Famous individuals with diseases, date of death between 1945-2000

Back to introduction

 

In 1928, penicillin was discovered. 

In 1942, benzylpenicillin was finally purified. 

In 1945, antibiotic therapy started to see widespread use. 

 
Antibiotics led to an unprecedented fall in the mortality of infectious diseases. Prophylactic antibiotic therapy reduced surgical mortality and opened up new possibilities.

 

Bacterial infections and Mycoses

• Syphilis: Al Capone (1899-1947; neurosyphilis; diagnosed in 1938; caused severe and irreversible cognitive impairment and paresis; eventually became one of the first patients to receive penicillin treatment)

 

Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal diseases and abnormalities

• Gigantism: André René Rousimoff (1946-1993)
  

 

Diseases of mixed or unclear aetiology

• Heart failure: André René Rousimoff (1946-1993; recorded CoD; aged 46)
• Parkinson disease: Adolf Hitler (1889-1945; aged 56) 

 

Immune system diseases

• Crohn disease: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969; caused a bowel obstruction in 1956)

 

Neoplasms

• Bladder cancer: Frank Sinatra (died of heart attack in 1998) 
• Duodenal cancer: Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (1901-1989; recorded CoD; aged 87)
• Lung cancer: Walt Disney (1901-1966; recorded CoD; aged 65)
  
• Melanoma: Bob Marley (fatal in 1981)
• Oesophageal cancer: Humphrey Bogart (fatal in 1957)
• Prostate cancer: Laurence Olivier (died of renal failure in 1989)

 

Poisoning and adverse drug reactions

• Bruce Lee (李小龍) (1940-1973; recorded CoD; cerebral oedema caused by meprobamate (a benzodiazepine) and aspirin; aged 32)
  
• Janis Joplin (1943-1970; heroin, fatal overdose; aged 27)

 

Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric diseases

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Kurt Cobain
• Bipolar disorder: Kurt Cobain
• Substance-related disorder:  
• Elvis Presley (codeine, died in 1977)
• Janis Joplin (heroin)
• Jimi Hendrix (barbituates, fatal asphyxiation on vomit in 1970)
• Jim Morrison (alcohol, CoD disputed)
• Kurt Cobain (heroin) 
• Suicide: 
• Kurt Cobain (by firearm; 1994)

 

Vascular diseases

• Intracerebral haemorrhage: Joseph Stalin (1878-1953; recorded CoD; aged 74) 
• Myocardial infarction:  
• Mao Zedong (毛泽东) (1893-1976; recorded CoD; aged 82)
• Stroke:  
• Al Capone (1899-1947; recorded CoD; aged 48) 
• Richard Nixon (1913-1994; recorded CoD; aged 81)
  

 

Viral infections and sequelae thereof

• AIDS : Freddie Mercury (fatal in 1991)
• HIV infection: Freddie Mercury (diagnosed in 1987)

 

Wounds and injuries (and sequaelae thereof)

• Aortic rupture: Jón Páll Sigmarsson (1993; fatal; during deadlifts; aged 32)