Here are some of the famous people who passed away in 2002 who had rare diseases.

Josh Ryan Evans
Actor Josh Ryan Evans was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He starred in movies such as How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (he portrayed the child Grinch) and on NBC's soap opera "Passions" (he played Timmy, the living doll). Evans died on August 5, 2002, at age 20, of a congenital heart condition.

Stephen Jay Gould
Scientist, theorist, and author Stephen Jay Gould was diagnosed with abdominal mesothelioma in 1982. He survived this rare cancer only to die of another cancer on May 20, 2002.

Richard Harris
Actor Richard Harris' career covered theater, musicals, and movies, the most recent of which were Gladiator (2000) and the first two Harry Potter films (2001, 2002). He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease early in 2002, and died on October 25.

Richard Helms
Helms is best known as the controversial former head of the Central Intelligence Agency. He succumbed to multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer) on October 26, 2002.

Ann Landers (Esther Pauline Lederer)
Esther (Eppie) Lederer, known to the world as Ann Landers, dispensed advice for nearly 50 years and helped define American societal norms. In 2002 she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer) but refused treatment, preferring to take only pain medicine and avoid the effects of chemotherapy. She died on November 24, 2002.

Dudley Moore
Actor Dudley Moore, known for his movie and piano performances, was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (a disorder similar to Parkinson's disease) in the mid-1990's. He died of pneumonia on March 27, 2002.

Enos Slaughter
Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (a rare cancer) late in life. He died after colon surgery on August 12, 2002.

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