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

Famous Deaths on September 19

  • 690 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 602)
  • 1180 Louis VII, the Younger, King of France (1137-80), dies at 59
  • 1339 Go-Daigo, 96th Emperor of Japan (1318-39), dies at 50
  • 1356 Gautier de Brienne, Duke of Athens, French supreme commander, dies
  • 1356 Geoffroy de Charny, French nobleman, dies in battle
  • 1356 Jean de Clermont, French marshal, dies in battle
  • 1356 Peter I, Duke of Bourbon, killed at the Battle of Poitiers (b. 1311)
  • 1668 William Waller, English parliamentary commander during English Civil War (b. c. 1598)
  • 1693 Johann Weikhard von Valvasor, Slovenian polymath and natural historian, dies at 52
  • 1710 Ole Rømer, Danish astronomer, dies at 65
  • 1719 Frans Anneessens, Belgian merchant (Dean of Brussels Guild accessed of involvement in uprising), executed at 59
  • 1719 Jan Weenix, Dutch painter, buried
  • 1719 Joachim Tielke, German violin maker, dies at 77
  • 1736 Feofan Prokopovich, Russian Orthodox theologian and Archbishop of Novgorod, dies at 55
  • 1756 Josef Antonin Sehling, Bohemian violinist, and composer dies at 46
  • 1761 Pieter Musschenbroek, Dutch mathematician and physician (Leydan jar), dies at 69

Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812)

German Jewish banker and founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty, dies at 68

  • 1830 Stanislas Champein, French composer, dies at 76
  • 1836 Carl Friedrich Ebers, German composer and conductor, dies at 66
  • 1843 Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, French scientist, first described the Coriolis force, dies at 51
  • 1859 John Pringle Nichol, Scottish astronomer and educator (University of Glasgow), dies at 55
  • 1862 [Lewis] Henry Little, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 45
  • 1863 Preston Smith, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 39
  • 1864 Archibald Campbell Godwin, Confederate brigadier general, dies in The Third Battle of Winchester at 32 or 33
  • 1864 David Allen Russell, United States Army officer (Union), dies at the Third Battle of Winchester at 43
  • 1864 Robert Emmet Rodes, American Civil War Confederate Army Major General, dies at the Third Battle of Winchester at 35
  • 1868 William Sprague, American minister and politician from (b. 1809)

James Garfield (1831-1881)

20th US President (Republican: 1881), dies of a gunshot wound at 49

  • 1882 Andreas Ignatius Schaepman, Archbishop of Utrecht (1868-82), dies at 67
  • 1893 Alexander Tilloch Galt, Canadian politician, a father of Canadian Confederation, dies at 76
  • 1902 Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians, consort to King Leopold II, dies at 66
  • 1902 Masaoka Shiki, Japanese haiku & tanka poet and diarist (Salt Water Ballads), dies at 34
  • 1903 Sydir Vorobkevych, Ukrainian composer, poet, newspaper editor, and Orthodox priest, dies at 67
  • 1905 Thomas John Barnardo, Irish-born British social worker, and philanthropist (established Barnardo homes for children), dies at 60
  • 1906 Maria Georgina Grey, British writer and founder of the Girls' Day School Trust (b. 1816)
  • 1918 Liza Lehmann, English composer, dies at 56
  • 1924 Alick Bannerman, Australian cricket batsman (28 Tests, 8 x 50s; NSW 1876–94), dies at 70
  • 1927 Michael Peter Ancher, Danish painter (b. 1849)
  • 1930 Hendrik Zwaardemaker, Dutch physiologist (invented the olfactometer), dies at 73
  • 1931 David Starr Jordan, American biologist and founding president of Stanford University, dies at 90
  • 1935 Jules Cambon, French ambassador, to U.S. (1897), Spain (1902–07) and Germany (1907–14), dies at 90
  • 1935 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Russian pioneer in rocket and space research, dies at 78
  • 1936 Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, Indian musicologist, dies at 76
  • 1938 Pauline Frederick, American actress (Mr. Moto), dies of an asthma attack at 55
  • 1942 Condé Nast, American publisher, founded Condé Nast company (Vanity Fair), dies at 69
  • 1944 David Lord, British RAF pilot (Victoria Cross), dies in the Battle of Arnhem at 30

