Deaths in 2021: Belmondo, Johnny Pacheco, from Klerk

Jean Paul Belmondo (the cutest ugly in French cinema), Britain’s Prince Felipe, Johnny Pacheco, one of the kings of salsa, and FW de Klerk, the last white ruler of the apartheid era in South Africa, head the list of deceased personalities in 2021.

Belmondo became one of the great references of French cinema playing the roles of a manly heartthrob and worked with almost all the best French directors of his time.

The temperamental Prince Philip agreed to take on a supporting role, as Queen Elizabeth II’s supporter, until his death after more than 70 years of marriage.

The Dominican Johnny Pacheco, flutist, composer, arranger, director and producer, as well as co-founder of the record label Fania, is one of the immortals of salsa, which he helped to consolidate as a musical genre.

De Klerk, for his part, won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Nelson Mandela after clearing the way for a universal suffrage election that brought Mandela to the presidency and ended the era of apartheid, or racial segregation in South Africa.

Politicians such as former Presidents Carlos Menem (Argentina) and Gustavo Noboa Bejarano (Ecuador), former US Secretaries of State Colin Powell and George Shultz, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former Vice President Walter F. Mondale also died in 2021 and former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo.

The sport lost former Argentine Formula One driver Carlos Reutemann, German footballer Gerd Muller, and baseball glories like Hank Aaron and manager Tommy Lasorda, while showbiz saw Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, the dancer, depart. and actress Carla Fracci, Greek musician Mikis Teodorakis, Cuban soap opera writer Delia Fiallo, actor Christopher Plummer, Dominican merengue player Johnny Ventura and jazz musician Chick Corea.

Here are some of the personalities who died in the year that ended:

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JANUARY

Tanya Roberts, 65. She captivated James Bond in “A View to a Kill”. January 4th.

Tommy Lasorda, 93. Legendary baseball manager who won two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jan. 7.

Phil Spector, 81. Eccentric and revolutionary music producer, who was convicted of murder. January 16th.

Hank Aaron, 86. Glory of baseball, who endured racial abuse and ended up beating Babe Ruth’s home run mark. January 22

Carlos Holmes Trujillo, 69. Colombian conservative politician who held various ministries and was his country’s ambassador to the OAS. January 26, due to complications associated with COVID-19.

FEBRUARY

Christopher Plummer, 91. Famous Canadian actor who gained fame with his role as Captain von Trap in “The Sound of Music.” He won an Oscar at age 82 and is the oldest actor to win that statuette. February 5th.

Leon Spinks, 67. Olympic boxing champion who didn’t do much as a professional, but shocked the world with an unexpected win over Muhammad Ali in his eighth fight on the rented field. February 5th.

George P. Shultz, 100. He was the United States Secretary of State and tried to improve relations with the Soviet Union and achieve peace in the Middle East during the 1980s. February 6.

Chick Corea, 79. Giant jazz pianist, winner of 23 Grammy Awards, an innovator who collaborated with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. February 9, cancer.

Larry Flynt, 78. Editor of the sassy Hustler magazine, which has fought numerous court battles over free speech. Feb. 10.

Carlos Menem, 90. Former Argentine president, a Peronist who promoted liberal economic policies, including the privatization of state-owned companies. February 14th.

Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, 83. President of Ecuador between 2000 and 2003. February 16.

Johnny Pacheco, 85. Salsa idol and one of the founders of Fania Records. He was bandmates with Eddie Palmieri and collaborated with Rubén Blades, Willie Colón and Celia Cruz, among others. February 15.

Arturo Di Modica, 80. The artist who sculpted the statue of the bull that became a symbol of Wall Street in New York. February 19th.

MARCH

Bunny Wailer, 73. Reggae figure, the last survivor of the legendary band The Wailers. March 2nd.

Lou Ottens, 94. Dutchman who invented the cassette. 6th of March.

Luis Palau, 86. Argentine-born evangelical pastor who worked with Billy Graham before creating his own ministry of great international projection. March 11th.

Elgin Baylor, 86. Famous canastero for the Los Angeles Lakers of the 60s considered a model followed by modern basketball players. March 22.

APRIL

Prince Felipe, 99. The temperamental husband of Queen Elizabeth II, who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife, in a role that defined and limited her life as well. April 9th.

