List of Famous people who died at 56

Karl Heinz Beckurts was a German physicist and research manager.

Paul Rawlinson was a British intellectual property lawyer who was the Global Chair of Baker McKenzie, one of the world's largest law firms.

Gonzalo Quintana III, also known as Charlie Quintana or Chalo, was an American rock and punk drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band The Plugz and as the drummer for the punk rock band Social Distortion from 2000 to 2009.

Phanishwar Nath Mandal 'Renu' was one of the most successful and influential writers of modern Hindi literature in the post-Premchand era. He is the author of Maila Anchal, which after Premchand's Godaan, is regarded as the most significant Hindi novel. Phanishwar Nath (Mandal) Renu was born on 4 March 1921 in a small village Aurahi Hingna near Simraha railway station in Bihar. The mandal community of Bihar to which Renu belonged constitutes an under-privileged social group in India. Renu's family, however, enjoyed the benefits of land, education, and social prestige. Renu's father, Shilanath Mandal, had been active in the Indian National Movement and was an extremely enlightened individual, taking a keen interest in modern ideas, culture and art.

Yal Ayerdhal was a French thriller and science fiction writer from Lyon. His later work preferred the thriller genre; Transparences, Resurgences and Rainbow Warriors play with various genres. Rainbow Warriors flirts with political fiction with most protagonists being LGTBQ. He received the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire in 2004 for Transparences and in 1993 for his novel Demain une oasis. He is considered one of the leading names in both genres. He shared the Prix Tour Eiffel with co-author Jean-Claude Dunyach for their 1999 novel Étoiles mourantes. He also received an award for his novel Parleur ou les chroniques d'un rêve enclavé and two for Transparences, a thriller. He also received the Cyrano award for lifetime achievement in the service of genre fiction and its actors.

Howard Lee "Hokie" Gajan Jr. was an American football running back who played five seasons in the National Football League.

Christopher Michael Henry Shale was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He was chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, and a close associate of Prime Minister and local MP David Cameron, who praised him for his "massive contribution to the Conservative Party, both locally and nationally".

Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi was a Roman Catholic priest in the rough Palermo neighbourhood of Brancaccio. He openly challenged the Mafia who controlled the neighbourhood, and was killed by them on his 56th birthday. His life story has been retold in a book, Pino Puglisi, il prete che fece tremare la mafia con un sorriso (2013), and portrayed in a film, Come Into the Light (2005). He was the first one killed by the Mafia to be declared Blessed by the Catholic Church.

Slim Chaker was a Tunisian politician who served as the Minister of Health from September, 12 to October 8, 2017 before his death. A member of Nidaa Tounes, he was the minister of Youth and Sports from July 1, until December 24, 2011, within the government of Beji Caid Essebsi.

Wang Kuang-hui was a Taiwanese professional baseball player and coach. He spent his entire playing and coaching career in the Chinese Professional Baseball League with the Brother Elephants franchise.