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

Famous Deaths on September 24

  • 366 Liberius, Italian Pope (352-66), dies
  • 768 Pippin III, the short, King of France, dies at 53
  • 786 Al-Hadi, Arabic kalief of Islam (185-86), dies
  • 911 Ludwig III, the child, last Carolingian German King (899-911), dies
  • 1054 Hermann of Reichenau [Hermannus Contractus], German Benedictine monk and scholar, dies at 41
  • 1118 Robert of Knaresborough, English hermit who lived in a cave, dies at about 58
  • 1120 Welf II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1072)
  • 1143 Agnes of Germany, daughter of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1072)
  • 1143 Innocent II [Gregorio de' Papareschi], Italian Pope (1130-43), dies
  • 1180 Manuel I Komnenos, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (1143-80), dies at 61
  • 1213 Gertrude of Merania, wife of Andrew II of Hungary (murdered) (b. 1185)
  • 1228 Stefanus I Nemanjic de Eerstgekroonde, king of Serbia (1217-28), dies
  • 1230 Alfonso IX, King of León and Galicia (1188-1230), dies at 59
  • 1275 Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, Constable of England (b. 1208)
  • 1435 Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen and wife of Charles VI of France, who ruled during her husband's periods of insanity, dies at about 65
  • 1494 Poliziano, Italian poet and humanist in Florence, dies, probably murdered by arsenic poisoning at 40
  • 1517 Frederik IV, of Baden, bishop of Utrecht, dies
  • 1536 Janus Secundus, Dutch born new Latin poet (Basia), dies at 24

Paracelsus (1493-1541)

Swiss physician and alchemist (Zinc, Laudanum), dies at 47

  • 1545 Albert of Brandenburg, German Archbishop of Mainz (Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses were addressed to him), dies at 55
  • 1568 Antoon van Stralen, Flemish mayor of Antwerp, beheaded at about 47
  • 1605 Manuel Mendes, Portuguese composer and teacher of the Renaissance, dies at about 58
  • 1621 Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, Polish military commander (b. 1560)
  • 1646 Duarte Lobo, Portuguese composer, dies at about 81
  • 1707 Vincenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (b. 1642)
  • 1732 Emperor Reigen, 112th Emperor of Japan, dies at 78
  • 1742 Johann Matthias Hase, German scientist (b. 1684)
  • 1753 Georg Gebel, German musician and composer, dies at 45 [1]
  • 1790 John Keyse Sherwin, engraver/painter, dies
  • 1802 Alexander Radishchev, Russian writer (Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow), commits suicide by drinking poison at 53
  • 1813 André Grétry, French opera composer, dies at 72
  • 1815 John Sevier, American soldier, Governor of Tennessee (1796-1801, 1803-09), dies at 70

Pedro I (1798-1834)

