25 personalities who have left us in 2025

2025 has been a year of intense news, and some of the most impactful stories have been those of people who have died, whether suddenly or unexpectedly. From the world of music and film to politics, science, and religion, many prominent figures have passed away this year. In this selection, you will find 25 men and women who were important in their respective fields and who have left us in the last twelve months.

Joan Guinovart

Scientist

Joan Guinovart, a key figure in the field of clinical biochemistry and founder and former director ofInstitute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB)He died on January 2nd. Recognized as a mentor to many Catalan researchers, in his long career he presided from 2015 to 2018 over the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and was a member of the executive committee of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), as well as president of the Confederation of Societies

Jean-Marie Le Pen

Political

The founder of the National Front (FN) died on January 7 at the age of 96. Having retired from politics in 2019, Le Pen is considered the first leader of a major populist and far-right party in France and Europe. His figure is key to understanding the rise of the far right in France: he transformed the marginal party he had created into a political force with representation in the National Assembly and a chance of governing. His ultraconservative positions, particularly those targeting immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ+ community, have shaped French politics and served as a foundation for new far-right movements both in France and around the world.

David Lynch

Film director

The American filmmaker, creator of masterpieces such as Blue velvet, Mulholland Drive or the series Twin PeaksLynch died on January 16 at the age of 78. He had a great impact on the culture of his time, using film as a tool to expand expressive horizons and explore the unconscious, identity, and dreams with works that advanced the language of cinema.

Marianne Faithfull

Singer

The British singer, long remembered for the successAs tears go byShe died on January 30th at the age of 78. An essential figure in London's modern scene of the 1960s, she was an inimitable performer, acroonerunexpected that, over many decades, became a reference point for many artists, from PJ Harvey to Nick Cave and Rufus Wainwright.

Gene Hackman

Actor

The actor from French connection and No forgivenessDavid A., one of the great American film actors and a two-time Oscar winner, died in February at his home in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He was 95 years old, suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and died a week after his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to a hantavirus infection. Police found them on February 27, about ten days after their deaths. The investigation concluded that both deaths were due to natural causes.

Mario Vargas Llosa

Writer

The Peruvian-Spanish author, a leading figure of the Latin American Boom, died on April 14 at the age of 89. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010, he also won the Planeta Prize and had been a member of the French Academy since 2023. He debuted withThe City and the Dogs(Seix Barral, 1963), winner of the Biblioteca Breve Prize and the Critics' Prize. He was part of the Latin American Boom, along with Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Carlos Fuentes, a phenomenon of success involving a group of authors who broke with the literary conventions of the time. Other well-known titles include The Green House, Conversation in the Cathedral,Aunt Julia and the Writer,The war of the end of the world,H?,The Feast of the Goat or Paradise in the Other Corner.

Pope Francis

Pontiff

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, died on April 21, Easter Monday, at the age of 88, from a stroke after a long illness. Since his election as successor to Benedict XVI—who had resigned following a corruption scandal in the Holy See and the leak of confidential documents—Pope Francis had demonstrated that he was not an ordinary pope, but rather one with a clear intention to renew the Catholic Church, a task he left unfinished.

Pepe Mujica

Popular

The popular former Uruguayan president died on May 14 at the age of 89 from esophageal cancer. He was known for his fight against poverty and the measures he implemented, such as the legalization of marijuana and the reduction of the country's carbon footprint. Mujica was a global icon of the left for his consistency and humility.

Sebastião Salgado

Photographer

The Brazilian artist passed away on May 23 at the age of 81. Salgado was an exceptional photographer, a man who achieved global impact through his portrayal, over the years, of the victims of the world's most atrocious situations and conflicts. His black and white photographs are monumental, and the compositions and gradations of tone are impeccable. He died of leukemia, a consequence of malaria he contracted in 2010 during a trip to Indonesia, part of a project.Genesis.

Ignacio Riera

Writer and politician

The Barcelona-born writer, politician, editor, and cultural manager died on May 23 in Madrid, where he had lived since 2003. Author of an extensive body of work including novels, short stories, essays, and biographies, many of them focused on the labor movement and immigration, he studied for a time at a seminary but eventually abandoned Catholicism for Marxism. He served as a city councilor in Cornellà de Llobregat for the PSUC (Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia) for 15 years, holding the Culture portfolio, and was a member of the Parliament of Catalonia for ICV (Initiative for Catalonia Greens) during the 1988-1992 legislature and again after the 1995 elections.

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

Writer

The writer, academic, and activist for Kikuyu, one of the languages of Kenya, his country, died on May 29. He was one of the great exponents of African literature and a defender of minority languages. The author of Decolonize the mind He was also a great fighter against colonialism and monolingualism.

