Did you know
Isaac Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards.
Notable Deaths on April 6
1992 — Isaac Asimov
American science fiction writer (born 1920)
April 6 has 119 recorded notable deaths across history, from 861 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
119 source records
861 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on April 6
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 2026 The crew of Artemis II makes the first crewed circumlunar flight since Apollo 17 in 1972, returning humanity to the Moon's vicinity and breaking Apollo 13's record by ~4,000 miles as the furthest crewed spaceflight. Source
- 1973 Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft. Source
- 1965 Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit. Source
- 1968 Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Party leadership election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon afterward. Source
Did you know
Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199.
Did you know
Clem Burke joined the band shortly after its formation in 1975 and remained with Blondie throughout the band's entire career until his death in 2025.
Did you know
Matthias Corvinus was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I.
Did you know
Al Kaline was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 in his first year of eligibility.
More major people who died on April 6
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1199
Richard I
king of England (born 1157)
Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199.
2025
Clem Burke
American drummer (born 1954)
Clement Anthony Burke was an American musician best known as the drummer for the band Blondie.
1490
Matthias Corvinus
King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 (born 1443)
Matthias Corvinus was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just".
2020
Al Kaline
American baseball player, broadcaster and executive (born 1934)
Albert William Kaline, nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played his entire 22-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers.
2010
Wilma Mankiller
American tribal leader (born 1945)
Wilma Pearl Mankiller was a Native American activist, social worker, community developer and the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
1829
Niels Henrik Abel
Norwegian mathematician and theorist (born 1802)
Niels Henrik Abel was a Norwegian mathematician who made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields.
1953
Idris Davies
Welsh poet and author (born 1905)
Idris Davies was a Welsh poet. He was born in Rhymney, in the historic county of Monmouthshire in South East Wales to Welsh-speaking parents, Evan Davies and his wife Elizabeth Ann.
1860
James Kirke Paulding
American author and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1778)
James Kirke Paulding was an American writer and, for a time, the United States Secretary of the Navy.
2012
Fang Lizhi
Chinese astrophysicist and academic (born 1936)
Fang Lizhi was a Chinese astrophysicist, vice-president of the University of Science and Technology of China, and activist whose liberal ideas inspired the pro-democracy student movement of 1986–87 and, finally, the…
1998
Tammy Wynette
American singer-songwriter (born 1942)
Tammy Wynette was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists.
1886
William Edward Forster
English businessman, philanthropist, and politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (born 1818)
William Edward Forster, PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.
2014
Mickey Rooney
American soldier, actor, and dancer (born 1920)
Mickey Rooney was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the silent-film era.
1927
Florence Earle Coates
American poet (born 1850)
Florence Van Leer Nicholson Coates was an American poet whose prolific output was published in dozens of literary magazines, some of it set to music.
1996
Greer Garson
English-American actress (born 1904)
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson was a British and American actress and singer.
2025
Jay North
American actor (born 1951)
Jay Waverly North Jr. was an American actor and later a corrections officer after retiring from acting.
1833
Adamantios Korais
Greek philosopher and scholar (born 1748)
Adamantios Korais or Koraïs was a Greek scholar, who is credited with laying the foundations of modern Greek literature. He was a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment.
2017
Don Rickles
American actor and comedian (born 1926)
Donald Jay Rickles was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995).
1605
John Stow
English historian and author (born 1525)
John Stow was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles, The Chronicles of England,…
1947
Herbert Backe
German agronomist and politician (born 1896)
Herbert Friedrich Wilhelm Backe was a German politician and SS-Obergruppenführer who served as State Secretary and Reichsminister in the Reich Ministry of Food and Agriculture.