Notable Deaths on January 28

Q: Who died on January 28?

Notable people who died on January 28 include: Yazid II, Charlemagne, Zhou Dewei, Gao Jixing, Jing Yanguang.

Q: What is Astrid Lindgren known for?

Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (born 1907)

107 people 724 – 2026

January 28 has seen 107 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 724 – 2026. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · January 28 — Wikipedia

2002 — Astrid Lindgren

Swedish author and screenwriter (born 1907)

Did you know

In 2017, she was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author

Did you know

Lindgren worked on the Children's Literature Editorial Board at the Rabén & Sjögren publishing house in Stockholm and wrote more than 30 books for children

Did you know

In 1994, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "her unique authorship dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality"

Did you know

Her campaigning for animal welfare led to a new law, Lex Lindgren, in time for her 80th birthday.

Did you know

Lindgren had by 2010 sold roughly 167 million books worldwide

Yazid II

Umayyad caliph (born 687)

Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, commonly known as Yazid II, was the ninth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 720 until his death in 724. Although he lacked administrative or military experience, he derived prestige from his…

724

Charlemagne

Holy Roman emperor (born 742)

Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800. He united most of Western and Central Europe and was the first recognised…

814

Zhou Dewei

Chinese general

Zhou Dewei (周德威), courtesy name Zhenyuan (鎮遠), nickname Yangwu (陽五), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Jin.

919

Gao Jixing

founder of Chinese Jingnan (born 858)

Gao Jixing, born Gao Jichang (高季昌), known for some time as Zhu Jichang (朱季昌), courtesy name Yisun (貽孫), also known by his posthumous name as the Prince Wuxin of Chu (楚武信王), was the founding prince of Jingnan during the…

929

Jing Yanguang

Chinese general (born 892)

Jing Yanguang, courtesy name Hangchuan (航川), was a general and official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Jin state. He was instrumental in the enthronement of Later Jin's second emperor Shi…

947

Spytihněv II

Duke of Bohemia (born 1031)

Spytihněv II, a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1055 until his death in 1061.

1061

Yue Fei

Chinese general (born 1103)

Yue Fei, courtesy name Pengju (鵬舉), was a Chinese military general of the Song dynasty and is remembered as a patriotic national hero, known for leading its forces in the wars in the 12th century between Southern Song…

1142

William II

Count of Holland, King of Germany (born 1227)

William II was the Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1234 until his death. He was elected anti-king of Germany in 1248 and ruled as sole king from 1254 onwards.

1256

Isabella of Aragon

Queen of France (born 1247)

Isabella of Aragon, was Queen of France from 1270 to 1271 by marriage to Philip III of France.

1271

Dervorguilla of Galloway

Scottish noble, mother of king John Balliol of Scotland (born c. 1210)

Dervorguilla of Galloway was a "lady of substance" in 13th-century Scotland. She was the wife, from 1223, of John de Balliol and the mother of King John Balliol.

1290

Robert le Maçon

French diplomat (born 1365)

Robert le Maçon was chancellor of France, advisor to Charles VII and supporter of Joan of Arc.

1443

John Dynham

1st Baron Dynham, English baron and Lord High Treasurer (born 1433)

John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham, of Nutwell in the parish of Woodbury and of Hartland, both in Devon, was an English peer and politician. He served as Lord High Treasurer of England and Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He was…

1501

Henry VIII

king of England (born 1491)

Henry VIII was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. After the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry passed legislation that severed England and Ireland from the Roman…

1547

Thomas Bodley

English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (born 1545)

Sir Thomas Bodley was an English diplomat and scholar who founded the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

1613

Pope Paul V (born 1550)

Pope Paul V, born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a member of the papal Accademia…

1621

Tommaso Dingli

Maltese architect and sculptor (born 1591)

Tommaso Dingli was a Maltese architect and sculptor. One of the last Renaissance architects on the island, he designed several parish churches, most notably those of Attard and Birkirkara.

1666

Pierre Séguier

French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (born 1588)

Pierre Séguier was a French statesman who was the chancellor of France from 1635.

1672

Richard Allestree

English priest and academic (born 1619)

Richard Allestree or Allestry was an English Royalist churchman and provost of Eton College from 1665.

