Notable Deaths on January 15

Q: Who died on January 15?

Notable people who died on January 15 include: Galba, Chak Tok Ich'aak I, Íte of Killeedy, Theophylact, Rudolph of France (born 880).

Q: What is Melba Montgomery known for?

Melba Montgomery, American country music singer-songwriter (born 1938)

125 people 69 – 2025

January 15 has seen 125 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 69 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · January 15 — Wikipedia

2025 — Melba Montgomery

American country music singer-songwriter (born 1938)

Did you know

She was also a solo artist, having reached the top of the country charts in 1974 with the song, "No Charge"

Did you know

For several years, she toured the country as part of his band until she signed with United Artists Records in 1963.

Did you know

Melba Joyce Montgomery was an American country music singer and songwriter

Did you know

Born in Tennessee but raised in Alabama, Montgomery had a musical upbringing

Did you know

Along with her two brothers, she placed in a talent contest which brought her to the attention of Roy Acuff

Galba

Roman emperor (born 3 BC)

AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 for this year has been used since the…

Chak Tok Ich'aak I

Mayan ruler

Chak Tok Ichʼaak I also known as Great Paw, Great Jaguar Paw, and Toh Chak Ichʼak was an ajaw of the Maya city of Tikal. He took the throne on 7 August 360 and reigned until his death in 378, apparently at the hands of…

378

Íte of Killeedy

Irish nun and saint (born 475)

Íte ingen Chinn Fhalad, also known as Íde, Ita, Ida or Ides, was an early Irish nun and patron saint of Killeedy. She was known as the "foster mother of the saints of Erin". The name "Ita" was conferred on her because…

570

Theophylact

Byzantine emperor (born 793)

Theophylact or Theophylaktos was the eldest son of the Byzantine emperor Michael I Rangabe and grandson, on his mother's side, of Nikephoros I. He was junior co-emperor alongside his father for the duration of the…

849

Rudolph of France (born 880)

Rudolph, sometimes called Ralph, was the king of West Francia (France) from 923 until his death in 936. He was elected to succeed his father-in-law, Robert I, and spent much of his reign defending his realm from Viking…

936

Wang Jingchong

Chinese general

Wang Jingchong was an official and general of China's Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Shu dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. During the reign of Emperor Yin of Later Han, Wang…

950

Berengaria of Barcelona

queen consort of Castile (born 1116)

Berengaria of Barcelona, called in Spanish Berenguela de Barcelona and also known as Berengaria of Provence, was Queen consort of Castile, León and Galicia. She was the daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of…

1149

Adriana of Nassau-Siegen

German countess (born 1449)

Countess Adriana of Nassau-Siegen, German: Adriana Gräfin von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: Gräfin zu Nassau, Vianden und Diez, Frau zu Breda, was a countess from the House of Nassau-Siegen, a cadet branch of the…

1477

Nicolaus Olahus

Romanian archbishop (born 1493)

Nicolaus Olahus ; 10 January 1493 – 15 January 1568) was the Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary, and a distinguished Catholic prelate, humanist and historiographer.

1568

Catherine Carey

lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (born 1524)

Catherine Carey, after her marriage Catherine Knollys and later known as both Lady Knollys and Dame Catherine Knollys, was chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I, who was her first cousin.

1569

Martha Leijonhufvud

Swedish noblewoman (born 1520)

Martha Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud, known as Kung Märta, was a politically active Swedish noblewoman. She was the sister of Queen Margaret Leijonhufvud and sister-in-law of King Gustav I of Sweden: she was also the…

1584

Paolo Sarpi

Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (born 1552)

Paolo Sarpi, O.S.M. was an Italian Servite friar and Catholic priest who was a notable historian, scientist, canon lawyer, polymath and statesman active on behalf of the Venetian Republic during the period of its…

1623

John Cosin

English bishop and academic (born 1594)

John Cosin was an English bishop.

1672

Philip Warwick

English politician (born 1609)

Sir Philip Warwick, English writer and politician, born in Westminster, was the son of Thomas Warwick, or Warrick, a musician.

