Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.

Famous Deaths on June 18

  • 695 Smoke Imix [Smoke Jaguar], 12th ruler of the Maya city of Copán, dies after a 67 year reign
  • 741 Leo III de Isaurier, Byzantine Emperor (717-41), dies
  • 1234 Emperor Chūkyō, 85th emperor of Japan, dies at 15
  • 1291 Alfonso III, King of Aragon (1285-91), dies
  • 1464 Rogier van der Weyden, Flemish painter, dies at 65
  • 1580 Juliana van Stolberg, German countess, mother of William of Orange and Jan Nassau, dies at 74
  • 1588 Anna van Nassau, Dutch daughter of William I, Prince of Orange and his second wife, Anna of Saxony and wife of William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies at 24
  • 1588 Robert Crowley, English printer, Protestant clergyman and poet (1st translation of the Gospels into Welsh), dies at about 71

Piet Heyn (1577-1629)

Dutch privateer who captured a Spanish silver fleet and admiral who became a folk hero, shot by cannonball during a skirmish with privateers at 51

  • 1667 Louise Henriette, daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, dies at 39
  • 1669 Abraham Crijnssen, Swiss admiral, conquered Suriname, dies

Jeanne Mance (1606-1673)

French-Canadian settler who founded the first hospital in North America (Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal), dies at 66

  • 1686 Johann Quirsfeld, German composer, dies at 43
  • 1704 Thomas "Tom" Brown, English translator and writer of satire (Amusements Serious and Comical, calculated for the Meridian of London), dies at 41
  • 1726 Michel-Richard Delalande, French organist and baroque composer (De Profundis), dies at 68
  • 1742 John Aislabie, English politician (Chancellor of the Exchequer), dies at 71
  • 1749 Ambrose Philips, English poet (b. 1674)
  • 1772 Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (Austrian Empress Maria Theresa's personal physician), dies at 72
  • 1772 Johann Ulrich von Cramer, German judge and philosopher, dies at 65
  • 1788 Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader, dies at 74
  • 1794 James Murray, British military officer and administrator (Governor of Quebec 1860-68), dies at 73
  • 1799 Johann Andre, German composer, dies at 58
  • 1815 Guillaume Philibert Duhesme, French general (b. 1766)
  • 1815 Thomas Picton, British general (killed in battle) (b. 1758)
  • 1817 Joannes Siberg, Dutch Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1801-05), dies
  • 1821 Charles Hague, English composer, dies at 52
  • 1824 Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1790-1801), dies at 55
  • 1835 William Cobbett, English journalist and author, dies at 72
  • 1850 Antoni Weinert, Polish flutist and composer, dies at 99
  • 1853 Branko Radicevic, Serbian poet (1st Serbian Uprising), dies of tuberculosis at 29
  • 1858 Lakshmi Bai, Indian Queen of the princely state of Jhansi in North India and leader of the Indian Mutiny (1857-58), dies at 23
  • 1859 Joseph Hartmann Stuntz, Swiss composer, dies at 65
  • 1866 Jacob Abels, Dutch painter, dies at 62
  • 1871 George Grote, British historian (History of Greece), dies at 76
  • 1876 August Rockel, German composer, dies at 61
  • 1880 John Augustus Sutter, Swiss-American immigrant (established Sutter's Fort in what is now Sacramento, where gold was first discovered in California), dies at 77
  • 1884 Juan Bautista Alberdi, Argentine political theorist and writer (Crime of War), dies at 74
  • 1886 Joannes Paredis, Belgian Bishop of Roermond, dies at 90
  • 1898 George Ulyett, English cricket all-rounder (25 Tests; 949 runs, 50 wickets), dies from pneumonia at 46
  • 1902 Samuel Butler, English author (Erewhom, Way of All Flesh), dies at 66
  • 1905 Hermann Lingg, German poet and playwright, dies at 85
  • 1909 Learmont Drysdale, Scottish composer, dies at 42
  • 1911 Franjo Ksaver Kuhač, Croatian composer who collected and published 1,600 folk songs, dies at 76
  • 1916 Helmuth von Moltke, German General (German Chief of Staff at start of WWI), dies at 67
  • 1916 Max Immelmann, German pilot (1st flying ace of WWI), shot down over Northern France at 25
  • 1917 Eufemio Zapata, Mexican revolutionary and brother of Emiliano Zapata, killed at 44 by Sidronio Comancho after Zapata became drunk and beat and insulted his father
  • 1921 Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, Uruguayan writer (Nativa, Lanza y Sable), dies at 70
  • 1921 Herman Baccaert, Flemish philological and writer (Kantkennis), dies at 37
  • 1922 John Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer (studied the Milky Way), dies at 71
  • 1925 Robert M. La Follette, American lawyer and presidential candidate (Progressive), dies at 70
  • 1926 Olga Constantinovna of Russia, Queen consort of the Hellenes as the wife of King George I, dies at 74