1681

Johannes Hevelius

Polish astronomer and politician (born 1611)

Johannes Hevelius was a councillor and chairman of the city council of the Old Town, Gdańsk. As an astronomer, he gained a reputation as "the founder of lunar topography", and described ten new constellations, seven of…

1687

Ferdinand Verbiest

Flemish Jesuit missionary in China (born 1623)

Ferdinand Verbiest, was a Flemish Jesuit missionary in China during the Qing dynasty. He was born in Pittem near Tielt in the County of Flanders. He is known as Nan Huairen in Chinese.

1688

Sir John Fenwick

3rd Baronet, English general and politician (born 1645)

Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet was an English Army officer and politician. He succeeded to the Fenwick baronetcy after the death of his father, Sir William Fenwick. A supporter of the Jacobite cause, Fenwick was involved…

1697

Ludvig Holberg

Norwegian-Danish historian and philosopher (born 1684)

Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, the…

1754

Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville

French geographer and cartographer (born 1697)

Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville was a French geographer and cartographer who greatly improved the standards of map-making. D'Anville became cartographer to the king, who purchased his cartographic materials, the…

1782

Augustin Daniel Belliard

French general (born 1769)

Augustin Daniel Belliard, comte Belliard et de l'Empire was a French general.

1832

F. J. Robinson

1st Viscount Goderich, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1782)

Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon, styled The Honourable F. J. Robinson until 1827 and known between 1827 and 1833 as the Viscount Goderich, the name by which he is best known to history, was a British…

1859

Émile Clapeyron

French physicist and engineer (born 1799)

Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron was a French engineer and physicist, one of the founders of thermodynamics.

1864

John Hart

English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (born 1809)

Captain John Hart CMG was a South Australian politician and a Premier of South Australia.

1873

Augusta Holmès

French pianist and composer (born 1847)

Augusta Mary Anne Holmès was a French composer of Irish descent. In 1871, while living with the poet Catulle Mendès, Holmès became a French national and added the accent to her last name. She also published music under…

1903

Gustave de Molinari

Belgian economist and theorist (born 1819).

Gustave de Molinari was a Belgian political economist and French Liberal School theorist associated with French laissez-faire economists such as Frédéric Bastiat and Hippolyte Castille.

1912

Eloy Alfaro

former president of Ecuador (born 1842)

José Eloy Alfaro Delgado often referred to as "The Old Warrior," was an Ecuadorian politician who served as the President of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. Eloy Alfaro emerged as the leader of the…

1912

John McCrae

Canadian soldier, physician, and author (born 1872)

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the famous war…

1918

Mustafa Suphi

Turkish journalist and politician (born 1883)

Mustafa Suphi or Mustafa Subhi was a Turkish revolutionary and communist during the period of dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.

1921

Emmy Destinn

Czech soprano and poet (born 1878)

Emmy Destinn was a Czech operatic dramatic soprano. She had a career both in Europe and at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She was one of the greatest opera singers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

1930

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Russian composer and conductor (born 1859)

Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era.

1935

Anastasios Metaxas

Greek architect and target shooter (born 1862)

Anastasios Metaxas was a Greek architect and shooter.

1937

Bernd Rosemeyer

German race car driver (born 1909)

Bernd Rosemeyer was a German racing driver and speed record holder. He is often considered one of the greatest racing drivers of his era.

1938

W. B. Yeats

Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1865)

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with John…

1939

Edward Siegler

American gymnast and triathlete (born 1881)

Edward Victor Siegler was an American gymnast and track and field athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904 he won the bronze medal in the team event. He was also 12th in athletics' triathlon event, 32nd…

1942

Roza Shanina

Russian sergeant and sniper (born 1924)

Roza Georgiyevna Shanina was a Soviet sniper during World War II who was credited with over 50 kills. Shanina volunteered for the military after the death of her brother in 1941 and chose to be a sniper on the front…

1945

Reynaldo Hahn

Venezuelan-French composer, conductor, and critic (born 1875)

Reynaldo Hahn de Echenagucia was a French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – mélodies – of which he wrote more than 100.

