Daphne Caruana Galizia, prominent journalist and blogger, assassinated on October 16, aged 53.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was the leading light of Maltese investigative journalism whose Running Commentary blog had a massive following. She was a relentless crusader for good governance and a free press and wrote extensively about organised crime and corruption in high places. Her car bomb assassination shocked not only the nation but the world. Upon her death she received numerous international tributes, including from the Pope, European Council president Donald Tusk and the European Parliament. Daphne’s killing served as a catalyst for the European Union to question Malta’s adherence to the rule of law.
Daphne began her career in journalism in 1987 and worked as a columnist with both and The Sunday Times of Malta and The Malta Independent. However, she felt most comfortable writing her blog, which she stared in 2008 and where she was responsible to nobody but herself, something she greatly valued. She had a huge supply of sources and broke the story in 2016 about Panama companies owned by a government minister and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff. She later alleged that a third secret company in Panama belonged to the Prime Minister’s wife. Despite having a huge following among the public, she was disliked in equal numbers for her style of writing, which often included personal attacks on individuals, and for her anti-Labour stand. She was, however, an extremely brave journalist, who ultimately gave up her life for investigative journalism.
Lino Arrigo Azzopardi, long-established press photographer, died on December 27, 2016, aged 77.
Lino Arrigo Azzopardi, a well-known press photographer, had a long career with the Department of Information, shooting major events from Malta’s Independence in 1964 to EU accession in 2004. His colleagues remember him especially for his sense of humour, something he maintained until his last days.
Rennie Vella, popular TV presenter, died on January 10, aged 56.
Rennie Vella had presented a programme on One TV since 2003, with his wife Paulanne joining him on screen in later years. He was also involved in stage musicals and philanthropy and organised breast cancer awareness walks and fundraising telethons for Ethiopian children for a number of years.
Lino Bugeja, environmentalist and former athlete, died on January 10, aged 86.
Lino Bugeja wrote extensively on environmental issues and Vittoriosa’s history for The Sunday Times of Malta and headed Ramblers Malta for several years. In his younger days he was an athlete and held the national 400 metres record for several years before setting up the Educational Sports Centre with Fr Hillary Tagliaferro in the 1970s. He received awards by the Institute of Maltese Journalists for cultural and sports journalism.
Saviour Demicoli, magistrate, died on January 14, aged 60.
Saviour Demicoli served as a magistrate for 22 years and published several articles on criminal law and criminology. He lectured in criminology at the Malta Police Academy and on EU Justice and Home Affairs in Criminal Matters at the University of Malta.
Ramon Casha, chairman of the Malta Humanist Association, died on January 20 aged 46.
Ramon Casha was a champion of secularism, a philanthropist and a social activist where he campaigned for a liberal social platform long before it was on the national agenda. He had worked hard towards the creation of an Ethics programme in the National Curriculum. Casha died six months after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident.
Pino Scicluna, one of the finest Maltese actors of his generation, died on January 22 aged 60.
Pino Scicluna died in Italy where he had been living and working as a professional actor for over 20 years. He first made a name for himself with the theatre group Ateatru in the 1980s, and later originated the title role in Francis Ebejer’s acclaimed Il-Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma, a role the playwright specifically devised for him. His last big role on stage in Malta was playing the title role in Il Kappillan ta’ Malta in 2014. Before his death, he had been working on a project for Valletta 2018 with Nuove Cosmogonie Teatro.
Rokku Abdilla, former Labour MP, died on January 22, aged 85.
Rokku Abdilla was one of the so-called ‘soldiers of steel’ who decided to contest the 1962 general election for Labour under the penalty of mortal sin. Mr Abdilla was sent to prison for three days for putting up a board over the Żurrieq club which criticised Archbishop Michael Gonzi. He was a Labour MP from 1962 to 1976 and was a strong advocate of workers’ rights. After the flawed 1981 election result, however, he became openly supportive of the Nationalist Party. He also spoke in favour of Malta’s membership of the European Union in the 2003 EU referendum.
Ethel Farrugia, veteran actress, died on January 22, aged 92.
Ethel Farrugia performed at the Nottingham Playhouse, the Theatre Royal in Windsor and the Aldwych in London and acted in a number of classical dramas. She was also engaged by BBC TV and acted in the film The Magus in 1968 alongside stars Anthony Quinn, Michael Cain and Candice Bergen. In Malta she founded the Manoel Theatre Club and organised a course in professional drama which led to the Manoel Theatre School of Dramatic Art. In 2011 she was awarded the National Order of Merit.
Prof. Joseph Anthony Muscat, former Chair of Surgery, died on January 24, aged 92.
Prof. Joseph Anthony Muscat held the Chair of Surgery, the third man to do so following the end of WWII. He was also the head of the Department of Surgery at the Medical School, University of Malta, between 1982 and 1985. After that he continued to instruct and mentor many young doctors and trainee surgeons at the Department of Anatomy. Following his retirement he was instrumental in founding the Malta Hospice Movement in 1989.
Joe Grima, former Labour Cabinet minister and broadcaster, died on February 3, aged 80.
Joe Grima was appointed Broadcasting Authority CEO by the newly-elected Labour government in 1971, after some years working in broadcasting. Mr Grima was elected a Labour MP in 1976, and after the 1981 election was appointed minister for industry and later tourism. He was unreservedly loyal to Dom Mintoff and bowed out of politics in 1992, when he opened his own radio station, Live FM, which was gutted in an arson attack in 1998. By then he had fallen out with then Labour leader Alfred Sant, and subsequently joined Net TV, the PN television station, where he presented a current affairs programme for a number of years. He was welcomed back into the Labour Party by Joseph Muscat in 2008 who then appointed him special envoy to the World Tourism Organisation soon after the 2013 Labour victory. Renowned for his outspokenness, Mr Grima resigned in 2016 in the wake of controversial remarks on migration.
