Every year leaves a different silhouette against the horizon of history, but 2025 will be remembered as the year the “Old Guard” of the 20th century truly began to pass the torch. From the sun-drenched shores of Saint-Tropez to the hallowed halls of American political dynasties, the world bid farewell to figures who defined cinema, environmentalism, and the very fabric of global culture.
As the clock winds down on 2025, we look back at the titans who took their final bow, leaving behind legacies that continue to shape our world.
The Last Muse: Brigitte Bardot (1934–2025)
The death of Brigitte Bardot at 91 marked the end of an era for European cinema. More than just a “sex kitten,” Bardot was a cultural phenomenon who became the face of the French Republic. Her decision to walk away from fame at the height of her beauty to fight for animal rights remained one of the most radical acts in Hollywood history. Though her later years were shadowed by political controversy, her impact on the liberation of women’s image in the 1950s and 60s remains an immovable pillar of film history.
A Legacy Interrupted: Tatiana Schlossberg (1990–2025)
The Kennedy family has long been haunted by tragedy, but the death of Tatiana Schlossberg at just 35 felt particularly cruel. An accomplished environmental journalist for The New York Times, Schlossberg didn’t rely on her famous surname; she carved a path as a serious intellectual voice on climate change. Her final, heartbreaking essay in The New Yorker—detailing her fight with leukemia while raising two young children—reminded the world of the fragile humanity behind the “Camelot” myth.
The Voices of an Era
The world of arts and letters also felt the sting of loss this year. We saw the departure of several giants whose work defined the modern experience:
- The Maestros: 2025 saw the passing of legendary composers and performers who bridged the gap between the classical and the contemporary, leaving our concert halls a little quieter.
- The Storytellers: Several Booker and Pulitzer-winning authors transitioned from the page to the ages, leaving us with final manuscripts that serve as their last will and testament to the human condition.
Political Shifters and Policy Makers
Beyond the glitz of Hollywood, 2025 took several elder statesmen and women who navigated the world through the Cold War and into the digital age.
- The Diplomats: We lost key architects of Middle Eastern peace and European unity—individuals who spent their lives in windowless rooms negotiating the borders we now take for granted.
- The Pioneers: Several “firsts”—the first women to hold specific high offices or the first minority leaders in their respective fields—passed away, leaving behind a more inclusive world than the one they inherited.
A Global Mourning
In the digital age, grief has become a communal experience. From the millions of tributes for Bardot on Instagram to the quiet, scholarly reflections on Schlossberg’s environmentalism, the “Notable Deaths of 2025” reminds us that while people are mortal, the ideas they champion are not.
As we step into 2026, we do so on the shoulders of these giants. They taught us how to act, how to write, how to fight for the planet, and how to face the inevitable with grace.