Today's 23 January Famous Deaths in History

Roman Emperor (161-169 AD) alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius, dies of illness at 38

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  • 628 K'ak Chan Yopaat [Smoke Snake], 11th ruler of the Maya city of Copán (578-628), dies at 65
  • 667 Ildefonsu, Visigothic Archbishop of Toledo, theologian and saint, known for his vision of the Virgin Mary, dies at about 60
  • 1002 Otto III, German king and emperor (983/996-1002), dies at 21
  • 1199 Yaqub al-Mansur, third Almohad Caliph (1184-99), successfully fought the Reconquista in Spain, dies (b. 1160)
  • 1356 Margaretha of Bavaria, Emperess of Germany, dies

King of Aragon (1479-1516), King of Naples (1504-16), dies at 63

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  • 1548 Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer, dies at 57
  • 1549 Johannes Honter, Transylvanian Saxon humanist and theologian (b. 1498)
  • 1567 Jiajing, 12th Emperor of Ming Dynasty of China (1521-1567), dies at 59
  • 1622 William Baffin, English navigator (1st European to discover Baffin Bay) and explorer, dies of a gunshot wound at in an attack on Qeshm, island of Hor about 38
  • 1639 Francisco Maldonado da Silva Solis, Peruvian poet, burned at stake
  • 1648 Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, Spanish playwright (Del Rey Abajo Ninguno), dies at 40
  • 1708 Thomas Bullis, English composer, dies at 80 (burial date)
  • 1744 Giambattista Vico, Italian philosopher and historian (New Science), dies at 75
  • 1785 Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician (b. 1717)
  • 1789 Frances Brooke, English writer, wrote the first novel written in Canada (The History of Emily Montague), dies at 65
  • 1789 John Cleland, English novelist (Fanny Hill), dies (b. 1709)
  • 1800 Edward Rutledge, American founding father, Governor of South Carolina (1798-1800) and signer of the Declaration of Independence, dies at 50
  • 1803 Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer and founder of the Guinness brewery, dies at 77
  • 1805 Claude Chappe, French engineer and telecommunications pioneer (optical telegraph), commits suicide at 41
  • 1805 Vaclav Pichl, Czech composer, dies at 63

British Prime Minister (Tory: 1783-1801, 1804-06), dies of a suspected peptic ulceration of his stomach or duodenum at 46

