A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, and can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Just over half of all primary brain tumors are malignant; the rest are benign, though they may still be life-threatening. In the United States in 2000, survivors of benign primary brain tumors outnumbered those who had cancerous primary brain tumors by approximately 4:1. Metastatic brain cancer is over six times more common than primary brain cancer, as it occurs in about 10–30% of all people with cancer.[1]
This is a list of notable people who have had a primary or metastatic brain tumor (either benign or malignant) at some time in their lives, as confirmed by public information. Tumor type and survival duration are listed where the information is known. Blank spaces in these columns appear where precise information has not been released to the public. Medicine does not designate most long-term survivors as cured.
The National Cancer Institute estimated 22,070 new cases of primary brain cancer and 12,920 deaths due to the illness in the United States in 2009. The age-adjusted incidence rate is 6.4 per 100,000 per year, and the death rate is 4.3 per 100,000 per year. The lifetime risk of developing brain cancer for someone born today is 0.60%. Only around a third of those diagnosed with brain cancer survive for five years after diagnosis. These high overall mortality rates are a result of the prevalence of aggressive types, such as glioblastoma multiforme. Nearly 14% of new brain tumor diagnoses occur in persons under 20 years of age.[2]
Acting
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Anholt | 1941–2002 | Actor with various television credits, including Space: 1999, The Protectors and Howards' Way | — | — | [3] |
| Sam Bottoms | 1955–2008 | Actor who played in the movies Apocalypse Now and The Last Picture Show | Glioblastoma multiforme | — | [4] |
| Patrick Cargill | 1918–1996 | British film and television actor who had been in ill health since being treated for a brain tumor and died a year later; his death was initially attributed to a hit-and-run accident | — | — | [5] |
| Bert Convy | 1933–1991 | Stage, film and television actor and host | Glioblastoma multiforme | 15 months | [6] |
| Ross Davidson | 1949–2006 | Actor who played Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders | Glioblastoma multiforme | 20 months | [7] |
| Sandy Duncan | 1946– | Tony Award–nominated Broadway actress, television actress | — | 1971– | [8] |
| Linda Gary | 1944–1995 | Voice artist for Scooby-Doo and other animated series | — | — | [9] |
| Brian Glover | 1934–1997 | Actor, professional wrestler and teacher | — | — | [10] |
| Richard Greene | 1918–1985 | Actor who appeared in more than 40 movies and in the British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood | — | 3 years | [11] |
| Susan Hayward | 1917–1975 | Academy Award–winning film actress | — | 2 years | [12] |
| Edward Herrmann | 1943–2014 | Actor of stage, screen and film | Glioblastoma multiforme | 1 year | [13] |
| Richard Jordan | 1937–1993 | Actor of stage, screen and film | — | — | [14] |
| Martin Kemp | 1961– | Actor and former pop musician who is in the band Spandau Ballet | — | 1995– | [15] |
| Arthur Kennedy | 1914–1990 | Stage and film actor; Tony Award winner | — | — | [16] |
| Lois Kibbee | 1922–1993 | Actress who played Geraldine Weldon Whitney Saxon on the television soap opera The Edge of Night | — | — | [17] |
| Eugene Gordon Lee | 1933–2005 | Child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang (The Little Rascals) comedies | Metastatic tumor | — | [18] |
| Katherine Locke | 1910–1995 | Broadway actress in the late 1930s | — | — | [19] |
| Meredith MacRae | 1944–2000 | Television actress and host | — | — | [20] |
| Victor Maddern | 1926–1993 | Supporting actor in films | — | — | [21] |
| Joseph Maher | 1933–1998 | Irish-born stage actor, film and television character actor | — | — | [22] |
| Irish McCalla | 1928–2002 | Film and television actress, eponymous role in the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle | — | Less than 18 months | [23] |
| Heather Menzies | 1949–2017 | Film and television actress, role in the 1965 film The Sound of Music | — | Less than one month | [24] |
| Buster Merryfield | 1920–1999 | British actor who played Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses | — | — | [25] |
| Bueno de Mesquita | 1918–2005 | Comedian, actor and stage artist, known for his ability to make funny faces; suffered from lung cancer (probable metastasis) | — | — | [26] |
| Greg Morris | 1933–1996 | African American television actor (Mission: Impossible series) | — | — | [27] |
| Pola Negri | 1897–1987 | Polish-American silent movie actress who played numerous femme fatale roles; refused treatment, died of pneumonia | — | 2 years | [28] |
| Tommy Noonan | 1921–1968 | Actor and Producer, best known for supporting role vs Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | — | 8 months | [29] |
| Jerry Paris | 1925–1986 | Actor and director; played Jerry Helper on the television series The Dick Van Dyke Show | — | — | [30] |
| Pat Paterson | 1910–78 | Actress; wife of Charles Boyer | — | — | [31] |
