List of Famous people who died at 59

Nathan Alterman was an Israeli poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Though never holding any elected office, Alterman was highly influential in Socialist Zionist politics, both before and after the establishment of the State of Israel.

Major General Sir James William Harrison was an Australian Army officer and the first Australian-born Governor of South Australia.

Stella Obasanjo was the First Lady of Nigeria from 1999 until her death. She was the wife of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, although she was not the First Lady in 1976, when Obasanjo was military head of state. She died while undergoing elective liposuction abroad.

Gersh Itskovich Budker, also named Andrey Mikhailovich Budker, was a Soviet physicist, specialized in nuclear physics and accelerator physics.

Sverre Gunnar Strandli was a Norwegian hammer thrower, who won the gold medal at the European Championships in 1950 and the silver medal in 1954.

Charles Olson was a second generation modern American poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance. Consequently, many postmodern groups, such as the poets of the language school, include Olson as a primary and precedent figure. He described himself not so much as a poet or writer but as "an archeologist of morning."

Anne Kristen was a Scottish actress, best known for portraying Olive Rowe in Coronation Street. Her longest-lasting role was as Miss Meiklejohn in Hamish Macbeth. She also appeared in Wings as Molly Farmer, and in Casualty as receptionist Norma Sullivan.