- 521 Magnus Felix Ennodius, bishop and Latin poet (b. 474)
- 656 Uthman ibn Affan, Third Caliph, oversaw standardization of the Qu'ran (644-56), assassinated
- 855 Leo IV, Italian Pope (reigned 847-55), dies
- 924 King Edward the Elder of England (899-924)
- 1025 Boleslaw I Chobry [the brave], duke and king of Poland, dies
- 1070 Boudouin VI, count of Flanders/Henegouwen, dies
- 1085 Robert Guiscard, Norman Duke of Apulia & Calabria, who conquered Southern Italy and Sicily, dies of a fever at about 70 (exact birthday uncertain, c. 1015)
- 1345 Jacob Van Artevelde [Manner Man], Flemish broker, lynched
- 1453 John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, English nobleman and military leader during the Hundred Years' War, killed in battle at 65 or 66 in the Battle of Castillon when his horse was fatally struck by an artillery shell and fell on top of him pinning him to the ground and allowing a French soldier to finish him off with a battleaxe
- 1531 Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese military commander (b. 1484)
- 1571 Georg Fabricius, German poet, historian and archaeologist, dies at 55
- 1588 Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and civil engineer for Sultans Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III, dies at 99
- 1627 Lieven de Key, Flemish master builder (Vleeshal), dies at about 67
- 1645 Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, Scottish politician
- 1682 Johann Heinrich Kittel, German organist and composer, dies at 29
- 1704 Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (Minnesota River Valley), dies of yellow fever
Peter III (1728-1762)
Emperor of Russia (1762), dies under mysterious circumstances in captivity at 34
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
Scottish economist (Wealth of Nations) and moral philosopher, dies at 67
- 1791 Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian Jesuit missionary (b. 1717)
- 1793 Charlotte Corday, French revolutionary who murdered Jean-Paul Marat in a bath, is guillotined at 24
- 1794 Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French composer, executed by guillotine after false charges of treason during French Revolution at 45 [1]
- 1794 John Roebuck, English inventor and industrialist (b. 1718)
- 1804 Christian Ernst Graf, Dutch composer, dies at 80
- 1826 Joseph Graetz, German organist, composer, and music educator, dies at 65
- 1838 Jan Blanken, Dutch hydraulic engineer (North Holland Canal), dies at 82
- 1838 John Whites, hydraulic engineer, dies at 82
Charles Grey (1764-1845)
2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Whig: 1830-34), dies at 81
- 1851 Béni Egressy, Hungarian composer, librettist, and actor, dies at 37
- 1859 Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, German-born Queen of Portugal (1858-59), dies of diphtheria at 22
- 1863 J. Johnston Pettigrew, American lawyer and Confederate General in the American Civil War, dies at 35
- 1864 Daniel McCook Jr, American Brigadier General (Union Army), dies at 29
- 1864 Dirk Dark Curtius, attorney/liberal minister of Justice, dies at 71
- 1871 Carl Tausig, Polish pianist, student and protégé of Liszt, and composer noted for his transcriptions, dies of typhoid at 29
- 1875 Gábor Mátray, Hungarian composer and musicologist, dies at 77
- 1878 Aleardo [Gaetano] Aleardi, Italian poet (Tre Fiumi), dies at 65
- 1879 Maurycy Gottlieb, Ukrainian painter (b. 1856)
- 1881 James Bridger, American scout, fur trader and mountain man par excellence, dies at 77
- 1885 Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian politician (considered Father of the Canadian Confederation), dies at 73
Dorothea Dix (1802-1887)
American pioneering nurse and social activist who created the first American mental asylums, dies at 85
- 1893 Frederick A. Johnson, American politician (b. 1833)
- 1894 Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist, dies at 83
- 1898 John Stuart Williams, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 80
- 1901 John Farmer, English composer, dies at 64
- 1903 James McNeill Whistler, American-British painter (Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 aka "Whistler's Mother"), dies at 69