1683

Giovanni Battista Sammartini

Italian organist and composer (born 1700)

Giovanni Battista Sammartini was an Italian composer, violinist, organist, choirmaster and teacher. He counted Gluck among his students, and was highly regarded by younger composers including Johann Christian Bach. It…

1775

Lord Stirling

American Revolutionary War Major General (born 1726)

Major General William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling was a Continental Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling…

1783

John Landen

English mathematician and theorist (born 1719)

John Landen was an English mathematician.

1790

Dru Drury

English entomologist and author (born 1725)

Dru Drury was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He received specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry Smeathman.…

1804

Anton Bernolák

Slovak linguist and priest (born 1762)

Anton Bernolák was a Slovak linguist and Catholic priest, and the author of the first Slovak language standard.

1813

Emma

Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (born 1761)

Emma, Lady Hamilton, was an English model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men, culminating in the naval hero Lord Nelson, and was the…

1815

Jiang Zhongyuan

Chinese scholar and soldier (born 1812)

Jiang Zhongyuan, courtesy name Changrui, (常孺) was a scholar and soldier from Hunan who fought for the Qing and against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Taiping Rebellion.

1854

Henri Braconnot

French chemist and pharmacist (born 1780)

Henri Braconnot was a French chemist and pharmacist.

1855

Isaac Nathan

English-Australian composer and journalist (born 1792)

Isaac Nathan was a Jewish, English composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist, who has been called the "father of Australian music", having assisted the careers of numerous colonial musicians during his…

1864

Massimo d'Azeglio

Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (born 1798)

Massimo Taparelli, Marquess of Azeglio, commonly called Massimo d'Azeglio, was a Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist, and painter. He was Prime Minister of Sardinia for almost three years until succeeded by his…

1866

Eliza McCardle Johnson

American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (born 1810)

Eliza McCardle Johnson was the first lady of the United States from 1865 to 1869 as the wife of President Andrew Johnson. She also served as the second lady of the United States from March until April 1865 when her…

1876

Carl Georg von Wächter

German jurist (born 1797)

Carl Joseph Georg Sigismund Wächter, from 1835 von Wächter, was a leading German jurist in the 19th century. For a brief period he served as president of the Oberappellationsgericht der vier Freien Städte.

1880

Fanny Kemble

English actress (born 1809)

Frances Anne Kemble was an English actress from a theatre family in the early and mid-nineteenth century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist whose published works included plays, poetry, eleven…

1893

Mathew Brady

American photographer and journalist (born 1822)

Mathew B. Brady was an American photographer. Known as one of the earliest and most famous photographers in American history, he is best known for his scenes of the American Civil War. He studied under inventor Samuel…

1896

George Thorn

Australian politician, sixth Premier of Queensland (born 1838)

George Henry Thorn (junior) was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and a Premier of Queensland, Australia.

1905

Arnold Janssen

German priest and missionary (born 1837)

Arnold Janssen, was a German-Dutch Catholic priest and missionary who is venerated as a saint. He founded the Society of the Divine Word, a Catholic missionary religious congregation, also known as the Divine Word…

1909

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Russian playwright and translator (born 1850)

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator.

1916

Karl Liebknecht

German politician (born 1871)

Karl Paul August Friedrich Liebknecht was a German socialist politician and revolutionary. A leader of the far-left wing of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Liebknecht was a co-founder of both the Spartacus…

1919

Rosa Luxemburg

German economist, theorist, and philosopher (born 1871)

Rosa Luxemburg was a Polish and naturalised-German Marxist theorist and revolutionary. She was a leading theorist of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and later co-founded the anti-war Spartacus League, which…

1919

Enrico Toselli

Italian pianist and composer (born 1883)

Enrico Toselli, Count of Montignoso, was an Italian pianist and composer. Born in Florence, he studied piano with Giovanni Sgambati and composition with Giuseppe Martucci and Reginaldo Grazzini. He embarked on a career…

1926

George Cope

American painter (born 1855)

George Cope was an American painter who specialized in landscapes and still lifes. His works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

1929

Henry Forster

1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, seventh Governor-General of Australia (born 1866)

Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, was a British politician and first-class cricketer who served as the seventh Governor-General of Australia from 1920 to 1925. He was previously a government minister under…

1936

Anton Holban

Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (born 1902)

Anton Holban was a Romanian novelist. He was the nephew of Eugen Lovinescu.

