(NEWSnet/AP) — Yevgeny Prigozhin rose from being an ex-con and hot dog vendor to winning lucrative contracts and heading a mercenary army. It came to a halt when the private plane carrying him and others exploded over Russia, bringing his death on Aug. 23.
Prigozhin's Wagner Group troops brought Russia a rare victory in its war in Ukraine, capturing the city of Bakhmut. But internal friction with Russian military leaders later burst into the open, with Prigozhin briefly mounting an armed rebellion.
Prigozhin was among numerous noteworthy people who died in 2023. The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Serving under two presidents, Kissinger's shadow loomed large in the foreign policy arena.
U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter died Nov. 19. She was closest adviser to her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, during his term in the White House, and throughout four decades of humanitarian work.
Others from the world of politics who died in 2023: Former U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and James Buckley; former British treasury chief Nigel Lawson; and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023.
JANUARY
Walter Cunningham, 90. Last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program. Jan. 3.
Jeff Beck, 78. Guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. Jan. 10.
Constantine, 82. Former and last king of Greece, who spent decades in exile after becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s. Jan. 10.
Lloyd Morrisett, 93. Co-creator of the beloved children’s TV series “Sesame Street.” Jan. 15.
David Crosby, 81. Rock musician with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Sept. 18.
Billy Packer, 82. Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS. Jan. 26.
Bobby Hull, 84. Hall of Fame hockey player who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final. Jan. 30.
FEBRUARY
Burt Bacharach, 94. Popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and dozens of other hits. Feb. 8.
Hans Morrow, 95. He served as East Germany’s last communist leader during a turbulent tenure that ended in the country’s first and only free election. Feb. 11.
Raquel Welch, 82. Her emergence from the sea in a skimpy, furry bikini in the film “One Million Years B.C.” propelled her to international sex symbol status in the 1960s and ’70s. Feb. 15.
Tim McCarver, 81. The All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as one of the country’s most recognized TV commentators. Feb. 16.
Betty Boothroyd, 93. The first female speaker of Britain’s House of Commons. Feb. 26.
MARCH
Judy Heumann, 75. A renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities. March 4.
Gary Rossington, 71. Co-founder and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. March 5.
Dick Fosbury, 76. High jumper who revamped the technical discipline the event and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop.” March 12.
Pat Schroader, 82. Pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress. March 13.
APRIL
Nigel Lawson, 91. Tax-cutting U.K. Treasury chief under the late Margaret Thatcher and a lion of Conservative politics in the late 20th century. April 3.
Ben Ferencz, 103. The last living prosecutor from Nuremberg trials, who tried Nazis for genocidal war crimes. April 7.
Al Jaffee, 102. Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and wise guy who delighted millions of youth with the sneaky fun of Mad’s “Fold-In.” April 10.
Mary Quant, 93. Visionary fashion designer whose miniskirts epitomized Swinging London in the 1960s. April 13.
Richard Riordan, 92. Republican businessman who served two terms as Los Angeles mayor and steered the city through the Northridge earthquake and the recovery from the 1992 riots. April 19.
Harry Belaftone, 96. Civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist and humanitarian. April 25.
Jerry Springer, 79. Onetime mayor and news anchor whose TV show featured a three-ring circus of dysfunctional guests willing to bare all. April 27.
MAY
Gordon Lightfoot, 84. Legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” May 1.
Jacklyn Zeman, 70. She portrayed Bobbie Spencer for 45 years on ABC’s “General Hospital.” May 9.
Jim Brown, 87. The pro football Hall of Famer was an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his career to become an actor and civil rights advocate. May 18.
Tina Turner, 83. Singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s, then made a comeback with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” May 24.
Carroll Cooley, 87. Retired Phoenix police captain was the arresting officer in the landmark case partially responsible for the Supreme Court’s Miranda rights ruling that requires rights to be read to suspects. May 29.
JUNE
Robert Hanssen, 79. A former FBI agent who took more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds to trade secrets with Moscow in one of the most notorious spying cases in American history. June 5.
Richard Snyder, 90. Visionary executive at Simon & Schuster who presided over the publisher’s exponential rise during the second half of the 20th century. June 6.
Pat Robertson, 93. A religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped to make religion central to Republican Party through Christian Coalition. June 8.
Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, 81. Branded “Unabomber” by FBI, the Harvard-educated mathematician retreated to a shack in Montana and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others. June 10.
Roger Payne, 88. Scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing. June 10.
Daniel Ellsberg, 92.Whistleblower who by leaking The Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon. June 16.
H. Lee Sarokin, 94. Federal judge who freed boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and in a landmark case said tobacco companies engaged in a “vast” conspiracy to conceal the dangers of smoking. June 20.
Peg Yorkin, 96. She donated $10 million to the Feminist Majority Foundation, which she co-founded and pushed to bring the most common method of abortion to the United States. June 25.
JULY
James Lewis, 76. Suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people, triggering a nationwide scare that led to an overhaul in medication packaging. July 9.
Tony Bennett, 96. Eminent stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” graced a decades-long career. July 21.
Randy Meisner, 77. A founding member of the Eagles who added high harmonies to such favorites as “Take It Easy” and “Take It to the Limit.” July 26.
Paul Reubens, 70. Actor and comedian whose Pee-wee Herman character became a 1980s pop cultural phenomenon. July 30.
AUGUST
William Friedkin, 87. The Oscar winning director who became a top filmmaker in his 30s with the gripping “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist.” Aug. 7.
Robbie Robertson, 80. The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who created classics “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek.” Aug. 9.
Tom Jones, 95. The lyricist, director and writer of “The Fantasticks,” the longest-running musical in history. Aug. 11.
Ada Deer, 88. Esteemed Native American leader from Wisconsin and the first woman to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Aug. 15.
John Warnock, 82. Silicon Valley entrepreneur and computer scientist who helped invent the PDF and co-founded Adobe Systems. Aug. 19.
Bob Barker, 99. Game show host who became a household name over a half century of hosting “Truth or Consequences” and “The Price Is Right.” Aug. 26.
SEPTEMBER
Jimmy Buffet, 76. Singer-songwriter who popularized “beach bum” soft rock with “Margaritaville” and led a billion-dollar empire of restaurants and resorts. Sept. 1.
Ian Milmut, 79. Cloning pioneer whose work was essential to the creation of Dolly the Sheep in 1996. Sept. 9.
Dianne Feinstein, 90. Democrat from California and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career. Sept. 28.
OCTOBER
Dick Butkus, 80. A Hall of Fame middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears whose speed and ferocity set the standards for the position in the modern era. Oct. 5.
Hughes Van Ellis, 102. He was the youngest known survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre and spent his latter years pursuing justice for his family and other descendants of the attack on “Black Wall Street.” Oct. 9.
Rudolph Isley, 84. Founding member of the Isley Brothers who helped to perform classics“Shout” and “Twist and Shout.” Oct. 11.
Ken Mattingly, 87. Astronaut who is best remembered for his efforts on the ground that helped bring the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth. Oct. 31.
NOVEMBER
Bob Knight, 83. Grilliant and combustible basketball coach who won three NCAA titles at Indiana. Nov. 1.
Steve Norton, 89. He ran the first U.S. gambling facility outside Nevada — Resorts casino in Atlantic City. Nov. 12.
Marty Krofft, 86. TV producer known for imaginative children’s shows such as “H.R. Pufnstuf,” Nov. 25.
DECEMBER
Norman Lean, 101. Writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime-time television with “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.” Dec. 5.
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