List of Famous people who died in 2015

Tenkōkō Sonoda was a Japanese politician born in Tokyo. She was a member of the Japanese Diet from 1946–1952. In 1950, she became the first woman in Japanese political history to have a baby while in office.

Jim Perry was an American-Canadian television game show host, singer, announcer, and performer in the 1970s and 1980s.

Squadron Leader John Leslie Munro, was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot during World War II and the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943.

Igor Konstantinovich Kashintsev was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor. He was a People's Artist of Russia (2003) and was awarded the Order of Friendship (2008).

Buddy Gene Emmons was an American musician who is widely regarded as the world's foremost pedal steel guitarist of his day. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Affectionately known by the nickname "Big E", Emmons' primary genre was American country music, but he also performed jazz and Western swing. He recorded with Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, The Everly Brothers, The Carpenters, Roger Miller, Ernest Tubb, John Hartford, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ray Price, Judy Collins, George Strait, John Sebastian, and Ray Charles and was a widely sought session musician in Nashville and Los Angeles.

Galina Nikolayevna Prozumenshchikova was a Soviet breaststroke swimmer who also competed in medley relays. She won five Olympic medals in 1964, 1968 and 1972 and five European Championships medals in 1966 and 1970. Her first Olympic medal, the gold in 200 m breaststroke in 1964, was the first Olympic gold in swimming for the Soviet Union. From 1964 to 1966, she set five world records: four in 200 m and one in 100 m breaststroke events. Between 1963 and 1972, she won 15 national titles and set 27 national records.

Paul Liao was a Taiwanese businessman. He was born in Keelung. Liao was the founder of the Breeze Group which was started as a metals trading company in 1975. He opened his first shopping mall, the Breeze Center, under the Breeze brand in 2001, and shortly afterward left the metals industry. He also owned the Howard Hotels chain located in Taiwan. Liao was named Taiwan's #33 richest person by Forbes magazine in 2009 with a net worth of $670 million. By 2014, his holdings were valued at $800 million, but Liao's rank had dropped to #46.

Mireille Ndiaye was a senior Senegalese judge of German and Togolese origin.

Peter Ian Donaldson was an English newsreader on BBC Radio 4.

Sylvia Louise Hitchcock-Carson was an American model and beauty queen who held the titles of Miss Alabama USA and Miss USA, and was crowned Miss Universe 1967.