1937

Kullervo Manner

Finnish Speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister of the FSWR and the Supreme Commander of the Red Guards (born 1880)

Kullervo Achilles Manner was a Finnish and Soviet politician. He was one of the leaders of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic.

1939

Wilhelm Wirtinger

Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (born 1865)

Wilhelm Wirtinger was an Austrian mathematician, working in complex analysis, geometry, algebra, number theory, Lie groups, and knot theory.

1945

Josephus Daniels

American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1862)

Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1948

Henry H. Arnold

American general (born 1886)

Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), commanding…

1950

Ernest Swinton

British Army officer (born 1868)

Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, was a British Army officer who played a part in the development and adoption of the tank during the First World War. He was also a war correspondent and author of several short…

1951

Nikolai Vekšin

Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (born 1887)

Nikolai Vekšin was a Russian and Estonian sailor and helmsman of the bronze-medallist Estonian team at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games.

1951

Ned Hanlon

Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (born 1887)

Edward Michael Hanlon was an Australian politician and soldier, who was Premier of Queensland from 1946 until his death in 1952.

1952

Yves Tanguy

French-American painter (born 1900)

Raymond Georges Yves Tanguy, known as just Yves Tanguy, was a French Surrealist painter, known for his abstract landscapes.

1955

Regina Margareten

Hungarian businesswoman (born 1863)

Regina Margareten was a Hungarian-American entrepreneur, who became known as the "Matzoh Queen" of New York City. She immigrated to the United States in 1883, where the family set up a business which grew into kosher…

1959

Yos Sudarso

Indonesian naval officer (born 1925)

Yosaphat "Yos" Sudarso was an Indonesian naval officer killed at the Battle of Arafura Sea. At the time of his death, Yos Sudarso was deputy chief of staff of the Indonesian Navy and in charge of an action to infiltrate…

1962

Jack Teagarden

American singer-songwriter and trombonist (born 1905)

Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden was an American jazz trombonist and singer. He led both of his bands himself and was a sideman for Paul Whiteman's orchestra. From 1946 to 1951, he played in Louis Armstrong's All-Stars.

1964

David Burliuk

Ukrainian author and illustrator (born 1882)

David Davidovich Burliuk was a Russian poet, artist and publicist of Ukrainian origin associated with the Futurist and Neo-Primitivist movements. Burliuk has been described as "the father of Russian Futurism."

1967

Bill Masterton

Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1938)

William John Masterton was a Canadian–American professional ice hockey player who was a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars in 1967–68. He is the only player in NHL history to die as…

1968

Frank Clement

English race car driver (born 1886)

Frank Charles Clement was a British racing driver who, along with Canadian John Duff, won the 1924 24 Hours of Le Mans.

1970

William T. Piper

American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (born 1881)

William Thomas Piper Sr. was an American aviation and oil industry businessman. He was the founding president of the Piper Aircraft Corporation and led the company from 1929 until his death in 1970. He graduated from…

1970

Daisy Ashford

English author (born 1881)

Margaret Mary Julia Devlin, known as Daisy Ashford, was an English writer who is most famous for writing The Young Visiters, a novella concerning the upper class society of late 19th century England, when she was nine…

1972

Coleman Francis

American actor, director, and producer (born 1919)

Coleman Chambers Francis was an American actor, writer, producer and director. He was best known for his film trilogy consisting of The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961), The Skydivers (1963) and Red Zone Cuba (1966), all…

1973

Ivan Petrovsky

Russian mathematician and academic (born 1901)

Ivan Georgiyevich Petrovsky was a Soviet mathematician working mainly in the field of partial differential equations. He greatly contributed to the solution of Hilbert's 19th and 16th problems, and discovered what are…

1973

Harold D. Cooley

American lawyer and politician (born 1897)

Harold Dunbar Cooley was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represented the Fourth Congressional district of North Carolina from 1934 to 1966.

