Today's 26 December Famous Deaths in History

  • 418 Saint Zosimus, Greek-Italian Pope, Bishop of Rome (417-418), dies
  • 1350 Jean de Marigny, French bishop
  • 1458 Arthur III, Duke of Brittany, dies at 65
  • 1476 Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (1466-76), assassinated by court officials at 32

Timurid founder and 1st Emperor of the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent (1526-30), dies at 47

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  • 1574 Charles Guise, French 2nd Cardinal de Lorraine (political influential and wealthy member of House of Guise), dies at 50
  • 1624 Simon Marius, astronomer, dies in Bavaria at 54
  • 1627 Gonzaga, Italian monarch of Mantua/Monferrato, dies
  • 1646 Henry II, Prince of Condé, French nobleman, cousin of Henry IV of France, dies at 58
  • 1658 Simon Guillain, French sculptor (Castle of Blois/Sorbonne), dies at 78
  • 1676 Domenicus van Tol, Dutch painter, dies
  • 1679 John van de Cappelle, Amsterdam landscape painter, dies at 53
  • 1731 Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French playwright and poet, dies at 59
  • 1736 Antonio Caldara, composer, dies
  • 1740 Mauritius Louis II earl of Nassau, lt-gen (12 children), dies
  • 1771 Claude Adrien Helvétius, French controversial philosopher (On the Mind), dies at 56
  • 1776 Johann Rall, German Hessian commander, dies in Battle of Trenton in American Revolutionary War at 50
  • 1780 John Fothergill, English physician, dies at 68
  • 1784 Otto Friedrich Müller, Danish Naturalist who was a pioneer in the study of microorganisms, dies at 54
  • 1784 Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader, dies at 41
  • 1786 Gasparo Gozzi, Italian critic and dramatist, dies at 73

English radical, journalist (The North Briton) and politician, dies of marasmus at 72

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  • 1818 Maria Isabel of Braganza, Queen of Spain, dies in childbirth at 21 [1]
  • 1820 Joseph Fouché, French statesman, Minister of Police and Duke of Otranto under Napoleon, dies at 61 [1]
  • 1827 Jan David Holland, composer, dies at 81
  • 1831 Stephen Girard, French-born American banker (bailed out US bonds during War of 1812), dies at 81
  • 1836 Hans Georg Nägeli, Swiss composer, dies at 63
  • 1837 Martinus van Marum, Dutch physician and inventor (constructed largest electrostatic machine in the world), dies at 87
  • 1861 Philip St. George Cocke, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), commits suicide at 52
  • 1866 Samuel Ryan Curtis, Union general-major, dies at 49
  • 1869 Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille, French physician and physiologist (blood pressure), dies at 72
  • 1887 Jules François Blasini, Curaçaon-Corsican pianist and composer, dies at 40

