Greek Bishop who became the model for Santa Claus and patron saint of sailors, merchants and children, dies at 73 [traditional date of death]
- 1185 Afonso I the Conqueror, King of Portugal (1143-85), dies at 76
- 1352 Clement VI [Pierre Roger], Pope (1342-52), dies
- 1531 John Volkertsz Trimaker, Dutch anabaptist leader, beheaded
- 1550 Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Flemish artist, architect and designer of tapestries and stained glass (court painter to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), dies at 48
- 1562 Jan van Scorel, Dutch painter and architect, dies at 67
- 1598 Elbertus Leoninus, Dutch lawyer/politician, dies at about 78
- 1618 Jacques Davy Duperron, French Roman Catholic cardinal, dies at 62
- 1640 Matthijs Elsevier, Flemish/Dutch book publisher/merchant, dies at 75
- 1651 Anna Roemers Visscher, Dutch poet, dies at 68
- 1658 Baltasar Gracian, Spanish writer, dies at 57
- 1686 Eleonora Gonzaga, the Younger, Holy Roman Empress (1651-57) by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand III, dies at 56
- 1716 Benedictus Buns, Dutch Carmelite and composer (b. 1642)
- 1718 Nicholas Rowe, English poet and dramatist (Tamerlane) Poet Laureate (1715-18), dies at 45
- 1746 Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (b. 1665)
- 1771 Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist regarded as the father of modern anatomical pathology, dies at 89
- 1779 Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter, dies at 80
- 1788 Jonathan Shipley, British bishop and politician (b. 1714)
- 1793 Marie Jeanne Becu, Comtesse du Barry, last mistress of Louis XV, beheaded at 50
- 1799 Joseph Black, Scottish chemist and physicist known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat and carbon dioxide, dies at 71
- 1834 Jonas Daniel Meyer, Dutch lawyer, dies at 54
- 1855 William Swainson, English naturalist, ornithologist and natural history artist, dies at 66
- 1865 Sebastian de Iradier, Spanish composer (Arreglito), dies at 56
- 1867 Giovanni Pacini, Italian opera composer (Saffo), and educator, dies at 71
- 1867 Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist, dies at 73
- 1868 August Schleicher, German linguist (b. 1821)
- 1869 Jan de Liefde II, Dutch vicar and author (set up For the Welfare of the People organization), dies at 54
- 1873 Manuel Acuña, Mexican poet (Ante un Cadaver), dies at 24
- 1879 Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor of weaving machine for carpets, dies at 65
- 1882 Alfred Escher, Swiss politician and co-founder of the Swiss Northeastern Railway, dies at 63
- 1882 Anthony Trollope, English novelist and poet (Barchester Towers), dies at 67
President of the Confederate States of America (1861-65), dies at 81
- 1889 Jozef Neuhuys [Joseph Hendrikus Neuhuys], Dutch painter, dies at 48
- 1890 Joe Coburn, Irish boxer (Heavyweight C'ship of America 1863-65), dies from tuberculosis at 55
- 1891 Émile Bayard, French artist and illustrator, dies at 54
German inventor (siemens electrical conductance unit) and industrialist (Siemens corporation), dies at 75
- 1903 Frederick Grant Gleason, composer, dies at 54
- 1914 Eduard Jacobs, Dutch cabaret artist, dies at 47
- 1920 Karel Kovařovic, Czech harpist, conductor (Prague National Theatre, 1900-20), and composer (The Dogheads), dies at 57
- 1924 Gene Stratton-Porter, American author "A Girl of the Limberlost,", screenwriter and naturalist (b. 1863)
- 1925 Dat So la Lee "Dabuda" or Louise Keyser, Native American (Washoe) basket weaver dies aged about 96
- 1932 Eugene Brieux, French playwright (Blanchette, Lesson Avaries), dies at 74
- 1934 Duke Charles Michael of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, dies at 71
- 1940 Charlie Hime, cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1895), dies
- 1941 Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, German author (In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message), dies at 66
