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

Famous Deaths on March 9

  • 883 Albumasar [Ahmad Aboe M Gafar al-Balkhi], Arabic astronomer, dies at 98
  • 1202 King Sverre of Norway (1194-1202), dies between 52 and 57 [birthdate undocummented]
  • 1422 Jan Zelivsky, Hussite priest (b. 1380)
  • 1440 St Frances of Rome, Italian nun (b. 1384)
  • 1444 Leonardo Bruni, Italian humanist, statesman and historian (1st to divide history into Antiquity, Middle Ages, Modern), dies at about 74
  • 1566 David Rizzio, Italian secretary of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered by Protestant nobles
  • 1620 Aegidius Albertinus, German writer (Lucifer's Kingdom), dies at 59
  • 1649 Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier, executed at 58
  • 1649 James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish statesman, dies at 42
  • 1661 Jules Mazarin, Italian cardinal, diplomat and Chief Minister of France (1642-61), dies at 58
  • 1688 Claude Mellan, French engraver, cartoonist and painter, dies at 89

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)

German composer and organist (Canon in D), dies at 52

  • 1709 Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English diplomat, dies at 70
  • 1743 Jean-Baptiste Lully fils, French musician and son of Jean-Baptiste Lully, dies at 77
  • 1747 Jacob Campo Weyerman, Dutch painter and writer active during the Dutch Enlightenment, dies at 69
  • 1800 Dominique Della-Maria, French composer, dies at 30
  • 1808 Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect who designed English country houses, dies at 69
  • 1809 Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French ballonist (1st balloon flights in England and U.S.), dies at 55
  • 1819 János Fusz, Hungarian-German composer, dies at 41
  • 1824 Jacobus Cramer, Dutch priest (Archpriest of Holland and Zeeland, chaplain to King Louis Napoleon), dies at 79
  • 1825 Anna Laetitia Barbauld, English poet and writer of hymns (Life! I Know Not What Thou Art), dies at 81
  • 1827 Franz Xaver Gerl, Austrian bass singer and composer, dies at 62
  • 1831 Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger, German playwright (Der Wirrwarr, oder Sturm und Drang) and novelist, dies at 79
  • 1836 Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French Enlightenment philosopher, dies at 81
  • 1847 Mary Anning, British fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist (Jurassic marine fossil beds of Lyme Regis in Dorset), dies of breast cancer at 47

Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851)

Danish physicist who discovered electromagnetism and chemist (View of Chemical Law), dies at 73

  • 1870 Theodore Labarre, French composer and harpist, dies at 65
  • 1876 Louise Colet, French Romantic poet who had long affair with Gustave Flaubert, dies at 65
  • 1877 Mark Prager Lindo, English-Dutch writer (The Dutch Spectator), dies at 58
  • 1883 Arnold Toynbee, English economic historian and social reformer, dies at 30

Wilhelm I (1797-1888)

King of Prussia (1861-88) and the 1st German Emperor (1871-88), dies at 90

  • 1893 Disma Fumagalli, Italian composer, dies at 66
  • 1895 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian writer (word masochism derived from his name), dies at 59
  • 1895 Rebecca Lee Crumpler, American physician and medical writer (first African American woman to receive a medical degree), dies at 64 [1]
  • 1897 Sondre Norheim, Norwegian skier and pioneer of modern skiing, dies at 71
  • 1902 Hermann Allmers, German poet (Feldeinsamkeit), dies at 81
  • 1905 William Brimage Bate, American Brigadier-General (Confederate Army) and 23rd Governor of Tennessee (1882-86), dies at 78
  • 1907 John Alexander Dowie, Scottish-American evangelist (founded the city of Zion, Illinois), dies at 59
  • 1913 Eberhard Nestle, German biblical scholar, dies at 61
  • 1916 Kenneth Hutchings, English cricketer (exciting England batsman, WWI), dies fighting at the Battle of the Somme at 33

Frank Wedekind (1864-1918)

