Famous People who Died of a Kidney Failure
1 - 29 of 29 Historically important and notable famous people who died of a kidney failure ranked by their popularity on On This Day.
1. Marlene Dietrich
2. Chiang Kai-shek
3. Idi Amin
4. George Bernard Shaw
5. Alfred Hitchcock
6. Yuan Shikai
7. Charles Babbage
8. Howard Hughes
9. Juan Manuel Fangio
10. Isaac Asimov
11. Sukarno
12. Ida B. Wells
13. C. S. Lewis
14. John Barrymore
15. Sarah Bernhardt
16. Spike Milligan
17. Bobby Fischer
18. Madam C. J. Walker
19. Yuri Andropov
20. Ernest Borgnine
21. Eric Carle
22. James Callaghan
23. Ogden Nash
24. Jim Steinman
25. Oscar Peterson
26. Norman Mailer
27. Jack Welch
28. Karl Popper
29. David Lange
List of Deaths from Kidney Failure
- 1792-07-18 John Paul Jones, Scottish-American naval captain and the United States first well-known naval hero ("I have not yet begun to fight"), dies of kidney failure and pneumonia at 45
- 1871-10-18 Charles Babbage, British mathematician and inventor (calculating machine) considered the "father of the computer", dies of renal failure at 79
- 1907-04-26 Joseph Hellmesberger Jr., Austrian composer, violinist, and conductor, dies of kidney failure at 52
- 1917-04-18 Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist, professor, and writer (The Forensic Psychopathology), dies of renal failure at 59
- 1919-05-25 Madam C. J. Walker [Sarah Breedlove], African American entrepreneur (First American self-made female millionaire, Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company), dies of kidney failure complications at 51
- 1922-05-22 Ada Jane Jones, English-American popular singer, among the earliest female singers to be recorded, dies of kidney failure at 48
- 1922-10-07 Marie Lloyd [Mathilda Wood], English music-hall performer ("Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do"), dies of heart and kidney failure at 52
- 1923-03-05 (Theodora) "Dora" Pejačević, Croatian countess and composer (Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 41), dies of kidney failure at 37
- 1929-06-04 Harry Frazee, American MLB team owner (Boston Red Sox), dies of kidney failure at 48
- 1935-11-14 Jacobus Wouterus van Dieren, Dutch biologist (specializing in study of dune formation, particularly on West Frisian Island of Terschelling), dies of kidney failure at 33
- 1942-05-29 John Barrymore, American actor (Beloved Rogue, Dinner at 8), dies from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure at 60
- 1943-08-03 Edward "Corky" Cornelius, American jazz trumpeter (Benny Goodman; Gene Krupa), dies of kidney failure at 28
- 1946-08-20 (John) "Rags" Ragland, American burlesque comedian, and stage and screen character actor (Whistling In The Dark), dies of liver and kidney failure at 40
- 1953-11-16 Sol Hoʻopiʻi [Kaʻaiʻai], Native Hawaiian acoustic and electric lap steel guitar virtuoso, dies of diabetes related kidney failure at 50
- 1962-09-08 Solomon Linda, South African singer and composer ("Mbube" / "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), dies of kidney failure at 52 or 53 [birth date uncertain]
- 1963-11-22 C. S. Lewis [Clive Staples], British author (The Chronicles of Narnia), dies of renal failure at 64
- 1964-10-15 Cole Porter, American composer and lyricist ("Anything Goes"; "Night And Day"; "I've Got You Under My Skin"), dies of kidney failure at 73
- 1970-06-21 Sukarno, 1st President of Indonesia (1945-67), dies from kidney failure while under house arrest at 68
- 1976-04-14 Maudie Prickett [Doyle], American character actress (Harvey; Hazel - "Rosie"), dies of renal failure at 61
- 1980-04-29 Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (Psycho; The Birds; Rear Window; Vertigo), dies of renal failure at 80
- 1983-09-30 Adele Sebastian, American jazz flute player and vocalist (The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra), dies of kidney failure at 27
- 1983-10-14 Paul Fix, American actor (Rifleman), dies of kidney failure at 82
- 1983-11-08 Robert Agnew, American silent movie director, dies at 84 of kidney failure
- 1984-02-09 Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1982-84) and KGB Chief (1967-82), dies of total renal failure at 69
- 1984-03-30 Gaëtan Dugas, French Canadian flight attendant and HIV patient erroneously vilified as "Patient Zero", dies of AIDS related kidney failure at 32
- 1987-06-03 Will Sampson, American-Muscogee rodeo performer, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: The Yellow Rose; The White Buffalo), and painter, dies of post-surgery kidney failure at 54
- 1988-11-06 John Hubbard, American actor (Don't Call Me Charlie, The Tall T, One Million B.C.), dies of kidney failure at 74
- 1988-11-27 John Carradine, American actor (The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, Howling), dies of kidney failure at 82
- 1989-03-19 Alan Civil, British horn player (played solo on Beatles "For No One"), dies of liver and kidney failure at 59