1974

Graham Whitehead

English race car driver (born 1922)

Alfred Graham Whitehead was a British racing driver from England. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 19 July 1952. He finished 12th, scoring no championship points. He also competed in…

1981

Red Smith

American journalist (born 1905)

Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith was an American sportswriter. Smith’s journalistic career spanned over five decades and his work influenced an entire generation of writers. In 1976, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for…

1982

Armin Öpik

Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (born 1898)

Armin Aleksander Öpik was an Estonian paleontologist who spent the second half of his career at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Australia.

1983

Shepperd Strudwick

American actor (born 1907)

Shepperd Strudwick was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York.

1983

Fazıl Küçük

Cypriot journalist and politician (born 1906)

Fazıl Küçük was a Turkish Cypriot politician and a medical doctor who served as the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.

1984

Ray Bolger

American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1904)

Raymond Wallace Bolger was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer who started his movie career in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in the 1930s and beyond. He is…

1987

Seán MacBride

Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for External Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904)

Seán MacBride was an Irish Republican activist, politician, and diplomat who served as Minister for External Affairs from 1948 to 1951, Leader of Clann na Poblachta from 1946 to 1965 and Chief of Staff of the IRA from…

1988

Gordon Jackson

Scottish-English actor (born 1923)

Gordon Cameron Jackson was a Scottish actor. He is best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and as George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals. He also portrayed Capt…

1990

Peggy van Praagh

English ballerina, choreographer, and director (born 1910)

Dame Margaret van Praagh was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, repetiteur, producer, advocate and director, who spent much of her later career in Australia.

1990

Sammy Cahn

American songwriter (born 1913)

Samuel Cohen, known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by…

1993

Georges Cziffra

Hungarian-French pianist and composer (born 1921)

Christian Georges Cziffra was a Hungarian-French virtuoso pianist and composer. He is considered to be one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of the twentieth century. Among his teachers was Ernő Dohnányi, a pupil of…

1994

Harry Nilsson

American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Harry Edward Nilsson III, sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer and songwriter known for his versatile tenor range, pioneering use of vocal overdubbing, explorations of the Great American Songbook, and…

1994

Harilal Upadhyay

Indian author, poet, and astrologist (born 1916)

Harilal Upadhyay was a Gujarati novelist and poet. He wrote more than 100 books.

1994

Les Baxter

American pianist and composer (born 1922)

Leslie Thompson Baxter was an American composer, conductor, and musician. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica, and scored over…

1996

Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (born 1938)

Moshoeshoe II, previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. He was…

1996

Gulzarilal Nanda

Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (born 1898)

Gulzarilal Nanda was an Indian politician and economist who specialised in labour issues. He served as the acting Prime Minister of India for two 13-day tenures following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal…

1998

Junior Wells

American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (born 1934)

Junior Wells was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song "Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues, described by the critic Bill Dahl as "one…

1998

Betty Box

English film producer (born 1915)

Betty Evelyn Box was a British film producer, usually credited as Betty E. Box.

1999

Georges-Henri Lévesque

Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (born 1903)

Georges-Henri Lévesque was a Canadian Dominican priest and sociologist and a liberal figure during the conservative Duplessis era in Quebec.

2000

Leo Marks

English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1920)

Leopold Samuel Marks was an English writer, screenwriter, and cryptographer. During the Second World War he headed the codes office supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special Operations…

2001

Michael Anthony Bilandic

American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (born 1923)

Michael Anthony Bilandic was an American Democratic politician, judge, and attorney who served as the 49th mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, after the death of his predecessor, Richard J. Daley. Bilandic practiced law…

2002

Eugène Brands

Dutch painter (born 1913)

Eugène Brands was a Dutch painter, an early member of the COBRA avant-garde art movement.

2002

Jeanne Voltz

American food journalist and cookbook writer (born 1920)

Jeanne Voltz was an American food journalist, editor, and cookbook author. She was food editor for the Miami Herald and the Los Angeles Times, two of the most influential food sections in the country during her tenure…

2002

Doris Fisher

American singer-songwriter (born 1915)

Doris Fisher was an American singer and songwriter, collaborating both as lyricist and composer. She co-wrote many popular songs in the 1940s, including "Whispering Grass", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Into Each…

2003

Olivia Goldsmith

American author (born 1949)

Olivia Goldsmith was an American author, known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the 1996 film of the same name.