- 1942 Amos Rusie, American Baseball HOF pitcher (Triple Crown & NL wins leader 1894; 5 × NL strikeout leader; pitched no-hitter 1891; NY Giants), dies at 71
- 1943 Firmin Baes, Flemish painter, dies at 69
- 1943 Hermann Löhr, British composer, dies at 72
- 1946 Maximilian Steinberg, Russian composer, dies at 63
- 1947 James Henry Whittaker, English-New Zealand founder of artisan chocolate company Whittaker's in 1896, dies at 79 [1]
- 1951 Harold Ross, American magazine editor and co-founded The New Yorker, dies at 59
- 1951 J Edward Bromberg, Hungarian actor (The Mark of Zorro, Under 2 Flags), dies from a heart attack at 47
French neuroscientist, dies at 86
- 1953 Konstanty I Galczynski, Polish poet (Zielona Ges), dies at 48
American Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (8 x NL batting champion; 5 × NL RBI / stolen base leader; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 81
- 1956 Albert Aftalion, Bulgarian-French economist, dies at 82
Indian politician, jurist (architect of the Constitution of India) and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement, dies after suffering from diabetes at 65
- 1957 Robert Esnault-Pelterie, French engineer and aviation pioneer who contributed to early heavier-than-air flight in Europe, dies at 76
- 1958 Erwin Bodky, German-American composer, dies at 62
- 1959 Len Doyle, American actor (Harrington-Mr District Attorney), dies at 66
- 1961 Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher (The Wretched of the Earth), dies of leukemia at 36
- 1963 Jozef Goossenaerts, Flem philologist (Language Boundary), dies at 81
- 1964 Consuelo Vanderbilt (b. 1877)
- 1965 Alberto Vaccari, Italian Jesuit and old testament scholar and interpreter, dies at 90
- 1966 Hermann Heiss, German composer, dies at 69
- 1967 Cora Baird, American puppeteer (Kukla, Fran & Ollie), dies at 55
- 1970 Thomas S Power, American USAF-gen (Raid on Tokyo-March 1945), dies at 65
- 1971 Hugo Godron, Dutch composer, dies at 71
- 1971 Jan Altink, Dutch Expressionist painter (co-founder of Plooeg), dies at 86
- 1972 Janet Munro [Horsburgh], British actress (The Crawling Eye; Swiss Family Robinson), dies of congenital heart failure at 38
- 1973 Justus Hermann Wetzel, German composer, dies at 94
- 1974 Nikolay Kuznetsov, Russian naval commander (Admiral of the Fleet during World War II), dies at 70
- 1976 João Goulart, Brazilian politician (President of Brazil, 1961-94), dies mysteriously at 57
- 1979 Carlos Camacho, American dentist, and politician (1st elected Governor of Guam, 1971-75), dies at 55
- 1983 Lucienne Boyer, French singer (Parlez-moi d'amour), dies at 82
- 1984 Ruth Cummings (née Sinclair), American stage, silent and sound screen actress (Daybreak; Dream of Love), and screenwriter, dies at 90
- 1985 Burleigh Grimes, American Baseball HOF pitcher (World Series 1931 St. Louis Cardinals; NL wins leader 1921, 28; NL strikeout leader 1921 Brooklyn Robins, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 92
- 1985 Burr Tillstrom, American puppeteer (Kukla, Fran & Ollie), dies at 68
- 1986 Malik Oussekine, Algerian/French student, killed by police at 22
- 1987 Izler Solomon, American conductor, dies at 77
- 1987 James Dobson, American actor (Impulse, Jet Attack), dies of a heart attack at 67
- 1988 Bill Harris, American guitarist (Clovers-Love Potion No 9), dies at 63
American rock singer-songwriter ("Pretty Woman"; "Only The Lonely"; Traveling Wilburys - "Handle With Care"), dies of a massive heart attack at 52
- 1989 Frances Bavier, American Emmy Award-winning stage and screen actress (The Andy Griffith Show & Mayberry, RFD - "Aunt Bee"), dies of congestive heart failure at 86
- 1989 Gabor Jodal, Romanian composer, dies at 76
- 1989 John Payne, American actor (The Restless Gun, Miracle on 34th Street), dies aged 77
- 1989 Sammy Fain, American popular music composer, dies at 87
- 1990 Bob Hamilton, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1944), dies at 74
