List of Famous people who died in 1997

Heinz Trökes was a German painter, printmaker and art teacher.

Rolf Rodenstock was a German industrialist who was born and died in Munich.

Angelo Drossos was the owner of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team from 1973 to 1988, from its time in the American Basketball Association through the ABA-NBA merger and into its years in the National Basketball Association. Drossos received the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1978 and was instrumental in bringing the three-point field goal to the NBA. He died at age 68 in 1997 after battling supranuclear palsy.

David Christie was a French singer. Born Jacques Pepino in Tarare, he also used the pseudonyms James Bolden and Napoleon Jones. He is best known for the hits "Saddle Up" (1982) and "I Love to Love ", which are included on various 1980s compilation albums.

Aldo Rossi was an Italian architect and designer who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: architectural theory, drawing and design and also product design. He was one of the leading exponents of the postmodern movement.

Vladimir Naumovich Gribov was a prominent Russian theoretical physicist, who worked on high-energy physics, quantum field theory and the Regge theory of the strong interactions.

Harald Gelhaus was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. As commander of U-143 and U-107 Harald Gelhaus is credited with the sinking of 19 ships for a total of 100,373 gross register tons (GRT) and further damaging one ship of 10,068 GRT.