Deaths January 12 | History by KabAstro

Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519)

Holy Roman Emperor (1508-19, established Hapsburg dynasty in Spain), dies at 59

1537 Lorenzo di Credi, Italian painter, dies
1550 Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist, humanist and writer, dies at 57
1665 Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician who needed wider margins (Fermat's Last Theorem), dies at 57
1674 Giacomo Carissimi, Italian organist, choral director, composer (Jephta), and priest, dies at 68-ish

Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700)

French nun and Canada's first female saint who founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal, dies at 79 [1]

1705 Luca Giordano, Italian painter and printmaker, dies at 70
1732 John Horsley, British archaeologist (Britannia Romana) dies (b. 1685)
1735 John Eccles, English composer (Master of the King's Musick for four monarchs), dies (b. 1668)
1759 Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain, dies at 49
1765 Johann Melchior Molter, German Baroque composer and violinist, dies at 68
1777 Hugh Mercer, Scottish military officer (fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War), dies of his wounds at the Battle of Princeton at 50
1781 Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
1807 Adriaan Kluit, Dutch historian and scholar, dies at 71
1807 Joan Lucaz, Dutch journalist and patriot, dies at 60
1817 Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)
1829 Friedrich von Schlegel, German cultural philosopher and poet (Lucinde), dies at 56
1829 Michael Gotthard Fischer, German composer, dies at 55
1833 Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)

William Grenville (1759-1834)

1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Whig: 1806-07), dies at 74

1839 Joseph A. Koch, Austrian painter, cartoonist, etcher and illustrator, dies at 70
1851 Johan Herman Koekkoek, Dutch painter, dies at 72
1856 Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician and author of Slovak language, dies at 40
1860 Martinus Niewindt, Dutch Bishop of Curacao (christened slaves), dies at 63
1867 Victor Cousin, French philosopher and educational reformer, dies at 74

Isaac Pitman (1813-1897)

English teacher and inventor of Pitman shorthand (Stenographic Soundhand), dies at 84

1899 Hiram Walker, American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery, dies at 82
1909 Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (work on relativity - Minkowski spacetime), dies of appendicitis at 44
1910 Harry Staley, American baseball pitcher (MLB record 9 RBI 1893; record lasts 70+ years), dies at 43
1921 Gervase Elwes, English tenor (b. 1866)
1925 Oskar Brefeld, German botanist and founder of modern mycology, dies at 85
1926 Sir Austin Chapman, Australian politician (Member of Parliament, 1901-26), dies at 61
1928 Ruth Snyder, American murderer, dies by the electric chair at Sing Sing prison at 32
1933 Václav Suk, Czech-born Russian composer and violinist, dies at 71
1934 Pawel Kochanski, Polish violinist, composer, arranger, and pedagogue (Juilliard School, 1924-34), dies of cancer at 46
1934 Surya Sen "Master Da", Indian activist for independence (Chittagong armoury raid), hanged at 39
1938 Gösta Ekman (senior), Swedish actor (b. 1890)
1940 Erich R. Jaensch, German psychologist (eidetiek), dies at 56
1942 George Francis, West Indian cricketer (WI Test fast-bowler, 23 wkts in 10), dies at 44
1943 Frank Alvord Perret, American volcanologist renowned for his research at Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli and Kilauea dies at 75
1943 Jan Campert, Dutch resistance fighter and poet (18 Dead), dies at 40
1944 Juliette Atkinson, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1895, 97-98), dies at 70
1944 Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
1947 Jonas Cohn, German philosopher (Wertwissenschaft), dies at 77
1950 Koos van de Griend, Dutch composer, dies at 44
1953 Simeon Roncal, Bolivian composer, dies at 82
1956 John Raedecker, Dutch sculptor (WW II Monument Amsterdam), dies at 70
1956 Norman Kerry [Kaiser], American silent and sound screen actor (A Little Princess; The Phantom of the Opera; Air Eagles), dies of a liver ailment at 61
1958 Arthur Shepherd, American composer and conductor, dies from surgery complications at 77
1958 Charles Mallory Hatfield, U.S. rainmaker (b. 1875)
1959 Edvard Eriksen, Danish-Icelandic sculptor, dies at 82
1960 Nevil Shute [Norway], English-Australian novelist (On the Beach, Town like Alice), dies at 60
1962 Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian politician, writer, and feminist, dies at 92
1962 Richard de Guide, Belgian composer, dies at 52
1964 Snuffy Browne, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests, 1 x 50, 6 wickets; British Guiana, Barbados), dies at 73
1965 Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright (A Raisin in the Sun), and writer (To Be Young Gifted And Black), dies in NYC, dies of pancreatic cancer at 34
1965 Porcupine, in the National Zoo, dies at 27; oldest known rodent (Washington, DC)
1967 Holland Smith, American US Marine Corps general, considered the "father" of modern U.S. amphibious warfare, dies at 84
1970 Blanche Stuart Scott, US pilot, dies at 84
1972 Padraic Colum, Irish novelist and poet (Collected Poems), dies at 90
1973 Glen "Turk" Edwards, American College-Pro Football HOF tackle (Washington State Uni; NFL C'ship 1937; 3 × First-team All-Pro; NFL All-Star 1939; Washington Redskins) and coach (Washington Redskins 1946-48), dies at 65
1975 Caryn Campbell, Bundy victim, disappears from Snowmass, Colo

Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

English crime writer (Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap), dies at 85

1977 Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director (Les Diaboliques, Truth), dies at 69
1981 Isobel Elsom, British actress (My Fair Lady, Love From a Stranger), dies at 87
1983 (Anthony) "Rebop" Kwaku Baah, Nigerian percussionist (traffic, 1971-74), dies of cerebral hemorrhage during a performance in Stockholm, Sweden at 38
1986 Marcel Arland, French author (L'ordre, Lumière du Soir), dies at 86
1988 Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
1988 Willem Hendrik van de Pol, Dutch theologist (Christian Dilemma), dies at 90
1990 Laurence J. Peter, Canadian author (Peter Principle), dies of a stroke at 70
1990 Paul Amadeus Pisk, Austrian-American composer, musicologist, and educator, dies at 96
1991 Keye Luke, Chinese-American actor (Across the Pacific, Charlie Chan's No 1 Son), dies after a stroke at 86
1991 Vasco Pratolini, Italian writer (Le Ragazze di San Frediano), dies at 77
1992 Walt Morey, US children's book writer (Gentle Ben), dies at 84
1993 Carles Mira, Spanish director (Que Nos Quiten Lo Bailao), dies at 45
1994 Robert Horen, American stage and screen actor, dies of cancer at 68
1994 Samuel Bronston, Romanian-American film producer (El Cid), dies at 85
1995 George Price, American cartoonist (New Yorker), dies at 93
1995 Marion Herbst, German-Dutch jewelry designer, dies at 50
1996 Edmund Happold, British structural engineer (founder of Buro Happold), dies at 65
1996 Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)
1996 John Howard Purnell, Welsh chemist (Royal Society of Chemistry), dies at 70
1996 Peggy Braithwaite, lighthouse-keeper, dies at 76
1997 Charles Huggins, American-Canadian physician and cancer researcher (1966 Nobel Prize), dies at 95
1997 Jean Writer-Edern Hallier, dies at 60
1997 Jill Summers, actress (Agatha Coronation Street), dies at 86
1998 Edgar Palm, Curaçaoan pianist and composer (Padu), dies at 92
1998 Peter Jona Korn, German composer, dies at 75
1999 Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (101 Dalmatians; Cinderella), dies of a stroke at 84
1999 Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
1999 Leo Cherne, American economist and commentator (All Star News), dies at 86
2000 Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
2000 Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)
2001 Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian triple jumper (Olympic golds 1952, 56), dies at 73
2001 Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)
2001 Kyra Vayne [Knopmuss], English stage and opera soprano, dies at 84
2001 Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (Black Orpheus), dies of pancreatic cancer at 78

Bill Hewlett (1913-2001)

American engineer and businessman (co-founder Hewlett-Packard), dies of a heart attack at 87

2002 Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (1977-80), dies at 84
2002 Edward Staempfli, Swiss pianist, conductor, and composer, dies at 93
2002 Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
2003 Allan Nunn May, English physicist and Soviet spy (b. 1911)
2003 Dean Amadon, American ornithologist, dies at 90
2003 Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)

Leopoldo Galtieri (1926-2003)

Argentine general, dictator and President of Argentina (1981-82) who invaded the Falkland Islands, dies of a heart attack at 76 [1]

Maurice Gibb (1949-2003)

English rock-pop-disco singer-songwriter and bassist (Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever), dies of cardiac arrest at 53