| Pat Paulsen | 1927–1997 | Comedian, featured on the Smothers Brothers television show in the 1960s | — | — | [32] |
| Slim Pickens | 1919–1983 | Rodeo clown turned film actor (Dr. Strangelove) | — | — | [33][34] |
| Kate Reid | 1930–1993 | Canadian actress of stage, film and television | — | — | [35] |
| Mark Ruffalo | 1967– | American film actor; an operation to remove a benign tumor caused him temporary partial paralysis. | Acoustic neuroma | 2001– | [36] |
| Irene Ryan | c. 1902–1973 | Actress who played Granny in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies; she was never told of her tumor and died after suffering a stroke onstage while performing in Pippin in her Broadway debut | — | — | [37] |
| Zachary Scott | 1914–1965 | American film actor, specializing in playing villains (Mildred Pierce) | — | — | [38][39] |
| Alexis Smith | 1921–1993 | Canadian-born film, stage, musical theatre and television actress | — | — | [40] |
| Michelle Stafford | 1965– | Actress, played Phyllis Summers Abbott Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless | — | 1985– | [41] |
| Kathy Staff | 1928–2008 | British actress who played Nora Batty in Last of the Summer Wine | — | Less than 12 months | [42] |
| Werner Stocker | 1955–1993 | Bavarian Film Award (Bayerischer Filmpreis) for Best Young Actors shared with Dana Vávrová for Herbstmilch; featured role in television's Highlander: The Series | — | — | [43] |
| Tara Subkoff | 1972– | American actress and designer; diagnosed in 2009. Successfully underwent surgery, but was left with permanent nerve damage and deafness in right ear. | Acoustic neuroma | — | [44] |
| Kinuyo Tanaka | 1909–1977 | Japanese film actress and director | — | — | [45] |
| Anya Taranda | 1915–1970 | Model, showgirl, actress and wife of the songwriter Harold Arlen | — | — | [46] |
| Elizabeth Taylor | 1932–2011 | Academy Award–winning actress, star of numerous films | Meningioma | 1997–2011 | [47] |
| Henry Victor | 1892–1945 | Character actor (played "Hercules" in the 1932 film Freaks) | — | — | [48][49] |
| Bill Williams | 1915–1992 | Movie actor who played Kit Carson in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Kit Carson | — | — | [50] |
| Jeff Winkless | 1941–2006 | Composer, television and voice actor | — | 15 months | [51] |
Business
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Batten | 1936–1995 | chief executive officer (CEO) of Knight-Ridder publishing. | — | 1 year | [52] |
| Raymond Bonham Carter | 1929–2004 | Banker who became a director of S. G. Warburg & Co. and the father of actress Helena Bonham Carter. He became quadriplegic and partially blind after an operation to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor. | — | 25 years | [53] |
| Mary Lou Jepsen | 1965– | Technologist and businesswoman, with a focus on optics and electronics. | Pituitary tumor | many years | [54] |
| Reginald Lewis | 1942–1993 | CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc, the first African-American-run company to have over $1 billion in annual sales. | — | — | [55] |
| Gerry Pencer | 1945–1998 | Chief executive officer of Cott Beverages. Pencer and his family became significant philanthropists of brain tumor research and medicine. | Glioblastoma multiforme | 8 months | [56] |
| Rene Rivkin | 1944–2005 | Stockbroker convicted of insider trading | Multiple meningioma | — | [57] |
| Dawn Steel | 1946–1997 | First female top executive of a major Hollywood studio | — | 20 months | [58] |
| Preston Robert Tisch | 1926–2005 | Businessman; former Postmaster General and half-owner of the New York Giants | — | — | [59] |
Film, television, and radio
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Berg | 1934–1984 | Progressive talk radio host in Denver, Colorado who broadcast his program on KOA. He was murdered in 1984; his story formed the basis of the Oliver Stone film Talk Radio. | — | 8 years | [60] |
| Jack Brickhouse | 1916–1998 | Sports broadcast announcer | — | 6 months | [61] |
| Tom Cheek | 1939–2005 | Radio broadcaster who announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays | — | 15 months | [62][63] |
| Dan Curtis | 1928–2006 | Emmy Award–winning director and producer of television and film | — | 4 months | [64] |
| Bill Elder | 1938–2003 | Award-winning anchor and reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans. | Glioblastoma multiforme | 5 years | [65] |
| Bob Friend | 1938–2008 | Renowned British journalist and TV anchor with BBC and News Corporation. | — | — | [66] |
| Annabel Giles | 1959–2023 | British television and radio presenter and former model | Glioblastoma multiforme | 4 months | [67] |
| Russell Grant | 1951– | British astrologer and media personality | — | 2022– | [68] |
| Chuck Howard | 1933–1996 | Former producer at ABC Sports and winner of 11 Emmy Awards | — | — | [69] |
| Simone Giertz | 1990– | Swedish YouTube personality, TV host and inventor | — | 2018– | [70] |
| Ted Husing | 1901–1962 | Pioneer radio sportscaster | — | 6 years | [71] |
| Sam Lloyd | 1963–2020 | American actor, singer, and musician, best known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series Scrubs and the sitcom Cougar Town. | — | 6 years | [72] |