Guy Gibson (1918-1944)

British aviator who led the Dambusters Raid (Victoria Cross), killed in action at 26

  • 1944 Hilaro Barlow, British colonel, dies during the Battle of Arnhem at 37
  • 1949 George Shiels, Irish dramatist (The Rugged Path), dies at 68
  • 1949 Will Cuppy, American humorist (The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody), dies at 65
  • 1952 Giuseppe Zoppi, Swiss writer (Presento il mio Ticino), dies at 56
  • 1952 Hugo Bezdek, Czech American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Oregon, University of Arkansas, Penn State; NFL: Cleveland Browns; MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 68
  • 1954 Tibor Harsányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor who settled Paris, France, dies at 56
  • 1955 Carl Milles, Swedish sculptor (Wedding of Rivers), dies at 80
  • 1955 John D. Dingell, Sr., U.S. Congressman from Michigan (b. 1894)
  • 1957 Reginald Aldworth Daly, Canadian-American Geologist who independently developed the theory of magmatic stopping, dies at 86
  • 1961 Helen Kimble, fictional wife of Dr Richard Kimble (The Fugitive), murdered by a one-armed man
  • 1961 Maurice Delage, French pianist, and composer (Ragamalika; Seven Haikais), dies at 81 [date of passing may be 21 Sept]
  • 1961 Pieter Tesch, Dutch mine engineer and geologist (Pedestal of Netherlands), dies at 82
  • 1962 Nikolai Pogodin, Soviet playwright, dies at 61
  • 1967 Martin Block, American disc jockey and TV announcer (Chesterfield Supper Club), dies at 64
  • 1967 Monica Proietti "Machine Gun Molly", Canadian bank robber and criminal, dies in a high-speed chase at 27
  • 1967 Zinaida Serebriakova, Russian painter, dies at 82
  • 1968 Chester F. Carlson, American physicist and inventor (photocopying), dies at 62
  • 1968 Red Foley, American country singer ("Mr Smith Goes to Washington"), dies at 58
  • 1969 Bert Bakker, Dutch writer and publisher, dies at 57
  • 1969 Rex Ingram, American actor (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Tarzan of the Apes, The ten Commandments), dies of a heart attack at 73
  • 1970 Greville Stevens, British cricketer (10 Tests for England 1922-29), dies at 69
  • 1972 Robert Casadesus, French concert pianist and composer (Symphony No. 7 - "Israel"), dies at 73
  • 1973 Bobby Gilbert, American actor (Some Like It Hot, The Rebel Set), dies of hepatitis at 75
  • 1973 Gram Parsons [Cecil Ingram Connor III], American country-rock singer-songwriter (Byrds - Sweethearts of the Rodeo; Flying Burrito Brothers; "Grievous Angel"), dies of a drug overdose at 26
  • 1974 Eve March, American actress (Adam's Rib, Danny Boy), dies at 63
  • 1978 Étienne Gilson, French philosopher and historian, dies at 94
  • 1981 Joke Smit, Dutch writer (Het onbehagen bij de vrouw / The Discontent of Women), and feminist leader, dies of breast cancer at 48
  • 1982 Samuel L. M. Barlow, American composer (Mon Ami Pierrot), dies at 90
  • 1982 Ted Badcock, New Zealand cricketer (7 Tests for NZ 1930-33, 16 wkts), dies at 85
  • 1984 June Preisser, American acrobatic dancer and actress (Babes in Arms; Strike Up the Band), dies in a car crash at 64
  • 1985 Italo Calvino, Italian author (T-Zero, Mr Palomar), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 61
  • 1986 Vivian Duncan, American vaudevillian (Duncan Sisters), actress (Topsy and Eva), dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at 89
  • 1987 Einar Gerhardsen, Norwegian politician (Prime Minister of Norway 1945-51, 1955-63, 1963-65), dies at 90
  • 1988 Oren Lee Staley, American 1st President of the National Farmers Organization (1955-79), dies after a fall at 65
  • 1989 Guido de Moor, Dutch actor (Flanagan, Because of the Cats), dies at 52
  • 1989 Willie Steele, American athlete (Olympic gold long jump 1948), dies at 66
  • 1990 Werner Janssen, American conductor and composer (New Years Eve in NY), dies at 91
  • 1992 Frederick Combs, American stage and screen actor (The Boys In The Band), playwright, and director, dies of AIDS at 56
  • 1992 Jacques Pic, French restaurant owner (Maison Pic), dies of a heart attack at 59
  • 1993 András Mihály, Hungarian composer, dies at 75
  • 1993 Bruce Ferden, American conductor (NY, Washington, Amsterdam), dies at 44
  • 1993 Richard Landau, American screenwriter (Back to Bataan), dies at 79
  • 1994 Frankie Kennedy, Irish folk flute player (Altan), dies of Ewing's Sarcoma at 38
  • 1994 Sandra Fisher, American painter, dies at 47
  • 1995 Mr. Bo [Louis Collins], American electric blues guitarist and singer, dies at 63

