List of Famous people who died in 2017

Leopoldus Eduardus Theoduris "Leo" Peelen was a Dutch track cyclist. He won the silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul in the points race. The following year, he captured a bronze medal at the 1989 World Championships. Peelen became six times Dutch champion on the track.

Abu Bakr Salem Balfaqih was a Yemeni singer born on March 17, 1939 in Tarim,Hadhramout. He is also nicknamed Abu Aseel, The Father of Khaleeji Music ., and The one with the golden larynx. Abu Bakr is famously known in the Arab world by his unique riveting voice. He is one of the few musicians in the Arab world who succeeded at being a singer, poet, and composer at the same time and thus, he is considered a complete artist. Before drawing his path in the music world, Abu Bakr worked as a teacher for three years, drawing on his training at a teachers’ institute in Yemen. Some of Abu Bakr's patriotic odes to Yemen celebrated the significant historical events such as the abolition of the monarchy in the north in 1962, the independence of the south in 1967, and the unification of both the South and North Yemen in 1990. In addition to the Yemeni nationality, Abu Bakr also held the Saudi nationality after he moved to Saudi Arabia in the 70's. During his musical career, he worked with other pioneers in the Khaleeji music field including Talal Maddah, Tariq Abdul-Hakim and Shadi Gulf. His last release was a duet with young Yemeni singer and winner of the “Khaleeji Star” Fouad Abdulwahed. Abu Bakr Salem died on December 10, 2017.

Robert Michael Morris was an American actor. He was known for his co-starring role as Mickey Deane in the reality television spoof The Comeback and as Mr. Lunt in the short-lived series Running Wilde. He also wrote over 100 plays.

Ludmila Yevgenyevna Belousova was a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With her partner and husband Oleg Protopopov she was a two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion (1965–1968). In 1979, the pair defected to Switzerland and became Swiss citizens in 1995. They continued to skate at ice shows and exhibitions through their seventies.

Robert Henry Michel was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented central Illinois' 18th congressional district, and was the GOP leader in Congress, serving as Minority Leader for the last 14 years (1981–1995) of a decades-long era of Democratic Party dominance of the House.

Isabelle Sadoyan was a French-Armenian actress. She was the wife of actor Jean Bouise. Her filmography includes films by Jeanne Moreau, Claude Chabrol, Claude Lelouch, Luc Besson, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri Verneuil, Bertrand Tavernier, Robert Kechichian and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Marina Lavrentievna Popovich was a Soviet Air Force colonel, engineer, and decorated Soviet test pilot. In 1964, she became the third woman and the first Soviet woman to break the sound barrier. Known as "Madame MiG", for her work in the Soviet fighter, she set more than one hundred aviation world records on over 40 types of aircraft over her career.

Jeanne Martin Cissé was a Guinean teacher and nationalist politician who served as ambassador to the United Nations and in 1972 was the first woman to serve as President of the United Nations Security Council. She served in the government of Guinea as Minister of Social Affairs from 1976 until the 1984 military coup.

Otto Wanz was an Austrian professional wrestler and boxer. He made his professional wrestling debut in 1968. He is a one time American Wrestling Association champion and former operator of the Catch Wrestling Association, where he was the promotion's inaugural World Heavyweight Champion, winning the title four times. He is overall a five-time world champion and the longest reigning world champion in Europe.

James Henry Cotton was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time and with his own band. He played drums early in his career but is famous for his harmonica playing.