List of Famous people who died at 39

James Timothy Hardin was an American folk musician and composer. He wrote the Top 40 hit "If I Were a Carpenter", covered by, among others, Bobby Darin, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, The Four Tops, Robert Plant, Small Faces, Johnny Rivers, and Bert Jansch; his song "Reason to Believe" has also been covered by many artists, notably Rod Stewart, Neil Young, and The Carpenters. The Nice also recorded and performed live a popular version of Hardin's song "Hang On To A Dream" based on a piano arrangement by Keith Emerson. Hardin is also known for his own recording career.

Gábor Bódy was a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, theoretic, and occasional actor. A pioneer of experimental filmmaking and film language, Bódy is one of the most important figures of Hungarian cinema.

Neil Burstyn known as Neil Nephew, was an American actor, writer and story editor.

William Perry Moore IV, widely known as Perry Moore, was an American author, screenwriter, and film director. He was an executive producer of The Chronicles of Narnia film series and the author of Hero, an award-winning novel about a gay teenage superhero.

Bronte Woodard was an American writer best known for penning the adapted screenplay for the hit film Grease. Born in Alabama, he also co-wrote the screenplay for the 1980 Village People film Can't Stop the Music with Grease producer Allan Carr. He also wrote a novel, Meet Me at the Melba. Raised in Atlanta, he died of hepatitis-related liver failure at the age of 39 on August 6, 1980 in Los Angeles, California.