List of Famous people who died at 79

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, was a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Ormskirk from 1945 to 1950 and for Huyton from 1950 to 1983.

Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, was a Chinese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. He had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right, the most famous among them being Bruce Lee.

Jesús Hector Gutiérrez Rebollo was a Mexican military general who was sentenced to 40 years in prison on multiple charges, including involvement in organized crime in the late nineties.

Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American competition swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for playing Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape man Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century.

Shashi Kapoor was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. Recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards, he also featured in a number of English-language international films, particularly films produced by Merchant Ivory. The Government of India honoured him with the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2011, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 2014, for his contribution to cinema.

Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.

Clive William Nicol, MBE was a British-born Japanese writer, singer/songwriter, and actor. He was a long-time resident and citizen of Japan.

Qaboos bin Said Al Said was the Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said, he was the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death.

Manfred Krug was a German actor, singer and author.

Chingiz Torekulovich Aitmatov was a Kyrgyz author who wrote in both Kyrgyz and Russian. He is one of the best known figures in Kyrgyzstan's literature.