Today's 11 December Famous Deaths in History

  • 384 Pope Saint Damasus I, Pope of the Catholic Church, dies
  • 711 Justitianus II, Emperor of Byzantium, dies at about 42
  • 969 Nicephorus Phocas [Nikephoros II Phokas], Byzantine emperor (963-969), assassinated in his sleep at about 57 by his nephew and his wife's lover John Tzimiskes and entourage
  • 1121 Al-Afdal Shahanshah, Caliph of Egypt (b. 1066)
  • 1226 Robert de Ros, northern English Nobleman (one of the Twenty-five barons appoints under the Magna Carta) (b. 1177)
  • 1241 Ögedei Khan, 2nd Khagan-Emperor of the Mongol Empire (1229-1241) and son of Genghis Khan who expanded Mongolian empire, dies of suspected poisoning or alcoholism at about 56
  • 1282 Michael VIII, Paleologus, Byzantine emperor (1259-82), dies
  • 1524 Henry van Zutphen, Dutch protestant martyr, 1st Lutheran martyr, burned at the stake in Brussels
  • 1532 Pietro Accolti, Italian Catholic cardinal (Dean of the Roman Rota), dies at 77
  • 1573 Alardus/Eilard de Waterlant, duke of Alva, hanged
  • 1582 Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Spanish noble and diplomat (governor of the Netherlands (1567–1573)), dies at about 75
  • 1610 Adam Elsheimer, German painter, cartoonist and etcher, buried at 32
  • 1610 False Dmitry 2, Tsar of Russia, murdered
  • 1686 Louis II Condé, Duke of Bourbon (Rocroy), dies at 65
  • 1694 Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma, dies at 64
  • 1737 John Strype, English historian and biographer, dies at 94
  • 1747 Edmund Curll, English bookseller who quarrelled with poet Alexander Pope (b. ca. 1675)
  • 1748 Ewald G. von Kleist, German lawyer/, inventor of condensator, dies at 55
  • 1756 Maria Amalia of Austria, Holy Roman Empire Empress as the spouse of Emperor Charles VII, dies at 55
  • 1756 Theodor A. Freiherr von Neuhoff, German adventurer and King of Corsica, dies at 62
  • 1797 Richard Brocklesby, English physician, Surgeon General of the British Army and friend of Samuel Johnson, dies at 75
  • 1817 Max von Schenkendorf, German poet, dies at 34
  • 1826 Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil who supported independence, consort of Emperor Dom Pedro, dies at 29
  • 1831 George Schetky, Scottish-American cellist, music teacher, and composer, dies at 55
  • 1840 Kōkaku [Morohito], 119th Emperor of Japan (1779-1817), dies at 69
  • 1847 Moritz von Strachwitz, German poet, dies at 25
  • 1857 Castil-Blaze [Francois Henri Joseph Blaze], French composer and music critic, dies at 73
  • 1872 Kamehameha V, Hawaiian king (1863-72), dies at 42
  • 1880 Oliver Winchester, American politician and rifle maker (Winchester Repeating Arms Company), dies at 70
  • 1883 Richard Doyle, British comic illustrator (designed the cover of "Punch"), printmaker, and painter, dies at 59 [1]
  • 1884 Samuel Greene, American naval commander inboard USS Monitor during the Battle of Hampton Roads, commits suicide at 45
  • 1888 John Rylands, English cloth merchant and philanthropist (Rylands & Sons, Manchester's 1st multi-millionaire), dies at 87
  • 1891 Johan C. J. van Schagen, Dutch poet and writer (Narrenwijsheid), dies
  • 1892 William Milligan, Scottish theologian, known for his commentary on the Revelation of St. John, dies at 71
  • 1899 Andrew Wauchope, British Major-General, dies in Battle of Magersfontein in the Boer war, South Africa. Another British Major, The Marquess of Winchester also killed.
  • 1902 Matthias Hohner, German manufacturer (harmonica), dies at 68
  • 1903 Patrick McShane, Australian cricket player and umpire (1884-85 Ashes series), dies at 45
  • 1911 Thomas Ball, American sculptor, painter and musician, dies at 92
  • 1918 Ivan Cankar, Slovene author, poet, novelist and playwright (Erotika, The Bailiff Yerney and His Rights), dies of pneumonia at 42, a complication of the Spanish flu
  • 1928 Lewis Howard Latimer, American inventor (carbon filament lightbulb), dies at 80
  • 1930 Friedrich von Bernhardi, German general and military historian (Germany & the Next War), dies at 80
  • 1933 Emile Wauters, Belgian painter (Van der Goes Klooster), dies at 87
  • 1938 Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist and internationalist (Nobel Peace Prize 1921), dies at 69
  • 1941 Charles Émile Picard, French mathematician, died at 85
  • 1941 John Gillespie Magee Jr., Anglo-American Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and war poet, dies from accidental mid-air collision at 19
  • 1942 Franz C. Schmelkes, Czech-born Chemist who discovered azochloramid (chlorazodin), a disinfectant, dies of a heart attack at 43
  • 1942 Jochen Klepper, German writer, journalist, and hymnist, commits suicide with his family as they faced Nazi persecution at 39
  • 1945 Charles Fabry, French physicist, discoverer of ozone layer in upper atmosphere, dies at 78
  • 1950 Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer, dies at 57
  • 1952 Charles Kortright, English cricketer described at the time of his death as "probably the fastest bowler in the history of the game", dies at 81
  • 1953 Albert Coates, English conductor and composer (Eagle; Pickwick), dies at 78
  • 1955 Franz Syberg, Danish organist and composer, dies at 51
  • 1955 Johan Coenraad Altorf, Dutch sculptor (October 3 Monument), dies at 79

