List of Famous people who died in 2012

John Robert Silber was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again served as President ; and, from 2003 until his death, he held the title of President Emeritus.

Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work. His best-known works include his trilogy about what he called the "long 19th century", The Age of Extremes on the short 20th century, and an edited volume that introduced the influential idea of "invented traditions".

Darrel Steven "Chris" Lighty was an American music industry executive. He co-founded Violator, a record label, management and marketing company, which represented hip hop artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Uncle Murda, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Sean "Diddy" Combs. The New York Times called him "one of the most powerful figures in the hip-hop business."

Dinah Sheridan was an English actress with a career spanning seven decades. She was best known for the films Genevieve (1953) and The Railway Children (1970); the long-running BBC comedy series Don't Wait Up (1983–90); and for her distinguished theatre career in London's West End.

Fang Lizhi was a Chinese astrophysicist, vice-president of the University of Science and Technology of China, and activist whose liberal ideas inspired the pro-democracy student movement of 1986–87 and, finally, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Because of his activism, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China in January 1987. For his work, Fang was a recipient of the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1989, given each year to an individual whose courageous activism is at the heart of the human rights movement and in the spirit of Robert F. Kennedy's vision and legacy. He was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980, but it was revoked after 1989.

Ms. Melodie, the stage name of Ramona Parker, was an American emcee. She was associated with KRS-One's group Boogie Down Productions (BDP) and was for a time married to KRS-One. She was described by Vibe as "one of the ladies who could sonically spar with the fellas, spit raw lyrics, rhyme from a female's perspective, and hold their own."

Édgar Negret was a Colombian abstract sculptor.

Hugh Francis "Frank" Carson KSG was a Northern Irish comedian and actor, best known on television in series such as The Comedians and Tiswas. He was a member of the entertainment charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.

Virgil Charles Frye was an American actor and former Golden Gloves boxing champion.

K. Surendranatha Thilakan was a veteran Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Known for his realistic and spontaneous appearances, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema of all time. He has won 3 National Film Awards and 11 Kerala State Film Awards. The Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 2009 for his contributions towards the arts. He died on 24 September 2012 at the age of 77. He holds the record of receiving Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor the highest number of times, till date.