A one year anniversary of my original thread (most significant death for every year from 1963 onwards), except this time I am working backwards from 2008 to as far back as we can go, this list goes back to 1961 since I haven't had time yet to research that far back and I want to go in order (meaning I am drawing a blank with 1960). My only rule is that it must be one person (not like Time's person of the year where it can be multiple people), thus Muhammed Atta for 2001 instead of all 9/11 deaths; Spencer Tracy for 1967 instead of Apollo 1 astronauts; Cary Grant for 1986 instead of Challenger Astronauts, Bob Hope for 2003 instead of Columbia Astronauts.

2008: Tim Russert (thus far of course)
2007: Bezanir Bhutto
2006: Gerald Ford
2005: Pope John Paul II
2004: Ronald Reagan
2003: Bob Hope
2002: Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
2001: Muhhamed Atta
2000: Sir Alec Guinness
1999: King Hussein
1998: Frank Sinatra
1997: Princess Diana
1996: Carl Sagan
1995: Yitzhak Rabin
1994: Richard M. Nixon
1993: Audrey Hepburn
1992: Sam Walton
1991: Dr. Suess
1990: Sammy Davis Jr.
1989: Lucille Ball
1988: Roy Orbison
1987: Jackie Gleason
1986: Cary Grant
1985: Orson Wells
1984: Richard Burton
1983: Muddy Waters
1982: Princess Grace Kelly
1981: Anwar Sedat
1980: John Lennon
1979: John Wayne
1978: Pope John Paul I
1977: Elvis Presley
1976: Mao Zedong
1975: Moe Howard
1974: Georges Pompidou
1973: Lyndon Baines Johnson
1972: Harry S. Truman
1971: Nikita Khrushchev
1970: Charles de Gaulle
1969: Dwight D. Eisenhower
1968: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1967: Spencer Tracy
1966: Walt Disney
1965: Winston Churchill
1964: Herbert Hoover
1963: John F. Kennedy
1962: Marilyn Monroe
1961: Ernest Hemingway

Most significant by decade

2000's: Pope John Paul II (thus far but nearly impossible to beat IMO)
1990's: Princess Diana
1980's: John Lennon
1970's: Elvis
1960's: John F. Kennedy

Notice that four died tragically and/or unexpectedly and only one (JPII) died expectedly and in old age.

Also I know my choice of Tim Russert for 2008 will likely be attacked for being american-centric but that is preliminary since that is just thus far for the year and the fact that his death was a media circus that put all others to shame thus far this year (Heath Ledger, Charlton Heston), his political ties as a prominent member of the media, particular in regards to presidential politics, his funeral was attended by president Bush and former presidents and presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. If he remains at the top at the end of this year it would mean that it was a slow year in terms of super significant deaths at least compared to 2004-2007.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTRIBUTE, CRITIQUE MY CHOICES, ADD YOUR OWN; ESPECIALLY FOR 1960 AND EARLIER.