List of Famous people who died in 2012

Berthold Albrecht was a German businessman and one of Germany's wealthiest men, as co-owner of the Aldi Nord chain of discount supermarkets. They inherited the company from their father, Theo Albrecht, upon his death in July 2010. Together, the two brothers had an estimated net worth of US$17.8 billion as of March 2012.

Victoria Leigh Soto was an American teacher who was murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman entered the school, Soto hid her students, then the students ran from their hiding places and she died trying to shield and protect them, and has since been hailed as a hero. She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Gerry Anderson was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s productions filmed with "Supermarionation".

Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm was an American musician and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the vocalists for The Band. Helm was known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, multi-instrumental ability, and creative drumming style, highlighted on many of The Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek", and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".

Daniel Lawrence O'Keefe was an American writer. He was an editor at Reader's Digest for more than 30 years, where he worked with a wide range of writers.

Courtney Everald "Jamal" Dewar Jr., better known by his stage name Capital Steez, was an American rapper and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He was the founder of the Brooklyn-based rap collective Pro Era, along with childhood friend Joey Bada$$.

David Kelly was an Irish actor who had regular roles in several film and television works from the 1950s onwards. One of the most recognisable voices and faces of Irish stage and screen, Kelly was known for his roles as Rashers Tierney in Strumpet City, Cousin Enda in Me Mammy, the builder Mr O'Reilly in Fawlty Towers, Albert Riddle in Robin's Nest, and Grandpa Joe in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Another notable role was as Michael O'Sullivan in Waking Ned Devine.

Daniel Mauricio Zamudio Vera was a Chilean man who became a symbol against homophobic violence in Chile following his 2012 murder. On 2 March 2012, Zamudio, a Chilean gay man, was beaten and tortured for several hours in the San Borja Park in downtown Santiago. The four attackers, allegedly linked to a neo-Nazi gang, attacked him after learning he was gay. His death and all the media attention contributed to accelerating legislation against discrimination, as well as opening new doors of acceptance and tolerance of differences in the conservative country.

Michele Lenore Frazier Baldwin, also known as Lady Ganga, was an American who set a world record in standup paddleboarding by paddling 700 miles (1,100 km) down the Ganges in India after being diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer in 2011. Her goal was to raise money and awareness for cervical cancer, human papillomavirus infection, and the HPV vaccine.

Sophie Desmarets (1922–2012) was a French film actress.