American Baseball HOF first baseman (MLB all-time single game RBI record [12] 1924; World Series 1926, 31; NL MVP & NL HR leader 1928; St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 59

Photo for the article Today's 11 December Famous Deaths
  • 1964 Percy Kilbride, American stage and screen actor (The Egg and I; Ma and Pa Kettle films), dies at 76

American singer and entrepreneur described as "the inventor of soul music" ("You Send Me"; "A Change Is Gonna Come"), shot to death at 33

Photo for the article Today's 11 December Famous Deaths
  • 1966 Gregorio López y Fuentes, Mexican author of the Mexican Revolution known for "El Indio", dies at 71
  • 1967 Howard Freeman, American actor (Studio One, Double Dynamite), dies after illness at 68
  • 1967 Richard Stöhr, Austrian composer, dies at 93
  • 1967 Victor De Sabata, Italian conductor and composer (II Macigno), dies at 75
  • 1968 Nadine Riga, American actress, dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 59
  • 1971 Maurice "Mac" McDonald, American fast food pioneer, co-founder of McDonald's, dies from heart failure at 69
  • 1972 John Mills, New Zealand cricket batsman (7 Tests, 241 runs, 1 x 100), dies at 67
  • 1972 Semjon I. Kirsanov, Ukrainian poet (Zolushka), dies at 66
  • 1974 Reed Hadley, American actor (Zorro's Fighting Legion, Racket Squad, Shock, Grand Canyon), dies from a heart attack at 63
  • 1975 Lee Wiley, American jazz singer (Night in Manhattan), dies at 67
  • 1977 Bodi Rapp [Johanna Goetmakers], Dutch mezzo-soprano and teacher, dies at 1977
  • 1978 Paul O'Dea, American baseball player (b. 1920)
  • 1978 Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist and (1955 Nobel Prize for Chemistry - for work on sulphur compounds), dies at 77
  • 1979 Claire Carleton, American actress (Alice-Cimarron City), dies at 66
  • 1979 James J. Gibson, American perceptual psychologist (b. 1904)
  • 1980 Ignacio Prieto [Arrizubieta], Spanish composer, dies at 80
  • 1981 I. D. du Plessis, South African writer and director (3rd World), dies at 81
  • 1983 Neil Ritchie, British General (commanded British Eighth Army in North Africa in WWII), dies at 86
  • 1983 Szymon Laks, Polish composer (head of prisoners orchestra at Auschwitz), dies at 82
  • 1984 George Waggner, American director and writer (The Wolf Man), dies at 90
  • 1984 Oskar Seidlin, German-born American scholar (b. 1911)
  • 1986 Paul Keenan, American actor (Summer Fantasy), dies of AIDS at 30
  • 1987 Clabon Allen, Australian astronomer (University of London Observatory director, wrote "Astrophysical Quantities"), dies at 82 [1]
  • 1987 G. A. Kulkarni, Indian (Marathi) writer (RamalKhuna), dies at 64
  • 1989 Louise Dahl-Wolfe, American fashion photographer, dies at 94
  • 1990 Fernand Collin, Belgian economist and banker, dies at 92
  • 1991 Artur Lundkvist, Swedish writer and professor (Swedish Academy), dies at 85
  • 1991 Robert Q. Lewis, American TV host (Masquerade Party, Robert Q Lewis Show), dies at 71
  • 1991 Simon Scott, American actor, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 71