Orville Redenbacher (1907-1995)

American popcorn magnate (Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popcorn), suffers heart attack drowns in his whirlpool bathtub at 88

  • 1995 Rudolf Peierls, German-British physicist (atomic bomb), dies at 88
  • 1995 Walter Gross, Israeli journalist (Haaretz), dies at 83
  • 1995 Yevgeni Nikolayevich Khludeyev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 55
  • 1996 Douglas Hyde, English political journalist, dies at 85
  • 1997 Kathy Keeton, South African-American magazine publisher (Viva, Longevity), dies of surgical complications at 58
  • 1997 Malcolm Hughes, English constructive artist, dies at 77
  • 1997 Rich Mullins, American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter ("Awesome God"), dies in a car accident at 41
  • 1999 Ed Cobb, American pop vocalist (The Four Preps, 1956-66 -"26 Miles (Santa Catalina)"), songwriter ("Tainted Love"), sound engineer and producer, dies of leukemia at 61
  • 2000 Ann Doran, American actress (Longstreet, Shirley, Rebel Without a Cause), dies at 89
  • 2000 Anthony Robert Klitz, British artist (b. 1917)
  • 2000 Gloria Talbott, American film and television actress, sometimes known as "the Scream Queen" for her work in B-movies, dies of kidney failure at 69
  • 2001 Jan Koplowitz, German writer, dies at 91
  • 2002 Robert Guéï, Military ruler and President of the Ivory Coast (1999-2001), murdered on the first day of the country's civil war at 61
  • 2003 Anatoly Bogatyrev, Belarusian composer, dies at 90
  • 2003 Johnny Best, American big band jazz and session trumpeter (Artie Shaw; Glenn Miller), dies at 89
  • 2003 Slim Dusty [David Kirkpatrick], Australian country music singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 76
  • 2004 Árpád Bogsch, Hungarian-born American civil servant (b. 1919)
  • 2004 Eddie Adams, American photographer (photograph of execution of a Viet Cong soldier, Pulitzer Prize 1969), dies of complications from ALS at 71
  • 2004 Ellis Marsalis Sr., American businessman, hotel operator, and civil rights activist, dies at 96
  • 2004 Skeeter Davis [Mary Penick], American country-pop singer-songwriter ("(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too"; "Set Him Free"; "The End Of The World"), dies of breast cancer at 72
  • 2006 Chuck Rio [Daniel Flores], American rock singer, saxophonist, and songwriter (The Champs - "Tequila"), dies of pneumonia at 77
  • 2006 Elizabeth Allen [Gillease], American stage and screen actress (Donovan's Reef; Bracken's World; The Paul Lynde Show), dies of kidney disease at 77
  • 2006 Hugh Kawharu, New Zealander Ngāti Whātua Māori chief (b. 1927)
  • 2006 Martha Holmes, American photographer (b. 1923)
  • 2006 Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (b. 1950)
  • 2008 Alois Pinos, Czech composer, dies at 82
  • 2008 David Jones, English director (Betrayal), dies at 74
  • 2008 Earl Palmer, American session drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (The Wrecking Crew), dies at 83
  • 2009 Arthur Ferrante, American pianist and composer (Ferrante & Teicher - Exodus), dies at 88
  • 2009 Eduard Zimmermann, German broadcaster (b. 1929)
  • 2011 Ctirad Kohoutek, Czech composer, dies at 82
  • 2011 Johnny Răducanu, Romanian jazz pianist, dies of a heart attack at 79
  • 2011 Thomas Capano, American lawyer and Delaware deputy attorney general who was convicted of murder, dies in prison at 61
  • 2013 Gerrie Mühren, Dutch soccer midfielder (10 caps; Ajax, Volendam), dies from myelodysplastic syndrome at 67
  • 2013 Hiroshi Yamauchi, Japanese businessman (President of Nintendo, 1949-2003, owner of Seattle Mariners), dies at 85
  • 2013 Robert Barnard, British mystery writer, dies at 76
  • 2014 Francisco Feliciano, Filipino conductor and composer (Pokpok Alimpako), dies at 73