- 1989-05-10 Woody Shaw, American jazz trumpeter (Rosewood), and educator, dies from kidney failure and other complications after being struck by a subway train in Brooklyn, NYC, at 44
- 1990-03-24 Ray Goulding, American comedian (Bob & Ray), dies of kidney failure at 68
- 1990-04-25 Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist Go!; The Other Side of 'Round Midnight), and actor ('Round Midnight), dies of kidney failure at 67
- 1990-06-15 Leonard Sachs, British actor (The Good Old Days; John Wesley), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 1990-08-12 Dorothy Mackaill, British-American actress (Love Affair), dies of kidney failure at 87
- 1990-12-02 Robert Cummings, American actor (Love that Bob, Dial M For Murder), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 1991-01-04 Berry Kroeger, actor (Demon Seed), dies of kidney failure at 78
- 1992-04-06 Isaac Asimov, Russian-American scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot; Foundation Trilogy), dies from kidney failure at 72
- 1992-06-03 Patrick Peyton, Irish priest 'The Rosary Priest', dies of kidney failure at 83
- 1992-11-23 Thelma Orloff, entertainer, dies of kidney failure at 76
- 1993-09-06 Josephine Rich Corday, American vaudevillian, dies of kidney failure at 79
- 1993-12-30 Irving Paul Lazar, American talent agent, dies of kidney failure at 86
- 1994-01-08 Pat Buttram, American actor (Mr Haney-Green Acres), dies of kidney failure at 78
- 1994-01-28 William Levitt, builder (Levittown), dies of kidney failure at 86
- 1994-02-01 John Littlejohn [Funchess], American electric blues slide guitarist ("So-Called Friends"), dies of renal failure at 62
- 1994-09-17 Karl Popper, Austrian-British philosopher (The Logic of Scientific Discovery; The Poverty of Historicism), dies of kidney failure while battling cancer at 92
- 1994-10-18 WiIlliam Faure, South African film producer (Shaka Zulu), dies of kidney failure at 45
- 1995-07-16 Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine auto racer (World F1 champion 1951, 1954-57), dies of kidney failure at 84
- 1995-12-15 Johnny Lytle, American jazz drummer and vibraphonist, known as "Fast Hands", dies of kidney failure at 63
- 1996-01-30 Bob Thiele, American radio broadcaster, and record producer (John Coltrane; B.B. King), dies of kidney failure at 73
- 1997-04-24 Pat Paulsen, American comedian (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), actor, and frequent presidential candidate, dies of kidney failure while being treated for cancer at 69
- 1997-06-06 Magda Gabor [Magdolna Gábor], Hungarian actress (Mai lányok, People vs Zsa Zsa Gabor), dies of renal failure at 81
- 1997-10-16 James A. Michener, American author (South Pacific; Sayonara), dies of kidney failure at 90
- 1997-12-14 Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who), dies of kidney failure at 51
- 1998-04-15 Rose Maddox, American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and fiddle player (Sing a Little Song of Heartache), dies of kidney failure at 72
- 2000-01-16 Gene Harris [Haire], American soul-jazz pianist (The Three Sounds), dies of kidney failure at 66
- 2000-09-04 David Brown, American rock bassist (Santana, 1967-71, 1974-76), dies of liver and kidney failure at 53
- 2000-09-19 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
- 2000-12-02 Gail Fisher, American Emmy Award-winning actress (Mannix - "Peggy"), dies of kidney failure at 65
- 2001-07-03 Delia Derbyshire, English musician and composer (Doctor Who theme, White Noise), dies of renal failure at 64
- 2001-07-05 Ernie K-Doe [Ernest Kador Jr.], American R&B singer ("Mother-in-Law"), dies of kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver at 68
- 2001-08-02 Ron Townson, American singer (The 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away"), dies of kidney failure at 68
- 2002-02-27 Spike Milligan, Irish-British actor and comedian (The Goon Show, 3 Musketeers), dies of kidney failure at 83
- 2002-09-18 Bob Hayes, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1964) and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver (3 x Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), dies of kidney failure at 59
- 2002-11-29 Daniel Gélin, French actor (Obsession; Napoléon; The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)), dies of kidney failure at 81
- 2003-06-21 Leon Uris, American novelist (Exodus; Topaz; QB VII), dies of kidney failure at 78
- 2003-08-16 Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (1971-79) who killed an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 people, dies of kidney failure aged between 75-80
- 2004-03-18 Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman (McCain Foods Limited), dies of kidney failure at 76
- 2005-03-26 James Callaghan, British Prime Minister (Labour: 1976-79), dies of lobar pneumonia, cardiac failure and kidney failure at 92
- 2005-08-13 David Lange, 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (Labour: 1984-89), dies of complications associated with renal failure and diabetes at 63