Roald Amundsen (1872-1928)

Norwegian polar explorer who led the 1st expedition to the South Pole, dies in a plane crash while flying on a rescue mission in the Arctic at 55

  • 1934 Francisco Lacerda, Portuguese composer, conductor, and musicologist, dies at 65
  • 1935 August Reusner, German composer, dies at 64

Maxim Gorky (1868-1936)

Russian playwright and author (Mother and The Lower Depths), dies at 68

  • 1937 Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 44
  • 1937 Gaston Doumergue, 60th Prime Minister of France (1913-14 and 1934) and 1st protestant French President (1924-31), dies at 73
  • 1939 Frans "Sas" van Aerschot, Flemish operetta actor (Paljas), dies at 73
  • 1942 Adolf Opalka, Czech resistance fighter, shot down
  • 1942 Arthur Pryor, American band composer and trombone player, dies at 71
  • 1942 Jan Kubiš, Czech paratrooper in WWII (killed Nazi head of Bohemia Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Anthropoid), dies in action at 28
  • 1942 John Kubris, Czech paratrooper in WWII (killed Nazi head of Bohemia Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Anthropoid), dies as the result of battle wounds at 28
  • 1945 Florence Bascom, American geologist and 1st woman hired by the US Geological Survey, dies at 82
  • 1945 Harold C. Roberts, American commandant 22nd regiment marines (3 Navy Crosses), dies in battle during Okinawa campaign at 46
  • 1945 Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr, American lieutenant general of the 10th Army, killed in action during the Battle of Okinawa at 58
  • 1947 Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral, hanged for war crimes at 48
  • 1948 Edward Brooker, British politician (interim Premier of Tasmania, Dec 1947-Feb 1948), dies of a pulmonary edema at 57
  • 1952 Efim Bogoljubov, Russian-German chess player, dies at 63
  • 1952 Heinrich Schlusnus, German baritone, dies at 63
  • 1954 Albert Patterson, American politician and attorney, asassinated in Phenix City, Alabama, shortly after his designation as the Democratic candidate for Alabama Attorney General, at 60
  • 1955 Walter Rein, German composer, dies at 61
  • 1955 Willy Burkhard, Swiss composer, dies at 55
  • 1958 Douglas Jardine, English cricket batsman (22 Tests, 1 x 100, 10 x 50, HS 127; England's Bodyline Series captain; Oxford Uni CC, Surrey CCC, MCC), dies at 57

Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959)

American classic film and stage actress (Constant Wife, Corn is Green), dies at 79

  • 1961 Eddie Gaedel, American baseball pinch-hitter (shortest player in MLB history 3' 7"; St. Louis Browns), dies after mugging at 36
  • 1962 George Sargent, English golfer (US Open 1909), dies at 79
  • 1962 Volkmar Andreae, Swiss conductor and composer (Bruckner), dies at 82
  • 1963 Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican actor (From Russia With Love, Fort Apache), commits suicide at 51
  • 1964 Alexander Shamil'yevich Melik-Pashayev, Georgian conductor and composer (Bol’shoy Theatre, 1931-62), dies at 58
  • 1965 George Melachrino, English composer, dies at 56
  • 1967 Beat Fehr, Swiss racing driver, killed in crash at Caserta, Italy at 23
  • 1967 Giacomo Russo, Italian racing driver, killed in crash at Caserta, Italy at 29
  • 1967 William Tracy, American character actor (To the Shores of Tripoli; The Shop Around the Corner), dies at 49 [some sources state July 18, grave marked June]
  • 1971 Paul Karrer, Swiss organic chemist (Nobel 1937), dies at 82
  • 1971 Thomas Gomez, American actor (Force of Evil, Key Largo, Kim, Sellout), dies after a car accident at 65
  • 1973 Fritz Mahler, Austrian composer, dies at 71
  • 1973 Roger Delgado, English actor (Doctor Who, Agent 8 3/4, Hot Enough for June), dies in a road accident at 55
  • 1973 Willem Vogt, Dutch radio pioneer (1st major Dutch radio broadcaster AVRO), dies at 84