Marcel Pisani, disability sector pioneer, died on February 12, aged 66.
Marcel Pisani worked tirelessly to provide people living with a disability and their carers with the necessary support structures. He was one of the co-founders of Dar il-Kaptan, which provides respite services for people living with a disability and enables primary carers to have some time off. He was also Aġenzija Sapport’s first CEO.
J.G. Vassallo, former journalist, broadcaster and political columnist, died on February 18, aged 94.
Joseph George Vassallo, known as JG, was a former Times of Malta news editor and columnist, and former head of news at Rediffusion Malta and the Malta Television Service. He was, for many years, a regular columnist with the Times of Malta under the pseudonym ‘Argus’. On the centre-left of the political spectrum – he was active in trade unionism in the early stage of his career with the General Workers’ Union – he was nonetheless a fierce critic of Dom Mintoff and his Labour governments in the 1970s and 1980s. He spent almost 20 years as the director-general of the Chamber of Commerce and later became its senior vice-president. In the early 1990s, he served as personal assistant to the Finance Minister and to the Minister of Economic Services under a PN government.
Tonio Casapinta, vice chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, died on April 1, aged 68.
Tonio Casapinta was vice chairman of the Malta Chamber of Commerce and a council member of the Malta Trade Fairs Corporation, Malta Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and the Libyan-Maltese Chamber of Commerce. He also served as honorary consul general of the Czech Republic in Malta for over 20 years and was a director of Trade Malta, the joint venture between the government and the Chamber of Commerce.
Ralph Asciak, chairman of the Marsa Sports Club, died on April 5, aged 56.
Ralph Asciak was long associated with the Marsa Sports Club, of which he served as chairman for 11 years. He was hugely dedicated to the club, and was an important figure in the club’s leadership.
George Mifsud, Broadcasting Authority chairman, died on April 23, aged 68.
George Mifsud died less than a month after he was who was appointed chairman of the Broadcasting Authority. Mr Mifsud was the founder of one of Malta’s leading PR agencies, MPS – Marketing and Communications.
Joe Cassar, former magistrate and parliamentary secretary, died on May 2, aged 70.
Joe Cassar was first elected as a Nationalist MP in 1981. He served as parliamentary secretary for housing and then for human resources in the two PN governments between 1987 and 1996. He was not elected to Parliament in 1998 and was appointed a magistrate, serving until 2007.
Pietru Pawl Busuttil, victim of a frame-up, died on June 28, aged 74.
Pietru Pawl Busuttil was framed by the police in 1986 following the murder of Raymond Caruana at the PN club in Gudja, in one of the worst cases of the erosion of the rule of law under the Labour government led by Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. The police had claimed they had found a weapon at Busuttil’s Safi farm, saying it was the same firearm used in the Gudja fatality. Mr Busuttil had vehemently denied any involvement and the PN had immediately cried foul, saying this was a political frame-up. After the 1987 PN victory, Busuttil was acquitted of all charges. Mr Busuttil later served as the mayor of Safi for 18 years.
Albert Borg Olivier De Puget, former MP, magistrate and ambassador, died on August 8, aged 85.
Albert Borg Olivier De Puget was a Nationalist MP from 1966 to 1981. He was not elected at the 1981 election, and in an unusual move was appointed a magistrate by the then Labour government. Following the PN electoral victory in 1987 he was appointed Ambassador to France and later Ambassador to the US. From 1997 to 2002 he was Ambassador-in-residence at the Centre for Global Education, George Mason University, Virginia.
Dr Cecil Paris, popular Sliema doctor, died on August 8, 2017, aged 83.
Cecil Paris was an icon of the Sliema locality, having practised as a family doctor there for almost 60 years. Much loved by the community, he was totally dedicated to his patients and continued to see them until his last days.
Fr George Grima, missionary priest, died on September 25, aged 66.
Gozitan-born Fr George Grima, who dedicated his life to helping the poor, started working with the missions in Brazil in 1977, where he built homes for orphaned children. Ten years later he founded the Jesus in Thy Neighbour missionary (Ġesù fil-Proxxmu) movement, which continues to run programmes in Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, Gibraltar, the US and Malta to this day.
Susan Mulvaney, popular radio personality, died on October 7, aged 71.
Susan Mulvaney was in radio broadcasting for more than 40 years where she was associated with family and cultural programmes. She joined Radio Malta in 1976 and then RTK radio in 1991. Mrs Mulvaney was also active in the social sector where she worked with prisoners, youths with social problems and irregular migrants. She served on the Prisons Board, where she worked for inmates’ conditions to be improved.
Prof. Anthony Zammit, former Labour MP, died on November 4, aged 67.
Anthony Zammit was a Labour MP between 2008 and 2013. A well-respected surgeon, he had successfully operated on then Labour leader Alfred Sant in December 2007 when the latter had colon cancer.
Carmel Bonavia, 88, Żabbar historian, died on November 5, aged 88.
Carmel Bonavia dedicated much of his life to his hometown and was one of the founders of the Żabbar Sanctuary Museum, serving on its committee for many years. Mr Bonavia was a regular contributor to the Times of Malta and The Sunday Times of Malta for almost five decades, contributing articles about Żabbar and his historical research. A friend of national poet Dun Karm Psaila, his research led him to delve into the lives of eminent national figures such as St George Preca and Mikiel Anton Vassalli.
Joe Attard, Zejtun mayor for 21 years, died on November 18, aged 77.
Joe Attard, the popular mayor of Żejtun, served his community for 21 years, ever since the introduction of local councils. He was also the first chairman of One Productions, the media arm of the Labour Party, and was keen on promoting the cultural sector in his locality.