Deaths in March 2003

The following is a list of notable deaths in March 2003.

Contents
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
← February	March	April →

Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:

• Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.

March 2003

1

• Elaine Barrie, 87, American actress (Midnight), fourth wife of John Barrymore.[1]
• Franjo Glaser, 90, Croatian footballer.
• Roger Needham, 68, British computer scientist, pioneered computer password one-way hash functions.[2]
• Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth, 81, German princess.

2

• Roger Albertsen, 45, Norwegian footballer.
• Hank Ballard, 66, American singer (The Midnighters), composer, famous for his hit "The Twist".[3]
• William Blezard, 81, English composer, accompanist/arranger for Noël Coward, Marlene Dietrich, Joyce Grenfell, Honor Blackman.[4]
• Joe Decker, 55, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners).[5]
• Sir George Edwards, 94, British aircraft designer.
• Sir Ian Hogg, 91, British admiral.
• Robert B. Ingebretsen, 54, pioneer in the development of digital sound.
• Malcolm Williamson, 71, Australian composer, Master of the Queen's Music.[6]
• Bill Woggon, 87, American cartoonist who created the comic book Katy Keene.[7]

3

• Gilbert Wheeler Beebe, 90, American epidemiologist and statistician, conducted ground-breaking radiation exposure studies.[8]
• Ann A. Bernatitus, 91, American U.S. Navy nurse, Legion of Merit for heroism during the siege of Bataan and Corregidor.[9]
• Sir John Brown, 86, British publisher (Oxford University Press).[10]
• Horst Buchholz, 69, German actor (The Magnificent Seven, One, Two, Three, Life Is Beautiful).[11]
• Jack Dain, 90, British-born Australian Anglican prelate, Asistant Bishop of Sydney.[12]
• Dick Garrard, 92, Australian Olympic wrestler (silver medal in men's freestyle welterweight at the 1948 Summer Olympics).[13]
• John S. Gill, 70, Australian rules footballer.[14]
• Malcolm Kilduff, 75, American journalist.

4

• Fedora Barbieri, 82, Italian operatic mezzo-soprano and actress.[15]
• Sébastien Japrisot, 71, French author, screenwriter and film director.
• Oliver Payne Pearson, 87, American zoologist and ecologist.
• Neil Smith, 53, English cricketer.

5

• Sir Hardy Amies, 93, English fashion designer, official dressmaker for Queen Elizabeth II.[16]
• Séamus de Brún, 91, Irish teacher, member of the Seanad and a promoter of Irish culture and language.[17]
• John Sanford, 98, American screenwriter and author.
• Pete Taylor, 57, American sportscaster.
• Dzhabrail Yamadayev, 32, Chechen rebel field commander, killed by a bomb.

6

• Ernst B. Haas, 78, German-born American political scientist.
• Mickey Kreitner, 80, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs).[18]
• Ramón Mestre, 65, Argentine politician.

7

• José Márcio Ayres, 49, Brazilian conservationist and zoologist, founded Brazilian rain forest reserves.[19]
• Monica Hughes, 77, Canadian science fiction author.
• Al Libke, 84, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds).[20]
• Sid Scales, 86, New Zealand cartoonist.

8

• Cho Byung-hwa, 81, South Korean poet.
• Adam Faith, 62, British singer and actor.
• Stanisław Fołtyn, 66, Polish Olympic footballer.
• Mickey McGowan, 81, American baseball player (New York Giants).[21]
• Karen Morley, 93, American film actress and political activist; former wife of Charles Vidor.

9

• Stan Brakhage, 70, American filmmaker, bladder cancer.[22]
• Tony Dornhorst, 87, British physician and medical educator.
• Rolf Hagedorn, 83, German theoretical physicist.
• Toni Mendez, 94, American agent for writers and cartoonists.
• Sir Frederick Wood, 76, British businessman and industrialist (Croda International).[23]

10

• Víctor Alba, 86, Spanish writer and anti-communist, anti-capitalist political journalist.[24]
• Gennadi Afanasyev, 60, Russian football player and manager.
• Tom Boardman, Baron Boardman, 84, British businessman and politician (MP for Leicester South West, Leicester South).[25]
• Lionel Frederick Dakers, 79, British cathedral organist.
• Bernard Dowiyogo, 57, President of Nauru, cardiac complications from diabetes.
• Geoffrey Kirk, 81, British classical scholar.
• Barry Sheene, 52, British twice 500cc MotoGP Champion.
• Naftali Temu, 57, Kenyan athlete, prostate cancer.
• Ottorino Volonterio, 85, Swiss Formula One race car driver.[26]
• Nilufar Yasmin, 55, Bangladeshi singer, cancer.