| Anita Martini | 1939–1993 | Pioneer print, radio and TV sports journalist who was the first woman to do an interview inside a professional sports locker room (1974); first woman to do on-the-field interviews at a Major League Baseball All-Star Game (1973); and first woman to do radio play-by-play of a professional baseball game (1976). She was the sports anchor for the Houston NBC affiliate and hosted radio sports talk shows for many years in the city. | Glioblastoma multiforme | July 1989 – July 1993 | [73] |
| Britt McHenry | 1986– | American sports journalist | 2020– | [74] | |
| Maria Menounos | 1978– | Television host of shows such as Today, Access Hollywood, and Extra | Meningioma | 2017– | [75] |
| Eleanor Mondale | 1960–2011 | Cable television host on the E! network; daughter of former United States Vice President Walter Mondale | Glioma with astrocytoma cells | June 2005 – September 2011 | [76] |
| Andrew Olle | 1947–1995 | Presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Glioblastoma multiforme | 5 days after collapsing (which led to diagnosis)[77] | [78] |
| Judd Rose | 1955–2000 | Emmy Award–winning television news reporter, co-anchor of CNN Newsstand | Astrocytoma | About 6 years | [79] |
| Gene Siskel | 1946–1999 | Film critic for the Chicago Tribune; television partner of fellow critic Roger Ebert | — | Less than 1 year | [27] |
| Julia Somerville | 1947– | Television news anchor and reporter who has worked for BBC News and ITN | — | 1993– | [80] |
| François Truffaut | 1932–1984 | Film director with over 25 films to his credit, including The 400 Blows | — | — | [81] |
| Stan Zemanek | 1947–2007 | Australian radio broadcaster and television personality; presented a night-time show on the radio station 2UE | Glioblastoma multiforme | 15 months | [82] |
| Kasino | 1950–1997 | Indonesian actor and comedian member of the comedy group Warkop. | — | 13 months | [83] |
Military
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaime Milans del Bosch | 1915–1997 | Lieutenant General in the Spanish Army who was dismissed in 1981 for his role in the failed coup d'état of February 23, 1981 (23-F) | — | — | [84] |
| Bob Braham | 1920–1974 | One of the most highly decorated airmen of the Royal Air Force in World War II | — | — | [85] |
| Seyni Kountché | 1931–1987 | Nigerian military officer who led a 1974 coup d'état that deposed the government of Niger's first president, Hamani Diori; ruled the country as military head of state from 1974 to 1987 | — | — | [86] |
| Thomas W. Steed | 1904–1973 | Military officer in the United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force. During World War II, he commanded the 456th Bomb Group (Heavy) throughout its combat service. | Meningioma | — | [87] |
| Leonard Wood | 1860–1927 | Physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and Governor General of the Philippines | Parasagittal meningioma | 17 years | [88] |
Miscellaneous
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Bannenberg | 1929–2002 | Yacht designer. | — | — | [89] |
| Ben Bowen | 2002–2005 | Huntington, West Virginia child who attracted media attention and fundraising efforts | ATRT | 1 year | [90] |
| Margaret Brown | 1867–1932 | Socialite, philanthropist, and activist; survivor of the Titanic disaster; portrayed in the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the 1997 film Titanic | — | — | [91] |
| Johnnie Cochran | 1937–2005 | Defense attorney, best known for being a member of the "Dream Team", during the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. Also defense attorney for the 1993 Michael Jackson child molestation case. Jackson settled the case with the accusing family. | — | 1 year | [92] |
| Dennis E. Fitch | 1942–2012 | American commercial airline pilot. Known for his actions that helped to save the lives of 184 of the passengers on board United Airlines Flight 232. | — | 2 years | [93] |
| Robert W. Funk | 1926–2005 | Academic theologian; author and founder of the Jesus Seminar | — | — | [94] |
| Henry Kock | 1952–2005 | Horticulturist at the University of Guelph Arboretum | — | 18 months | [95] |
| Tommy Lucchese | 1899–1967 | Gangster, head of the Lucchese Family of the New York City Mafia's Five Families, 1951–1967 | — | 2 years | [96] |
| Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent | 1906–1968 | Member of the British royal family | — | — | [97] |
| Brittany Maynard | 1984–2014 | Advocate for the legalization of aid in dying | Astrocytoma | 11 months | [98] |
| Marshall McLuhan | 1911–1980 | Canadian Communications theorist and educator | — | 11 years | [99] |
| Connor Michalek | 2005–2014 | Professional wrestling fan and posthumous WWE Hall of Fame | Medulloblastoma | 5 years | [100] |
| Enric Miralles | 1955–2000 | Architect whose works include the Scottish Parliament Building | — | — | [101] |
| John Joseph O'Connor | 1920–2000 | Eleventh bishop (eighth archbishop) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York | — | — | [102] |
| Alexandra Sestak | 2001–2020 | Daughter of Joe & Susan Clark Sestak | — | — | [103] |
| Craig Shergold | 1979–2020 | Former brain cancer patient who received more than 33 million greeting cards, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He recovered fully. | — | 1989– | [104] |
| Deke Slayton | 1924–1993 | One of the seven Mercury Seven astronauts | Malignant brain tumor | 1 year | [105] |
