List of Famous people who died at 79

Alice Hechy was a German stage and film actress and singer (soprano).

Oskar Tietz was a German racing cyclist. He rode in the 1930 Tour de France.

Louis Alexandre Chiron was a Monégasque racing driver who competed in rallies, sports car races, and Grands Prix.

William Abner Stanfill was briefly a member of the United States Senate from Kentucky.

Nabil Maleh was a Syrian film director, screenwriter, producer, painter and poet; he is thought to be a father of Syrian cinema. Nabil has published more than 1,000 articles short stories, essays and poems. He is the writer and director of 120 short, experimental and documentary works and 12 feature-length films including The Extras and The Leopard. He has more than 60 awards at international film festivals, including several lifetime achievement awards. Several of his films are in the curriculum of international film schools and he has taught film direction, acting, writing and aesthetics at many universities, centers and associations, including the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California in Los Angeles.

José Doth de Oliveira was a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate.

Paul Guillaume, Viscount van Zeeland was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician, and statesman born in Soignies.