German archaeologist who rediscovered Troy, dies of cholesteatoma at 68

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  • 1893 Victor Schœlcher, French abolitionist writer, dies at 89
  • 1896 Emil du Bois-Reymond, German physiologist, co-discoverer of nerve action potential and founder of modern electrophysiology, dies at 78
  • 1899 Dwight Lyman Moody, American evangelist (Moody Church), dies at 62
  • 1909 Frederic Remington, American artist and sculptor of American West, dies at 48
  • 1916 Bernhard Scholz, composer, dies at 81
  • 1916 Frank Penn, cricketer (one Test for England v Australia 1880), dies
  • 1916 Willie Smith, Scottish golfer (US Open 1899), dies of pneumonia at 40
  • 1917 Judith Gautier, French poetess, novelist (Le Dragon Impérial) and daughter of Theophile Gautier, dies at 71
  • 1918 Bertram Luard-Selby, British organist and composer, dies at 65
  • 1919 William Ruffin Cox, American Confederate general and US Secretary of State (1893-1900), dies at 88 [1]
  • 1923 Dietrich Eckart, German early supporter of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party and member of Thule Society, dies of a heart attack at 55
  • 1931 Hendrik Blink, Dutch geographer and author of geographical textbooks (From Eems to Scheldt, Journal for Economic Geography), dies at 79 [1]
  • 1931 Melvil Dewey, American librarian and educator (created Dewey Decimal System for libraries), dies at 80
  • 1933 Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian Marxist revolutionary, author and literary critic, dies at 58
  • 1937 Ivor Gurney, English composer (Severn Meadows; Seven Sappho Songs) and poet (War's Embers), dies of tuberculosis at 47
  • 1942 Chris 'Red' Cagle, College Football Hall of Fame halfback (All American 1927, 28, 29; Army; NFL: New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of a fractured skull from a fall at 37
  • 1942 Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, French resistance fighter and assassin of Admiral of the Fleet and Vichy Prime Minister François Darlan, executed by firing squad at 20
  • 1950 Emile Enthoven, Dutch composer and lawyer, dies at 47
  • 1950 James Stephens, Irish poet (Crock of Gold), dies at 68
  • 1952 Pietro Pancrazi, Italian critic (Pegaso), dies at 59
  • 1956 Holmes Herbert, British actor (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Kiss), dies at 74
  • 1957 Artur Malawski, Polish violinist, conductor, composer (Mountaineers Triptych), and pedagogue, dies at 53
  • 1957 Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (Pathé Brothers, 1896), dies at 93
  • 1958 Harry Redman, American composer, writer, and artist, dies on 89th birthday
  • 1960 Eduard Ludwig, German architect (Hansa quarter, Berlin), dies at 54
  • 1960 Watsuji Tetsuro, Japanese historian and moral philosopher, dies at 71
  • 1961 Charlie Frank, cricketer (S Af Test centurion v Aust 1921-22), dies
  • 1963 Gorgeous George [George Wagner], American wrestler known for popularizing the use of personas, dies of a heart attack at 48
  • 1965 Nico Donkersloot, Dutch literary and writer, dies at 63
  • 1966 Klaziena "Ina" Boudier-Bakker, Dutch playwright and author (Poverty), dies at 91
  • 1966 Noël Gallon, French composer (Paysans et Soldats; Acis et Galathée), and educator (Paris Conservatoire), dies at 75
  • 1967 Sydney Barnes, English cricket fast bowler (27 Tests, 189 wickets, BB 9/103); Warwickshire CCC, Lancashire CCC, Staffordshire CCC), dies at 94
  • 1969 Johannes Gerard van Dillen, Dutch economic historian (Of Wealth & Oligarchists), dies at 86
  • 1969 Josef Hromádka, Czech Protestant theologist (Christian Peace Conference founder; Lenin Prize, 1957), dies following a heart attack at 80 [1]
  • 1969 Louise Lévêque de Vilmorin, French poet and author (History d'aimer), dies at 67
  • 1970 Lillian Board, British 400m athlete (Olympic silver 1968), dies at 22
  • 1971 Robert Lowery [Hank], American stage and screen actor (Batman and Robin (1949); Circus Boy - "Big Tim"; The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond), dies of heart failure at 58

33rd US President (Democrat: 1945-53), dies in Kansas City Mo at 88

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  • 1973 Harold B. Lee, American religious leader, Head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 74
  • 1973 Steven Geray, American actor (French Line), dies at 69
  • 1973 William Haines, American actor (Little Annie Rooney), dies of cancer at 73
  • 1974 Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), dies of heart disease at 59
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  • 1974 Knudåge Riisager, Danish composer (director of the Royal Danish Academy of Music 1956-67), dies at 77
  • 1974 Robert Levine Sanders, American composer, and organist, dies at 68
  • 1976 Philip Hart, American lawyer and politician (U.S. Senator (D) from Michigan, 1959-76), dies from cancer at 64
  • 1977 Howard Hawks, American director and producer (Rio Bravo, Scarface, The Big Sleep), dies at 81
  • 1977 Ivan Rezak, Czech composer, dies at 53
  • 1978 Fritz Büchtger, German composer, educator, and modern music proponent (Association for Contemporary Music; Studio for New Music), dies at 75
  • 1979 Helmut Hasse, German mathematician, dies at 81
  • 1980 (John) "Peck" Kelley, American jazz pianist and bandleader (Peck's Bad Boys), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 82
  • 1980 Tony Smith, American sculptor and painter (Minimalist art movement), dies at 68
  • 1981 Amber Reeves, feminist writer (b. 1887)
  • 1981 Henry Eyring, Mexican-American chemist (chemical reaction rates), dies at 80
  • 1981 Savithri, Indian actress (b. 1937)
  • 1983 Violet Carson, British actress (Ena Sharples in "Coronation Street"), dies at 85
  • 1984 Gösta Jonsson, Swedish saxophonist, accordion player and bandleader, dies at 69
  • 1984 Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (Olympic bronze 50k 1948; oldest Olympic medal-winning athlete; 48 years and 115 days), dies at 84
  • 1985 Dian Fossey, American zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist), murdered in Rwanda at 53
  • 1985 Harold P. Warren, American film director (Manos: The Hands of Fate), dies at 62
  • 1985 Jackie Ormes, African-American cartoonist (Torchy Brown), dies at 74
  • 1986 Elsa Lanchester, actress (Bride of Frankenstein), dies at 84
  • 1986 Leslie Dwyer, English actor (Hi-de-Hi!), dies at 80
  • 1988 Cynthia Stone, American actress (That Wonderful Guy, Ad Libbers), dies at 62
  • 1988 Glenn McCarthy, American businessman and oil tycoon known as the "King of the Wildcatters", dies at 81
  • 1988 John Loder, actor (Sabotage, Java Head), dies at 90
  • 1988 Pablo Sorozábal, Spanish composer, dies at 91

