bell hooks - 69
Esteemed author and activist bell hooks, born Gloria Jean Watkins, passed away at the age of 69 in December. Her first book "Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism" led the way for inclusive feminism. She published over 30 books and numerous scholarly articles over the course of her career and established the bell hooks Institute in 2014.
Eric Carle - 91
Eric Carle was the authoer and illustrator of the famed children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Carle passed of kidney failure at the age of 91. He wrote over 70 children's books in his career.