Childhood
age 0–12 · 1965–1977
41 notable deaths
Teenage Years
age 13–19 · 1978–1984
9 notable deaths
Young Adult
age 20–35 · 1985–2000
29 notable deaths
Middle Age
age 36–55 · 2001–2020
44 notable deaths
Senior Years
age 56+ · 2021–2026
9 notable deaths
1970
Jimi Hendrix
1942–1970
Music
Greatest electric guitarist of all time
J. K. Rowling was 5 years old
1971
Igor Stravinsky
1882–1971
Music
The Rite of Spring, modern classical
J. K. Rowling was 6 years old
1971
Coco Chanel
1883–1971
Business & Industry
Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5
J. K. Rowling was 6 years old
1971
Louis Armstrong
1901–1971
Music
What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
J. K. Rowling was 6 years old
1972
Kwame Nkrumah
1909–1972
Politics & Leadership
First President of Ghana
J. K. Rowling was 7 years old
1973
Pablo Picasso
1881–1973
Art
Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist
J. K. Rowling was 8 years old
1973
Pablo Neruda
1904–1973
Literature
Chilean poet and Nobel laureate
J. K. Rowling was 8 years old
1980
Jesse Owens
1913–1980
Sports
4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics
J. K. Rowling was 15 years old
1988
Jean-Michel Basquiat
1960–1988
Art
Neo-expressionist street art icon
J. K. Rowling was 23 years old
1989
Hirohito
1901–1989
Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Japan during WWII
J. K. Rowling was 24 years old
1989
Salvador Dalí
1904–1989
Art
The Persistence of Memory, surrealist
J. K. Rowling was 24 years old
1990
Roald Dahl
1916–1990
Literature
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
J. K. Rowling was 25 years old
2003
Johnny Cash
1932–2003
Music
The Man in Black, country music legend
J. K. Rowling was 38 years old
2004
Ray Charles
1930–2004
Music
The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
J. K. Rowling was 39 years old
2008
Edmund Hillary
1919–2008
Exploration
First to summit Mount Everest
J. K. Rowling was 43 years old
2008
Heath Ledger
1979–2008
Film & Entertainment
The Dark Knight's Joker
J. K. Rowling was 43 years old
2011
Osama bin Laden
1957–2011
Politics & Leadership
Founder of al-Qaeda
J. K. Rowling was 46 years old
2012
Neil Armstrong
1930–2012
Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
J. K. Rowling was 47 years old
2012
Whitney Houston
1963–2012
Music
The Voice, I Will Always Love You
J. K. Rowling was 47 years old
2014
Maya Angelou
1928–2014
Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
J. K. Rowling was 49 years old
2016
Prince
1958–2016
Music
Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius
J. K. Rowling was 51 years old
2019
Toni Morrison
1931–2019
Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
J. K. Rowling was 54 years old
Today — 2026
J. K. Rowling is 61 years old