Virginia Halas McCaskey (1923–2025), Chicago Bears owner 

Virginia Halas McCaskey was the longtime owner of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, heading the team since inheriting it from her father in 1983.

John A. Clements (1923–2024), doctor whose research saved infants

John A. Clements was a doctor and researcher who discovered the cause of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and helped develop life-saving treatments for it.

Vic Seixas (1923–2024), mid-century tennis champ

Vic Seixas was a champion tennis player who won 15 Grand Slam titles and took victory in men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1953. 

Shigeichi Negishi (1923–2024), inventor of karaoke 

Shigeichi Negishi was a Japanese engineer who invented the world’s first commercially available karaoke machine, the Sparko Box.

Jack Burke Jr. (1923–2024), two-time major-winning golfer 

Jack “Jackie” Burke Jr. was a PGA Tour golfer and winner of both the Masters and PGA Championship in 1956 who won 16 PGA Tour events overall during his career.

Glynis Johns (1923–2024), Mary Poppins actress

Glynis Johns was a British actress known for her roles in “Mary Poppins” and Broadway's “A Little Night Music.”

Henry Kissinger (1923–2023), influential secretary of state

Henry Kissinger was the U.S. secretary of state under Presidents and .

Ellsworth Johnson (1923-2023), 100-year-old WWII special-ops veteran

Ellsworth Johnson was a WWII veteran and the last known surviving member of a secret U.S. military unit that operated in enemy-occupied territory in France and China.

Bob Barker (1923–2023), longtime host of The Price Is Right

Bob Barker was the Emmy Award-winning host of the long-running game show “The Price Is Right.”

Al Quie (1923–2023), former congressman and Governor of Minnesota 

Al Quie was a Republican who served in Congress for more than 20 years and as Governor of Minnesota, in addition to being considered twice as a potential vice-presidential running mate in a U.S. presidential election.

James Buckley (1923–2023), oldest former U.S. senator 

James Buckley was a U.S. senator from New York who served in the 1970s and later became a federal judge.

Jimmy Weldon (1923–2023), voice of Yakky Doodle duck 

Jimmy Weldon was a longtime ventriloquist, best known for voicing Hanna-Barbera's cartoon duck, Yakky Doodle, and for his puppet character, Webster Webfoot.

Menahem Pressler (1923–2023), Beaux Arts Trio pianist 

Menahem Pressler was a co-founder and the longtime pianist of the acclaimed Beaux Arts Trio, beloved around the world for their chamber music.

Clarence Smoyer (1923–2022), World War II hero  

Clarence Smoyer was a World War II tank gunner known as the “Hero of Cologne” for his bravery in helping to defeat a German panther tank during the important 1945 battle.

Diana Kennedy (1923–2022), chef who helped popularize Mexican cuisine

Diana Kennedy was an influential chef who was known as the “Julia Child of Mexican Cuisine” for promoting and popularizing its traditional recipes.

Larry Storch (1923–2022), star of “F Troop”

Larry Storch was a comedian and actor known best for playing the bumbling Cpl. Agarn on TV's "F Troop."

Hershel Williams (1923–2022), Battle of Iwo Jima hero  

Hershel Williams was a U.S. Marine who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

Samella Lewis (1923–2022), “Godmother of African American Art”

Samella Lewis was an artist and art historian known for her influential support of fellow Black artists.

Jimmy Lydon (1923–2022), actor was Elizabeth Taylor’s first on-screen kiss

Jimmy Lydon was an actor who starred in the classic film “Life With Father,” and gave Elizabeth Taylor her first screen kiss in the movie “Cynthia.”

John Billings (1923–2022), WWII spy pilot

John Billings was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II who flew Allied spies behind enemy lines for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

Ashley Bryan (1923–2022), award-winning children’s author and illustrator

Ashley Bryan wrote and illustrated award-winning children’s books including “Beat the Story-Drum, Pum Pum” and Beautiful Blackbird.”

Henry Orenstein (1923–2021), toy developer who helped launch Transformers

Henry Orenstein was a holocaust survivor and successful toy developer who helped launch Transformers.

Bob Dole (1923–2021), longtime U.S. senator from Kansas

Bob Dole represented Kansas as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and ran for president against Democrat Bill Clinton in 1996.

Jo-Carroll Dennison (1923–2021), oldest surviving former Miss America

Jo-Carroll Dennison was an actress and the oldest surviving former Miss America, having won the pageant in 1942.

David Dushman (1923–2021), one of the last living liberators of Auschwitz

David Dushman was a Soviet veteran of World War II who was one of the last living soldiers who liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Gloria Henry (1923–2021), actress known for TV’s “Dennis the Menace”

Gloria Henry became a household name in the late 1950s when she landed the role of Alice Mitchell, the title character Dennis’ mother on the hit sitcom “Dennis the Menace.”

Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), first human to go faster than the speed of sound

Chuck Yeager was a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was the first human to break the sound barrier.

Frank Macon (1923–2020), Tuskegee Airman

Frank Macon was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black pilots and support staff who served with distinction in World War II.

Rhonda Fleming (1923–2020), star of Hollywood’s Golden Age

Rhonda Fleming was an actress known as the “Queen of Technicolor,” who was active in films of the 1940s and ‘50s.

Sumner Redstone (1923–2020), former chairman of ViacomCBS

Sumner Redstone was a billionaire businessman who rose from childhood poverty to build a media empire as the owner and former chairman of ViacomCBS.

Helen Jones Woods (1923–2020), pioneering female jazz trombonist

Helen Jones Woods was a pioneering jazz trombonist who played with the historic integrated all-female jazz band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm during the 1940s.