German actor and playwright (The "Lulu" plays), dies at 53

  • 1925 Willard Metcalf, American painter known chiefly for his Impressionist landscape work, and instructor, dies of a heart attack at 66
  • 1937 Paul Elmer More, American critic and essayist, dies at 72
  • 1938 Sydney Baynes, British conductor, arranger, bandleader and composer (Destiny Waltz; Endure to Conquer), dies at 59
  • 1941 Carlos Pedrell, Uruguayan guitarist and composer, dies at 62
  • 1943 Oskar Hêks, Czech marathon runner and anti-fascist, murdered in the gas chamber of Auschwitz extermination camp at 35

Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947)

American women's suffrage leader and founder (League of Women Voters), dies of a heart attack at 88

  • 1947 Stanley Jackson, English cricketer (20 Tests for England 1893-1905), dies at 76
  • 1954 Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (b. 1912)
  • 1954 V. Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer, dies at 79
  • 1955 Matthew Henson, American explorer, 1st African American to reach North Pole (Jun 4 1909), dies at 88
  • 1956 Amanda Aldridge, British opera singer, pianist, teacher, and composer of parlour songs and light orchestral pieces music, dies at 89
  • 1960 Jack Beattie, Northern Irish politician (b. 1886)
  • 1961 Wilbur Sweatman, American ragtime and dixieland jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader, dies at 79
  • 1962 Howard Engstrom, Boston, a designer of Univac computer, dies at 59
  • 1963 Frederic G. Melcher, American publisher and editor who founded children's book week, dies at 83
  • 1964 Johanna "Mina" Bakker, Dutch actress (Boefje), dies at 87
  • 1964 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, 'the Lion of Africa', German general and politician (only German to successfully invade part of British empire in WWI), dies at 93
  • 1965 Anthon van der Horst, Dutch organist and composer, dies at 65
  • 1965 Kazys Boruta, Lithuanian writer, dies at 60
  • 1966 Pablo Birger, Argentine racing driver (b. 1924)
  • 1969 Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Munʿim Riyāḍ, Egyptian chief of staff of United Arab Republic army, killed in action at 59
  • 1969 Richard Crane, American character actor (Surfside 6, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger), dies of a heart attack at 50
  • 1971 Jean-Pierre Guézec, French composer (Colorful Architectures), dies of a heart attack at 36
  • 1974 Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr, American pharmacologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1971 for discovering mechanisms of the action of hormones), dies at 58
  • 1974 Harry Womack, American gospel and R&B singer and bassist (Womack Brothers; The Valentinos - "It's All Over Now"), stabbed to death by his girlfriend at 28
  • 1975 Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor, dies at 86
  • 1975 Joseph Dunninger, American magician and mentalist (The Amazing Dunninger), dies of Parkinson's disease at 82
  • 1975 Shirley Ross [Bernice Maude Gaunt], American actress (Cafe Society, Prison Farm, Waikiki Wedding), dies of cancer at 62
  • 1979 Barbara Mullen, American actress (Thunder Rock, Innocent Sinners), dies of a heart attack at 64
  • 1980 Olga Chekova, actress (Moulin Rouge, Pawns of Possession), dies at 82
  • 1981 Max Delbrück, German-American biologist and molecular geneticist (bacteriophage, Nobel Prize 1969), dies at 74
  • 1982 Alan Badel, British actor (Shogun, Salome, Bill Brand), dies of a heart attack at 58
  • 1982 Rab Butler, British politician and minister who favoured appeasement, dies at 79
  • 1982 Rex Marshall, American TV announcer (Circuit Rider, Herman Hickman Show), dies from a heart attack at 64
  • 1983 Faye Emerson, American actress (I've Got a Secret), dies of cancer at 65
  • 1983 Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist famous for his work on neurotransmitters (Nobel 1970), dies at 78
  • 1986 Ned Calmer, TV host (In the First Person), dies at 78

Bobby Locke (1917-1987)

South African golfer (British Open 1949-50, 52, 57), dies of meningitis at 69

  • 1988 Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German politician and author (Chancellor of West Germany 1966-69), dies at 83
  • 1989 Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer, dies at 42
  • 1991 Jim Hardin, former Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves pitcher (b. 1943)
  • 1991 Tomojirō Ikenouchi, Japanese composer and educator, dies at 84
  • 1992 Felipe Turich, actor (Lawless), dies
  • 1992 Jack McEdward, asst dir (Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell), dies at 94
  • 1992 James Brooks, American mural painter (Flight, La Guardia NY), dies at 85

Menachem Begin (1913-1992)