Canadian Hockey HOF defenseman (Stanley Cup 1953, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60 Montreal Canadiens; James Norris Trophy x 7; 10 x NHL First All Star), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 65

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  • 1989 Lennox R. F. Berkeley, British composer and pedagogue (Castaway), dies at 86
  • 1989 Peggy Thorpe-Bates, actress (Alcatraz Island), dies
  • 1990 Nancy Cruznan, accident victim/right-to-die case, dies at 33
  • 1992 Bert Voeten, Dutch journalist and poet (Antipodes), dies at 74
  • 1992 Constance Carpenter, English-American actress (2 Worlds), dies of stroke at 87
  • 1992 Edmund Davies, British judge (as Lord Justice of appeal, tried the Great Train Robbers, Edmund-Davies police pay review), dies at 86
  • 1992 John G. Kemeny, Hungarian-American computer pioneer (developed BASIC programming language), dies at 66
  • 1992 Nikita Magaloff, Georgian-Russian-Swiss pianist (1st to record Chopin's complete works), dies at 80
  • 1993 Jeff Morrow [Leslie Irving Morrow], American actor (Robe, Union Pacific, Temperatures Rising), dies at 86
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  • 1994 Asta Elstak, Surinamese-Dutch welfare worker, dies at 74
  • 1994 Joop Klant, Dutch economist and author, dies at 79
  • 1994 Karl Schiller, German economist and politician (Minister of Economics), dies at 83
  • 1994 Robert Emhardt, American actor (Another World, Underworld USA, Mooncussers), dies at 80
  • 1994 Sylvia Koscina, Croatian/Italian actress (Hercules), dies at 61
  • 1996 JonBenét Ramsey, American child beauty queen, murdered at 6
  • 1997 Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek philosopher and economist, dies at 75
  • 1997 John Hinde, English pioneering color photographer (color postcards, documented circus life), dies at 81 [1]
  • 1997 John Whitley, British air-marshal during WWII, dies at 92
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  • 1999 Ola Skjåk Bræk, Norwegian politician who proposed Norway join the EU, dies at 87
  • 1999 Shankar Dayal Sharma, Indian politician and 9th President of India (1992-97), dies at 81
  • 2000 Jack Jacob, British senior master (British Supreme Court), dies at 92
  • 2000 Jason Robards, American actor (A Thousand Clowns, Any Wednesday), dies at 78
  • 2000 Leo Gordon, American actor (Maverick, Circus Boy, Enos, Winds of War), dies of cardiac failure at 78
  • 2000 Paul Kont, Austrian composer, dies at 80
  • 2001 Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (Tartuffe, Pope John Paul II), dies at 72
  • 2002 Armand Zildjian, American cymbal manufacturer (b. 1921)
  • 2002 Herb Ritts, American fashion photographer, dies at 50
  • 2003 Ivan Petrov [Krauze], Russian-Soviet operatic bass (Bolshoi Theatre, 1942-70), and educator, dies at 83
  • 2004 Aki Sirkesalo, Finnish musician, in 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (b. 1962)
  • 2004 Jonathan Drummond-Webb, South African pediatric heart surgeon (b. 1959)
  • 2004 Marianne Heiberg, Norwegian mediator (b. 1945)
  • 2004 Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish hard rock guitarist and singer (Nasum), killed in Thailand tsunami at 30

American College-Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl XXXI Green Bay Packers; 8 × First-team All-Pro; 13 x Pro Bowl; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1987, 98), dies of cardiac arrhythmia at 43