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  • 1810 Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German physicist who discovered ultraviolet radiation, dies at 33
  • 1812 Robert Craufurd, British general, dies at 47
  • 1813 George Clymer, American merchant and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution), dies at 73
  • 1820 Prince Edward, British Duke of Kent and Strathearn, son of Geor III and father of Queen Victoria, dies of pneumonia at 52
  • 1833 Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, British admiral (b. 1757)
  • 1837 John Field, Irish pianist and composer (Nocturnes), dies at 54
  • 1843 Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German Romantic poet, dies at 65
  • 1845 Francesco Ruggi, Italian composer, dies at 77
  • 1864 Michele Puccini, Italian organist and composer (father of Giacomo), dies at 50
  • 1866 Thomas Love Peacock, English satirical writer (headlong Hill), dies at 80
  • 1875 Charles Kingsley [Parson Lot], English vicar and historian (Westward Ho!), dies at 55
  • 1879 Adolf Jensen, German composer, dies of tuberculosis at 42
  • 1883 Gustave Doré, French artist, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1832)
  • 1888 Eugène Marin Labiche, French playwright (The Italian Straw Hat), dies at 72
  • 1889 Alexandre Cabanel, French painter (Birth of Venus), dies at 65
  • 1891 Prince Baudouin of Belgium, Count of Flanders, dies at 21
  • 1893 Jose Zorrilla y Moral, Spanish poet (Granada), dies at 75
  • 1893 Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, American politician and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 67
  • 1893 Phillips Brooks, American Episcopal bishop and composer (Little Town of Bethlehem), dies at 57
  • 1898 W. A. Remy [Wilhelm Mayer], Austro-Bohemian composer, dies at 66
  • 1908 Edward Alexander MacDowell, American composer (Indian Suite), dies at 47
  • 1913 Nazim Pasha, Turkish Minister of War, assassinated at 65
  • 1921 Władysław Żeleński, Polish pianist, organist, and composer, dies at 83
  • 1922 Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian violinist, conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1895-1922; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, 1895-1922; Boston Symphony, 1893-95), and educator (Leipzig Conservatory, 1902-07). dies at 66
  • 1923 Max Nordau, Austrian author, physician, and Zionist leader, dies at 73
  • 1926 Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Belgian philosopher and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, dies at 74
  • 1926 Joseph Carl Breil, American lyric tenor, and composer - one of the first to write for film (Les amours de la reine Élisabeth; Birth of a Nation; Intolerance), dies of heart disease at 55
  • 1931 Anna Pavlova, Russian prima ballerina and choreographer (Diaghilew, Dying Swan), dies from pneumonia at 49
  • 1936 Carl Westman, Swedish architect and designer (Stockholm Court House), dies at 69
  • 1936 Clara Butt, British dramatic contralto (Edward Elgar - The Land of Hope and Glory; Sea Pictures), dies of spinal cancer at 62
  • 1936 John Mills, Jr., American jazz and pop bass singer, guitarist, ukulele player, and vocal tuba (The Mills Brothers, 1925-36 - "Tiger Rag", "Dinah"), dies at 25
  • 1937 Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (Minister of Education), dies at 60
  • 1939 Matthias Sindelar, Austrian soccer striker (43 caps; Austria Vienna 312 games), dies under mysterious circumstances at 35
  • 1941 Dobri Hristov, Bulgarian composer, chiefly of choral works, and music director (Seven Saints Church Sofia. 1911-28), dies at 65
  • 1943 Alexander Woollcott, American drama critic (The New Yorker), dies of a heart attack on radio, at 56

Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at 80, bequeathing all of his work to the city of Oslo

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  • 1944 Viktor Gusev, Russian poet (Polyushko Pole), dies at 34
  • 1945 Helmuth James von Moltke, German jurist who opposed Nazi (July 20th Plot), executed at 37
  • 1946 Matteo Giulio Bartoli, Italian linguist, dies at 72
  • 1947 Pierre Bonnard, French painter and illustrator, dies at 79
  • 1947 Roy Park, Australian cricketer (prolific Victorian bat & official), dies at 54
  • 1952 Natalia Brassova, Russian noblewoman, wife of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, dies at 71
  • 1956 Alexander Korda, British movie producer (Henry VIII), dies at 62
  • 1956 Billy Evans, American Baseball HOF umpire (American League 1906-27; at age 22, youngest umpire in MLB history), dies from a stroke at 71
  • 1957 Willie Edwards, US African American, murdered by KKK at 25
  • 1964 Louis Horst, American dance choreographer and composer, dies at 80
  • 1967 Holcombe Ward, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1904; President USLTA 1937-47), dies at 88
  • 1969 A.J.D. van Oosten, Dutch poet and author (His Master's Voice), dies at 70
  • 1969 Jaroslav Křička, Czech composer, dies at 86
  • 1971 Fritz Feigl, Austria-born chemist (b. 1871)
  • 1972 Big Maybelle [Mabel Smith], American R&B singer ("A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Candy"), dies from complications of diabetes at 47
  • 1973 Alexander Onassis, Greek-Argentine businessman and heir of the Onassis fortune, only son of Aristotle Onassis, dies from air crash injuries at 24
  • 1973 Edward "Kid" Ory, American New Orleans style jazz trombonist, and band leader, dies of pneumonia and a heart attack at 86
  • 1975 Karel Paul van der Mandele, Dutch financier, director (Rotterdam Bank), administrator, and economist, dies at 94
  • 1976 Aleksey Vasilyevich Sorokin, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 44
  • 1976 Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (The Fortress; Passport to Pimlico), dies at 62

American stage and screen bass-baritone singer ("Old Man River"), actor, and civil rights activist, dies of stroke complications in Philadelphia at 77

