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

Famous Deaths on March 24

  • 809 Harun al-Rashid, caliph of the Abbasid empire (786-809), dies at 44
  • 1284 Hugh III of Cyprus, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem (b 1235)
  • 1381 Saint Catharine of Sweden, Swedish saint

Constance of Castile (1354-1394)

Duchess of Lancaster and claimant to the Crown of Castile, dies at 39 or 40

  • 1396 Walter Hilton, English mystic
  • 1400 Florens Radewijns, Dutch priest/leader Modern Devotion, dies
  • 1455 Nicholas V [Tommaso Parentucelli], Italian Pope (1447-55), dies at 57
  • 1455 Rudolf van Diepholt, bishop/cardinal of Utrecht (1448-55), dies
  • 1558 Anna van Buren, countess of Egmond/Buren/Lingen, dies
  • 1563 Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese military leader (b. 1514)
  • 1575 Yosef Karo, Spanish-born rabbi (b. 1488)

Elizabeth I (1533-1603)

Queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603) and daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, dies at 69

  • 1631 Philipp Dulichius, German composer, dies at 68
  • 1635 Jacques Callot, French cartoonist/engraver, dies at about 42
  • 1644 Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria, Queen of Poland, dies at 32
  • 1654 Samuel Scheidt, German composer (Concertus sacri), dies at 66
  • 1661 William Leddra becomes the last Quaker to be hanged in Boston, for the crime of returning from banishment
  • 1755 Theodor Christlieb Reinhold, German composer, dies at 72
  • 1771 William Shirley, British Colonial Governor of Massachusetts (played an important role in Britain’s struggle against France for control of North America), dies at 76
  • 1773 Philip Dormer Stanhope [Lord Chesterfield], English statesman and letter writer, responsible for introducing the Gregorian calendar, dies at 78

John Harrison (1693-1776)

English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer to calculate longitude while at sea, dies at 82

  • 1823 Cornelis van Foreest, Dutch politician, Mayor of Alkmaar, dies at 66
  • 1825 Giovanni Domenico Perotti, Italian composer, dies at 64
  • 1838 Thomas Attwood, English organist and composer, dies at 72
  • 1844 Bertel Thorvaldsen, Danish sculptor (Dying Lion), dies at 73
  • 1866 Maria Amalia, of Bourbon-Sicily, French queen as wife of Louis Philip of Austria, dies at 83
  • 1869 Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (b. 1779)
  • 1877 Walter Bagehot, English journalist and economist (founded National Review), dies at 51
  • 1878 Albin Masek, Czech composer, dies at 73
  • 1881 Friedrich Hecker, German revolutionary republican politician, dies at 69
  • 1881 Joseph Delesse, French geologist (b. 1817)
  • 1882 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (Song of Hiawatha), dies at 75
  • 1887 Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic, dies at 49
  • 1888 Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
  • 1891 Daniel H. Wells, Mormon leader and 3rd Mayor of Salt Lake City, dies at 76
  • 1894 Robert Prescott Stewart, Irish composer, organist, conductor, and teacher, dies at 68
  • 1899 Billy Barnes, English cricket all-rounder (21 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 134, 51 wickets, BB 6/28; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 46
  • 1901 Charlotte Mary Yonge, English writer (Heir of Redclyffe), dies at 77
  • 1904 Edwin Arnold, English writer (The Light of Asia), dies at 71

Jules Verne (1828-1905)

French novelist known as the "Father of Science Fiction" (Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 77

