Did you know
He appeared in several films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Lilies of the Field (1963)
Notable Deaths on April 27
87 people
630 – 2025
April 27 has seen 87 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 630 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1977 — Stanley Adams
American actor and screenwriter (born 1915)
Did you know
Concurrent with his acting career, Adams also maintained a career as a freelance television scriptwriter from the mid-1950s through the early 70s, writing for shows such as It's Always Jan, Mister Ed, Dr
Did you know
Stanley Adams was an American actor and screenwriter
Did you know
Kildare, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Star Trek, The Outsider, The Flying Nun, Mannix, The Name of the Game, and others
Did you know
Although he did appear in guest roles in many of these series, Adams generally did not appear as an actor in episodes he wrote.
Ardashir III was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 6 September 628 to 27 April 630.
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630
1160
1272
Italian cardinal statesman (born c. 1250)
Nicolò Albertini, O.P., was an Italian Dominican friar, statesman, and cardinal.
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1321
Grand Prince of Moscow and Vladimir
Simeon Ivanovich, also known as Semyon Ivanovich, nicknamed the Proud, was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1340 to 1353.
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1353
Countess of Helfenstein (born 1335)
Maria of Bosnia was a member of the House of Kotromanić who married into the House of Helfenstein.
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1403
1404
Isidore or Isidor of Kiev, also known as Isidore of Thessalonica, was a prelate of Byzantine Greek origin. From 1437 to 1441, he served as the metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus', based in Moscow, after being chosen by…
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1463
Portuguese sailor and explorer (born 1480)
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer best known for planning and leading the 1519–1522 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he discovered the Strait of Magellan, performed the first…
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1521
Japanese general (born 1538)
Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari, and Matazaemon (又左衛門) was his…
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1599
Pope Leo XI, born Alessandro di Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death, on 27 April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in history,…
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1605
3rd Baron Cromwell, Governor of Lecale (born 1560)
Edward Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell was an English peer. He was the son of Henry Cromwell, 2nd Baron Cromwell by his wife Mary, daughter of John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester and his first wife Elizabeth…
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1607
Scottish priest and missionary (born 1532)
Robert Abercromby, whose surname was also spelled as Abrecromby and Abercrombie, and was known by such pseudonyms as Robert Sandiesoun and Sanders Robertson, was a Scottish Jesuit missionary.
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1613
Dutch painter and illustrator (born 1596)
Jan Josephszoon van Goyen was a Dutch landscape painter. The scope of his landscape subjects was very broad as he painted forest landscapes, marine paintings, river landscapes, beach scenes, winter landscapes,…
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1656
Elector of Saxony (born 1668)
John George IV was Elector of Saxony from 1691 to 1694. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin and was the eldest son of John George III, Elector of Saxony and Anna Sophie of Denmark.
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1694
English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (born 1640)
Sir John Trenchard was an English politician and landowner.
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1695
1702
1st Earl Talbot, English politician, Lord Steward of the Household (born 1710)
William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, PC, styled as Lord Talbot from 1737 to 1761, was an English peer and Whig politician. Talbot was a notable figure among opposition Whig politicians during the reign of King George II…
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1782
American general and explorer (born 1779)
Zebulon Montgomery Pike was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first in 1805–1806…
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1813
English actor and manager (born 1793)
William Charles Macready was an English stage actor. The son of Irish actor-manager William Macready the Elder he emerged as a leading West End performer during the Regency era.
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1873
American poet and philosopher (born 1803)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a…
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1882
Irish-born New Zealand journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1839)
John Ballance was a New Zealand politician who served as the 14th premier of New Zealand from January 1891 until his death in April 1893. He governed as the leader of New Zealand's first organised political party, the…
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1893
English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (born 1815)
Sir Henry Parkes, was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has…
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1896
Canadian businessman (born 1838)
John Labatt was a Canadian businessman and brewer. Labatt took charge of Labatt Brewing Company, formally known as Labatt and Company, after his father's death in 1866. Labatt helped Labatt Brewing Company eventually…
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1915
Russian pianist and composer (born 1872)
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist. Before 1903, he was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed in a relatively tonal, late-Romantic idiom. Later, and…
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1915
American poet (born 1899)
Harold Hart Crane was an American poet. Inspired by the Romantics and his fellow Modernists, Crane wrote highly stylized poetry, often noted for its complexity. His collection White Buildings (1926), featuring…
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1932
English mathematician and academic (born 1857)
Karl Pearson was an English biostatistician and mathematician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. He founded the world's first university statistics department at…
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1936
Italian sociologist, linguist, and politician (born 1891)
Antonio Francesco Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher, linguist and politician. He was a founding member and one-time leader of the Italian Communist Party. A vocal critic of Benito Mussolini and fascism, he was…
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1937
Czech mathematician and philosopher (born 1859)
Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of phenomenology.
