1996 deaths

Duane_Hanson

Duane Hanson (January 17, 1925 – January 6, 1996) was an American artist and sculptor born in Minnesota. He spent most of his career in South Florida. He was known for his life-sized realistic sculptures of people. He cast the works based on human models in various materials, including polyester resin, fiberglass, Bondo, and bronze. Hanson's works are in the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Smithsonian.

Henri_Simonet

Henri François Simonet (10 May 1931 – 15 February 1996) was a Belgian politician.Born in Brussels, Henri Simonet studied law and economics at the ULB and then went to Columbia University as CRB Graduate Fellow. Simonet began his political life as a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as mayor of Anderlecht between 1966 and 1984, succeeding the long-serving Joseph Bracops. Like Bracops, Simonet dominated the local political scene to such an extent that the ambitious Philippe Moureaux moved to neighbouring Molenbeek-Saint-Jean to pursue a career there. In 1985 Simonet left the Socialists to join the Liberal Reformist Party (PRL) where he espoused increasingly atlanticist positions.
As mayor of Anderlecht, Simonet presided over considerable changes to what had been a largely industrial and working class community, attracting new development in the form of the Erasmus Hospital, a teaching hospital tied to the ULB on whose administrative council Simonet served.
Christian D'Hoogh succeeded Simonet as mayor of Anderlecht.
Simonet served as vice-chairman of the European Commission from 1973 to 1977 and as Minister for Regional Economic Development in 1978 and 1979.
On the national plan, Simonet served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and before as Minister of Economics Affairs.
His son Jacques Simonet, who made his political career in the liberal Liberal Reformist Party, served twice as Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region (1999-2000; 2004) and as mayor of Anderlecht from 2000 until his death in 2007.
They are buried together in the cemetery of Anderlecht

Michel_Breistroff

Michel Breistroff (February 5, 1971 – July 17, 1996) was a French professional ice hockey defenceman.Breistroff was born in Roubaix, France. A graduate in anthropology from Harvard University, he died at 25 in the crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, New York. He was playing professional ice hockey for French league team Gothiques d'Amiens at the time of his death. He also played with the France national team during the 1996 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Vienna.
As a passenger on TWA Flight 800, he was killed when the plane exploded shortly after takeoff in 1996. His then-fiancée, Heidi Snow, subsequently created AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services ("ACCESS"), an American nonprofit support group, based in New York City, which helps surviving family members of aircraft crash victims.

Madeleine_Christie

Madeleine Elsie Jane Christie (18 January 1904 – 2 February 1996) was a Scottish actress.
Madeleine Christie studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London.Christie was the mother of actress Amanda Walker, and mother-in-law of Patrick Godfrey.

Norman_MacCaig

Norman Alexander MacCaig DLitt (14 November 1910 – 23 January 1996) was a Scottish poet and teacher. His poetry, in modern English, is known for its humour, simplicity of language and great popularity.

Walter_M._Miller,_Jr.

Walter Michael Miller Jr. (January 23, 1923 – January 9, 1996) was an American science fiction writer. His fix-up novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959), the only novel published in his lifetime, won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Prior to its publication, he was a writer of short stories.

Don_Simpson

Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. Simpson and his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer produced hit films such as Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), and The Rock (1996). At the time of his death in 1996, Simpson's films' total gross was $3 billion worldwide.