List of Famous people who died in 2002

Movsar Buharovich Barayev (Suleimanov);, earlier known as Suleimanov, was a Chechen Islamist militia leader during the Second Chechen War, who led the seizure of a Moscow theater that led to the deaths of over 170 people by Russian special forces.

Walter Olmos (1982–2002) was an Argentine singer.

Ward Francis Weaver III is an American convicted murderer. He is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole for sexual assault, rape, attempted murder, and the murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis in Oregon City, Oregon.

Charity Adams Earley was the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and was the commanding officer of the first battalion of African-American women to serve overseas during World War II. Adams was the highest-ranking African-American woman in the army by the completion of the war. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion's motto was "No Mail, Low Morale." A monument honoring this unique group of women was dedicated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on November 30, 2018.

Edward Vincent Bracken was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films Hail the Conquering Hero and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek both from 1944, both of which have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like Too Many Girls (1939).

Salman Betyrovich Raduyev was one of the most important and notorious Chechen separatist field commanders. He operated in the period between 1994 and 1999 and was responsible for Kizlyar hostage taking raid. He was arrested in 2000 and died in Russian penal colony White Swan in 2002.

Suliman Saleh Olayan was among Saudi Arabia's wealthiest businessmen.

Countess Géraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagy-Appony was the Queen consort of King Zog I of the Albanians and the mother of Leka I, Crown Prince of Albania.

Michel Poniatowski was a French politician, member of the senior branch of Poland's princely Poniatowski family. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the Giscard d'Estaing government from 1974 to 1977. He was a founder and honorary president of the Union for French Democracy.

Antônio Gonçalves da Silva, popularly known as Patativa do Assaré, was a Brazilian popular / oral poet, improviser of oral verse, composer, singer and guitar player. One of the main articulators of the Brazilian North-eastern oral poetry of the 20th century.