Farewell to those who died in 2025

Michael Falzon, former PN minister, died on January, 5 aged 79.

Michael Falzon, a leading figure in Eddie Fenech Adami’s first two PN governments,  was elected in every election between 1976 and 1992. He was appointed infrastructure minister after the PN’s 1987 victory and then education minister following the 1992 election. Falzon went on to hold several senior PN roles, including party information secretary. After chairing the Water Services Corporation from 1998 to 2008, he was instrumental in the creation of the Malta Developers’ Association. His political legacy was somewhat tainted in 2015, when it emerged that he held a secret Swiss bank account in the 1980s.

Vanni Riolo, veteran actor, died on January 6, aged 89.

Vanni Riolo was known for his work in Malta’s TV, drama and literary circles over the decades. He was also featured in several international movie productions, including 1988’s Black Eagle and Treasure in Malta, a 1963 film set in Malta. Riolo was a member of Moviment Qawmien Letterarju, an influential literary movement established in 1967.

Mgr Victor Grech, anti-drug campaigner, died on February 5, aged 95. 

Mgr Victor Grech was regarded as “an icon of love and unity” who pioneered the fight against drug abuse and devoted a lifetime to counselling and charitable work. Grech was involved in Caritas since its inception in Malta in 1977 and stepped down after 37 years in 2014. The much-loved priest campaigned strongly against poverty and usury and made Caritas the most respected voice when cost-of-living issues were discussed.

In an interview with Times of Malta in 2021 he spoke about the challenges of setting up Caritas and how he received death threats from drug pushers. In 1993, he was awarded the National Order of Merit and, in 2012, he was awarded the European Citizens’ Prize for his contribution to Maltese society. 

Louis Theobald, former Hibernians FC footballer, died February 15, aged 86.

Louis Theobald was a mainstay in the Hibernians side in the 1950s and 1960s and helped the club to win their first-ever league title, an FA Trophy and two Cassar Cup triumphs. Theobald was also the first player from Hibernians who managed to win the prestigious Player of the Year award in season 1959-60.

Paul Cremona, former Archbishop of Malta, died on March 19, aged 79.

Mgr Paul Cremona, who served as Archbishop of Malta between 2007 and 2014, was, in the words of his successor, “a good shepherd, a humble and wise man who gave his life for our people”. A Dominican, his appointment in 2007, when he was a parish priest, surprised many. He was greatly respected for leading the Church with humility and remaining close to his flock. However, he struggled to take tough decisions within the institution of the Church and this often weighed heavily on him, ultimately leading to his resignation.

He studied Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome and, in 1973, graduated Doctor in Theology. In 1981, he was appointed Provincial of the Maltese Dominican Province, an office he held for two four-year terms. He authored several books dealing with theology and spirituality.

Sonny Portelli, former chairperson of MCESD, died on April 6 aged 80.

Sonny Portelli served as chairperson of the MCESD, Malta’s key national body for social and economic dialogue, from 2007 to 2013 and was widely respected for fostering cooperation among the government, employers and trade unions. Portelli was also chair of GO plc from 2003 to 2010 where, under his guidance, the company transformed into Malta’s first quadruple-play telecom operator. He also served as chair of Air Malta and HSBC Bank Malta.

Francis Zammit Dimech, former PN minister and acting president, died on April 21, aged 70.

Francis Zammit Dimech spent decades in frontline politics with the Nationalist Party. In 1985, he was elected president of the Nationalist Party’s youth branch. First elected to parliament in 1987, he was re-elected in every election until 2017, later serving as a PN MEP until 2019. He was interim PN general secretary during a turbulent 2020–21 period and, in April 2024, was appointed acting president. A cabinet minister for 16 years, he held portfolios including transport, communications, environment, tourism and foreign affairs, having first entered government in 1990. A lawyer by profession and a moderate centrist, he returned to academia and the media after his political career, earning a PhD in broadcasting. Zammit Dimech is widely credited with having spearheaded the liberalisation of Malta’s telecommunications sector in the early 1990s.  Just a year before his death, he was appointed Acting President of the Republic. 