  • 1909 John Millington Synge, Irish dramatist and poet (Riders to the Sea), dies at 37
  • 1910 Galen Clark, Canadian-born American naturalist and conservationist (discovered and helped preserve Mariposa's Grove of giant Sequoia trees), dies at 95 [1]
  • 1911 Stanley Robison, American civil engineer, streetcar magnate, and baseball team owner (Cleveland Spiders, 1887-99; St. Louis Cardinals, 1899-1911), dies from complications of locomotor ataxia at 56
  • 1915 Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
  • 1916 Enrique Granados, Spanish concert pianist, and composer (Goyescas), drowns crossing the English Channel when his ferry is sunk by a German torpedo attack at 48
  • 1918 Théophile "Théo" Ysaÿe, Belgian composer and pianist, dies at 53
  • 1921 Déodat de Séverac, French composer (Cerdaña), dies at 48
  • 1921 James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, dies at 86
  • 1932 George Harris, (4th Baron Harris), English cricket batsman and captain (4 Tests, 1 x 50; Kent CCC), dies at 81
  • 1934 William Donne, English cricket batsman, (Olympic gold 1900) and administrator (President England Rugby Football Union), dies at 58
  • 1941 (Rafaël) "Raf" Verhulst, Flemish poet, journalist, playwright (Jesus of Nazarus; Semini's Children), and educator, dies at 75
  • 1945 Jeff Nicklin, Canadian CFL football player (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), Army officer and paratrooper, killed in action during Operation Varsity at 30 [1]
  • 1945 Thomas Rennie, Gen-Maj (Dutch command 51st Highland Division), dies
  • 1946 Alexander Alekhine, Russian-French chess player (world champion 1927-35, 37-46), dies choking on meat at 53
  • 1946 Gustaf Heintze, Swedish composer, dies at 66
  • 1948 Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter, dies at 62
  • 1949 [Johann Baptist] Hanns Albin Rauter, German SS and Police leader in the occupied Netherlands, executed by firing squad at 54
  • 1950 Harold Laski, English economist, academic, and poitical leader (Labour Party chairman,1945-46), dies of influenza at 56
  • 1950 James Rudolph Garfield, American politician, dies at 84
  • 1953 Felix M Abel, French dominican/biblical scholar, dies at 74
  • 1953 Mary of Teck, Queen of Great Britain and consort of George V, dies at 85
  • 1955 John W. Davis, American politician and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, dies at 81
  • 1956 Edmund Taylor Whittaker, British mathematician (applied mathematics and the theory of special functions), physicist and historian of science, dies at 82
  • 1960 Paul Joostens, Belgian avant-garde artist, dies at 70
  • 1962 (John) Jean Goldkette, French jazz pianist and bandleader, dies of a heart attack at 69
  • 1966 Lola Beltrán, Mexican ranchera singer ("Priscila elque se fue"; "Paloma Negra") and actress (El revólver sangriento), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 64
  • 1966 Virginia Hill, American organized crime figure (girlfriend of Bugsy Siegel), supposedly commits suicide at 49
  • 1967 Marc Lavry [Levin], Latvian-Israeli composer (Emek; Independence Symphony; Song of Songs], and conductor, dies at 63 [1]
  • 1968 Alice Guy-Blaché, French film director who was the first woman to direct a film (The Fairy of the Cabbages), dies at 94
  • 1968 Howard Petrie, American actor (Border River, Bounty Hunter), dies at 61
  • 1968 Lauwrens Voorthuyzen, Dutch sect leader, dies at 70

Joseph Kasa-Vubu (c. 1915-1969)

Congolese politician and the 1st President of the Republic of Congo (1960-65), dies at about 55

  • 1974 Doris Deane [Dibble], American silent film actress (Stupid, But Brave), dies at 74
  • 1974 Yoshida Isoya, Japanese architect (modern sukiya style), dies at 79
  • 1975 Muriel Hutchison, American actress (Another Thin Man), dies at 60
  • 1975 Oscar Rasbach, American composer, dies at 86

Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976)

1st Viscount Alamein, British WWII Field Marshal (African campaign, D-Day) and WWI officer, dies at 88

