Deaths in February 2000

The following is a list of notable deaths in February 2000.

Contents
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
← January	February	March →

Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:

• Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.

February 2000

1

• Frederick Vanderbilt Field, 94, American political activist.
• Art Hoppe, 74, American newspaper columnist, lung cancer.
• Anker Kihle, 82, Norwegian footballer.
• Peter Levi, 68, British poet, Jesuit priest and scholar.[1]
• Thomas J. McHugh, 80, Sergeant Major in the US Marine Corps.
• James V. Neel, 84, American geneticist.[2]
• Dick Rathmann, 74, American racecar driver.

2

• Harry K. Cull, 88, American politician.
• Mary Docherty, 91, British activist and communist.
• Teruki Miyamoto, 59, Japanese football player and manager, heart failure.
• Francis Stuart, 97, Irish writer.
• Li Zhun, 71, Chinese novelist.

3

• Richard Kleindienst, 76, American lawyer, politician, and U.S. Attorney General during the Watergate political scandal.[3]
• John Leovich, 81, American baseball player.[4]
• Ken Stroud, 91, British mathematician.

4

• Carl Albert, 91, American lawyer, politician and 46th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.[5]
• Joachim-Ernst Berendt, 77, German music journalist.[6]
• Edgar Bowers, 75, American poet.[7]
• Doris Coley, 58, American singer of The Shirelles.[8]
• James C. Green, 78, American politician.
• Ronald Robertson, 62, American figure skater.[9]
• Phil Tonken, 80, American radio and television announcer.

5

• Claude Autant-Lara, 98, French film director and politician.[10]
• Ward Cornell, 75, Canadian radio/TV broadcaster & educator.[11]
• G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, 89, British ancient historian.[12]
• Todd Karns, 79, American actor (It's a Wonderful Life)[13]

6

• Derroll Adams, 74, American folk musician.[14]
• Thomas Armstrong, 90, English cricketer.
• Gus Johnson, 86, American swing drummer.
• Reginald Lenna, 87, American businessman and Philanthropist.
• Colin Moodie, 86, Australian public servant and diplomat.
• Steve Waller, 48, American musician, liver problems.
• Phil Walters, 83, American racing driver.

7

• Big Pun, 28, American rapper.[15]
• Doug Henning, 52, Canadian magician, illusionist and escape artist.[16]
• Shiho Niiyama, 29, Japanese voice actress.
• Dave Peverett, 56, English singer and musician of Foghat.[17]

8

• Sid Abel, 81, Canadian ice hockey player.[18]
• Mario Capio, 75, Italian Olympic sailor.
• Bob Collins, 57, American broadcaster.[19]
• Ion Gheorghe Maurer, 97, Prime Minister of Romania.[20]
• Derrick Thomas, 33, American football player (Kansas City Chiefs) and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[21]

9

• Steve Furness, 49, American football player.[22]
• Beau Jack, 78, American boxer.[23]
• Shobhna Samarth, 83, Indian film actress, director and producer.

10

• George Jackson, 42, American movie producer.[24]
• Gene Lambert, 78, American baseball player.[25]
• Blas Monaco, 84, American baseball player.[26]
• Ji Pengfei, 90, Chinese politician.[27]
• Jim Varney, 50, American actor noted for his character, Ernest P. Worrell.[28]

11

• Jacqueline Auriol, 82, French aviator who set several world speed records.[29]
• Gordon Lockhart Bennett, 87, Canadian politician, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island.
• Lord Kitchener, 77, Trinidadian calypsonian.[30]
• Roger Vadim, 72, French film director.[31]

12

• Newt Arnold, 77, American film director.[32]
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 70, American musician.[33]
• Tom Landry, 75, American football coach (Dallas Cowboys) and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[34]
• Andy Lewis, 33, Australian bass guitarist.
• John London, 58, American musician and songwriter.
• Oliver, 54, American pop singer.[35]
• Charles M. Schulz, 77, American comic strip artist (Peanuts).[36]

13

• John Leake, 50, British Royal Navy sailor.
• F. X. Martin, 77, Irish priest and historian.[37]
• Theodore Rinaldo, 55, American charismatic religious leader, businessman, and convicted child sex offender.

14

• Henry A. Bamman, 81, American author, professor and teacher.
• Tony Bettenhausen Jr., 48, American car racing team owner and driver, plane crash.
• Walter Zinn, 93, Canadian-American nuclear physicist who worked at the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory.[38]

15

• Shamsul Huda Chaudhury, 79, Bangladeshi politician.
• Dilip Dhawan, 45, Indian actor, heart attack.
• Valentina Kravchenko, 83, Russian pilot and squadron navigator during WWII.
• Angus MacLean, 85, Canadian politician and farmer.
• Bob Ramazzotti, 83, American baseball player.[39]

16

• Wayne Blackburn, 85, American baseball coach.
• Soup Campbell, 84, American baseball player.[40]
• Marceline Day, 91, American actress.[41]
• Lila Kedrova, c. 90, Russian-born French actress (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Zorba the Greek).[42]
• B. S. Kesavan, 90, first Director of the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre.
• Karsten Solheim, 88, Norwegian-born American golf club designer (PING) and businessman.[43]

17

• William Anderson, 84, Canadian officer.
• Jot D. Carpenter, 61, American landscape architect.
• Iffat Al-Thunayan, most prominent wife of Saudi King Faisal.
• Turkey Tyson, 85, American baseball player.[44]

18

• Henry Åkervall, 62, Canadian ice hockey player.
• Yalavarthi Naveen Babu, 35, Indian leader of Naxalite, a communist revolutionary group, killed in firefight with police.
• Lefty Hoerst, 82, American baseball player.[45]
• Nader Naderpour, 70, Iranian-born American poet.[46]
• Will, 72, Belgian comics artist.