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  • 1977 Bernard "Toots" Shor, New York restaurateur (Toot's Shor's Restaurant), dies at 73
  • 1977 Dick Burnett, American musician ("Man of Constant Sorrow"), dies at 93
  • 1978 Jack Oakie, American actor (The Great Dictator, 1974 Photoplay Award), dies at 74
  • 1978 Terry Kath, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Chicago - "Make Me Smile"), accidentally shoots himself in head at 31
  • 1978 Vic Ames, American singer (Ames Brothers - "Tammy"), dies in a car accident at 52
  • 1980 Babs Gonzales [Lee Brown], American be-bop jazz vocalist, poet, and songwriter ("Oop-Pop-A-Da"), dies of cancer at 60
  • 1980 Lil Dagover [Marie Seubert;], German silent and sound screen actress (Destiny; Spiders), dies at 92
  • 1981 Bobby Sherwood, American jazz and session guitarist (Bing Crosby, 1933-40), big band bandleader, and disc jockey, dies of cancer at 66

American composer (School for Scandal; Adagio For Strings), dies of cancer at 70

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  • 1982 Hope Hampton, actress (Star Dust, Lawful Larcency), dies at 83
  • 1983 Fred Bakewell, English cricket batsman (6 Tests, top score 107; Northamptonshire), dies at 74
  • 1984 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
  • 1984 Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
  • 1984 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
  • 1986 Joseph Beuys, West German avant-garde artist (Fluxus movement), dies at 64
  • 1988 Charles Glen King, American biochemist and pioneer of nutrition research who isolated vitamin C, dies at 91
  • 1988 Dan Daniel, American politician (Rep-D-VA, 1969-88), dies at 73

Spanish surrealist artist (Crucifixion), dies of heart failure at 84

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  • 1990 (Larken) Allen Collins, American southern rock guitarist, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"; "Gimme Three Steps"; Rossington-Collins Band - "Don't Misunderstand Me"), dies from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis suffered in a drunk driving accident, at 37
  • 1990 Mariano Rumor, Italian politician (Prime Minister of Italy, 1968-70; 73-1974), dies at 74
  • 1990 [Piet] "Peter" Sweval, American rock bassist (Looking Glass - "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" ; Starz - "Cherry Baby"), dies of AIDS at 42
  • 1991 Northrop Frye, Canadian writer and critic known for "Anatomy of Criticism", dies at 78
  • 1992 Frederick "Freddie" Bartholomew, British child actor (Anna Karenina, David Copperfield, Captains Courageous), dies of emphysema at 67
  • 1992 Ian Wolfe, American actor (Diary of a Madman, Wizards & Warriors, Houdini, THX-1138, Homebodies), dies at 95
  • 1992 Simon Brand, South African banker and adviser to President F. W. de Klerk, dies
  • 1993 Charles "Majeed" Greenlee, American jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), dies at 65
  • 1993 Dudley Stevens, English entertainer, dies of AIDS at 57
  • 1993 Keith Laumer [Anthony LeBaron], American sci-fi author (Retief's War), dies at 67
  • 1993 Thomas A. Dorsey, American jazz pianist (Take My Hand, Precious Lord), dies at 93
  • 1994 Brian Redhead, English journalist and broadcaster (b. 1929)
  • 1994 Nikolai Ogarkov, Russian marshal (Flight KAL 007), dies at 76
  • 1994 Oliver Smith, American 7-time Tony Award-winning set designer (Guys & Dolls), dies at 75
  • 1994 Sherry Mathis, American actress (Search for Tomorrow), dies of cancer at 44
  • 1994 Suzanne M. Blum, French lawyer (Charlie Chaplin), dies at 95
  • 1995 Bill Horton, American doo-wop singer (The Silhouettes - "Get A Job"), dies at 65
  • 1995 Harold Collett Dent, British journalist, educationist, and editor of the Times Education Supplement, dies at 100 [1]
  • 1995 Ken Hill, English playwright and director, dies at 57
  • 1995 Peter Luke, British playwright, dies at 75
  • 1996 Norman MacCaig, Scottish poet, dies at 85
  • 1997 Audie Pitre, American bass guitarist (Acid Bath), killed by a drunk driver at 26
  • 1997 Charles Craig, English opera singer, dies at 77
  • 1997 Jeremy Maas, British writer and art dealer, dies at 68
  • 1997 Laura "Dinky" Patterson, dies bungee jumping at Super Bowl rehearsal at 43
  • 1997 Randy Greenawalt, American convicted killer, executed by injection at 47
  • 1997 Richard Berry, African-American singer and musician (Louie Louie), dies at 61
  • 1997 Roger John Tayler, British astrophysicist (author of The Origin of the Chemical Elements), dies at 67
  • 1998 Hilla Limann, president of Ghana in (1979-81), dies at 63
  • 1999 Jay Pritzker, American entrepreneur (co-founder of Hyatt hotels), philanthropist, and founder of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, dies at 76
  • 1999 Prince Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican musician (b. 1949)
  • 1999 Thomas C. Mann, American diplomat (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico), dies at 86
  • 2001 Brother Jack McDuff {Eugen McDuffy], American jazz organist (George Benson, Brother Jack), dies of heart failure at 74
  • 2001 Lou Levy, American jazz pianist (Woody Herman; Stan Getz), and accompanist (Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald), dies of a heart attack at 72
  • 2001 Moy Yat, Chinese martial artist (student of Yip Man), dies at 62
  • 2002 Igor Kipnis, American harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and educatordies of renal cancer at 71
  • 2002 Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
  • 2002 Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist and anthropologist, dies at 71
  • 2002 Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), dies at 63
  • 2003 Nell Carter, American actress (Gimme A Break; Lobo), dies at 54
  • 2004 Bob Keeshan, American actor (Captain Kangaroo; Howdy Doody, 1948-52 - "Clarabell"), and television producer, dies at 76
  • 2004 Helmut Newton, German fashion photographer, dies at 83

