Sure, we could debate the lunacy of choosing Ben Affleck as the sexiest man alive – I mean, really! Could you be any more bland, Ben? And granted, I think the voters were going for “The lotto winner currently in J. Lo’s pants,” to which I wholeheartedly concur – but I think it’s been done. A different question, then: Who’s the sexiest guy, not alive?
And to open it up for the men, the dead sexiest woman? 
Call me old fashioned but to me they kinda lose their sexiness with that last breath.
Okay, I’ll play. Princess Grace.
Helen of Troy. 
I will never know his name. I saw his photograph in a group picture which was made literally a hundred years ago. Haven’t been able to get that face out of my mind in all these years.
Well, it depends on the angle of sexiness. I mean, if we’re talking power breeds sexiness, then it’s go to be . . . hmm, there’s been lots of powerful guys. Let’s go with . . . Marc Antony? Some manly-manly Roman. If we’re talking intelligence and wisdom being attractive, then I’d say Peter Abelard. (He was missing something very important though. I don’t think you can have sexiness with what he was missing. No . . . it’s really not possible.)
I think I’d have to go with Richard Lovelace, myself, but I agree that it’s quite a pity about Abelard.
I know what you are asking, and as far as women are concerned I’d probably say Cleopatra, in earlier history, and more recently, I’d say Ingrid Bergman.
It’s just that it sounds like you’re asking what person is sexiest as a result of being dead.
Shudder. 
If you want to go for bonus points, name the year.
Eroll Flynn, 1938: Just finished Robin Hood. Major league buffness.
Ava Garnder, 1951: I’ll take two scoops of that!
That’s an easy one… though I’m not usually into slim women, there’s something about Audrey Hepburn that’s positively enchanting for me.
Dead people seldom turn me on.
But, if she were alive now, I wouldn’t be able to stop looking at Grace Kelley
Maybe not when he actually died, but in his heyday, Elvis Presley. His was more of a combination of charisma and sexiness, though. At one time that man was scorching hot.
For sexiest no-longer-with-us female, I’d have to go with Marilyn Monroe. I’ve always loved reading about her, watching her movies, and even went out dressed like her several Halloweens ago. Heh. I won, too.
Like I said, that was a long time ago.
Abelard? He was kind of a whiner. Although I think he truly repected and cherised Heloise (also pretty clingy) and they were both very bright.
As for women, although I’ve read that she wasn’t physically beautiful by either modern or ancient standards, Cleopatra managed to enchant two of the most powerful men in Rome,in quick succession. She must have had something going for her.
I’ve also always been entranced every time an image of Nefertitti appears in front of me. Isis, she was beautiful.
Men, hmmm…
Ulrich of Lichtenstein. One of the great proponents of courtly love. Dressed in drag (his writing contains suspicous deytail on the frilly underthings) in tournaments and challenged all comers as “Frau Venus” in the name of his lady love. Once cut of his finger for her, too. That’s devotion, yo. He ended up dumping her, btw, when he finally bagged her, she was getting on in years, and he recognized her as the manipulatove cow she was. He ended up shacking up with a peasant and living happily ever after.
I’ll second Audrey Hepburn, and timidly suggest that Marilyn Monroe was kind of a bimbo.
Although I’m sure she was a great person and all that, I mean no disrespect.
Cary Grant. In his Suspicion years, not later when he had white hair.
Count Dracula
I mean, all those other dead guys are, like, rotted and stuff.
I’m going to go out on a limb with taking whoever is the, um, freshest.
One limb, coming right up!
Raoul Julia
Dead man—I’m with The Ace of Swords on Errol Flynn, c1938.
Dead woman—Clara Bow, c1928.
dead man: Joey Ramone
woman: I have no idea