19

• Marin Goleminov, 91, Bulgarian musician.
• Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 71, Austrian artist.[47]
• Kenneth L. Maddy, 65, American politician.[48]
• George Roussos, 84, American comic book artist.

20

• Jean Dotto, 71, French racing cyclist.
• Gus Harris, 91, Canadian politician, Parkinson's disease.
• Bernard Hickman, 88, American basketball player and coach.
• Oswald Lange, 87, German-American aerospace engineer and member of the "von Braun rocket group".
• Otello Martelli, 97, Italian cinematographer.
• Edmund McNamara, 79, American law enforcement officer and professional football player.
• Anatoly Sobchak, 62, Russian politician, suspected contract killing by poisoning.[49]

21

• Noel Annan, Baron Annan, 83, British military intelligence officer and academic.[50]
• Violet Archer, 86, Canadian musician and composer.
• Clifton Daniel, 87, managing editor of The New York Times, stroke.
• Radha Mohan Gadanayak, 88, Indian poet.
• Kenneth Nichols, 92, officer in the US Army and civil engineer, respiratory failure.

22

• Sir Joseph Gold, 87, British lawyer.
• John Kellogg, 83, American actor, Alzheimer's disease.
• Ernest Lough, 88, English boy soprano.
• Maurine Neuberger, 93, American politician.
• Michelle O'Keefe, 18, American college student and aspiring actress, gunshot wounds.
• V. J. P. Saldanha, 74, Indian Konkani language litterateur, dramatist, musician, and poet.

23

• John Nevill, 5th Marquess of Abergavenny, 85, British aristocrat.
• Dennis Evans, 69, English footballer.
• Albrecht Goes, 91, German writer and theologian.
• Ofra Haza, 42, Israeli singer, AIDS-related pneumonia.[51]
• Sir Stanley Matthews, 85, English footballer.[52]
• Joseph V. Perry, 69, American actor.[53]

24

• Betty Lou Beets, 62, American murderer, execution by lethal injection.
• Michael Colvin, 67, British politician.
• Bernard Opper, 84, American basketball player.

25

• Victoria Climbié, 8, Ivorian girl, prolonged child abuse.
• Kuthiravattam Pappu, 62, India actor, cardiac arrest.
• Culley Rikard, 85, American baseball player.[54]
• Aleksandar Živković, 87, Croatian footballer.

26

• Casimiro Montenegro Filho, 95, Brazilian army and air force officer.
• Franz Fuchs, 50, Austrian terrorist, suicide.
• George L. Street III, 86, United States Navy submarine commander and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.[55]

27

• Casimiro Berenguer, 90, Puerto Rican nationalist.
• Harold M. Mulvey, 85, American Attorney General.
• Aubrey Eugene Robinson Jr., 77, US District Judge, heart attack.
• Hank M. Tavera, 56, 'AIDS activist and archivist, kidney cancer.

28

• Johannes Barge, 93, officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany.
• Kariel Gardosh, 78, Israeli cartoonist and illustrator ("Dosh").
• Władysław Gnyś, 89, Polish Air Force pilot and flying ace during World War II.
• Jean Vallette d'Osia, 101, French officer and member of the French Resistance during WWII.
• John N. Irwin II, 86, American diplomat and attorney.[56]

29

• Dennis Danell, 38, American musician (Social Distortion), cerebral aneurysm.[57]
• Pierre Dumas, French doctor and drug test pioneer.
• Alf Rattigan, 88, Australian Public Service official, prostate cancer.
• Kayla Rolland, 6, American school shooting victim, cardiac arrest from shooting.