  • 1992 Andy Kirk, American jazz saxophonist, tuba player, and bandleader (Clouds Of Joy - "I Won't Tell a Soul (I Love You)"), dies at 94
  • 1992 Michael Robbins, British actor and comedian (On the Buses; The Great Muppet Caper), dies of cancer at 62
  • 1992 Suzanne Lilar, Belgian writer (Le burlador), dies at 91
  • 1993 Ales Gartner, Slavic ski trainer of Norway, dies at 45
  • 1993 Eliva "Elvire" Popesco, Romanian-French actress (Le roi), dies at 99
  • 1994 Carl Marzani, Italian-born American left wing political activist, publisher and documentarian, dies at 81
  • 1994 Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (Mississippian culture), dies at 94
  • 1994 Stanislav Maczek, Polish general, tank commander and war hero (WWII Battle of Falaise, Normandy invasion), dies at 102
  • 1994 Yao Yilin, Vice Prime Minister of China (1979-88), dies at 77
  • 1995 Arthur Mullard, English actor, comedian and singer (Romany Jones), dies at 82
  • 1995 John Heawood, Canadian actor, singer and choreographer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), dies at 75
  • 1995 Robert Shelton [Shapiro], American born music and film critic, dies at 69
  • 1996 Herbert Sally Frankel, South African born economist, dies at 93
  • 1996 Robert Bromston Thesiger Daniell, English soldier, dies at 95
  • 1996 W. G. G. Duncan-Smith, British WWII fighter pilot, dies at 82
  • 1996 William Rushton, actor, author and cartoonist (TW3, Private Eye), dies of a heart attack at 59
  • 1997 Kenneth W. Gatland, British pioneering aerospace scientist, dies at 73
  • 1998 André Lichnerowicz, Polish-French physicist (b. 1915)
  • 1998 [James] Lynn Strait, American singer (Snot), dies in a car accident at 30
  • 1999 Charles Earland, American jazz Hammond organist, and bandleader, dies of heart failure at 58
  • 2000 David Lewis, American actor (Edward Quartermaine-General Hospital), dies at 84
  • 2000 Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, Pakistani politician, diplomat and author, dies at 75
  • 2002 Lou Stein, American pianist (Tonight! America After Dark), dies at 80
  • 2003 Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (Les Soleils des indépendances / The Suns of Independence), dies at 76
  • 2004 Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach, dies at 87
  • 2004 José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian soccer defender (21 caps; Vélez Sársfield, Boca Juniors, Nîmes Olympique), dies from gunshot wound in stomach while hunting at 43
  • 2004 M.S. [Madurai Shanmukhavadivu] Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (1st singer to be awarded the Bharat Ratna), dies at 88
  • 2004 Margaret Fay Shaw, American photographer, folklorist, and ethnomusicologist, known for her work in the Scottish Hebrides, dies at 101
  • 2007 Ashleigh Aston Moore, Canadian child actress (Now and Then), dies of a drug overdose at 26
  • 2007 Christie Hennessy, Irish singer (b. 1945)
  • 2007 Grace Paley, American poet, political activist and teacher (1970 Arts & Letters Award), dies of breast cancer at 84

American pinup model considered the 'Queen of Pinups' and the 'Dark Angel', dies at 85

