Notable people who died on June 15 include: Robert I of France (born 866), Romanos I Lekapenos, Murong Yanchao, Eadburh of Winchester, Adalbert.

Notable Deaths on June 15

Q: What is Mihai Eminescu known for?

Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (born 1850)

88 people 923 – 2024

June 15 has seen 88 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 923 – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · June 15 — Wikipedia

1889 — Mihai Eminescu

Romanian journalist, author, and poet (born 1850)

Did you know

His poetry was first published when he was 16 and he went to Vienna, Austria to study when he was 19

Did you know

Mihai Eminescu was a Romanian Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet

Did you know

Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul, the official newspaper of the Conservative Party (1880–1918)

Did you know

The poet's manuscripts, containing 46 volumes and approximately 14,000 pages, were offered by Titu Maiorescu as a gift to the Romanian Academy during the meeting that was held on 25 January 1902

Did you know

Notable works include Luceafărul, Odă în metru antic, and the five Letters (Epistles/Satires)

Robert I of France (born 866)

Robert I was the elected King of West Francia from 922 to 923. Before his election to the throne he was Count of Poitiers, Count of Paris and Marquis of Neustria and Orléans. He succeeded the overthrown Carolingian king…

923

Romanos I Lekapenos

Byzantine Emperor (born c. 870)

Romanos I Lakapenos or Lekapenos, Latinized as Romanus I Lacapenus or Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for and senior co-ruler of the young Constantine…

948

Murong Yanchao

Chinese general

Murong Yanchao, known at one point as Yan Kunlun (閻崑崙), was a Chinese general of the Later Tang, Later Jin, and Later Han dynasties. As a half-brother of the Later Han founding emperor Liu Zhiyuan, he was particularly…

952

Eadburh of Winchester

English princess and saint

Eadburh was the daughter of King Edward the Elder of England and his third wife, Eadgifu of Kent. She lived most of her life as a nun known for her singing ability. Most of the information about her comes from…

960

Adalbert

bishop of Passau

Adalbert was the 17th Bishop of Passau from 946 to 970.

970

Theophanu

Byzantine wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (born 960)

Theophanu Skleraina was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, Emperor Otto III, from 983 until her death in 991. She was the niece of…

991

Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (born 1034)

Emperor Go-Sanjō was the 71st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His given name was Takahito (尊仁).

1073

Magnus Erlingsson

King of Norway (born 1156)

Magnus Erlingsson, also known as Magnus V, was a king of Norway during the civil war era in Norway. He helped to establish primogeniture in royal succession in Norway. King Magnus was killed in the Battle of Fimreite in…

1184

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Japanese general (born 1159)

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a Japanese samurai commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. His older half-brother was Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura…

1189

Frederick II

Duke of Austria (born 1219)

Frederick II, known as Frederick the Quarrelsome, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1230 until his death. He was the fifth and last Austrian duke from the House of Babenberg, since the former margraviate was elevated…

1246

Angelo da Clareno

Italian Franciscan and leader of a group of Fraticelli (born 1247)

Angelo da Clareno, also known as Angelo Clareno, was the founder and leader of one of the groups of Fraticelli in the early 14th century.

1337

Andronikos III Palaiologos

Byzantine emperor (born 1297)

Andronikos III Palaiologos, commonly Latinized as Andronicus III Palaeologus, was the Byzantine emperor from 1328 to 1341. He was the son of Michael IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia. He was proclaimed co-emperor in…

1341

John Cavendish

English lawyer and judge (born 1346)

Sir John Cavendish was an English judge and politician from Cavendish, Suffolk, England. He and the village gave the name Cavendish to the aristocratic families of the Dukedoms of Devonshire, Newcastle and Portland.

1381

Wat Tyler

English rebel leader (born 1341)

Wat Tyler was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the collection of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms. While the brief…

1381

John VI Kantakouzenos

Byzantine emperor (born 1292)

John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene was a Byzantine Greek emperor and nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as…

1383

Matthew Kantakouzenos

Byzantine emperor

Matthew Asen Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was Byzantine Emperor from 1353 to 1357 and later Despot of the Morea from 1380 to 1381.

