Madeleine Riffaud (1924–2024), French Resistance fighter

Madeleine Riffaud was a journalist and fighter with the French Resistance in World War II, refusing to bow to the Nazis despite capture and torture.

Caterina Valente (1931–2024), popular French-Italian singer

Caterina Valente was a French-Italian singer and musician who sang in 11 different languages and performed with icons like Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Yvonne Furneaux (1926–2024), star of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita

Yvonne Furneaux was an actress who starred in classic films such as “La Dolce Vita” by Federico Fellini, “The Mummy,” co-starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion.”

Ruth Westheimer (1928–2024), popular sex guru known as Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a sex therapist who became a pop culture icon thanks to her TV and radio appearances.

Anouk Aimée (1932–2024), star of A Man and a Woman

Anouk Aimée was a French actress who won acclaim for her roles in such films as “A Man and a Woman,” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, and the Federico Fellini classics “La Dolce Vita” and “8½.”

Françoise Hardy (1944–2024), French ballad singer and actress

Françoise Hardy was a French singer, actress, and model whose penchant for thoughtful ballads made her a star of the 1960s.

Paul Auster (1947–2024), New York Trilogy author 

Paul Auster was a novelist, poet, and screenwriter best known for his “The New York Trilogy,” the collection of his books “City of Glass,” “Ghosts,” and “The Locked Room.”

Maryse Condé (1934–2024), icon of Caribbean literature 

Maryse Condé was a French author best known for her work focused on the African diaspora, especially in the Caribbean, as explored in her best known novel, “Ségou.”

Daniel Kahneman (1934–2024), Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist 

Daniel Kahneman was a Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist, psychologist, and author of the best-selling book on modern economic theory, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” 

Laurent de Brunhoff (1925–2024), longtime Babar author and artist 

Laurent de Brunhoff was a French author and illustrator who carried on the work of his father, Jean de Brunhoff, the creator of Babar the Elephant.

Claude Montana (1947–2024), era-defining fashion designer

Claude Montana was a French fashion designer whose big-shouldered designs were formative to 1980s fashion.

Micheline Presle (1922–2024), Devil in the Flesh star 

Micheline Presle was a French actress who starred in such films as “Devil in the Flesh” and “Under My Skin.” 

David Bouley (1953–2024), top New York City chef 

David Bouley was an influential four-star chef in New York City known for his many TV appearances and the Tribeca restaurant that bore his name.

Francoise Bornet (1930–2023), woman from the Paris kiss photo

Francoise Bornet became an enduring symbol of romance when she and her then boyfriend, Jacques Carteaud, were featured in “The Kiss by the Hí´tel de Ville,” a 1950 photograph by Robert Doisneau that has become a staple of posters, postcards, and home décor.  

Gil de Ferran (1967–2023), French-born Brazilian championship racer

Gil de Ferran was a French-born Brazilian racer who achieved recognition as a British Formula Three champion, two-time CART World Series champion, and an Indianapolis 500 winner. 

Colette Maze (1914–2023), world’s oldest recording pianist 

Colette Maze was a French pianist whose recording career began in her 80s and continued throughout her life, with her most recent album released just this year.

Marisa Pavan (1932–2023), star of The Rose Tattoo 

Marisa Pavan was an actress whose work garnered an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award win for her role in the 1955 film “The Rose Tattoo,” starring Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani.

Helen Williams (1935–2023), pioneering model

Helen Williams was one of the first Black models to appear widely in national publications in the U.S.

Thierry Rautureau (2023), “The Chef in the Hat” 

Thierry Rautureau was a celebrity chef known for his Seattle restaurants and his appearances on “Top Chef Masters” and other TV shows.

Hubert Reeves (1932–2023), celebrated astrophysicist and science icon 

Hubert Reeves was a Canadian astrophysicist who became a science icon thanks to his appearances on television shows and science documentaries, as well as his work discussing ecological issues. 

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.

Barbara Mullen (1927–2023), unconventional 1950s model

Barbara Mullen was a model in the 1950s whose slim frame offered a glimpse into the future of modeling.

Roger Whittaker (1936–2023), The Last Farewell singer 

Roger Whittaker was an English folk singer and songwriter best known for his version of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” as well as “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” and “The Last Farewell.” 

Fernando Botero (1932–2023), known for whimsical figure art 

Fernando Botero was a Colombian artist and sculptor best known for his large, exaggerated figurework.0

Marc Bohan (1926–2023), Dior signature designer

Marc Bohan was a French fashion designer whose 30 years with Christian Dior made the line an icon of simple, elegant design.

Josephine Chaplin (1949–2023), actress and Charlie Chaplin’s daughter 

Josephine Chaplin was an actress with roles in “The Canterbury Tales” and “Escape to the Sun,” as well as the daughter of actor and filmmaker . 

