2009 deaths

Giovanni Parisi (2 December 1967 – 25 March 2009) was an Italian boxer, who won the gold medal in the Men's Featherweight (57 kg) category at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

O. Carl Simonton (born 29 June 1942 in Los Angeles, died 18 June 2009 in Agoura Hills) was a specialist in radiology and oncology most notable for his unproven cancer treatment methods.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet (née: Wulf, a.k.a. Guru Ma) (April 8, 1939 – October 15, 2009) was an American spiritual leader, author, orator, and writer. In 1963 she married Mark L. Prophet (after ending her first marriage), who had founded The Summit Lighthouse in 1958. Mark and Elizabeth had four children. Elizabeth, after her second husband's death on February 26, 1973, assumed control of The Summit Lighthouse.In 1975, Prophet founded Church Universal and Triumphant, which became the umbrella organization for the movement, and which she expanded worldwide. She also founded Summit University and Summit University Press. In the late 1980s Prophet controversially called on her members to prepare for the possibility of nuclear war at the turn of the decade, encouraging them to construct fallout shelters. In 1996, Prophet handed day-to-day operational control of her organization to a president and board of directors. She maintained her role as spiritual leader until her retirement due to health reasons in 1999.During the 1980s and 1990s, Prophet appeared on Larry King Live, Donahue and Nightline, among other television programs. Earlier media appearances included a feature in 1977 in "The Man Who Would Not Die," an episode of In Search of... She was also featured in 1994 on NBC's Ancient Prophecies.

Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter who was known for being in the famous 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Travers grew up amid the burgeoning folk scene in New York City's Greenwich Village, and she released five solo albums. She sang in the contralto range.

Susanna Foster (born Suzanne DeLee Flanders Larson, December 6, 1924 – January 17, 2009) was an American film actress best known for her leading role as Christine in the 1943 film version of Phantom of the Opera.

Jacques Baratier (8 March 1918 – 27 November 2009) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films. His film Goha won the Jury Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. His 1962 film La poupée was entered for the 12th Berlin International Film Festival.Goha was also shown as part of the Cannes Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Remy Chauvin (10 October 1913 – 8 December 2009) at Sainte-Croix-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, was a biologist and entomologist, and a French Honorary Professor Emeritus at the Sorbonne, PhD, and a senior research fellow since 1946. Chauvin was also known for defending the rights of animals and for being interested in such topics as parapsychology, life after death, psychics, clairvoyance and UFOs. He sometimes wrote under the pseudonym Pierre Duval.