Deaths April 11 | History by KabAstro

1838 Piet [Petrus Lafras] Uys, South African pioneer (Great Pull), murdered at 40
1839 John Galt, Scottish novelist (Annals of the Parish), dies at 59
1842 Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, Hungarian Tibetan scholar (first Tibetan-English Dictionary), dies at 58
1842 John England, bishop of Charleston Carolina, dies
1853 Louis-Emmanuel Jadin, French pianist, music director, and composer, dies at 84
1854 Karl Adolph von Basedow, German artist (Ziekte van Basedow), dies at 55
1856 Juan Santamaría, national hero of Costa Rica (b. 1831)
1861 Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet (b. 1824)
1873 Edward Canby, U.S. general (b. 1817)
1875 Heinrich Schwabe, discoverer (11-year sunspot cycle), dies
1881 Kristian Elster, Norwegian author (Torn Trondal), dies of pneumonia at 40
1884 Charles Reade, English novelist (Cloister & Hearth), dies at 69
1887 Pyotr Petrovich Sokal'sky, Russian composer, dies at 54
1890 Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man", dies of asphyxia at 27
1894 Constantin Lipsius, German architect (b. 1832)

1895 Julius Lothar Meyer, German Chemist, dies at 64
1900 Seth Barton, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 70
1901 Ivar Hallström, Swedish composer, dies at 74
1902 General Jacobus Potgieter, South African Boer commander, dies in Second Boer War Battle of Rooiwal, South African Republic
1903 Gemma Galgani, Italian saint and mystic, dies of tuberculosis at 25
1906 Francis Pharcellus Church, American editor and publisher (The New York Sun - "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus"), dies at 67

James Anthony Bailey (1847-1906)

American circus ringmaster and showman (Barnum & Bailey), dies at 58

1908 Henry Bird, English Chess player and author (b. 1829)
1916 Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (Soldiers of Fortune, The King's Jackal), dies of a heart attack at 52
1918 Arthur E Ochse, South African cricket batsman (2 Tests; Transvaal), dies in action WWI at 48
1918 Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and leading figure in the Vienna Secession movement, dies at 76
1918 William C. McDonald, American lawyer and politician (1st Governor of New Mexico. 1912-17), dies at 59
1921 Augusta Victoria, Queen of Prussia, wife of Emperor Wilhelm II, dies at 62

Luther Burbank (1849-1926)

American horticulturist who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants, dies of gastrointestinal complications at 77

1934 John Collier, English painter (Lady Godiva) and writer, dies at 84
1936 Mitya Stillman, Russian composer and violinist, dies at 44
1938 Cristóbal Torriente, Cuban Baseball HOF outfielder (NgL NL batting champion 1920; NgL NL pennant 1920–22; Chicago American Giants; career batting average: .352), dies from alcoholism & tuberculosis at 44
1939 S.S. Van Dine [pseudonym for William Huntingdon Wright], American critic and detective writer (Philo Vance), dies at 50
1945 Frederick Lugard, British Colonial administrator, mercenary and explorer (Governor of Nigeria and Hong Kong), dies at 87
1945 Kamiel van Baelen, Flemish author and resistance fighter (Mensch op Weg), dies at 29
1947 Louise Peete, American convicted serial killer, dies at 66
1952 Wadih Sabra, Lebanese composer (Kulluna lil Watan), dies at 76
1953 Kid Nichols, American Baseball HOF pitcher (3 × NL wins leader; All-Time Saves Leader 1899–1906; Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1904–05), dies at 83
1958 Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter, dies at 82
1961 Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian pianist (accompanist to Nellie Melba), and contemporary classical composer, dies at 70
1967 Donald Sangster, Jamaican prime-minister (b. 1911)
1969 Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Norwegian composer, dies at 74
1970 Cathy O'Donnell [Ann Steely], American film noir actress (Miniver Story, Man from Laramie), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 46
1970 John O'Hara, American short story writer and novelist (Appointment at Samarra; Pal Joey; BUtterfield-8), dies of cardiovascular disease at 65
1973 (Edward) "Ted" de Corsia, American actor (The Naked City; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), dies at 69
1974 Charles Curtis "Curt" Conway, American actor (Raw Deal; The Twilight Zone), dies of a heart attack at 60
1975 Dorothy Patten, American actress, dies at 70
1976 Liam Dunn, American actor, dies at 59
1977 Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (b. 1900)
1977 Karen Krantzcke, Australian tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1968; Federation Cup 1970), dies of a heart attack whilst jogging at 31
1980 Charlotte Henry, American actress (Alice in Wonderland; Babes In Toyland; Jungle Menace), dies of cancer at 66
1980 Florence Lake, American comic actress (leading lady in many of Edgar Kennedy comedy shorts; Lassie), dies at 75
1981 Caroline Gordon, American writer (Green Centuries), dies at 85
1981 Marie Ney, British character actress (The Lavender Hill Mob), dies at 85
1983 Dolores Del Rio, actress (Cheyenne Autumn), dies at 78
1984 Fred Robinson, American jazz trombonist (Louis Armstong's Hot Five; Fats Waller; Cab Calloway), dies at 83
1985 Bunny Ahearne, British ice hockey promoter, dies at 84