- 1990 Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (Electric Theseus), dies from a heroin overdose at 42
Malaysia's founding father, 1st Prime Minister of Malaya (1957-63) and Malaysia (1963-70), dies at 87
- 1991 Ann Sorg Coston, actress (Anna-Aldrich Family), dies at 62
- 1991 Jack Hunter [John Averona], American big band vocalist (Elliot Lawrence Orchestra - "Apple Blossom Time"), dies at 72
- 1992 (Karl) Yngve Sköld, Swedish organist, pianist, and composer, dies at 93
- 1992 Hank Worden, American actor (The Searcher, Red River), dies of natural causes at 91
- 1992 Percy Herbert, actor (Capt Apache), dies of a heart attack at 72
- 1993 Desmond Barel Hirshfield, Lord Hirshfield, British chartered accountant, dies at 80
- 1993 Dominic "Don" Ameche, American actor (Cocoon, Trading Places), dies of prostate cancer at 85
- 1993 Prof Wolfgang Paul, German physicist (Nobel 1989), dies at 80
- 1993 Rita Macedo, actress (Divinas Palabras), dies of a heart attack at 65
- 1993 Rouaz Lakhdar, Algerian supreme court justice, murdered
- 1994 AJ Bronkhorst, vicar/theologist (Reform The Netherlands), dies at 80
- 1994 Alun Owen, Welsh screenwriter and playwright (Hard Day's Night, The Rose Affair), dies at 69
- 1994 Gian Maria Volontè, Italian actor (Fistful of Dollars), dies at 61
- 1995 Claire Polin (Schaff), American contemporary classical, composer flautist, and musicologist, dies at 69
- 1995 Dmitri Volkogonov, Russian historian (biographies of Stalin and Lenin) and colonel general, dies at 67
- 1995 James Reston, American journalist (New York Times), dies at 86
- 1995 Kathleen Harrison, English actress (Fast Lady, Big Money), dies at 103
- 1996 Bryan Clieve Roberts, English lawyer and colonial administrator (instrumental in Malawi transition to independence), dies at 83
American football executive (NFL Commissioner 1960-89), dies of brain cancer at 70
- 1996 Trevor Key, British photographer and graphic designer, known for his album cover art (Mike Oldfield; Phil Collins; New Order; OMD), dies of a brain tumor at 48 [1]
- 1997 Eddie Myers, British WWII soldier and engineer, dies at 91
- 1997 Eliot Daniel, American composer (I Love Lucy theme), dies at 89
- 1997 Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (WR 100m freestyle, 1:04.06 1933-56; Olympic gold 4×100m freestyle 1936), dies at 79
- 1998 César Baldaccini, French sculptor, dies at 77
- 2000 Werner Klemperer, German-American Emmy Award-winning stage and screen actor (Judgment at Nuremberg; Hogan's Heroes - "Col. Klink"), dies of cancer at 80
- 2001 Charles McClendon, Hall of Fame college football coach (b. 1923)
- 2001 Robert Camac, American horse trainer, murdered by a family member at 61
- 2002 Philip Berrigan, American peace activist and Roman Catholic priest, dies at 79
- 2003 Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan army colonel and President of Guatemala (1970-74), dies at 85
- 2003 Hans Hotter, German operatic bass-baritone, dies at 94
- 2003 Jerry Tuite, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
- 2004 Raymond Goethals, Belgian football coach (b. 1921)
- 2005 Charly Gaul, Luxembourg cyclist (b. 1932)
- 2005 Danny Williams, South African-born singer (b. 1942)
- 2005 Devan Nair, Singaporean politician, 3rd President of Singapore (1981-85), dies at 82
- 2006 John Feeney, Documentary film-director (b. 1922)
- 2007 András Szőllősy, Hungarian composer, and musicologist (cataloged works of Béla Bartók), dies at 86
- 2007 Katy French, Irish Supermodel and Socialite, dies at 24
- 2008 Lawrence R. Devlin, American CIA officer and station chief in Congo (1960-67), dies of emphysema at 86 [1]
- 2010 Hugues Cuénod, Swiss tenor and musical educator, dies at 108
- 2010 Mark Dailey, Canadian television journalist and announcer (b. 1953)
- 2011 Dobie Gray [Lawrence Brown], American musician and singer (Drift Away), dies of cancer at 71
- 2013 Stan Tracey, British jazz pianist, dies at 86
- 2014 Fred Hawkins, American golfer (US Masters 1958 runner-up), dies at 91
