Today's 28 December Famous Deaths in History

  • 300 Theonas, Patriarch of Alexandria
  • 1367 Ashikaga Yoshiakira, 2nd Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1358-67), dies at 37
  • 1446 Clement VIII, (Sanchez Muñoz), Spanish anti-pope (1423-29), dies
  • 1503 Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici [Piero the Unfortunate], Italian ruler of Florence (1492-94), dies at 31
  • 1542 Albert Pigge [Pighius], Dutch theologist/astronomer, dies at about 52
  • 1605 John David, English navigator for Queen Elizabeth I (discovered Falkland Islands), killed by pirates in the East Indies at 54 or 55
  • 1622 François de Sales, French bishop of Geneva, writer and saint, dies at 55
  • 1663 Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (light defraction), dies at 45
  • 1671 Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German classical scholar, dies at 60
  • 1673 Joan Blaeu, Dutch cartographer and publisher (1st to use heliocentric theories of Nicolaus Copernicus, Atlas Major), dies at 77

Queen of England Scotland and Ireland, dies after 5 years of rule at 32

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths

Turkish Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1695-1703), dies at 39

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1706 Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and writer (Historical and Critical Dictionary), dies at 59
  • 1708 Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist, dies at 52
  • 1715 William Carstares, Scottish Presbyterian minister who headed the Church of Scotland under Queen Anne, dies at 66

Scottish folk hero and outlaw, dies at 63

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1772 Ernst Johann van Biron, Russian duke of Courland, regent for Ivan VI, dies at 82
  • 1775 Peter Albertus van de Parra, Dutch Governor-general of Dutch East-Indies (1761-75), dies at 61
  • 1779 Gennaro Manna, Italian composer, dies at 64
  • 1793 Louis earl of Bylandt, Dutch admiral, dies at about 75
  • 1795 Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist (b. 1747)
  • 1808 Anne Horton, scandalous English Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn, wife of Prince Henry, brother of George III, dies at 65
  • 1830 Adrien-Joseph van Helmont, Flemish composer, dies at 83
  • 1859 Thomas Babington Macaulay, English poet (Ivy), historian (The History of England), and politician (British India education reform), dies of a heat attack at 59
  • 1860 Cornelis Broere, Dutch Roman Catholic priest and poet, dies at 57
  • 1862 Joaquim Casimiro Jr., Portuguese composer, dies at 54
  • 1870 Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov, Russian composer, dies at 72
  • 1870 Peter van Schendel, Dutch-Belgian painter (Monsieur Chandelle), dies at 64
  • 1872 James Van Ness, Mayor of San Francisco (1855-1856) (b. 1808)
  • 1876 Frederik Paludan-Muller, Danish Romantic poet (Danserinden), dies at 67
  • 1878 José Bernardo Alcedo, Peruvian composer, dies at 90
  • 1884 Gerben Colmjon, Frisian linguist and publisher, dies at 56
  • 1891 Alfred Cellier, British conductor (Glibert and Sullivan) and composer (Dorothy), dies at 47
  • 1897 William Corby, American Catholic priest and President of the University of Notre Dame, dies at 64
  • 1900 Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese explorer (b. 1846)
  • 1903 George Gissing, British novelist (New Grub Street, Charles Dickens: A Critical Study), dies from a chill at 46
  • 1915 Gerrit Jan van Heek, Dutch textile manufacturer and politician, dies at 78
  • 1916 Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer (318 dances), dies at 81
  • 1917 Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian Royal Flying Corps WWI flying ace, shot down and killed over Belgium at 25
  • 1918 George H White, last post Reconstruction congressman (Penn), dies
  • 1918 Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet (b. 1865)
  • 1919 Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist (Rydberg formula), dies at 65
  • 1924 Léon Bakst, Russian painter and scene and costume designer, dis at 58
  • 1925 Louisa Aldrich-Blake, British pioneering surgeon, dies of cancer at 65
  • 1932 Jack Blackham, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (35 Tests, 4 x 50s, 61 dismissals; Victoria CA), dies at 78
  • 1932 Malcolm Whitman, American tennis player (US National Championship, 1898-1900), dies of suicide at 55
  • 1935 Clarence Day, American author (Life with Father), dies at 61
Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1938 Florence Lawrence [Bridgwood], Canadian stage and silent screen actress (Confidence; Lady Helen's Escapade), dies of probable suicide at 52
  • 1942 Alfred Flatow, German gymnast (Olympic gold Team parallel bars, Team horizontal bar, Parallel bars 1896), dies at 73