American comedian and TV host (The Tonight Show, Who Do You Trust), dies of respiratory failure arising from emphysema at 79

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  • 2005 Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, British politician (b. 1921)
  • 2006 Chris McKinstry, Canadian scientist (b. 1967)
  • 2006 Virginia D. Smith, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska), dies at 94
  • 2007 Carter Harman, American composer, music critic, record label executive (DRI), and first US Army helicopter mission pilot (Burma, 1944), dies at 88
  • 2007 E. Howard Hunt, American intelligence officer involved in Watergate break-in, dies at 88
  • 2007 Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist and writer (b. 1932)
  • 2007 Syed Hussein Alatas, Malaysian Politician (b. 1928)
  • 2009 George Perle, American composer (12 Tone Tonality), dies at 93
  • 2009 Robert W. Scott, American politician, governor of North Carolina (b. 1929)
  • 2009 Yuri Falik, Russian cellist, conductor, and composer (Elegiac Music; Buffoons), dies at 72
  • 2011 Jack LaLanne, American fitness and nutritional expert, dies at 96
  • 2012 Anthony Capo, DeCavalcante crime family hitman and informant, dies from heart attack at 52/53
  • 2013 Peter van der Merwe, South African cricket batsman & captain (15 Tests, 3 x 50; South African Universities, Western Province, Eastern Province), dies at 75
  • 2014 Elmira Nazirova, Azerbaijani-Israeli classical pianist, composer, and educator, dies at 85
  • 2014 Riz Ortolani, Italian Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger, predominantly of film scores (Mondo Cane - "More"), dies at 87

American Baseball HOF shortstop, first baseman (14 x MLB All Star; NL MVP 1958, 59; Chicago Cubs), dies of a heart attack at 83