Georgy Zhukov (1896-1974)

Russian deputy commander-in-chief of the Red Army during WWII (Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk and Berlin) and Minister of Defense, dies at 77

  • 1974 Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian writer (The Man Who Counted), dies at 79
  • 1975 Faisal Ibn Mussed Abdul Aziz, Saudi prince, beheaded in Riyadh shopping center parking lot for killing his uncle the king
  • 1978 Walter C. Alvarez, American physician (b. 1884)
  • 1980 André Leducq, French cyclist (Tour de France 1930, 32; Olympic gold road race 1924), dies at 76
  • 1980 Terence Fisher, English film director (Hammer Films), dies at 76
  • 1981 Richard Goolden, British actor (Two Days to Live, School for Husbands), dies at 86
  • 1982 Curd Jürgens [Curt Jurgens], German-born Austrian actor (Enemy Below, Longest Day), dies of an acute heart attack at 66
  • 1982 Djuna Barnes, American author (Nightwood), dies at 80
  • 1982 John Cheever, American writer (Wapshot Chronicle, Pulitzer), dies at 70
  • 1982 Roberto Calvi, Italian banker and director (Banco Ambrosiano), hangs himself at 62
  • 1983 Luther Tucker, American blues guitarist, dies of a heart attack at 57
  • 1983 Marianne Brandt, German painter, sculptor and metalworker at the Bauhaus, dies at 89 [1]
  • 1984 Alan Berg, American radio talk show host, dies after being shot by White Nationalists at 50
  • 1985 Paul Colin, French poster designer, dies at 92
  • 1986 Frances Scott Fitzgerald, Daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. (b. 1921)
  • 1987 Bruce Marshall, Scottish writer, dies at 87
  • 1989 I. F. Stone, American journalist (b. 1907)
  • 1990 Dennis Dyer, South African cricketer (scored 96 3 Tests for South Africa), dies at 76
  • 1991 Joan Caulfield, American model and actress (My Favorite Husband), dies of cancer at 69
  • 1992 Mordecai Ardon, one of Israel's greatest painters, dies at 95
  • 1992 Peter Allen, entertainer (Legs Diamond), dies of aids at 48
  • 1994 Jack Harkness, British rose grower (R. Harkness & Co. Ltd), dies at 75
  • 1995 Arthur John Howard, British actor (Frieda, Last Holiday, Paradiso, Glass Cage), dies at 85
  • 1995 Charles Martin, cartoonist, dies at 85
  • 1996 Miriam Gideon, American composer, dies at 89
  • 1996 Pierre Chany, French cycling journalist (49 x Tour de France; L'Équipe), dies of pleurisy at 73
  • 1997 Lev Kopelev, Russian writer and dissident (b. 1912)
  • 1998 Charles Korvin [Geza Korvin Karpathi], Austrian actor (Berlin Express, Ship of Fools), dies at 90
  • 2000 Nancy Marchand, American actress (The Sopranos, Beacon Hill, Margaret-Lou Grant), dies at 71

Jack Buck (1924-2002)

American sports announcer (St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 77

  • 2002 Walter Villa, Italian motorcycle road racer (250cc world champion 1974,-76; 350cc 1976; Harley-Davidson), dies from a heart attack at 58

Larry Doby (1924-2003)

American Baseball HOF outfielder (MLB All-Star 1949–55; World Series 1948; AL HR leader 1952, 54; 1st African-American in AL; Cleveland Indians), dies of cancer at 79

  • 2005 J.J. Pickle, American politician (Rep-D-Texas, 1963-95), dies at 91
  • 2005 Manuel Sadosky, Argentine mathematician (b. 1914)
  • 2005 Syed Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (prolific batsman of 30's & 40's), dies at 90
  • 2006 Richard Stahl, American actor (Howard-It's a Living), dies at 74
  • 2006 Vincent Sherman, American film director (Mr. Skeffington), dies at 99
  • 2007 Bernard Manning, British comedian, dies at 76
  • 2007 Bill Barber, American jazz tubist (Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan Nonet), dies at 87
  • 2007 Georges Thurston, Canadian R&B and reggae musician and singer (Boule Noire), dies of cancer at 55
  • 2007 Henry "Hank" Medress, American singer (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), and record producer (The Chiffons; Tony Orlando & Dawn), dies of lung cancer at 68
  • 2008 Jean Delannoy, French actor and director (b. 1908)
  • 2008 Miyuki Kanbe, Japanese actor (b. 1984)
  • 2008 Tasha Tudor, American illustrator and children's books author (Pumpkin Moonshine, Corgiville Fair), dies at 92