1383

Lazar of Serbia (born 1329)

Lazar Hrebeljanović was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, referred to by historians as Moravian Serbia,…

1389

Murad I

Ottoman Sultan (born 1319)

Murad I, nicknamed Hüdavendigâr, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1362 to 1389. He was the son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Murad I came to the throne after his elder half-brother Süleyman Pasha's death.

1389

Miloš Obilić

Serbian knight.

Miloš Obilić is a legendary Serbian knight and saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church traditionally said to have served Prince Lazar during the Ottoman invasion of Serbia in the late 14th century. Although absent from…

1389

John

Duke of Berry (born 1340)

John of Berry or John the Magnificent was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. His brothers were King Charles V of France, Duke Louis I of Anjou and Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy. He was…

1416

Philip III

Duke of Burgundy (born 1396)

Philip III, also known as Philip the Good, was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the House of Valois, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his…

1467

Tamás Bakócz

Hungarian cardinal (born 1442)

Tamás Bakócz OP was a Hungarian archbishop, cardinal and statesman. He was a serious candidate in the 1513 papal conclave.

1521

Henry Howard

1st Earl of Northampton, English courtier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (born 1540)

Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton was an English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspected throughout his life of being Roman Catholic, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputation suffered…

1614

Henry Sacheverell

English minister and politician (born 1674)

Henry Sacheverell was an English Anglican clergyman who achieved nationwide fame in 1709 after preaching an incendiary sermon on 5 November. Sacheverell was subsequently impeached by the House of Commons of Great…

1724

James Short

Scottish mathematician and optician (born 1710)

James Short FRS was a Scottish mathematician and manufacturer of optical instruments, principally telescopes. During his 35-year career as a telescope-maker he produced approximately 1,360 scientific instruments.

1768

Louis-Claude Daquin

French organist and composer (born 1694)

Louis-Claude Daquin was a French composer, writing in the Baroque and Galant styles. He was a virtuoso organist and harpsichordist.

1772

Thomas Campbell

Scottish poet and academic (born 1777)

Thomas Campbell was a Scottish poet at the intersection of the neoclassical with the Romantic style of British poetry.

1844

James K. Polk

American lawyer and politician, 11th President of the United States (born 1795)

James Knox Polk was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of American expansionism and Jacksonian…

1849

Ary Scheffer

Dutch-French painter and academic (born 1795)

Ary Scheffer was a Dutch-French Romantic painter. He was known mostly for his works based on literature, with paintings based on the works of Dante, Goethe, Lord Byron and Walter Scott, as well as religious subjects. He…

1858

Franjo Krežma

Croatian violinist and composer (born 1862)

Franjo Krežma, also known as Franz Krezma in German-speaking countries, was a Croatian violinist and composer.

1881

Frederick III

German Emperor (born 1831)

Frederick III, or Friedrich III, was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days from 9 March 1888 until his death in June that year, during the Year of the Three Emperors.

1888

Unryū Kyūkichi

Japanese sumo wrestler, the 10th Yokozuna (born 1822)

Unryū Kyūkichi was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Chikugo Province. He was the sport's 10th yokozuna. Although the name of the style of the yokozuna 's in-ring ceremony is named after him, the fact that he…

1890

Kristian Birkeland

Norwegian physicist and academic (born 1867)

Kristian Olaf Bernhard Birkeland was a Norwegian space physicist, inventor, and professor of physics at the Royal Fredriks University in Oslo. He is best remembered for his theories of atmospheric electric currents that…

1917

Alfred Bruneau

French cellist and composer (born 1857)

Louis Charles Bonaventure Alfred Bruneau was a French composer who played a key role in the introduction of realism in French opera.

1934

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

German painter and illustrator (born 1880)

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a German expressionist painter and printmaker. He was one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century…

1938

Otfrid Foerster

German neurologist and physician (born 1873)

Otfrid Foerster was a German neurologist and neurosurgeon, who made innovative contributions to neurology and neurosurgery, such as rhizotomy for the treatment of spasticity, anterolateral cordotomy for pain, the…

1941

Evelyn Underhill

English mystic and author (born 1875)

Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. Her best-known work is Mysticism, published in 1911.