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1938
American druggist and businessman (born 1873)
Benjamin Rice Faunce Jr. (1873–1949) was an American druggist and businessman who created the soft drink Boost! and established the Boost! Company.
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1949
Italian mathematician and statistician (born 1865)
Guido Castelnuovo was an Italian mathematician best known for his contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. He is also renowned for his contributions to the study of statistics and probability theory.
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1952
American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1893)
Roy Del Ruth was an American filmmaker.
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1961
Bangladeshi-Pakistani lawyer and politician, Pakistani Minister of the Interior (born 1873)
Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq, popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Pakistani statesman, lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest-serving prime minister of Bengal during the British Raj. He presented the…
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1962
Australian politician (born 1892)
John Owen Critchley, was an Australian politician who served as a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1930 to 1933 and then the Australian Senate from 1947 to 1959. Born at Callington in the…
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1964
American journalist (born 1908)
Edward Roscoe Murrow was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent.
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1965
New Zealand farmer, founded the Eastwoodhill Arboretum (born 1884)
William Douglas Cook was the founder of Eastwoodhill Arboretum, now the national arboretum of New Zealand, and one of the founders of Pukeiti, a rhododendron garden, close to New Plymouth. He was a "plantsman with the…
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1967
Bolivian soldier, pilot, and politician, 55th President of Bolivia (born 1919)
René Emilio Barrientos Ortuño was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the 47th president of Bolivia from 1964 to 1965 and 1966 to 1969. During his first term, he shared power with Alfredo Ovando as…
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1969
Irish rebel and actor (born 1896)
Arthur Shields was an Irish actor on television, stage and film.
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1970
Ghanaian politician, 1st President of Ghana (born 1909)
Kwame Kofi Nkrumah, baptised Francis, was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from the United…
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1972
Argentinian race car driver and polo player (born 1914)
Carlos Alberto Menditéguy was a racing driver and polo player from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He entered 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of nine championship points.
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1973
1988
Japanese businessman, founded Panasonic (born 1894)
Kōnosuke Matsushita was a Japanese industrialist who founded Panasonic, the largest Japanese consumer electronics company. Matsushita is referred to as the "God of Management" in Japan.
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1989
French organist and composer (born 1908)
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th century, he was also an outstanding teacher of composition and musical analysis.
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1992
American physicist and astronomer (born 1927)
Gerard Kitchen O'Neill was an American physicist and space activist. As a faculty member of Princeton University, he invented a device called the particle storage ring for high-energy physics experiments. Later, he…
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1992
Canadian-American actress (born 1911)
Katherine Lester DeMille was an American actress who played 25 credited film roles from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s.
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1995
Dutch author, poet, and playwright (born 1921)
Willem Frederik Hermans was a Dutch author of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, as well as book-length studies, essays, and literary criticism. His most famous works are The House of Refuge, The Darkroom of…
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1995
American diplomat, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (born 1920)
William Egan Colby was an American intelligence officer who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from September 1973 to January 1976. During World War II, Colby served with the Office of Strategic Services.…
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1996
French director and screenwriter (born 1911)
Gilles Grangier was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 50 films and several TV series between 1943 and 1985. His film Archimède le clochard was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film…
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1996
Canadian journalist and politician (born 1915)
John White Hughes Bassett, was a Canadian media proprietor.
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1998
Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (born 1925)
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-American writer, trained as an anthropologist. Starting in 1968, Castaneda published a series of books that describe alleged training in shamanism that he received under the tutelage of a…
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1998
French journalist and author (born 1907)
Anne Cécile Desclos was a French literary critic, journalist, and novelist who wrote under the pen names Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage. She is best known for her erotic novel Story of O (1954).
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1998
American runner and soldier (born 1924)
Harris Browning 'Brownie' Ross is often referred to as the father of long-distance running in the United States.
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1998
1999
Canadian historian, author, and academic (born 1923)
Dale Cairns Thomson was a professor and departmental director at the Université de Montréal, professor and Vice-Principal of McGill University and a professor of international relations and Director of the Center of…
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1999
English cricketer (born 1914)
Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for…
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1999
American author (born 1947)
George Alec Effinger was an American science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio.
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2002
American inventor and businesswoman, created the Barbie doll (born 1916)
Ruth Marianna Handler was an American business magnate and inventor. She is best known for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959 and being co-founder of toy manufacturer Mattel with her husband Elliot, as well as serving as…
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2002
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1909)
George Reginald "Red" Horner was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1928 to 1940. He was the Leafs captain from 1938 until his retirement. He helped the Leafs…
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2005
American author (born 1944)
Julia Stimson Thorne was an American writer. She was the first wife of John Kerry, who was a U.S. Senator during their marriage.
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2006
Russian cellist and conductor (born 1927)
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enlarged the…
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2007
American dancer and choreographer (born 1914)
Frank Manning was an American dancer, instructor, and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founders of Lindy Hop, an energetic form of the jazz dance style known as swing.