- 1912 Dorothy Goetz Berlin, newlywed bride of songwriter Irving Berlin, dies of typhoid fever contracted during their Havana honeymoon at 20
- 1912 Henri Poincaré, French mathematician (Poincaré conjecture), dies at 58
- 1915 Francesco Fanciulli, American-Italian composer, dies at 62
- 1918 Alexandra Feodorovna [Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine], last Russian Tsarina (1894-1918), executed by firing squad at 46
Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918)
Last Tsarevich of Russia and son of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 13
- 1918 Alexei Trupp, Russian footman and assistant of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 62
Anastasia Nikolaevna (1901-1918)
Russian Grand Duchess, youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, executed at 17 by a group of Bolsheviks
- 1918 Anna Demidova, Russian lady in waiting of Tsarina Alexandra, executed at 40
- 1918 Eugene Botkin, Russian court physician of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 53
- 1918 Ivan Kharitonov, Russian cook of Tsar Nicholas II, executed around the age of 46
- 1918 Maria Nikolaevna Russian Grand Duchess, 3rd daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 19 by a group of Bolsheviks
Nicholas II (1868-1918)
last Tsar of Russia (1894-1917), executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in Yekaterinburg, Siberia at 50
- 1918 Olga Nikolaevna, Russian Grand Duchess, eldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 22 by a group of Bolsheviks
- 1918 Tatiana Nikolaevna, Russian Grand Duchess, 2nd daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, executed at 21 by a group of Bolsheviks
- 1922 Heinrich Rubens, German physicist (back body radiation), dies at 57
- 1928 Alvaro Obregon, President of Mexico is assassinated
Giovanni Giolitti (1842-1928)
5x Prime Minister of Italy (1892-93, 1903-05, 1906-09, 1911-14, 1920-21), dies at 85
- 1935 George William Russell, Irish nationalist, poet and artist, dies at 68
- 1937 Henri-Constant-Gabriel Pierne, French composer, dies at 73
- 1941 Emil Barth, German revolutionary (Social Democratic Party), dies at 62
- 1943 Sir Patrick Duncan, Governor-general of the Union of South Africa (1937 to 1943), dies at 72
- 1944 Hugh Rigby, English portrait painter (King George V 1928-32), dies
- 1944 William James Sidis, American mathematician and child prodigy, dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 46
- 1945 Ernst Busch, German field marshal (WWII), dies at 60
Draža Mihailović (1893-1946)
Serbian WWII hero and war criminal, executed by firing squad at 53
- 1947 Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat in WW II (saved thousands of Jews), dies at 34
- 1950 Evangeline Cory Booth, English-American religious leader (4th General of The Salvation Army, dies at 84
- 1953 Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, Dutch composer, dies at 65
- 1953 Maude K Adams, American actress (Little Minister), dies
- 1954 Dirk Berend Nanninga, Dutch painter, dies at 85
- 1955 Bronisław Szulc, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 73
- 1956 Jozef de Voght, Flemish priest and songwriter (Under the Snow), dies at 78
Henri Farman (1874-1958)
British-French aviator who broke several aviation records, dies at 84
Billie Holiday (1915-1959)
American jazz singer ("I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"; "Strange Fruit"), and songwriter ("God Bless The Child"; "Lady Sings the Blues"), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 44
- 1959 Eugene Meyer, American businessman and newspaper publisher (b. 1875)
- 1959 Henri Pourrat, French writer (Le chasseur de la nuit), dies at 72
Ty Cobb (1886-1961)
American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (AL MVP 1911; Triple Crown 1909; 12 × AL batting champion; Detroit Tigers) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1921-26), dies of cancer at 74
John Coltrane (1926-1967)
American jazz saxophonist and composer ("Blue Train"; "My Favorite Things"; "A Love Supreme"), dies of liver cancer at 40
- 1970 Juano Hernandez, Puerto Rican stage and film actor (St Louis Blues; Stars In My Crown), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 73