11

• Brian Cleeve, 81, Anglo-Irish writer.
• Alta Cohen, 94, American baseball player (Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies).[27]
• John G. Dow, 97, American politician (U.S. Representative for New York's 27th congressional district).[28]
• Ivar Hansen, 64, Danish politician and speaker of the Folketing.
• Alec Harper, 92, British soldier and polo player.
• Kevin Laffan, 80, British playwright and screenwriter (Emmerdale), pneumonia.[29]
• Kenneth G. Wilson, 79, American author (The Columbia Guide to Standard American English) and academic.[30]
• Wayne D. Wright, 86, American horse racing jockey, winner of all three Triple Crown races in different years.[31]

12

• Herb Banet, 89, American professional football player (Manchester University, Green Bay Packers).[32]
• Zoran Đinđić, 50, Prime Minister of Serbia, gunshot (assassination).
• Alys Faiz, 87, Pakistani writer and human rights activist.
• Howard Fast, 88, American novelist.
• Andrey Kivilev, 29, Kazakhstani road bicycle racer (2001 Route du Sud, 2000 Olympics, 1996 Olympics), fall during Paris–Nice race.[33]
• Lynne Thigpen, 54, American television and Tony Award-winning stage actress (An American Daughter).

13

• Lois Tobío Fernández, 96, Galician writer, translator and philologist.
• Enriko Josif, 78, Serbian composer.
• Gus Yatron, 75, American politician (U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district).[34]

14

• Harmon Craig, 76, American geochemist.
• Amanda Davis, 32, American writer and teacher.
• Al Gionfriddo, 81, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers).[35]
• Jack Goldstein, 57, American artist, suicide.
• Ron Shoop, 71, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers).[36]

15

• Yevgeny Belyayev, 48, Soviet cross-country skier (Olympic medals: 1976 silver, 1976 bronze, 1980 gold).[37]
• Mari Bicknell, 89, English choreographer and ballet teacher.[38]
• Dame Thora Hird, 91, British actress.
• Bill Robertson, 79, British footballer.

16

• Lawrence H. Aller, 89, American astronomer, studied the chemical composition of stars and nebulae.[39]
• George Bayer, 77, American professional golfer, won three PGA Tour events, known for his long drives.[40]
• Rachel Corrie, 23, American International Solidarity Movement activist, crushed by bulldozer.
• Major Ronald Ferguson, 71, father of UK royal divorcée Sarah, Duchess of York.
• Sir Davis Hughes, 92, Australian politician.
• Teemu Raimoranta, 25, Finnish metal musician.

17

• Herbert Aptheker, 87, American historian and political activist.[41]
• Terje Baalsrud, 88, Norwegian newspaper editor.
• Thomas N. Barnes, 72, American Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.[42]
• Bill Carlisle, 94, American country music singer, songwriter and comedian.
• Yvette Etiévant, 80, French actress.
• Alan Keith, 84, British broadcaster.
• Klaus Oldendorff, German Olympic sailor
• Robert Shelton, 73, American clansman.
• Su Buqing, 100, Chinese mathematician.
• Beatrice Wright, 92, American-British politician (Member of Parliament of the U.K. for Bodmin).[43]

18

• József Balla, 47, Hungarian wrestler (men's Olympic freestyle super-heavyweight wrestling: 1976 silver medal, 1980 silver medal).[44]
• Bruno Heim, 92, Swiss ecclesiastical diplomat, Apostolic Nuncio to Britain.
• Karl Kling, 92, German racing driver.
• Adam Osborne, 64, computer pioneer (Osborne 1).[45]
• Monk Williams, 58, American professional football player (Cincinnati Bengals).[46]

19

• Joe Buzas, 83, American baseball player (New York Yankees) and minor league baseball team owner.[47]
• Hiromichi Fuyuki, 42, Japanese professional wrestler and promoter.
• Émile Genest, 81, Canadian actor, heart attack.
• Olivier Long, 87, Swiss Ambassador and the director-general of the GATT.
• Emily Muir, 99, American painter, architect and philanthropist.
• Michael Mathias Prechtl, 76, German illustrator.
• Nancy Farley Wood, 99, American physicist and business owner, member of the Manhattan Project.[48]

20

• Al Blades, 26, American professional football player (University of Miami, San Francisco 49ers), car accident.[49]
• Krishanu Dey, 41, Indian football player, pulmonary disorder.
• Sailor Art Thomas, 79, American professional wrestler, cancer.
• Richard W. Vollmer Jr., 77, American judge (U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama).[50]

21

• Wesley Balk, 70, American opera artistic director (Minnesota Opera), professor of theater arts and writer.[51]
• Harry Eisenstat, 87, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians).[52]
• Leonard Hokanson, 71, American pianist, pancreatic cancer.
• Shivani, 79, Indian writer.
• Umar Wirahadikusumah, 78, Indonesian fourth Vice President, served from 1983 to 1988.[53]

22

• Jim Anderson, 59, Australian politician.
• Terry Lloyd, 50, British ITN reporter, killed in southern Iraq.
• Paul Moran, 39, Australian photojournalist, killed by suicide bomb in Northern Iraq.

