Jerzy Turonek, Polish-Belarusian historian, Died at 89

Jerzy Turonek was born Jury Turonak on April 26, 1929, in Dukszty and died on January 2, 2019.

He was a Polish-Belarusian historian.

Turonek was born into the family of West Belarusian political activist Bronisław Turonek in the Second Polish Republic's Wilno Voivodeship.

Following World War II he attended Higher School for Planning and Statistics in Warsaw in 1952.

He later worked for the Polish foreign trade chamber where Turonek was analyzing the international chemicals market and worked at the European economic commission in Geneva.

During the 1960s, he started researched the Belarusian national movement of the early 20th century, Polish-Belarusian relations in the 20th century, and the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Turonek became Doctor of HistoryIn 1986.

He was the writer of the monograph Białoruś pod okupacją niemiecką (Belarus under the German occupation) published in 1993 by Książka i Wiedza.

There were copies of his monograph shipped to Belarus for distribution were confiscated by the Belarussian security service KDB.

Jerzy Turonek passed away at 89 years old.

Samuel Rayan, Indian theologian, Died at 98

Samuel Rayan was born on July 23, 1920, in Kollam District, Kerala and died on January 2, 2019.

He was an Indian Roman Catholic theologian.

He was known as being a proponent of a form of liberation theology.

Samuel Rayan came from a family of eight children (2 girls and 6 boys).

During 1939 Rayan entered Jesuit order. Samuel Rayan was ordained priest on 24 March 1955.

Rayan devoted many years to the study of Malayalam literature. He mastered Sanskrit and is well read in Indian religions and philosophy.

During 1991, a Festschrift was published in his honor.

Bread and breath: essays in honour of Samuel Rayan, S.J., on the occasion of his seventieth birth anniversary included contributions by Gustavo Gutiérrez, George Soares-Prabhu, and Jon Sobrino.

 Samuel Rayan passed away at 98 years old in Nirmala Hospital, Kozhikode in Kerala where he was undergoing old age ailments.

Tu Mingjing, Chinese materials scientist, Died at 90

Tu Mingjing was born on November 15, 1928 and died on January 1, 2019, in Chengdu, Sichuan.

He was a Chinese materials scientist.

Tu Mingjing secondary studied at the Affiliated Secondary School of Tongji University.

During 1947 Tu Mingjin was a student at the Tongji University, where he graduated in 1951.

After which he attented the Harbin Institute of Technology and University of Science and Technology Beijing, earning a master's degree.

Tu Mingjing passed away at 90 years old.

Ivan Bortnik, Russian actor, Died at 79

Ivan Sergeyevich Bortnik was born on April 16, 1939 and died on January 4, 2019.

He was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor.

Ivan Bortnik is a People's Artist of Russia (2000).

He debuted in movie in 1961.

From 1967 he has been an actor with Taganka Theatre.

He was a close friend of Russian singer-songwriter, poet, and actor Vladimir Vysotsky.

Ivan Bortnik passed away at 79 years old.

Pegi Young, American educator, philanthropist, and singer-songwriter, Died at 66

Margaret "Pegi" Young (née Morton) was born on December 1, 1952, and died on January 1, 2019.

She was an American singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist.

Young made her debut as a singer in 1983 after she became a member of The Pinkettes, the backing vocalists of Neil Young's Rock-a Billy Shocking Pinks tour.

Young made her first nationwide TV appearance at the Academy Awards in 1994, singing backup on the song "Philadelphia", composed by her husband Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young.

She met future husband Neil Young during 1974 when she was working as a waitress at a diner near his ranch, a story he tells in the 1992 song "Unknown Legend".

They couple got married during August 1978.

They had two children, Ben and Amber, in addition to her becoming stepmother to his first child, Zeke.

There children Ben and Zeke are diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and Amber with epilepsy.

During July 2014, Neil filed for divorce in California.

Pegi Young passed away at 66 years old due to cancer.

Perry Deane Young, American journalist and playwright, Died at 77

Perry Deane Young was born on March 27, 1941, and died on January 1, 2019.

He was a journalist, author, playwright, historian, and professional gardener.

Young was the author of Two of the Missing, the story entails about fellow journalists Sean Flynn and Dana Stone, who disappeared during the Vietnam War and whose fates remain unknown, and the co-author of The David Kopay Story, a biography of 1970's professional football player David Kopay, who revealed in 1975 that he was gay.

He knew about his sexuality difference from an early stage, writing candidly about it in Two of the Missing, and has written or co-written books with gay-related themes, including The David Kopay Story and Lesbians and Gays and Sports.

Young resided in the basement of a non-profit counseling and support group in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, working around the building in lieu of rent, from 1993 until his death.

Perry Deane Young passed away at 77 years old.

Dragoslav Šekularac, Serbian football player, Died at 81

Dragoslav Šekularac was born on November 8, 1937 and died on January 5, 2019.

He was a Serbian football player and coach, nicknamed Šeki.

Šekularac was fast and crafty with the ball, displaying creative skills that turned a lot of heads.

With his maximal self-confidence along with impeccable technical ability, he was one of the biggest showmen and crowd draws in the history of Yugoslav football.

Šekularac's was well known in FPR Yugoslavia during the early 1960s transcended sports as he easily became one of the most recognizable individuals in the country.

Whilst he was a coach, Šekularac led several clubs in Canada, Colombia, Australia, Serbia, Mexico, and Spain, and the Guatemala national team in the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification.

He was considered one of the most vital players in the history of Red Star Belgrade, he is one of only five players to have been awarded the Zvezdina zvezda status.

Dragoslav Šekularac passed away at 81 years old.