| Doris Tate | 1924–1992 | Activist in the victims' rights movement; mother of murder victim Sharon Tate | Metastatic tumor | — | [106] |
| Mary Hayward Weir | 1915–1968 | Steel heiress and socialite | — | — | [107] |
| Charles Whitman | 1941–1966 | Ascended the University of Texas at Austin's 27-story tower in 1966, and shot passersby in the city and on the campus below before being shot dead by Austin Police. Tumor found on autopsy. | Glioblastoma multiforme | — | [108] |
| Richard Wild | 1912–1978 | Former Chief Justice of New Zealand (1966–1978) | — | — | [109] |
| Frank Wills | 1948–2000 | Security guard who uncovered the break-in that led to the Watergate scandal | — | — | [110] |
Music
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Allison | 1939–1997 | Blues guitarist | Metastatic tumor | Less than 1 year | [111] |
| William "Cat" Anderson | 1916–1981 | A jazz trumpeter who played with Duke Ellington's orchestra | — | — | [112] |
| Arrow (Alphonsus Cassell) | 1949–2010 | Montserrat soca singer-songwriter | — | — | [113] |
| Arleen Auger | 1939–1993 | American soprano | Glioblastoma | 14 months | [114] |
| David M. Bailey | 1966–2010 | Contemporary Christian songwriter and musician | Glioblastoma | July 1996 – October 2010 | [115] |
| Bill Black | 1926–1965 | Rock and roll bass player; recorded with Elvis Presley during 1954–1958 | — | — | [116] |
| Davey von Bohlen | 1975– | Musician and songwriter | Meningioma | 2000– | [117] |
| Michael Bolton | 1953 | Singer and songwriter | - | 2024- | [118] |
| Ray Bumatai | 1952–2005 | Musician, comedian and voice actor | Glioblastoma | 3 years | [119] |
| Gregg Burge | 1957–1998 | Tap dancer and choreographer | — | — | [120] |
| A. J. Croce | 1971– | Singer-songwriter; son of singer-songwriter Jim Croce | — | 1975– | [121] |
| Sheryl Crow | 1962– | Singer-songwriter and guitarist | Meningioma | 2011– | [122] |
| Celia Cruz | 1925–2003 | Cuban salsa singer, Afro-Cuban music | — | — | [123] |
| Gord Downie | 1964–2017 | Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist; lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip | Glioblastoma | Dec 2015 – Oct 2017 | [124] |
| William Finn | 1952– | Tony Award–winning Broadway songwriter; wrote the show A New Brain, which was about his experiences. | — | 1992– | [125] |
| Hardy Fox | 1945–2018 | Co-founder and composer of The Residents | Glioblastoma | 1 month | [126] |
| Sergio Franchi | 1926–1990 | Italian-American tenor | — | — | [127][128] |
| Marie Fredriksson | 1958–2019 | Lead singer of the Swedish pop duo Roxette | — | 2002–2019 | [129] |
| Jeanna Friske | 1974–2015 | Member of the Russian girl group Blestyashchiye, actress, model | Glioblastoma | Feb 2013 — June 2015 | [130] |
| George Gershwin | 1898–1937 | Jazz and classical music composer; co-writer of stage musicals and film scores | Astrocytoma of unknown variety | 1 month | [131] |
| Lou Gramm | 1950– | Rock music vocalist and songwriter, former lead vocalist for Foreigner | Craniopharyngioma | 1996– | [132] |
| Bill Haley | 1925–1981 | Leader of one of the first rock and roll bands, The Comets | — | 2 years | [133][134] |
| George Harrison | 1943–2001 | Lead guitarist of the Beatles, songwriter, successful solo artist, and influential spiritual figure. | Metastatic tumor | — | [135] |
| Simon Jeffes | 1949–1997 | Guitarist, composer and arranger; member of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra | — | Less than 2 years | [136] |
| Barney Kessel | 1923–2004 | Jazz guitarist who played with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Elvis Presley, and The Beach Boys | — | — | [137] |
| Lemmy Kilmister | 1945–2015 | Lead vocalist, bassist, and founding member of Motörhead | Metastatic prostate cancer | Two days | [138] |
| Otto Klemperer | 1885–1973 | Conductor; father of actor Werner Klemperer | — | 40 years | [139] |
| John Loder | 1946–2005 | Sound engineer, record producer and founder of Southern Studios. | — | Less than 2 years | [140] |
| John Mack | 1926–2006 | Principal oboist with the Cleveland Orchestra | — | — | [141] |
| Brian MacLeod | 1952–1992 | Musician, songwriter and music producer; member of the bands Chilliwack and The Headpins | — | Less than 3 years | [142] |
| Bob Marley | 1945–1981 | Reggae musician | Metastatic melanoma | — | [27] |
| Johnny Mercer | 1909–1976 | Songwriter and lyricist | — | — | [143] |
| Ethel Merman | 1908–1984 | Broadway singer and actress | Glioblastoma multiforme | 10 months | [144][145] |
| Robert Moog | 1934–2005 | Inventor of the modern music synthesizer | Glioblastoma multiforme | 4 months | [146][147] |
| Ted Mulry | 1947–2001 | Singer, songwriter and musician who formed the band Ted Mulry Gang (TMG). | — | — | [148] |
| James Murphy | 1967– | Heavy metal guitarist who played in several groups | Pituitary macro-adenoma | 2001– | [149] |
| Wayne Osmond | 1951– | Singer, second oldest of the performing Osmond brothers | Ependymoma | 1994– | [150] |
| Renato Pagliari | 1940–2009 | Italian-born British singer famous for the 1982 Christmas number-one Save Your Love | — | 5 months | [151][152] |
| Junior Parker | 1932–1971 | Blues singer | — | — | [153] |
