Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: As the year 2018 is approaching its end, here is looking at the demise of ten global personalities whose death stirred international headlines this year.
Sridevi: The death of prominent Indian actress Sridevi on 24 February 2018, was a huge loss to the Indian film industry and Indian viewers. Her death was covered extensively not only by the media houses in the country, but also by a number of foreign media houses who reported the incident as death of India’s first lady superstar.
Stephen Hawking: Renowned scientist Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76 on March 14 in an irreparable loss to the mankind. He died at his residence in Cambridge. In 1963, Professor Hawking contracted a motor neuron disease that gradually paralysed him over the decades. He was still able to communicate using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device. He was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, a fundamental theory in physics which describes nature at the smallest scales of energy levels of atoms and subatomic particles.
Winnie Mandela: Anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Mandela who was the ex-wife of South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, died on April 2 at the age of 81. She breathed her last in a Johannesburg hospital after a long spell of illness. She was married to Mandela for 38 years. Her picture with Nelson Mandela walking hand in hand after he walked out of prison after 27 years in the year 1990, is regarded as one of the most iconic pictures of the time.
Barbara Bush: Former US First lady and wife of former US President George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, died on April 18, at the age of 92 due to ailing health. She had refused medical assistance last week to be in comfort care. The love story of Barbara Bush and George Bush is widely hailed. Barbara first met her husband-to-be at the when she was a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and he was a student at an elite preparatory school in Massachusetts, reportedly. They tied the knot in 1945 while he was on leave from wartime service as a naval officer.
Avicii: World-renowned Swedish DJ and electronic music producer Avicii was found dead in Muscat, Oman, his agent said on April 21. He was 28. Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii, had struggled with health problems, some caused by excessive drinking and was hospitalized for 11 days in 2012 for treatment of acute pancreatitis. He achieved global fame in 2011 with the release of his smash hit “Levels,” which was followed by other chart sensations, such as “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother”.
Mac Miller: The ‘Self-care’ rapper Mac Miller died at the age of 26 on September 07 of a possible drug overdose in California. Miller collaborated with big names in the music industry including ‘Maroon 5’, singer Pharrell Williams, and even did a tour with rappers Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. His debut album ‘Blue Slide Park’ in 2011 topped the music charts.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Former Indian Prime Minister and BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the country’s most charismatic leaders, died in AIIMS hospital in New Delhi, following prolonged illness on August 16. He was 93. Vajpayee had thrice served as a Prime Minister of the country and was known for his excellent speeches and poems. He served as Prime Minister for a short stint in 1996. Later on March 19, 1998, he took charge as Prime Minister of India and again on October 13, 1999, for the second consecutive term as the head of a new coalition government.
Kulsoom Nawaz: Wife of ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Kulsoom Nawaz, passed away in London on September 11, as her husband and daughter Maryam remained in Adiala Jail after conviction in corruption case. 68 years old Kulsoom Nawaz passed away at Harley Street Clinic where she remained admitted for over 7 months and was placed on life support earlier. She served as Pakistan’s first lady for three non-consecutive terms from 1990-1993, 1997-1999 and 2013-2017.
Stan Lee: The legendary Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee died at the age of 95 on November 13, leaving many of the Marvel aficionados heartbroken. Stan Lee was the co-creator of the iconic superheroes like Spider Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, X-Men, Black Panther, Daredevil, the Avengers and other Marvel characters that the people of the yester and the present generations love invariably. Stan Lee, a legendary comic-book writer, publisher and film producer, had suffered a number of illness in his later years.
George H W Bush: Months after the demise of his wife, the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, passed away at his Houston home on December 1 at the age of 94. George HW Bush was the father of 43rd US President George Washington Bush. According to reports, Bush was suffering from a form of Parkinson’s disease due to which he had to use a wheel-chair in recent years.