Emperor of Brazil (1822-31) and King of Portugal (1826), dies at 35

  • 1848 Branwell Brontë [Patrick Branwell Brontë], English painter and writer and brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne, dies at 31
  • 1855 Alexandre Stiévenard, French violinist, guitarist and composer, dies at 86
  • 1856 Henry Hardinge, British army officer and politician, 1st viscount Hardinge of Lahore, Governor-General of India (1844-48), dies at 71
  • 1865 Frantiszek Sołtyk, Polish composer, dies at 81
  • 1868 Jan Albert van Eijken, Dutch composer and organist, dies at 45
  • 1875 William Walker, American composer (The Southern Harmony), dies at 66
  • 1881 Luigi Ferdinando Casamorata, Italian composer, music critic, attorney, and educator (Conservatory of Florence, 1862-81), dies at 74
  • 1883 Alexios II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (1180-83), murdered at 14 [exact day disputed]
  • 1889 Daniel Harvey Hill, Confederate General (American Civil War), dies at 68
  • 1892 Cornelis Ascanius van Sypesteyn, Dutch governor of Suriname (1873-82), dies at 69
  • 1892 Patrick Gilmore, Irish-born American bandmaster and composer ("When Johnny Comes Marching Home"), dies at 62
  • 1894 Martinus Nijhoff, Dutch publisher (Van Dale) and founder (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers), dies at 68
  • 1896 Louis Gerhard De Geer, 1st Swedish Prime Minister (1876-80), dies at 78
  • 1896 Percy McDonnell, Australian cricket batsman (19 Tests, 3 x 100s; Victoria CA, NSW CA, Queensland CA), dies of cardiac failure at 35
  • 1904 Niels Ryberg Finsen, Danish physician and phototherapist (Nobel 1903), dies at 43
  • 1910 Rudolf Dellinger, Bohemian-German clarinetist, kapellmeister, and operetta composer, dies at 53
  • 1919 Frank Laver, Australian cricket medium pace bowler (15 Tests, 37 wickets, BB 8/31) and baseball player (first Australian national team), dies of a cerebral haemorrhage at 49
  • 1920 Peter Carl Fabergé, Russian goldsmith and jeweler (famous for Fabergé eggs), dies at 74
  • 1924 Manuel Estrada Cabrera, 13th President of Guatemala (1898-1920), dies in prison at 66
  • 1930 William A. MacCorkle, American politician, 90th Governor of West Virginia, dies at 73
  • 1933 Alice Muriel Williamson, British novelist (b. 1869)
  • 1933 Mike Donlin, American baseball player (NY Giants), dies at 55
  • 1934 Edwin H. Lemare, British organist and composer (Andantino in D-flat, also known as "Moonlight and Roses"), dies at 69
  • 1937 Clarence Larkin, American prison warden (Folsom Prison, California), dies from injuries inflicted during attempted prison break at 46
  • 1938 Lev Schnirelmann, Russian mathematician (b. 1900)
  • 1939 Carl Laemmle, German-born American film producer (Universal Pictures), dies of cardiovascular disease at 72
  • 1945 Hans Geiger, German physicist (co-inventor of the Geiger counter), dies at 62
  • 1948 Warren William [Krech], American actor (The Wolf Man, Cleopatra), dies of multiple myeloma at 53
  • 1949 Pierre de Bréville, French composer, author and professor (Une histoire du théâtre lyrique en France), dies at 88
  • 1951 Georges Rency, Belgian poet and literature, dies at 75
  • 1953 Berthold Viertel, Austrian screenwriter, dies at 68
  • 1954 Edward Pilgrim, British homeowner who committed suicide due to housing bureaucracy scandal, hangs himself at 53
  • 1960 Mátyás Seiber, Hungarian-British classical and jazz composer (Scherzando), dies at 55
  • 1961 Sumner Welles, American diplomat (Good Neighbor Policy), dies at 68
  • 1964 Paul E. Kahle, German professor of oriental studies, dies at 89
  • 1967 Orville Caldwell, American actor (Patsy, French Doll, Last Warning), dies at 71
  • 1967 Robert van Gulik, Dutch diplomat and writer (Judge Dee), dies at 57
  • 1968 Harry Robert Wilson, American composer, dies at 67
  • 1968 Robert Arthur Ley, English sci-fi author (Telepath, Power of X), dies at 47
  • 1969 Warren Sturgis McCulloch, American neurophysiologist and psychiatrist ("A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity" with Walter Pitts), dies at 70
  • 1975 Clive Morton, British actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Moonraker), dies at 71
  • 1975 Earle Cabell, American politician, 48th Mayor of Dallas (1961-64), dies at 68
  • 1976 Bruno VeSota, American character actor and director (They Stand Accused, Chopper, Teenage Doll, Wild Rovers), dies of a heart attack at 54
  • 1976 Romney Brent, Mexican-American actor and writer (Dinner at the Ritz), dies at 74
  • 1978 Hasso von Manteuffel, German WWII general (5th Panzer Army) and politician, dies at 81
  • 1978 Ruth Etting, American stage, radio, and screen singer ("Shine On Harvest Moon"; "Ten Cents A Dance"), and actress (Roman Scandals; Ziegfeld Follies), dies at 80
  • 1978 Virginia Valli [McSweeney], American (mostly silent) film actress (Wild Oranges; Pleasure Garden), dies at 73
  • 1981 Brahmarishi Hussain Sha, Indian religious leader and scholar (head of Sri Viswa Viznana Vidya Adhyatmika Peetham in Pithapuram), dies at 76
  • 1981 Patsy Kelly, American actress (Rosemary's Baby, North Ave Irregulars), dies at 71
  • 1982 Paulus Akkerman, Dutch-Frisian baker, writer (Each om Each), and translator, dies at 74
  • 1982 Sarah Churchill, British actress (Matinee Theatre, All Over Town, Royal Wedding), dies at 67
  • 1983 Isobel Baillie, Scottish oratorio singer, dies at 88
  • 1983 Mohammed Roem, Indonesian politician (as Foreign Minister negotiated Roem–Van Roijen Agreement that led to independence), dies at 75
  • 1984 Neil Hamilton, American stage and screen actor (The White Rose; When Strangers Marry; Batman (TV series) - "Commissioner Gordon"), dies of asthma at 85
  • 1990 Jay Currin, stuntman/actor (Back to the Beach, Serial), dies at 34

Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)

American children's author (The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham), dies of cancer at 87

  • 1991 Mary Lawrence, actress (Best Man), dies of respiratory failure at 73
  • 1991 Peter Bellamy, English folk singer, commits suicide at 47
  • 1993 Bruno Pontecorvo, Italian nuclear physicist, dies at 80
  • 1993 Ian Stuart Donaldson, British punk rocker (Screwdriver), dies in a car crash at 36
  • 1993 Margot Turner, British nurse and nursing administrator (whose account as a prisoner-of-war in Japanese camp inspired TV series "Tenko"), dies at 83
  • 1993 Zita Johann, Hungarian/American actress (Mummy), dies at 89
  • 1994 Colin Berry Haycraft, British publisher, dies at 65
  • 1994 David Napley, English solicitor, dies at 79
  • 1994 Guido Santórsola, Brazilian-Uruguayan composer and violinist, dies at 89
  • 1994 Otto F. Walter, Swiss writer and publisher (Walter Verlag), dies of pulmonary cancer at 66
  • 1995 Lauri Saikkola, Finnish violinist (Viipuri Symphony, 1923–34; Helsinki Philharmonic, 1934–65), and composer (Laulusarja; Unen kaivo), dies at 89
  • 1996 Henry Charles Gordon, American engineer and astronaut (Dynasoar), dies at 70
  • 1996 Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, English Egyptologist, dies at 87
  • 1996 Pavel Anatolievich Sudoplatov, spy, dies at 89
  • 1996 Zeki Müren, Turkish actor, singer, and composer (Game of Silence), dies of a heart attack at 64
  • 1997 Jonathon Silver, entrepreneur/arts patron, dies at 47
  • 1997 Larry Hall, American rocker (Sandy), dies at 57
  • 1999 Cyril Bowles, British clergyman (Bishop of Derby, 1969-88), dies at 83
  • 1999 Torsten Nilsson, Swedish organist, choral director, composer (Out of the Night of the Earth; Septem improvisationes), and pedagogue, dies at 79
  • 2000 Ian "Spike" Spice, British drummer (Breathe - "Hands To Heaven", Flash Cadillac), dies at 34
  • 2001 Peter Shore, British politician (Labour), dies at 77
  • 2001 Ruthven Wade, British Air Chief marshal, dies at 81
  • 2002 Leon Hart, American College Football Hall of Fame end and fullback (Heisman Trophy 1949, Notre Dame), dies at 73
  • 2002 Mike Webster, American NFL football center, 1974-90, 9X Pro Bowl, 4X Super Bowl champ (Pittsburgh Steelers), dies of a heart attack at 50; 1st former NFL-er diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)player noted to suffer from
  • 2002 Tim Rose, American singer-songwriter, dies at 62
  • 2002 Youssouf Togoïmi, Chadian rebel (b. 1953)
  • 2003 Lyle Bettger, American actor (The Greatest Show on Earth, Lone Ranger), dies at 88
  • 2003 Rosalie Allen, American country singer, yodeler, and disc jockey, dies of congestive heart failure at 79
  • 2004 Françoise Sagan (née Quoirez), French novelist (Bonjour Tristesse), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 69
