12 Renowned people who died in 2006 (Part 2)

By Richard Giles / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / GFDL

Steve Irwin

(TV Personality)

22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006 (Aged 44)

Irwin was an Australian wildlife enthusiast and television personality, nicknamed “The Crocodile Hunter”.

His television series The Crocodile Hunter ran from 1996–2007 and saw Irwin achieve worldwide fame.

After growing up on a wildlife park owned by his parents, Irwin developed his love of animals and went on to operate the Australia Zoo, along with his wife Terri, in Beerwah, Australia.

During his time in the spotlight, Irwin became renowned for appearing on his shows wearing his trademark khaki shirt and shorts, and his catchphrase, “Crikey!”

Irwin died after being pierced in the heart by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary film titled Ocean’s Deadliest at the age of 44.

Slobodan Milosevic

(Serbian President)

20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006 (Aged 64)

Milosevic was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician, serving as the President of Serbia from 1989 to 1997 and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He also founded the Socialist Party of Serbia in 1990.

Milosevic rose to power as Serbian President after he championed the need to reform the 1974 Yugoslavian Constitution due to the marginalization of Serbia and its incapacity to deter Albanian separatist unrest in Kosovo.

In 1999, Milosevic was charged with war crimes in connection to the wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

He was eventually arrested by Yugoslav authorities in March 2001 on suspicion of embezzlement, corruption, and abuse of power.

In 2003, he was indicted with ordering the murder of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic, and with the attempted murder of opposition leader Vuk Draskovic.

Milosevic was found dead in his cell at the United Nations detention center in The Hague, having died of a heart attack at the age of 64.

After Milosevic’s death, in the Bosnian Genocide Case, the International Court of Justice concluded there was no evidence linking him to the genocide committed by Bosnian Serbs during the Bosnian War.

However, the Court did find that Milosevic had committed a breach of the Genocide Convention by failing to prevent the genocide from occurring and for failing to cooperate in punishing the perpetrators of the genocide.

Milosevic remains a controversial figure in Serbia and the Balkans.

Ferenc Puskás

(Footballer)

2 April 1927 – 17 November 2006 (Aged 79)

Puskas was a Hungarian footballer and manager, generally regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

One of the most prolific goalscorers in history, Puskas scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary and 514 goals in 529 matches for Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid.

In 1952, Puskas captained the Hungary team, known as the ‘Mighty Magyars’, to Olympic gold and led them to reach the final of the 1954 World Cup, where he was named the tournament’s best player.

In the final, Puskas saw a late goal disallowed, resulting in West Germany winning 3-2. The defeat was the only time Hungary lost over the course of a 6-year period.

In 1956, Honvéd was playing in Spain when the Hungarian Revolution broke out, leading Puskás, along with several teammates, to defect.

During his time at Real Madrid, he won 5 leagues in a row, 3 European Cups, and 4 top scorer awards.

After retirement from playing, Puskás managed several teams, most notably guiding the Greek club Panathinaikos to the European Cup final in 1971.

In 1993, Puskás returned to Hungary, with the Hungarian government granting him a full pardon. 

Budapest’s largest sports arena was also renamed in his honor shortly before his death.

Puskas died of pneumonia at the age of 79. The FIFA Puskás Award is now awarded each year to the player who has scored the best goal during that season.

Shelley Winters

(Actress)

18 August 1920 – 14 January 2006 (Aged 85)

Winters was a renowned American actress whose career spanned over five decades starring in films such as The Night of the Hunter, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Poseidon Adventure, and Alfie.

During her career, Winters won two Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actress, for The Diary of Anne Frank in 1960, and for A Patch of Blue in 1966.

She donated her Oscar for The Diary of Anne Frank to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

From 1991 to 1996, Winters had a recurring role on the popular television series  Roseanne, as Roseanne’s grandmother.

Winters died from heart failure at the age of 85.

P.W. Botha

(South African President)

12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006 (Aged 90)

Botha was the leader of South Africa from 1978 to 1989, whose rule upheld the apartheid regime and authorized deadly force against anti-apartheid agitators.

During Botha’s regime, he authorized armed attacks in nearby countries such as Botswana and Zambia, where ANC activists had taken refuge.

In 1985, following increasing domestic protests, Botha called a national state of emergency, during which thousands of citizens were detained without trial.

In early 1989, Botha resigned as leader of the ruling National Party after suffering a stroke and later that year also stepped down from the presidency.

In the 1992 apartheid referendum, Botha campaigned for a Novote and denounced President De Klerk’s administration for opening up the possibility of black majority rule.

Botha died of a heart attack in 2006 at the age of 90.

Joseph Barbera

(Cartoon Producer/Illustrator)

24 March 1911 – 18 December 2006 (Aged 95)

Barbera was an American animator and cartoon artist, whose characters entertained hundreds of millions of fans over a large part of the 20th century.

In 1938, Barbera joined forces with William Hanna at MGM, working for years on Tom and Jerry, before eventually founding Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1957.

Together, they produced much-loved programs such as The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, Top Cat, The Smurfs, and The Jetsons.

In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991. After the studio was again sold, they both stayed on as advisors.

Over the course of their career, Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards. Their partnership only ended after Hanna’s death in 2001.

Barbera continued to work until his death from natural causes at age 95, bringing an end to his 70-year career in animation.