25 Aug, 2026
Explore Obituaries Current Affairs from 13 to 25 August 2026 covering notable personalities from India and around the world who passed away during the period. Includes prominent figures from sports, cinema, music, politics, science, photography and other fields, along with their major achievements and contributions for competitive exam preparation.
Former Puerto Rican professional boxer Prichard Colón passed away on 13 August 2026 at the age of 33. His father confirmed his death.
Name: Prichard Colón
Country: Puerto Rico
Profession: Professional Boxer
Age: 33
Died: 13 August 2026
Before the fight that ended his professional career, Colón had won his first 16 professional bouts, establishing himself as a promising young boxer.
Colón suffered a devastating brain injury following his 2015 bout against Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Virginia.
He subsequently spent 221 days in a coma and required long-term care for more than a decade.
His death renewed discussion about fighter safety, illegal punches, referee intervention and medical safeguards in professional boxing.
Veteran Konkani singer, musician and composer Henry D'Souza passed away at his residence in Mumbai on 14 August 2026. He was 83 years old.
Name: Henry D'Souza
Profession: Singer, musician and composer
Field: Konkani music
Age: 83
Died: 14 August 2026
Place: Mumbai
Henry D'Souza was widely known for his contribution to Konkani music as a singer, musician and composer.
His death marked the loss of an important figure from the Konkani cultural and musical community.
Among his well-known works were songs including “Ye Ye Katrina” and “Ami Dogi Sezara.”
Exam Point:
Henry D'Souza → Konkani musician, singer and composer
Veteran Bengali filmmaker Raja Sen passed away in Kolkata on 16 August 2026. He was around 70–71 years old, with contemporary reports differing slightly on the reported age.
Name: Raja Sen
Profession: Film director
Industry: Bengali cinema
Died: 16 August 2026
Place: Kolkata
Raja Sen was a three-time National Film Award-winning filmmaker whose career included feature films, documentaries and television productions.
This makes him particularly important for awards, cinema and obituary current affairs.
One of Raja Sen's best-known works was the Bengali film Damu, which received national recognition.
Exam Point:
Raja Sen → Bengali filmmaker → Damu → National Film Award winner
Sen's career extended beyond feature films to television and documentary filmmaking, contributing significantly to Bengali visual storytelling.
American actress Hayden Panettiere passed away at the age of 36, according to reports citing a statement from her father. The news was reported on 16 August 2026.
Name: Hayden Panettiere
Country: United States
Profession: Actress
Age: 36
Panettiere became internationally recognised for playing Claire Bennet in the television series Heroes.
Her performance made her one of the prominent young television stars of the 2000s.
She was also widely known for the musical drama series Nashville, alongside appearances in the Scream film franchise.
Exam Point:
Hayden Panettiere → American actress → Heroes and Nashville
American actor Michael Wright passed away in Los Angeles on 19 August 2026 at the age of 70.
Name: Michael Wright
Profession: Actor
Country: United States
Age: 70
Died: 19 August 2026
Place: Los Angeles
Wright was particularly remembered for his role as Eddie King Jr. in the musical drama film The Five Heartbeats.
His acting career extended from 1978 to 2026, spanning film and television.
Exam Point:
Michael Wright → American actor → The Five Heartbeats
Veteran Indian film and television actress Asha Singh Jaiswal passed away in Mumbai on 22 August 2026 following a prolonged lung infection.
Name: Asha Singh Jaiswal
Profession: Actress
Industry: Indian film and television
Died: 22 August 2026
Place: Mumbai
Reports stated that the veteran actress had been suffering from a lung infection for approximately three months before her death.
Asha Singh had a long career across Indian films and television, making her death notable within the entertainment industry.
Asha Singh Jaiswal was associated with the role of Kripi in B. R. Chopra's television epic Mahabharat, one of the best-known Indian mythological television productions.
Exam Point:
Asha Singh Jaiswal → Actress → Kripi in Mahabharat
British actress and musical performer Sheila Mathews died on 11 August 2026, although her obituary received wider attention during the 13–25 August period. Since the death itself falls outside our date window, I am including it only as a related obituary update, not as a core 13–25 August entry.
Mathews became one of the early personalities associated with ITV after its launch in 1955 and had a career spanning stage and television.
She began performing as a child and continued across theatre and television for decades. In 2017, Equity recognised her as the UK's longest-running performer.
For this category, I am keeping the list restricted to notable and reasonably well-verified deaths, rather than adding unrelated historical death anniversaries or unverified social-media reports.
The most important names in Part 1 are:
Prichard Colón – Boxing
Henry D'Souza – Konkani Music
Raja Sen – Bengali Filmmaking
Hayden Panettiere – American Actress
Michael Wright – American Actor
Asha Singh Jaiswal – Indian Film & Television Actress
Renowned Japanese photographer and photojournalist Bun’yō Ishikawa passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 88. He was particularly noted for documenting the Vietnam War.
Name: Bun’yō Ishikawa
Country: Japan
Profession: Photographer and photojournalist
Age: 88
Died: 23 August 2026
Ishikawa spent time covering the Vietnam War and became known for photographic documentation of the conflict and its impact on ordinary people.