2004

Victoria de los Ángeles

Spanish soprano and actress (born 1923)

Victoria de los Ángeles López García was a Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.

2005

Walter Ernsting

German author (born 1920)

Walter Ernsting was a German science fiction and fantasy author who mainly published under the pseudonym Clark Darlton. He grew up in Koblenz and was drafted into the German Wehrmacht shortly after the beginning of…

2005

Elizabeth Janeway

American author and critic (born 1913)

Elizabeth Janeway was an American author and critic.

2005

Ruth Warrick

American actress (born 1916)

Ruth Elizabeth Warrick was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children, which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She…

2005

Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Kuwaiti ruler (born 1926)

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, also known as Jaber III, was the Emir of Kuwait from 31 December 1977 until his death in 2006. The 13th ruler in his family's dynasty, Jaber's reign oversaw the transition of a…

2006

Awad Hamed al-Bandar

Iraqi lawyer and judge (born 1945)

Awad Hamad al-Bandar (Arabic: عواد حمد البندر السعدون, romanized: ʿAwād Ḥamad al-Bandar al-Saʿdūn; was an Iraqi chief judge under Saddam Hussein's presidency. He was a member of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and was…

2007

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti

Iraqi intelligence officer (born 1951)

Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, also known as Barzan Hassan, was an Iraqi politician, diplomat and intelligence officer. He was one of three half-brothers of Saddam Hussein and served as the leader of the Iraqi…

2007

James Hillier

Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (born 1915)

James Hillier, was a Canadian-American scientist and inventor who designed and built, with Albert Prebus, the first successful high-resolution electron microscope in North America in 1938.

2007

Pura Santillan-Castrence

Filipino educator and diplomat (born 1905)

Pura Santillan-Castrence was a Filipino writer and diplomat. Of Filipino women writers, she was among the first to gain prominence writing in the English language. She was named a Chevalier de Légion d'honneur by the…

2007

Bo Yibo

Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (born 1908)

Bo Yibo (Chinese: 薄一波; pinyin: Bó Yībō; Wade–Giles: Po2 I1-po1; 17 February 1908 – 15 January 2007) was one of the most senior political figures in China during the 1980s and 1990s.

2007

Robert V. Bruce

American historian, author, and academic (born 1923)

Robert Vance Bruce was an American historian specializing in the American Civil War, who won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876 (1987). After serving in…

2008

Brad Renfro

American actor (born 1982)

Brad Barron Renfro was an American actor. He made his film debut at age 11 with a starring role in The Client (1994). Renfro went on to appear in 21 feature films, winning several awards.

2008

Lincoln Verduga Loor

Ecuadorian journalist and politician (born 1917)

Lincoln Savonarola Verduga Loor was an Ecuadorian journalist and politician known for a long career in public service in his country.

2009

Nat Lofthouse

English footballer and manager (born 1925)

Nathaniel Lofthouse was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one of the highest…

2011

Pierre Louis-Dreyfus

French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (born 1908)

Pierre Louis-Dreyfus was a French Resistance fighter during World War II who later was CEO of the Louis Dreyfus Cie.

2011

Susannah York

English actress and activist (born 1939)

Susannah Yolande Fletcher, known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including Tom Jones (1963) and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), formed the…

2011

Ed Derwinski

American soldier and politician, first United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (born 1926)

Edward Joseph Derwinski was an American politician who served as the first Cabinet-level United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving under President George H. W. Bush from March 15, 1989 to September 26, 1992.…

2012

Manuel Fraga Iribarne

Spanish lawyer and politician, third President of the Xunta of Galicia (born 1922)

Manuel Fraga Iribarne was a Spanish professor and politician during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and one of the founders of the People's Alliance. Fraga was the Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962…

2012

Carlo Fruttero

Italian journalist and author (born 1926)

Carlo Fruttero was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.

