Who Was Alive in 2009

Nelson MandelaAge 91

1918–2013 · Politics & Leadership

Anti-apartheid hero, South African President

Stan LeeAge 87

1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment

Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel

Margaret ThatcherAge 84

1925–2013 · Politics & Leadership

The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister

B.B. KingAge 84

1925–2015 · Music

King of the Blues

Fidel CastroAge 83

1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership

Cuban revolutionary leader

Gabriel García MárquezAge 82

1927–2014 · Literature

One Hundred Years of Solitude

James WatsonAge 81

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Maya AngelouAge 81

1928–2014 · Literature

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Vera RubinAge 81

1928–2016 · Science & Invention

Discovered evidence for dark matter

Noam ChomskyAge 81

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Chinua AchebeAge 79

1930–2013 · Literature

Things Fall Apart, father of modern African literature

Neil ArmstrongAge 79

1930–2012 · Exploration

First human to walk on the Moon

Tu YouyouAge 79

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 78

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Toni MorrisonAge 78

1931–2019 · Literature

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Elizabeth TaylorAge 77

1932–2011 · Film & Entertainment

Cleopatra, golden age Hollywood star

Yoko OnoAge 76

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 75

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 75

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 74

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 74

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 73

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 70

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 69

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Wangari MaathaiAge 69

1940–2011 · Activism & Social Change

Kenyan environmentalist, first African woman Nobel laureate

Bob DylanAge 68

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Muhammad AliAge 67

1942–2016 · Sports

The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion

Aretha FranklinAge 67

1942–2018 · Music

Queen of Soul, Respect

Stephen HawkingAge 67

1942–2018 · Science & Invention

Black holes, A Brief History of Time

Billie Jean KingAge 66

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 64

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 63

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

David BowieAge 62

1947–2016 · Music

Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon

Haruki MurakamiAge 60

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Robin WilliamsAge 58

1951–2014 · Film & Entertainment

Good Will Hunting, comedy genius

Oprah WinfreyAge 55

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Steve JobsAge 54

1955–2011 · Business & Industry

Co-founded Apple, changed technology

Ai WeiweiAge 52

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

Michael JacksonAge 51

1958–2009 · Music

King of Pop, Thriller

PrinceAge 51

1958–2016 · Music

Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius

Rigoberta MenchúAge 50

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 48

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 48

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Whitney HoustonAge 46

1963–2012 · Music

The Voice, I Will Always Love You

Michael JordanAge 46

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 45

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 38

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 35

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Kobe BryantAge 31

1978–2020 · Sports

NBA legend, Mamba Mentality

Roger FedererAge 28

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 28

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 28

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Amy WinehouseAge 26

1983–2011 · Music

Back to Black, soulful voice

Usain BoltAge 23

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 22

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 20

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 12

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 8

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 6

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future