- 1971 Cliff Edwards "Ukulele Ike", American singer (54th Street Revue; "When You Wish Upon a Star"), dies at 76
- 1971 Gerald Nye, American politician and Republican US Senator from North Dakota (1925-1945), dies after mistakenly being prescribed penicillin to which he was allergic at 78
- 1974 Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, American Baseball HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1934–37; World Series & NL MVP 1934 St Louis Cardinals), dies of a heart attack at 63
- 1975 Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian writer and public benefactor, dies at 82
- 1975 Modoc, the elephant, dies at age 78 (oldest known nonhuman mammal)
- 1978 Thayer David, actor (Rocky, Roots, Savages), dies at 51
- 1979 Doug Meintjes, South African cricket pace bowler (v England 1922-23), dies
- 1980 Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician (b. 1890)
- 1980 Donald "Red" Barry, American actor (Adventures of Red Ryder, Jesse James' Women), commits suicide at 68
- 1983 Roosevelt Sykes, American blues and boogie-woogie pianist, and singer ("The Honeydripper"), dies of a heart attack at 77
- 1984 J Delos Jewkes, American light opera, vaudeville, choral (Mormon Tabernacle), film and television bass singer, and actor (Stars And Stripes Forever; The Music Man; The Andy Griffith Show), dies of a heart attack at 89
- 1985 Czesław Marek, Polish composer, dies at 93
- 1985 Margo, Mexican-American actress (Rumba, Viva Zapata), dies at 68 of a brain tumor
- 1985 Susanne Langer, American philosopher and educator (Philosophy in a New Key), dies at 89
- 1987 Howard McGhee, American be-bop bebop jazz trumpeter, dies at 69
- 1987 Kristjan Palusalu, Estonian wrestler (Olympic gold Greco-Roman, freestyle heavyweight 1936), dies at 79
- 1987 Yujiro Ishihara, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
- 1988 Bruiser Brody [Frank Goodish], professional wrestler, stabbed to death at 42
- 1989 Heinz Risse, German writer, dies at 91
- 1990 Bernard Cowan, TV announcer, dies of kidney disease at 68
- 1990 Tony Pugsley, British rear-admiral during World War II (Walcheren attack 1944, Battle of the Scheldt), dies at 88
- 1993 Ineke Shutter, choreography (Black Girl Goes to School), dies at 61
- 1993 Scott Salmon, US choreographer (La Cage aux Folles), dies at 51
- 1993 Vladimir Barmyn, Russian inventor (Stalinorgel), dies at 84
Jean Borotra (1898-1994)
French tennis player (Wimbledon 1924, 26), dies at 95
- 1994 Sutan Takdir Alishahbana, Indonesian linguist and writer (Poedjangga Baroe), dies at 86
- 1995 Carlos Sánchez Málaga, Peruvian composer, dies at 91
- 1995 Herbert Hippauf, baseball player, dies at 56
- 1995 Joe Hutton, Northumbrian piper and shepherd, dies at 71
- 1995 Rainer Kunad, German composer, dies at 58
- 1996 Alan McGilvray, Australian cricketer (NSW 1933-37) and radio commentator (1935-85), dies at 85
- 1996 Amancio D'Silva, Goan-Indian jazz guitarist and composer, dies after several stokes at 60
- 1996 Chris Komar, American ballet dancer and artistic director (Milwaukee Ballet, 1969-72; Merce Cunningham Dance Company, 1972-93), dies of AIDS at 48
- 1996 Geoffrey Jellicoe, English landscape architect, dies at 95
- 1996 John William Fozard, British aircraft designer, dies at 68
- 1996 Paul Touvier, French Nazi collaborator in World War II called the "Hangman of Lyon" and convicted war criminal, dies of prostate cancer at 81
- 1996 Sid Sussman, American beauty pageant organizer (Miss U.S.A.), dies of heart attack
- 1996 [Bryan] Chas Chandler, English rock bassist (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), and manager of Jimi Hendrix, dies at 57
- 1997 Arthur L. Liman, American trial lawyer (Oliver North), dies of bladder cancer at 64 [1]
- 1998 Ronald Tremain, New Zealand composer, dies at 74
- 1999 Kevin Wilkinson, British drummer (The Waterboys), commits suicide at 41
Katharine Graham (1917-2001)
American newspaper publisher (The Washington Post) who led the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, dies after a fall at 84
- 2003 David Kelly, Welsh UN weapons inspector (b. 1944)
- 2003 Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist (Bach & Rock), dies at 88