6th Prime Minister of Israel (1977-80, 81-83) and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies of a heart attack at 85

  • 1993 Ad van Gessel, Dutch actor (Everything For Our Soldiers), dies
  • 1993 Bob Crosby, American jazz singer and bandleader (Bob-Cats), dies of cancer at 79
  • 1993 Max August Zorn, German mathematician (lemma of Zorn), dies at 86
  • 1994 Charles Bukowski, German-born American columnist (Notes of a Dirty Old Man) and writer (Hollywood: A Novel) who was described as a "laureate of American lowlife", dies of leukemia at 73
  • 1994 Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler manager (b. 1928)
  • 1994 Fernando Rey [Arambillet], Spanish actor (The French Connection, Matter of Time), dies of bladder cancer at 76
  • 1994 John Harrison, South African correspondent (BBC), dies at 48
  • 1994 Lawrence E. Spivak, American news panelist (Meet the Press), dies at 93
  • 1994 Louis Freeman, Scottish bandleader, dies at 100
  • 1994 Maurice "Moe" Purtill, American jazz drummer, dies at 77
  • 1995 Edward Bernays, Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda, dies at 103
  • 1995 Ian Ballantine, American publisher (Ballantine Books), dies of a heart attack at 79
  • 1996 Elman Ali Ahmed, Somali peace campaigner, dies at 42
  • 1996 George Burns [Nathan Birnbaum], American actor, comedian and singer (Oh God; Burns and Allen), dies at 100
  • 1996 Peter Mansfield, British political journalist and author, dies at 67
  • 1997 Cicely Veronica Wedgwood [C. V. Wedgwood], British historian (William the Silent), dies at 86
  • 1997 Terry Nation, British screenwriter (Dr Who; Blake 7), and novelist, dies from emphysema at 66

The Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997)

American rapper (Life After Death), shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at 24

  • 1998 Alfred Pugsley, English civil engineer (R101 airship), dies at 94
  • 1999 Harry Somers, Canadian composer, dies at 73
  • 2000 Ivo Robić, Croatian singer and songwriter (b. 1923)
  • 2002 Normand Lockwood, American composer (The Closing Doxology; The Hanging Judge), and educator, dies at 95
  • 2003 Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (b. 1946)
  • 2003 Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker (b. 1933)
  • 2004 Albert Mol, Dutch actor (Kant aan m'n broek!), dies at 87
  • 2004 Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, American pianist, arranger, jazz and classical composer (For Bird, With Love), dies at 72
  • 2004 Dr. Gerald Deskin, Ph.D., clinical child psychologist (b. 1929)
  • 2004 John Mayer, Indian composer (Indo-Jazz Fusion), dies in a car accident at 73 [1]
  • 2004 Rust Epique, former Crazy Town guitarist (b. 1968)
  • 2005 Chris LeDoux, American country singer (Ridin' for a Fall), dies at 56
  • 2005 Glenn Davis, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1946; National C'ship 1944, 45, 46; Army; NFL: LA Rams), dies of prostate cancer at 80
  • 2005 István Nyers, Hungarian footballer, dies at 80
  • 2005 Jeanette Schmid, Austrian transsexual professional whistler, dies at 80
  • 2005 Kurt Lotz, German business executive and second postwar CEO of Volkswagen, dies at 92
  • 2006 Dennis Brookes, English cricketer (one Test England v WI 1948, scored 10 & 7), dies at 90
  • 2006 Geir Ivarsøy, Norwegian programmer, co-founder of Opera Software ASA (b. 1957)
  • 2006 John Profumo, British cabinet minister (Profumo scandal), dies at 91
  • 2007 Brad Delp, American rock musician (lead singer of Boston and RTZ), commits suicide at 55
  • 2007 Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (Stanley Cup 1944, 46: NHL All Star 1949, 50; Montreal Canadiens), dies at 86
  • 2007 Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, North Carolina politician (b. unknown)
  • 2010 Doris Haddock, American political activist (b. 1910)

Willie Davis (1940-2010)

