List of Famous people who died at 79

Léon Orthel was a Dutch composer, pianist and teacher.

Klaus Scholtz was a commander in the Kriegsmarine (navy) of Nazi Germany during World War II. He commanded the Type IXB U-boat U-108. Scholtz was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Margaret Maud Tyzack was an English actress. Her television roles included The Forsyte Saga (1967) and I, Claudius (1976). She won the 1970 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC serial The First Churchills, and the 1990 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Lettice and Lovage, opposite Maggie Smith. She also won two Olivier Awards—in 1981 as Actress of the Year in a Revival and in 2009 as Best Actress in a Play. Her film appearances included 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Match Point (2005).

Jacob Theodore "Jack" Schwartz was an American mathematician, computer scientist, and professor of computer science at the New York University Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. He was the designer of the SETL programming language and started the NYU Ultracomputer project. He founded the New York University Department of Computer Science, chairing it from 1964 to 1980.

Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla, better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by and in contact with some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Lam melded his influences and created a unique style, which was ultimately characterized by the prominence of hybrid figures. This distinctive visual style of his also influences many artists. Though he was predominantly a painter, he also worked with sculpture, ceramics and printmaking in his later life.

David Elmer Jeremiah was a United States Navy admiral who served as Vice Chairman and also acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After his retirement from the Navy in February 1994, he worked in the field of investment banking. He served as partner and President, CEO and later Chairman of Technology Strategies & Alliances Corporation, a strategic advisory and investment banking firm engaged primarily in the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, and electronics industries. During his military career Jeremiah earned a reputation as an authority on strategic planning, financial management and the policy implications of advanced technology.

Hal Mohr, A.S.C. was a famed movie cinematographer. He is known for his Oscar-winning work on the 1935 film, A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was awarded another Oscar for his work on The Phantom of the Opera in 1943, and received a nomination for The Four Poster in 1952.

Philip Francis Berrigan was an American peace activist and Roman Catholic priest. He engaged in nonviolent, civil disobedience in the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament and was often arrested. He married a former nun, Elizabeth McAlister, in 1973; both were subsequently excommunicated by the Catholic Church. Eleven years of their 29-year marriage were separated by one or both serving time in prison.