- 2005-08-30 James H. Scheuer, American politician (Rep-D-NY, 1965-73, 75- 93), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
- 2005-11-24 Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, American actor (Happy Days, Karate Kid), dies of kidney failure at 73
- 2006-07-19 Jack Warden [John Lebzelter Jr], American character actor (Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Brian's Song), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
- 2006-10-16 Tommy Johnson, American orchestral and session tuba player (theme to "Jaws"), dies from cancer and kidney failure at 71
- 2007-08-29 Richard Jewell, American security guard (central figure in 1996 Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta bombing), dies from kidney failure at 44
- 2007-09-06 Percy Rodriguez [Rodrigues], Canadian actor (Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Brainwaves), dies of kidney failure at 89
- 2007-12-23 Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), dies of kidney failure at 82
- 2008-01-04 Mort Garson, Canadian-American composer ("Our Day Will Come") and Moog synthesizer pioneer, dies of renal failure at 83
- 2008-01-17 Bobby Fischer, American chess player (world champion 1972-75), dies of renal failure at 64
- 2008-02-01 Shell Kepler [Michelle Alaine Kepler], American actress (General Hospital), dies from renal failure at 49
- 2008-03-16 Ivan Dixon, American actor, director and civil rights activist (Car Wash, Hogan's Heroes, The Final War of Olly Winter), dies of renal failure at 76
- 2008-04-21 Al Wilson, American soul singer ("Show and Tell"; "The Snake"), dies of kidney failure at 68
- 2009-06-19 Ali Akbar Khan, Indian classical sarod player, composer, and music educator, dies of kidney failure at 87
- 2009-06-25 Sky Saxon [Richard Marsh], American rocker (The Seeds - "Pushin' To Hard"), dies from heart and renal failure at 71
- 2010-06-19 Manute Bol, Sudanese-American NBA basketball center, 1985-95 (Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and 3 other teams), political activist, and philanthropist, dies from acute kidney failure at 47
- 2010-06-23 Pete Quaife, British rock bassist (The Kinks, 1963-69 - "Sunny Afternoon"), and cartoonist, dies of kidney failure at 66
- 2011-08-14 Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director known as the "Elvis Presley of India" (Amaran, Brahmachari, Vidhaata), dies of chronic renal failure at 79
- 2011-12-24 Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 2012-01-26 Ian Abercrombie, English actor (Birds of Prey, Desperate Housewives), dies from kidney failure at 77
- 2012-02-15 Charles Anthony [Caruso], American tenor, dies from kidney failure at 82
- 2012-02-25 Red Holloway [James], American jazz tenor saxophonist, dies from stroke and kidney failure at 84
- 2012-07-08 Ernest Borgnine [Ermes Borgnino], American Academy Award-winning actor (Marty; From Here To Eternity; ; McHale's Navy; The Poseidon Adventure), dies from renal failure at 95
- 2012-09-09 Verghese Kurien, Indian engineer (billion-litre idea), dies from kidney failure at 90
- 2012-10-10 Alex Karras, American NFL player, dies from kidney failure at 77
- 2013-05-16 Bernard Waber, American children's book author ("The House on East 88th Street"; "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile"), dies from kidney failure at 88
- 2013-09-29 L. C. Greenwood, American football player, dies from kidney failure at 67
- 2013-10-30 Frank Wess, American jazz flutist, saxophonist (Duke Ellington, 1953-64; New York Jazz Quartet, 1974-82) and composer, dies of a heart attack related to kidney failure at 91
- 2013-11-13 Barbara Lawrence, American model, actress, and real estate agent (Oklahoma!, A Letter to Three Wives), dies of kidney failure at 83
- 2014-01-16 Russell Johnson, American television and film actor, best known for his role as "The Professor" on Gilligan's Island, dies of kidney failure at 89
- 2014-01-16 Dave Madden, Canadian-born American actor (Charlotte's Web, Alice, The Partridge Family), dies from heart and kidney failure at 82
- 2015-05-15 Bob Hopkins, American basketball forward and coach (Syracuse Nationals; Seattle SuperSonics), dies of heart and kidney failure at 80
- 2015-06-11 Dusty Rhodes [Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.], American pro wrestler (Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year 1979, 86; WWE HOF), dies of kidney failure at 69
- 2015-06-17 Ron Clarke, Australian athlete (17 x WRs, 5,000m, 10,000m, 20,000m; 2, 3, 6, 10 miles) and politician (mayor Gold Coast), dies from kidney failure at 78
- 2016-02-15 Vanity [Denise Matthews], Canadian R&B singer, Prince protege ("Nasty Girl"), actress (52 Pick Up), and evangelist dies of kidney failure at 57
- 2017-03-19 Ken Still, American golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies of kidney failure at 82
