Childhood
age 0–12 · 1954–1966
35 notable deaths
Teenage Years
age 13–19 · 1967–1973
25 notable deaths
Young Adult
age 20–35 · 1974–1989
28 notable deaths
Middle Age
age 36–55 · 1990–2009
34 notable deaths
Senior Years
age 56+ · 2010–2026
38 notable deaths
1955
Alexander Fleming
1881–1955
Science & Invention
Discovered penicillin
Oprah Winfrey was 1 years old
1955
Thomas Mann
1875–1955
Literature
German novelist of The Magic Mountain
Oprah Winfrey was 1 years old
1956
Jackson Pollock
1912–1956
Art
Action painting, abstract expressionism
Oprah Winfrey was 2 years old
1959
Frank Lloyd Wright
1867–1959
Art
American architect of Fallingwater
Oprah Winfrey was 5 years old
1963
Sylvia Plath
1932–1963
Literature
The Bell Jar, confessional poetry
Oprah Winfrey was 9 years old
1963
C. S. Lewis
1898–1963
Literature
Author of The Chronicles of Narnia
Oprah Winfrey was 9 years old
1970
Jimi Hendrix
1942–1970
Music
Greatest electric guitarist of all time
Oprah Winfrey was 16 years old
1971
Igor Stravinsky
1882–1971
Music
The Rite of Spring, modern classical
Oprah Winfrey was 17 years old
1971
Coco Chanel
1883–1971
Business & Industry
Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5
Oprah Winfrey was 17 years old
1971
Louis Armstrong
1901–1971
Music
What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
Oprah Winfrey was 17 years old
1973
Pablo Picasso
1881–1973
Art
Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist
Oprah Winfrey was 19 years old
1973
Pablo Neruda
1904–1973
Literature
Chilean poet and Nobel laureate
Oprah Winfrey was 19 years old
1980
Jesse Owens
1913–1980
Sports
4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics
Oprah Winfrey was 26 years old
1988
Jean-Michel Basquiat
1960–1988
Art
Neo-expressionist street art icon
Oprah Winfrey was 34 years old
1989
Hirohito
1901–1989
Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Japan during WWII
Oprah Winfrey was 35 years old
1989
Salvador Dalí
1904–1989
Art
The Persistence of Memory, surrealist
Oprah Winfrey was 35 years old
1990
Roald Dahl
1916–1990
Literature
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Oprah Winfrey was 36 years old
2003
Johnny Cash
1932–2003
Music
The Man in Black, country music legend
Oprah Winfrey was 49 years old
2004
Ray Charles
1930–2004
Music
The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
Oprah Winfrey was 50 years old
2008
Edmund Hillary
1919–2008
Exploration
First to summit Mount Everest
Oprah Winfrey was 54 years old
2008
Heath Ledger
1979–2008
Film & Entertainment
The Dark Knight's Joker
Oprah Winfrey was 54 years old
2011
Osama bin Laden
1957–2011
Politics & Leadership
Founder of al-Qaeda
Oprah Winfrey was 57 years old
2012
Neil Armstrong
1930–2012
Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
Oprah Winfrey was 58 years old
2012
Whitney Houston
1963–2012
Music
The Voice, I Will Always Love You
Oprah Winfrey was 58 years old
2014
Maya Angelou
1928–2014
Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Oprah Winfrey was 60 years old
2016
Prince
1958–2016
Music
Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius
Oprah Winfrey was 62 years old
2019
Toni Morrison
1931–2019
Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
Oprah Winfrey was 65 years old
Today — 2026
Oprah Winfrey is 72 years old