1947

Hans Aumeier

German SS officer (born 1906)

Hans Aumeier was an SS commander during the Nazi era who was the commandant of Vaivara concentration camp and the deputy commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp. One of the most important criminals at Auschwitz,…

1948

Jean-Pierre Wimille

French race car driver (born 1908)

Jean-Pierre Wimille was a French racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was a two-time victor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning in 1937 and 1939. He is generally regarded as one of…

1949

Nikolai Luzin

Russian mathematician and academic (born 1883)

Nikolai Nikolayevich Luzin was a Soviet and Russian mathematician known for his work in descriptive set theory and aspects of mathematical analysis with strong connections to point-set topology. He was the eponym of…

1950

James Scullin

Australian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1876)

James Henry Scullin was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the ninth prime minister of Australia from 1929 to 1932. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having briefly…

1953

Neyzen Tevfik

Turkish philosopher and poet (born 1879)

Tevfik Kolaylı, better known by his pen name Neyzen Tevfik, was a Turkish poet, satirist, and neyzen. Tevfik was born in Bodrum and died in Istanbul. In addition to his satire, he composed taksims and saz semais. He…

1953

Walter Beall

American baseball player (born 1899)

Walter Esau Beall was an American baseball player who played for the New York Yankees on several championship teams in the 1920s.

1959

Zora Neale Hurston

American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (born 1891)

Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo and Caribbean…

1960

Gustave Garrigou

French cyclist (born 1884)

Cyprien Gustave Garrigou was one of the best professional racing cyclists of his era. He rode the Tour de France eight times and won once. Of 117 stages, he won eight, came in the top ten 96 times and finished 65 times…

1963

Tich Freeman

English cricketer (born 1888)

Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman was an English first-class cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most prolific…

1965

Maxime Weygand

Belgian-French general (born 1867)

Maxime Weygand was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy regime.

1965

Donald Winnicott

English paediatrician and psychoanalyst (born 1896)

Donald Woods Winnicott was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the British…

1971

John Banner

Austrian actor (born 1910)

John Banner was an Austrian-born American actor, best known for his role as Sergeant Schultz in the situation comedy Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971). Schultz, constantly encountering evidence that inmates of his stalag were…

1973

Marcel Broodthaers

Belgian painter and poet (born 1924)

Marcel Broodthaers was a Belgian poet, filmmaker, and visual artist.

1976

Ward Moore

American author (born 1903)

Joseph Ward Moore was an American science fiction writer. According to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, "he contributed only infrequently to the field, [but] each of his books became something of a classic."

1978

Billy Fury. English pop star (born 1940)

Ronald Wycherley, known professionally as Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart. His hit singles include "Wondrous Place", "Halfway to Paradise"…

1983

Frank Forde

Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1890)

Francis Michael Forde was an Australian politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945, in a caretaker capacity following the death of John Curtin. He was deputy leader of the…

1983

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Gregory Bruce Jarvis was an American engineer and astronaut who died during the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, where he was serving as payload specialist for Hughes Aircraft.

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Sharon Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, where she was serving as a payload specialist.

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Ronald Erwin McNair was an American NASA astronaut and physicist. He died at the age of 35 during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, in which he was serving as one of three mission…

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Ellison Shoji Onizuka was an American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Air Force flight test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died in the…

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Judith Arlene Resnik was an American electrical engineer, software engineer, biomedical engineer, pilot and NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She was the fourth woman, the second American…

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Francis Richard Scobee was an American pilot, engineer, and astronaut. He was killed while commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, which suffered catastrophic booster failure during launch of the STS-51-L…

1986

Space Shuttle Challenger crew

Michael John Smith, was an American engineer and astronaut. He served as the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission, breaking up 73 seconds into the flight, and at an…

1986

Klaus Fuchs

German physicist, politician, and atomic spy (born 1911)

Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs was a German theoretical physicist, atomic spy, and communist who supplied information from the American, British, and Canadian Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union during and shortly after…

1988

Choekyi Gyaltsen

10th Panchen Lama (born 1938)

Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chöekyi Gyaltsen was the tenth Panchen Lama, officially the 10th Panchen Erdeni, of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. According to Tibetan Buddhism, Panchen Lamas are living emanations of…

1989

Helen Sawyer Hogg

Canadian astronomer and academic (born 1905)

Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg was an American-Canadian astronomer who pioneered research into globular clusters and variable stars. She was the first female president of several astronomical organizations and a scientist…

1993

Joseph Brodsky

Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1940)

Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky, anglicized as Joseph, was a Russian and American poet and essayist.

1996

Burne Hogarth

American cartoonist and author (born 1911)

Burne Hogarth was an American artist and educator, best known for his work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books for artists.

