Notable people who died on July 27 include: Abdallah II of Ifriqiya, Chai Rong, Nicholas II, Conrad II, Hugh d'Avranches.

Notable Deaths on July 27

Q: What is Bob Heffron known for?

Bob Heffron, New Zealand-Australian miner and politician, 30th Premier of New South Wales (born 1890)

1978 — Bob Heffron

New Zealand-Australian miner and politician, 30th Premier of New South Wales (born 1890)

July 27 has seen 117 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 903 – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · July 27 — Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 117 people 903 – 2024

Did you know

The success of his party enabled his readmission to the party and his prominence in a post-Lang NSW Branch which won office in 1941.

Did you know

Born in New Zealand, Heffron became involved in various Socialist and labour movements in New Zealand and later Australia before joining the Australian Labor Party

Did you know

Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Australian Labor Party (ALP) Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964

Did you know

He was later elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Botany in 1930

Did you know

However his disputes with party leader Jack Lang led to his expulsion from the ALP in 1936 and Heffron formed his own party from disgruntled Labor MPs known as the Industrial Labor Party

Abdallah II of Ifriqiya

Aghlabid emir

Abu 'l-Abbas Abdallah II was the Emir of Ifriqiya from 902 to 903.

903

Chai Rong

emperor of Later Zhou

Chai Rong, later known as Guo Rong (郭榮), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.…

959

Nicholas II

pope of the Catholic Church

Pope Nicholas II, otherwise known as Gerard of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1059 until his death in 27 July 1061. At the time of his election, he was bishop of…

1061

Conrad II

king of Italy (born 1074)

Conrad II of Italy, also known as Conrad (III) (12 February 1074 – 27 July 1101), was the Duke of Lower Lorraine (1076–1087), King of Germany (1087–1098) and King of Italy (1093–1098). He was the second son of Holy…

1101

Hugh d'Avranches

Earl of Chester (born c. 1047)

Hugh d'Avranches, nicknamed le Gros or Lupus, was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.

1101

Salomea of Berg

High Duchess consort of Poland

Salomea of Berg was a noblewoman of Berg and, by marriage with Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1115, High Duchess of Poland until her husband's death in 1138.

1144

Geoffrey VI

Count of Anjou (born 1134)

Geoffrey VI was Count of Nantes from 1156 to 1158. He was also known as Geoffrey of Anjou and Geoffrey FitzEmpress. He was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda. His brothers were Henry II of England and…

1158

James I of Aragon (born 1208)

James I the Conqueror was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and King of Valencia from 1238 to 1276. His long reign of 62 years is not only…

1276

Rudolf IV

Duke of Austria (born 1339)

Rudolf IV, also called Rudolf the Founder, was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria, Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count of Tyrol from 1363 and as the first duke of Carniola from…

1365

Joanna I of Naples (born 1326)

Joanna I of Naples, also known as Johanna I, was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1381; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381.

1382

William Herbert

1st Earl of Pembroke (born 1423)

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG, known as "Black William", was a Welsh nobleman, soldier, politician, and courtier.

1469

Salomo Glassius

German theologian and critic (born 1593)

Salomo Glassius was a German theologian and biblical critic born at Sondershausen, in the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

1656

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne

Vicomte de Turenne, French general (born 1611)

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne, commonly known as Turenne, was a French general and one of only six marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the La Tour…

1675

John Graham

1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (born c. 1648)

Major-General John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee was a Scottish army officer. A Tory and Episcopalian, he was responsible for policing southwest Scotland to suppress religious unrest and rebellion of…

1689

Pierre Louis Maupertuis

French mathematician and philosopher (born 1698)

Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the director of the Académie des Sciences and the first president of the Prussian Academy of Science, at the…

1759

Robert Dinwiddie

Scottish merchant and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (born 1693)

Robert Dinwiddie was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. Since the governors of Virginia remained in Great Britain, he served as the de facto head of…

1770

Mikhail Lermontov

Russian poet and painter (born 1814)

Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837 and the greatest figure…

1841

John Dalton

English physicist, meteorologist, and chemist (born 1776)

John Dalton was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist whose work laid the foundations of modern atomic theory and stoichiometric chemistry. Building on earlier ideas about the indivisibility of matter and his…

1844

William Lowndes Yancey

American journalist and politician (born 1813)

William Lowndes Yancey was an American politician in the Antebellum South. As an influential "Fire-Eater", he defended slavery and urged Southerners to secede from the Union in response to Northern antislavery agitation.

