2017 deaths

Lonnie Alfred "Bo" Pilgrim (May 8, 1928 – July 21, 2017) was the co-founder of Pilgrim's Pride, which at one time was one of the largest chicken producers in the United States. Pilgrim founded Pilgrim's Pride when he opened a feed store in 1946 in Pittsburg, Texas, with his older brother, Aubrey. He became the CEO of the company upon the death of his brother Aubrey in 1966, eventually amassing a net worth of $1 billion US.In 1989, when the Texas Senate was debating a bill to make major changes to the state workers' compensation system, Pilgrim handed out $10,000 US checks to nine of the 31 state senators while on the Senate floor two days before the vote. Pilgrim was not a supporter of the bill, and defended his actions by saying the checks were campaign contributions, not an attempt at bribery. The episode led to changes in the state's ethics laws.In addition to his holdings in Pilgrim's Pride, Pilgrim was also a principal shareholder of NETEX Bancorporation, a bank holding company which operated Pilgrim Bank, a bank with branches in Pittsburg and nearby Mount Pleasant.Pilgrim was also a noted philanthropist, giving money to many different charities and community organizations, including Dallas Baptist University to build the Pilgrim Chapel as well as the Patty and Bo Pilgrim Cancer Center in Mount Pleasant.Pilgrim gave the maximum amount allowed by law to Jeb Bush's 2016 Presidential Campaign. He was a frequent contributor to conservative politicians. For several consecutive years he would donate $25,000 to the NRCC.
Pilgrim died on July 21, 2017, in Pittsburg, Texas. He was 89 years old.

William Leonard Blankenship (7 March 1928 – 2 December 2017) was an American operatic tenor, music pedagogue at the collegiate level, stage and television actor, and stage director.

Louis Nicollin (29 June 1943 – 29 June 2017) was a French entrepreneur and director of the Nicollin Company, which specializes in the collection and reprocessing of household and industrial waste. Nicollin notably served as chairman of Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, a football team, from 1974 to his death.

Henri Cueco (19 October 1929 – 13 March 2017) was a French painter, essayist, novelist and radio personality. As a self-taught painter, his work was exhibited internationally. He was the author of several books, including collections of essays and novels. He was also a contributor to France Culture. A communist-turned-libertarian, he was a co-founder of Coopérative des Malassis, an anti-consumerist artists' collective. He was best known for The Red Men, a series of figurative paintings depicting aspects of the Cold War like the May 1968 events, the Vietnam War and Red Scare, and his 150 still lifes, or "portraits," of potatoes.

Lawrence Dean Hickman (October 9, 1935 – February 10, 2017) was a professional American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Baylor University.

Felice "Cino" Tortorella (27 June 1927 – 23 March 2017), was an Italian television presenter, best known for creating and conducting the Zecchino d'Oro festival of children's songs.

Florence Smith Jacobsen (April 7, 1913 – March 5, 2017) was an American religious leader associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who served as the sixth General President of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association (YWMIA) from 1961 to 1972.

Daniele Piombi (14 July 1933 – 18 May 2017) was an Italian television and radio presenter and television writer.

Amelio "Memè" Perlini (8 December 1947 – 5 April 2017) was an Italian actor and film director. His directorial debut, Italian Postcards, was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.He directed Teatro La Maschera, of Rome, in his theatrical adaptation of Raymond Roussel's Locus Solus at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City in April 1977. The production was co-presented by La MaMa and the International Theatre Institute, and billed as the First International Theater Festival.Perlini died in Rome on 5 April 2017, at the age of 69. He seems to have committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of his house.

Frans Widerberg (8 April 1934 – 7 April 2017) was a Norwegian painter and graphic artist.
Widerberg was born in Oslo to Nicolai Magnus Widerberg and Ingrid Christine Blom. He made his exhibition debut in Oslo in 1963. Among his works is the woodcut Hieronymus from 1962 and De usynlige from 1979, both at the National Gallery of Norway. He was an exhibitor at the Bergen International Festival, and represented Norway at the Venice Biennale.Widerberg died at his home on 7 April 2017 after a short illness, one day before his 83rd birthday.