American novelist (Sister Carie, American Tragedy), dies at 74

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1946 Carrie Jacobs-Bond, American singer, pianist, songwriter (I Love You Truly; A Perfect Day), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 85

King of Italy (1900-46), Emperor of Ethiopia and King of the Albanians, dies of pulmonary edema at 78

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1948 Mahmoud El Nokrashy Pasha, Egyptian politician and the 27th Prime Minister of Egypt (1946-48), assassinated at 60 by veterinary student and Muslim Brotherhood member Abdel Meguid Ahmed Hassan
  • 1949 Hervey Allen, American writer and poet (Anthony Adverse), dies at 60
  • 1949 Ivie Anderson, American swing jazz singer (Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1931-42), dies of complications from chronic asthma at 45 [1]
  • 1949 Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (Olympic gold 1,500m 1936), dies in rail accident at 39
  • 1956 Roelof Kranenburg, Dutch social democratic chairman (1st Chamber), dies at 76
  • 1957 Ernie Henry, American jazz saxophonist (Fats Navarro; Dizzy Gillespie; Illinois Jacquet), dies of a heroin overdose at 31

Croatian leader of Nazi Germany puppet Independent State of Croatia, dies from wounds received in an attempted assassination two years earlier at 70

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1961 Edith Wilson, American 1st lady (1915-21) second wife of Woodrow Wilson, dies at 89
  • 1962 Kathleen Clifford, American actress (b. 1887)
  • 1963 A. J. Liebling, American journalist and writer for "The New Yorker", dies at 59

