Famous People Who Died In 1994

Gaining fame as a member of the rock band Nirvana, singer-songwriter and musician Kurt Cobain was often heralded as a spokesman of Generation X. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in the history of alternative rock. He enjoyed tremendous professional success, but his personal life was troubled. He died of suicide at just 27.

Jackie Kennedy was a literature editor, photographer, and socialite who was once married to the former American President John F. Kennedy. She became the First Lady of the United States when her husband became the president. She was known for her iconic fashion style. She is considered one of the most popular and recognizable First Ladies in American history.

Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian racing driver. Widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Ayrton had won the prestigious F1 World Drivers' Championship thrice. Following his fatal accident in 1994, several safety improvements were introduced to the sports' set-up; higher crash safety standards, redesigned tracks, and improved crash barriers became part of the sport.

Richard Nixon is the only American president in the history so far to resign from the office. His name is synonymous with the infamous Watergate scandal which led to his resignation. But his regime saw several positives too, such as end to the U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, improvement in the relationship with Soviet Union and China, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Nicole Brown Simpson was the ex-wife of O. J. Simpson. Her murder led to one of the most famous criminal trials of all time, the O. J. Simpson murder case. After her murder, The Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation was established in her memory. Her story inspired several movies, such as the 1995 TV movie The O. J. Simpson Story.

Telly Savalas was an American singer and actor. He was characterized by his deep, resonant voice and bald head. In a career spanning 40 years, he is best known for her role in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service   He is also considered  asone of the greatest TV stars ever. As a philhellene and philanthropist, Savalas supported various Hellenic causes.

Dinah Shore initially launched a solo career after failing to qualify for Benny Goodman’s band. After delivering hits such as Blues in the Night, she appeared in a few films and ventured into a successful TV career. She also hosted shows such as The Dinah Shore Chevy Show.

German-American poet and short story writer ,Charles Bukowski, addressed the ordinary lives of poor Americans in most of his works. Since his death, he has been the subject of many critical books and articles. His stories have inspired several films like Tales of Ordinary Madness, Crazy Love, and Factotum.

Cesar Romero was an American actor, dancer, singer, and vocal artist. He is best known for playing Joker in the television series Batman and his portrayal was included in TV Guide's 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time list in 2013. Cesar Romero's contribution to the TV and film industry was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jessica Tandy was an English-American actress who completed the triple crown of acting in 1990 after winning Tony Awards, an Academy Award, and Primetime Emmy Award. She is also the oldest actress to win an Oscar. Also known for her good looks, Tandy was named in People magazine's list of 50 Most Beautiful People at the peak of her career.

Jazz singer and dancer, Cab Calloway, was a famous vocalist of the swing era.  From the early 1930s to the late 1940s, he led a very popular band that included musicians like  Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham. A man of color, he became the first African-American musician to sell a million records from a single song.

Stand-up comedian Bill Hicks was known for his controversial themes, which included religion and politics. He was ranked fourth on Channel 4's 2010 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics.” He had also experimented with music before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer at age 32.

Only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes, Linus Carl Pauling was an American theoretical physical chemist, who received the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on nature of chemical bond and 1962 Nobel Prize for Peace for his efforts to stop nuclear weapon testing. Also a prolific writer and educator, he has published 1,200 books and papers.  

William Conrad was an American actor and filmmaker whose entertainment career in radio, television, and film spanned five decades. He achieved popularity after starring as Frank Cannon in the popular detective television series, Cannon. In 1997, William Conrad was posthumously inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Sprinter Wilma Rudolph made history by becoming the first American female athlete to win three track and field gold medals in a single Olympic game. As a child, she needed orthopedic shoes to help her walk. The sports icon lost her life to cancer but was immortalized through books and movies.

Erik Erikson was a German-American psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist best remembered for developing a theory on the psychological development of humans. He is credited with coining the term identity crisis, the failure to achieve ego identity. Also a prolific writer, Erikson won a US National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize for his book Gandhi's Truth.

Joseph Cotten was an American actor who achieved prominence on Broadway during the 1930s. He then became a leading Hollywood actor in the 1940s, playing important roles in films like Citizen Kane, Shadow of a Doubt, and Duel in the Sun. In 1960, Joseph Cotten was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kevin Carter was a South African photojournalist whose photograph titled the vulture and the little girl, which depicted the 1993 famine in Sudan, earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 1994. Carter committed suicide in 1994 after suffering from depression. A book titled The Bang Bang Club, which was later made into a film, depicts his story.

One of the first Black football players of the NFL, Woody Strode was also a talented decathlete. He had dabbled in professional wrestling, too, but later gained fame solely for his film roles, such as that of gladiator Draba in Spartacus, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination.

Austrian Formula One racing driver Roland Ratzenberger was in his teens when he first showed an interest in racing. He was killed while qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, while uncannily, Brazilian world champion racer Ayrton Senna died during the race the next day.

After a motorcycle injury cut his military career short, James Clavell began writing screenplays for films such as The Fly. The Australian author and World War II veteran later penned iconic Asian Saga novels such as King Rat and Shōgun, which have been made into hit films and series.