Vasco da Gama (c. 1460s-1524)
Portuguese explorer and viceroy of Cochin, dies at about 55
- 1541 Andreas R Bodenstein von Carlstadt, radical Lutheran, dies at about 61
- 1548 Maximilian of Egmond, Dutch count/stadholder of Frisia, dies
- 1660 Mary [Maria Henrietta], English Princess Royal, Princess of Orange, wife of William II, dies of smallpox at 29 [NS]
- 1707 Noel Coypel, French painter, dies at 78
- 1813 Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1740)
- 1823 Philipp Christoph Kayser, German pianist and composer, dies at 68
- 1862 Joseph Funk, early American composer, dies at 84
- 1863 William Makepeace Thackeray, British novelist (Vanity Fair), dies at 52
- 1865 Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, British painter and writer (b. 1793)
- 1868 Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist, dies at 66
Edwin Stanton (1814-1869)
US Secretary of War during most of the American Civil War (1861-65) and US Attorney General (1860-61), dies at 55
- 1872 William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish mechanical engineer and physicist, dies at 52
- 1873 Johns Hopkins, American financier and philanthropist (founded Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University), dies at 78
- 1877 Robert Parker Parrott, American inventor (developed the rifled cannon known as the Parrott gun), dies at 73
- 1885 Louis-Prosper Gachard, Belgian historian National Archives of Belgium), dies at 85
- 1889 Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (b. 1819)
- 1897 Marshall Newell, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle (Harvard; All-American 1890-93) and coach (Cornell, Tufts), dies in a railroad accident at 26
- 1898 Eugeniusz Pankiewicz, Polish composer, dies at 41
- 1898 Sharbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI, dies at 70 (b. 1828)
- 1904 Julien Dillens, Flemish sculptor (Anspach Monument), dies at 55
- 1907 Isidor Feinstein "Izzy" Stone, journalist (IF Stone's Weekly), dies
- 1908 François-Auguste Gevaert, Belgian composer (Le diable au moulin), dies at 80
- 1909 Nicolaas Pierson, Dutch economist and politician (Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1897-1901), dies at 80
John Muir (1838-1914)
Scottish naturalist and discoverer (glacier in High Seirras), dies of pneumonia at 76
- 1919 Theophilus Van Kannel, American inventor of the revolving door, dies at 78 [1]
- 1926 Johan Castberg, Norwegian politician (Castbergian Child Laws protecting extra-martial children), dies at 64 [1]
- 1930 Eduard David, German politician (constitution of Weimar), dies at 67
- 1930 Oskar Nedbal, Czech composer, dies at 56
- 1932 Eyvind Alnæs, Norwegian pianist, organist, choral director, and composer, dies at 60
- 1935 Alban Berg, Austrian composer (Wozzeck; Lulu), dies of sepsis at 50
- 1936 Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger, Croatian paleontologist (discovery and descriptions of the Neandertal remains from the Huŝnjakova rock shelter at Krapina in northwestern Croatia), dies at 80
- 1938 Bruno Taut, German architect (b. 1880)
- 1940 Rudolf Piskáček, Czech composer, dies at 56
- 1941 Siegfried Alkan, German composer, dies at 83
François Darlan (1881-1942)
French Admiral of the Fleet during WWII and Vichy Prime Minister (1941-42), assassinated at 61 in his headquarters in French North Africa by resistance fighter Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
- 1942 Friedrich Klose, German-Swiss composer (König Elf), dies at 80
- 1942 K Balmont, writer, dies at 75
- 1944 Joseph Gustav Mraczek, German violinist, conductor, composer (Max und Moritz) and pedagogue, dies at 66
- 1945 Francisco Pujol, Catalan singer, choirmaster (Orfeó Català), composer, and musicologist, dies at 67
- 1952 Hans Kramers, Dutch theoretical physicist (worked with Niels Bohr on electromagnetic waves), dies at 58
- 1953 Ralph Linton, American cultural anthropologist (Tree of Culture), dies at 60
- 1955 Nana Bryant, American stage and screen actress (Ladies of the Chorus; Harvey; Brewster's Millions), dies at 67
