Italy

Rosita Missoni (1931–2025), fashion house co-founder

Rosita Missoni was co-founder of the legendary luxury fashion house Missoni, along with her husband, .

Sammy Basso (1995–2024), progeria advocate and biologist

Sammy Basso was one of the oldest known people with the premature aging disease progeria, and he worked to find a cure for his own affliction. 

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.

Mike Lynch (1965–2024), tech giant dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”

Mike Lynch was a businessman and entrepreneur who founded the tech company Autonomy, which he later sold for nearly $12 billion.

Lewis H. Lapham (1935–2024), longtime editor of Harper's Magazine

Lewis H. Lapham was a writer and editor best known for his long tenure as editor of Harper's Magazine, as well as for his own publication, Lapham’s Quarterly.0

Mark Damon (1933–2024), House of Usher star 

Mark Damon was an actor and producer who starred in “House of Usher” and went on to a groundbreaking career in independent film distribution.

Roberto Cavalli (1940–2024), maximalist fashion designer

Roberto Cavalli was an Italian fashion designer known for his bold prints and inventive styles.

Maurizio Pollini (1942–2024), famed Italian pianist and conductor 

Maurizio Pollini was an award-winning Italian pianist and conductor who helped lead the establishment of the Rossini Opera Festival. 

Paolo Taviani (1931–2024), acclaimed Italian film director 

Paolo Taviani was an award-winning Italian film director whose work with his brother, Vittorio Taviani, included “Caesar Must Die,” “Padre Padrone,” “Leonora addio,” and “The Night of the Shooting Stars.” 

Ira von Fürstenberg (1940–2024), princess, socialite, and actress

Ira von Fürstenberg was an Italian princess and mid-century style icon who had a film career in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Laralyn McWilliams (1965–2024), MMO Free Realms creative director

Laralyn McWilliams was a video game creator best known as the lead designer of “Full Spectrum Warrior” and the creative director of “Free Realms.” 

Sandra Milo (1933–2024), star of Fellini’s 8½ 

Sandra Milo was an Italian actress best known for her roles in “8½” and “Juliet of the Spirits,” both of which won Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress awards.

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.

Giorgio Napolitano (1925–2023), two-time president of Italy 

Giorgio Napolitano was an Italian politician who became the first ever reelected president since the founding of the Italian Republic in 1947 and the longest serving president in its history.

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

Renata Scotto (1934–2023), operatic soprano icon

Renata Scotto was a singer, teacher, and opera director who was widely considered one of the greatest sopranos of her generation.

Silvio Berlusconi (1936–2023), former prime minister of Italy 

Silvio Berlusconi was a media mogul who became prime minister of Italy, serving from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011.

Ray Stevenson (1964–2023), star of Rome, Punisher: War Zone 

Ray Stevenson was an actor from Northern Ireland who starred in movies and TV shows including “Rome,” “Punisher: War Zone,” “Thor,” and many more.

Virginia Zeani (1925–2023), Transylvanian opera singer

Virginia Zeani was an operatic soprano known for roles including her signature, Violetta in “La Traviata.”

Gina Lollobrigida (1927–2023), Italian film star of Hollywood's Golden Age

Gina Lollobrigida, one of the world's most renowned movie actresses of the 1950s and '60s, died Jan 16, according to authorities in her home country of Italy.

Monica Vitti (1931–2022), Italian film star known for “Modesty Blaise”

Monica Vitti was the “Queen of Italian Cinema,” best known in the English-speaking world for her starring role in the spy spoof “Modesty Blaise.”

Lina Wertmüller (1928–2021), first woman nominated for a Best Director Oscar

Lina Wertm üller was an Italian filmmaker and the first woman nominated for an Academy Award for directing.

Raffaella Carrí  (1943–2021), Italian pop icon and Sinatra co-star

Raffaella Carrí  was an Italian pop star best known in the U.S. for co-starring with in the 1965 film “Von Ryan’s Express.”

Elsa Peretti (1940–2021), renowned jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co.