German composer (Composer's World), dies at 68

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1964 Dave Bowman, American jazz and studio pianist (Jack Teagarden; Bud Freeman; Perry Como), dies in a car accident at 50
  • 1967 Béla Schick, Hungarian-American paediatrician (Schick test), dies at 90
  • 1967 Katharine McCormick, American biologist, suffragist and philanthropist who funded research for the first birth control pill, dies at 92
  • 1969 Henry Oscar, English stage and film actor (Saint in London), dies at 78
  • 1970 L. Mendel Rivers, American politician (Rep-D-SC), dies at 65
  • 1971 Max Steiner, Austrian-American film score composer (King Kong; Casablanca; Gone With The Wind), dies at 83
  • 1972 Roy "Link" Lyman, American Pro Football HOF offensive tackle (4 × NFL C'ship; First-team All-Pro 1930, 34; Chicago Bears), dies in a motor accident at 74
  • 1974 Paul Dixon, Ohio talk show host (Paul Dixon Show), dies at 56
  • 1976 Freddie King, American blues singer (Hideaway), dies at 42
  • 1976 Katharine Byron, U.S. Congresswoman, dies at 73
  • 1977 Charlotte Greenwood, American actress (Oklahoma; Moon Over Miami), dies at 87
  • 1978 Harry Winston, US jeweler for the "rich & famous", dies at 82
  • 1980 Amir Elahi, Pakistani cricket spin bowler (1 Test India, 5 Tests Pakistan), at 72
  • 1980 Jersey calf, lived 222 days with an artificial heart
  • 1981 (Joseph Aloysius) "Allan" Dwan, Canadian-American screenwriter and film director (Robin Hood; Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms; Sands Of Iwo Jima), dies at 96
  • 1982 Frederick Douglass Hall, American composer, dies at 84
  • 1983 Dennis Wilson, American drummer and singer (The Beach Boys), dies from drunk drowning at 39
Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 1983 William Demarest, American actor (My 3 Sons), dies from pneumonia and prostate cancer at 91
  • 1984 Sam Peckinpah, American film director (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs), dies of cardiac arrest at 59
  • 1985 Benny Morton, American jazz trombonist (Teddy Wilson Sextet), dies at 78
  • 1986 John D. MacDonald, American novelist (Deep Blue Goodbye), dies at 70
  • 1987 Charles Malik, Lebanon's 1st delegate to UN, dies at 81
  • 1989 Hermann Oberth, German physicist (founded modern astronautics), dies at 95
  • 1990 Ed van der Elsken, Dutch photographer (Sweet Life), dies at 65
  • 1990 Kiel Martin, American actor (Hill Street Blues - "Det. LaRue"), dies of cancer at 46
  • 1990 Lucas Polhaupessy, Moluccan leader, dies
  • 1990 Walter Burle Marx, Brazilian pianist and composer, dies at 88
  • 1991 Cassandra Harris [Sandra Waites], Australian actress (For Your Eyes Only), dies of ovarian cancer at 43
  • 1991 Jacques Aubuchon, actor (Hoax, Thunder Road), dies of heart failure
  • 1992 Mort Greene [Greenberger], American songwriter (Theme to "Leave It To Beaver"; "Sleepy Serenade"), dies at 80
  • 1992 Sal Maglie, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1954; MLB All Star 1951, 52; NY Giants; no-hitter 1956 Cleveland Indians), dies from bronchial pneumonia at 75
  • 1993 Alfonso Balcazar, Spanish film director, dies at 67
  • 1993 Howard Caine [Cohen], American actor (Hogan's Heroes), dies at 67
  • 1993 Joop Vervoort, Dutch soccer referee, dies at 61
  • 1993 William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (Rise & Fall of 3rd Reich), dies at 89
  • 1994 Julian Rochfort Belfrage, English theatre agent, dies at 60
  • 1995 Harold Collison, British trade unionist (agriculture workers), dies at 86
  • 1995 Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis [Charles Thompson], American blues musician (Cold Hands), dies of a heart attack at 70
  • 1997 Henry Barraud, French composer, dies at 97
  • 1997 James Lees-Milne, English writer and architectural historian, dies at 89
  • 1997 Ronald Clive Williams, Welsh actor and comedian (Twin Town), dies at 68
  • 1998 Edgar Hovhannisyan, Armenian composer (Journey to Arzrum), and music director (State Opera and Ballet Theater, 1962-68), dies at 68
  • 1999 Clayton Moore, American actor (The Lone Ranger), dies at 85
  • 2001 Anthony Royle, Baron Fanshawe of Richmond, British Conservative Party politician and MP for Richmond (1959-83), dies at 74
  • 2001 Samuel A. Goldblith, American food scientist (b. 1919)
  • 2001 William X. Kienzle, American novelist (b. 1928)
  • 2003 Benjamin T. Hacker, American naval aviator (first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank), dies at 68
  • 2003 Michael Melle, South African cricketer (pace bowler of early 1950's; 7 test matches), dies at 73
  • 2004 Jerry Orbach, American actor (Law & Order, Dirty Dancing), dies at 69

American writer, philosopher and political activist (The Benefactor), dies from Myelodysplastic syndrome at 71

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 2005 Alan Betts, British emeritus professor (Royal Veterinary College), dies at 78
  • 2006 Gracie Cole, British jazz trumpeter (Ivy Benson's All-Girl Band), and bandleader, dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at 82
  • 2006 Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian Minister of Justice (b. 1956)
  • 2006 Komei Abe, Japanese composer, dies at 95
  • 2007 Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami, Iran national basketball team player (b. 1982)
  • 2007 Jiří Pauer, Czech composer, dies at 88
  • 2009 James Owen Sullivan, American drummer and songwriter (Avenged Sevenfold), dies aged 28
  • 2010 Agathe von Trapp, Austrian-born American singer (oldest von Trapp child), dies at 97
  • 2010 Billy Taylor, American jazz pianist (Birdland), orchestra leader (David Frost Show) and broadcaster (NPR), dies after a heart attack at 89 [1]
  • 2010 Trevor Holdsworth, CEO (National Power), dies at 83
  • 2012 Emmanuel Scheffer, Israeli soccer coach (Israel 1968–70, 78–79; only World Cup appearance 1970), dies at 88
  • 2012 Jayne Cortez, African-American poet and activist (I Am New York City), dies from heart failure at 78
  • 2013 Andrew Jacobs Jr., American politician (Rep-D-IN, 1965-73, 75-97), dies at 81
  • 2013 Esther Borja, Cuban operetta and zarzuela soprano, and television presenter (Álbum de Cuba, 1961-81), dies at 100
  • 2015 Ian Murdock, German-born American computer programmer (Debian project, Progeny Linux Systems), dies at 42
  • 2015 John "Brad" Bradbury, British ska drummer and record producer (The Specials), dies at 62
  • 2015 Lemmy [Ian Fraser Kilmister], British heavy metal musician (Motörhead), dies from terminal illness at 70
  • 2015 Paul "Guru" Josh, British musician (Infinity), commits suicide at 51