  • 1976 Nelson Case, American TV host (Trash or Treasure), dies at 66
  • 1977 Saburō Moroi, Japanese composer and educator, dies at 73
  • 1978 Leigh Brackett, American sci-fi author (Ginger Star), dies at 62
  • 1979 Yvonne Mitchell, English actress (Nineteen Eigthy-Four) and writer, dies of cancer at 53
  • 1980 Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman Catholic priest, murdered during mass at 62
  • 1982 Goodman Ace, American writer, radio presenter, actor and humorist (Better of Goodman), dies at 83
  • 1984 Sam Jaffe, American actor (The Asphalt Jungle; Gunga Din; Dr Zorba), dies of cancer at 93
  • 1985 George London, Canadian bass-baritone (Rigoleto- "Monterone"), dies at 64
  • 1986 Sarah Cunningham, American actress (Trapper John, M.D. - "Nurse Andrews"), dies of a heart attack while attending the Oscar ceremony at 67
  • 1989 Arnett Cobb, American jazz tenor saxophonist (Lionel Hampton), dies at 70
  • 1990 Alice Sapritch, actress (European Vacation), dies
  • 1990 An Wang, Chinese-American computer engineer (Wang Labs, Wang Computers), dies of cancer at 70 [1]
  • 1990 Ray Goulding, American comedian (Bob & Ray), dies of kidney failure at 68
  • 1991 Sir John Kerr, Australian politician and the Governor General who dismissed the Whitlam Government, dies at 76
  • 1993 Erik Andriesse, Dutch painter (skulls, skeletons), dies at 35
  • 1993 John Hersey, American author (Hiroshima, Bell for Adano, Wall), dies at 78
  • 1993 Peter Roovers, Dutch sculptor/teacher (war monuments), dies at 90
  • 1993 Taylor Reed, actor (Easy Money), dies of a heart attack at 60
  • 1994 David Van Vactor, American classical composer (Chaconne), dies at 87
  • 1994 Edith Porada, Austrian art historian and archaeologist, dies at 81
  • 1994 Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican politician, assassinated at 44
  • 1994 Tommy Benford, American jazz drummer, dies at 88
  • 1995 Joey Long, American blues and cajun guitarist, dies at 62
  • 1995 Trevor Oswald Ling, English religious Studies Professor, dies at 75
  • 1996 Maria Lucia Beltran Alcayaga, singer, dies at 66
  • 1997 Harold Melvin, American soul and R&B singer (The Blue Notes - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"), dies at 57
  • 1997 Martin Caidin, American aviation writer, dies at 69
  • 1999 Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
  • 1999 Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women's activist (b. 1902)
  • 1999 Henry Brandon [Lord Brandon of Oakbrook], British judge (Lord of Appeal - Ordinary) and probable spy (Military Cross), dies at 78
  • 2000 Al Grey, American jazz trombonist (Snap Your Fingers), dies at 74
  • 2001 Muriel Young, English TV entertainer (b. 1928)
  • 2002 César Milstein, Argentine biochemist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1984), dies at 74
  • 2003 Dave Dallwitz, South Australian jazz and classical pianist, bandleader, composer, and visual artist, dies at 88
  • 2003 Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1919)
  • 2004 Max Dendermonde [Hendrik Hazelhoff], Dutch literary, dies at 84
  • 2006 Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931)
  • 2007 Florentine Rost van Tonningen (née Heubel), Dutch Nazi supporter known as "Black Widow", dies at 92
  • 2007 Maurice Flitcroft, British golfer known as "the world's worst golfer," dies at 77
  • 2008 Chalmers "Spanky" Alford‎, American gospel, neo-soul, and session guitarist (Mighty Clouds of Joy; Raphael Saadiq; D'Angelo), dies of complications from diabetes at 52 [1]
  • 2008 Hal Riney, American advertising executive (b. 1932)
  • 2008 Mary Joan Nielubowicz, US Navy Rear Admiral and nurse (Director of the Navy Nurse Corps, 1983-87), dies at 79
  • 2008 Neil Aspinall, British music executive (The Beatles), dies of lung cancer at 66
  • 2008 Richard Widmark, American actor (Madigan, Murder on the Orient Express, Judgement at Nuremberg), dies complications following a fall at 93
  • 2009 George Kell, American Baseball HOF third baseman (10 x MLB All-Star; AL batting champion 1949; Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox), dies at 86
  • 2009 Martin Brozius, Dutch actor (Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden), dies at 67
  • 2009 Uriel Jones, American jazz and session drummer (Motown's Funk Brothers), dies from complications of a heart attack at 74
  • 2010 Jim Marshall, American photographer (The Beatles final concert in San Francisco; Woodstock Festival), dies at 74
  • 2010 Johnny Maestro, American rock vocalist (Crests - "16 Candles"; Brooklyn Bridge), dies at 70
  • 2010 Jules van Neerven, Dutch economist, journalist, and editor (Limbourg Daily), dies at 80
  • 2010 Robert Culp, American actor, screenwriter, voice actor, and director (I Spy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), dies at 79
  • 2010 Ron Hamence, Australian cricketer (Australian batsman post-WWII), dies at 94
  • 2012 Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (BDO World Champion 1982, 89), dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 62
  • 2012 Marion Marlowe, American singer ("The Man in the Raincoat"; Arthur Godfrey & His Friends), and actress, dies at 83
  • 2013 Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author, dies at 86
  • 2015 Maria Radner, German operatic contralto, specializing in Wagner, dies in a plane crash at 33
  • 2015 Oleg Bryjak, Kazakhstani-German bass-baritone opera singer (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), dies in plane crash at 54
  • 2016 Earl Hamner Jr., American creator and narrator of TV show "The Waltons", dies at 92
  • 2016 Garry Shandling, American comedian (It's Garry Shandling's Show, Larry Sanders Show), dies at 66