American MLB center fielder (LA Dodgers), dies at 69

  • 2011 David S. Broder, American journalist (Pulitzer 1973), dies at 81
  • 2011 Inge Sørensen, Danish swimmer (youngest female Olympic Games medalist in an individual event [12] bronze 200m breaststroke 1936), dies at 86
  • 2012 Bill Wedderburn, Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, British politician and academic, dies at 84
  • 2012 Peter Bergman, American comedian, dies from leukemia at 72
  • 2012 Selma Rubin, American environmental activist, dies at 96
  • 2015 James Molyneaux [Baron Molyneaux of Killead], MP (Ulster unionist), dies at 94
  • 2015 Norman Adams, British painter, costume designer and ceramics artist, dies at 78 [1]
  • 2016 Bill Wade, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1958, 63; LA Rams, Chicago Bears), dies at 85

John Gutfreund (1929-2016)

American investment banker, CEO of Salomon Brothers (King of Wall Street), dies at 86

  • 2016 Juvenal "Naná' Vasconcelos, Brazilian jazz and world music percussionist, and berimbau player (Pat Metheny, Björk, Milton Nascimento), dies of lung cancer at 71
  • 2016 Robert Horton [Meade Howard Horton Jr.], American actor and singer (Kings Row, Wagon Train, Arena), dies at 91
  • 2017 Howard Hodgkin, British abstract painter, dies at 84
  • 2018 Chris Gedney, American NFL tight end, 1993-2000 (Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals), takes his own life at 47
  • 2018 Joaquin Avila, American lawyer and civil rights champion who advocated against voter discrimination, dies from complications of colon and liver cancer at 69
  • 2019 Harry Howell, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman (NY Rangers 1952-69), dies of dementia at 86
  • 2019 Vladimir Etush, Soviet actor and People's Artist of the USSR, dies at 96
  • 2020 Keith Olsen, American rock record producer and sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac; Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station; Joe Walsh - The Confessor), dies of cardiac arrest at 74
  • 2020 Lorenzo Brino, American actor (7th Heaven - "Sam"), dies in single vehicle car crash at 21
  • 2021 (Leonard) "Len" Skeat, British jazz double-bassist, dies at 84
  • 2021 Agustín Balbuena, Argentine soccer striker (8 caps; Copa Libertadores 1972, 73, 74, 75; Copa Intercontinental 1973; Club Atlético Independiente), dies at 75
  • 2021 James Levine, American conductor (director of the Metropolitan Opera, 1976-2017), dies at 77
  • 2021 Roger Mudd, American Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and TV news anchor (CBS Weekend News; NBC Evening News; Meet The Press), dies of kidney failure at 93
  • 2021 Tommy Troelsen, Danish soccer striker (16 caps; Vejle Boldklub) and broadcaster (Danmarks Radio, dk4), dies at 80
  • 2021 William "Biff" McGuire, American actor (Serpico; Heart is Lonely Hunter), dies at 94
  • 2022 Jimmy Lydon, American actor (Twice Blessed, Life with Father), dies at 98
  • 2022 Justice Christopher, Nigerian soccer midfielder (11 caps; Antwerp FC, Trelleborg FF, Herfølge Boldklub), dies at 40
  • 2022 Richard Podolor, American session guitarist, sound engineer, and record producer (Three Dog Night; Steppenwolf), dies at 86
  • 2023 (Chaim) Topol, Israeli stage and screen actor (Fiddler on the Roof), dies at 87 [1]
  • 2023 Dave Nicoll, English motocross racer (Trans-AMA motocross series 1970) and official (FIM world championship Clerk of the Course 1997-2023), dies at 78
  • 2023 Otis Taylor, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl IV Kansas City Chiefs; First-team All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1971, 72), dies from Parkinson's disease dementia at 80
  • 2023 Robert Blake [Michael Gubitosi], American Emmy Award-winning actor (Baretta; In Cold Blood; The Little Rascals - "Bobby"), dies of heart disease at 89
  • 2023 Robin Lumley, English jazz-fusion keyboardist (Brand X), and record producer, dies of heart failure at 75
  • 2024 Dave Ritchie, American CFL HOF coach (Grey Cup 1994 BC Lions; Montreal Alouettes; CFL Coach of the Year 2001 Winnipeg Blue Bombers), dies at 85
  • 2024 Georgi Popov, Bulgarian soccer forward (22 caps; Botev Plovdiv 308 games) and manager (Botev Plovdiv, Maritsa Plovdiv), dies at 79
March 9 Highlights