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2009
South Korean model and actress (born 1983)
Woo Seung-yeon was a South Korean model and actress.
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2009
Indian Actor, Film Director & Producer (born 1939)
Feroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director best known for his work in Indian cinema. He appeared in over 60 films throughout his career and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons. Feroz…
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2009
American actress and singer (born 1935)
Marian Ethel Mercer was an American actress and singer.
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2011
American soldier and politician (born 1930)
Daniel Eugene Boatwright was a Democratic politician from the state of California. Boatwright was a longtime state legislator from Concord, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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2012
American baseball player (born 1930)
William Joseph Skowron, nicknamed "Moose", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 to 1967 for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers,…
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2012
Argentinian screenwriter (born 1938)
Aída Bortnik was an Argentine screenwriter, nominated for an Academy Award for her work in the film La historia oficial (1985). She has the notable distinction of having written the screenplay for both the first…
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2013
Scottish archaeologist (born 1921)
Lorraine Copeland was a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic period of the Near East. She was a secret agent with the Special Operations Executive during World War II.
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2013
Spanish footballer (born 1969)
Antonio Díaz Jurado was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
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2013
Dutch journalist and author (born 1917)
Jérôme Louis Heldring was a Dutch journalist. He was columnist (1953–2012) and editor-in-chief (1968–1972) of the newspapers Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and NRC Handelsblad.
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2013
Chinese bishop (born 1916)
Aloysius Jin Luxian, SJ was a Chinese Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Shanghai.
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2013
Kenyan lawyer and politician, Kenyan Minister of Justice (born 1948)
Mutula Kilonzo was a Kenyan politician and Senior Counsel, who served as Minister of Education after having previously served as Minister for Nairobi Metropolitan and justice and constitutional affairs He belonged to…
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2013
Israeli lawyer (born 1929)
Yigal Arnon was an Israeli lawyer and founder of Yigal Arnon & Co.
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2014
Serbian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1931)
Vujadin Boškov was a Yugoslavian football player and manager.
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2014
American football player and coach (born 1935)
Daniel Mametta Colchico was an American athlete who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL).
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2014
Australian race car driver and manager (born 1918)
Henry Leslie Firth, OAM was an Australian racing driver and team manager. Firth was a leading race and rally driver during the 1950s and 1960s and continued as an influential team manager with first the Ford works team…
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2014
American boxer (born 1931)
Lawrence Gene Fullmer was an American professional boxer and World Middleweight champion. He was known as The Utah Cyclone, The Mormon Mauler, and as "Cyclone" Gene Fullmer.
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2015
American football player, wrestler, and trainer (born 1926)
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling…
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2015
American biologist, biophysicist, and academic (born 1924)
Alexander Rich was an American biologist and biophysicist. He was the William Thompson Sedgwick Professor of Biophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. Rich earned an A.B. and an…
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2015
Indian actor, producer and politician (born 1946)
Vinod Khanna was an Indian actor, film producer, and politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. Recognised as a style and fashion icon, he was often referred to as the "Sexy Sanyasi" in the media, as well a sex…
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2017
Japanese sumo wrestler (born 1938)
Sadanoyama Shinmatsu was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nagasaki Prefecture. He was the sport's 50th yokozuna. After his retirement he was the head coach of Dewanoumi stable and served as head of the Japan…
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2017
2021
Chinese politician (born 1963)
Liao Guoxun was a Chinese politician who served as mayor and deputy party chief of Tianjin. He was of Tujia ethnicity.
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2022
American politician and actor (born 1944)
Gerald Norman Springer was an American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician. He was best known for hosting the controversial tabloid talk show Jerry Springer from 1991 to 2018. Springer was noted as a…
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2023
British author (born 1952)
Christopher John Sansom was a British writer of historical crime novels, best known for his Matthew Shardlake series. He also wrote the spy novel Winter in Madrid and the alternative history novel Dominion. He won…
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2024
Filipino-American drag performer, singer and actress (born 1980)
Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known professionally as Jiggly Caliente, was a Filipino-American transgender drag performer and entertainer. She rose to prominence competing on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2012),…
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2025
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Notable deaths
Who died on April 27?
Stanley Adams — American actor and screenwriter
FeaturedStanley Adams
Death year1977
Known forHe appeared in several films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Lilies of the Field (1963)
Deaths on this date87 (630 – 2025)
Explore April 27
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on April 27 in History
2026
A train crash kills at least 15 people and injures 84 others near Jakarta, Indonesia. Wikipedia →
2018
The Panmunjom Declaration is signed between North and South Korea, officially declaring their intentions to end the Korean conflict. Wikipedia →
2012
See all events on April 27
At least four explosions hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk with at least 27 people injured. Wikipedia →
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