Former prime minister Bob Hawke, culinary icon Margaret Fulton, sporting hero Danny Frawey and indigenous actor Ningali Lawford-Wolf were among the famous Australians who died in 2019.
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WALLABIES GREAT JOHN THORNETT (March 30, 1935 - Jan 4, 2019)
John Thornett, who captained 37 tests for the Wallabies between 1955 and 1967, dies aged 83.
MODEL AND ACTRESS ANNALISE BRAAKENSIEK (Dec 9, 1972 - Jan 6, 2019)
Model, actress and TV presenter Annalise Braakensiek is found dead in her apartment in Potts Point, Sydney, aged 46.
TV AND RADIO PERSONALITY AND SINGER JIMMY HANNAN (Aug 25, 1934 - Jan 7, 2019) Jimmy Hannan, who won the Gold Logie in 1965, loses his life to cancer at 81.
ACTOR CARMEN DUNCAN (July 7, 1942 - Feb 3, 2019)
Australian film and TV actor Carmen Duncan appeared in many shows over a 50-year career, including Number 96, Homicide, Skyways, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, and Winners and Losers. She dies of breast cancer at 76.
TV JOURNALIST MIKE WILLESEE (June 29, 1942 - March 1, 2019)
Mike Willesee came to prominence in 1967 on the ABC's This Day Tonight and Four Corners, and was a five-time Walkley-award winner. He dies of throat cancer, aged 76.
CRICKETER BRUCE YARDLEY (Sept 5, 1947 - March 27, 2019)
Bruce Yardley, who played 33 Tests during the 1970s and 80s and won the International Cricketer of the Year award in the 1981- 82 season, dies aged 71.
RUGBY PLAYER LLOYD MCDERMOTT (Nov 11, 1939 - April 6, 2019)
Lloyd McDermott was the second Aboriginal person to represent Australia in rugby union and the first to become a barrister. He dies at his Sydney home, aged 79.
POET AND CULTURAL CRITIC LES MURRAY (Oct 17, 1938 - April 29, 2019)
One of Australia's great poets Les Murray dies at 80. He published 30 volumes of poetry.
FORMER PRIME MINISTER BOB HAWKE (Dec 9, 1929 - May 16, 2019)
The much beloved Labor leader dies aged 89 the day before his party loses the unlosable election under Bill Shorten. In office he created Medicare, Landcare, established APEC and liberalised Australia's economy. He served as prime minister from 1983 to 1991.
CULT LEADER ANNE HAMILTON-BYRNE (Dec 30, 1921 - June 13, 2019)
Reviled cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne considered herself the re-incarnation of Jesus Christ and stole, drugged and controlled children in her various homes around country Victoria. She dies aged 97.
FILM HISTORIAN BILL COLLINS (Dec 4, 1934 - June 20, 2019)
Bill Collins, a fixture on Australian's screens as a movie enthusiast and a classic Hollywood fanatic, dies aged 84.
COOKBOOK AUTHOR MARGARET FULTON (Oct 6, 1924 - July 24, 2019)
Margaret Fulton, who inspired Australia to cook and taste the world's different cuisines over a long career spanning almost 50 years, dies at 94.
ACTOR NINGALI LAWFORD-WOLF (1967 - Aug 11, 2019)
Aboriginal actor Ningali Lawford-Wolf dies aged 52 after spending two decades communicating the experiences and culture of her people through her roles, most notably in Brand Nue Dae and Rabbit Proof Fence.
AFL PLAYER POLLY FARMER (March 10, 1935 - Aug 14, 2019)
Indigenous AFL player Polly Farmer changed the game with his ruckwork and handballing. His contribution to the sport was awarded with a Queen's Honour. He dies aged 84.
ACTOR BEN UNWIN (Aug 15, 1977 - Aug 14, 2019)
Best known for portraying Jesse McGregor on the TV soap opera Home and Away, Ben Unwin is found dead at the bottom of Minyon Falls, west of Byron Bay, a day before his 42nd birthday.
ACTIVIST JAN RUFF O'HERNE (Jan 18, 1923 - Aug 19, 2019)
Dutch Australian human rights activist Jan Ruff O'Herne was a vocal campaigner against war rape after she was enslaved by the Imperial Japanese Army as a sex slave during WWII. She dies aged 96.
POLITICIAN AND DIPLOMAT TIM FISCHER (May 3, 1946 - Aug 22, 2019)
Much-loved politician Tim Fischer was well known for his support for the reformation of Australia's gun laws, despite opposition from his rural electorate to the firearms buyback. He dies of leukaemia, aged 73.
AFL PLAYER DANNY FRAWLEY (Sept 8, 1964 - Sept 9, 2019)
Danny Frawley excelled on the AFL field (playing 240 games with St Kilda) as well as in his post-football career as a coach and commentator. He dies in a single-car crash near Ballarat, aged 56.
INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST DOROTHY "DOT" PETERS (1930 - Sept 19, 2019)
A champion for Aboriginal reconciliation, "Auntie Dot" was instrumental in bringing recognition to Australia's indigenous servicemen and women.
RICHARD TRACEY (Aug 18, 1948 - Oct 11, 2019)
As chair of The Royal Commission into Aged Care, Richard Tracey led a commissioners meeting just moments after he told them he was dying from cancer. The 71-year-old spent his final weeks working on the inquiry's interim report, while undergoing treatment in the US.
ACTOR ANNE PHELAN (Aug 2, 1978 - Oct 27, 2019)
Anne Phelan was well known for her roles in Prisoner and Bellbird, with her latest role in Ride Like a Girl debuting in Australian cinemas just a few weeks before her death. She dies aged 75.
SERIAL KILLER IVAN MILAT (Dec 27, 1944 - Oct 27, 2019)
Notorious serial killer Ivan Millat dies in prison, aged 74, after a battle with cancer. He was convicted in 1996 for murdering seven backpackers. His body is unceremoniously cremated after his family refuse to pay for his funeral.
BOXER DWIGHT RITCHIE (Feb 29, 1992 - Nov 9, 2019)
Middleweight fighter Dwight Ritchie is killed at 27 by a punch while training for an upcoming fight.
WRITER, POET, BROADCASTER AND CRITIC CLIVE JAMES (Oct 7, 1939 - Nov 24, 2019)
Clive James, renowned Australian writer, poet, broadcaster and critic, dies at his home in Cambridge, England, aged 80 after living with leukaemia and lung disease for a decade.
MUSICIAN GREEDY SMITH (Jan 16, 1956 - Dec 2, 2019)
Andrew McArthur Smith, co-founder of pop/new wave Sydney band Mental As Anything, dies of a heart attack, aged 76.
Australian Associated Press