List of Famous people who died in 2017

Aamir Zaki was a Saudi born Pakistani guitarist-songwriter and composer. Zaki is considered by many as one of the most influential guitarists in Pakistan's history. He is considered to be among the pioneers of Rock music in Pakistan.

Jean-Claude Bouillon was a French actor. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1966 until 2015.

Pietro Vichi Domenici was an American attorney and politician from New Mexico. A Republican, Domenici served six terms in the United States Senate from 1973 to 2009; he is the longest-tenured U.S. senator in the state's history. During Domenici's tenure in the Senate, he advocated waterway usage fees, nuclear power and related causes.

Lukas Ammann was a Swiss actor who appeared mainly in German and Swiss films and television shows. He continued to work steadily for over 60 years. He is best known for his title role in the German television series Graf Yoster.

Juan Goytisolo Gay was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017. He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet he had lived abroad since the 1950s. On 24 November 2014 he was awarded the Cervantes Prize, the most prestigious literary award in the Spanish-speaking world.

Stéphane Paille was a French former professional footballer who played for the French national team as well as for various club sides in France, Portugal, Switzerland and Scotland. After he retired from playing he developed a career in football management.

Manuel Marín González was a Spanish politician, former President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was a long-time member of the European Commission, and acting president during the Santer Commission following the resignation of Jacques Santer. He is considered the father of the Erasmus Programme.

John Guilbert Avildsen was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing Rocky (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. Other films he directed include Joe (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), Lean on Me (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), and the first three The Karate Kid films.

John Bayard Anderson was an American politician from Illinois. As a member of the Republican Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, receiving 6.6% of the popular vote.

Hervé Ghesquière was a French journalist most famous for being held hostage in Afghanistan by the Taliban for 547 days along with fellow reporter, Stéphane Taponier and their driver. They were released to French authorities June 29, 2011.