Colon Cancer Famous Survivors Over 50


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Famous People Who Have Had Colon Cancer

Diagnosed Age 50 or Older

Regardless of age, gender, race, economic status, religion, culture, or education level, anyone can get colon cancer.

Here are the stories of famous people who were diagnosed at age 50 or older.

If there is a star after there name it indicates that they died of colon cancer. Where a specific source or sources for this information is known a number in brackets [ #]will be listed at the end of the entry corresponding to an item in the Source List at the bottom of the page.

Eqbal Ahmad (1933/34 -May 11, 1999) A Pakistani writer, journalist, and anti-war activist. Died in Islamabad in 1999 of heart failure following an operation for colon cancer.

Joey Albert Canada-Based singer Joey Albert, who had survived cervical cancer, was supposed to come to Manila in August 2003 with her husband and their two children for a holiday and to perform in a series of shows, until doctors found out she has colon cancer.

Jonathan "Jack" Albertson (June 16, 1907 - November 25, 1981) was considered a complete entertainer from the old school. An American actor, comedian, dancer, singer, and musician. Born in Malden, Massachusettsto Jewish parents - his father was a Polish immigrant, his mother was a Russian immigrant.

Diagnosed in 1978 with colon cancer. Died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 74.

Tammy Faye Bakker Messner (born Tamara Faye LaValley March 7, 1942 in International Falls, Minnesota), is a Christian singer and U.S. television personality, the former wife of televangelis Jim Bakker. Diagnosed in the 1990's with colon cancer.

Barbara Barrie (5/23/1931 - ) Stage, Screen and Television Actress and author of "Second Act" (Orignal Title was Don't Die of Embarassment) Diagnosed in 1993 at the age of 62.

Charlie Bell* (November 7, 1960 - January 17, 2005) President and COO of McDonalds. Charles Hamilton Bell - born in Australia. November 22, 003 diagnosed with colon cancer

Milton Berle* On March 27, 2002, comedian Milton Berle dies in his home in Los Angeles CA after a one year battle with colon cancer.

Frank A. Bond* (11 March 1889- 19 May 1960) of North Adams, Berkshire County, Mass. Politician. Died, of carcinoma of the sigmoid colon, in North Adams, Berkshire County, Mass. Interment at South View Cemetery, North Adams, Mass. [1]

Carl Burgos* (nee Max Finkelstein) is an American comic book and advertising artist, born April 18, 1916, New York City; died 1984. His most famous creation is the original Human Torch in Marvel Comics #1, the first comic published by Timely, predecessor of Marvel Comics. He died of colon cancer at age 68.

Conrad Burns Montana U.S. Senator. Polyps found and removed. Father also had colon cancer.

Sala Galant Burton* (1April1925 - 1Feb1987) — also known as Sala Burton — of San Francisco, CA. Born in Bialystock, Poland. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1956, 1976, 1980, 1984; U.S. Representative from California 5th District, 1983-87; died in office 1987. Female. Jewish. Died at age 62, of colon cancer, at George Washington University Hospital, Washington, D.C. [1]

Professor Francis Harry Compton Crick*, OM FRS (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was a British physicist, molecular biologist and neuroscientist, most noted for being one of the co-discoverers of the structure of the molecule in 1953. Died of colon cancer at The University of California, San Diego Thornton Hospital, San Diego.

William Alexander Cunnea II* (08Nov1905 - 22April1963) of Chicago, Cook County, Ill. Son of William Alexander Cunnea. Republican. Lawyer; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1960. Catholic. Irish ancestry. Died at age 58, of colon cancer, in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., April 22, 1963. [1]

Moshe Dayan* (Hebrew: משה דיין) (May 20, 1915 – October 16, 1981), was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953-1958). He died of colon cancer at age 66.

James H. Donovan* (12Nov1923 - 31Aug1990) — of Chadwicks, N.Y. Born in Marcy,NY. Republican. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII; member NYstate senate, 1966-90 (51st District 1966, 46th District 1967-82, 47th District 1983-90); died in office; delegate to 1980 Republican National Convention from NY. Catholic. Member, American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Knights of Columbus. Represented Oneida County in the New York State Senate longer than any other senator in the history of the county. Died at age 77, of colon cancer, in Chadwicks, NY. [1]

José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón Best known aas Jose Ferrer. (January 8, 1909 – January 26, 1992), Actor and film director, born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Ferrer is the uncle of actor George Clooney and the father-in-law of Debby Boone. José Ferrer died following a brief battle with colon cancer in Coral Gables, Florida at the age of 83.

Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (born March 15, 1933) is a United States jurist. Since 1993, she has served as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is the first female Jewish Supreme Court Justice and is currently the only woman on the Court. Ginsburg was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in 1999 at the age of 69 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Jackie Gleason* On 24 Jun 1987 Actor and UFO aficianado Jackie Gleason died of colon and liver cancer at his home in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

Donald Hall (born September 20, 1928 - ) An American poet. Born in New Haven, CT. Diagnosed at age 61 in 1989. Had surgery and chemotherapy but was told that he only had a 1 in 3 chance of surviving past 5 years.

Ruth Handler* (November 4, 1916 - April 27, 2002) Diagnosed in 2002 at the age of 85. Born Ruth Mosko in Denver Colorado to Polish Jewish immigrant parents. Best known for creation of Barbie. She purchased the license to a German doll "Lilli"(gag gift for men) and named it after her daughter Barbara. Later she introduced the Ken doll, named after her son. After surviving breast cancer in the 1970s, she died shortly after surgery for colon cancer.

Audrey Hepburn* On January 20, 1993, after a two year battle with it, she died of colon cancer at her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland.

Howard Keel, born Harry Clifford Leek (April 13, 1919 – November 7, 2004) was an American actor who starred in many of the classic film musicals of the 1950s. Born in Gillespie, Illinois. Howard died at his home on November 7, 2004, six weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Pedro Knight. Cuban musician (1921 - ) Diagnosed with colon cancer.

Vincent Thomas Lombardi * (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) Born to Neopolitan-born father Enrico "Harry" Lombardi (emigrated at age two), a butcher, and Brooklyn-born Matilda Izzo, the daughter of a barber, whose parents had immigrated as teenagers from just east of Salerno in southern Italy. He was one of the most successful coaches in the history of football. He was the driving force of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1968, helping the team capture five NFL championships during his 10-year tenure. Following a one-year retirement, he returned to coach the Washington Redskins during the 1969 season. His 9-1 record in the playoffs ranks at the top, percentage-wise, in NFL history. Unfortunately, Lombardi was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late June 1970, before his second season in Washington. By the time it was discovered, the cancer had spread from his colon to his liver, peritoneum, and lymph nodes, and he died just ten weeks later on September 3, 1970.

Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was a Jewish American comedy actor. Born in New York City, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. Born in New York City, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants.

Professor John Maynard Smith, F.R.S. (6 January 1920 - 19 April 2004) A British evolutionary biologist and geneticist. Maynard Smith was instrumental in the application of game theory to evolution and theorised on other problems such as the evolution of sex and signalling theory. In 1986 he was awarded the Darwin Medal. He also developed and recovered from colon cancer.

Elizabeth Montgomery* (04/15/33 in Los Angeles, California Died: 18-MAY-95.) Actress. Died of colon cancer.

Rosaleen Norton (2 October, 1917 – 5 December 1979) An Australian artist, occultist, and witch "Roie" Norton was born in Dunedin, New Zealand but moved with her family to Sydney, Australia in June, 1925. From an early age she felt a close connection with the occult, beginning to experiment with self hypnosis in 1940. She died in 1979 from colon cancer at the Roman Catholic Sacred Hearts Hospice for the Dying, in Sydney.

Tip O'Neill

Rudy Perpich (June 27, 1928– September 21, 1995) was an American dentist and politician. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as the 34th and 36th governor of Minnesota from December 29, 1976 to January 4, 1979, and from January 3, 1983 to January 7, 1991. This was the longest tenure among the state's governors. He was also the state's only Roman Catholic governor and the only one to serve non-consecutive terms. Born Rudolph George Prpić in Carson Lake, MN to a Croatian immigrant father, and American mother of Croatian descent. After a battle with colon cancer, Perpich died in the Minneapolis, Minnesota suburb of Minnetonka, Minnesota at the age of 67.

Pope John Paul II reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City for almost 27 years. The first non-Italian to serve in office since the Dutch-German Pope Adrian VI died in 1523, John Paul II's reign was the third-longest in the history of the Papacy. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on 18 May 1920 in in southern Poland, son of a former officer in the Austrian Habsburg army whose name was also Karol Wojtyła, and Emilia Kaczorowska. He had a tumour removed from hiscolon in 1992.

Ronald Reagan

Photograph by Michael Evans, February 8, 1982
Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Alberto Magno Romero Rivera* (1935 - 1997) Anti-Catholic religious activist who was the source of many of fundamentalist Christian author Jack Chick's stories about the Vatican. Born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain in 1935 and died of colon cancer in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in 1997.

Rod Roddy* Diagnosed at age 63 at stage 3. On October 27, 2003, Robert Ray Roddy, better known as Rod Roddy, died of colon cancer and breast cancer. He was best known for his long term on the Price is Right.