- 2004 Julian Hodge, British financier and multi-millionaire (Hodge Group), dies at 99
- 2004 Pat Roach, British professional wrestler and actor (b. 1937)
- 2005 (Lorenzo) "Laurel" Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer and one of the pioneers of Caribbean pop and ska music, dies of a heart attack at 78
Edward Heath (1916-2005)
British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1970-74), dies of cancer at 89
- 2005 Gavin Lambert, British-American screenwriter (Inside Daisy Clover), dies at 80
- 2005 Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish actress (Pawnbroker, Easy Money), dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at 91
- 2005 Joe Vialls, Australian writer (b. 1944)
- 2006 (Frank) "Mickey" Spillane, American mystery writer (I, The Jury), dies of pancreatic cancer at 88
- 2006 Sam Myers, American blues singer, harmonica player, drummer, and songwriter ("Sleeping in the Ground"), dies at 70
- 2007 Betsy Haworth, Church of England deaconess and minister, dies at 82
- 2007 Júlio Redecker, Brazilian Politician (b. 1956)
- 2008 Larry Haines [Hecht], American actor (The Odd Couple, Search for Tomorrow), dies at 89
- 2009 Gordon Waller, Scottish pop singer (Peter & Gordon - "A World Without Love"), dies at 64
- 2009 Leszek Kołakowski, Polish philosopher and writer (Conversations with the Devil), dies at 81
Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)
American broadcast journalist and news anchor (CBS Evening News 1962-81), dies of cerebrovascular disease at 92
- 2010 Fred F. Carter Jr., American country session guitarist, singer, producer and composer (Nashville's "A-Team"), dies of a stroke at 76
- 2011 David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
- 2012 Ilhan Mimaroglu, Turkish electronic music composer and musician, dies at 86
- 2012 William Raspberry, American columnist (Pulitzer 1994), dies at 76
- 2013 Peter Appleyard, British-Canadian jazz vibraphonist, dies from natural causes at 84
- 2014 Elaine Stritch, American stage and screen actress (30 Rock; Two's Company), singer and member of the American Theater Hall of Fame, dies in her sleep at 89
- 2014 Henry Hartsfield Jr, American USAF Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-4; STS-41-D; STS-61-A), dies of complications from back surgery at 80
- 2014 Ross Burden, New Zealand celebrity chef, dies at 45
- 2015 Jules Bianchi, French auto racer (Marussia Formula 1 Racing Team), dies from injuries during accident at 2014 Japanese F1 GP, at 25
- 2015 Owen Chadwick, English historian, priest and university chancellor, dies at 99
- 2016 Gary S. Paxton [Larry Wayne Stevens], American musician and songwriter ("Monster Mash"; "Alley Oop"), dies at 77
- 2019 Andrea Camilleri, Italian author (Inspector Montalbano novels), dies at 93
- 2020 C. T. Vivian, American civil rights activist who worked with Martin Luther King, dies at 95
- 2020 Derek Ho, American surfer (World C'ship 1993; Hawaiian Triple Crown 1984, 86, 88, 90), dies from a heart attack at 55
John Lewis (1940-2020)
American politician (Rep-D-Georgia) and prominent civil rights leader (Big Six), stops causing "good trouble" due to pancreatic cancer at 80
- 2020 Silvio Marzolini, Argentine soccer defender (28 caps; Boca Juniors), dies from cancer at 79
- 2020 Zizi Jeanmaire, French dancer, singer and actress (Carmen), dies at 96
- 2021 Graham Vick, British opera director (Birmingham Opera Company, 1987-2020), dies of COVID-19 complications at 67
- 2022 Francesco Rizzo, Italian soccer midfielder (2 caps; Cagliari, ACF Fiorentina, Bologna FC, Genoa CFC), dies at 79
- 2023 Nicholas Goodison, British businessman (CEO of TSB Group; Chairman of London Stock Exchange, 1976-86), and arts supporter (Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art, 1982-2002; Chair and of the National Art Collections Fund, 1986 -2002), dies at 97
- 2023 Palhinha, Brazilian soccer forward (16 caps; Cruzeiro, Corinthians, Atlético Mineiro) and manager (SC Corinthians, União São João, Al-Tai), dies at 73
- 2023 Robert Budzynski, French soccer defender (11 caps; RC Lens, FC Nantes), dies at 83
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning