| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| Margo Albert | (1917–1985) | A movie actress and dancer. | | | [3] |
| Tony Anholt | (1941–2002) | An actor best known for his role as Charles Frere in the 80s TV series Howards' Way. | | | [4] |
| Pamela Britton | (1923–1974) | An actress who played Lorelei Brown on the television program My Favorite Martian. | | 2 weeks | [5] |
| Patrick Cargill | (1918–1996) | British film and television actor who had been in ill health since being treated for a brain tumour and died a year later. Initially his death was blamed on a 'hit and run' accident | | | [6] |
| Nell Carter | (1948–2003) | Stage and television actor who earned a Tony Award and an Emmy Award, best remembered for her television role in Gimme a Break. Ultimately died of diabetes, not the tumor. | | | [7] |
| Bert Convy | (1933–1991) | Stage, film and TV actor/host. | | | [8] |
| Ross Davidson | (1949–2006) | An actor who played Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. | glioblastoma multiforme | 20 months | [9] |
| Brenda De Banzie | (1915–1981) | British actress of stage and film; died during or after surgery on a benign brain tumour. | | | [10] |
| Esmeray Diriker | (1950–2002) | A singer and actress. | | | [11] |
| Sandy Duncan | (1946— ) | Tony Award nominated Broadway actor, television star. | | 30+ years | [12] |
| Linda Gary | (1944–1995) | Voice artist for Scooby Doo and other animated series. | | | [13] |
| Brian Glover | (1934–1997) | An actor and former professional wrestler and teacher. | | | [14] |
| Richard Greene | (1918–1985) | An actor best known as the star of the long running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood. | | 3 years | [15] |
| Olivia Hamnett | (19??–2001) | English born Australian actor. | | | [16] |
| Susan Hayward | (1917–1975) | Academy Award-winning film actor. | | 2 years | [17] |
| Richard Jordan | (1938–1993) | A stage, screen and film actor. | | | [18][19] |
| Martin Kemp | (1961—) | An actor and former pop musician with brother Gary Kemp in the band Spandau Ballet. | | 1995— | [20] |
| Arthur Kennedy | (1914–1990) | Stage and film actor; Tony Award winner. | | | [21] |
| Lois Kibbee | (1922–1993) | An actress best remembered for her role of Geraldine Weldon Whitney Saxon on the TV soap opera The Edge of Night. | | | [22] |
| Alan Lake | (1940–1984) | An actor and the third husband of the actress Diana Dors. Committed suicide. | | | [23] |
| Eugene Gordon Lee | (1933–2005) | Child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) comedies. | metastatic tumor | | [24] |
| Katherine Locke | (1910–1995) | A Broadway star actress in the late 1930s. | | | [25] |
| Meredith MacRae | (1944–2000) | An actress and TV host. | | | [26] |
| Victor Maddern | (1926–1993) | An actor who often played a supporting role in films. | | | [27] |
| Lea De Mae | (1976–2004) | A pornographic model and actress. | glioblastoma multiforme | 4 months | [28] |
| Joseph Maher | (1933–1998) | Irish-born stage actor and film/TV character actor. | | | [29] |
| Irish McCalla | (1928–2002) | An actress best known as the title star of the 1950s TV series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. | | under 18 months | [30] |
| Buster Merryfield | (1920–1999) | The actor who played Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses. | | | [31] |
| Bueno de Mesquita | (1918–2005) | A comedian, actor and stage artist, known for his ability to make funny faces. Had lung cancer and a brain tumor. | | | [32][33] |
| Greg Morris | (1933–1996) | Television actor, best remembered for the Mission Impossible series. | | | [34] |
| Pola Negri | (1894–1987) | A silent movie actress, famous for playing a femme fatale role. | | 2 years | [35] |
| Jerry Paris | (1925–1986) | An actor and director best known for his role as Jerry Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show. | | | [36] |
| Pat Paulsen | (1927–1997) | Comedian, starred on the Smothers Brothers television show in the 1960s. | | | [37] |
| Slim Pickens | (1919–1983) | Rodeo clown turned film actor, best remembered for Dr. Strangelove. | | | [38][39] |
| Kate Reid | (1930–1993) | An actress. | | | [40] |
| Mark Ruffalo | (1967—) | An actor. The operation to remove the benign tumor caused him temporary partial paralysis. | | 2001— | [41] |
| Irene Ryan | (1902–1973) | An entertainer who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and on Broadway. | | | [42] |
| Zachary Scott | (1914–1965) | Film villain. | | | [43][44] |
| Alexis Smith | (1921–1993) | Canadian-born film actor. | | | [45] |
| Michelle Stafford | (1968—) | An actress best known for her role as Phyllis Summers Abbott in the soap opera The Young and the Restless. | | 1985— | [46] |
| Werner Stocker | (1955–1993) | Featured role in television's Highlander series. | | | [47] |
| Kinuyo Tanaka | (1910–1977) | An actress and director. | | | [48] |
| Anya Taranda | (1915–1970) | A model, showgirl, actress and wife of renowned songwriter Harold Arlen. | | | [49] |
| Elizabeth Taylor | (1932— ) | Academy Award winning actor, star of numerous films. | meningioma | 1997 to present | [50] |
| Bobby Van | (1928–1980) | Broadway muscian and actor. | | | [51] |
| Henry Victor | (1892–1945) | A character actor who played the strongman Hercules in the 1932 film Freaks. | | | [52][53] |
| Kim Walker | (1968–2001) | An actress whose most notable role was as Heather Chandler in the film Heathers. | malignant glioma | under 2 years | [54] |
| Penelope Dudley Ward | (1914–1982) | British actress and socialite; wife of acclaimed film director Carol Reed | | | [55] |
| Johnny Wayne | (1918–1990) | Canadian comedian of the Wayne and Shuster duo. | | | [56] |
| Bill Williams | (1915–1992) | A movie actor who starred as Kit Carson in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Kit Carson. | | | [57] |
| Jeff Winkless | (1941–2006) | An actor, composer and voice actor. | | | [58] |
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| William "Cat" Anderson | (1916–1981) | A jazz trumpeter who played with Duke Ellington's orchestra. | | | [101] |
| Luther Allison | (1939–1997) | Blues guitarist. | metastatic tumor | less than 1 year | [102] |
| Bill Black | (1926–1965) | Rock and roll bass player, recorded with Elvis Presley during 1954–1958. | | | [103] |
| Davey von Bohlen | (1975—) | A musician and songwriter. | meningioma | 2000— | [104] |
| Ray Bumatai | (1952–2005) | A musician, comedian and voice actor. | glioblastoma | 3 years | [105] |
| Gregg Burge | (1957–1998) | A tap dancer and choreographer | | | [106] |
| A. J. Croce | (1971—) | A singer-songwriter and the son of a singer-songwriter: Jim Croce. | | 1975— | [107] |
| Celia Cruz | (1925–2003) | Cuban salsa singer, important figure in Afro-Cuban music. | | | [108] |
| William Finn | (1952— ) | Tony Award winning Broadway songwriter. Finn wrote the show A New Brain about his experiences. | 1992— | | [109] |
| Sergio Franchi | (1926–1990) | Italian-American singer; world-renowned tenor | | | [110][111] |
| Marie Fredriksson | (1958—) | The lead singer of the Swedish pop duo Roxette | | 2002— | [112] |
| George Gershwin | (1898–1937) | Jazz and classical music composer, co-wrote many stage musicals and film scores. | glioblastoma multiforme | 1 month | [113] |
| Lou Gramm | (1950—) | A rock music vocalist and songwriter best known for his role as the lead vocalist for the rock band Foreigner. | | 1996— | [114] |
| Bill Haley | (1925–1981) | Leader of one of the first rock and roll bands, The Comets. | | 2 years | [115][116] |
| George Harrison | (1943–2001) | Lead guitarist of the Beatles. | metastatic tumor | | [117] |
| Simon Jeffes | (1949–1997) | A guitarist, composer and arranger who was a member of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. | | under 2 years | [118] |
| Barney Kessel | (1923–2004) | Jazz guitarist who played with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Elvis Presley, and the Beach Boys. | | | [119] |
| Otto Klemperer | (1885–1973) | Conductor. | | 40 years | [120] |
| John Loder | (1946–2005) | A sound engineer, record producer and founder of Southern Studios. | | under 2 years | [121] |
| John Mack | (1926–2006) | Principle oboist with the Cleveland Orchestra. | | | [122] |
| Brian MacLeod | (1952–1992) | A musician, songwriter and music producer, best known as a member of the bands Chilliwack and The Headpins. | | under 3 years | [123] |
| Bob Marley | (1945–1981) | Reggae legend. | metastatic tumor | | [34] |
| Johnny Mercer | (1909–1976) | Songwriter and lyricist. | | | [124] |
| Ethel Merman | (1908–1984) | Legendary Broadway singer and actress. | glioblastoma multiforme | 10 months | [125][126] |
| Robert Moog | (1934–2005) | Inventor of the modern music synthesizer. | glioblastoma multiforme | | [127] |
| Ted Mulry | (1947–2001) | Singer, songwriter and musician, who formed the band Ted Mulry Gang (TMG). | | | [128] |
| James Murphy | (1967—) | A guitarist. | pituitary macro-adenoma | 2001— | [129] |
| Wayne Osmond | (1951— ) | Singer, second oldest of the Osmond brothers. | | 1994— | [130] |
| Junior Parker | (1932–1971) | Blues singer. | | | [131] |
| Frank Patterson | (1938–2000) | A classically-trained Irish tenor. | | | [132] |
| Louis Prima | (1910–1978) | An entertainer, singer, actor, and trumpeter known as the King of the Swingers. He never recovered from an operation to remove a benign brain-stem tumor, which left him in a coma for nearly three years. | | | [133] |
| Rainer Ptacek | (1951–1997) | Guitarist, singer and songwriter. | | | [134] |
| Lou Rawls | (1933–2006) | Soul, jazz, and blues singer. Noted philanthropist. | metastatic tumor | 7 months | [135] |
| Buddy Rich | (1917–1987) | A jazz drummer and bandleader. | | | [136] |
| Chuck Schuldiner | (1967–2001) | Former guitarist and singer for the band Death, former guitarist for Control Denied. Influential figure in the development of death metal. | pontine glioma | 2 years | [137] |
| Sam Sneed | (—) | A record producer and rapper. | | 1999— | [138] |
| Tammi Terrell | (1945–1970) | Singer, duettist with Marvin Gaye on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and other hit singles. | | 2 years | [139] |
| Russell Watson | (1966—) | A tenor singer, who has released popular albums of operatic-style songs. | | 2006— | [140] |
| Kai Winding | (1922–1983) | A trombonist and jazz composer. | | | [141] |
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| Lee Atwater | (1951–1991) | Chairman of the United States Republican National Committee. | glioblastoma multiforme | 1 year | [142] |
| William Casey | (1913–1987) | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | | 5 months | [143] |
| Chakufwa Chihana | (1939–2006) | Trade unionist and politician. | | 1 month | [144] |
| Alan Clark | (1928–1999) | A British Conservative politician, historian and diarist. | | | [145] |
| Clair Engle | (1911–1964) | United States senator from California. Late in his illness he broke a filibuster and helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wheelchair bound and no longer able to speak, he raised his hand to signal his vote. | | | [146] |
| Wayne Goss | (1951— ) | Former premier of Queensland, Australia. His tumor thwarted a potential career in federal politics. | | 1997— | [147] |
| Paul B. Henry | (1942–1993) | An evangelical Christian, professor of political science, and politician | | | [148] |
| David Hermelin | (1936–2000) | United States ambassador to Norway. | | 1 year | [149] |
| Peter Law | (1948–2006) | Welsh politician, independent MP and AM. | | | [150] |
| Clare Booth Luce | (1903–1987) | American politician and diplomat; also an editor, playwright, social activist & journalist | | | [151] |
| Jean-Philippe Maitre | (1949–2006) | A politician and former President of the Swiss National Council. | | | [152] |
| Gladys Marín | (1941–2005) | A political activist and former president of the Communist Party of Chile. | glioblastoma multiforme | | [153][154] |
| Mo Mowlam | (1949–2005) | Britain's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. | | 7 years | [155] |
| Bob O'Connor | (1944–2006) | Former Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | CNS lymphoma | | [156] |
| Arlen Specter | (1930— ) | United States senator from Pennsylvania. | | 1993— | [157] |
| Mike Synar | (1950–1996) | United States congressional representative from Oklahoma. | | | [34] |
| Frank Tejeda | (1946–1997) | United States congressional representative from Texas. | | 1 year | [158] |
| Joop den Uyl | (1919–1987) | Former prime minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the social-democratic PvdA party. | | | [159] |
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| Max Abraham | (1875–1922) | A physicist and contemporary of Einstein and Lorentz. | | | [160] |
| Thomas Donaldson | (–2006) | A mathematician and cryonics advocate. | | | [161] |
| Paul Feyerabend | (1924–1994) | A philosopher of science. | | under 1 year | [162] |