| Tom Parker | 1988–2022 | Musician (vocals/guitar/piano) and member of The Wanted | Glioblastoma | 2020–2022 | [154] |
| Frank Patterson | 1938–2000 | Classically trained Irish tenor | — | — | [155][156] |
| Neil Peart | 1952–2020 | Drummer and primary lyricist for Rush | Glioblastoma | 3+1⁄2 years | [157][158] |
| Lucia Popp | 1939–1993 | Operatic soprano | — | — | [159][160] |
| Louis Prima | 1910–1978 | Entertainer, singer, actor, and trumpeter known as the "King of the Swingers". He never recovered from an operation to remove a benign brain-stem tumor, which left him in a coma for nearly three years. | — | — | [161] |
| Rainer Ptacek | 1951–1997 | Guitarist, singer and songwriter | — | — | [162] |
| Lou Rawls | 1933–2006 | Soul, jazz, and blues singer; philanthropist | Metastatic tumor | 7 months | [163] |
| Buddy Rich | 1917–1987 | Jazz drummer and bandleader | — | — | [164] |
| Johnny Ruffo | 1988–2023 | Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and television presenter | — | 2017–2023 | [165] |
| Sam Sneed | 1968– | A record producer and rapper | — | 1999– | [166] |
| Chuck Schuldiner | 1967–2001 | Former guitarist and singer for the band Death; former guitarist for Control Denied; influential figure in the development of death metal | Pontine glioma | 2 years | [167] |
| Bill Stevenson | 1963– | Drummer for Descendents | — | — | [168] |
| Tammi Terrell | 1945–1970 | Soul/R&B/Motown Singer, duettist with Marvin Gaye on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and other hit singles. Also toured with James Brown. | Acorn-sized astrocytoma in thalamus | 2 years, 5 months. | [169] |
| Michael Tilson Thomas | 1944– | Conductor, pianist and composer | Glioblastoma multiforme | 2022– | [170] |
| Tionne Watkins | 1970– | R&B singer from the R&B/Hip Hop group TLC | Strawberry-sized acoustic neuroma on her vestibular nerve | 2006– | [171] |
| Russell Watson | 1966– | English tenor who has released popular albums of operatic-style songs | Pituitary adenoma | 2006– | [172][173] |
| Sandy West | 1959–2006 | Musician, singer-songwriter and drummer | Metastatic lung cancer | — | [174] |
| Carl Wilson | 1946–1998 | Musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist; member of The Beach Boys | Metastatic lung cancer | 1997—1998 | [175] |
| Kai Winding | 1922–1983 | Trombonist and jazz composer | — | — | [176][177] |
| Webster Young | 1932–2003 | Jazz trumpeter and cornetist. | — | — | [178] |
Politics and government
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Atwater | 1951–1991 | Chairman of the United States Republican National Committee | Anaplastic astrocytoma | 1 year | [179] |
| William J. Casey | 1913–1987 | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | — | 5 months | [180] |
| Beau Biden | 1969–2015 | Attorney General of Delaware. Biden was also the first son of the 46th US President (2020) Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia.[181] | Glioblastoma multiforme | 21 months | [182] |
| Jimmy Carter | 1924– | 39th President of the United States, and Governor of Georgia | Melanoma | — | [183] |
| Chakufwa Chihana | 1939–2006 | Trade unionist and politician | — | 1 month | [184] |
| Alan Clark | 1928–1999 | British Conservative politician, historian and diarist | — | — | [185] |
| Paul Dewar | 1964–2019 | Canadian Member of Parliament | Glioblastoma | 1 year | [186][187] |
| Clair Engle | 1911–1964 | United States Representative and United States Senator from California. Late in his illness, he broke a filibuster and helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wheelchair-bound and no longer able to speak, he raised his hand to his eye to signal his vote ("aye"). | — | 1 year | [188][189] |
| Gérald Godin | 1938–1994 | Parti Québécois politician and cabinet minister | — | — | [190][191] |
| Wayne Goss | 1951–2014[192] | Former Premier of Queensland, Australia | — | 1997–2014 | [193] |
| Paul B. Henry | 1942–1993 | Evangelical Christian, professor of political science, and United States Representative from Michigan | — | — | [194] |
| David Hermelin | 1936–2000 | United States Ambassador to Norway | — | 1 year | [195] |
| Tessa Jowell | 1947–2018 | British Labour politician | Glioblastoma multiforme | 1 year | [196] |
| Ted Kennedy | 1932–2009 | United States Senator from Massachusetts | Glioblastoma multiforme | 15 months | [197] |
| Peter Law | 1948–2006 | Welsh politician, independent Member of Parliament (MP) and AM. | — | — | [198] |
| Clare Boothe Luce | 1903–1987 | American politician and diplomat; an editor, playwright, social activist and journalist | — | — | [199][200] |
| Jean-Philippe Maitre | 1949–2006 | Politician and former President of the Swiss National Council | — | — | [201] |
| Gladys Marín | 1941–2005 | Political activist and former president of the Communist Party of Chile | Glioblastoma multiforme | — | [202][203] |
| John McCain | 1936–2018 | Vietnam War POW, United States Representative and United States Senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee | Glioblastoma multiforme | 13 months | [204] |
| Robert Evander McNair | 1923–2007 | Governor of South Carolina | — | 50 days | [205] |
| Lennart Meri | 1929–2006 | President of Estonia | — | 7 months | [206] |
| Mo Mowlam | 1949–2005 | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | — | 7 years | [207] |