José Saramago (1922-2010)

Portuguese writer, novelist (Blindness, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ) and Nobel laureate, dies of leukemia at 87

  • 2010 Marcel Bigeard, French general (WWII, First Indochina War, Algerian War), politician, and writer, dies at 94
  • 2010 Trent Acid [Michael Verdi], American professional wrestler, dies of a drug overdose at 29
  • 2011 Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist, known as "The Big Man" (The E-Street Band), dies of complications from a stroke (b. 1942); flags in New Jersey are lowered to half-mast
  • 2011 Frederick Chiluba, 2nd President of Zambia (1991-2001), dies at 68

Yelena Bonner (1923-2011)

Soviet dissident and wife of Andre Sakharov, dies of heart failure at 88 [1]

  • 2012 Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and coach, dies at 78
  • 2012 Victor Spinetti, Welsh actor (A Hard Day's Night, Help!), dies from prostate cancer at 82 [1]
  • 2013 Gene Freese, American MLB player, dies from complications of back surgery at 79
  • 2014 Johnny Mann, American music director (Johnny Mann Stand Up & Cheer), dies at 85
  • 2014 Michael Frederick, Barbadian cricketer (one Test WI v England 1954, scored 0 & 30), dies at 87
  • 2014 Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist and inventor (Kevlar), dies at 90 [1]
  • 2015 Ralph J Roberts, American businessman and founder of Comcast, dies of natural causes at 95
  • 2016 Paul Cox, Dutch-born Australian director (Lonely Hearts), dies at 76
  • 2016 Peter Feuchtwanger, German piano teacher, musicologist, and composer (Studies in Eastern Idiom; Introduction and Ragas for 8 Violas and cello), dies at 85
  • 2017 Hope Ryden, American wildlife activist and photographer, dies at 87
  • 2017 Lord Joffe [Joel Goodman Joffe], South African-born British lawyer (instructing solicitor for Nelson Mandela’s defence team) and businessman, dies at 85
  • 2018 Barry McDaniel, American lyric baritone (Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1962-99), dies at 87
  • 2018 Leon White [Big Van Vader], American professional wrestler (WWF, AJPW), dies at 63
  • 2018 Walter Bahr, American soccer midfielder (19 caps) and coach (Penn State), dies of complications broken hip at 91

XXXTentacion (1998-2018)

American rapper and singer-songwriter, shot to death during a robbery at 20

  • 2020 Arturo Chaires, Mexican soccer defender (22 caps; C.D. Guadalajara), dies at 83
  • 2020 Lynford "Hux" Brown, Jamaican session and touring guitarist (Jimmy Cliff; Paul Simon; Toots and the Maytals), dies at 75
  • 2020 Tibor Benedek, Hungarian water polo player (Olympic gold 2000, 04, 08; World C'ship gold 2003) and coach (Hungary 2013-16), dies from pancreatic cancer at 47
  • 2020 Vera Lynn, British popular music singer, known as 'the Forces' Sweetheart' ("We'll Meet Again"; "The White Cliffs of Dover"), dies at 103
  • 2021 Giampiero Boniperti, Italian soccer striker (38 caps; Juventus 443 games), executive (chairman Juventus) and politician (deputy in European Parliament), dies from heart failure at 92
  • 2021 Jeannette Altwegg, English figure skater (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 90
  • 2022 Mark Shields, American political journalist and commentator (PBS NewsHour, 1988-2020; CNN Capitol Gang, 1998-2005), dies of kidney failure at 85
  • 2023 (Richard) Stockton Rush [III], American businessman (co-founder and CEO of OceanGate), killed below the North Atlantic Ocean in implosion of his company's submersible vessel at 61
  • 2023 Cornel Țăranu, Romanian composer (Garlands), dies at 88
  • 2023 Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Indian-Canadian Sikh separatist leader of the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state, shot and killed in the parking lot of a Canadian Sikh temple at 45
  • 2023 Teresa Taylor, American rock drummer (Butthole Surfers), and actress (Slackers), dies of lung disease at 60
  • 2024 Anouk Aimée [Nicole Dreyfus], French actress (La Dolce Vita; 8 1/2; A Man and A Woman), dies at 92 [1]

Willie Mays (1931-2024)

American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (24 x MLB All Star; 12 x Gold Glove Award; 660 career HRs, NL MVP 1954, 65; NY/SF Giants, NY Mets), dies of heart failure at 93 [1] [2]