| Thor Heyerdahl | (1914–2002) | Marine biologist famous for the Kon-Tiki expedition and other journeys that reproduced ancient technology and demonstrated the feasibility of ancient sea migrations. | | under 1 year | [163] |
| J. Allen Hynek | (1910–1986) | An astronomer, professor, and ufologist. | | | [164] |
| Norman Levinson | (1912–1975) | A mathematician. | | | [165] |
| John von Neumann | (1903–1957) | Hungarian mathematician who made numerous contributions to many fields, including quantum physics, functional analysis, set theory, economics, computer science, numerical analysis, hydrodynamics (of explosions) and statistics. | | under 1 year | [166] |
| John Vlissides | (1961–2005) | A software scientist specialising in object oriented technology, design patterns and software modelling. | | | [167] |
| Aleksandr Zinovyev | (1922–2006) | A logician, sociologist, writer and satirist. | | | [168] |
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| Lyle Alzado | (1949–1992) | NFL football player. Made public statements attributing his tumor to anabolic steriods, a claim not supported by medical research. | CNS lymphoma | | [169] |
| Lance Armstrong | (1971— ) | Cycling champion who won the Tour de France seven consecutive times after diagnosis and treatment for testicular cancer that spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. | metastatic tumor | 1996— | [170][171] |
| Angelo Bertelli | (1921–1999) | An American football quarterback. | | | [172] |
| Bobby Bonds | (1946–2003) | A right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants. | | | [173] |
| Ken Brett | (1948–2003) | A Major League Baseball pitcher. | | | [174] |
| José María Buljubasich | (1971—) | Football goalkeeper. | | 2006— | [175] |
| Richard Burns | (1971–2005) | Race car driver, Rally world champion | astrocytoma | 2 years | [176] |
| Matt Cappotelli | (1979—) | A professional wrestler. | | | [177] |
| Richard Chelimo | (1972–2001) | Track champion from Kenya, former 10,000 meter world record holder. | | | [178] |
| Maurice Colclough | (1953–2006) | Rugby player, played a noteworthy role in England's grand slam win in 1980. | | | [179] |
| Dan Duva | (1951–1996) | Boxing promoter behind over 100 world championship bouts. | primary brain tumor | | [180] |
| Josh Gibson | (1911–1947) | Negro League baseball player, famous home run hitter with the highest career batting average in league history. | | 4 years | [181] |
| Tim Gullikson | (1951–1996) | Champion doubles tennis player and coach of Pete Sampras. | | | [182] |
| Craig "Ironhead" Heyward | (1966–2006) | An American football running back who played in the National Football League. | chordoma | 8 years | [183] |
| Heiko Herrlich | (1971— ) | German soccer player, UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup winner | brain tumor | 2000— | [184] |
| Dick Howser | (1936–1987) | Major League Baseball shortstop and manager. | | 1 year | [185] |
| Emlyn Hughes | (1947–2004) | Soccer player, European Cup winner of 1977, also known from the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport. | | 15 months | [186] |
| Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie | (1933–2006) | English cricketer | | 4 months | [187] |
| "Badger" Bob Johnson | (1931–1991) | Ice hockey coach, won the 1991 Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. | | 2 months | [188] |
| Walter Johnson | (1887–1946) | An right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. | | | [189][190] |
| Eric Liddell | (1902–1945) | Olympic gold medalist in track, portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. | | | [191] |
| Jushin Liger | (1964—) | A professional wrestler. | | 1996— | [192] |
| Reginald Lisowski | (1926–2005) | A professional wrestler known as "The Crusher". | | | [193] |
| Wayne Maki | (1944–1973) | A a professional ice hockey player and an early star of the Vancouver Canucks club in the NHL. | | under 5 months | [194][195] |
| Frank Edward "Tug" McGraw | (1944–2004) | Major league baseball pitcher. | glioblastoma multiforme | 9 months | [196] |
| Lenny "The Guv'nor" McLean | (1949–1998) | Champion bare knuckle fighter, undefeated in 3000 fights. Also acted small roles in films including The Fifth Element. | metastatic tumor | | [197] |
| Johnny Oates | (1946–2004) | Major league baseball catcher and manager. | glioblastoma multiforme | 3 years | [198] |
