List of Famous people who died at 49

Zarley Bennett Zalapski was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played from 1987 to 2010.

Sándor Péter Kocsis was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary as a striker. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, he moved to Spain where he became a member of the FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s.

Ivo Georgiev was a Bulgarian professional footballer who played as a forward.

Douglas Noel Adams was an English author, screenwriter, essayist, humorist, satirist and dramatist. Adams was author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime and generated a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and in 2005 a feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

Thierry Gilardi was a French football commentator.

Lee Reherman was an American actor, appearing in television and film and hosting television reality shows.

Angelo Salvatore Ruggiero, Sr. was a member of the Gambino crime family and a friend of John Gotti's. Once Gotti became leader of the family he made Ruggiero a caporegime. Although he showed little organizing or money making ability, anyone questioning Ruggiero's suitability for a top position in the hierarchy did so at their peril; the FBI regarded Ruggierro as an unpredictable psychopath not amenable to confrontational tactics. While held in pretrial detention for a state case that he eventually beat, Gotti was infuriated when his contact with the crime family through visits by Ruggiero ended when the impulsive capo got himself thrown in jail beside Gotti by cursing and arguing with the judge during a hearing. This blunder lost Ruggierro any chance he had of becoming Gotti's underboss. Disgusted with the carelessness of Ruggierro in allowing himself to be caught by an FBI wiretap, Gotti completely cut contact with Ruggiero by the time he was released on bail with terminal cancer.

Alain-Philippe Malagnac (1949–2000) was the adopted son of French writer Roger Peyrefitte, their relationship being a subject of several of the latter's works. Malagnac was also an art collector and the husband of singer Amanda Lear.

Robert Joseph Pastorelli was an American actor.

Daron Jay Norwood was an American country music singer. He released two albums for Giant Records and charted six times on Hot Country Songs.