Childhood
age 0–12 · 1961–1973
45 notable deaths
Teenage Years
age 13–19 · 1974–1980
14 notable deaths
Young Adult
age 20–35 · 1981–1996
25 notable deaths
Middle Age
age 36–55 · 1997–2016
44 notable deaths
Senior Years
age 56+ · 2017–2026
17 notable deaths
1963
Sylvia Plath
1932–1963
Literature
The Bell Jar, confessional poetry
Barack Obama was 2 years old
1963
C. S. Lewis
1898–1963
Literature
Author of The Chronicles of Narnia
Barack Obama was 2 years old
1970
Jimi Hendrix
1942–1970
Music
Greatest electric guitarist of all time
Barack Obama was 9 years old
1971
Igor Stravinsky
1882–1971
Music
The Rite of Spring, modern classical
Barack Obama was 10 years old
1971
Coco Chanel
1883–1971
Business & Industry
Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5
Barack Obama was 10 years old
1971
Louis Armstrong
1901–1971
Music
What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
Barack Obama was 10 years old
1972
Kwame Nkrumah
1909–1972
Politics & Leadership
First President of Ghana
Barack Obama was 11 years old
1973
Pablo Picasso
1881–1973
Art
Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist
Barack Obama was 12 years old
1973
Pablo Neruda
1904–1973
Literature
Chilean poet and Nobel laureate
Barack Obama was 12 years old
1980
Jesse Owens
1913–1980
Sports
4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics
Barack Obama was 19 years old
1988
Jean-Michel Basquiat
1960–1988
Art
Neo-expressionist street art icon
Barack Obama was 27 years old
1989
Hirohito
1901–1989
Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Japan during WWII
Barack Obama was 28 years old
1989
Salvador Dalí
1904–1989
Art
The Persistence of Memory, surrealist
Barack Obama was 28 years old
1990
Roald Dahl
1916–1990
Literature
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Barack Obama was 29 years old
2003
Johnny Cash
1932–2003
Music
The Man in Black, country music legend
Barack Obama was 42 years old
2004
Ray Charles
1930–2004
Music
The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
Barack Obama was 43 years old
2008
Edmund Hillary
1919–2008
Exploration
First to summit Mount Everest
Barack Obama was 47 years old
2008
Heath Ledger
1979–2008
Film & Entertainment
The Dark Knight's Joker
Barack Obama was 47 years old
2011
Osama bin Laden
1957–2011
Politics & Leadership
Founder of al-Qaeda
Barack Obama was 50 years old
2012
Neil Armstrong
1930–2012
Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
Barack Obama was 51 years old
2012
Whitney Houston
1963–2012
Music
The Voice, I Will Always Love You
Barack Obama was 51 years old
2014
Maya Angelou
1928–2014
Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Barack Obama was 53 years old
2019
Toni Morrison
1931–2019
Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
Barack Obama was 58 years old
Today — 2026
Barack Obama is 65 years old