- 1957 Norma Talmadge, American silent screen actress (Within the Law, Sign on Bay), dies at 64
- 1961 Guy de Lioncourt, French composer, dies at 76
- 1963 Raphaël Verwilghen, Belgian architect, and urban planner, dies at 78
- 1965 William M. Branham, Christian minister (b. 1906)
- 1966 Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer, dies at 69
- 1967 Karl Ristenpart, German conductor, dies of a heart attack at 67
- 1970 Gideon Nxumalo, South African jazz pianist, marimba player, and composer (Jazz Fantasia), dies at 41
- 1971 Maria Koepcke, ornithologist (b. 1924)
- 1972 Charles Atlas [Angelo Siciliano], Italian-American bodybuilder, dies at 79
- 1972 Ernst Kreuder, German writer (The Attic Pretenders), dies at 69
- 1972 Melville Ruick, American actor (Sun Valley Serenade, City Hospital), dies at 74
- 1973 Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Indian Social social activist and reformer, dies at 94
- 1975 Bernard Herrmann [Maximillian Herman], American radio and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Mercury Theatre on the Air; Citizen Kane; Vertigo; Psycho; Taxi Driver), and conductor, bdies of a heart attack at 64
- 1975 Tilly Losch, Austrian dancer and actress (Duel in the Sun; Garden of Allah), dies at about 71 (birth date disputed)
- 1976 Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza, unfulfilled claimant to the throne of Portugal, dies at 69
- 1976 Victor Stanitsin, actor (War & Peace, Jubilee), dies at 79
- 1977 Samael Aun Weor, Colombian writer (b. 1917)
- 1978 Franz Johannes Weinrich [Heinrich Lerse], German writer (Himmlisches), dies at 81
- 1979 Dirk Uipko Stikker, Dutch politician, diplomat (Ambassador to Great Britain, 1952-58; Secretary General of NATO, 1961-64), and CEO (Heineken), dies at 82
- 1979 Rudi Dutschke, German political activist (Socialist Students Union (SDS)), dies from complications of injuries from 1968 assassination attempt at 39
- 1980 Alec Wilder, American classical, jazz, and pop music composer (The Churkendoose), and musicologist (American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950), dies at 73 [1]
Karl Dönitz (1891-1980)
German naval admiral and last leader of Nazi Germany, dies of a heart attack at 89
- 1980 Siggie Nordstrom, American singer (The Nordstrom Sisters), dies at 87
- 1982 Louis Aragon, French poet and writer (Les Lettres françaises, Pour un réalisme socialiste), dies at 85
- 1984 Ian Hendry, British actor (The Avengers, The Lotus Eaters), dies of a stomach haemorrhage at 53
- 1984 Peter Lawford, British actor, producer and socialite (Mrs Miniver, Thin Man), dies of cardiac arrest at 61
- 1985 Ferhat Abbas, Algerian politician and President of the National Constituent Assembly of Algeria (1962-63), dies at 86
- 1986 Gardner Fox, American sci-fi author (Atom; Hawkman; Zatanna), dies at 75
- 1987 Joop [Johannes] den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (PVDA, 1973-77), dies at 68
- 1987 M. G. Ramachandran, Chief Minister of the Tamil Nadu (b. 1917)
- 1990 Thorbjørn Egner, Norwegian author (b. 1922)
- 1991 Walter Hudson, 1,025 lb man, dies at 46
- 1992 Abdulkadir Widjojoatmodjo, Java diplomat, dies
- 1992 Bobby LaKind, American conga player, vocalist, songwriter and occasional backup drummer (The Doobie Brothers), dies from terminal colon cancer at 47
- 1992 Peyo [Pierre Culliford], Belgian cartoonist (The Smurfs; Johan et Pirlouit), dies of a heart attack at 64
- 1993 Alexander Mackendrick, American-born Scottish director (Lady Killers), dies at 81
- 1993 Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman, broadcaster (The Art Of Living), and author (The Power of Positive Thinking), dies at 95
- 1993 Yen Chia-kan, PM/President of Taiwan (1963-72, 75-78), dies
- 1994 Buddy Ace, [Jimmie Lee Land] American Texas blues singer, dies of a heart attack while performing at 57
- 1994 John Boswell, American historian, philologist, and writer (Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality), dies of AIDS at 47