Bernard Madoff, 82. The financial executive who defrauded thousands of investors and long outwitted regulators before being sentenced to 150 years in prison. April 14th.

Walter F. Mondale, 93. Former vice president of the United States and a prominent figure in the liberal Democratic wing, who suffered one of the most spectacular defeats in the presidential elections after stating that he would raise taxes if elected. April 19th.

Michael Collins, 90. Apollo 11 astronaut who circled the moon alone while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on their first moonwalk. 28th of April. Cancer

MAY

Bobby Unser, 87. Winner of three editions of the Indianapolis 500, part of a family of renowned car drivers. May 2.

Paulo Gustavo, 42. Popular Brazilian comedian whose character Dona Herminia explored issues of daily life and the LGBTQ community. May 4th. COVID-19.

Carla Fracci, 84. Former La Scala prima ballerina, famous for her romantic roles alongside such figures as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. may 27th.

JUNE

F. Lee Bailey, 87. The celebrity attorney who defended OJ Simpson, Patricia Hearst, and the alleged Boston Strangler before being disbarred from practice in two states. 3 of June.

Enrique Bolaños Geyer, 93. Businessman who was president of Nicaragua from 2002 to 2007. June 14.

Kenneth Kaunda, 97. First president of Zambia, who ruled from 1964 to 1991, and a great promoter of African nationalism, committed to the fight against racial segregation in southern Africa. June 17.

Donald Rumsfeld, 88. Two-time US secretary of state, whose reputation was tarnished by his handling of the lengthy and costly intervention in Iraq. June 29.

Delia Fiallo, 96. Prolific Cuban soap opera writer, described by some as the mother of Latin American soap operas. July 29.

JULY

Raffaella Carra, 78. Popular Italian singer and television presenter, much loved in Latin America. July 5th.

Jovenel Moïse, 53. Former banana producer who became president of Haiti and ruled for four years marked by instability. He died assassinated in his residence on July 7.

Carlos Reutemann, 79. Glory of Argentine motorsport who was one of the best F1 drivers of his generation. July 7th.

AUGUST

Carlos Ardila Lülle, 91. Businessman and founder of the Ardila Lülle Organization, one of the main conglomerates in Latin America, made up of the media, food processors and soccer teams. August 13.

Gerd Müller, 75. August 15. Legendary German scorer, author of 68 goals in 62 games for the national team and 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games.

Charlie Watts, 80. The unassuming drummer for the Rolling Stones who loved jazz. August 24.

Hissene Habre, 79. Former dictator of Chad, convicted of crimes against humanity. His government was accused of killing 40,000 people. August 24.

Ed Asner, 91. Popular American actor who had memorable roles in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Lou Grant.” August 29.

SEPTEMBER

Mikis Theodorakis, 96. Greek composer famous for his lively music and political activism. September 2nd.

Jean-Paul Belmondo, 88. He marked an era of French cinema and was one of its great gallants thanks to his charisma. September 6th.

Abimael Guzmán, 86. Leader of the Shining Path, the Peruvian communist guerrilla. He was captured in 1992 and died in jail. 11 of September.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 84. He fought for Algeria’s independence from France and ruled for two decades, until he was overthrown in 2019 amid pro-democracy protests. September, 17th.

OCTOBER

Bernard Tapie, 78. French businessman who led Olympique de Marseille to the top of football (he won the first edition of the Champions League in 1993) and was accused of corruption. October 3.

Abolhassan Banisadr, 88. Iran’s first president after the 1979 Islamic revolution. He fled the country after a political trial was ordered against him for questioning the growing power of the clergy, who transformed the nation into a theocracy. October 9.

Colin Powell, 84. Distinguished serviceman and former US secretary of state whose legacy was clouded by the justifications he gave for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

NOVEMBER

Marília Mendonça, 26. One of the most popular singers in Brazil, died very young in a plane crash. November 5th.

Former President FW de Klerk arrives for the inauguration ceremony of new South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria on May 25, 2019. (AP Photo / Jerome Delay, File)

(Jerome Delay / AP)

FW de Klerk, 85. The last white ruler under the apartheid regime in South Africa, who cleared the way for racial integration. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela. November 11th.

Virgil Abloh, 41. Famous designer who combined everyday clothing with haute couture and became one of the main references in fashion. November 28, cancer.