List of Famous people who died at 97

Manuel Pertegaz Ibáñez (1917-2014) known as Manuel Pertegaz or simply as Pertegaz was a Spanish fashion designer. He was so highly regarded that he was asked to succeed Christian Dior in 1957 as head designer at Dior, but chose to remain in Spain, where by the 1960s he was considered its leading couturier.

Cesare Romiti was an Italian economist and businessman. He was best known as an executive of both state-owned firms and private companies, including Fiat and Alitalia. He acquired the nickname Il Duro referring to his management style while he was serving as the head of Fiat.

Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, was a Spanish jurist and magistrate, president of the provincial court of Pontevedra, and father of former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Pavel Oliva, born Pavel Ohrenstein was a Czech classical philologist, historian of antiquity, writer, and Holocaust survivor.

Heinrich-Hartmut Richard Gustav "Henry" Arnhold was an American banker and philanthropist. He was born in Dresden, the fourth child of Lisa and Heinrich Arnhold. The Arnhold family owned the bank Gebrüder Arnhold, founded in 1864. In 1931 the bank joined with S. Bleichroeder to form Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder.

Gustav Lombard was a high-ranking member in the SS during World War II. During the war, Lombard commanded 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer and the 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany for so-called "anti-partisan" operations around Kovel which involved killing of civilians and burning down villages.

Eleonore Trefftz was a German physicist known for her work on molecular and nuclear physics. She was appointed as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in 1971.

Judith Leiber was a Hungarian-American fashion designer and businesswoman.

Santiago José Carrillo Solares was a Spanish politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. His role in the Paracuellos massacres during the Civil War was particularly controversial. He was exiled from Francoist Spain, becoming an activist against the Spanish State in exile. His role as leader of the PCE would later make him a key figure in the transition to democracy. He later embraced Eurocommunism and democratic socialism, and was a member of the Congress of Deputies from 1977 to 1986.

Carol Rama was an Italian self-taught artist whose unconventional painting encompassed an erotic, and often sexually aggressive universe populated by characters who present themes of sexual identity with specific references to female sensuality. She began to paint around the mid-thirties and exhibiting her work ten years later. Her work was relatively little known until curator Lea Vergine included several pieces in a 1980 exhibition, prompting Rama to revisit her earlier watercolour style.