Frederick Forsyth

Writer

The British bestselling novelist, author of books such as Jackal eitherThe dogs of war, He died on June 9 at the age of 86. Throughout his life, he had sold more than 75 million copies of his books. thrillers, some of which became successful films.

Brian Wilson

Musician

The founder of the Beach Boys, who revolutionized pop music in the 1960s, was 82 when he died on June 11. He is considered one of the absolute geniuses of pop, a giant with a fragile soul who forever changed the history of popular music with hits like And get around, Help me, Rhonda, Surfing USA and Good vibrations. But his masterpiece was the album Pet sounds (1966), a pop symphony with sublime arrangements and melodies that includes classics such as God only knows and Wouldn't it be niceHis death is a terrible loss that comes just two days after that of Sly Stone, one of the other great protagonists of the musical revolution of the decade.

Miquel Suqué

Businessman

The businessman who headed the Peralada Group alongside his two siblings, Javier and Isabel, passed away on June 15 at the age of 63. A member of the fourth generation of his family, Suqué co-led a conglomerate with businesses in wine, hotels, restaurants, museums, festivals, leisure centers, and also an automobile brand: the historic Hispano Suiza, of which he was president.

Ozzy Osbourne

Musician

The British musician, legendary vocalist of the band Black Sabbath, died on August 22 at the age of 76. A pioneer of heavy metalHe is an essential figure in the history of rock, on which he had a great influence.

Verónica Echegui

Actress

The Madrid-born actress died on August 26 at the age of 42 from cancer. She had risen to fame with the filmI am Juani(2006), by Bigas Luna, for which she received a Goya Award nomination for Best New Actress. She also won two Gaudí Awards, one for Kathmandu and one with The offeringHer last appearance on screen wasin the seriesTo death, by Dani de la Orden, filmed in August 2023.

Giorgio Armani

Fashion designer

Giorgio Armani, one of the most iconic names in fashion, passed away on September 4, 2025, at the age of 91. He was a pioneer in having a very specific vision of fashion: a combination of elegance, comfort, and discretion. Instead of following the extravagant trends of the moment, the Italian designer always opted for a timeless style, based on simplicity, subtle luxury, and excellent quality fabrics.

Robert Redford

Actor and director

The American actor and director passed away on September 16 at the age of 89. A Hollywood legend and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, his filmography includes films such asThe coup,All the president's menandTwo men and a destiny.He won an Oscar for Best Director for his directorial debut inOrdinary people(1980), and in 2002 an honorary Oscar for his entire career.

Claudia Cardinale

Actress

The once glamorous icon of Italian cinema died on September 24th at the age of 87 in Nemours, France, after a long and diverse career in film and theater. Her performances in films such asThe Leopard,Eight and a halfandUntil his time cameThey made her worthy of her own chapter in the history of cinema.

Jane Goodall

Primatologist

The 91-year-old British primatologist and activist died on October 1st. She was considered the world's leading expert on chimpanzees, and her studies changed the perception of primates, demonstrating how closely related they are to humans and raising awareness of the need to protect biodiversity to avoid condemning to death animals with whom we share ancestors.

Diane Keaton

Actress

She was one of the protagonists ofThe Godfather(the first, the second, and the third), ofAnnie Hall,Reds,Manhattan and ofInteriorsThe actress, a true legend of cinema, died on October 11 at the age of 79 after a life dedicated to film.

Dick Cheney

Political

The Republican politician was one of the most powerful men in the United States in recent decades. Vice President under George W. Bush during his two terms (between 2001 and 2009), he was one of the leading figures in the so-called "war on terror" and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He died on November 3 at the age of 84, from complications of pneumonia and an illness.

Frank Gehry

Architect

The architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, with which he revolutionized late 20th-century architecture, died on December 5 at the age of 96. A Canadian who became a naturalized American citizen, he designed the fish sculpture in Barcelona's Olympic Village, and among his last works was the colossal Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Carlos Vilarrubí

Businessman

The businessman, politician, former vice-president of FC Barcelona, and president of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy died prematurely at the age of 71 on December 28 in Barcelona. He had played a key role in the early governments of Convergència i Unió, when he was responsible for launching Catalunya Ràdio and the Catalan lotteries.

Brigitte Bardot

Actress and singer

She was one of the great erotic muses of the 1950s and 60s and also a symbol of femininity in France and around the world. The French actress, who retired at 40, died on the 28th in a hospital after months of illness. She was 91 and in recent years had been known for her far-right views and also for her staunch defense of animal rights.