List of Famous people who died at 72

Mario Merola was an Italian singer and actor, most prominently known for having rejuvenated the traditional popular Neapolitan melodrama known as the sceneggiata.

Li Yuqin, sometimes referred to as the "Last Imperial Concubine" (末代皇娘), was the fourth wife of China's last emperor Puyi. She married Puyi when the latter was the nominal ruler of Manchukuo, a puppet state established by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Richard Lynch was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television.

Irving Howe was an American literary and social critic and a prominent figure of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades appearing in television, film and stage. McNair's professional career began in music during the late 1950s, singing in the nightclub circuit. In 1958, McNair released her debut single "Till There Was You" from Coral Records which was a commercial success. McNair performed all across the world, touring with Nat King Cole and later appearing in his Broadway stage shows I'm with You and The Merry World of Nat King Cole in the early 1960s.

Howard Jay Phillips was a three-time United States presidential candidate who served as the chairman of The Conservative Caucus, a conservative public policy advocacy group which he founded in 1974. Phillips was a founding member of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, which later became known as the Constitution Party.

Hans Wollschläger was a German writer, translator, historian, and editor of German literature.

Norman McLaren, was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including hand-drawn animation, drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound.

Matus Ruvimovich Bisnovat, Soviet aircraft and missile designer.