1863

Jean-Joseph Dassy

French painter and lithographer (born 1791)

Jean-Joseph Dassy, a French historical and portrait painter, and lithographer, was born at Marseilles on 27 December 1791, and died in the same city on 27 July 1865.

1865

Aleksander Kunileid

Estonian composer and educator (born 1845)

Aleksander Kunileid, was an Estonian composer. He is one of the founding figures of Estonian choral music.

1875

Albertus van Raalte

Dutch-born American minister and author (born 1811)

Albertus Christiaan van Raalte was a Dutch Reformed clergyman who moved to the United States with a group of Dutch emigrants and founded the city of Holland, Michigan, in 1846. In 1851, he was involved in founding the…

1876

Montgomery Blair

American lieutenant and politician, 20th United States Postmaster General (born 1813)

Montgomery Blair was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. He was the son of Francis Preston…

1883

Charles Fryatt

English captain (born 1872)

Charles Algernon Fryatt was a British merchant seaman who was court martialled by the Imperial German Navy for attempting to ram a German U-boat in 1915. When his ship, the SS Brussels, was captured by the Germans off…

1916

William Jonas

English footballer (born 1890)

William Jonas, usually known as Billy or Willie, was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Clapton Orient.

1916

Emil Theodor Kocher

Swiss physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1841)

Emil Theodor Kocher was a Swiss physician and medical researcher who received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the physiology, pathology and surgery of the thyroid. Among his many…

1917

Myrddin Fardd

Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar (born 1836)

John Jones, better known under his nom de plume Myrddin Fardd, was a Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar born at Tan-y-Ffordd in the village of Mynytho, Llangian, Caernarfonshire. He was a translator and a collector of…

1921

Ferruccio Busoni

Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1866)

Ferruccio Dante Michelangiolo Benvenuto Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading…

1924

Auguste Forel

Swiss neuroanatomist and psychiatrist (born 1848)

Auguste-Henri Forel was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and former eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. He is considered a co-founder of…

1931

Tom Crean

Irish seaman and explorer (born 1877)

Thomas Crean was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer who was awarded the Albert Medal for Lifesaving (AM).

1938

Alfred Henry O'Keeffe

New Zealand painter and educator (born 1858)

Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, was a New Zealand artist and art teacher, who spent the majority of his life in Dunedin. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, he was one of the few New Zealand artists to engage with…

1941

Karl Pärsimägi

Estonian painter (born 1902)

Karl Pärsimägi was an Estonian Fauvist painter. He was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp after being arrested in Paris.

1942

Hermann Brauneck

German physician and SA general (born 1894)

Hermann Max-Gustav Brauneck was a German naval officer, physician and member of the paramilitary Sturmabteilung who rose to the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer. He held several high-level medical staff positions in the…

1942

Gertrude Stein

American novelist, poet, and playwright (born 1874)

Gertrude Stein was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and made France her home for the remainder…

1946

Woolf Barnato

English race car driver and businessman (born 1898)

Joel Woolf Barnato was a British financier and racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. He achieved three consecutive wins out of three entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

1948

Joe Tinker

American baseball player and manager (born 1880)

Joseph Bert Tinker was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the Federal…

1948

Paul Kogerman

Estonian chemist and politician, 22nd Estonian Minister of Education (born 1891)

Paul Nikolai Kogerman was an Estonian chemist and founder of modern research in oil shale.

1951

Claire Lee Chennault

American general and pilot (born 1893)

Claire Lee Chennault was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Nationalist Air Force in World War II.

1958

Julie Vinter Hansen

Danish-Swiss astronomer and academic (born 1890)

Julie Marie Vinter Hansen was a Danish astronomer. She was the first woman in Denmark to earn an academic degree in astronomy.

1960

Richard Aldington

English poet and author (born 1892)

Richard Aldington was an English writer and poet. He was an early associate of the Imagist movement. His 50-year writing career produced "143 separate titles, including poetry, literary criticism, fiction, essays,…

1962

James H. Kindelberger

American pilot and businessman (born 1895)

James Howard "Dutch" Kindelberger was an American aviation pioneer. He led North American Aviation from 1934 until 1960. An extroverted character, Kindelberger was famed for his emphasis on hard work, orderliness and…

1962

Hooks Dauss

American baseball player (born 1889)

George August "Hooks" Dauss was an American professional baseball player from 1909 to 1926. He played 15 seasons of Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1912 to 1926. He was given…

1963

Garrett Morgan

American inventor (born 1877)

Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. was an American inventor, businessman, and community leader. His most notable inventions were a protective 'smoke hood' that he notably used in a 1916 tunnel construction disaster rescue, a…

1963

Winifred Lenihan

American actress, writer, and director (born 1898)

Winifred Lenihan was an American actress, writer, and director. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making her debut in 1918. Although she portrayed the would-be eloper Anne in The Dover Road…

1964

Daniel-Rops

French historian and author (born 1901)

Henri Jules Charles Petiot, known by the pen name Henri Daniel-Rops, was a French Catholic writer and historian.

