Norman Rockwell

popular name: Charles M. Schulz

date_of_death: February 12, 2000

age: 77

cause_of_death: Colon cancer

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: The most successful comic strip in newspaper history, PEANUTS appears in some 2,600 newspaper in 75 countries and is translated into 21 languages. United Feature Syndicate started the strip in syndication on October 2, 1950. He died on the day before his final comic strip was printed and per his wishes, nobody else is allowed to draw or publish new Peanuts comic strips. The influence of Charles Schulz on several generations of cartoonists cannot be overstated. "With intelligence, honesty, and wonderfully expressive artwork, Charles Schulz gave the comics a unique world of humor, fantasy, warmth and pain that completely reconfigured the comic strip landscape," Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, wrote in 1989. It was PEANUTS that truly brought the American comic strip into the lives of contemporary readers using innovations such as Lucy's Psychiatric Booth, Linus' Security Blanket(a phrase originally coined by Mr. Schulz), Snoopy's fantasies, and Charlie Brown's baseball team. There will never be another cartoonist quite like Charles M. Schulz.

popular name: Bob Ross

date_of_death: July 4, 1995

age: 52

cause_of_death: Complications from lymphoma

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Bob Ross, with his distinctive hair style and quiet demeanor, was a popular American painter, art instructor, and television host. The painter who gave us “happy little trees” was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, CBC in Canada, and similar channels in Latin America, and Europe. The show consisted of more than 400 episodes, was as meditative as it was instructive. Ross was a force of pure positivity in a world without a lot of it. Never a picture of health, Bob died at the young age of 52 due to complications from lymphoma caused by long-term smoking and the effects of toxic paint fumes and cleaners.

popular name: Amedeo Modigliani

date_of_death: January 24, 1920

age: 35

cause_of_death: Tubercular meningitis

claim_to_fame: Artists

best_know_for: Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian-born artist who moved to Paris in 1906, where he became known for his distinctive portraits and nudes, characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and figures — works that were not received well during his lifetime. His style evolved under the influence of various modernist movements, including post-impressionism, cubism, and African art. Modigliani's work often featured an intimate, sensual quality, with a focus on the human figure. Modigliani's life was marked by struggles, including poor health and financial hardship. He battled tuberculosis throughout much of his life, and his bohemian lifestyle in Paris exposed him to both the highs and lows of the city's artistic circles. He was known for his relationships with fellow artists including Pablo Picasso, Maurice Utrillo, Soutine and Constantin Brâncuși, as well as with several prominent women, including Jeanne Hébuterne, who was his muse and companion. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Modigliani sold most of his works, but never for any great amount of money and often for a meal or rent. Modigliani gained significant recognition after his death at age 35 where he died from complications of  tubercular meningitis. Today, his works—especially his portraits and nudes—have since become highly valued with the sale of Nu couché (1917–18) sold at auction for $170.4 million in 2015 to billionaire Liu Yiqian. Today, he is considered one of the most influential artists of the early 20th century. Upon his death, he was buried in Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, France.