List of Famous people who died in 1962

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model, and singer. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era's changing attitudes towards sexuality. She was a top-billed actress for only a decade, but her films grossed $200 million by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, she has continued to be a major icon of pop culture. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Monroe sixth on its list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Otto Adolf Eichmann was a German-Austrian SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust—the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" in Nazi terminology. He was tasked by SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich with facilitating and managing the logistics involved in the mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe during World War II. Eichmann was captured by the Mossad in Argentina on 11 May 1960 and subsequently found guilty of war crimes in a widely publicised trial in Jerusalem, where he was executed by hanging in 1962.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya FASc, more commonly known as Sir MV, was an Indian Civil Engineer, statesman and the 19th Diwan of Mysore, serving from 1912 to 1919. He did BA degree of University of Madras through then affiliated college;Central College;Bangalore & then LCE (DCE)-Licenciate in Civil Engineering from University of Mumbai through then affilated one of the best and the 3rd oldest engineering college in Asia, College of Engineering, Pune. He received India's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955.He was knighted as a Knight Commander of British Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his contributions to public good.His birthday,15 September,is celebrated as Engineers' Day in India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania in his memory.He was Chief Engineer of Krishna Raja Sagara dam in the north-west suburb of Mysuru city, and also served as one of Chief Engineers of the flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad.

Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou was a Greek physician who was a pioneer in cytopathology and early cancer detection, and inventor of the "Pap smear".

Charles "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian-born gangster who operated mainly in the United States. Luciano started his criminal career in the Five Points gang and was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for the establishment of The Commission in 1931, after he abolished the boss of bosses title held by Salvatore Maranzano following the Castellammarese War. He was also the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family.

Ossip Samoilovich Bernstein was a Russian-French chess player. He was one of the inaugural recipients of the title International Grandmaster from FIDE in 1950.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She served as the First Lady of the United States from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving First Lady of the United States. Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.

Bidhan Chandra Roy MD, DSc, MRCP, FRCS was an eminent Indian physician, educationist, philanthropist, freedom fighter and politician who served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 until his death in 1962. Bidhan Roy is often considered the Maker of Modern West Bengal due to his key role in the founding of several institutions and five eminent cities, Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashokenagar and Habra. He is one of the few people in history to have obtained F.R.C.S. and M.R.C.P. degrees simultaneously. In India, the National Doctors' Day is celebrated in his memory every year on 1 July. He was awarded Bharat Ratna on 4 February 1961, India's highest civilian honour.

Peter Fechter was a German bricklayer who became the twenty-seventh known person to die at the Berlin Wall. Fechter was 18 years old when he was shot and killed by East German border guards while trying to cross over to West Berlin.

Solomon Popoli Linda, also known as Solomon Ntsele, was a South African musician, singer and composer best known as the composer of the song "Mbube", which later became the popular music success "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya a cappella later popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr was also a philosopher and a promoter of scientific research.

Augusta Savage was an American sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance. She was also a teacher whose studio was important to the careers of a generation of artists who would become nationally known. She worked for equal rights for African Americans in the arts.

Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare He advocated widow remarriage and he himself married a widow. In his honour, Karvenagar in Pune was named after him & Queen's Road in Mumbai (Bombay) was renamed to Maharshi Karve Road. Karve was a pioneer in promoting widows' education. The Government of India awarded him with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1958, the year of his 100th birthday.

Gabriele Münter was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding member of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter.

Brigadier General Sir Raymond Lionel Leane, was an Australian Army officer who rose to command the 48th Battalion then 12th Brigade during World War I. For his performance during the war, Leane was described by the Australian Official War Historian Charles Bean as "the foremost fighting leader" in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and "the head of the most famous family of soldiers in Australian history", among other accolades. After the war, he served as Commissioner of the South Australia Police from 1920 to 1944, for which he was knighted.

Charles Jean Rigoulot was a French weightlifter, professional wrestler, racing driver, and actor.

Purushottam Das Tandon was a freedom fighter from Uttar Pradesh, India. He is widely remembered for his opposition to the partition of India, as well as efforts in achieving the Official Language of India status for Hindi. He was customarily given the title Rajarshi. He was popularly known as UP Gandhi. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1961.

Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, PVC was an Indian Army officer and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration. Singh was born in Rajasthan. On completing his graduation, Singh joined the Jodhpur State Forces. He was transferred to the Kumaon Regiment after the princely state of Jodhpur was merged into India. He took part in operations in the Naga Hills and also in the 1961 Indian annexation of Goa.

Victoria Mary Sackville-West, Lady Nicolson, CH, usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer.

Ernest Edward Kovacs was an American comedian, actor, and writer.