23

• Hideyo Amamoto, 77, Japanese actor, complications from pneumonia.
• Dave Dallwitz, 88, Australian jazz musician and painter.
• Tage Nielsen, 74, Danish composer, teacher and music administrator.[54]
• Lori Piestewa, 23, United States Army soldier, head wounds received during ambush.

24

• Jan-Just Bos, 63, Dutch rower (bronze medal in men's coxed pair rowing at the 1964 Summer Olympics).[55]
• John Cavanagh, 88, Irish couturier.
• Hans Hermann Groër, 83, former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna (1986–1995), pneumonia.
• Don Raffell, 83, American musician and educator.
• Brandi Wells, 47, American singer, songwriter and entertainer, breast cancer.
• Philip Yordan, 88, American screenwriter, won Academy Award for Best Story for Broken Lance in 1954.[56]

25

• Robert W. Allard, 83, American plant geneticist, founded the field of plant population genetics.[57]
• Christopher French, 77, British barrister and judge.
• Masato Furuoya, 45, Japanese actor, suicide by hanging.
• Michael Kidron, 72, revolutionary thinker and cartographer.

26

• Yisroel Moshe Dushinsky, 81, second rebbe of Jerusalem, Israel.
• Marcus Kaufman, 73, American politician, renal failure.
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 76, American politician, sociologist, and diplomat, complications following an appendectomy.
• Babatunji Olowofoyeku, 85, Nigerian politician, educationist and lawyer.
• Tauese Sunia, 61, Governor of American Samoa, heart attack.
• Rolf Thomsen, 87, U-boat commander in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.
• Dorothy Clarke Wilson, 98, American writer, wrote Prince of Egypt, which was primary source for The Ten Commandments.[58]

27

• Jeremiah Duggan, 22, British student, traffic accident.
• Edouard Masengo, Congolese guitarist.
• Chris Michie, 55, guitarist and composer and best known for his work with Van Morrison, malignant melanoma.
• Elisa Mújica, 85, Colombian writer.
• Paul Zindel, 66, American playwright (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds), lung cancer.[59]

28

• Kadri Aytaç, 71, Turkish football player and then manager, Alzheimer's disease.
• Sam Bowens, 65, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators).[60]
• Rusty Draper, 80, American country and pop singer, pneumonia.
• Pat Kelly, 37, American football player, died of cancer on March 28, 2003.
• Sir Kenneth Porter, 90, British air marshal.
• L. B. G. Rao, 81, Indian politician.

29

• Placide Adams, 73, American string bass player, drummer and vocalist.[61]
• Neil Clarke, 45, Australian footballer.
• Matthew J. Ryan, 70, American politician.
• Maude Storey, 73, British nursing administrator, diabetes.
• Dr. Carlo Urbani, 46, World Health Organization doctor who discovered SARS, of which he died.

30

• Andy Barr, 89, Northern Irish trade unionist (chairman of Communist Party of Ireland, president of Irish Congress of Trade Unions).[62]
• Bruno Boni, 87, Italian rower (bronze medal in men's coxless pair at the 1948 Summer Olympics).[63]
• David Cook, 73/4, British literary critic.
• Nick Enright, 52, writer. December 22, 1950 - March 30, 2003
• Michael Jeter, 50, American actor (Evening Shade, Waterworld, Jurassic Park III), epilepsy
• Sir Gregor MacGregor, 6th Baronet, 77, Scottish clan chief and army officer.
• Valentin Pavlov, 65, former Prime Minister of the Soviet Union.
• Gaby Rado, 48, Hungarian-born activist and UK-based journalist.
• Patricia Vinnicombe, 71, South African-Australian archaeologist and art preservationist (San rock art, Australian Aboriginal art).[64]

31

• Lucian Adams, 80, American U.S. Army World War II soldier who received the Medal of Honor.[65]
• Charly Bouvy, 60, Belgian bobsledder and field hockey player (1964 bobsleigh, 1968 field hockey, 1972 field hockey).[66]
• George Connor, 78, American football player (Notre Dame, Chicago Bears), member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[67]
• Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, 96, UK/Canadian geometer, academic and author.
• Sidney Greenberg, 85, American rabbi and author.
• Fermín Vélez, 43, Spanish sports car racing driver, two-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner, two-time Group C2 champion.[68]