- 2017-04-14 Bruce Langhorne, American session and touring folk guitarist and tambourine man, dies of kidney failure at 78
- 2018-09-19 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
- 2019-01-02 "Mean" Gene Okerlund, American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), dies of kidney failure at 76
- 2019-01-02 Daryl Dragon, American keyboardist (The Beach Boys (touring); Captain & Tennille - "Love Will Keep Us Together"), dies of kidney failure at 76
- 2019-09-08 Camilo Sesto, Spanish singer (Perdóname, El Amor De Mi Vida), dies of kidney failure at 72
- 2019-12-13 Yasuhiro Takai, Japanese baseball first baseman, designated hitter and broadcaster (NPB record 27 career pinch-hit home runs; Hankyu Braves), dies of kidney failure at 74
- 2020-03-01 Jack Welch, American businessman and CEO of General Electric (GE), dies of renal failure at 84
- 2020-04-15 Willie Davis, American Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl I, II; Pro Bowl 1963-67; First-team All-Pro 1962, 64–67; GB Packers), dies from kidney failure at 85
- 2020-04-24 Harold Reid, American country bass vocalist (Statler Brothers - "Bed Of Rose's"), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 2020-05-09 Pedro Pablo León, Peruvian soccer forward (49 caps; Alianza Lima), dies from pneumonia and kidney failure at 76
- 2020-08-05 Pete Hamill, American journalist (New York Post; New York Daily News: The Village Voice, and novelist), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
- 2020-08-12 Bill Yeoman, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Houston 1962-86; record 160–108–8), dies from kidney failure and pneumonia at 92
- 2020-08-24 Tony Colton [Chalk], British singer-songwriter, and record producer (Head, Hands, and Feet), dies of kidney failure at 68
- 2021-01-23 Larry King [Zeiger], American radio and TV host ("Larry King Live", CNN), dies of sepsis and renal failure at 87
- 2021-02-05 Charlie Krueger, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Texas A&M; Pro Bowl 1960, 64; San Francisco 49ers), dies from heart and kidney failure at 84
- 2021-03-09 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
- 2021-04-19 Jim Steinman, American Grammy Award-winning songwriter and record producer (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell; Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart), dies of kidney failure at 73
- 2021-05-05 George Jung [Boston George], American drug trafficker whose story was portrayed in the biopic "Blow", dies of liver and kidney failure at 78
- 2021-05-23 Eric Carle, American illustrator, collage artist, and writer of children's books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), dies of kidney failure at 91
- 2021-06-24 Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (Liberal Party: 2010-16), dies of diabetes related kidney failure at 61
- 2021-06-29 Stuart Damon [Zonis], American stage and screen actor (General Hospital, 1977-2007 - "Dr. Alan Quartermaine"), dies of kidney failure at 84
- 2021-09-05 Rickie Lee Reynolds, American southern rock guitarist (Black Oak Arkansas - "Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)"), dies of COVID-19 complications, including kidney failure and heart attack at 72
- 2021-12-08 Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican reggae bassist (Sly & Robbie - "DJ Riot"), dies of kidney failure at 68
- 2021-12-15 Bell Hooks [Gloria Jean Watkins], American author, feminist, educator, and social activist, dies of kidney failure at 69
- 2022-01-10 Khan Jamal [Warren Cheeseboro], American jazz vibraphonist and marimba player (Sounds of Liberation; Creative Art Ensemble), dies of kidney failure at 75
- 2022-02-10 Olsen Filipaina, New Zealand rugby league five eighth (28 Tests; Auckland RL, Balmain RLFC, Eastern Suburbs RLFC, North Sydney DRLFC), dies from kidney failure at 64
- 2022-02-12 Howard Grimes, American soul music session drummer (Al Green; Ann Peeples), dies of kidney failure at 80
- 2022-03-19 Scoey Mitchell [Roscoe Mitchill], American TV writer, director, and actor (Barefoot in the Park; Rhoda), dies of kidney failure at 92
- 2022-06-18 Mark Shields, American political journalist and commentator (PBS NewsHour, 1988-2020; CNN Capitol Gang, 1998-2005), dies of kidney failure at 85
- 2022-12-29 Dave Davis, American ten-pin bowler (PBA Tournament of Champions 1968, 75; PBA National C'ship 1965, 67), dies from kidney failure at 80
- 2023-01-26 Billy Packer, American college basketball broadcaster (Raycom Sports, NBC, CBS), dies of kidney failure at 82
- 2023-03-07 Ian Falconer, American author, illustrator of children's books and magazines (Olivia (the pig) series; The New Yorker), and theatrical set and costume designer, dies of kidney failure at 63
- 2024-01-13 Tom Shales, American Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic (Washington Post, 1977-2010), and author (Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live), dies of COVID-19 complicated kidney failure at 79