References

1. Forbes, Peter (February 3, 2000). "Peter Levi Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
2. Glanz, James (February 3, 2000). "James V. Neel Is Dead at 84; Leading Genetics Researcher". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
3. Stout, David (February 4, 2000). "Richard G. Kleindienst, Figure in Watergate Era, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
4. "John Leovich". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
5. Associated Press (February 6, 2000). "Carl Bert Albert, a Powerful Democrat in Congress for Three Decades, Is Dead at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
6. "Joachim-Ernst Berendt, 77, Jazz Historian". The New York Times. February 20, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
7. "Edgar Bowers, 75, a Poet in the Formalist Style". The New York Times. February 8, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
8. Powers, Ann (February 8, 2000). "Doris Kenner-Jackson, 58, Singer In the Original Shirelles Foursome". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
9. Goldstein, Richard (February 17, 2000). "Ronnie Robertson, 62, a Skater Who Entertained With His Spins". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
10. Daley, Suzanne (February 9, 2000). "Claude Autant-Lara, 98, a Film Director". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
11. "'Hockey Night' Host Cornell Dies". The Associated Press. February 7, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
12. Geoffrey de Ste Croix
13. Todd Karns, 79, Who Played Brother in 'It's a Wonderful Life'
14. Russell, Tony (March 2, 2000). "Derroll Adams". The Guardian. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
15. Schafer, Gabrielle (February 8, 2000). "Rapper Big Pun Dies of Apparent Heart Attack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
16. McKinley, Jesse (February 9, 2000). "Doug Henning, a Superstar Of Illusion, Is Dead at 52". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
17. The Associated Press (February 14, 2000). "Dave Peverett, 56, of the Rock Band Foghat". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
18. Lapointe, Joe (February 10, 2000). "Sid Abel, 81, a Hockey Star On a Famed Red Wings Line". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
19. Times Wire Services (February 9, 2000). "2 Small Planes Collide Over Ill. Hospital; 3 Die". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
20. Pace, Eric (February 11, 2000). "Ion Gheorghe Maurer, 97, Romanian Premier From 1961 to 1974". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
21. Freeman, Mike (February 9, 2000). "PRO FOOTBALL; Chiefs' Thomas Dies Unexpectedly During Hospital Stay". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
22. Finder, Chuck (February 11, 2000). "Obituary: Steve Furness: Backup lineman for Steel Curtain during '70s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
23. Goldstein, Richard (February 12, 2000). "Beau Jack, 78, Lightweight Boxing Champion in the 1940s". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
24. Petersen, Melody (February 15, 2000). "George Jackson, Movie Producer, Dies at 42". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
25. "Gene Lambert". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
26. Rainey, Chris. "Blas Monaco". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
27. Pace, Eric (February 18, 2000). "Ji Pengfei, 91; Helped China Open Links to West". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
28. "Jim Varney, 50, Who Turned 'Ernest' Character Into a Career". The New York Times. February 11, 2000. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
29. Martin, Douglas (February 17, 2000). "Jacqueline Auriol, Top French Test Pilot, 82". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
30. Pareles, Jon (February 14, 2000). "Lord Kitchener, 77, Calypso Songwriter Who Mixed Party Tunes With Deeper Messages". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
31. Riding, Alan (February 12, 2000). "Roger Vadim, 72, Director Who Propelled Bardot, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
32. Oliver, Myrna (February 22, 2000). "Newt Arnold; Award-Winning Filmmaker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
33. Pareles, Jon (February 14, 2000). "Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 70, Rock's Wild Man". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
34. George, Thomas (February 13, 2000). "Tom Landry Is Dead at 75; Innovative Coach of Cowboys". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
35. "William Swofford; Had 2 Hit Songs as 'Oliver'". Los Angeles Times. February 18, 2000. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
36. Boxer, Sarah (February 14, 2000). "Charles M. Schulz, 'Peanuts' Creator, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
37. O'Sullivan, Kevin (February 14, 2000). "F.X. Martin, noted Wood Quay activist, dies". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
38. Saxon, Wolfgang (February 25, 2000). "Walter H. Zinn, 93, Physicist Who Helped Create Atom Bomb". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
39. Forr, James. "Bob Ramazzotti". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
40. "Soup Campbell". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
41. Walker, Brent E. (2013). Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel. McFarland. p. 498. ISBN 9780786477111. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
42. Van Gelder, Lawrence (April 20, 2000). "Lila Kedrova, Known for Oscar-Winning Role in 'Zorba,' Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
43. Brown, Clifton (February 18, 2000). "Karsten Solheim, 88, Is Dead; Creator of the Ping Golf Club". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
44. "Turkey Tyson". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
45. Wolf, Gregory H. "Lefty Hoerst". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
46. Nelson, Soraya Sarhaddi (February 25, 2000). "Iranian Community Mourns an Idol". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
47. "Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian Artist and Architect, 71". The New York Times. February 23, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
48. Brazil, Eric (February 20, 2000). "Maddy: Man to get stuff done in Senate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
49. Bohlen, Celestine (February 21, 2000). "A.A. Sobchak Dead at 62; Mentor to Putin". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
50. Weber, Bruce (March 9, 2000). "Noel Annan, 83, Versatile Englishman, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
51. Pareles, Jon (February 24, 2000). "Ofra Haza, 41, Israeli Pop Singer Who Crossed Cultural Bounds". The New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
52. Goldstein, Richard (February 24, 2000). "Stanley Matthews, 85, Knight and Soccer Star". The New York Times. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
53. "Joseph V. Perry; Played Mobsters on TV". Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
54. "Culley Rikard". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
55. Goldstein, Richard (March 5, 2000). "George L. Street, 86, Commander of the Submarine Tirante in World War II". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
56. Nick Ravo (February 29, 2000). "John N. Irwin II, 86, Diplomat And Ex-Aide to MacArthur". New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
57. "Dennis Danell, 38, Noted Punk Guitarist". The New York Times. March 3, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2018.