8 Renowned people who died in 1994

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Richard Nixon

(U.S. President)

9 January 1913 – 22 April 1994 (Aged 81)

Nixon was a U.S. Republican politician, who served as the 37th President of the United States. He was also vice-president under Dwight D. Eisenhower.

He has gone down in infamy for his role in the Watergate scandal during the 1970s.

Having served in the Navy Reserve during World War II, Nixon rose to prominence in the House and Senate, prior to becoming the vice-president in 1953. He lost the extremely close 1960 presidential race to John  F. Kennedy.

Nixon eventually became president in 1969 and won one of the largest majorities in American history for his re-election in 1972.

Among his achievements as president, Nixon ended the military draft, enforced desegregation of southern schools, oversaw the moon landing, and established diplomatic relations with China.

Nixon also ended American involvement in Vietnam in 1973, however, it is clear this decision could have been made much earlier and would have saved many lives that were lost during the conflict.

However, it was the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon’s demise. Recordings of Nixon implying his knowledge of illegal activity by his party members forced his resignation to avoid impeachment for covering up the crimes committed.

His successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed in office. In 1977, his televised interviews with David Frost became the most-watched program of its kind in history.

In his later years, Nixon did much important work as an elder political statesman, speaking out on foreign policy and meeting leaders from around the world. This work helped to somewhat improve the generally negative public perception of him.

Nixon suffered a severe stroke and died a few days later at the age of 81. He has gone down as one of the most divisive and famous figures of the 20th century.

Kurt Cobain

(Singer)

February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994 (Aged 27)

Cobain was a hugely influential American singer. Born in Aberdeen, Washington State, in 1987 Cobain formed the band Nirvana along with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard.

In the early 1990s, the band enjoyed huge success and sold over 75 million albums around the world. He also married the singer Courtney Love in 1992.

Cobain suffered from heroin addiction in the final years of his life, along with bouts of depression, and struggles with his fame.

At the age of only 27, Cobain was found in his Seattle home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

In 2014, Cobain was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with his Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl.

He is still revered as an icon to the Generation X of the 1990s.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

(U.S. First Lady)

28 July 1929 – 19 May 1994 (Aged 64)

Born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, Jackie married John F. Kennedy in 1953, subsequently becoming the first lady in 1961, where her work to restore the White House, and her style and elegance made her an icon for women around the world.

Jackie was sitting beside her husband, JFK, in the motorcade as he was killed on November 22, 1963.

In 1968, she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, one of the world’s richest men at the time.

After Onassis died in 1975, Jackie worked on and off in editing for the remainder of her life.

She died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 64 and is buried beside President Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery.

Kennedy Onassis is regarded as one of the most admired women of the 20th century, a greatly admired first lady, and a style icon.

John Candy

(Actor)

31 October 1950 – 4 March 1994 (Aged 43)

Candy was a much-loved comedic Canadian actor best known for his work in films such as Cool Runnings, Home Alone, Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

At the age of 43, Candy died from a heart attack while filming Wagons East! in Durango, Mexico.

He had been suffering from weight-related health issues for a number of years.

In 1998, Candy was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

Kim Il-sung

(North Korean Leader)

15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994 (Aged 82)

Kim was the president of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

During the 1930s, Kim had fought against the Japanese occupation of his country, before going on to fight with the Soviet Union during World War II.

In 1950, Kim authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950, triggering the beginning of the Korean War. Following a military stalemate, a cease-fire was signed on 27 July 1953.

Kim was one of the longest-serving heads of state in the 20th century, in office for more than 45 years. His birthday is celebrated as a public holiday in North Korea.

Kim’s reign saw initial success in the 1960s before becoming a poor totalitarian state littered with countless human rights violations and a network of prison camps around the country.

At the age of 82, Kim died from heart failure. His embalmed body was laid to rest in a public mausoleum at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

The country has over 500 statues and monuments dedicated to Kim.

Linus Pauling

(Scientist)

28 February 1901 – 19 August 1994 (Aged 93)

Pauling was a hugely influential American scientist and biochemist who became the first person to be awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes.

He is widely recognized as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

He was an influential founding member in the field of molecular biology and quantum chemistry. His work also played a crucial role in helping geneticists to crack the DNA of all organisms.

During his life’s work, he published over 1,000 papers and books. In 1954, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his immense contributions.

Pauling became a vociferous advocate of nuclear disarmament.

This saw him awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize and helped to influence the formation of the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Pauling died of prostate cancer at the age of 93.

Telly Savalas

(Actor)

21 January 1922 – 22 January 1994 (Aged 72)

Savalas was a renowned American actor, best known for his detective role as Kojak in the television series and as Ernst Blofeld in the James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Known for his distinctive voice, among his other famous films are The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Birdman of Alcatraz, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

Savalas died from bladder and prostate cancer at the age of 72.

He was highly regarded for giving many actors their break in his role as producer of Kojak. He was also Jennifer Aniston’s godfather.

Wilma Rudolph

(Athlete)

23 June 1940 – 12 November 1994 (Aged 54)

Rudolph was the first American track athlete to win three Olympic gold medals at a single games in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Her gold medals came in the 100- and 200-meters and the 4 x 100-meter relay.

Her achievement saw her acclaimed as the fastest female athlete of her time.

The success achieved by Rudolph saw her become an important figure in the American civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Following her retirement, Rudolph became a coach and educator before establishing the Wilma Rudolph Foundation in 1981, to help amateur athletes.

Rudolph died from brain cancer at the age of 54.

She had overcome a severe childhood sickness and a disability that saw her wear a leg brace to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.