Joseph Feingold (1923–2020), Holocaust survivor profiled in Oscar-nominated “Joe’s Violin”

Joseph Feingold was a Holocaust survivor who became known after his act of kindness was commemorated in the Oscar-nominated short documentary, “Joe’s Violin.”

Joe Vandever Sr. (1923–2020), one of the last living WWII Navajo code talkers

Joe Vandever Sr.  was one of the Navajo code talkers who transmitted top secret messages during World War II using Native American languages. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Vandever was among about 400 to 500 code talkers whose expertise in little-known languages has been credited with making the victory at Iwo Jima possible, among other accomplishments. Vandever’s death reportedly leaves just four Navajo code talkers still living. Vandever also served in combat in World War II, fighting in the Pacific.

Frieda Caplan (1923–2020), pioneering produce marketer who named the kiwifruit

Frieda Caplan  was the “Kiwi Queen,” the founder and owner of Frieda’s Inc., the specialty produce company that introduced exotic fruits and vegetables including the kiwifruit, sugar snap peas, and mango to the U.S. Other unusual produce introduced or popularized by Caplan: alfalfa sprouts, habanero peppers, blood oranges, starfruit, turmeric, and hundreds more. Caplan was the first woman in the U.S. to own and operate a produce company. She wasn’t intimidated by the gender imbalance she experienced in her early days in the business: When she won an industry award for “Produce Man of the Year,” she refused to accept it until it was renamed “Produce Marketer of the Year.”

Wat Misaka (1923–2019), first person of color to play in the NBA

Wataru “Wat” Misaka was a Japanese-American basketball player who joined the New York Knicks in 1947, becoming the first non-White player in modern professional basketball. Prior to his professional career, Misaka played for the University of Utah, where his team won two national championships, in 1944 and 1947. He then signed with the Knicks as a guard, officially joining the Basketball Association of America, the NBA’s forerunner whose stats are counted as part of NBA history. Misaka only played three games with the Knicks before being released by the team. He declined an offer to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and returned to his native Utah, where he worked as a mechanical engineer.

Harrison Dillard (1923–2019), four-time Olympic gold medal winner

Harrison Dillard was a four-time Olympic gold medal winner in track and field. He was the top hurdler throughout much of the 1940s, though his first Olympic gold came in a dramatic photo-finish in the 100-meter sprint at the 1948 London Olympic games. He won his signature event, the 110-meter hurdles, at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic games. He was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100-meter relay teams at both Olympics.

Maria Perego (1923–2019), puppeteer created Topo Gigio

Maria Perego was an Italian puppeteer best known for creating Topo Gigio, a mouse puppet beloved by viewers of “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Valentina Cortese (1923–2019), Italian cinema legend

Oscar nominated for her role in Truffaut’s “Day for Night.”

Russ Ewing (1923–2019), fearless Chicago TV news reporter

Russ Ewing was a longtime fearless Chicago TV news reporter who persuaded more than 100 criminal suspects to surrender. Ewing was a Chicago firefighter who then became a TV reporter, first working with Chicago station WMAQ and later with WLS. He became a trusted figure on the Chicago streets, and many criminals trusted Ewing to bring them in safely to the police. In 1975, Ewing and newspaper publisher Gus Savage talked two men into surrendering after they robbed a currency exchange and held two women hostage. Ewing was also an accomplished jazz pianist who performed on “The Tonight Show.”

Leah Chase (1923–2019), New Orleans chef perfected Creole cuisine

Leah Chase was the "Queen of Creole Cuisine," the owner of the legendary Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans who fed presidents and made space for civil rights leaders to meet and plan the movement. She and her husband, jazz trumpeter Edgar "Dooky" Chase, took over his parents’ sandwich and lottery shop in the Treme neighborhood, and she used her background of working in French Quarter restaurants to build it up into a fine dining establishment for the black community in the days when New Orleans was still segregated. Dooky Chase was a popular gathering place whose prominent customers included the , James Baldwin, and , and wrote it into his song "Early Morning Blues." Credited with perfecting Creole cuisine, Chase was honored with the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and Food & Wine magazine named Dooky Chase one of their 40 most important restaurants of the past 40 years. Chase was also an avid art collector with a notable collection of art by African-American artists, and her own portrait by Gustave Blache III hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Robert T. McDaniel (1923–2019), member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Robert T. McDaniel was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the elite African-American pilots who flew during World War II.

Dan Blankenship (1923–2019), treasure hunter starred on "The Curse of Oak Island"

Dan Blankenship was a treasure hunter and one of the stars of the History Channel reality show "The Curse of Oak Island."

Jeraldine Saunders (1923–2019), creator of "The Love Boat"

Jeraldine Saunders was the creator of the hit ABC television series "The Love Boat." The show, which ran from 1977 through 1986, began with a made-for-TV movie based on Saunders' 1974 nonfiction book "Love Boats."

Stewart Adams (1923–2019), inventor of ibuprofen, used himself as test subject

“I always felt it was important to take the first dose.”

Bishop Joseph Howze (1923–2019), pioneering African-American bishop

The first black bishop in the 20th century to head a U.S. diocese.

James Karen (1923 - 2018), recognizable character actor

Appeared in “Poltergeist," “Wall Street,” and many other movies and TV shows.

Gena Turgel (1923 – 2018), Holocaust survivor nursed Anne Frank

Gena Turgel, a Holocaust survivor who comforted Anne Frank at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp before the young diarist's death and the camp's liberation a month later, has died. She was 95.

Red Schoendienst (1923 – 2018), baseball Hall-of-Famer played for 19 years

Albert Fred “Red” Schoendienst, a baseball Hall-of-Famer who wore a major league uniform as a player, coach, or manager for more than 70 straight seasons, has died at 95.

Bob Dorough (1923–2018), “Schoolhouse Rock” musician

Wrote and performed songs like “Three Is a Magic Number.”