1965

Tone Peruško

Croatian educator and social worker (born 1905)

Tone Peruško, was a Croatian educator, social worker and writer.

1967

Babe Adams

American baseball player and manager (born 1882)

Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Noted for his outstanding control, his…

1968

António de Oliveira Salazar

Portuguese economist and politician, 100th Prime Minister of Portugal (born 1889)

António de Oliveira Salazar was a Portuguese dictator, academic, and economist who served as President of the Council of Ministers of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the Ditadura Nacional, he…

1970

Charlie Tully

Irish footballer and manager (born 1924)

Charles Patrick Tully was a Northern Irish football player and manager who played for Celtic.

1971

Alfred Duraiappah

Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (born 1926)

Alfred Thangarajah Duraiappah was a Sri Lankan lawyer who served as Mayor of Jaffna from 1970 until his assassination. He was also a Member of Parliament for Jaffna from 1960 to 1965. Duraiappah was killed by the…

1975

Kristian Welhaven

Norwegian police officer (born 1883)

Kristian Welhaven was a Norwegian police officer. He was chief of police of Oslo for 27 years, from 1927 to 1954. He was a leading force in establishing an organized Norwegian intelligence service before World War II,…

1975

Willem van Otterloo

Dutch cellist, composer, and conductor (born 1907)

Jan Willem van Otterloo was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.

1978

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Iranian Shah (born 1919)

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, which…

1980

Rushdy Abaza

Egyptian actor (born 1926)

Rushdy Saeed Baghdadi Abaza was an Egyptian film and television actor. He was considered one of the most charming actors in the Egyptian film industry and is one of the most famous. He died of brain cancer at the age of…

1980

William Wyler

American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1902)

William Wyler was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous accolades, including the most nominations for the Academy Award for Best…

1981

Elizabeth Rona

Hungarian American nuclear chemist (born 1890)

Elizabeth Rona was a Hungarian nuclear chemist, known for her work with radioactive isotopes. After developing an enhanced method of preparing polonium samples, she was recognized internationally as the leading expert…

1981

James Mason

English actor (born 1909)

James Neville Mason was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards in…

1984

Smoky Joe Wood

American baseball player and coach (born 1889)

Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland Indians from 1917…

1985

Travis Jackson

American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1903)

Travis Calvin Jackson was an American baseball shortstop. In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackson played for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936, winning the 1933 World Series, and representing the Giants in the…

1987

Frank Zamboni

American inventor and businessman, founded the Zamboni Company (born 1901)

Frank Joseph Zamboni Jr. was an American businessman and inventor whose most famous invention is the modern ice resurfacer, with his surname being registered as a trademark for these devices.

1988

Bobby Day

American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1928)

Robert James Byrd, known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record "Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René under the…

1990

René Toribio

Guadeloupean politician (born 1912)

René Toribio was a French politician and was a member of the French Senate representing Guadeloupe from 1959 to 1968.

1990

John Friedrich

German-Australian engineer and conman (born 1950)

Johann Friedrich Hohenberger OAM, also known as John Friedrich, was executive director of the National Safety Council of Australia during the 1980s. He was the subject of Victoria's biggest fraud case and known as…

1991

Max Dupain

Australian photographer and educator (born 1911)

Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE was an Australian modernist photographer.

1992

Tzeni Karezi

Greek actress and screenwriter

Tzeni Karezi also known as Jenny Karezi, was a Greek film and stage actress.

1992

Reggie Lewis

American basketball player (born 1965)

Reginald C. Lewis was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Lewis died at the age of 27, and his number was posthumously retired by the…

1993

Kevin Carter

South African photographer and journalist (born 1960)

Kevin Carter was a South African photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He was the recipient in 1994 of a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph depicting the 1993 famine in Sudan; he died by suicide less than…

1994

Melih Esenbel

Turkish politician and diplomat, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1915)

Melih Rauf Esenbel was a Turkish diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

1995

Rick Ferrell

American baseball player and coach (born 1905)

Richard Benjamin Ferrell was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and executive. He played for 18 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 through 1947 for the St. Louis Browns,…

1995

Miklós Rózsa

Hungarian-American composer and conductor (born 1907)

Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensive sojourns in Italy from…

1995

Binnie Barnes

English-American actress (born 1903)

Gertrude Maud Barnes, known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known as a leading lady in films such as The Private Life of Henry VIII, The…

1998

Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov

Russian mathematician, physicist, and mountaineer (born 1912)

Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov was a Soviet and Russian mathematician, physicist, philosopher and mountaineer.

