List of Famous people who died at 53

Sawako Ariyoshi was a Japanese writer, known for such works as The Doctor's Wife and The River Ki. She was known for her advocacy of social issues, such as the elderly in Japanese society, and environmental issues. Several of her novels describe the relationships between mothers and their daughters. She also had a fascination with traditional Japanese arts, such as kabuki and bunraku. She also described racial discrimination in the United States, something she experienced firsthand during her time at Sarah Lawrence, and the depopulation of remote Japanese islands during the 1970s economic boom.

Andrei Andreevich Bolibrukh was a Soviet and Russian mathematician. He was known for his work on ordinary differential equations especially Hilbert's twenty-first problem. Bolibrukh was the author of about a hundred research articles on theory of ordinary differential equations including Riemann–Hilbert problem and Fuchsian system.

Martin Wong was a Chinese-American painter of the late 20th century. His work has been described as a meticulous blend of social realism and visionary art styles. Wong's paintings often explored multiple ethnic and racial identities, exhibited cross-cultural elements, demonstrated multilingualism, and celebrated his queer sexuality.

Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, was a British sport shooter and founder of Accuracy International.

Daniel Lee Siebert was an American serial killer on Alabama's death row. He was convicted of three murders and confessed to at least five. During questioning he indicated that he was responsible for at least 12 deaths. Siebert died on April 22, 2008 in Holman Prison near Atmore of complications from cancer.