| Robert Novak | 1931–2009 | Political pundit | — | 1 year | [208] |
| Alan Nunnelee | 1958–2015 | United States Representative from Mississippi | — | 9 months | [209] |
| Bob O'Connor | 1944–2006 | Mayor of Pittsburgh | Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma | — | [210] |
| Pío Pico | 1801–1894 | Last Mexican governor of California; suffered from Acromegaly between at least 1847 to 1858, followed by selective pituitary tumor apoplexy with reversal of all tumor manifestations and survival to 1894 | Growth hormone–secreting pituitary adenoma with apoplexy | 1847–1894 | [211] |
| Arlen Specter | 1930–2012 | United States Senator from Pennsylvania | — | 1993–2012 | [212] |
| Mike Synar | 1950–1996 | United States Representative from Oklahoma | Glioblastoma multiforme | 5 months | [27] |
| Frank Tejeda | 1946–1997 | United States Representative from Texas | — | 1 year | [213] |
| Joop den Uyl | 1919–1987 | Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the social democratic Labour Party (PvdA). | — | 3 months | [214][215] |
Science
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandr Zinovyev | 1922–2006 | Logician, sociologist, writer of Russian literature and satirist | — | — | [216] |
| Chris O'Brien | 1952–2009 | Oncologist, surgeon, participant in Australian reality television programme RPA | Glioblastoma multiforme | 2+1⁄2 years | [217] |
| Édouard Brissaud | 1852–1909 | A physician and pathologist. His tumor was unsuccessfully operated on by Sir Victor Horsley. | — | — | [218][219] |
| J. Allen Hynek | 1910–1986 | Astronomer, professor, and ufologist | — | — | [220] |
| John Vlissides | 1961–2005 | Software scientist specialising in object oriented technology, design patterns and software modelling | — | — | [221] |
| Max Abraham | 1875–1922 | Physicist and contemporary of Einstein and Lorentz | — | — | [222] |
| Mihai Pătrașcu | 1982–2012 | Computer scientist | — | — | [223] |
| Norman Levinson | 1912–1975 | Mathematician | — | — | [224][225] |
| John L. Lumley | 1930–12015 | fluid dynamicist | Glioblastoma | 11 months | |
| Paul Feyerabend | 1924–1994 | Philosopher of science | — | Less than 1 year | [226] |
| Rhodes Fairbridge | 1914–2006 | Geologist and expert on climate change | — | — | [227] |
| Thomas Donaldson | 1945–2006 | Mathematician and cryonics advocate | — | — | [228][229] |
| Thor Heyerdahl | 1914–2002 | Marine biologist who embarked on Kon-Tiki expedition and other journeys that reproduced ancient technology and demonstrated the feasibility of ancient sea migrations. | — | Less than 1 year | [230] |
| William Bright | 1928–2006 | Linguist who specialized in Native American and South Asian languages and descriptive linguistics; father of Susie Bright | — | — | [231] |
| Larry W. Fullerton | 1950–2016 | American inventor | Glioblastoma multiforme | Less than 1 year | [232] |
| Andreas Kay | 1963–2019 | Naturalist and wildlife photographer | Glioblastoma | — | [233] |
Sports
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyle Alzado | 1949–1992 | National Football League (NFL) football player; made public statements attributing his tumor to anabolic steroids, a claim not supported by medical research. | CNS lymphoma | — | [234] | |
| Lance Armstrong | 1971– | Racing cyclist who was diagnosed with testicular cancer that spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. | Metastatic tumor | 1996– | [235] | |
| Seve Ballesteros | 1957–2011 | Spanish golfer; winner of five major championships | Oligoastrocytoma | 2008–2011 | [236][237] | |
| Kevin Berry | 1945–2006 | Butterfly swimmer, Olympic gold medalist | — | — | [238] | |
| Angelo Bertelli | 1921–1999 | American football quarterback | — | — | [239] | |
| Bobby Bonds | 1946–2003 | Right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants; father of Barry Bonds | — | — | [240] | |
| Ken Brett | 1948–2003 | Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher; brother of Hall of Famer George Brett | — | 6 years | [241] | |
| José María Buljubasich | 1971– | Argentine association football goalkeeper | — | 2006– | [242] | |
| Richard Burns | 1971–2005 | Rally driver, 2001 WRC Champion | Astrocytoma | 2 years | [243] | |
| Matt Cappotelli | 1979–2018 | Professional wrestler | Astrocytoma later Glioblastoma | 2006–2018 | [244] | |
| Richard Chelimo | 1972–2001 | Track champion from Kenya; former 10,000-meter world record holder | — | — | [245] | |
| Maurice Colclough | 1953–2006 | Rugby player, part of England's Grand Slam–winning team in the 1980 Five Nations Championship | — | — | [246] | |
| Darren Daulton | 1962–2017 | Phillies catcher and leader | Glioblastoma | 4 years | ||
| Chris Doleman | 1961–2020 | NFL Hall of Fame defensive end; played for Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers | Glioblastoma | 2 years | [247] | |
| Dan Duva | 1951–1996 | Boxing promoter behind more than 100 world championship bouts | Primary brain tumor | [248] | ||
| Vugar Gashimov | 1986–2014 | Chess grandmaster; 2009 European Team Chess Championship winner | — | 14 years | [249] | |
| Josh Gibson | 1911–1947 | Negro league baseball player; home run hitter with the highest career batting average in league history | — | 4 years | [250] | |
| Tim Gullikson | 1951–1996 | Champion doubles tennis player alongside his twin brother Tom; coach of Pete Sampras | — | — | [251] | |
| Scott Hamilton | 1958– | Figure skater and Olympic gold medalist | Pituitary gland | 2004– | [252] | |
| John Hartson | 1975– | Professional footballer | Metastatic tumor | 2009– | [235] | |
| Craig "Ironhead" Heyward | 1966–2006 | American football running back who played in the NFL | Chordoma | 8 years | [253] | |
| Heiko Herrlich | 1971– | German association football player; Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League and Intercontinental Cup winner | Germinoma | 2000– | [254][255] | |
| Lauren Hill | 1995–2015 | Mount St. Joseph University student whose quest to play college basketball received major publicity in the U.S. | Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma | 16 months | [256] | |
| Terry Hoeppner | 1947–2007 | Indiana University, Miami (Ohio) University head football coach | — | 18 months (2005–2007) | [257] | |
| Dick Howser | 1936–1987 | MLB shortstop and manager; led Kansas City Royals to 1985 World Series championship. | — | 1 year | [258] | |
| Emlyn Hughes | 1947–2004 | Association football player; European Cup winner of 1977; also known from the BBC television quiz show A Question of Sport | — | 15 months | [259] | |
| Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie | 1933–2006 | English cricketer | — | 4 months | [260] | |
| Riccardo Ingram | 1966–2015 | MLB player and coach | — | 2009–2015 | — | |
| "Badger" Bob Johnson | 1931–1991 | Ice hockey coach, won the 1991 Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) | — | 2 months | [261] | |
| Walter Johnson | 1887–1946 | Right-handed pitcher in MLB; one of the first five members of the Hall of Fame | — | — | [262][263] | |
| Ruben Kruger | 1970–2010 | South African rugby union player; member of the Springboks team that won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, portrayed in the film Invictus | — | 10 years | [264] | |
| Kyle Kuric | 1989– | American basketball player (University of Louisville, Estudiantes, Gran Canaria) | Meningioma | — | [265] | |
| Joe Lewis | 1944–2012 | American martial artist, kickboxer, point karate fighter, and actor. | — | 13 months | [266] | |
| Eric Liddell | 1902–1945 | Olympic gold medalist in track; portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire | — | — | [267] | |
| Reginald Lisowski | 1926–2005 | Professional wrestler; known as "The Crusher" | — | — | [268] | |
| Wayne Maki | 1944–1973 | Vancouver Canucks player in the NHL | — | Less than 5 months | [269][270] | |
| Peter May | 1929–1994 | An English cricketer who played for Surrey, Cambridge University and England | — | — | [271] | |
| Frank Edward "Tug" McGraw | 1944–2004 | Major League Baseball pitcher; father of country music star Tim McGraw | Glioblastoma multiforme | 9 months | [272] | |
| Robert Müller | 1980–2009 | Professional (Deutsche Eishockey Liga) ice hockey goaltender. | Glioblastoma multiforme | 3 years | [273] | |
| Bobby Murcer | 1946–2008 | Major League Baseball player and broadcaster | — | 19 months | [274] | |
| Johnny Oates | 1946–2004 | MLB catcher and manager | Glioblastoma multiforme | 3 years | [275] | |
| Kim Perrot | 1967–1999 | Basketball player on the Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) | Metastatic (lung cancer) | — | [276] | |
| John Prentice | 1926–2006 | Former association football player; Scotland national football team manager | — | — | [277] | |
| Dan Quisenberry | 1953–1998 | MLB pitcher, mostly as a closer; pitched with "submarine" style | Astrocytoma | 9 months | [278][279] | |
| Robert Ramsay | 1973–2016 | Former Seattle Mariners pitcher | — | 15 years | [280] | |
| Bobby Robson | 1933–2009 | A former association football player and England national football team manager | — | — | [281] | |
| Glenn Roeder | 1955–2021 | English association football manager and former player | — | 2003–2021 | [282] | |
| Pete Rozelle | 1926–1996 | NFL commissioner | — | — | [283] | |
| Wilma Rudolph | 1940–1994 | Olympic gold medalist in track | — | 5 months | [284] | [285] |
| Robert Stone | 1956–2005 | a professional rugby league footballer and official who played for the St. George Dragons | — | 17 months | [286] | |
| Earl Strom | 1927–1994 | A basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Association (ABA) | — | — | [287] | |
| Fritz Von Erich | 1929–1997 | Wrestler and wrestling promoter of independent promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW); patriarch of the Von Erich family | — | — | [288] | |
| John Vukovich | 1947–2007 | MLB infielder and third base coach | — | 18 months | [289] | |
| Dick Wantz | 1940–1965 | Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels | — | 1 month | [290] | |
| Michael Weiner | 1961–2013 | executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association | — | 15 months | [291] |
Visual arts
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevyn Aucoin | 1962–2002 | Make-up artist and photographer | Pituitary gland tumor | — | [292] | |
| Fred Conlon | 1943–2005 | Sculptor | Glioblastoma | 8 months | [293][294] | |
| Arthur "Weegee" Fellig | 1899–1968 | Photographer and photojournalist; works include stark black-and-white street photography | — | — | [295] | |
| Eva Hesse | 1936–1970 | Abstract sculptor | — | — | [296] | |
| Philip Iverson | 1965–2006 | Expressionist painter | — | — | [297] | |
| Lynn Kohlman | 1946–2008 | Fashion model, photographer, and author | Glioblastoma multiforme | 2002–2008 | [298][299] | |
| Bunny Matthews | 1951–2021 | New Orleans cartoonist | — | 2015–2021 | [300] | [301] |
| Owen Merton | 1887–1931 | Post-Impressionist painter, primarily in watercolor landscapes and seascapes | — | — | [302] | |
| Ferdinand Preiss | 1882–1943 | Art deco sculptor who specialized in ivory and bronze | — | — | [303] | |
| Eero Saarinen | 1910–1961 | Architect whose work included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri | — | 11 days | [304] | |
| John Willie | 1902–1962 | Fetish photographer and bondage artist | — | — | [305] | |
| Larayna Tapetillo | 2000–2021 | Photographer/Artist | Gliomatosis Cerebri | 16 months |
Writing
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Albright | 1955–2006 | Magazine editor; author of cookbooks (with Regis and Kathie Lee) and also books about the craft of knitting. | — | — | [306] |
| Duygu Asena | 1946–2006 | Author and activist for women's rights | — | 2 years | [307] |
| Bebe Moore Campbell | 1950–2006 | Author whose books dealt with race and mental health issues | — | — | [308] |
| Raymond Carver | 1938–1988 | Short-story writer and poet | Metastatic tumor | — | [309] |
| Hugh Cook | 1956–2008 | Author of fantasy series Chronicles of an Age of Darkness | — | — | [310] |
| Michael Cormican | 1948–2023 | Author of A Long Way From Tipperary. During his period with this illness he made medical history in Canada as the first Albertan to be authorized and receive the groundbreaking and potentially life-changing Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccine treatment for brain tumours through Health Canada’s Special Access Program. | Glioblastoma multiforme | 22 months | [311] |
| Carl Foreman | 1914–1984 | Screenwriter and film producer | — | 6 to 9 months | [312] |
| Robert Forward | 1932–2002 | Physicist and science fiction writer | — | 4 months | [313] |
| John Galsworthy | 1867–1933 | Nobel prize–winning novelist and playwright whose works include The Forsyte Saga | — | — | [314] |
| Veronica Geng | 1941–1997 | Writer, humorist and former editor of The New Yorker | — | 13 months | [315] |
| Johnny Gunther | 1929–1947 | Teenage brain tumor patient, son of novelist John Gunther. His illness became the central theme of his father's book Death Be Not Proud. | Right parietal-occipital glioblastoma multiforme | 15 months | [316] |
| Wolfgang Herrndorf | 1965–2013 | Author, blogger, painter and illustrator. Blog about his life with the tumor: Arbeit und Struktur. | — | — | [317] |
| Frigyes Karinthy | 1887–1938 | Author, playwright, poet, journalist and translator | — | — | [318] |
| Pat Kavanagh | 1940–2008 | British literary agent | — | 5 weeks | [319] |
| Stephen Knight | 1951–1985 | Author who was known for his books criticising the Freemasons. He started having seizures in 1977 and in 1980, agreed to take part in a BBC documentary TV program Horizon on epilepsy. The producers arranged for a brain scan, which showed up a tumor. This was removed but returned in 1984 and despite further surgery he died in 1985. | — | 5 years | [320] |
| Lynda Lee-Potter | 1935–2004 | Columnist for the British newspaper Daily Mail | — | — | [321] |
| Diana Marcum | 1963-2023 | 2015 Pulitzer Prize winning former reporter (feature writing) for Los Angeles Times; author of books “The Tenth Island” and “The Fallen Stones” | Glioblastoma multiforme | — | [322] |
| Terence McKenna | 1946–2000 | Writer and counterculture figure | Glioblastoma multiforme | Less than 1 year | [323] |
| William Vaughn Moody | 1869–1910 | Dramatist and poet | — | — | [324] |
| Ivan Noble | 1967–2005 | BBC journalist and science writer who published columns about his experience with the illness; author of Like a Hole in the Head | Glioblastoma multiforme | 2+1⁄2 years | [325][326] |
| Chaim Potok | 1929–2002 | Rabbi and author whose works included the 1967 novel The Chosen | — | 2 years | [327] |
| Matt Price | 1961–2007 | Australian journalist and newspaper columnist. | Glioblastoma multiforme | 6 weeks | [328] |
| Timothy Reuter | 1947–2002 | Historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany | — | — | [329] |
| David Shaw | 1943–2005 | Los Angeles Times journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1991 | — | Less than 3 months | [330] |
| Charles Sheffield | 1935–2002 | Mathematician, physicist and science fiction writer | — | 3 months | [331] |
| Mary Shelley | 1797–1851 | Author of Frankenstein; wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley | — | 46 days | [332] |
| Robert Sobel | 1931–1999 | Award-winning author of numerous business histories and syndicated newspaper columnist | — | 9 months | [333] |
| Lou Stathis | 1952–1997 | Writer, editor and critic | — | 10 months | [334] |
| Trumbull Stickney | 1874–1904 | Swiss-born American poet | — | — | [335] |
| James Weinstein | 1926–2005 | Socialist historian and journalist; founder and publisher of In These Times | — | — | [336] |
Notes and references
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