- 1994 John Keith Wright, English economist, diplomat and Under-Secretary, Overseas Development Administration (1971-84), dies at 66 [1]
- 1994 John Osborne, English playwright (Entertainer, Look Back in Anger, Luther, dies at 65
- 1994 Julie Haydon [Donella Donaldson], American actress (Scoundrel), dies at 84
- 1994 Nathan I. Daniel, American inventor (Danelectric and Silvertone guitars), dies of a heart attack at 82
- 1994 Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (Final Justice, South Pacific, The Barefoot Contessa), dies of a neural virus at 78
- 1995 Harry McLevy, Scottish trade unionist, dies at 59
- 1996 Joseph Muhler, American biochemist and dentist (developed Crest - 1st fluoride toothpaste), dies at 73 [1]
- 1996 Nguyen Huu Tho, President of Vietnam (1980-81), dies
- 1996 Peter Dormer, British arts writer, dies at 47
- 1996 Ted Leadbitter, British politician (Labour), dies at 77
- 1997 Alan Fluck, Scottish musical educator, dies at 69
- 1997 James Komack, American writer, director, and actor (The Courtship of Eddie's Father; Chico and the Man; Welcome Back, Kotter), dies at 73
- 1997 Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman and founder of Quebecor, dies at 72
Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997)
Japanese writer and actor (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Shogun), dies at 77
Raemer Schreiber (1910-1998)
American Physicist (Manhattan Project) who helped develop the first atomic bomb during World War II and prepared the Fat Man bomb that was used in the bombing of Nagasaki, dies at 88
- 1999 Bill Bowerman, American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, dies at 88
- 1999 João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo, President of Brazil (b. 1918)
- 1999 Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician, (Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of France 1968-9), dies at 92)
- 1999 Zeke Carey, American R&B singer (The Flamingos - "Goodnight Sweetheart"; "I Only Have Eyes For You"), dies of a heart attack at 66
- 2000 John Cooper, English race car designer (Cooper Car Company; developed the "Mini Cooper"), dies at 77
- 2000 Nick Massi [Macioci], American bass vocalist, vocal arranger, and bassist (The Four Seasons, 1960-65 - "Sherry"; "Rag Doll"), dies of cancer at 65
- 2002 James Ferman, American director and secretary (British Board of Film Classification), dies at 72
- 2002 Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author (b. 1920)
- 2002 Laci Peterson, American murder victim, dies at 27
- 2002 Luciano Chailly, Italian opera composer (L'Idiota) and artistic director (La Scala), dies at 82
- 2003 David Hobman, English human right activist and director (Age Concern England), dies at 76
- 2003 Herman Keiser, American golfer (US Masters 1946), dies of Alzheimer's disease complications at 89
- 2004 Jan van Vlijmen, Dutch composer, dies at 69
- 2004 Johnny Oates, American MLB baseball catcher, 1970-81 (Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and 3 other teams), and manager, 1991-2001 (Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers), dies of brain cancer at 58
- 2005 Michael Vale, American actor known for being Dunkin' Donuts mascot "Fred the Baker", dies at 83
- 2006 Braguinha [Carlos Alberto Ferreira Braga], Brazilian songwriter, dies at 99
- 2006 Frank Stanton, American television executive (CBS), dies at 98
- 2006 Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian singer, poet, comedian, and composer, dies of complications from epilepsy at 66
- 2007 Akbar Radi, Iranian dramatist and playwright (b. 1939)
- 2007 Nicholas Pumfrey, British judge (b. 1951)
Harold Pinter (1930-2008)
British playwright and screenwriter (The Birthday Party, The Homecoming), dies at 78
Samuel P. Huntington (1927-2008)
American political scientist (The Clash of Civilizations) and presidential adviser, dies at 81
- 2009 George Michael, American sportscaster (The George Michael Sports Machine) (b. 1939)
- 2009 Marcus Bakker, Dutch communist politician (CPN), dies at 86