| Kim Perrot | (1967–1999) | Basketball player, WNBA Houston Comets. | metastatic (lung cancer) | | [199] |
| John Prentice | (1926–2006) | A former football player and Scotland manager. | | | [200] |
| Remy Presas | (1936–2001) | The founder of Modern Arnis, a popular Filipino martial art. | | 10 months | [201] |
| Dan Quisenberry | (1953–1998) | Major league baseball pitcher, mostly as a closer; noted for unusual "submarine" pitching style. | | 9 months | [202] |
| Bobby Robson | (1933—) | A former football player and England manager. | | | [203] |
| Glenn Roeder | (1955—) | An English football manager and former player. | | 2003— | [204][205] |
| Pete Rozelle | (1926–1996) | NFL commissioner. | | | [34] |
| Wilma Rudolph | (1940–1994) | Olympic gold medalist in track. | | | [206] |
| Nick Sanborn | (1935–1999) | Automobile racer. | | | [207] |
| Robert Stone | (1956–2005) | A rugby league player and official who played for the St. George Dragons. | | 17 months | [208] |
| Fritz Von Erich | (1929–1997) | Wrestler and wrestling promoter. | | | [209] |
| Dick Wantz | (1940–1965) | A relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels. | | 1 month | [210] |
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|
| Barbara Albright | (1955–2006) | An author of about 25 food and knitting books. | | | [224] |
| Duygu Asena | (1946–2006) | An author and activist for women’s rights. | | 2 years | [225] |
| Susan Bergman | (1957–2006) | Best known for her 1984 book Anonymity, also sister of Anne Heche. | | 3 years | [226] |
| Reginald Horace Blyth | (1898–1964) | An author and devotee of Japanese culture. | | | [227] |
| Raymond Carver | (1938–1988) | Short story writer and poet. | metastatic tumor | | [228] |
| Hugh Cook | (1956— ) | Author of fantasy series Chronicles of an Age of Darkness. | | | [229] |
| Carl Foreman | (1914–1984) | A screenwriter and film producer. | | | [230] |
| Robert Forward | (1932–2002) | Physicist and science fiction writer. | | 4 months | [231] |
| John Galsworthy | (1867–1933) | A Nobel prize winning novelist and playwright whose works inlcude The Forsyte Saga. | | | [232] |
| Veronica Geng | (1941–1997) | A writer, humorist and former editor of The New Yorker. | | 13 months | [233] |
| Johnny Gunther | (1929–1947) | Teenage brain tumor patient, son of novelist John Gunther. Johnny's illness became the central theme of his father's book Death Be Not Proud. | | | [234] |
| Frigyes Karinthy | (1887–1938) | An author, playwright, poet, journalist and translator. | | | [235] |
| Stephen Knight | (1951–1985) | An author who was known for his books criticising the Freemasons. He started having seizures in 1977 and in 1980, agreed to take part in a BBC documentary TV program Horizon on epilepsy. The producers arranged for a brain scan, which showed up a tumour. This was removed but returned in 1984 and despite further surgery he died in 1985. | | 5 years | [236] |
| Jonathan Kwitny | (1941–1998) | A writer and investigative journalist. | | | [237] |
| Lynda Lee-Potter | (1935–2004) | Columnist for the British newspaper Daily Mail. | | | [238] |
| Terence McKenna | (1946–2000) | Writer and counterculture figure. | glioblastoma multiforme | under 1 year | [239] |
| William Vaughn Moody | (1869–1910) | A dramatist and poet. | | | [240] |
| Ivan Noble | (1967–2005) | BBC journalist and science writer who published columns about his experience with the illness, author of Like a Hole in the Head (Hodder & Stoughton 2005) ISBN 0-340-86428-1 | glioblastoma multiforme | 2 1/2 years | [241][242] |
| Chaim Potok | (1929–2002) | Author and rabbi best known for his 1967 novel The Chosen. | | 2 years | [243] |
| Timothy Reuter | (1947–2002) | A historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany | | | [244] |
| Charles Sheffield | (1935–2002) | Mathematician, physicist and science fiction writer. | | 3 months | [245] |
| Mary Shelley | (1797–1851) | Author of Frankenstein, wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. | | | [246] |
| Lou Stathis | (1952–1997) | A writer, editor and critic. | | 10 months | [247] |
| Trumbull Stickney | (1874–1904) | Swiss born American poet. | | | [248] |
| James Weinstein | (1926–2005) | A socialist historian and journalist best known as the founder and publisher of In These Times. | | | [249] |