The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a campus event in September has sent shockwaves through the US political landscape. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was known for his provocative views on gender and race and credited with boosting youth political engagement. His death has sparked debates on political violence and calls for retribution.
September also saw the passing of Hollywood legend Robert Redford, an Oscar-winning actor and director famed for 1970s classics such as 'The Candidate' and 'All the President's Men'. Other notable figures who died in the same month include Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, designer Giorgio Armani, Indigenous actor Graham Greene, LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson, and activist Assata Shakur.
Earlier in the year, the world lost many influential individuals. In January, singer Wayne Osmond of The Osmonds, British novelist David Lodge, fashion matriarch Rosita Missoni, and disgraced self-help guru James Arthur Ray all died. Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, and folk singer Peter Yarrow also passed away.
Other January deaths included Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first Black woman in the US Army Nurse Corps; soul singer Sam Moore of Sam & Dave; civil rights activist José 'Cha Cha' Jiménez; filmmaker David Lynch; broadcaster Bob Uecker; actress Joan Plowright; Planned Parenthood leader Cecile Richards; former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes; French general Valérie André; musician Garth Hudson of The Band; and ultra-traditionalist bishop Richard Williamson.
