List of Famous people who died at 72

Sattam bin Abdulaziz was one of the senior members of the House of Saud and the 12th governor of the Riyadh Province.

Elizabeth Shaw was an Irish artist, illustrator and children's book author.

Alfredo Antonio Peña was a Venezuelan journalist and politician.

Carlo Scarpa was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape, and the history of Venetian culture, and Japan. Scarpa translated his interests in history, regionalism, invention, and the techniques of the artist and craftsman into ingenious glass and furniture design.

Julius Erich Wess was an Austrian theoretical physicist noted as the co-inventor of the Wess–Zumino model and Wess–Zumino–Witten model in the field of supersymmetry. He was also a recipient of the Max Planck medal, the Wigner medal, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the Heineman Prize, and of several honorary doctorates.

Elfriede Blauensteiner, dubbed the "Black Widow", was an Austrian serial killer who murdered at least three victims by poison. In each case, she inherited the victim's possessions.

Andrei Antonovich Grechko was a Soviet general, Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense.

Rita M. Gross was an American Buddhist feminist scholar of religions and author. Before retiring, she was Professor of Comparative Studies in Religion at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

Ahmad al-Shukeiri also transcribed al-Shuqayri, Shuqairi, Shuqeiri, Shukeiry, etc.), was the first Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, serving in 1964–67.

Peter Ronson, born Pétur Rögnvaldsson, was an Icelandic-born athlete and actor.