Deaths Date 2023 April | History by KabAstro

Craig Breedlove (1937-2023)

Apr 4 American auto racer (5 x world land speed record holder; first to reach 500mph (800km/h) and 600mph (970km/h), dies of cancer at 86

Apr 4 Vivian Trimble, American alt-rock keyboardist (Luscious Jackson; Dusty Trails), dies of cancer at 59
Apr 5 Ian McIntosh, Zimbabwean rugby union coach (South Africa 1993-94; Natal), dies at 84
Apr 5 Sergio "Bobo" Gori, Italian soccer midfielder, forward (3 caps; Vicenza, Cagliari 166 games, Juventus), dies at 77
Apr 5 Sudhir Naik, Indian cricket batsman (3 Tests, 1 x 50; Bombay), dies at 78
Apr 7 (Edward) "Kidd" Jordan, American jazz saxophonist and music educator, dies at 87
Apr 7 Ian Bairnson, Scottish session and touring guitarist (Alan Parsons Project; Kate Bush), dies at 69 [1]
Apr 7 John Regan, American session and touring rock bassist (Frehley's Comet; Peter Frampton), dies at 71
Apr 7 Lasse Wellander, Swedish session and touring guitarist (Abba), dies of cancer at 70
Apr 8 Michael Lerner, American stage and screen actor (Eight Men Out; Harlem Nights: Barton Fink), dies at 81
Apr 9 Fred Pancoast, American college football coach (University of Tampa, Memphis State University, Vanderbilt University), dies at 90
Apr 9 Karl Berger, German-American jazz pianist, vibraphone player, and musicologist, dies of post-surgical complications at 88
Apr 10 Al Jaffee, American comic strip cartoonist and illustrator (MAD Magazine), dies at 102 [1]
Apr 10 Anne Perry [Juliet Marion Hulme], English-born crime writer (convicted of murder as a child as filmed in "Heavenly Creatures"), dies at 84 [1]
Apr 10 Pierre Lacotte, French choreographer and ballet historian, dies of sepsis at 91 [1]
Apr 11 Miguel Escobar, Colombian soccer defender (15 caps; Deportivo Pereira, Deportivo Cali), dies at 77

Mary Quant (1934-2023)

Apr 13 English fashion designer (1960s fashion icon who popularised the mini skirt and the Mod Look), dies at 93 [1]

Apr 14 Ken Archer, Australian cricket batsman (5 Tests; Queensland CA), dies at 95
Apr 14 Mark Sheehan, Irish rock guitarist and songwriter (The Script - "For The First Time"), dies at 46
Apr 15 Faith Thomas, Australian cricket fast bowler (1 WTest; first Indigenous woman to represent Australia in any sport; South Australia), dies at 90
Apr 16 Ahmad Jamal [Frederick Jones], American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator, dies of prostate cancer at 92 [1]
Apr 16 Eddie Colquhoun, Scottish soccer centre back (11 caps; Sheffield United 363 games), dies at 78
Apr 17 April Stevens [Caroline LoTempio], American vocalist ("Deep Purple" - the song, not the band), dies at 93
Apr 17 Pavlo Shkapenko, Ukrainian midfielder/striker (10 caps; FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Torpedo Moscow), dies at 50
Apr 19 (Elmer) "Bud" Shuster, American politician (US Representative-R-PA, 1973-2001), dies at 91
Apr 19 Dave Wilcox, American Pro Football HOF linebacker (First-team All-Pro 1971, 72; 7 x Pro Bowl; San Francisco 49ers), dies at 80
Apr 19 Moonbin [Moon Bin], South Korean K-pop singer and actor, dies in a suspected suicide at 25 [1]
Apr 19 Richard Riordan, American politician (Mayor of Los Angeles (R) 1993-2001), dies at 92 [1]
Apr 20 Josep Maria Fusté, Spanish soccer midfielder (8 caps; FC Barcelona), dies at 82
Apr 22 Barry Humphries, Australian Tony Award-winning comedian, actor and author known for his stage alter egos (Dame Edna Everage, Sir Les Patterson), dies of complications after hip surgery at 89 [1]
Apr 22 Len Goodman, British ballroom dancing champion and television personality (Strictly Come Dancing, 2004-16; Dancing with the Stars, 2005-22), dies of bone cancer at 78
Apr 22 Mick Loftus, Irish Gaelic footballer (Mayo) and executive (President Gaelic Athletic Association 1985–88), dies at 93
Apr 22 Mike Coulman, English rugby union prop (9 Tests England, 1 British & Irish Lions; Moseley RUFC) and rugby league front rower (3 Tests GB, 5 England; Salford RLFC), dies at 78
Apr 23 Alton Maddox, American attorney involved in the Tawana Brawley case, dies at 77 [1]
Apr 23 Dick Towers, American college football coach (Southern Illinois University 1967-73) and executive (AD Kansas State University 1981-85), dies from multiple myeloma at 92

Harry Belafonte (1927-2023)

Apr 25 Jamaican-American Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning calypso singer ("Banana Boat Song"), actor (Buck & the Preacher), and human rights activist, dies of congestive heart failure at 96 [1]

Apr 25 Paul van Vliet, Dutch comedian and singer, dies at 87
Apr 25 Vera Krepkina, Russian athlete (Olympic gold USSR long jump 1960; WR 4×100m relay 1956, tied WR 100m 11.3s 1958), dies at 90
Apr 27 (Charles William) "Wee Willie" Harris, English singer known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll", dies at 90 [1]
Apr 27 Dick Groat, American baseball shortstop (NL MVP & NL batting champion 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates; 8 x MLB All-Star; St. Louis Cardinals) and College Basketball HOF guard (Duke Uni; Fort Wayne Pistons), dies at 92

Jerry Springer (1944-2023)

Apr 27 German-American politician (Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, 1977), and television tabloid talk show host (Jerry Springer, 1991-2018), dies of pancreatic cancer at 79

Apr 27 Rosemary Cramp, British archaeologist who specialized in the Anglo-Saxons (Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey), dies at 93
Apr 28 Jim Fox, British pentathlete (Olympics gold team 1976), dies at 81
Apr 28 Taini Jamison (née Royal), New Zealand netball coach (New Zealand 1967-71; World C'ship 1967), dies at 95
Apr 29 Don Sebesky, American Grammy and Tony Award-winning arranger, composer, orchestra leader, jazz trombonist, and accordion player (Maynard Ferguson; Wes Montgomery; CTI Records), dies of complications of Parkinson's disease at 85 [1]
Apr 29 Mike Shannon, American baseball utility (World Series 1964, 67 St. Louis Cardinals) and broadcaster (St. Louis Cardinals radio 1972-2021), dies of long COVID at 83
Apr 29 Tim Bachman, Canadian rock guitarist and vocalist (Brave Belt; Bachman–Turner Overdrive), dies of brain cancer at 71
Apr 29 Yuri Korolyov, Russian artistic gymnast (World All-Around Champion 1981, 85; World Cup All-Around Co-Champion 1986), dies at 60
Apr 30 Jock Zonfrillo, Scottish chef (Masterchef Australia judge), dies at 46 [1]