- 2009 Rafael Caldera, lawyer, sociologist, writer, speaker, politician, and ex-president of Venezuela (b. 1916)
- 2009 Tim Hart, British folk-rock singer, guitarist, mandolin and dulcimer player (Steeleye Span, 1969-82 - "All Around My Hat"; "Gaudete"), dies of lung cancer at 61
- 2010 Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer (Joanna tentata), dies at 80
- 2010 Elisabeth Beresford, British author and creator of The Wombles (b. 1926)
- 2010 Orestes Quércia, Brazilian politician (Governor of São Paulo, 1987-91), dies of prostate cancer at 72
- 2010 Roy Neuberger, American financier and art patron (Neuberger Museum of Art), dies at 107
- 2011 Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 2012 Charles Durning, American actor (Fury, Sting, Tootsie), dies from natural causes at 89
- 2012 Hugh Atkin, American composer, dies at 88
Jack Klugman (1922-2012)
American actor (Oscar-Odd Couple, Quincy, Goodbye Columbus), dies at 90
- 2012 Ray Collins, American rock vocalist (Mothers of Invention), dies at 76
- 2012 Richard Rodney Bennett, English pianist, classical and film score composer (Four Weddings And A Funeral), dies at 76
- 2013 Edgar Bronfman, Sr, Canadian-American businessman (CEO of Seagrams, 1971-94; president of World Jewish Conference, 1981-2007), and philanthropist, dies at 84
- 2013 Frédéric Back, German-born Canadian short film director and screenwriter (The Man Who Planted Trees), dies at 89
- 2013 Michael Butler, British diplomat, administrator (Royal College of Art, 1991-96), and collector of 17th century Chinese porcelain, dies at 86
- 2014 Boniface "Buddy" DeFranco, Italian-American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra), dies at 91
- 2015 William Guest, American singer (Gladys Knight Show), dies at 74
- 2016 Jack Philip Cannon, British composer, dies at 87
- 2016 Liz Smith [Betty Gleadle] British BAFTA Award-winning character actress (A Private Function; 2point4 Children -"Belle" and "Bette"), dies at 95
- 2016 Richard Adams, English author (Watership Down), dies at 96
- 2016 Rick Parfitt, British pop guitarist and singer (Status Quo - "Wanderer"; "Pictures of Matchstick Men"), dies at 68
- 2016 Vera Rubin, American astronomer who discovered dark matter, dies at 88
- 2017 Dick Orkin, American radio performer (Chickenman), and screenwriter (The Tim Conway Show), dies of a stroke at 84
- 2017 Heather Menzies-Urich, Canadian actress (The Sound of Music; Piranha), dies of cancer at 68
- 2019 Walter Horak, Austrian soccer striker (13 caps; Wiener Sport Club, Sochaux), dies at 88
- 2020 Geoff Stephens, English songwriter and record producer ("The Crying Game"; The New Vaudeville Band - "Winchester Cathedral", "There's a Kind of Hush"), dies of complications from COVID-19 at 86
- 2020 Ivry Gitlis, Israeli classical violin virtuoso, dies at 98
- 2021 J.D. Crowe, American bluegrass banjo player and bandleader (The New South), dies at 84
- 2021 José Villegas, Mexican soccer defender (6 caps; CD Guadalajara), dies at 87
- 2021 Raúl Madero, Argentine soccer defender (5 caps; Estudiantes) and sports physician (Argentina national team), dies at 82
- 2021 Willibert Kremer, German soccer coach (MSV Duisburg, Bayer Leverkusen, 1860 Munich, Fortuna Düsseldorf), dies at 82
- 2022 John Bird actor, British satirist, actor, writer, and director (That Was the Week That Was; Bremner, Bird and Fortune), dies at 86
Kathy Whitworth (1939-2022)
American golfer (7 x LPGA Player of Year, 6 x major titles, record 88 LPGA Tour wins), dies at 83
- 2022 Tunisha Sharma, Indian actress (Alibaba - Dastaan-e-Kabul), found dead at 20 [1]
- 2022 Vittorio Adorni, Italian road racing cyclist (Giro d'Italia general classification 1965), dies at 85
- 2023 David Leland, English BAFTA, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning stage and screen director, playwright, and screenwriter (Wish You Were Here; The Borgias; Band of Brothers; Concert for George), dies at 82 [1]
- 2023 Ron Nelson, American composer, and pedagogue (Brown University, 1973-93), dies at 94
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide