1999 deaths

Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold ( KLEE-bohld; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were American high school seniors who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 in Columbine, Colorado. Harris and Klebold killed 12 students, one teacher, and wounded 24 others. After killing most of their victims in the school's library, they died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds. At the time, it was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history.The ensuing media frenzy and moral panic led to "Columbine" becoming a byword for school shootings, and becoming one of the most infamous mass shootings ever perpetrated in the United States.Harris and Klebold were both born in 1981. Harris was born in Wichita, Kansas, but moved around frequently as a child due to his father's occupation in the United States Air Force, while Klebold was born and raised near Columbine. Harris's family eventually settled in Colorado in 1992. Shortly after, Harris and Klebold met while they were in the 7th grade. Over time, they became increasingly close. By the time they were juniors in high school, they were described as inseparable. There are differing reports; some say Harris and Klebold were very unpopular students once they were upperclassmen, as well as frequent targets of bullying, while others say they were not near the bottom of the school's social hierarchy and that each had many friends, along with active social lives. Columbine High School was known to have an intense "jock culture", which saw popular students, mainly athletes, benefit from special treatment from faculty and other students.According to their journal entries, Harris and Klebold had seemed to begin planning the attack by May 1998, nearly a year before the attack. Throughout the next eleven months, Harris and Klebold meticulously built explosives and gathered an arsenal of weapons. Both Harris and Klebold each left behind several journal writings and home videos, ones they made both alone and together, foreshadowing the massacre and explaining their motives. Harris and Klebold hoped this content would be viewed by the public extensively and inspire followers, although much of the evidence has never been released by authorities.
Harris and Klebold often wore trench coats in school, and in general, as part of their everyday outfits, so after the massacre, it was widely believed Harris and Klebold were part of a clique in school called the "Trenchcoat Mafia", a group of misfits in the school who supposedly rebelled against the popular students. This turned out to be untrue, as neither Harris nor Klebold had any affiliation with the group. The pair's aforementioned writings and videos gave insight into their rationale for the shooting. The FBI concluded that Harris was a psychopath, who exhibited narcissistic traits, unconstrained aggression, and a lack of empathy, while Klebold was concluded to be an angry depressive with a vengeful attitude toward individuals who he believed had mistreated him. However, neither Harris nor Klebold were formally diagnosed with any personality disorders prior to the attack, so this conclusion is often debated. In the following years, various media outlets attributed multiple motivating factors to the attack, including bullying, mental illness, racism, psychiatric medication, and violence in music, movies, and video games. Despite these conclusions, the exact motive for the attack remains inconclusive.
Harris and Klebold have become pop culture icons, with the pair often portrayed, referenced and seen in film, television, video games, music and books. Many killers since the shooting have taken inspiration from the pair (dubbed the Columbine effect), either hailing them as heroes, martyrs and gods, or expressing sympathy for them. Harris and Klebold also have a fanbase, who have coined the term "Columbiners", who write fan fiction and draw fan art of them. Others have also dressed as the duo for cosplay or Halloween.

Naomi Mary Margaret Mitchison, Baroness Mitchison (née Haldane; 1 November 1897 – 11 January 1999) was a Scottish novelist and poet. Often called a doyenne of Scottish literature, she wrote over 90 books of historical and science fiction, travel writing and autobiography. Her husband Dick Mitchison's life peerage in 1964 entitled her to call herself Lady Mitchison, but she never did. Her 1931 work, The Corn King and the Spring Queen, is seen by some as the prime 20th-century historical novel.

Sydney Lewis (October 24, 1919 – March 12, 1999) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and art collector who founded the Best Products Company.

Jens Høyer Hansen (14 July 1940 – 10 August 1999) was a Danish-born jeweller who settled in New Zealand and did most of his well-known work in Nelson, New Zealand. Hansen was one of a number of European-trained jewellers who came to New Zealand in the 1960s and transformed contemporary jewellery in the country, including Tanya Ashken, Kobi Bosshard and Gunter Taemmler.He was the designer and creator of the prop ring used as The One Ring in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.

Elsa Rastad Bråten (1 February 1918 – 21 December 1999) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.
She was born in Oslo as a daughter of typographer and politician Ingvald Rastad and Sigrid Hilton.
During the first cabinet Bratteli from 1971 to 1972, Bråten was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and the Police. She had served as political secretary (today known as political advisor) in the Ministry of Family and Consumer Affairs from 1959 to 1965.
She served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo during the terms 1973–1977. From 1973 to 1976 she met as a regular representative, replacing Knut Frydenlund who was appointed to the second cabinet Bratteli. On the local level she was a member of Oslo city council from 1955 to 1963.
Bråten did not have a higher education. She worked as a journalist in Arbeiderbladet in 1945-1949 and 1950–1951, editor-in-chief of Arbeiderkvinnen from 1953 to 1959, and a consultant.

Grete Nash (née Helland-Hansen; 14 February 1939 – 20 March 1999) was a Norwegian ceramist.
She was born in Oslo to Eigil Helland-Hansen and Sophie Marie Eeg, and was a granddaughter of oceanographer Bjørn Helland-Hansen. She introduced the Japanese raku ware pottery tradition in Norway. Her wall plate Bysants from 1991 was acquired by the Storting, and she is represented in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art and Sørlandets Art Museum. She was decorated Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1998.

Marius Müller (20 August 1958 – 14 March 1999) was a Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, radio host, television host and record producer. He was raised in Manglerud, Oslo and began his career as a professional musician at sixteen. He first became famous in 1981 with the song "Den du veit" and released a total of six solo albums and five albums within the band Funhouse where he was the front man. Müller died 14 March 1999 in a car accident in Groruddalen, Oslo. He was considered one of the foremost guitarists in Norway.

Paul Oskar Kristeller (May 22, 1905 in Berlin – June 7, 1999 in New York, United States) was a scholar of Renaissance humanism. He was awarded the Haskins Medal in 1992. He was last active as Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Columbia University in New York, where he mentored both Irving Louis Horowitz and A. James Gregor.

Sergeant Major Huelet Leo "Joe" Benner (November 1, 1917 – December 12, 1999) was an American multi-discipline pistol shooter during what many consider the golden era of international and national competition (post-World War II through the mid-1960s). He was a member of three U.S. Olympic teams (1948, 1952, and 1956).

Robert Lee Patrick (October 27, 1917 – October 6, 1999) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of two seasons in the major leagues, 1941 and 1942 for the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in nine games, going 4-for-15 at the plate. His career, like so many other players of the so-called Greatest Generation, was interrupted by World War II. He served in the U.S. Army attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant.