Who Was Alive in 2019

James WatsonAge 91

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Noam ChomskyAge 91

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Tu YouyouAge 89

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 88

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Toni MorrisonAge 88

1931–2019 · Literature

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Yoko OnoAge 86

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 85

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 85

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 84

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 84

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 83

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 80

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 79

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Bob DylanAge 78

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Billie Jean KingAge 76

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 74

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 73

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

Haruki MurakamiAge 70

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Oprah WinfreyAge 65

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Ai WeiweiAge 62

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

Rigoberta MenchúAge 60

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 58

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 58

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Michael JordanAge 56

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 55

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 48

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 45

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Kobe BryantAge 41

1978–2020 · Sports

NBA legend, Mamba Mentality

Roger FedererAge 38

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 38

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 38

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Usain BoltAge 33

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 32

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 30

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 22

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 18

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 16

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future