A last farewell to those we lost in 2013

As the year winds to a close, we say a final goodbye to those we lost in 2013. Among them, the iconic Nelson Mandela, Bollywood legends Pran, Manna Dey and Shamshad Begum, Britain's Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, and technology pioneer Amar Bose.

1. Aaron Swartz, January 11: The internet activist, 26, hanged himself in his New York apartment just weeks before he was to go on trial after being accused of stealing journal articles from an electronic archive in an attempt to make them freely available. He was posthumously inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in June.

Sophiya Haque, January 18: The former Channel V VJ, also known for playing Poppy Morales in Coronation Street, died at the age of 41 in London. She had been diagnosed with cancer.

Hugo Chavez, March 5: The late President of Venezuela died after battling cancer for almost two years. After being dissatisfied with the Venezuelan political system, Hugo Chavez founded his own socialist political party and was elected President for the fourth term on January 10 this year.

Ganesh Pyne, March 12: The legendary painter died of a heart attack in Kolkata. Mr Pyne's paintings were exhibited round the world in his career spanning almost five decades. He was honoured with the lifetime achievement award by Indian Chamber of Commerce in 2012.

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, April 3: The two time Academy Award winning writer, who won the Booker prize for her novel ‘Heat And Dust', died of a pulmonary disorder in New York at the age of 85.

Roger Ebert, April 5: The American film critic died of cancer in Chicago at the age of 70. He was the first critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism and receive a star in the Hollywood Walk Of fame.

Margaret Thatcher, April 8: Nicknamed the “Iron Lady” for her unparalleled leadership style, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died after suffering a stroke at the age of 87.

P B Srinivas, April 14: The veteran playback singer died of respiratory problems in Chennai at the age of 82. He sang over 3,000 songs in mostly southern languages in a career spanning over four decades.

Shakuntala Devi, April 22: The mathematical genius, who was nicknamed “the human computer” for her ability to solve complex mental calculations, died of critical respiratory problems at the age of 80. Apart from writing several books, Shakuntala Devi made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for her talent.

Justice J S Verma, April 23: The 27th Chief Justice of India, who also served as the Chairman of the Justice Verma Committee Report on Amendments to Criminal Law after the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape, died of multiple organ failure.

Shamshad Begum, April 24: One of the first playback singers of the Hindi film industry, Shamshad Begum died in Mumbai after a long illness. She was known for her distinctive voice in hits like Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana and Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re.

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, May 9: The popular dhrupad vocalist died at the age of 80 after a brief illness. He played a pivotal role in reviving the dhrupad tradition and was also honoured with the Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship, Tagore Ratna Award and Tansen Samman during his lifetime.

Jagdish Mali, May 13: The fashion and film photographer died in Mumbai at the age of 59. The cause of death was unclear. Father of former Bollywood actress Antara, Mr Mali was said to have been found roaming disoriented and disheveled on the streets of Mumbai a few days before his death.

Ray Manzarek, May 21: The founding member of the rock group The Doors died of bile duct cancer at the age of 74. Apart from The Doors, Mr Manzarek also worked for several other groups including Nite City and X.

Rituparno Ghosh, May 30: The Bengali film director, known for his critically acclaimed movies like Raincoat and Chokher Bali, died of a heart attack at the age of 49. His work was posthumously honoured at the 19th Kolkata International Film festival.

Abir Goswami, May 31: The fit as a fiddle Indian television actor died after reportedly suffering a heart attack while working out. He was just 37.

Jiah Khan, June 3: The Nishabd actress was found hanged in her Mumbai home late at night. She was 25. Aspiring actor Suraj Pancholi, her ex-boyfriend, was arrested and charged with abetting her death. He was later released on bail but the investigation into Jiah's death continues after her mother filed a petition asking that the death be treated as murder and not suicide.

James Gandolfini, June 19: The three-time Emmy Award-winning star of hit TV series The Sopranos died of a heart attack at the age of 51. The burly actor also won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano in the HBO series.

Pran, July 12: Bollywood bid an emotional farewell to the man who elevated the villain to a status equal to that of the hero. Pran was 91 when he died. He had received this year's Dadasaheb Phalke Award a few days previously.

Amar Bose, July 12: The founder of audio technology company Bose Corporation died in Massachusetts at the age of 84. In the year 2007, he made it to the in Forbes 400 list as the world's 271st richest man.

Cory Monteith, July 15: The 31-year-old Canadian actor, best known for playing Finn Hudson in the TV series Glee, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel. The cause of death was later pronounced to be a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol.

Jagdish Raj, July 28: The Bollywood actor and father of actress Anita Raj died of a respiratory ailment at the age of 85. He held a Guinness World record for playing a screen cop the maximum number of times.

Elmore Leonard, August 20: America's foremost crime novelist died of complications from a stroke at the age of 87. Many of Mr Leonard's works were adapted for film and TV, including the John Travolta hits Get Shorty and Be Cool.

Seamus Heaney, August 30: The Nobel Prize winning Irish playwright died at the age of 74 in a Dublin hospital. Before becoming one of the world's leading poets, Seamus Heaney was the professor of poetry at the Oxford University from 1989 to 1994.

Sir David Frost, September 1: Famous for having interviewed Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal, Sir David died of a heart attack at the age of 74. The world leaders he interviewed included eight British Prime Ministers, seven US Presidents and Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto.

Ray Dolby, September 13: The Dolby NR founder died at his home in San Francisco at the age of 80. The engineer won an Oscar, a Grammy and two Emmys for his work and his name also found a place in the Forbes 400 in 2008.

Jaywant Lele, September 20: The former BCCI secretary died of a massive heart attack at the age of 75. It was during his tenure in 2000 that the match-fixing scandal broke out.

Manna Dey, October 24: The last of the greats from the golden age of Bollywood music, Manna Dey died of respiratory problem and renal failure in Bangalore. The Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee was beloved for hits like Ae Meri Zohrajabeen, Ek Chatur Naar and Zindagi Kaise Hai Paheli.