2003 Paul Pender, American boxer (World Middleweight Champion 1960–61; The Ring Middleweight Champion 1962–63 Retired; Lineal Middleweight Champion 1962–63 Retired), dies at 72
2004 Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (fluid dynamics), dies at 81
2004 Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Just When I Needed You Most"), dies of leukemia at 48
2005 Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
2005 Amrish Puri, Indian actor (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- Mola Ram, Mr. India), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 72
2005 Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
2007 Alice Coltrane [née McLeod], American jazz harp, piano, and organ player (Journey in Satchidananda), dies of respiratory failure at 69
2007 Sir James Killen, Australian politician (b. 1925)
2009 Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher (b. 1912)
2009 Claude Berri, French actor, director and screenwriter, dies at 74
2009 Russ Conway, Canadian-American character actor (Richard Diamond Private Eye), dies at 95
2010 Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and a leader of the Trotskyist movement in France, dies of cancer caused by the side effects of drugs used to treat AIDS at 63
2010 Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
2011 Paul Picerni, American actor (The Untouchables), dies at 88
2012 Bill Janklow, American politician and four-term Governor of South Dakota (Republican: 1979-87, 1995-2003), dies of brain cancer at 72
2012 Charles Price, American businessman and diplomat, dies at 80
2012 Reginald Hill, British crime author (Andrew Dalziel and Peter Pascoe novels), dies of brain cancer at 75
2012 Sadao Bekku, Japanese classical and film composer (Matango), dies at 89
2013 Anthony Cavendish, British MI 6 officer and banker, dies at 85
2014 Gyula Torok, Hungarian Olympic Champion Boxer, dies at 75
2014 Michael L. Strang, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado), dies at 84
2015 Clifford Adams, American trombone player, dies at 62
2015 John Bayley, English academic and writer (Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch), dies at 89

William Peter Blatty (1928-2017)

American scriptwriter and author of The Exorcist, dies at 89

2018 Bella Emberg [Sybil Dyke], British comic actress (The Russ Abbott Show), dies of alcohol toxicity at 80
2018 Danny Woods, American soul singer (Chairmen of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"), dies at 75
2018 Keith Jackson, American sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football, college football), dies at 89
2018 Pierre Pincemaille, French organist, composer, and pedagogue, dies of lung cancer at 61
2019 Bob Kuechenberg, American football guard (6 x Pro Bowl; Super Bowl 1972, 73 Miami Dolphins; First-team All-Pro 1975, 78), dies of a heart attack at 71
2019 Bonnie Guitar [Buckingham], American guitarist, singer and record executive (Dark Moon), dies at 95
2020 Paulo Gonçalves, Portuguese rally racing motorcycle rider (FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship 2013), dies in motorcycle crash during Dakar Rally at 40
2021 Álvaro Mejía, Colombian athlete (Boston Marathon 1971 2:18:45), dies at 80
2021 Frank Arok, Yugoslavian-Australian soccer coach (Australia 1983-89), dies at 88
2021 John Ward, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (8 Tests; 17 dismissals), dies at 83
2021 Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud, Saudi thoroughbred racing owner and breeder (Juddmonte Farms; Dancing Brave, Enable, Frankel, Arrogate), dies at 84
2022 Everett Lee, American violinist, and theater and classical conductor (Cosmopolitan Little Symphony, 1947-55; Norrkoping Symphony, 1962-72), dies at 105
2022 Jouko Linjama, Finnish organist and composer (Suomalainen sielunmessu (Finnish Mass for the Dead)), dies at 87
2022 Ronnie Spector [Veronica Bennett], American pop singer (The Ronettes -"Be My Baby"), dies of cancer at 78 [1]
2022 Stjepan Lamza, Croatian soccer midfielder (7 caps Yugoslavia; GNK Dinamo Zagreb), dies at 81
2022 Taffy Thomas, Welsh thoroughbred jockey (Singapore Gold Cup 1977, Vernons Sprint Cup 1978, King's Stand Stakes 1983), dies at 76
2023 Frene Ginwala, South African politician and ANC activist (1st post-apartheid Speaker of the National Assembly), dies at 90 [1]
2023 Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer (WBA heavyweight title 1983-84), dies from cancer at 67

Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023)

American singer-songwriter ("Lights Out"), and daughter of Elvis, dies of cardiac arrest predicated by a small bowel obstruction at 54 [1]

2023 Paul Johnson, English journalist, author and historian, dies at 94
2023 Robin "Robbie" Bachman, Canadian drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"; "Takin' Care Of Business"), dies at 69 [1]
2024 Bev Dovey, English rugby union prop (2 Tests; Bristol RFC 184 games; Western Counties, Gloucestershire), dies at 85
2024 Bill Hayes, American singer (Your Show of Shows; The Ballad of Davy Crockett"), and actor (Days of Our Lives. 1970-2023 - "Doug"), dies at 98

January 12 Highlights