Enver Hoxha (1908-1985)

Albanian post-war communist leader and dictator of Albania (1944-85), dies at 76

1987 Erskine Caldwell, American novelist (Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre), dies at 83
1987 Kent Taylor [Louis Weiss], American actor (Boston Blackie, Rough Riders), dies at 79
1987 Primo Levi, Italian chemist and writer (Survival in Auschwitz), dies at 67
1988 Jean "Jeff" Donnell, American actress (Gidget Goes to Rome, Hoedown, 9 Girls), dies at 66 of a heart attack
1989 Henk van Galen Last, Dutch journalist, dies at 68
1990 Barbara Miller, British stage and screen actress (Blackadder), dies of a brain tumor at 71
1990 Harold Ballard, Canadian ice hockey club (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1972-90), and football team (Hamilton Tiger Cats, 1978-88) owner, dies at 86
1990 Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist, Prime Minister of Greece, dies at 86
1991 Tom Rosqui, American stage and screen character actor (The Godfather - "Rocco Lampone"), dies of cancer at 62
1991 Walker Cooper, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1942–44, 46–50; World Series 1942, 44; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 76
1992 Adele Dixon, British stage and screen actress and singer (Uneasy Virtue), dies of pneumonia at 83
1992 Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, dies of a brain tumor at 71
1992 Eve Merriam [Moskovitz], American writer and poet (Inner City Mother Goose), dies of liver cancer at 75
1992 James Brown, American actor (Objective, Burma!; The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin -"Rip"), dies of lung cancer at 72
1992 Robert Houben, Belgian politician (Minister of Public Health, 1958), dies at 86
1993 Janet Harmon Bragg, American pilot (1st female black aviator to hold a commercial pilot's license), dies at 86 [1]
1993 Mohammed el-Himi, brigade-general of Egyptian police, murdered
1993 Rahmon Nabiyev, Tajik politician, First Secretary of The Communist Party (1982-85) and President of Tajikistan (1991-92), dies at 63
1994 John Nicolaas Block, Dutch aviation pioneer (Martinair, Transavia), dies at 64
1996 Daniel Wolf, American journalist, dies at 80
1996 Edwin Clarke, British neurologist, medical historian,and museum keeper, dies of pancreatic cancer at 76
1996 Jessica Dubroff, American aviator (attempting to become the youngest person to fly a light utility aircraft across the United States), crashed at 7
1996 Louis Osman, British artist, goldsmith, architect, and craftsman, dies at 82
1996 Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, French advertising magnate and Founder of Publicis Groupe, dies at 89
1997 Michael Dorris, writer, commits suicide at 52
1998 Ivan Tcherepnin, American experimental and postmodern composer, dies at 55
1998 Rodney Harvey, American actor and model (Salsa), dies of a drug overdose at 30
2000 Diana Darvey, British actress, singer and dancer (b. 1945)
2000 Lucia Dlugoszewski, Polish-American composer (Fire Fragile Flight), dies at 74
2001 Harry Secombe, Welsh actor, comedian, singer and goon (The Goon Show; Oliver!), dies of cancer at 79
2001 Kamal Ranadive, Indian cancer researcher (Indian Women Scientists' Association; Indian Cancer Research Centre), dies at 83
2001 Sandy Bull, American musician (b. 1941)
2003 Cecil Howard Green, British geophysicist and businessman (b. 1900)
2005 André François, Hungarian-French cartoonist, dies at 89
2005 Lucien Laurent, French footballer (scored the first ever FIFA World Cup goal), dies at 97
2005 Maurice R. Hilleman, American microbiologist who developed over 36 vaccines including measles, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chickenpox, meningitis, pneumonia, dies at 85
2006 June Pointer, American pop and R&B singer (The Pointer Sisters -"Fire"; "He's So Shy"; "Jump (For My Love)'; "Slow Hand"), dies of cancer at 52
2006 Proof [DeShaun Holton], American rapper (D12), shot to death in billiard game dispute at 32
2007 Janet McDonald, American novelist (b. 1954)