American actress and singer (Singin' In The Rain -"Kathy Selden"; The Unsinkable Molly Brown), dies of a stroke at 84 one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher passed away

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths

Uruguayan dictator and President of Uruguay (1981-85), dies in prison at 91 [1]

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 2017 Recy Taylor, American civil rights activist and sexual assault victim, dies at 97
  • 2017 Rose Marie [Mazzetta], American actress, comedienne and singer (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Sally"; The Doris Day Show), dies at 94
  • 2017 Sue Grafton, American author of detective novels ("A" Is for Alibi), dies at 77
  • 2018 Christine McGuire, American pop vocalist (McGuire Sisters - "Sincerely"; "Sugartime"), dies at 92
  • 2018 Georges Loinger, French resistance fighter (WWII), dies at 108
  • 2018 June Whitfield, English comedian and actress (Terry and June, Absolutely Fabulous), dies at 93
  • 2018 Ray Sawyer, American singer (Dr Hook), dies at 81
  • 2018 Shehu Shagari, Nigerian politician, President of Nigeria (1979-83), dies at 93
  • 2019 Carley Ann McCord, American sports reporter (Cox Sports TV; in-game host New Orleans Pelicans, New Orleans Saints), dies in a plane crash at 30
  • 2019 Erzsébet Szőnyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 95
  • 2019 Fred Graham, American newscaster and journalist (CBS News, Court TV), dies of Parkinson's disease at 88
  • 2019 Thanos Mikroutsikos, Greek composer, pianist, and politician (Minister of Culture,1993-96), dies of cancer at 72
  • 2019 Vilhjálmur Einarsson, Icelandic athlete (Olympic silver triple-jump 1956; Iceland's first ever Olympic medal), dies at 85
  • 2020 Armando Manzanero, Mexican composer and singer (It’s Impossible, Adoro), dies at 86 [1]
  • 2020 Fou Ts'ong, Chinese-British concert pianist, dies of COVID-19 at 86
  • 2020 Paul-Heinz Dittrich, German contemporary classical composer and teacher, dies at 90

American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), dies of pancreatic cancer at 82 [1]

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths

American Pro Football HOF coach (Oakland Raiders 1969-78; Super Bowl 1976) and sportscaster (16 x Emmy Award winner; CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC; Madden NFL video games), dies at 85 [1]

Photo for the article Today's 28 December Famous Deaths
  • 2021 Nikolay Shirshov, Uzbekistani soccer defensive midfielder (64 caps; FC Pakhtakor Tashkent, FC Rostov), dies at 47
  • 2022 Alan Copeland, American Grammy Award-winning arranger, songwriter, and singer (The Modernaires; Your Hit Parade), dies at 96
  • 2022 Arata Isozaki, Japanese architect (Pritzker Prize, 2019; Art Tower Mito; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art; Walt Disney headquarters), dies at 91 [1] [2]
  • 2022 Rodolfo Micheli, Argentine soccer striker (13 caps; topscorer Copa América 1955; CA Independiente), dies at 92
  • 2023 Bill McColl, American College Football Hall of Fame end (Stanford University; Chicago Bears 1952-59), dies at 93
  • 2023 François Bracci, French soccer defender (18 caps; Olympique de Marseille, RC Strasbourg, FC Bordeaux), dies at 72
  • 2023 Shaharuddin Abdullah, Malaysian soccer striker (70 caps, 39 goals; Penang FC, Penjara FC), dies at 75
  • 2023 Vijayakanth [Narayanan Vijayaraj], Indian actor (Senthoora Poove) and founder of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam political party, dies at 71
  • 2024 Barre Phillips, American jazz double bassist, and composer, based in France, dies at 90
  • 2024 Émile Lejeune, Belgian soccer defender (10 caps; RFC Liège 276 games), dies at 86
  • 2024 Nancy Hadley, American actress (Love That Jill; The Joey Bishop Show), dies at 94


No comments: