MUTHONI WA KIRIMA, aged 92
Joining the Mau Mau in her native Kenya, to fight against colonial oppression, she rose to become Field Marshal, noted for her bravery and skill in battle.
YANG HUAIDING, aged 71
Rising from poverty as a factory worker, he took a gamble on China’s new stock market and became a multi-millionaire – and a national hero with it.
DOROTHY HOFFNER, aged 104
A resident of a Chicago nursing home, she broke the world record by doing a skydive aged 104. “Age is just a number.”
DIANNA ORTIZ, aged 62
A Catholic nun working in Guatemala, she was kidnapped and brutally tortured. Convinced of CIA involvement, she spent the rest of her life fighting oppression.
SHIGEICHI NEGISHI, aged 100
A former prisoner of war, he owned an electrical company and invented the karaoke machine – although he didn’t make any money from it. He made people happy.
MARILYN LOVELL, aged 93
Wife of an American astronaut, she hit the headlines when the Apollo 13 mission had to be aborted. The world watched her anguish and fear, suffering with her.
ELFRIDA VON NARDROFF, aged 96
An office worker who won record amounts on a quiz show, she became a national hero until a scandal erupted.
ADELE SPRINGSTEEN, aged 98
A working mother from New Jersey, her son became a global music superstar – and she joined him on stage, becoming known for her love of dancing.
RICHARD BARANCIK, aged 98
An American soldier, he was part of the Monuments Men who rescued great pieces of art from the Nazis, before becoming a renown architect – the Last Man Standing
JEAN VELOZ, aged 98
A competitive dancer who helped popularize Swing and the Lindy Hop, she became a film and TV star and a noted teacher – and was still dancing into her 90s.
JOAN JARA, aged 96
A British ballet dancer who lived in Chile, she married a famous folk singer. He was murdered in the 1973 coup, so she spent the rest of her life searching for justice.
JUANITA CASTRO, aged 90
She was the sister Fidel Castro, who seized power in Cuba, but she fell out with him and became a CIA agent, before defecting to the USA and living in exile.
MURIEL ENGELMAN, aged 101
A nurse in the US Army, she worked in a field hospital experienced D-Day and The Battle of the Bulge and was often in great danger and had a Christmas nightmare
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