Photo for the article Today's 11 December Famous Deaths
  • 2008 Maddie Blaustein, American voice actress (b. 1960)
  • 2008 Patricia Hutchinson, British diplomat (Ambassador to Uruguay, 1980-83), dies at 82
  • 2008 Ron Carey, American labor leader (International Brotherhood of Teamsters), dies of lung cancer at 72
  • 2009 Claudia Boyarskikh, Soviet cross country skier (5 Olympic gold 1964, 1968), dies at 70
  • 2009 Richard O'Brien, British Industrial relations expert (Manpower Services Commission), dies at 89
  • 2010 Dick Hoerner, American football player (b. 1922)
  • 2012 Colleen Walker, American golfer (du Maurier Classic 1997), dies of cancer at 56

Bengali Brahmin sitar master and Indian classical music composer (West Meets East; Concert for Bangladesh), dies at 92

Photo for the article Today's 11 December Famous Deaths
  • 2013 Barbara Branden, Canadian writer and lecturer (The Passion of Ayn Rand, Who is Ayn Rand?), dies from a lung infection at 84 [1] [2]
  • 2013 Nadir Afonso, Portuguese geometric abstractionist painter, dies at 93
  • 2014 Hans Wallat, German opera conductor, dies at 85
  • 2015 John "Hot Rod" Williams, American NBA center/forward (Phoenix Suns), dies of cancer at 53
  • 2016 Esma Redžepova, Macedonian Romani folk music vocalist, songwriter and humanitarian, known as "the Queen of the Gypsies", dies at 73
  • 2016 Sid O'Linn, South African cricketer (soccer for South Africa 1947, cricket 1960), dies at 89
  • 2017 Aline Griffith, American-born Spanish aristocrat, Countess of Romanones, spy and author, dies at 94
  • 2017 Keith Chegwin, English television presenter and actor, dies at 60
  • 2019 David Bellamy, English botanist and TV presenter, dies at 86
  • 2019 John Graham, British diplomat (His Majesty's Diplomatic Service, 1950-86, Ambassador to NATO, 1982-86), dies at 93

American Gothic novelist (Interview With A Vampire), dies of complications from a stroke at 80

Photo for the article Today's 11 December Famous Deaths
  • 2021 Dennis Ward, Australian rugby league halfback (6 Tests; Canterbury- Bankstown RLFC, Manly RLFC), dies at 74
  • 2021 Galina Samsova [Samtsova], Russian ballerina (London Festival Ballet, 1964-73), and artistic director, dies at 84
  • 2021 Manuel Santana, Spanish tennis player (French Open 1961, 64; Wimbledon 1966; US Open 1965; French Open doubles 1963), dies at 83
  • 2022 Angelo Badalamenti, American Grammy Award-winning film composer (Twin Peaks; The Straight Story; Blue Velvet; Mulholland Drive), dies at 85 [1]
  • 2022 Mel James, Welsh rugby league front rower (11 caps Wales; St. Helens RLFC) and rugby union prop (Swansea RFC), dies at 74
  • 2023 Andre Braugher, American Emmy Award-winning actor (Homicide: Life on the Street; Brooklyn Nine-Nine), dies of lung cancer at 61 [1]
  • 2023 Essra Mohawk [Sandra Hurvitz], American singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 75 [1]
  • 2023 Jeffrey Foskett, American session and touring singer and guitarist (The Beach Boys; Brian Wilson; Wondermints), dies of thyroid cancer at 67
  • 2023 Kenny Graham, American football safety (AFL All-Star 1965, 67, 68, 69 San Diego Chargers; Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies at 82
  • 2023 Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler (NJPW/UWF), dies at 73
  • 2023 Zahara [Bulelwa Mkutukana], South African singer-songwriter and guitarist (Loliwe), dies of an illness at 36 [1]
  • 2024 Mamiya Michio, Japanese composer (Narukami; Grave of the Fireflies), dies at 95
  • 2024 Syd Hynes, English rugby league centre (13 Tests GB, 4 England; Leeds 366 games) and coach (Leeds 1975-81), dies at 80


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