References

1. "Elaine Barrie, 87; Actress Was Widow of John Barrymore". Los Angeles Times. March 10, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
2. Schofield, Jack (March 10, 2003). "Roger Needham: He set up Microsoft's first overseas research body". The Guardian. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
3. Boucher, Geoff (March 4, 2003). "Hank Ballard, 66; Found the B-Side of Fame in Writing, Recording '60s Hit Tune 'The Twist'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
4. Variety Staff (June 24, 2003). "William Blezard Composer". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
5. Dunn, Steve. "Joe Decker". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
6. McDonald, Tim (March 4, 2003). "Malcolm Williamson: Controversial composer out of tune with the establishment". The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
7. "Bill Woggon: (1 January 1911 - 2 March 2003, USA)". Lambiek. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
8. Ron, Elaine; Land, Charles; Miller, Robert W.; Linet, Martha (July 2003). "Remembrance: Gilbert Wheeler Beebe, 1912–2003". Epidemiology. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
9. "Anne Agnes Bernatitus 21 January 1912 - 3 March 2003". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
10. Attenborough, Philip (March 8, 2003). "Sir John Brown: Publisher of the Oxford University Press". The Independent. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
11. Baxter, Brian (March 4, 2003). "Horst Buchholz". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
12. The Right Reverend Jack Dain
13. "Dick Garrard". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
14. John Gill
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16. The Associated Press (March 6, 2003). "Sir Hardy Amies, 93, the 'Snob' Who Long Clothed the Queen". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
17. "A lifelong promoter of Irish language and culture". The Irish Times. March 15, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
18. "Mickey Kreitner". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
19. Saxon, Wolfgang (March 11, 2003). "José Márcio Ayres Dies at 49; Saved Heart of the Amazon". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
20. "Al Libke". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
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29. Barker, Dennis (March 20, 2003). "Obituary: Kevin Laffan". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
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35. Costello, Rory. "Al Gionfriddo". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
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37. "Yevgeny Belyayev". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
38. Chadwick, Helen (April 3, 2003). "Mari Bicknell Director of Cambridge Ballet Workshop". The Independent. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
39. Zuckerman, Benjamin. "IN MEMORIAM: Lawrence H. Aller". The University of California. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
40. The Associated Press (March 20, 2003). "George Bayer, 77, Long-Driving Golfer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
41. Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (March 20, 2003). "Herbert Aptheker, 87, Dies; Prolific Marxist Historian". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
42. "Thomas N. Barnes October 1, 1973 – July 31, 1977" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
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44. "József Balla". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
45. Markoff, John (March 26, 2003). "Adam Osborne, 64, Dies; Was Pioneer of Portable PC". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
46. "Monk Williams". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
47. Aaron, Marc Z. "Joe Buzas". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
48. "Nancy Farley Wood". The Herald-Palladium. March 25, 2003. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
49. The Associated Press (March 21, 2003). "Former Miami, 49ers safety killed in car accident". ESPN. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
50. "Vollmer, Richard W., Jr". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
51. "H. Wesley Balk". Star Tribune. April 6, 2003. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
52. "Harry Eisenstat". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
53. The Associated Press (March 22, 2003). "Umar Wirahadikusumah -- Former Indonesian Vice President, 79". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
54. Anderson, Martin (June 9, 2003). "Tage Nielsen". The Independent. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
55. "Jan-Just Bos". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
56. Luther, Claudia (April 3, 2003). "Philip Yordan, 88; Writer Served as a 'Front' During Blacklist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
57. Rains, D. William; Geng, Shu; Dvorak, Jan. "IN MEMORIAM: Robert W. Allard. Professor of Applied Genetics. Davis. 1919–2003". The University of California. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
58. "Wilson, Dorothy (1904 - 2003)". Maine.gov. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
59. Barron, James (March 28, 2003). "Paul Zindel Is Dead at 66; Prize-Winning Playwright". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
60. "Sam Bowens". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
61. "Placide Adams Jr.: String bass player, drummer and vocalist". Variety. April 6, 2003. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
62. "Rugged voice of the Belfast shipyards". The Irish Times. April 5, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
63. "Bruno Boni". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
64. "Patricia Vinnicombe". The South African Rock Art Digital Archive. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
65. Goldstein, Richard (April 7, 2003). "LUCIAN ADAMS, 80, ARMY HERO IN WORLD WAR II". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
66. "Charly Bouvy". Sports-Reference / Olympic Sports. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
67. "George Connor". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
68. "IRL: Fermin Velez loses battle with cancer". Motorsport.com. April 3, 2003. Retrieved May 12, 2019.