From controversial US diplomat Henry Kissinger to iconic Irish singer Sinead O'Connor and infamous "Wagner" commander-in-chief Yevgeny Prigozhin - a look at some of the "most notable" deaths of 2023.
Silvio Berlusconi
The former prime minister of Italy, who faced numerous scandals, passed away on June 12, at the age of 86. Beyond his political endeavors, he was a successful businessman, and is known for founding the largest Italian media company.
As the longest-serving Italian post-war prime minister, he was embroiled in scandals and accusations of corruption. Led Italy three times between 1994 and 2011, for a total of 9 years.
Pakistan's military general, Pervez Musharraf, was another prominent political figure who passed away this year. He came to power in 1999 through a coup d'état, ousting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
American-born singer Tina Turner, who overcame many challenges to become one of the most popular artists of all time, passed away on May 24 at the age of 83.
Her career includes iconic songs such as "Nutbush City Limits", "Proud Mary", "What's Love Got To Do With It", and "We Don't Need Another Hero".
Often referred to as the "Queen of Rock'n Roll", Turner won 12 Grammy Awards, 6 of them in the 1980s alone.
Iconic Irish singer and the most influential musician of the 1990s, Sinead O'Connor, passed away on July 26, aged 56.
She left behind a legacy marked by music, political activism, and a subsequent representation of the Islamic religion.
He reached the peak of success in 1990 with a thrilling interpretation of Prince's ballad, "Nothing Compares 2 U", with which he topped the global charts.
Nothing Compares 2 U garnered three Grammy nominations and served as the highlight of her acclaimed album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, earning her Rolling Stone Artist of the Year.
In 1992, she shocked the world when she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a live appearance on "Saturday Night Live," where she declared the Catholic Church as her adversary.
She converted to Islam in 2018, and took the name Shuhada Sadaqat.
The famous Czech-French writer, Milan Kundera, passed away on July 11, at the age of 94.
Born on April 1, 1929, Kundera completed his studies in Prague, and is known for his satirical novels that explore the human condition.
His writings, especially the black comedy "The Joke", published in 1967, were not well received in the Czech Republic.
Criticizing the communist regime, he fled to France in 1975. After the publication of the book "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" in 1979, he was stripped of his Czech citizenship.
Despite criticism for leaving his homeland, and not allowing his books to be translated from French into Czech, Kundera regained Czech citizenship in 2019.
The head of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, along with 9 other passengers, died in a plane crash on August 23.
His death came just after he led a day-long uprising against the Kremlin, with Wagner's forces briefly occupying the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the victims of the accident.
However, he pointed out that Prigozhin had made "serious mistakes in life".
Mohamed al Fayed, the former owner of the Harrods department store in London, died on August 30 at the age of 94.
He was a successful Egyptian businessman, and former owner of Fulham football club.
His emotional state has not been so good since the tragic accident 26 years ago, where his son, Dodi Fayed, and Diana, Princess of Wales, lost their lives.
The legendary player of England and Manchester United, Bobby Charlton, passed away on October 21, at the age of 86.
During his 17-year career with Manchester United, he scored 249 goals in 758 appearances, securing victory in the European Cup, and three English leagues.
He scored 49 goals in 106 games for England, and led the country to the World Cup title in 1996.
Actor Mathew Perry, known for his starring role in the iconic American TV comedy Friends, was found dead at his home on October 28.
Perry was regarded as one of Hollywood's most popular actors.
Alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer, he masterfully portrayed the character Chandler, known for his sarcasm and insecurity.
The American diplomat and Nobel laureate Henry Kissinger passed away on November 29, at the age of 100.
Serving as a prominent adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Kissinger had a powerful influence on US foreign policy.
While many admired his experience, others labeled him a "war criminal because of his support for dictatorships," especially those of Latin America.
In 1973, Kissinger and Vietnam's Le Duc Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
This selection led to their resignation, which is said to have come about because of the secret US bombing of Cambodia.
Since December 22, Israeli bombing has resulted in the tragic loss of 20,057 Palestinians.
Among those who lost their lives is the prominent Palestinian poet, Refaat Alareer.
Alareer, a professor of English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, was one of the co-founders of the We Are Not Numbers project, which pairs Gazan authors with mentors abroad.
In November, Alareer published his emotional poem titled "If I Must Die."
"If I have to die, let it bring hope, let it be a fairy tale", were the closing words of the poem. /Telegraph/