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

American author (Slaughterhouse Five, Sirens of Titan), dies from head trauma at 84

2007 Ronald Speirs, American Army officer (CO of Easy Company), dies at 86
2007 Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor (McCoy, Saunders-Soap), dies at 81
2008 Merlin German, United States Marine
2009 Corín Tellado, Spanish romance novelist, sold the most books in Spanish (400 million), dies at 81
2010 Jean Boiteux, French swimmer (Olympic gold 400m freestyle, bronze 4×200m freestyle 1952), dies after falling off a tree at 76
2010 Vicki Draves, American diver (Olympic gold platform & springboard 1948), dies from pancreatic cancer at 85
2011 Billy Bang [William Walker], American free jazz violinist and composer, dies of lung cancer at 63
2011 La Esterella [Ester Lambrechts], Flemish pop singer ("Oh Lieve Vrouwetoren"), dies at 91
2011 Lacy Gibson, American Chicago-style blues guitarist, singer and songwriter ("Switchy Titchy"), dies of a heart attack at 74
2012 Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian socialist revolutionary and 1st President of Algeria (1963-65), dies at 93
2013 Angela Voigt, German athlete (Olympic gold GDR long jump 1976), dies at 61
2013 Grady Hatton, American baseball player and manager, dies from natural causes at 90
2013 Hilary Koprowski, Polish virologist and immunologist, dies at 96

Jonathan Winters (1925-2013)

American comedian (The Jonathan Winters Show, Mork & Mindy), dies from natural causes at 87

Maria Tallchief (1925-2013)

American prima ballerina (The Nutcracker), dies at 88

2014 Jesse Winchester, American-Canadian musician and songwriter ("Yankee Lady"; "Say What"), dies from bladder cancer at 69
2016 Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78
2017 J. Geils [John Warren Geils Jr], American rock guitarist (J. Geils Band - Centerfold), dies at 71
2017 Toby Smith [Grafftey-Smith], British keyboardist and songwriter, dies of cancer at 46
2018 Gillian Ayres, British abstract painter and printmaker, dies at 88
2018 Mitzi Shore [Lillian Saidel], American owner of The Comedy Store and founder of The Comedy Channel, dies at 87
2019 Frances Swem Anderson, American technologist (nuclear medicine), dies at 105
2019 Monkey Punch [Kazuhiko Kato], Japanese manga cartoonist (Lupin III), dies of pneumonia at 81
2020 Francis Tombs, Lord Tombs, British engineer and businessman (CEO of Rolls Royce), dies at 95 [1]
2021 Colin Baker, Welsh soccer wing half (7 caps; Cardiff City 298 games), dies at 86
2021 Marco Bollesan, Italian rugby union number 8 (47 caps; CUS Genova, Partenope) and coach (Italy 1985-88), dies at 79
2021 Massimo Cuttitta, Italian rugby union prop (69 caps [captain 16]; Milano, Harlequins, Bologna), dies from COVID-19 at 54
2021 Shirley Williams, British politician (Labour Party; Social Democratic Party; Liberal Democrat), dies at 90
2022 Mohammad Hussain, Pakistani cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 3 wickets; 14 ODIs, 13 wickets; Lahore), dies from kidney related illness at 45
2023 Miguel Escobar, Colombian soccer defender (15 caps; Deportivo Pereira, Deportivo Cali), dies at 77