1996

Jerry Siegel

American author and illustrator, co-created Superman (born 1914)

Jerome "Jerry" Siegel was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of Superman, in collaboration with his friend Joe Shuster, published by DC Comics. They also created Doctor Occult, who was later featured…

1996

Shotaro Ishinomori

Japanese author and illustrator (born 1938)

Shotaro Ishinomori , né Onodera , was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, writer and director. Known as the "King of Manga", he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential manga artists of all time. Outside…

1998

Valery Gavrilin

Russian composer (born 1939)

Valery Aleksandrovich Gavrilin (Russian: Валерий Александрович Гаврилин, was a Soviet and Russian composer. People's Artist of the RSFSR.

1999

Ranko Marinković

Croatian author and playwright (born 1913)

Ranko Marinković was a Croatian novelist and dramatist.

2001

Gustaaf Deloor

Belgian cyclist and soldier (born 1913)

Gustaaf Deloor was a Belgian road racing cyclist and the winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and 1936. The 1936 edition remains the slowest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the…

2002

Ayşe Nur Zarakolu

Turkish author and activist (born 1946)

Ayşe Nur Zarakolu was a Turkish author, publisher and human rights advocate. She was co-founder, with her husband Ragıp Zarakolu, of notable Turkish publishing house Belge and, in the 1980s, became the director of…

2002

Mieke Pullen

Dutch runner (born 1957)

Mieke Pullen née Hombergen was a Dutch long-distance runner who competed mainly in marathon races. She ran thirty races over the distance in her career, winning races in Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Enschede and Singapore. She…

2003

Lloyd M. Bucher

American captain (born 1927)

Lloyd Mark "Pete" Bucher was a United States Navy officer best known as the captain of USS Pueblo, which was seized by North Korea on January 23, 1968.

2004

Jim Capaldi

English singer-songwriter and drummer (born 1944)

Nicola James Capaldi was an English singer-songwriter and drummer. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the progressive rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood, and the two of them…

2005

Carlo Clerici

Swiss cyclist (born 1929)

Carlo Clerici was a Swiss professional road bicycle racer.

2007

Robert Drinan

American priest, lawyer, and politician (born 1920)

Robert Frederick Drinan was an American Jesuit priest, lawyer, activist, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. He left office in 1981 to obey Pope John Paul II's prohibition on priests holding political…

2007

Yelena Romanova

Russian runner (born 1963)

Yelena Nikolaevna Romanova was a Russian distance runner. She won an Olympic gold medal in women's 3000 metres in 1992.

2007

Karel Svoboda

Czech composer (born 1938)

Karel Svoboda was a Czech composer of popular music. He wrote music for many TV series in the 1970s.

2007

Werner Flume

German jurist (born 1908)

Werner Flume was a German jurist and professor of Roman law, private law, tax law and a legal historian. He has significantly influenced the modern development of German private law and has been called a "lawyer of the…

2009

Billy Powell

American keyboard player and songwriter (born 1952)

William Norris Powell was an American musician and the keyboardist of southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009.

2009

Roman Juszkiewicz

Polish astronomer and astrophysicist (born 1952)

Roman Juszkiewicz was a Polish astrophysicist whose work concerned fundamental issues of cosmology.

2012

Don Starkell

Canadian adventurer and author (born 1932)

Don Starkell was a Canadian adventurer, diarist and author, perhaps best known for his achievements in canoeing, in particular, paddling from Winnipeg to the mouth of the Amazon River and by kayak through the Northwest…

2012

Florentino Fernández

Cuban-American boxer and coach (born 1936)

Florentino "the Ox" Fernández was a Cuban middleweight who fought from 1956 to 1972. His overall record was 50 wins, 16 losses and two draws. In the Cuban community, he was known both as "3 Toneles" and as "El Barbaro…

2013

Hattie N. Harrison

American educator and politician (born 1928)

Hattie N. Harrison was an American politician who served in the Maryland General Assembly from 1973. Harrison was the chairperson of the Maryland House of Delegates Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, and was the…

2013

Oldřich Kulhánek

Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (born 1940)

Oldřich Kulhánek was a Czech painter, graphic designer, illustrator, stage designer and pedagogue. Kulhánek created the design for the current Czech banknotes and postage stamps.

2013

John Cacavas

American composer and conductor (born 1930)

John Harry Cacavas was an American composer and conductor, best known for his television scores. He was the principal composer for Kojak (1973–78), also writing its second main title theme for its 5th and final season.

