Walter Matthau, October 1, 1920 to July 1, 2000. American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple.

Paula Yates, April 24, 1959 to September 17, 2000. British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two iconic television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.

Steve Allen, December 26, 1921 to October 30, 2000. American television personality, musician, actor, comedian, writer and the first host of The Tonight Show.

Joey Ramone, May 19, 1951 to April 15, 2001. Vocalist, songwriter and counter-cultural icon best known for his work in the punk rock group the Ramones.

John Lee Hooker, August 22, 1917 to June 21, 2001. Blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.

George Harrison, February 25, 1943 to November 29, 2001. English guitarist, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles.

Sir Peter Blake, October 1, 1948 to December 6, 2001. New Zealand yachtsman who led New Zealand to several America's Cup victories. Killed by pirates on the Amazon river.

Angela D'Audney, August 26, 1944 to February 6, 2002. Well-known New Zealand broadcaster and newsreader, the first female to newsreader in New Zealand.

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, August 21, 1930 to February 9, 2002. Margaret was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II.

Kevin Smith, March 16, 1963 to February 15, 2002. Kiwi actor best known for his role as Ares in 'Hercules' and 'Xena: Warrior Princess'.

Spike Milligan, April 16, 1918 to February 27, 2002. Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet and playwright.

Dudley Moore, April 19, 1935 to March 27, 2002. English actor, comedian, composer and musician.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, August 4, 1900 to March 30, 2002. Known by some as the "Smiling Duchess" because of her consistent public expression.

Maurice Gibb, December 22, 1949 to January 12, 2003. Musician and singer-songwriter best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees.

Nina Simone, February 21, 1933 to April 21, 2003. American singer, songwriter and civil activist.

Peter 'Possum' Bourne, April 13, 1956 to April 30, 2003. Champion Kiwi rally driver. He died while driving on a public road to be used for a race.

June Carter Cash, June 23, 1929 to May 13, 2003. Singer, songwriter, actress, comedian and author and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash.

Katharine Hepburn, May 12, 1907 to June 29, 2003. American acress of film, television and stage. She holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins, at four.

Barry White, September 12, 1944 to July 4, 2003. American record producer and singer-songwriter.

Bob Hope, May 29, 1903 to July 27, 2003. American comedian and actor. Noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous tours entertaining troops.

Johnny Cash, February 26, 1932 to September 12, 2003. Famed singer and songwriter of the country music genre. Known for his deep, distinctive bass baritone voice.

Sir Peter Ustinov, April 16, 1921 to March 28, 2004. Renowned filmmaker, director, comedian, presenter and columnist.

Ronald Reagan, February 6, 1911 to June 5, 2004. 40th President of the United States who served from 1981 to 1989.

Ray Charles, September 23, 1930 to June 10, 2004. American musician and pioneer in the genre of soul music.

Marlon Brando, April 3, 1924 to July 1, 2004. American actor known for his work in 'The Godfather', 'Apocalypse Now' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.

Julia Child, August 15, 1912 to August 13, 2004. American chef, author and television personality.

Christopher Reeve, September 25, 1952 to October 10, 2004. Famous for playing Superman, Reeve became a quadriplegic after being thrown from his horse. His wife Dana died of lung cancer in 2006.

Yasser Arafat, August 24, 1929 to November 11, 2004. Palestinian leader who spent much of his life fighting against Israel in the name of Palestinian self-determination.

Hunter S. Thompson, July 18, 1937 to February 20, 2005. Journalist and author best known for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Pope John Paul II, May 18, 1920 to April 2, 2005. Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years.

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, May 31, 1923 to April 6, 2005. Ruled the Principality of Monaco for more than 50 years.

David Lange, August 4, 1942 to August 13, 2005. Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989.

George Best, May 22, 1946 to November 25, 2005. Northern Irish footballer best known for his years with Manchester United.

Richard Pryor, December 1, 1940 to December 10, 2005. American stand-up comedian, actor and writer.

Aaron Spelling, April 22, 1923 to June 23, 2006. American film and television producer.

Dame Te Atairangikaahu, July 23, 1931 to August 15, 2006. Maori queen.

Steve Irwin, February 22, 1962 to September 4, 2006. Wildlife expert, conservationist and iconic personality. Died after being stung by a stingray.

Peter Brock, February 26, 1945 to September 8, 2006. One of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers.

James Brown, May 3, 1933 to December 25, 2006. American entertainer, 'The Godfather of Soul'.

Anna Nicole Smith, November 28, 1967 to February 8, 2007. Model, sex-symbol and television personality.

Boris Yeltsin, February 1, 1931 to April 23, 2007. The first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.

Luciano Pavarotti, October 12, 1935 to September 6, 2007. World-renowned tenor.

Benazir Bhutto, June 21, 1953 to December 27, 2007. The first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Sir Edmund Hillary, July 20, 1919 to January 11, 2008. Kiwi mountaineer and one of the first climbers to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Heath Ledger, April 4, 1979 to January 22, 2008. Australian actor who died of an accidental drug overdose.

Charlton Heston, October 4, 1923 to April 5, 2008. American actor of film, theatre and television known for having played heroic roles.

Yves Saint Laurent, August 1, 1936 to June 1, 2008. An Algerian-born French fashion designer, considered to be one of the most influential designers of the last twenty-five years.

Adam Michael Goldstein (DJ AM), March 30, 1973 to August 28, 2009. American club DJ and musician, known for his work with Crazy Town and Blink-182.

Paul Newman, January 26, 1925 to September 26, 2008. A US actor, film director, and auto racing enthusiast.

Sonny Fai, March 20, 1988 to January 4, 2009. Professional rugby league player who played for the New Zealand Warriors. He drowned after swimming in to rough surf to save a family member.

Natasha Richardson , May 11, 1963 to March 18, 2009. An English-American stage and screen actress and member of the Redgrave family. She died following a skiing accident.

Jade Goody, June 5, 1981 to March 22, 2009. The British reality TV star was accused of racist bullying against Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. She died publicly as she battled cervical cancer in a reality TV documentary.

Farrah Fawcett, February 2, 1947 to June 25, 2009. US actress who made her name playing one of three Charlie's Angels.

Michael Jackson, August 29, 1958 to June 25, 2009. US musician, dancer, and entertainer, referred to as the "King of Pop". His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy, February 22, 1932 to August 25, 2009. Member of the Kennedy family, he followed his brother President John F. Kennedy's footsteps as a Democratic Party member and senator.

Patrick Swayze, August 18, 1952 to September 14, 2009. US actor, dancer and singer-songwriter.

Sir Howard Morrison, August 18, 1935 to September 24, 2009. New Zealand singer and entertainer.

Stephen Gately, March 17, 1976 to October 10, 2009. Irish pop singer, songwriter and actor, who was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone.

Brittany Murphy, November 10, 1977 to December 20, 2009. American actress and recording artist known for her roles in Just Married, Clueless and Girl, Interrupted.