  • 2004 Joep Straesser, Dutch composer (Blossom songs, Ramasasiri), dies at 70
  • 2004 Marvin Davis, CEO (Davis Oil Company), dies at 79
  • 2005 Thomas "Tommy" Bond, American actor (Butch-Our Gang, Superman), dies at 79
  • 2006 Henry "Mule" Townsend, American blues singer, guitarist, and piano player, dies at 96
  • 2006 Thomas Stewart, American bass-baritone (La Roche Capriccio), dies at 78
  • 2008 Bengt Anderberg, Swedish poet and writer (Kain), dies at 88
  • 2008 Irene Dailey, American actress (Another World, Grissom Gang), dies of colon cancer at 88
  • 2008 Mickey Vernon, American baseball first baseman (7 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1960; AL batting champion 1946, 53), dies at 90
  • 2008 Vinko "Vice" Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 & 1965), dies from head injury at 72
  • 2009 Susan Atkins, American murderer (b. 1948)
  • 2010 Gennady Yanayev, Soviet politician (b. 1937)
  • 2014 Deborah "Debs" Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire and the Chatsworth estate, one of the Mitford sisters, dies at 94
  • 2014 Stephen Sykes, Church of England bishop, dies at 75
  • 2016 Bill Nunn, American actor (Do the Right Thing), dies at 63
  • 2016 Buckwheat Zydeco [Stanley Dural, Jr.], American B-3 organist, accordionist and singer ("Where There's Smoke, There's Fire"), dies of lung cancer at 68
  • 2017 Albert Innaurato, American playwright and stage director (Age in Soho; Gemini), dies at 70
  • 2017 Joseph M. McDade, American politician (Rep-R-Pennsylvania, 1963-1999), dies at 85
  • 2019 Jimmy Nelson, American ventriloquist (Nestles - Farfel the Dog), dies at 90
  • 2020 Dean Jones, Australian cricket batsman and broadcaster (52 Tests @ 46.55; 164 ODIs; Victoria), dies from cardiac arrest at 59
  • 2020 Keith Hufnagel, American skateboarder (founded skate/clothing company HUF), dies of brain cancer at 46
  • 2020 Robert Bechtle, American photorealist painter, dies at 88
  • 2021 Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian boxer and tennis coach (father of Andre Agassi), dies at 90
  • 2021 Eugeniusz Faber, Polish soccer forward (36 caps; Ruch Chorzów, Lens), dies at 82
  • 2021 Waka Nathan, New Zealand rugby union flanker (14 Tests; Auckland RU), dies at 81
  • 2022 (Farrell) "Pharoah" Sanders, American jazz saxophonist (John Coltrane groups), and composer (Karma), dies at 81 [1]
  • 2022 Andon Boshkovski, Macedonian handball coach (Georgia 2017-19, Macedonia [ass't] 2008-13), dies at 47
  • 2022 Pavel Pervushin, Russian weightlifter (World C'ship gold 110kg 1973; 15 x WRs), dies at 75
  • 2023 Keith Baxter, Welsh actor (Chimes at Midnight; Killing Time; Barretts at Wimpole Street), dies at 90
  • 2023 Tim Foley, American football defensive back (Super Bowl VII, VIII; Pro Bowl 1979; Miami Dolphins), dies at 75
September 24 Highlights