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Famous Deaths on October 13

Claudius (10 BC - 54 AD)

Roman Emperor (41-54), dies of poison mushrooms at 63

  • 1093 Robrecht I, the Fries, Count of Flanders, dies
  • 1282 Nichiren Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (b. 1222)
  • 1311 Gwijde van Names, Flemish marshal (Golden Track), dies at 35
  • 1415 Thomas FitzAlan, 12th Earl of Arundel, English military leader (b. 1381)
  • 1508 Edmund de Ros, 11th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, English politician (b. 1446)
  • 1605 Theodore Beza, French Reformed Protestant theologian, dies at 86
  • 1643 Sweder van Haersolte, mister of Swaluwenborch/diplomat, dies at 61
  • 1652 Abraham Verhoeven, Flemish printer/newspaper publisher, dies
  • 1673 Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (b. 1617)
  • 1680 Daniel Elsevier, Dutch book publisher, dies at 54
  • 1680 François Roberday, French Baroque organist and composer, dies during an epidemic at 56
  • 1687 Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer (b. 1633)
  • 1701 Andreas Anton Schmelzer, Austrian composer, dies at 47
  • 1706 Iyasu I, the Great, Emperor of Ethiopia (1682-1706) (b. 1654)
  • 1708 Henry van Nassau, mister of Ouwerkerk and fieldmarshal, dies at 67
  • 1715 Nicolas Malebranche, French rationalist philosopher, dies at 77
  • 1759 John Henley, English clergyman, dies at 64
  • 1774 William Bentinck, British-born Dutch politician and prominent Orangist, dies at 69
  • 1777 Dismas Hatas, Czech composer, dies at 52
  • 1788 Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent, Irish politician and poet (b. 1702)
  • 1795 William Prescott, American Revolutionary soldier ("Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes"), dies at 69
  • 1805 Johann Christoph Kuhnau, German composer, church musician choral director, and teacher, dies at 70

Isaac Brock (1769-1812)

British army officer who successfully defended Upper Canada in War of 1812, dies in battle at 43

  • 1815 Joachim Murat, French soldier, Marshal of France and King of Naples (1808-15), executed by firing squad at 48
  • 1819 Giovanni Battista Gaiani, Italian organist and composer, dies at 61
  • 1822 Antonio Canova, Italian Neoclassical sculptor (The Three Graces), dies at 64
  • 1825 Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria, dies at 69
  • 1828 Vincenzo Monti, Italian poet and translator (Al Signor di Montgolfier, the Iliad), dies at 74
  • 1852 John Stephens, American explorer and archaeologist (pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America), dies at 46
  • 1855 Gottfried Rieger, Czech composer, dies at 91
  • 1869 Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French writer (Tableau Historique), dies at 64
  • 1879 Henry Charles Carey, American economist (Principles of Poli Economy), dies at 85
  • 1882 Arthur de Gobineau, French diplomat and scholar who developed the Aryan master race theory, dies at 66
  • 1890 Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 74
  • 1904 Pavlos Melas, Greek officer who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia (b. 1870)
  • 1905 Henry Irving [John Brodribb], British Victorian actor, 1st actor to receive a knighthood (knighted 1895) and the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, dies at 67
  • 1909 Francisco Ferrer, Spanish anarchist and teacher, executed by firing squad at 50
  • 1917 Florence La Badie, American silent film actress, dies of injuries from automobile accident at 29
  • 1918 Gerrit Engelke, German writer and poet (Briefer der Liebe), dies fighting in WWI at 27
  • 1919 Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1857)
  • 1920 Isaac Capadose, Dutch clergyman in the Catholic Apostolic Church, dies at 86
  • 1926 Hans E. Kinck, Norwegian philological and writer (Driftekaren), dies at 61
  • 1928 Maria Feodorovna, Princess of Denmark and Empress of Russia, dies at 80
  • 1931 Ernst Didring, Swedish author (b. 1868)
  • 1938 E. C. Segar, American cartoonist (Popeye), dies at 43
  • 1941 GJ Berenschot, Dutch Army General and Supreme Commander of Dutch East Indies army, dies

Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945)

American chocolate tycoon (The Hershey Chocolate Company) and philanthropist, dies at 86

  • 1947 Sydney Webb, English socialist and economist (founded London School of Economics) and husband of Beatrice Webb, dies at 88
  • 1948 Samuel S. Hinds, American actor (Raven, Test Pilot), dies at 73
  • 1950 Ernest Haycox, American writer (b. 1899)
  • 1951 Willie Quaife, English cricket batsman (7 Tests, 1 x 50; Sussex CCC, Warwickshire CCC), dies at 79
  • 1953 Millard Mitchell, Cuban actor (12 O'Clock High, Gunfighter), dies from lung cancer at 50
  • 1955 Manuel Ávila Camacho, 45th President of Mexico (1940-46), dies at 58
  • 1958 Alexander Moiseyevich Veprik, Russian composer, dies at 59 (b. 1899)
  • 1959 Rudolf Mengelberg, Dutch composer and musicologist (Concert Amsterdam), dies at 67
  • 1961 Maya Deren [born Eleanora Derenkowskaia], American filmmaker (Meshes of the Afternoon; At Land), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 44
  • 1961 Zoltan Korda, Hungarian-British film director (Jungle Book, 4 Feathers), dies at 66
  • 1965 Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist (1948 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering effects of DDT), dies at 66
  • 1966 'Father' Charles Marriott, English cricketer (one Test for England, 11 wickets), dies at 71
  • 1966 Clifton Webb [Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck], American actor (Razor's Edge, Laura), dies of a heart attack at 76
  • 1968 Bea Benaderet, American radio and screen comic actress (Petticoat Junction - "Kate"; The Beverly Hillbillies - "Cousin Pearl"; George Burns and Gracie Allen Show - "Blanche"), dies of lung cancer at 62
  • 1970 Julia Culp, Dutch mezzo-soprano, dies at 90
  • 1971 Stafford Smythe, Canadian NHL executive (President Toronto Maple Leafs 1961–69, 1970-71), dies from an acute stomach ulcer at 50

Ed Sullivan (1901-1974)

American newspaper columnist, and television host (The Ed Sullivan Show), dies of esophageal cancer at 73

  • 1974 Josef Krips, Austrian conductor (London Symphony, 1950-54; Buffalo Philharmonic, 1954-63; San Francisco Symphony, 1964-70), dies of lung cancer at 72
  • 1974 Sam Rice, American Baseball HOF outfielder (World Series 1924; AL stolen base leader 1920; Washington Senators 1915-33), dies from cancer at 84
  • 1979 Clarence Muse, American actor, screenwriter and director (Casablanca, Black Stallion), dies at 89
  • 1979 Rebecca Clarke, British-American violist and classical composer (Morpheus), dies at 93
  • 1980 Philip "Gabby" Pahinui, Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and singer, dies of a heart attack at 59
  • 1981 Nils Asther 'the male Greta Garbo', Swedish actor (Son of Lassie, Wild Orchids), dies at 84
  • 1984 Alice Neel, American painter dies ages 84
  • 1984 George 'High Pockets' Kelly, American Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman (World Series 1921, 22; NL HR leader 1921; NY Giants), dies from a stroke at 89
  • 1985 Francesca Bertini, Italian actress (Odette; Assunta Spina), dies at 93
  • 1985 Jack Wilson, Australian cricket spin bowler (1 Test; 43 wickets on England Tour 1956), dies at 64
  • 1987 Kishore Kumar, Indian singer and actor, dies at 58

Walter Houser Brattain (1902-1987)