German-American engineer and creator of the first video game console (Magnavox Odyssey Home Video Game System), dies at 88 [1]
- 2015 Holly Woodlawn, transgender Puerto Rican actress (Warhol films), dies at 69
- 2015 Nicholas Smith, English actor (Are You Being Served?), dies at 81
- 2015 Tony Gomez, British rock keyboardist (The Foundations - "Baby Now That I've Found You"; "Build Me Up Buttercup"), dies at 76
- 2016 Peter Vaughan, British actor (Porridge, Game of Thrones), dies at 93
- 2017 Cy Young, American athlete and only US male to win gold in javelin throwing (1952 Olympics), dies of complications from dementia at 89
- 2017 William H. Gass, American novelist and philosopher (Omensetter's Luck), dies at 93
- 2018 (John) "Ace" Cannon, American pop, rock and country music saxophonist (Tuff Sax), dies at 84
- 2018 Andrew Frierson, pioneering African American opera singer, dies at 94
- 2018 Pete Shelley [Peter McNeish], English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Buzzcocks "Going Steady"), dies at 63
- 2019 Jo Ann Washam, American golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 1975 3rd; 3 LPGA Tour titles), dies at 69
- 2020 Dennis Ralston, American tennis player (4 x Grand Slam doubles champion; Wimbledon singles 1966 runner-up), dies from cancer at 78
- 2020 Jack Scarbath, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Uni of Maryland; Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies at 90
- 2020 Neil Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey linesman (1,744 NHL games; Hockey Hall of Fame), dies at 87
- 2020 Paul Sarbanes, American politician (Senator-D-MD, 1977-2007, sponsored Sarbanes–Oxley Act), dies at 87
- 2020 Petras Bingelis, Lithuania conductor, founder and artistic director (Kaunas State Choir, 1969-2020), dies of COVID-19 at 77
- 2020 Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguayan politician and physician, President of Uruguay (2005-10, 2015-20), dies at 80 [1]
- 2022 Beto Fuscão, Brazilian soccer defender (8 caps; Fluminense, Grêmio, Palmeiras), dies of stomach cancer at 72
- 2022 Edino Krieger, Brazilian conductor, avant-garde composer (Canticum Naturale), and record producer, dies at 94
- 2022 Fionna Duncan, Scottish jazz vocalist (Clyde Valley Stompers), dies at 83 [1]
- 2022 Hamish Kilgour, New Zealand drummer (The Clean - "Tally Ho!"), found dead 10 days after being reported missing at 65
- 2022 Jan-Åke Edvinsson, Swedish ice hockey administrator (International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF general secretary 1986-2006), dies at 81
- 2022 Jet Black [Brian Duffy], British punk rock drummer (The Stranglers), dies of respiratory failure at 84
- 2022 Jim Stewart, American audio engineer, producer, and record label co-founder (Stax), dies at 92 [1]
- 2022 Mills Lane, American boxing referee (Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II 1997; International Boxing HOF) and television personality ('Judge Mills Lane'), dies at 85
- 2023 Jack Hogan [Richard Roland Benson Jr], American actor ("Combat", Adam 12", "Sierra"), dies at 94
- 2023 Marisa Pavan, Italian actress (Solomon & Sheba; The Rose Tattoo), dies at 91
- 2023 Tore Aleksandersen, Norwegian women's volleyball coach (Allianz MTV Stuttgart; Norway, Finland women's national teams), dies from prostate cancer at 55
- 2023 Vic Davalillo, Venezuelan baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1965, Gold Glove 1964 Cleveland Indians; World Series 1971, 73 Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 84
- 2024 Angela Alvarez (née Portilla), Cuban-American Latin jazz singer-songwriter who won a Latin Grammy Award at 95, dies at 97 [1]
- 2024 Miho Nakayama, Japanese pop singer, lyricist ("C"; "Waku Waku Sasete", "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..."), and actress (Maido Osawagase Shimasu; Love Letter), dies at 54
- 2024 Vitaliy Dyrdyra, Ukrainian sailor (Olympic gold USSR Tempest Class 1972), dies at 86
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