List of Famous people who died in 1977

Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross was an American politician, the 14th governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927 and director of the United States Mint from 1933 to 1953. She was one of the first women to be sworn in as governor of a U.S. state, and remains the only woman to have served as governor of Wyoming.

Aleksey Grigoryevich Stakhanov was a Russian Soviet miner, Hero of Socialist Labor (1970), and a member of the CPSU (1936). He became a celebrity in 1935 as part of what became known as the Stakhanovite movement – a campaign intended to increase worker productivity and to demonstrate the superiority of the socialist economic system.

Peter Altmeier was a German politician. From 1947 to 1969, he was the Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate. He served as the President of the Bundesrat in 1954/55 and 1965/66. He was born in Saarbrücken and died in Koblenz. He was the longest governing German Minister-President in one single state—longest at all was Bernhard Vogel.

Raymond Arthur Palmer was an American author and editor, best known as editor of Amazing Stories from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications. In addition to magazines such as Mystic, Search, and Flying Saucers, he published or republished numerous spiritualist books, including Oahspe: A New Bible, as well as several books related to flying saucers, including The Coming of the Saucers, co-written by Palmer with Kenneth Arnold. Palmer was also a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy stories, many of which were published under pseudonyms.

Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami or Srila Prabhupada, born Abhay Charan De, was an Indian spiritual teacher and the founder-acharya (preceptor) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Members of the ISKCON movement view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a representative and messenger of Krishna Chaitanya.

Robert Manvel Sutton was an American sailor who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Erik Rickard Sarby was a Swedish sailor. He competed in the mixed one-person dinghy event at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and finished in fourth, third and fifth place, respectively.

Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claimed other band members and crew. His older sister Cassie Gaines, a backup vocalist with the band, likewise died in the crash.

Jūshirō Konoe was a famous jidaigeki actor. He was born Toraichi Meguro in Nagaoka, Niigata. Debuting at Ajia Eiga in 1934, Konoe appeared in jidaigeki at Daito Eiga, Shochiku, and Toei, the latter having him star in a popular series about Yagyu Jubei. Konoe was known for his dazzling swordplay and appeared in over 200 movies and TV dramas. He retired in 1973 due to his worsening diabetes.

Katherine Stinson was an aviation pioneer who in 1912 became the fourth woman in the United States to earn the FAI pilot certificate. She set flying records for aerobatic maneuvers, distance, and endurance. She was the first female pilot employed by the US Postal Service, and the first civilian pilot to fly the mail in Canada. She was also the first pilot to ever fly at night and the first female pilot to fly in Canada, China, and Japan.