List of Famous people who died in 2017

Ralph Duren May was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his extensive touring and comedy specials on Netflix and other outlets.

Nelsan Ellis was an American actor and playwright. He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO television series True Blood (2008–2014), for which he won a Satellite Award from the International Press Academy, among other accolades. He also starred as Shinwell Johnson in Elementary from 2016 to 2017, and played a variety of guest roles in other television series, including Veronica Mars and Without a Trace.

Albert Johnson, better known by his stage name Prodigy, was an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. With Havoc, he was one half of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep.

Rolf Åke Mikael Nyqvist was a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known for playing police officer Banck in the 1997–1998 Martin Beck TV series and for his leading role in the 2001 film Grabben i graven bredvid. He was internationally recognized for his role as Mikael Blomkvist in the acclaimed Millennium series and as the lead villains in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and John Wick. In 2004, he played the leading role in As It Is in Heaven which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards.

Martín Elías Díaz Acosta, better known as Martín Elías, was a Colombian vallenato singer and entrepreneur, son of the singer and composer Diomedes Díaz. He was considered a pioneer of the 'new wave' of vallenato music.

Mikhail Nikolayevich Zadornov was a Soviet and Russian stand-up comedian and writer. Zadornov was born into an artistic family, his father Nikolai Zadornov being a notable writer from Riga. Zadornov’s mother, Elena Matusevich (1909-1992), came from an old noble family, which can trace its roots to the Polish king Stephen Bathory.

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 hits. His humility and shyness may be one reason his contribution to the genre has been overlooked.

James Thurston Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character Gomer Pyle.

Jeanne Moreau was a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Moreau began playing small roles in films in 1949, later achieving prominence with starring roles in Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows (1958), Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte (1961), and François Truffaut's Jules et Jim (1962). Most prolific during the 1960s, Moreau continued to appear in films into her 80s.

Gilbert Baker was an American artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag (1978), a worldwide symbol of LGBTQ pride. His flag became widely associated with LGBT rights causes, a symbol of gay pride that has become ubiquitous in the decades since its debut. California state senator Scott Wiener said Baker "helped define the modern LGBT movement".