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  • 2004 Sigurd Køhn, Norwegian jazz musician, in 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (b. 1959)
  • 2004 Simon Atlee, British fashion photographer, drowned by tsunami in Thailand at 33
  • 2004 Sir Angus Ogilvy, British businessman and husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, dies at 76
  • 2004 Troy Broadbridge, Australian rules footballer, in 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (b. 1980)
  • 2005 Bill DeArango, American jazz guitarist (Charlie Ventura; Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis; "Slam" Stewart), dies at 85
  • 2005 Erich Topp, German submarine commander (b. 1914)
  • 2005 Kerry Packer, Australian media tycoon (Nine Network), dies of kidney failure at 68
  • 2005 Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American mezzo-soprano (b. 1937)
  • 2005 Vincent Schiavelli, American actor, dies of cancer at 57
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  • 2006 Ivar Formo, Norwegian cross country skier (Olympic gold 50k 1976), dies by drowning at 55
  • 2007 Andrew Grima, Italian-born British jeweller known for his modern designs, dies at 86
  • 2007 Joe Dolan, Irish singer and entertainer (b. 1943)
  • 2007 John A. Garraty, American biographer (b. 1920)
  • 2007 Stu Nahan, American Sportscaster (b. 1926)
  • 2008 Gösta Krantz, Swedish actor (b. 1925)
  • 2009 Arthur McIntyre, English cricket wicket-keeper (3 Tests, 8 dismissals; Surrey CCC, MCC), dies at 91
  • 2009 Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer, dies of cancer at 51
  • 2010 Albert Ghiorso, American nuclear scientist who co-discovered 12 elements, dies of heart failure at 95 [1]
  • 2010 Edward Bhengu, South African activist (b. 1934)
  • 2010 Teena Marie [Mary Christine Brockert], American R&B and soul singer-songwriter ("Square Biz"; "Lovergirl"), dies at 54
  • 2011 Sam Rivers, American jazz and avant garde saxophonist, flutist, composer, and bandleader, dies of pneumonia at 88
  • 2012 Fontella Bass, American R&B and soul singer and songwriter (Rescue Me), dies from a heart attack at 72
  • 2012 Gerry Anderson, English television producer (Thunderbirds; Space:1999), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 83
  • 2013 Paul Blair, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 1969, 73; World Series 1966, 70, 77-78; Gold Glove Award 1967, 69–75; Baltimore Orioles), dies from a heart attack at 69
  • 2014 Leo Tindemans, Belgian statesman, Prime Minister of Belgium (1974-78), dies at 92
  • 2016 George S. Irving [Shelasky], American broadway singer and actor (Dumplings), dies at 94
  • 2018 Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, English mathematician (Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture), dies at 91
  • 2018 Sono Osato, American Japanese ballet dancer and actress, dies at 99
  • 2018 Theodore Antoniou, Greek conductor and composer (Paean; Celebration), dies at 83
  • 2018 Wendy Beckett, South African British nun and TV art critic, dies at 88
  • 2019 Eigil Nielsen, Danish soccer midfielder (10 caps; Basel), dies at 71
  • 2019 Elbert Dubenion, American football wide receiver, running back (AFL All Star 1964; AFL C'ship 1964, 65 Buffalo Bills), dies from complications related to Parkinson's disease at 86
  • 2019 Gary Starkweather, American engineer and inventor of the laser printer, dies at 81

American musical theater composer (Hello, Dolly!; Mame; La Cage aux Folles), dies at 88

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  • 2019 Les Chadwick, British bassist (Gerry and the Pacemakers - "Ferry Cross The Mersey"), dies at 76
  • 2020 Jim McLean, Scottish soccer forward (Hamilton Academical, Clyde, Dundee) and manager (Dundee United 1971-93), dies from dementia at 83
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Anglican Archbishop of South Africa and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 90

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  • 2021 Dorval Rodrigues, Brazilian soccer right winger (13 caps; Santos FC, SE Palmeiras), dies at 86
  • 2021 Edward O. Wilson, American sociobiologist (world’s leading authority on ants), dies at 92
  • 2021 Jean-Marc Vallée, Canadian director (Dallas Buyers Club, Big Little Lies), dies of a heart attack at 58
  • 2021 Karolos Papoulias, President of Greece (2005-15), dies at 92
  • 2021 Sarah Weddington, American attorney (represented "Jane Roe" in Roe v. Wade before US States Supreme Court), dies at 76
  • 2022 Sergey Dmitriyev, Russian soccer striker (6 caps USSR; Zenit Saint Petersburg, CSKA Moscow), dies at 58
  • 2022 Tom Danby, English dual-code international wing: rugby union (1 cap; Harlequin RFC) and rugby league (3 caps England, 3 caps GB; Salford RLFC), dies at 96
  • 2023 Tommy Smothers, American comedian and folk singer (The Smothers Brothers Show; Serial), dies of lung cancer at 86 [1]
  • 2023 Tony Oxley, British free-jazz and avant-garde drummer, dies at 85 [1]
  • 2024 Geoff Wheel, Welsh rugby union lock (32 Tests; Mumbles RFC, Swansea RFC), dies from motor neurone disease at 73
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  • 2024 Richard Parsons, American businessman and chief executive officer of Time Warner (2002-07), dies of cancer at 76


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