List of Famous people who died at 78

Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie, also known as Molara Ogundipe, was a Nigerian poet, critic, editor, feminist and activist. Considered one of the foremost writers on African feminism, gender studies and literary theory, she was a social critic who came to be recognized as a viable authority on African women among black feminists and feminists in general. She contributed the piece "Not Spinning on the Axis of Maleness" to the 1984 anthology Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology, edited by Robin Morgan. She is most celebrated for coining the term STIWA or Social Transformation in Africa Including Women.

Takeo Fujisawa was a Japanese businessman who co-founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. alongside Soichiro Honda. Fujisawa oversaw the financial side of the company while Honda handled the engineering and product development. Together, they took the company from a small manufacturer of bicycle engines to a worldwide car manufacturer.

Alexis Galanos was a Greek Cypriot politician. He was President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus from 1991 to 1996. He studied Economics at King's College, Cambridge and Law at Inner Temple.

Anton Karas was an Austrian zither player and composer, best known for his internationally famous 1948 soundtrack to Carol Reed's The Third Man. His association with the film came about as a result of a chance meeting with its director. The success of the film and the enduring popularity of its theme song changed Karas' life.

Sir Brian James Lochore was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the side 46 times. In 1999, Lochore was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Dave Rollin Smith was the founder and chief archivist of Walt Disney Archives at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

James Ryan was an Irish politician who served in every Fianna Fáil government from 1932 to 1965, successively as Minister for Agriculture (1932–47), Health and Social Welfare, and Finance (1957–65). He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Wexford from 1918 to 1922 and 1923 to 1965, and as senator from 1965 to 1969. He was in Sinn Féin until Fianna Fáil's 1926 foundation.