From Pope Francis to Brigitte Bardot, the great farewells of 2025 – News

A year of great farewells, from cinema to politics, but also for sport, entertainment, fashion, culture: 2025 has brought with it many illustrious deaths, which have shaken public opinion not only in Italy, but also in the rest of the world. Starting from that of Pope Francis (17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025), who passed away in the Jubilee year, on Easter Monday, after several hospitalizations. A turning point of the year not only for all believers, but also for society, politics and institutions.

The last one to leave, among the most famous people, was Brigitte Bardot (September 28, 1934 – December 28, 2025), but the cinema this year has paid an important toll: among others, the visionary director and screenwriter passed away in January David Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025), followed less than a month later by Gene Hackman (30 January 1930 – 18 February 2025), the ‘bad lion of Hollywood’, who died in dramatic circumstances with his wife, in their villa in New Mexico. Also breaking into the news was the tragic death of Rob Reiner (6 March 1947 – 14 December 2025), the director of ‘When Harry Met Sally’, who also died together with his wife, but at the hands of his son, according to investigations.

‘Bramble Birds’, but not only that, is the television series for which he will be remembered Richard Chamberlain (31 March 1934 – 29 March 2025), known to all as ‘Father Ralph’. A few days after he leaves Val Kilmer (31 December 1959 – 1 April 2025), among the ‘beautiful and damned’ actors. But Hollywood always loses two legends in the autumn: the actor and director Robert Redford (18 August 1936 – 16 September 2025) passed away at the age of 89, three weeks later it was the turn of Diane Keaton (5 January 1946 – 11 October 2025), not only an actress but a style icon.

Another ‘great’ of cinema will pass away in 2025: Claudia Cardinale (15 April 1938 – 23 September 2025). In Italy, the deaths of Adriana Asti (30 April 1931 – 31 July 2025) and of Remo Girone (1 December 1948 -3 October 2025).

The world of literature However, the Peruvian writer and 2010 Nobel Prize winner lost Mario Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025), but also mourned the untimely death of the British best-selling author Sophie Kinsella (12 December 1969 – 10 December 2025) and the author of Bar Sport and The Celestine Company Stefano Benni (12 August 1947 – 9 September 2025), died at the age of 78 after a long illness.

Among the deaths that can be counted in the world of journalism Italian, we remember those of Emilio Fede (24 June 1931 – 21 September 2025), by Furio Colombo (1 January 1931 – 14 January 2025) and the voice of many football commentators Bruno Pizzul (8 March 1938 – 5 March 2025). Goodbye also to the cartoonist Giorgio Forattini (14 March 1931 – 4 November)

In the category of musicaamong others, the deaths of the 60s rock icon should be remembered Marianne Faithfull (December 29, 1946 – January 30, 2025), heavy metal legend Ozzy Ousbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) and, in Italy, of the unparalleled voice of Ornella Vanoni (September 22, 1934 – November 21, 2025), alongside the most popular ones in the 70s and 80s of Christian (8 September 1943 – 26 September 2025) e Of Sandro Giacobbe (5 December). And again, goodbye to the notes of the revolutionary sax of James Senese (6 January 1945 -29 October 2025) and to the maestro Beppe Vessicchio (March 1956 – 8 November 2025), very well-known conductor thanks also to TV.

Precisely the world of television and show it has been shaken by important deaths, such as that of the king of Italian TV Pippo Baudo (7 June 1936 – 16 August 2025), who had already retired from the scene a few years ago, or even from twin Kessler (20 August 1936 – 17 November 2025), united in life and death, which occurred on the same day by assisted suicide. Great condolences also for the death, due to inexorable pancreatic cancer, of Eleonora Giorgi (October 21, 1953 – March 3, 2025).

Also in 2025 the Italian comedy he lost instead Antonello Fassari (4 October 1952 – 5 April 2025), Alvaro Vitali (3 February 1950 – 24 June 2025), Nadia Cassini (2 January 1949 – 18 March 2025) e Mauro Di Francesco (17 May 1951- 25 October 2025).

The world of photograph he was one of the first to mourn his ‘greats’: in fact, almost a year has already passed since the passing of Oliviero Toscani (28 February 1942 – 13 January 2025), but in the same year they also died Gianni Berengo Gardin (10 October 1930 – 6 August 2025), Domenico Mimmo Jodice (29 March 1934 -28 October 2025) and the Brazilian Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado (8 February 1944 – 23 May 2025). Art has lost the great sculptor Arnaldo Tomato (23 June 1926 – 22 June 2025), architecture the genius of Frank Owen Gehry (28 February 1929 – 5 December 2025).

The modaItalian and not only, mourned their ‘King’, the stylist Giorgio Armani (1 July 1934 – 4 September 2025), but also the death of Rosita Missoni (20 November 1931 – 2 January 2025), who with her husband Ottavio had founded the Italian knitwear company of the same name, and the premature death of Cesare Paciotti (1 January 1956 – 12 October 2025), also a symbol of Made in Italy in the footwear sector.

Finally, last but not least, it sport: the Italian tennis champion has passed away Nicola Pietrangeli (11 September 1933-1 December 2025), that of boxing Nino Welcome (26 April 1938 – 20 May 2025), a discipline that the American also lost George Edward Foremanone of the ring’s most iconic boxers (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025). News of the wrestler’s death also arrived from the USA Hulk Hoganpseudonym of Terry Gene Bollea (11 August 1953 – 24 July 2025).

The premature and dramatic deaths of the footballer were particularly shocking, again among athletes Portuguese Diogo Jota (4 December 1996 -3 July 2025), died in a car accident in Spain with his brother, and the skier Matteo Franzoso (16 September 1999 – 15 September 2025), athlete of the national alpine skiing team who lost his life due to a bad fall during training.

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