List of Famous people who died at 40

Wolfgang Grams was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German far-left terrorist organisation.

The 1978 smallpox outbreak in the United Kingdom resulted in the death of Janet Parker, a British medical photographer, who became the last recorded person to die from smallpox. Her illness and death, which was connected to the deaths of two other people, led to the Shooter Inquiry, an official investigation by government-appointed experts triggering radical changes in how dangerous pathogens were studied in the UK.

Nathaniel Thomas Huffman was an American professional basketball player, who played most of his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was the 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP.

İbrahim Gökçek was a musician of the Turkish revolutionary band Grup Yorum in which he played the bass guitar. He died on 7 May 2020 after a 323-day hunger strike, which he had ended two days before. He was married to Sultan Gökçek, who is also a member of Grup Yorum and detained in Silivri Prison.

Kris Kaspersky was a Russian hacker, writer and IT security researcher.

Duncan Andrew Pegg was an Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Stretton in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from the 2015 election until his death in 2021. On 22 April 2021, Pegg announced he would be resigning within several weeks to undergo treatment for cancer. Pegg's death triggered a by-election for Stretton.

Trevor Joseph Goddard was an English actor. He was best known for playing Kano in the martial arts film Mortal Kombat, Lieutenant Commander Mic Brumby in the television series JAG and main villain Keefer in the action film Men of War.

Stephen B. Small (1947–1987) was a prominent businessman in Kankakee, Illinois. In 1987, he was kidnapped and held for ransom by Danny Edwards and Nancy Rish. The conditions of his confinement caused him to die of asphyxiation. As a result, Edwards was given the death penalty and Rish was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Suzette Jordan was a prominent women's-rights activist and anti-rape campaigner from Kolkata, India.

Jorge José Emiliano dos Santos also known by his nickname, Margarida was a Brazilian football referee, known for his flamboyant style. He is recognized as an iconic figure in Brazilian football and was one of the first openly gay referees in Brazil.