Obituary in the month of January

‘World’s best chef’ Benoit Violier passed away

•        Benoit Violier – whose renowned three-star restaurant in a small Swiss town was ranked best in the world – was found dead in his in an apparent suicide.

•        Mr Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near the city of Lausanne.

Malayalam actor Kollam G K Pillai passes away

•       Veteran cinema-television actor G. Krishna Pillai passed away.

•       A theatre-turned cinema-television actor, Mr. Pillai is known for his character and comedy roles in dramas, movies and TV serials.

Former Chief of Army staff KV Krishna Rao passes away

•       Former Army Chief General KV Krishna Rao, who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, has died due to cardiac arrest at the age of 92.

Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug died

•       Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug died at the district headquarter hospital in Balasore, Odisha.

TOI’s Arindam Sen Gupta passed away

•       Arindam Sen Gupta, the managing editor of The Times of India, lost his battle against cancer and passed away.

Marvin Minsky, the pioneer of Artificial Intelligence, died

•       Marvin Minsky, the pioneer of artificial intelligence, died at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital due to cerebral hemorrhage.

Noted Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani died

•       Famous Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani died in Hyderabad. She was 51 and famously known as Kalpana.

Social Worker Nirmala Gajwani passes away

•       Reputed social worker and one of the leading lights of the Sindhi community, Nirmala Gajwani, passed away.

Italian film director Ettore Scola died

•       Italian director Ettore Scola passed away following a prolonged illness in Rome.

Tabla maestro Shankar Ghosh passed away

•       Legendary tabla player Shankar Ghosh(80), died due to pneumonia, cardiac problems and old age complications.

Legendary dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away

•       Legendary dancer and Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away in Ahmedabad.

Senior journalist Aroon Tikekar passes away

•       Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar, 72, who authored over 20 books, including The cloister’s pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai, passed away due to breathing-related complications.

Music band Eagles’ guitarist Glenn Frey passed away

•       Glenn Frey, Eagles guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, passed away.

Yasutaro Koide, world’s oldest man, dies at 112

•       The world’s oldest man has died at the age of 112 in the Japanese city of Nagoya. Yasutaro Koide, who was born on 13 March 1903, was officially named the oldest man by Guinness World Records in August this year.

Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passes away

•       Famous Sandalwood film-maker and lyricist Geethapriya, who straddled Kannada cinema in late 1960s and 1970s, has died.

Former Sikkim governor Rama Rao passes away

•       BJP veteran and former governor of Sikkim Ventrapragada Rama Rao (81) has died while undergoing treatment for severe lung infection.

Punjabi singer Manpreet Akhtar dies

•       Punjabi folk singer Manpreet Akhtar died due to brain hemorrhage at a local hospital in Patiala.

Filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away

•       Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away at his residence here after a brief illness.

Lagaan actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay died 

•        Bollywood actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay died due to a heart attack in Hyderabad.

Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman passed away 

·        Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, died of cancer in London, England.

Harry Potter’s ‘Snape’, Alan Rickman, dies of cancer

•        Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years, has died in London

Lt Gen JFR Jacob, 1971 India-Pakistan war hero passes away

•        Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), who played a key role in the 1971 war which broke up Pakistan and created Bangladesh, died in New Delhi.

First female F1 driver Maria Teresa de Filippis passes away

•        Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to compete in a world championship Formula One grand prix, has died.

Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passes away

•        Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away in New Delhi after suffering from liver cirrhosis.

Phantasm star Angus Scrimm dies at 89

•        Angus Scrimm, the veteran character actor best known for playing the terrifying “Tall Man” in the Phantasm horror franchise, has died at the age of 89.

•        His other credits included the 2008 film “I Sell the Dead”, the TV show “Alias”.

Pierre Boulez, French conductor and composer, died

•        Pierre Boulez, the former principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, passed away in Baden-Baden, Germany.

J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passes away

•        Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away due to multiple organ failure at the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi.

Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passes away

•        Noted Gujarati writer and poet Labhshankar Thakar passed away after prolonged illness in Ahmedabad.

Former CJI SH Kapadia passes away

•        Former Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia, who delivered some landmark judgements, passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 68.

BJP MLA Raghunandan Mandal dies in Jharkhand

•        BJP MLA Raghunandan Mandal has died at Korka district at the age of 63.

•        He was a first-time MLA from Godda.

1976 Olympic boxer Howard Davis Jr of US dies at 59

•        Olympic champion boxer Howard Davis Jr, who won the 1976 gold medal and was named over US teammate Sugar Ray Leonard as the most outstanding fighter in the Montreal Games, has died of cancer.

Former Punjab Assembly Speaker H D Johar passes away

•        Congress leader and former Speaker of Punjab Assembly Harnam Dass Johar passed away due to old-age related ailments at the age of 83.

•        Mr. Johar was cremated with state honours at Model Town area.

Veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan passes away

Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra.