List of Famous people who died at 43

Michael Phillip Anderson was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. Anderson and his six fellow crew members were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia. Anderson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Ramon Dekkers was a Dutch kickboxer and an eight-time Muay Thai world champion. Dekkers was a favourite with fight fans due to his fast-paced, aggressive fighting style. Dekkers was also renowned for his willingness to go abroad to fight the Thai champions in their own country.

Krisztián Veréb was a Hungarian sprint canoer who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won a bronze medal in the K-2 1000 m event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was the 3rd Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan.

Hiroko Takahashi , better known by the stage name Kaoru Shimamura , was a Japanese voice actress affiliated with 81 Produce.

Barbara Ruick, also known as Barbara Ruick Williams, was an American actress and singer.

Jean-Claude Lauzon was a Canadian filmmaker. Born to a humble family in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Lauzon worked a variety of odd jobs after dropping out of high school. He went on to study film at the Université du Québec à Montréal at the behest of Andre Petrowski, a member of the National Film Board of Canada. His two feature-length films, Night Zoo , and Léolo, established him as one of the most important Canadian directors of his time.

Idris Barzani was a Kurdish politician in Iraq. He was the brother of Massoud Barzani, the president of the KRG, and the father of Nechervan Idris Barzani. He was often on diplomatic trips for the KDP. He died on January 31, 1987, of a heart attack, aged 43.