Jackie Collins (1937-2015)

British-American romance novelist (The Stud; The Bitch; Lucky), dies of breast cancer at 77

  • 2017 Bernie Casey, American actor (Boxcar Bertha, Rent-a-Cop), dies at 78
  • 2017 Billy Hatton, English rock bassist (The Fourmost - A Little Loving), dies at 76
  • 2017 Brian Barder, British diplomat, British Ambassador to Ethiopia who assisted during 1984-85 famine, dies at 83
  • 2017 David Shepherd, British painter (paintings of steam locomotives), dies at 86

Jake LaMotta (1922-2017)

American boxer (world middleweight champion 1949-51, immortalised in 'Raging Bull'), dies at 95

  • 2018 Arthur Mitchell, African-American ballet dancer (New York City Ballet, 1955-66), choreographer, and founder of Dance Theater of Harlem (1968), dies of renal failure at 84
  • 2018 Louis Blom-Cooper, British barrister specializing in public and administrative law and co-editor of "The Judicial House of Lords 1876–2009", dies at 92
  • 2018 Marilyn Lloyd, American politician (Rep-D-TN, 1975-95), dies at 89
  • 2019 Maurice Ferre, American politician, 1st Latino Mayor of Miami, dies at 84
  • 2019 Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 2nd President of Tunisia (1987-2011). dies in exile at 83

John Turner (1929-2020)

Canadian politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada (1984), dies at 91

  • 2020 Lee Kerslake, British drummer (Uriah Heep; Ozzy Osbourne), dies of prostate cancer at 73 [1]
  • 2021 Jimmy Greaves, English soccer striker (57 caps; FIFA World Cup 1966; Chelsea, Tottenham) and journalist/broadcaster (The Sun, World of Sport, On the Ball), dies at 81
  • 2021 John Challis, British stage and screen actor (Only Fools and Horses - "Boycie"; Green Green Grass), dies of cancer at 79
  • 2021 Max Wiltshire, Welsh rugby union lock (4 Tests; Aberavon RFC), dies at 83
  • 2021 Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer, filmmaker and novelist, dies at 89
  • 2022 Julien Rascagnères, French rugby league referee (10 Tests), dies at 77
  • 2022 Maury Wills, American baseball shortstop (7 x MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1962, World Series 1959, 63, 65; LA Dodgers), dies at 89
  • 2022 Vladimir Golubev, Russian soccer defender (3 caps USSR; Zenit Leningrad 335 games) and manager (Zenit Leningrad), dies at 72
  • 2022 [Robin] "Robert" Brown, American actor (Here Come the Brides - "Jason"; Primus), and author, dies at 95
  • 2023 Buddy Teevens, American college football coach (Dartmouth College 1987-91, 2005-23; Uni of Maine, Tulane Uni, Stanford University), dies from injuries sustained in road accident at 66
  • 2023 Egil Johansen, Norwegian soccer midfielder (12 caps; Vålerenga IF), dies of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 61
  • 2023 Stephen Gould, American operatic tenor (Bayreuth Festival, 2004-22), dies of bile duct cancer at 61
  • 2023 Vitaly Dubko, Russian trampolining coach (named best coach of 20th Century by International Gymnastics Federation), dies at 87
September 19 Highlights