List of Famous people who died at 78

Louis van Dijk, also spelled Louis van Dyke, was a Dutch pianist.

Clément Rosset was a French philosopher and writer. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, and the author of books on 20th-century philosophy and postmodern philosophy.

Mátyás Rákosi was a Hungarian communist politician who was the de facto leader of Hungary from 1947 to 1956. He served first as General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party (1945–48) and later holding the same post with the Hungarian Working People's Party (1948–56).

Antonio Andrónico Luksic Abaroa was a Chilean businessman of Croatian and Bolivian origin. He founded the Luksic Group, becoming the richest person in Chile, the fourth in Latin America, and the 132nd in the world, with a net worth in 2005 of US$4.2 billion according to Forbes magazine. The Luksic Group has interests in the mining, financial, industrial, and beverages sectors. Major holdings include, or have included, Banco de Chile, Compañia de Cervecerias Unidas (CCU), and Antofagasta Plc, a UK-listed copper mining company. In Croatia, he was involved in the tourist industry.

Sarah Haffner was a German-British painter, author, and active feminist. In West Berlin she engaged with the protest issues of the 1960s, on occasion alongside her father, the journalist and writer Sebastian Haffner. Through a television documentary and a book she was instrumental in the late 1970s in establishing the city's first womens' shelter. The range of her painting included portraits, still lifes, landscapes and cityscapes.

Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s and 1970s.

Karis Priester was a German historian and political scientist.

Jenaro Gajardo Vera was a Chilean lawyer, painter and poet. He became famous for his 1953 claim of ownership of the Moon.

Lilian Camberabero was a French rugby union player. He played as a scrum-half. He was the brother of fellow rugby international player Guy Camberabero.

André Hossein, born Aminulla Huseynov, also known as Aminollah Hossein was a French composer of Persian or Azerbaijani origin and a tar soloist. Hossein was the first Persian composer who was able to present his works in international concerts.