1999

Harry Edison

American trumpet player (born 1915)

Harry "Sweets" Edison was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backing singers, most…

1999

Gordon Solie

American sportscaster (born 1929)

Gordon Solie was an American professional wrestling play-by-play announcer. He is best known for working for Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA Championship Wrestling, Continental…

2000

Rhonda Sing

Canadian wrestler (born 1961)

Rhonda Ann Sing was a Canadian professional wrestler. After training with Mildred Burke, she wrestled in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Monster Ripper. In 1987, she returned to Canada and began…

2001

Leon Wilkeson

American bass player and songwriter (born 1952)

Leon Russell Wilkeson was an American musician. He was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.

2001

Vance Hartke

American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (born 1919)

Rupert Vance Hartke was an American politician who served as a Democratic United States senator from Indiana from 1959 until 1977. Hartke was elected to the Senate after serving as the mayor of Evansville, Indiana. In…

2003

Bob Hope

English-American actor, comedian, television personality, and businessman (born 1903)

Lester Townes "Bob" Hope was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He…

2003

Al Held

American painter and academic (born 1928)

Al Held was an American Abstract expressionist painter. He was particularly well known for his large scale Hard-edge paintings. As an artist, multiple stylistic changes occurred throughout his career, however, none of…

2005

Marten Toonder

Dutch author and illustrator (born 1912)

Marten Toonder was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most…

2005

Maryann Mahaffey

American academic and politician (born 1925)

Maryann Mahaffey was an American politician and activist.

2006

James Oyebola

Nigerian-English boxer (born 1961)

James Oyebola was a Nigerian and British heavyweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division. Oyebola was the British heavyweight champion from 1994 to 1996.

2007

Youssef Chahine

Egyptian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1926)

Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director. He was active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death in 2008. He directed twelve films included in a list of Top 100 Egyptian films published by the Cairo…

2008

Horst Stein

German-born Swiss conductor (born 1928)

Horst Walter Stein was a German conductor.

2008

Isaac Saba Raffoul

Mexican businessman (born 1923)

Isaac Saba Raffoul was a Mexican businessman of Syrian Jewish descent; his father emigrated from Aleppo, Syria to Veracruz, Mexico where he started a rag business which the family built on. Isaac Saba Raffoul was one of…

2008

Maury Chaykin

American-Canadian actor (born 1949)

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A…

2010

Jack Tatum

American football player (born 1948)

John David Tatum was an American professional football safety who played 10 seasons from 1971 through 1980 with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly…

2010

Norman Alden

American actor (born 1924)

Norman Alden was an American character actor who performed in television programs and motion pictures. He first appeared on television on The 20th Century Fox Hour in 1957. He provided the voice of Sir Kay in The Sword…

2012

R. G. Armstrong

American actor and playwright (born 1917)

Robert Golden Armstrong Jr. was an American character actor and playwright. A veteran performer who appeared in dozens of Westerns during his 40-year career, he may be best remembered for his work with director Sam…

2012

Darryl Cotton

Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1949)

Darryl Grant Cotton was an Australian pop, rock singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor. He was a founding member of Australian rock group Zoot in 1965, with Beeb Birtles, and were later joined by Rick Brewer…

2012

Geoffrey Hughes

English actor (born 1944)

Geoffrey William Hughes DL was an English actor. Hughes provided the voice of Paul McCartney in the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968), and rose to fame for portraying bin man Eddie Yeats in the long-running British…

2012

Tony Martin

American actor and singer (born 1913)

Alvin Morris, known professionally as Tony Martin, was an American actor and singer of popular music.