Jane Birkin (1946–2023), singer, actress, and model

Jane Birkin was a prolific British and French actress and singer, as well as the inspiration for the sought-after Birkin Bag from Hermès, one of the most exclusive accessories in fashion.

Milan Kundera (1929–2023), The Unbearable Lightness of Being author

Milan Kundera was a Czech-French writer best known for writing the 1984 novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

Léon Gautier (1922–2023), last surviving French D-Day fighter 

Léon Gautier was a veteran of the French military, the country’s last surviving D-Day veteran.

Françoise Gilot (1921–2023), artist and muse to Picasso

Françoise Gilot was a renowned French artist whose 1964 memoir, “Life with Picasso,” told the story of her years as the muse and lover of Pablo Picasso.

Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023), sensory-focused Finnish composer

Kaija Saariaho was a Finnish composer who saw music as an art for all the senses, suggesting color, texture, and more for a richer sensory palate.

Simone Segouin (1925–2023), heroine of the French Resistance

Simone Segouin was a French Resistance fighter during World War II, who helped capture German troops and deliver crucial messages.

Paco Rabanne (1934–2023), space age fashion designer

Paco Rabanne was a fashion designer known for his space age designs in unusual materials, such as metal and plastic.

Lucile Randon (1904–2023), world’s oldest person

Lucile Randon , also known as Sister André, was the world’s oldest person and the fourth-oldest authenticated person in history.

Adolfo Kaminsky (1925–2023), forger who saved lives in the Holocaust

Adolfo Kaminsky was a forger who helped save thousands of lives in the Holocaust by falsifying documents for Jewish people.

Aline Kominsky-Crumb (1948–2022), pioneer of women’s underground comics

Aline Kominsky-Crumb was a comics artist and a leader of the movement of women writing and drawing underground comics.

Andrew Prine (1936–2022), prolific character actor who starred in Westerns

Andrew Prine was a character actor especially known for Westerns, including the TV show “Wide Country” and the film “Chisum.”

Louise Fletcher (1934–2022), played Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

Louise Fletcher was an actress who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Jean-Luc Godard (1930–2022), director and pioneer of the French New Wave film movement

Jean-Luc Godard was a French director who pioneered post-war French cinema by establishing the French New Wave film movement.

Roland Mesnier (1944–2022), longtime White House pastry chef

Roland Mesnier was the White House pastry chef for 25 years, serving five presidents.

Peter Brook (1925–2022), Tony Award-winning theater and film director

Peter Brook was a British theater and film director known for his innovative work.

Luc Montagnier (1932–2022), Nobel winner who co-discovered HIV

Luc Montagnier was a virologist who shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for co-discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Pierre Cardin (1922–2020), “Space Age style” fashion designer

Pierre Cardin was a French fashion designer who pioneered Space Age style in the 1960s, popularizing sleek, geometric designs.

Hal Singer (1919–2020), hit-making jazz saxophonist

Hal Singer was a hit-making jazz saxophonist and R&B performer known for his 1940s No. 1 hit song “Corn Bread.”

Zizi Jeanmaire (1924–2020), French ballerina danced in Hollywood films

Zizi Jeanmaire was a French modernist ballerina who won international acclaim for her sexually suggestive dancing in the ballet “Carmen,” choreographed by her husband, Roland Petit. She later appeared in the Hollywood films “Hans Christian Andersen” (1952) with Danny Kaye, and “Anything Goes” (1956) with Bing Crosby. She was billed simply as Jeanmaire.

Jessye Norman (1945–2019), Grammy-winning opera singer

Jessye Norman was an operatic soprano known for her matchless voice and for her signature roles including Strauss’ Ariadne. She made her debut on the operatic stage in 1969, portraying Elisabeth in Wagner’s “Tannhauser” in Berlin. Inspired as a girl by listening to performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera on the radio, Norman made her debut at the Met in 1983, singing the part of Cassandre in “Les Troyens” by Berlioz. She would go on to sing at the Met more than 80 times. Norman performed at the second inaugurations of presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and she sang at England’s celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th birthday as well as at the bicentennial of the French Revolution. She won five Grammy Awards, including one for lifetime achievement, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997, and was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 2009.

Jacques Chirac (1932–2019), former president of France

Jacques Chirac was the president of France from 1995 to 2007, as well as mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and prime minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988.

Anthoine Hubert (1996–2019), Formula Two driver

French driver won two races during the 2019 season.

Stories of D-Day Veterans We Said Goodbye to This Year

Seventy-five years after the D-Day invasion of World War II, families and nations are honoring the service members who fought in one of the war's most famous battles.