John Consiglio, veteran banker, died on May 29, aged 85.

John Consiglio was an active researcher, broadcaster and writer on banking and economic affairs and wrote the Maltese textbook in basic economics. He also sat on the Central Bank of Malta’s EU working committee, was a member of the Diocesan finance committee and lectured at the University of Malta.

Consiglio was also a regular contributor to Times of Malta, writing about the banking sector and financial services. 

Edwin Lanfranco, botanist, died on June 3 aged 78.

Described as a "walking Wikipedia" of all things nature, Lanfranco put together the first lists of endangered and threatened species in Malta, as well as the first lists of sites of conservation value in the Maltese Islands. 

He contributed to several nature and heritage committees and had two endemic plants named in his honour. He was posthumously awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika during Republic Day honours earlier this month.

 

Frans Said, writer and translator, died on June 6 aged 92.

Frans Said was a prolific Maltese writer, translator and cultural commentator. He had an eight-year stint of publishing daily a unique collection of over 2,000 Aesop’s Fables in L-Orizzont, contributed essays on literature and education and championed children’s literature in Malta. More than 1,000 pieces of literature, penned or translated by Said, have now found their home at the National Archives.

 

 

 

Noel Arrigo, former chief justice, central figure in judicial scandal, died on June 22 aged 75.

Noel Arrigo’s career as chief justice was cut short because of a scandal. He was appointed the nation’s top judge in July 2002 but resigned weeks later after being accused of taking a bribe to reduce a drug trafficker’s sentence and leaking a judgment. Convicted in 2009, he was jailed for two years and nine months and barred for life from public office, serving 22 months before his early release in 2011.

Michael Seychell, former trade unionist, died on June 25, aged 85.

Michael Seychell held various senior positions with Malta’s largest trade union, the General Workers’ Union, for 10 years from 1967. In 1977, he resigned from the GWU following the union’s merger with the Labour Party, which he believed would compromise the union’s independence. Seychell served as a PN councillor in Pietà from 2009 to 2013. He also sat on the boards of other entities, including chairperson of the Public Transport Authority.

 

 

Victor Zammit, former Birkirkara FC president, died on July 16, aged 75.

Victor Zammit, president of Birkirkara Football Club, was the catalyst behind the club’s revival in Maltese football in the 1990s and early 2000s. He led the club to 18 domestic triumphs and laid the foundations for the Stripes to emerge as a major force in Maltese football.

 

 

 

 

Anthony Spiteri Debono, president’s husband, died on July 24, aged 78.

Anthony Spiteri Debono, President Myriam Spiteri Debono’s husband, largely avoided the spotlight brought about by his wife’s role and was renowned for his humility. A notary by profession, he told TVM in 2024 that he was planning to retire prior to his wife’s nomination as president.

 

 

 

 

Alex Stellini, prominent figure in waterpolo, died on August 5, aged 74.

Alex Stellini played waterpolo with Neptunes WPSC between 1969 and 1981 and also played for the national team. He was a major figure within the Neptunes organisation and dedicated his life to the club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Stroud, renowned TV producer, died on August 16, aged 75.

Charles Stroud was synonymous with large-scale events and productions as well as TV programmes on both TVM and NET. Stroud started his career at Television Malta in 1973 as a programme producer and director and was later employed at NET Television as head of programmes. In 2005, he helped set up the media production company 26th Frame and directed numerous award-winning productions. Stroud was also responsible for directing and coordinating events such as the Grand master’s Parade, Malta’s EU accession celebrations and the opening jjand closing ceremonies for the Games of the Small States of Europe.

Joseph Aquilina, co-founder and director of Golden Harvest, died on August 25, aged 89.

Joseph Aquilina was one of the founding members of Golden Harvest Manufacturing Co. Ltd, a major Maltese family-run bakery and food production company. He was instrumental in establishing Golden Harvest more than 70 years ago, helping build it from its origins into a household name in Malta’s bread and bakery industry.

 

 

 

Sharon Ellul Bonici, Eurosceptic Labour politician, died on August 31, aged 55.

Sharon Ellul Bonici, was a prominent figure in Labour’s Eurosceptic wing. She was the founding secretary general of the European Alliance for Freedom, a pan-European Eurosceptic party established in 2010 and dissolved in 2016. Her attempt to run as a Labour MEP candidate in 2004 was blocked over concerns about her anti-EU views, though she was later fielded as a candidate in 2009 but not elected. In a 2008 interview, she said she felt comfortable within Labour despite her Euroscepticism.

 

 

Albert Ganado, renowned cartographer, historian, died on November 2, aged 101.

Albert Ganado was a renowned Maltese cartographer and historian, celebrated for his extensive research and collection of historic maps of Malta. His work documented the island’s geographical and cultural evolution, earning him international recognition, including the Helen Wallis Award. Ganado’s maps, writings and curated collections remain a vital resource for scholars and enthusiasts of Maltese cartography. A lawyer by profession, he served as president of the Malta Historical Society and Malta Map Society for many years. He published 12 Melitensia books and many academic articles on the cartography of Malta, Maltese history, art, legislation and politics. Ganado had a brief stint in politics in the 1960s as member of the PN’s executive committee and, later, as secretary of the Democratic Nationalist Party.

Max Gibbons, orthopaedic surgeon, died aged 67 on November 7. 

Max Gibbons was a world-renowned British orthopaedic surgeon who spent a decade operating on Maltese patients, changing the lives of countless local patients. 

As a consultant in Oxford, he led pioneering research into the treatment of sarcoma and operated on patients at both Mater Dei Hospital as well as in Oxford for more complex cases. 

He was posthumously awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika during Republic Day honours earlier this month.

 

Arthur Gruppetta, ‘driving force’ of Merlin Publishers, died on November 24, aged 81.

Arthur Gruppetta was a pioneering Maltese publisher who grew Merlin Publishers from a small bookshop to a powerhouse in Malta’s literary scene. He championed Maltese language and children’s literature, introducing iconic titles and supporting generations of local authors. His work earned him the Medal for Service to the Republic in 2018.

 

 

Alex Felice, renowned geneticist, died on November 26, aged 77.

Alex Felice was a pioneer of modern biomedical research, particularly into the epidemiology, genetics and gene control of human haemoglobin and thalassaemia. He was a pioneer in the science of biobanking – the collection and storage of biological samples for use in medical research and future diagnosis. After graduating from Medical School he completed a PhD at the Medical College of Georgia, US, where he served as an associate professor in cell and molecular biology and paediatric haematology. Returning to Malta in 1989, he led teams of young researchers and transformed biomedical science and rare disease diagnosis, including introducing a national newborn screening programme for haemoglobin disorders.

Frank Attard, legendary Times of Malta photojournalist, died on December 3 aged 97. 

Frank Attard’s career as a photojournalist with Times of Malta spanned over five decades. Rising from paperboy to chief photographer, he documented Malta’s modern history, capturing landmark events, everyday life and multiple royal visits with an iconic eye. His name became synonymous with photographs of the queen, particularly a famous 1949 image of Prince Philip and the then-Princess Elizabeth at Villa Guardamangia. His work earned him the Medal for Service to the Republic and the Maltese Journalists’ Gold Award.

Alfred Palma, poet and translator, died on December 20, aged 86.

Alfred Palma was a distinguished Maltese poet and translator whose work left a lasting mark on Maltese literature. He is best known for his complete, rhymed Maltese translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, widely regarded as the closest and most faithful to the original among European translations. He also translated all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays into Maltese. For his Dante translation, Palma was honoured with the Lauro Dantesco in Ravenna in 2008, a Medal for Service to the Republic in 2009, the title Cavaliere di Sicilia in 2020 and Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia in 2021.

Marylu Coppini, renowned actress, director, died on December 24, aged 76.

Actress Marylu Coppini was one of Malta’s most prolific and versatile stage performers. In a career spanning more than six decades, Coppini performed extensively for screen and on stage, before becoming involved in directing in the late 1980s. She also served as artistic director for MADC for several years. Among others, she performed lead roles in Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde plays and performed the lead parts in plays like Glorious and Tartuffe. She twice received the MADC Best Actress award.