2012

Samuel Jaskilka

American general (born 1919)

Samuel Jaskilka was a U.S. Marine four-star general whose last assignment was Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1975–1978). General Jaskilka was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean War, having…

2012

Ib Spang Olsen

Danish author and illustrator (born 1921)

Ib Spang Olsen was a Danish writer and illustrator best known to generations of Danes for cartoons and illustrations, many of which appeared in children's publications. Those include a series of nursery rhyme books…

2012

Hulett C. Smith

American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (born 1918)

Hulett Carlson Smith was an American politician who served as the 27th governor of West Virginia from 1965 to 1969.

2012

Nagisa Oshima

Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1932)

Nagisa Ōshima was a Japanese film director, writer, and left-wing activist who is best known for his fiction films, of which he directed 23 features in a career spanning from 1959 to 1999. He is regarded as one of the…

2013

John Thomas

American high jumper (born 1941)

John Curtis Thomas was an American track and field athlete who set several world records in the high jump using the straddle technique. As a youth, he earned the Eagle Scout award. At the age of 17, while a freshman at…

2013

Curtis Bray

American football player and coach (born 1970)

Curtis Sidney Bray was an American football coach. He was a coach for Duquesne University, Western Kentucky University, Villanova University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Iowa State University.

2014

John Dobson

Chinese-American astronomer and author (born 1915)

John Lowry Dobson was an American amateur astronomer and is best known for the Dobsonian telescope, a portable, low-cost Newtonian reflector telescope. He was also known for his efforts to promote awareness of astronomy…

2014

Roger Lloyd-Pack

English actor (born 1944)

Roger Anthony Lloyd Pack was a British actor. He is best known for playing Trigger in Only Fools and Horses from 1981 to 2003, and Owen Newitt in The Vicar of Dibley from 1994 to 2007. He later starred as Tom in The Old…

2014

Ervin Drake

American songwriter and composer (born 1919)

Ervin Drake was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as "I Believe" and "It Was a Very Good Year". He wrote in a variety of styles and his work has been recorded by musicians…

2015

Kim Fowley

American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (born 1939)

Kim Vincent Fowley was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been described as…

2015

Ray Nagel

American football player and coach (born 1927)

Raymond Robert Nagel was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970,…

2015

Francisco X. Alarcón

American poet and educator (born 1954)

Francisco Xavier Alarcón was an American Chicano poet and educator. He was one of the few Chicano poets to have "gained recognition while writing mostly in Spanish" within the United States. His poems have been also…

2016

Ken Judge

Australian footballer and coach (born 1958)

Ken Judge was an Australian rules footballer and coach.

2016

Manuel Velázquez

Spanish footballer (born 1943)

Manuel Velázquez Villaverde was a Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder.

2016

Jimmy Snuka

Fijian professional wrestler (born 1943)

James Reiher Snuka was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.

2017

Dolores O'Riordan

Irish pop singer (born 1971)

Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan was an Irish musician who achieved international fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band the Cranberries. O'Riordan was the principal songwriter of the band and also played acoustic and…

2018

Carol Channing

American actress (born 1921)

Carol Elaine Channing was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Each of her characters typically possessed a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice.

2019

Ida Kleijnen

Dutch chef (born 1936)

Ida Kleijnen was a Dutch Michelin-starred chef.

2019

Rocky Johnson

Canadian professional wrestler (born 1944)

Rocky Johnson was a Canadian professional wrestler. Among many National Wrestling Alliance titles, he was the first Black NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion as well as the NWA Television Champion. He won the WWF Tag Team…

2020

Lloyd Cowan

British athlete and coach (born 1962)

Lloyd Cowan was a British track and field athlete and coach.

2020

Alexa McDonough

first female politician to lead a major provincial political party in Canada, former leader of the federal New Democratic Party. (born 1944)

Alexa Ann McDonough was a Canadian politician who was the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, at any level, when she was the leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NSNDP) from…

2022

Paul Danan

English actor and television personality (born 1978)

Paul Louis Danan was an English actor and television personality, known for playing the role of Sol Patrick in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, between 1997 and 2001. In 2005, he appeared as a contestant on the first…

2025

David Lynch

American television and film director, visual artist and musician, complications from emphysema (born 1946)

David Keith Lynch was an American filmmaker, producer, actor, painter, and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, with his films often…

2025