Johan Cruyff (1947-2016)

Dutch soccer player and coach (Ajax/Barcelona), dies at 68

  • 2016 Kevin Turner, American football fullback (Philadelphia Eagles) and plaintiff against NFL (concussion case), dies of ALS at 46
  • 2018 Carl Scheib, American baseball pitcher (at the time [1943] youngest player in MLB history at 16; Philadelphia A’s), dies at 91
  • 2018 José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan conductor, pianist and teacher (El Sistema), dies at 78
  • 2018 Lawrence K. Grossman, American news executive (PBS, NBC-TV) and author (The Electronic Republic), dies of Parkinson’s disease and cancer at 86
  • 2018 Lys Assia, Swiss singer who won the 1st Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, dies at 94

Albert Uderzo (1927-2020)

French cartoonist and script writer (Asterix comic books), dies at 92

  • 2020 Betty Williams, Northern Irish political activist (Nobel Peace Prize 1976), dies of pneumonia at 76
  • 2020 Bill Rieflin, American rock drummer (Nine Inch Nails; R.E.M.; King Crimson. 2013-20), dies of cancer at 59
  • 2020 Gerard Schurmann, Dutch-British conductor, and composer of classical music (The Double Heart), and film scores, (The Bedford Incident), dies at 96
  • 2020 Ignacio Trelles, Mexican soccer midfielder (Mexican Primera División: 1935, 37, 38; Club Necaxa) and coach (Mexico 1960-69), dies at 103
  • 2020 John Davies, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m breaststroke 1952; WR 200m breaststroke 2:34.4 1952), dies at 90
  • 2020 Manu Dibango, Cameroonian musician (Soul Makossa), dies of COVID-19 at 86
  • 2020 Terrence McNally, American Tony-winning playwright (Kiss of the Spider Woman), dies of COVID-19 complications at 81
  • 2020 Tony Rutter, British motorcycle road racer (Formula Two World C'ship 1981-84; 7 x Isle of Man TT Races), dies at 78
  • 2021 Bob Plager, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (St. Louis Blues 1969-77) and coach (St. Louis Blues 1992), dies from a heart attack at 78
  • 2021 Craig "muMS" Grant, American poet and actor (Oz), dies at 52
  • 2021 Rudolf Kelterborn, Swiss composer, conductor (Swiss German RSO, 1974-80), and educator (Basel Music Academy, 1983-94), dies at 79
  • 2021 Toshihiko Koga, Japanese judoka (Olympic gold - 71kgs 1992; silver 1996), dies at 53
  • 2023 Dolores White, American composer, pianist, and pedagogue, dies at 90

Gordon Moore (1929-2023)

American businessman and engineer who co-founded Intel and proposed Moore's law, dies at 94

  • 2024 Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer ("Chinese Opera"), conductor, contemporary music advocate, and teacher, dies at 80
March 24 Highlights