From Pope Francis to Charlie Kirk: A look back at some notable deaths from 2025
Posted December 5, 2025 7:04 am.
The death of Pope Francis rocked the Catholic Church in April 2025 and ushered in a new period of change for the religious institution, which is now led – for the first time – by a centrist American pope.
Days later, the world learned that sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre died by suicide. Her death brought additional scrutiny to the investigations of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and increased the pressure on Buckingham Palace to strip former Prince Andrew of his royal titles.
Then there was the assasination of conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk who was fatally shot while speaking at a college event in Utah. That attack horrified many and prompted somber conversations about political violence.
These individuals were among the noteworthy and influential people whose deaths had widespread impact in 2025.
The Aga Khan, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini
The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries, died on Feb. 4, 2025. He was 88.
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died on Feb. 24, 2025. She was 88.
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — died on Fe. 26, 2025. She was 39.
George Foreman
George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman, died on March 21, 2025. He was 76.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died on April 21, 2025. He was 88.
Virginia Giuffre
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Britain’s Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein, died on April 25, 2025. She was 41.
Marc Garneau
Former astronaut and Liberal MP Marc Garneau died on June 4, 2025, at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer.
John McCallum
Former Liberal cabinet minister and Ontario MP John McCallum died on June 21, 2025. He was 75.
Connie Francis
Connie Francis, the wholesome pop star of the 1950s and ‘60s whose hits included “Pretty Little Baby” and “Who’s Sorry Now?” — the latter would serve as an ironic title for a personal life filled with heartbreak and tragedy — died on July 17, 2025, at age 87.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner the actor who played teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died on July 21, 2025, at age 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica.
Ozzy Osbourne
The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, died on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76, just weeks after taking to the stage for a final performance with the original members of his old band Black Sabbath in Birmingham, England.
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, the larger-than-life wrestling superstar who helped catapult professional wrestling into mainstream culture during the 1980s and beyond, died on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani, the iconic Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, died on Sept. 4, 2025. He was 91.
Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025,during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31.
Beverly Thomson
Canadian journalist and longtime CTV News anchor Beverly Thomson died on Set. 14, 2025 after a long battle with cancer. She was 61.
Robert Redford
Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Ton Sept. 15, 2025. He was 89.
Nigel Wright
Nigel Wright, a longtime Canadian businessman and former top aide to prime minister Stephen Harper, died on Sept. 30, 2025. He was 62.
Jane Goodall
Dr. Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most beloved animal behaviorists and a pioneer in primatology died on Oct. 1, 2025 at the age of 91.
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” films and “Father of the Bride,” whose quirky, vibrant manner and depth made her one of the most singular actors of a generation, died on Oct. 11, 2025. She was 79.
D’Angelo
D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video died on Oct. 14, 2025. He was 51.
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, died on Nov. 4, 2025 at age 84.
With files from The Canadian and Associated Press
