than four decades as the team’s principal owner; Feb. 6<\/p>\n

Tony Roberts<\/strong><\/a>, 85: He was a versatile, Tony Award-nominated theater performer at home in plays and musicals and who appeared in several Woody Allen movies \u2014 often as Allen\u2019s best friend; Feb. 7<\/p>\n

Sam Nujoma<\/strong><\/a>, 95: The fiery, white-bearded freedom fighter led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, coming to be known as the father of his nation; Feb. 8<\/p>\n

Tom Robbins<\/strong><\/a>, 92. The novelist and prankster-philosopher who charmed and addled millions of readers with such screwball adventures as \u201cEven Cowgirls Get the Blues\u201d and \u201cJitterbug Perfume.\u201d Feb. 9.<\/p>\n

Paquita la del Barrio<\/strong><\/a>, 77: She was a Mexican musical legend known for her powerful voice and fierce defense of women; Feb. 17<\/p>\n

Mabel Staton<\/a><\/strong>, 92: The Black track and field standout broke through racial barriers and became the only woman to compete for the United States in the long jump at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics; Feb. 20<\/p>\n

Clint Hill<\/a><\/strong>, 93: He was the Secret Service agent who leaped onto the back of President John F. Kennedy\u2019s limousine after the president was shot, then was forced to retire early because he remained haunted by memories of the assassination; Feb. 21<\/p>\n