Famous People Who Died At 42

Robert F Kennedy, the brother of the 35th US president John F Kennedy, was a politician who served as US Attorney General and as US Senator. He was known as a civil rights and human rights activist and fought against organised crime and the Mafia. He opposed America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. He was assassinated by a 24-year-old Palestinian.

Albert, Prince Consort was the husband of Queen Victoria who earned a reputation for promoting public causes like the abolition of slavery worldwide and educational reform. He also helped develop Britain's constitutional monarchy by guiding his wife during her dealings with Parliament. After his untimely death at age 42, Queen Victoria started wearing black for the remainder of her life. 

Actress, singer, and dancer Dorothy Dandridge was one of the earliest African-American women stars to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Incredibly successful in her career, she was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a singer, she used to perform in night clubs. Unfortunately, she died under mysterious circumstances at 42.

John Cazale is best remembered for his memorable performance as Fredo Corleone in two The Godfather films. Fans also loved him in The Deer Hunter, The Conversation, and Dog Day Afternoon. He also performed in Broadway and off-Broadway plays. He met an untimely death at 42, due to lung cancer.

Kimbo Slice, dubbed The King of the Web Brawlers by Rolling Stone, gained fame for his mutual combat street fights. He dabbled in MMA, boxing, and wrestling, eventually signing with EliteXC and competing in UFC. A little over a year after signing with Bellator MMA, he died of heart failure.

Mary I, the queen of England from 1553-1558, is remembered as the ruler who sought to return England to the Catholic Church. She persecuted many Protestants and got nearly 300 of them burned at the stake. Most of them were common citizens. Many also died in prison and hundreds fled the country. This earned her the ignominious nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.

Jeffrey Hunter was an American actor and producer who contributed immensely to the film and TV industries in the USA. He achieved popularity for his lead roles in the 1950s. Jeffrey Hunter is best remembered for his performances in films like King of Kings and The Searchers. 

Margaux Hemingway was an American actress and fashion model. During the mid-1970s, Hemingway became known as a supermodel and graced the covers of popular magazines, such as Time, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle. Margaux Hemingway struggled with drug addiction, alcoholism, and depression, which culminated in her suicide by drug overdose at the age of 42.

Guy de Maupassant was a French author who wrote 300 short stories during his illustrious career. Widely regarded as the father of the modern short story, Maupassant's stories are characterized by economy of style and depicted human lives in pessimistic terms,

Best known for his black and white photographs, Robert Mapplethorpe chose homoerotic themes to express himself. His male nudes reflected the gay BDSM subculture of New York. His works also included flowers, still lifes, and portraits of celebrities. The gay photographer-artist eventually died of aids.

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher, theologian, social critic, poet, and religious author. Widely regarded as the first existentialist philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard is sometimes referred to as the Father of Existentialism. He is also credited with influencing many theologians, philosophers, and writers like Paul Feyerabend, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Jorge Luis Borges.

Son of Spanish immigrants, Jose Marti spent his childhood in a strife-torn Cuba and attended high school on financial aid. Marti’s poems, essays, and articles were laced with his patriotic vigor to free Cuba from the Spanish rule. He died battling on the field at Dos Ríos.

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador and explorer best remembered for his expeditions in the Yucatan Peninsula and Nicaragua. The first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River, Hernando de Soto is also remembered for guiding the first European expedition into the territory of the present-day USA. He also played a key role in the Conquest of Peru.

English scholar, William Tyndale, became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He is known for translating the Bible into English. An active writer, he wrote extensively on political issues and religion. He was accused of heresy and condemned to be burned to death. Executed in 1536, he is honored as a martyr.

Payne Stewart was a professional golfer famous for winning eleven PGA Tour events. He won his first major title at the 1989 PGA Championship and went on to win several other titles. He was much admired for his gracefully stylish and fluid golf swings. He died in an airplane accident at the age of 42. 

Nikolai Gogol was a Ukrainian author who redefined Russian literature with his novels such as Dead Souls and his short stories such as The Overcoat and Diary of a Madman. Most of his works were influenced by Ukrainian folklore. He was typically fond of the grotesque as a literary element.

Modest Mussorgsky was a Russian composer best remembered for being part of a renowned 19th-century Russian composers group known as The Five. An innovator of Russian music, Mussorgsky worked towards achieving a Russian musical identity that challenged the already established Western music, which was generally considered conventional at that time.

Ofra Haza was an Israeli actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the Western world where she came to be known as the Madonna of the East. An influential cultural figure in Israel, Ofra Haza played a major role in popularizing the Mizrahi culture. During her illustrious singing career, Haza earned several gold and platinum discs.

Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who started painting at an early age before going on to become the leading court painter in England. Although he is best remembered for painting the aristocracy, van Dyck also painted biblical and mythological subjects. In 1632, Anthony van Dyck received a knighthood from Charles I.

Charles V of France reigned as the king of France from 1364 until his death in 1380. Charles V was highly successful during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered almost all the territories held by the English. His reign also witnessed the construction of many significant buildings, including the Château du Louvre, Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and the Bastille.

Richard Manuel was a Canadian singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best remembered as a pianist and singer in the musical group The Band. He was a versatile singer famous for his soul-influenced baritone and delicate falsetto. Unfortunately, he fell victim to alcoholism and drug abuse that threatened his career and life. He died by suicide in 1986. 

Rapper Albert Johnson, better known by his pseudonym, Prodigy, gained fame as the lead vocalist of the hip-hop band Mindless Behavior, which released the chartbusting single My Girl. He was also part of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, with Havoc. He has also co-written a crime novel and a cookbook.

Maharana Sangram Singh I, better known as Rana Sanga, is remembered in history as a fierce Rajput king of the Sisodia dynasty. He controlled modern-day Rajasthan, Gujarat, and MP, with Chittor as his capital. In his struggle for power, he had lost one arm and one eye, and was crippled for life.

Livy was a Roman historian. His seminal work, Ab Urbe Condita, covers the history of Rome through several centuries. A respected figure in society, he was on friendly terms with members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He wrote during the reign of Emperor Augustus, who was reportedly his friend. Livy was married and had at least two children. 

Marathi poet Sant Tukaram was one of the pillars of the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra. It is believed he began writing abhangas, or religious poetry, after being visited by Vitthal, an avatar of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, in a dream. He is revered by the Varkari sampradaya.