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Ringo Starr -

The Beatles' drummer spent two years recovering from TB in a hospital when he was 12.

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Nelson Mandela -

The iconic South African leader contracted TB in 1988 while he was in Pollsmoor Prison. Mandela made a full recovery, but his lungs were damaged, leaving him more susceptible to other health issues.

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Eleanor Roosevelt -

The activist and former First Lady of the United States died in 1962 due to a number of health complications, including tuberculosis.

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Cat Stevens -

The British singer-songwriter contracted tuberculosis in 1969 and spent three months in hospital recovering from it.

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George Orwell -

The famous journalist and novelist contracted TB later in life and died. The author of 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is believed to have caught it while being treated at a hospital during the Spanish Civil War.

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Carlos Santana -

The iconic guitarist was hospitalized after being diagnosed with TB in 1967. Santana was 19 years old.

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Vivien Leigh -

The 'Gone with the Wind' (1939) actress was diagnosed with the disease in 1944, but didn't die from it until 1967, at the age of 53.

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Desmond Tutu -

The South African bishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate had TB when he was a teenager.

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Emily Brontë -

It is believed that the famous English novelist and poet died of tuberculosis in 1848.

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James Monroe -

The Founding Father who served as the fifth President of the United States died from TB and heart failure in 1831.

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John Keats -

The English poet passed away in 1821 at the age of 25 after contracting tuberculosis. Keats' mother, uncle, and two brothers also died of TB.

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Franz Kafka -

The famous writer suffered from tuberculosis from 1917 until 1924, when he finally succumbed to it and died.

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Paul Gauguin -

The French Post-Impressionist artist died in 1903 of a heart attack, but at one point he suffered from TB.

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Voltaire -

The famous French Enlightenment writer and philosopher also suffered from TB.

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Louis Braille -

The inventor of the Braille writing system was diagnosed with TB in 1835, and died in 1852.

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Anton Chekhov -

The famous author died of tuberculosis in 1904, after struggling with the disease for several years.

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Tom Jones -

The famous Welsh singer contracted tuberculosis when he was 12. He was in quarantine for two years.

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Henry David Thoreau -

The American naturalist contracted TB in 1835 while studying at Harvard College. Henry David Thoreau died from it in 1862.

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Tina Turner -

The singer contracted tuberculosis in the late 1970s. Reportedly, a homeopathic doctor cured her at the time.

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D. H. Lawrence -

The English writer died of tuberculosis on March 2, 1930, in Vence, France.

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Erwin Schrödinger -

The Austrian-Irish physicist had several bouts of TB in the 1920s, until he eventually died from it in 1961, at the age of 73.

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John C. Calhoun -

The American politician died of tuberculosis in 1850. Calhoun was 68.

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Henry VII of England -

King Henry VII died of tuberculosis in 1509 at Richmond Palace in Surrey.

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Molière -

The French playwright was yet another famous fatal victim of tuberculosis. He died from it in 1673, aged 51.

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Louis XIII -

The French king died in Paris in May 1643, five months after contracting TB.

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Muhammad Ali Jinnah -

The founder of Pakistan kept his battle against TB a secret for many years. Jinnah eventually died in September 1948.

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Charles IX -

The king of France died of tuberculosis on May 30, 1574. Charles IX was just 23 years old.

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Sidney Lanier -

The American musician and poet contracted TB as a Union prisoner of war during the Civil War. Lanier eventually succumbed to complications caused by the disease and died in 1881.

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Lev Vygotsky -

The Soviet psychologist, known for his cultural-historical activity theory, died of tuberculosis in 1934.

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Kahlil Gibran -

The author of 'The Prophet' died of both cirrhosis of the liver and tuberculosis in 1931.

Sources: (Vox Magazine) (Chron) (The Famous People) (The Guardian)

See also: Stars who suffer from rare diseases

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