List of Famous people who died at 74

Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker, Jr. was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 1980 Daytona 500. Known by the nickname "Gentle Giant," Baker was noted for his prowess at NASCAR's superspeedways, Daytona and Talladega, at which he won a combined six races. After his racing career, he worked as a broadcaster and co-hosted a number of radio shows on Sirius XM.

Yukio Okamoto was a Japanese diplomat, diplomatic analyst, and proponent of strong economic and political Japan–United States relations. Okamoto guided Japanese and American diplomatic relations throughout the 1980s, during an era when both countries simultaneously competed for economic influence on the global stage. He served as a diplomatic advisor and analyst for several Japanese prime ministers, including Ryutaro Hashimoto from 1996 to 1998 and Junichiro Koizumi from 2003 until 2004.

Judith Helen Martz was an American politician, businesswoman, and Olympian speed skater who served as the 22nd Governor of Montana, the first and to date only woman to have held the office. She served from January 1, 2001 to January 3, 2005. She previously served as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 1997 to 2001 under the governorship of Marc Racicot. She was the last Republican to serve as Governor of Montana until Greg Gianforte was elected in 2020 and took office on January 4, 2021.

Hideki Yukawa was a Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate for his prediction of the pi meson, or pion.

Elliot Harvey Atkin was a Canadian actor, who worked in feature films and television.

Gary Morton was an American stand-up comedian whose primary venues were hotels and resorts of the Borscht Belt in upstate New York. He was born in New York City. Later, he was a producer and studio executive, in association with his second wife, Lucille Ball.

Thomas Henry Nobis Jr. was an American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at the University of Texas and was the first overall selection in the 1966 NFL draft.

Robert José Watson was an American professional baseball player and sports executive. He was a first baseman and left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves, from 1966 to 1984. Watson was a two-time All-Star during his playing career.

Serge Marquand was a French actor and film producer. He died of advanced leukemia.

John Cooper Lawton was a British rock and blues vocalist best known for his work with Lucifer's Friend, Uriah Heep and the Les Humphries Singers.