Elsa Peretti was an Italian jewelry designer whose notable pieces for Tiffany & Co. include her iconic “Bone Cuff” bracelet.

Arturo Di Modica (1941–2021), Wall Street’s “Charging Bull” sculptor

Arturo Di Modica was a sculptor known for his “Charging Bull,” which became a beloved landmark after he secretly placed it on Wall Street in the middle of the night.

Ennio Morricone (1928–2020), Oscar-winning composer of movie soundtracks

Ennio Morricone was an Oscar-winning composer of movie soundtracks whose iconic music was the backdrop to films including “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

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.”

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Crash Victims (2019)

157 people were killed Sunday morning when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed just six minutes after takeoff. There were no survivors.

Bernardo Bertolucci (1941–2018), Oscar-winning Italian director

Acclaimed films include “The Last Emperor” and “Last Tango in Paris.”

Davide Astori (1987–2018), captain of Italy's Fiorentina football team

Played 14 times for Italy's national team.

Mathilde Krim (1926–2018), AIDS research pioneer

Founded the first private organization dedicated to AIDS research…

Robert Miles (1969–2017), DJ known for club hit Children

Legendary DJ was known for the 1995 international smash hit “Children.”

Mario Maglieri (1924–2017), Whiskey a Go Go owner

Entrepreneur owned Hollywood’s famed Whiskey a Go Go rock club.

Emma Morano (1899 - 2017)

Emma Morano, the world’s oldest person, and the last verified to have been born in the 1800s, died Saturday, Apr. 15, 2017, at her home in Verbania, Italy. She was 117.

Bimba Bosé (1975 - 2017), model, actress, and singer

Bimba Bosé, an Italian-born model, actress, and singer, died Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, of cancer at a hospital in Madrid, Spain, according to multiple news sources. She was 41.

Italy Hotel Avalanche Victims

At least seven have died and many others are feared dead in the wake of an avalanche that hit a luxury hotel Jan. 18, 2017, in central Italy.

Tony Rosato (1954 - 2017), SNL, SCTV cast member

The Canadian comic actor was a former cast member of both "Saturday Night Live" and "SCTV."

Frank Capra and the American Dream

Classic holiday film "It's a Wonderful Life" is 70 years old. To celebrate, we're looking back at its director, Frank Capra.

Dario Fo (1926 - 2016), Nobel Prize-winning playwright

The Italian playwright's biting political satire was recognized with 1997’s Nobel Prize for literature.

Italian Earthquake Victims (2016)

At least 120 people have died in an earthquake that hit central Italy in the early hours of Aug. 24.

Bud Spencer (1929 - 2016), Italian actor in spaghetti westerns

Bud Spencer, an Italian actor who starred in many spaghetti Western films, died June 27, 2016, according to multiple news sources. He was 86.

Marina Malfatti (1940 - 2016), Italian horror movie actress

Marina Malfatti, an Italian actress known best in the U.S. for the 1971 films “The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave” and “The Fourth Victim”

Umberto Eco (1932 - 2016), The Name of the Rose author

Umberto Eco, the Italian author of “The Name of the Rose,” died Feb. 19, 2016, of cancer, according to The Associated Press. He was 84.

Raphael Schumacher

Raphael Schumacher, an Italian actor, has died in a freak accident while performing a hanging scene last weekend in Pisa, Italy, according to multiple news sources. He was 27.

Nicoletta Machiavelli (1944 - 2015)

Italian actress Nicoletta Machiavelli, who acted alongside Burt Reynolds in 1966's "Navajo Joe," has died, according to Seattle, King County, Washington, public records and othersources. She was 71.

Wilma Rudolph, La Gazzella

She was La Gazzella Negra , the "Black Gazelle," the fastest woman on Earth...

The Films of Dino De Laurentiis

Prolific film producer Dino De Laurentiis had a hand in making nearly 150 movies during a career that spanned over six decades. Here's a look at 6 of our favorites.

10 Things to Know About Tenor Luciano Pavarotti

Here are 10 memorable moments from the career of tenor Luciano Pavarotti.