Exam Point:
Bun’yō Ishikawa → Japanese photojournalist → Vietnam War
Prominent Azerbaijani composer and music educator Tofig Bakikhanov passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 95.
Name: Tofig Bakikhanov
Country: Azerbaijan
Profession: Composer and music educator
Age: 95
Bakikhanov had a long career as a composer, artist and music educator, making significant contributions to Azerbaijan's musical tradition.
Exam Point:
Tofig Bakikhanov → Azerbaijan → Composer
Italian Olympic shooting champion Ennio Mattarelli passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 98.
Name: Ennio Mattarelli
Country: Italy
Sport: Shooting
Age: 98
Died: 23 August 2026
Mattarelli was best known as an Olympic gold medallist in trap shooting, making him an important sports obituary for competitive examinations.
Exam Point:
Ennio Mattarelli → Italy → Trap Shooting → Olympic Champion
Malaysian field hockey player and coach Sarjit Singh Kundan passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 63.
Name: Sarjit Singh Kundan
Country: Malaysia
Sport: Field Hockey
Age: 63
Sarjit Singh represented Malaysia in field hockey at the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games. He later worked as a coach.
Exam Point:
Sarjit Singh Kundan → Malaysia → Field Hockey → Olympian
Irish hurler Jimmy Lynam passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 100.
Name: Jimmy Lynam
Country: Ireland
Sport: Hurling
Age: 100
Lynam played for Glen Rovers and represented the Cork senior hurling team, making him a notable figure in Irish sport.
Russian jurist and politician Boris Ebzeyev passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 76.
Name: Boris Ebzeyev
Country: Russia
Profession: Jurist and politician
Age: 76
Ebzeyev had served as a judge of the Constitutional Court of Russia, combining a career in law with public office.
Exam Point:
Boris Ebzeyev → Russia → Jurist and politician
Tunisian politician Abderrahmane Tlili passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 83.
Name: Abderrahmane Tlili
Country: Tunisia
Profession: Politician
Age: 83
Tlili was known as the founder of Tunisia's Union Démocratique Unitaire, making him a notable political figure in the country's modern history.
Israeli journalist and political consultant Orit Galili-Zucker passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 70.
Name: Orit Galili-Zucker
Country: Israel
Profession: Journalist and political consultant
Age: 70
Galili-Zucker had headed the political communications team of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in addition to her work in journalism and political communications.
Taiwanese political scientist and public official Liu I-chou passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 78.
Name: Liu I-chou
Country: Taiwan
Profession: Political scientist and public official
Age: 78
Liu had served as Chairman of Taiwan's Central Election Commission, making him an important figure in the country's electoral administration.
Exam Point:
Liu I-chou → Taiwan → Former Central Election Commission Chairman
American photographer Jay Maisel passed away on 23 August 2026 at the age of 95.
Name: Jay Maisel
Country: United States
Profession: Photographer
Age: 95
Maisel built a distinguished career in photography and was widely recognised for his distinctive approach to light, colour and everyday visual subjects.
For exams, remember:
Jay Maisel → American photographer
French-born Canadian chemist and science educator Ariel Fenster passed away on 20 August 2026 at the age of 83.
Name: Ariel Fenster
Country: Canada
Profession: Chemist and science educator
Age: 83
Fenster was a prominent science communicator and was associated with McGill University, where he helped promote public understanding of science.
Exam Point:
Ariel Fenster → Canadian chemist and science educator
British historian John Iliffe passed away on 20 August 2026 at the age of 87.
Name: John Iliffe
Country: United Kingdom
Profession: Historian
Age: 87
Iliffe was particularly known for his scholarship on African history, including extensive research on the history of Tanzania.
Exam Point:
John Iliffe → British historian → African history
An important additional fact about Aasha Singh Jaiswal, covered in Part 1, is that she was described as India's first female mimicry artist and was particularly known for mimicking the voice of legendary actress Meena Kumari.
She was also a character actor, social worker and founder of Aasha Events and Films.
Prichard Colón — Puerto Rican professional boxer — 33
Henry D'Souza — Konkani singer, musician and composer — 83
Raja Sen — Bengali filmmaker — Three-time National Film Award winner
Hayden Panettiere — American actress — Known for Heroes and Nashville
Michael Wright — American actor — Known for The Five Heartbeats
Aasha Singh Jaiswal — Indian actress and mimicry artist — Known for mimicking Meena Kumari; described as India's first female mimicry artist
Ariel Fenster — Canadian chemist and science educator — 83
John Iliffe — British historian specialising in African history — 87
Bun’yō Ishikawa — Japanese photographer/photojournalist — Vietnam War photography — 88
Tofig Bakikhanov — Azerbaijani composer and music educator — 95
Ennio Mattarelli — Italian Olympic trap-shooting champion — 98
Sarjit Singh Kundan — Malaysian Olympic field hockey player and coach — 63
Jimmy Lynam — Irish hurler — 100
Boris Ebzeyev — Russian jurist and politician — 76
Abderrahmane Tlili — Tunisian politician — 83
Orit Galili-Zucker — Israeli journalist and political consultant — 70
Liu I-chou — Former Chairman of Taiwan's Central Election Commission — 78
Jay Maisel — American photographer — 95