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  • 2015 Guy Gallo, American poet, playwright, and screenwriter (Under the Volcano), dies of cancer at 59
  • 2015 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (2005-2015), dies at 90
  • 2016 Bobby Wanzer, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1952–56; Rochester Royals) and coach (NBA All-Star Game 1957), dies at 94
  • 2016 Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), dies at 85
  • 2017 Bobby Freeman, American rock, soul and R&B singer ("Do You Want to Dance"), dies at 76
  • 2017 Gorden Kaye, British actor (Allo Allo), dies at 75
  • 2017 Lee O’Denat, American internet entrepreneur (WorldStarHipHop.com), dies of heart disease at 43
  • 2018 Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, described as the "father of South African jazz" ("Grazing in the Grass"; "Soweto Blues"; Sarafina!), and anti-apartheid activist dies of prostate cancer at 78
  • 2018 Lari White, American country music singer (You Can Be A Star - 1988), and actress, dies of peritoneal cancer at 52
  • 2018 Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet, mathematician, and physicist (Defense of Violeta Parra), dies at 103
  • 2018 Stansfield Turner, American admiral and CIA director (1977-81), dies at 94
  • 2018 Wyatt Tee Walker, African-American pastor, civil rights leader, chief of staff for Martin Luther King, Jr. and cultural historian, dies at 88
  • 2019 Diana Athill, English writer and editor (Stet), dies at 101
  • 2019 Jonas Mekas, American avant garde filmmaker and film critic, dies at 96
  • 2019 Norman Orentreich, American dermatologist known as "the father of modern hair transplantation", dies at 96
  • 2019 Oliver Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean Afro-Jazz and 'tuku' singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sarawoga; Tolerance; Tuku Music), dies of diabetes complications at 66 [1]
  • 2020 Alfred Körner, Austrian soccer striker (47 caps; Rapid Wien), dies at 93
  • 2020 Frank Froehling, American tennis player (US C'ships 1963 runner-up; doubles, mixed doubles 1965 runner-up), dies at 77
  • 2020 Gudrun Pausewang, German children's and young adult literature writer (The Last Children of Schewenborn; Die Wolke), dies at 91
  • 2020 Jim Lehrer, American television news anchor (McNeil-Lehrer Report/PBS Newshour, 1975-2011), and novelist, dies at 85
  • 2021 Hal Holbrook, American stage and screen Tony and Emmy award-winning actor (All the President's Men; “Mark Twain Tonight!”), dies at 95 [1]

American radio and TV host ("Larry King Live", CNN), dies of sepsis and renal failure at 87 [1] [2]

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  • 2021 Peter Harper, British medical geneticist known for his work on myotonic dystrophy, dies at 81
  • 2021 Trisha Noble (aka Patsy Ann), Australian pop singer ("Good Looking Boy"), and actress, dies of mesothelioma at 76
  • 2021 Walter Bernstein, American screenwriter (The Front, Fail-Safe), dies of pneumonia at 101
  • 2022 Beegie Adair [Bobbe Long], American jazz and Nashville-based session pianist, and educator, dies at 84
  • 2022 Keto Losaberidze, Georgian archer (Olympic gold USSR women's individual 1980; World C'ship gold team 1973, 81), dies at 72
  • 2022 Thierry Mugler, French fashion designer, parfumeur, and bodybuilder, dies at 73
  • 2023 Carol Sloane [Morvan], American jazz singer, dies from complications of a stroke at 85 [1]
  • 2023 Fred Lindop, British rugby league referee (22 Tests; World Cup Final 1970; 5 x Challenge Cup Finals), dies at 84
  • 2023 Russell Wintner, American theme park owner and operator of Memphis Kiddie Park in Ohio, dies at 70
  • 2023 Victor S. Navasky, American journalist, author and publisher of The Nation (1995-2005), dies of pneumonia at 90
  • 2024 Charles Osgood [Wood], American broadcast news anchor (The Osgood File; CBS News Sunday Morning, 1994-2016), writer, and poet, dies of dementia at 91 [1]
  • 2024 Jean Petit, French soccer midfielder (12 caps; AC Monaco 428 games), dies at 74
  • 2024 Melanie [Safka], American singer-songwriter ("Brand New Key"; "What Have They Done to My Song Ma"; "Candles in Rain"), dies at 76 [1] [2]
  • 2025 Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek soccer forward (8 caps; AEK Athens 316 games), dies at 89


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