2012

Jack Taylor

English footballer and referee (born 1930)

John Keith Taylor was an English football referee. Later described by the Football League as "perhaps the finest English referee of all time", Taylor was famous for officiating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final during…

2012

Fernando Alonso

Cuban dancer, co-founded the Cuban National Ballet (born 1914)

Fernando Alonso was a Cuban ballet dancer. He is a co-founder of the Cuban National Ballet and was part of the American Ballet Theatre company between 1940 until 1948. He received the Prix Benois de la Danse for…

2013

Lindy Boggs

American politician and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the Holy See (born 1916)

Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs was a politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as United States Ambassador to the Holy See. She was the first woman elected to Congress from…

2013

Bud Day

American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1925)

George Everette "Bud" Day was a United States Air Force officer, aviator, and veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. He was also a prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross.…

2013

Kidd Kraddick

American radio host (born 1959)

David Peter Cradick was an American radio host and television personality, known as Kidd Kraddick. His nationally syndicated morning radio show, The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, is based in Irving, Texas, and aired…

2013

Ilya Segalovich

Russian businessman, co-founded Yandex (born 1964)

Ilya Valentinovich Segalovich was a co-founder of Russian company Yandex. He was CTO and director of Yandex since 2000 until his death in 2013. Segalovich proposed the name "Yandex" for the search engine, derived from…

2013

Richard Bolt

New Zealand air marshal and pilot (born 1923)

Air Marshal Sir Richard Bruce Bolt, was a bomber pilot in the Second World War and a senior Royal New Zealand Air Force officer in the post-war years. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Chief of the…

2014

George Freese

American baseball player and coach (born 1926)

George Walter Freese was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Detroit Tigers in 1953, Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955 and Chicago Cubs in 1961. Freese attended West Virginia University, where…

2014

Wallace Jones

American basketball player and coach (born 1926)

Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians.

2014

Francesco Marchisano

Italian cardinal (born 1929)

Francesco Marchisano was an Italian Cardinal who worked in the Roman Curia from 1956 until his death.

2014

Paul Schell

American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Seattle (born 1937)

Paul Schell was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1998 to 2002.

2014

Rickey Grundy

American singer-songwriter (born 1959)

Ricky R. Grundy, who went by the stage name Rickey Grundy, was an American gospel musician and leader of The Rickey Grundy Chorale. He started his music career in 1988, with Sparrow Records releasing Spirit Come Down,…

2015

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Indian engineer, academic, and politician, 11th President of India (born 1931)

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace engineer and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007.

2015

Samuel Pisar

Polish-born American lawyer and author (born 1929)

Samuel Pisar was a Polish-American lawyer, author, and Holocaust survivor.

2015

Anthony Shaw

English general (born 1930)

Major-General Anthony John Shaw was a senior British Army officer, who was Director General of the Army Medical Services from 1988 to 1990.

2015

Einojuhani Rautavaara

Finnish composer (born 1928)

Einojuhani Rautavaara was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. These include…

2016

James Alan McPherson

American short story writer and essayist (born 1943)

James Alan McPherson was an American essayist and short-story writer. He was the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who received a…

2016

Jerry Doyle

American actor and talk show host (born 1956)

Jerry Doyle was an American talk radio host, political commentator, television actor and founder of the content platform EpicTimes. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Jerry Doyle Show, aired throughout the United…

2016

Piet de Jong

Dutch politician and naval officer, Minister of Defence, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1915)

Petrus Jozef Sietse "Piet" de Jong was a Dutch politician and naval officer who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1967 to 1971. He was a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), later merged into the…

2016

Sam Shepard

American playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, and director (born 1943)

Samuel Shepard Rogers III was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, author and musician whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays and several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs.…

2017

Marco Aurelio Denegri

Peruvian literature critic, television host and sexologist

Marco Aurelio Denegri Santa Gadea was a Peruvian intellectual, literary critic, television host and sexologist.

2018

Tony Dow

American actor, film producer, director, and sculptor (born 1945)

Anthony Lee Dow was an American actor. He portrayed Wally Cleaver in the iconic television sitcom Leave It to Beaver from 1957 to 1963. From 1983 to 1989, Dow reprised his role as Wally in a television movie and in The…

2022

Edna O'Brien

Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer (born 1930)

Josephine Edna O'Brien was an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer.

2024

Pavel Kushnir

Russian pianist, writer, activist and political prisoner (born 1984)

Pavel Mikhailovich Kushnir was a Russian pianist, writer, and political activist, who became the first political prisoner in modern Russia to die during a hunger strike. Born into a musical family in Tambov, Kushnir…

2024

Notable deaths

Who died on July 27?

Bob Heffron — Former Premier of New South Wales (1890–1978)

FeaturedBob Heffron

Death year1978

Known forJ

Deaths on this date117 (903 – 2024)

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2015

Seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab. Wikipedia →

2002

Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. Wikipedia →

1997

About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. Wikipedia →

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1978 — Bob Heffron

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Also on July 27 in History

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