Who Was Alive in 2016

Stan LeeAge 94

1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment

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

Fidel CastroAge 90

1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership

Cuban revolutionary leader

James WatsonAge 88

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Vera RubinAge 88

1928–2016 · Science & Invention

Discovered evidence for dark matter

Noam ChomskyAge 88

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Tu YouyouAge 86

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 85

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Toni MorrisonAge 85

1931–2019 · Literature

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Yoko OnoAge 83

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 82

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 82

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 81

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 81

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 80

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 77

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 76

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Bob DylanAge 75

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Muhammad AliAge 74

1942–2016 · Sports

The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion

Aretha FranklinAge 74

1942–2018 · Music

Queen of Soul, Respect

Stephen HawkingAge 74

1942–2018 · Science & Invention

Black holes, A Brief History of Time

Billie Jean KingAge 73

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 71

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 70

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

David BowieAge 69

1947–2016 · Music

Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon

Haruki MurakamiAge 67

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Oprah WinfreyAge 62

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Ai WeiweiAge 59

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

PrinceAge 58

1958–2016 · Music

Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius

Rigoberta MenchúAge 57

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 55

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 55

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Michael JordanAge 53

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 52

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 45

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 42

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Kobe BryantAge 38

1978–2020 · Sports

NBA legend, Mamba Mentality

Roger FedererAge 35

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 35

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 35

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Usain BoltAge 30

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 29

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 27

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 19

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 15

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 13

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future