2014

Harry Gamble

American football player, coach, and manager (born 1930)

Harry T. Gamble was an American football coach and executive. He was the head coach at the Lafayette College and University of Pennsylvania and general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles.

2014

Dwight Gustafson

American composer and conductor (born 1930)

Dwight Leonard Gustafson was an American composer, conductor, and dean of the School of Fine Arts at Bob Jones University.

2014

Nigel Jenkins

Welsh poet, journalist, and geographer (born 1949)

Nigel Jenkins was an Anglo-Welsh poet. He was an editor, journalist, psychogeographer, broadcaster and writer of creative non-fiction, as well as being a lecturer at Swansea University and director of the creative…

2014

Jorge Obeid

Argentinian engineer and politician, Governor of Santa Fe (born 1947)

Jorge Alberto Obeid was an Argentine Justicialist Party (PJ) politician who was twice governor of Santa Fe Province and thrice a member of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies.

2014

Suraj Abdurrahman

Nigerian general, architect, and engineer (born 1954)

Suraj Alao Abdurrahman, was a Nigerian Army general who served as the Command Officer in Charge of the Armed Forces of Liberia, with former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the Commander-in-Chief. According…

2015

Yves Chauvin

French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1930)

Yves Chauvin was a French chemist and Nobel Prize laureate. He was honorary research director at the Institut français du pétrole and a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He was known for his work for deciphering…

2015

Lionel Gilbert

Australian historian, author, and academic (born 1924)

Lionel Arthur Gilbert CF was an Australian historian, author, curator, lecturer, and biographer, specializing in applied, natural, and local history. Born in Burwood, New South Wales, he studied at Sydney Teachers…

2015

Signe Toly Anderson

American singer (born 1941)

Signe Toly Anderson was an American singer who was one of the founding members of the American rock band Jefferson Airplane.

2016

Paul Kantner

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941)

Paul Lorin Kantner was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and a secondary vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He…

2016

Franklin Gene Bissell

American football player and coach (born 1926)

Franklin Gene Bissell was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University from 1952 to 1961 and again from 1963 to 1978, compiling a record of 115–119–7.

2016

Buddy Cianci

American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Providence (born 1941)

Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci Jr. was an American politician, attorney, radio talk show host, and political commentator who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002.…

2016

Bob Tizard

New Zealand lawyer and politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1924)

Robert James Tizard was a Labour politician from New Zealand. He served as the sixth deputy prime minister, the minister of Finance, minister of Health and minister of Defence.

2016

Alexander Chancellor

British journalist (born 1940)

Alexander Surtees Chancellor, CBE was a British journalist and editor. He was the editor of The Spectator from 1975 to 1984.

2017

Geoff Nicholls

British musician (born 1948)

Geoffrey James Nicholls was an English guitarist and keyboardist, and longtime member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath until 2004. Nicholls also played in the NWOBHM band Quartz before joining Black Sabbath. In the…

2017

Pepe Smith

Filipino rock musician (born 1947)

Joseph William Feliciano Smith was a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, drummer and guitarist. Known by his stage names Joey Smith and Pepe Smith, he gained prominence as drummer / lead vocalist of Speed, Glue &…

2019

Cicely Tyson

American actress (born 1924)

Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson was an American actress. In a career spanning seven decades, she portrayed complex and strong-willed African American women. She received several awards including three Emmy Awards, a…

2021

Ajit Pawar

Indian politician, former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1959)

Ajit Anantrao Pawar was an Indian politician who served as Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister for more than eight years, between 2010 and his death in 2026, for six terms. He held the office under…

2026

Notable deaths

Who died on January 28?

Astrid Lindgren — Swedish children's writer (1907–2002)

FeaturedAstrid Lindgren

Death year2002

Known forShe is most notable for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, and The Six Bullerby Children, and for the children's fantasy novels Mio, My Son; Ronia the Robber's Daughter; and The Brothers Lionheart

Deaths on this date107 (724 – 2026)

Explore January 28

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2026

A Learjet 45 crashes on approach to Baramati Airport in Maharashtra, killing all six occupants including the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar. Wikipedia →

2026

The Rubaya mine collapse at Rubaya mines in DR Congo causes at least 400 deaths and injured several others. Wikipedia →

2026

Storm Kristin causes a catastrophic impact in Portugal and Spain with €6 billion in damage in the central region of Portugal, 15 deaths and 2,000 injuries. Wikipedia →

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