American physicist (transistors, Nobel 1956), dies at 85

  • 1988 Mike Venezia, jockey, dies in 5th-race fall at Belmont Race Track, NY
  • 1989 Cesare Zavattini, Italian screenwriter (Ladri di Biciclette), dies at 87
  • 1990 Hans Freudenthal, German-Dutch mathematician and director (OW&OC), dies at 85
  • 1990 Hans Namuth, German-born photographer (Todos Santos, Guatemala), dies at 75
  • 1990 Lê Ðức Thọ, Vietnamese revolutionary general, politician and negotiator in Paris (1975), dies at 78
  • 1991 Daniel Oduber Quiros, president of Costa Rica (1974-1978), dies at 70
  • 1991 Donald Houston, Welsh actor (Battle Hell, Study in Terror), dies at 67
  • 1992 Hughes Rudd, American news anchor (CBS Morning News), dies of aneurysm at 71
  • 1992 James Marshall, American illustrator and author (George and Martha, The Stupids), dies of a brain tumor at 50
  • 1993 Gwen Wells, American actress (Nashville), dies of cancer at 42
  • 1995 Ali Faik Zaghloul, Egyptian radio presenter, dies at 71
  • 1995 Golfredo Corradetti, Canadian conductor, dies at 79
  • 1995 Henry Roth, American writer (Call it Sleep), dies at 89
  • 1996 Albert Hughes Williams, Welsh teacher and historian, dies at 89
  • 1996 Beryl Reid, British actress (The Killing of Sister George; Smiley's People), dies from pneumonia at 77
  • 1996 Henri Nannen, German journalist (Der Stern), dies at 82
  • 1997 Adil Carcani, prime minister of Albania (1982-91), dies
  • 1997 Richard Mason, English author (The World of Suzie Wong), dies at 78
  • 2000 Britt Woodman, American jazz trombonist (Duke Ellington; Charles Mingus; Lionel Hampton), dies of respiratory issues at 80
  • 2000 Gus Hall, American union organizer and head of the U.S. Communist Party, dies at 90
  • 2000 Jean Peters, American actress (Viva Zapata!, Apache, Deep Waters), dies at 73
  • 2001 Peter Doyle, Australian pop singer (The New Seekers - "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"), dies of throat cancer at 52
  • 2002 Dennis Patrick, American actor (Dear Dead Delilah, Dallas, Rituals), dies in a house fire at 84
  • 2002 Keene Curtis, American character actor (The Rothschilds, Cheers, Amanda's), dies at 79

Stephen E. Ambrose (1936-2002)

American historian (Band of Brothers), dies of lung cancer at 66

  • 2003 Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1918)
  • 2004 Enrique Fernando, Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, dies at 89
  • 2005 Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (b. 1942)
  • 2006 Bob Lassiter 'Mad Dog', American radio personality, dies at 61
  • 2006 Wang Guangmei, Chinese first lady (b. 1921)
  • 2007 Bob Denard, French mercenary (b. 1929)
  • 2007 Tom Dawes, American rock musician and composer who wrote music for commercial jingles ("Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” for Alka-Seltzer and “7Up, the Uncola”), dies at 64
  • 2008 Alexei Cherepanov, Russian hockey player (b. 1989)
  • 2008 Matthew J. Rinaldo, American politician (Rep-R-NJ, 1973-93), dies at 77
  • 2009 Al Martino [Jasper Cini], American pop singer ("Here in My Heart"), and actor (The Godfather), dies of a heart attack at 82
  • 2009 Daniel Melnick, American television and film producer (Get Smart; Ages of Man; Roxanne), and studio executive, dies at 77
  • 2009 Richard Whitcomb, American NASA aerodynamicist, invented the supercritical wing and devised the area rule, dies at 88 [1]
  • 2009 Roger Nixon, American composer, dies at 88
  • 2009 Stephen Barnett, American legal scholar who opposed the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 (b. 1935)
  • 2010 General Johnson, American soul singer and songwriter (Chairmen of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"), and songwriter ("Patches"; "Want Ads"), dies of lung cancer at 69
  • 2010 Khoisan X [Benny Alexander], South African activist (Secretary-General for the Pan-Africanist Movement), dies of a stroke at 55
  • 2010 Vernon Biever, American photographer (b. 1923)
  • 2011 Barbara Kent, Canadian born - U.S. silent film actress and WAMPAS Baby Stars (b.1907)
  • 2012 Gary Collins, American actor (6th Sense, Home Show), dies from natural causes at 74
  • 2012 Helmut Haller, German soccer forward (33 caps West Germany; FC Augsburg, Bologna FC, Juventus), dies from Parkinson's disease and dementia at 73
  • 2012 Marc Awodey, American artist and writer, dies at 51
  • 2013 Tommy Whittle, British jazz tenor saxophonist (Ted Heath; BBC Show Band), and bandleader, dies of pneumonia on his 87th birthday
  • 2015 Michael Walsh, British Army officer (Operation Musketeer), dies at 88

Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927-2016)

King of Thailand (1946-2016), was world's longest reigning monarch, dies at 88

  • 2016 Dario Fo, Italian playwright and performer (Nobel Prize Literature 1997), dies at 90
  • 2016 Gerhard Wimberger, Austria composer (Glove), dies at 93
  • 2016 Jim Prentice, Canadian politician, Premier of Alberta (2014-15), dies in a plane crash at 60
  • 2016 John Gilmore, American true crime author (Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder), dies at 81
  • 2018 Annapurna Devi [Roshanara Khan], Indian classical surbahar (bass sitar) player, and music teacher, dies at 91
  • 2018 Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English Labour politician, dies at 77
  • 2019 Steve Cash, American country-rock vocalist, songwriter, and harmonica player (Ozark Mountain Daredevils - "Jackie Blue", "If You Wanna Get To Heaven"), and author (Meq trilogy), dies at 73
  • 2019 Theo Verbey, Dutch composer (Fractal Symphony; After the Great War), and educator (Royal Conservatory of The Hague, 1984-2019), dies at 60
  • 2020 Augusto Matine, Portuguese soccer midfielder (9 caps; Benfica, Vitória de Setúbal) and manager (Mozambique national team), dies at 73
  • 2020 Conchata Ferrell, American actress (LA Law, Two and a Half Men), dies at 77
  • 2020 John Pepper Clark, Nigerian poet (A Decade of Tongues; Mandela), playwright (Song of a Goat), and magazine editor (The Horn), often published as J.P. Clark, dies at 85
  • 2021 Dale Kildee, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan, 1977-2013), dies at 92
  • 2021 Gary Paulsen, American author of young adult literature, dies of a heart attack at 82
  • 2021 Norm Provan, Australian rugby league second rower (14 Tests; St. George RLFC NSWRL Premiers 1956-66; RL "Immortal") and coach (St. George, Parramatta, Cronulla), dies at 89
  • 2021 Otis Armstrong, American College Football HOF running back (Purdue; All-Pro 1974; Pro Bowl 1974, 76; Denver Broncos), dies at 70
  • 2021 Ray Fosse, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star, Gold Glove Award 1970, 71 Cleveland Indians; World Series Oakland A's 1973, 74) and broadcaster (Oakland A's NBC), dies of cancer at 74
  • 2022 Bruce Sutter, American Baseball HOF relief pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1979; 6 x MLB All-Star; 5 x NL saves leader; Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals; Atlanta Braves), dies of cancer at 69
  • 2022 James "Jim" McDivitt, American Air Force Brigadier General and NASA astronaut (Gemini 4, Apollo 9), dies at 93
  • 2022 Lennart Söderberg, Swedish soccer manager (Gefle IF, Västerås SK, IFK Eskilstuna) and defender (2 caps; AIK), dies at 81
  • 2022 Pim van de Meent, Dutch soccer manager (PEC Zwolle, NEC, VBV De Graafschap, FC Den Haag), dies at 84
  • 2022 Stavros Sarafis, Greek soccer attacking midfielder (32 caps; PAOK 358 games, 136 goals), dies at 72
  • 2023 Anthony Walker, British army officer; 1954-92 (Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies, 1990-92), dies at 89
  • 2023 Burdette Haldorson, American basketball forward (Olympic gold 1956, 60; University of Colorado Boulder), dies at 89
October 13 Highlights