1941

Count Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein

Austrian diplomat

Albert Viktor Julius Joseph Michael Graf von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat who served as Ambassador to London at the outbreak of World War I.

1945

Frank Elbridge Webb

American engineer and presidential candidate (born 1869)

Frank Elbridge Webb was an American engineer who served as the Farmer–Labor Party's presidential candidate in 1928. In the 1932 presidential election, he was initially renominated by the Farmer–Labor Party before being…

1949

Giulio Cabianca

Italian racing driver (born 1923)

Giulio Cabianca was a Formula One driver from Italy.

1961

Peyami Safa

Turkish journalist and author (born 1899)

Peyami Safa was a Turkish journalist, columnist and novelist. He came to the fore in the Turkish literature of the Republican era with his psychological works such as Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu. He reflected his life and…

1961

Alfred Cortot

Swiss pianist and conductor (born 1877)

Alfred Denis Cortot was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poetic insight…

1962

Tatu Kolehmainen

Finnish runner (born 1885)

Tatu Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1912, he reached the finals of 10,000 m and marathon races, but failed to finish due to a strong heat. In 1920,…

1967

Sam Crawford

American baseball player, coach, and umpire (born 1880)

Samuel Earl Crawford, nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86 kg). Born in Wahoo,…

1968

Wes Montgomery

American guitarist and songwriter (born 1925)

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a…

1968

Wendell Meredith Stanley

American biochemist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904)

Wendell Meredith Stanley was an American biochemist, virologist and Nobel laureate. Stanley's work contributed to lepracidal compounds, diphenyl stereochemistry, and the chemistry of the sterols. His research on the…

1971

Jimmy Dykes

American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1896)

James Joseph Dykes was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third and second baseman from 1918 through 1939, most notably as a member of the Philadelphia…

1976

Meredith Willson

American playwright, composer, and conductor (born 1902)

Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson was an American flautist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer.

1984

Andy Stanfield

American sprinter (born 1927)

Andrew William Stanfield was an American sprinter and Olympic gold and silver medallist.

1985

Maurice Bellemare

Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1912)

Maurice Bellemare, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was known as Le Vieux Lion de la Politique Québécoise because of his colourful style and his many years of public office. Bellemare was one of the last survivors…

1989

Ray McAnally

Irish actor (born 1926)

Ray McAnally was an Irish actor. He was the recipient of three BAFTA Awards in the late 1980s: two BAFTA Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for A Very British Coup in…

1989

Happy Chandler

American businessman and politician, 49th Governor of Kentucky (born 1898)

Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr. was an American politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as…

1991

Arthur Lewis

Saint Lucian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915)

Sir William Arthur Lewis was a Saint Lucian economist and the James Madison Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University. Lewis remains the only black person to have won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic…

1991

Chuck Menville

American animator, producer, and screenwriter (born 1940)

Charles David Menville was an American animator and writer for television. His credits included Batman: The Animated Series, Land of the Lost, The Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and Tiny…

1992

Brett Whiteley

Australian painter (born 1939)

Brett Whiteley was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes. He held many exhibitions, and lived…

1992

John Connally

American commander, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Treasury (born 1917)

John Bowden Connally Jr. was an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Texas from 1963 to 1969 and as the 61st United States secretary of the treasury from 1971 to 1972. He began his career as a Democrat…

1993

James Hunt

English racing driver and sportscaster (born 1947)

James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver and broadcaster who competed in Formula One from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "the Shunt", Hunt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1976 with McLaren, and…

1993

Manos Hatzidakis

Greek composer and theorist (born 1925)

Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers of all time. He was one of the main proponents of the "éntekhno" form of music, along with Mikis…

1994

John Vincent Atanasoff

American physicist and inventor, invented the Atanasoff–Berry computer (born 1903)

John Vincent Atanasoff was an American physicist and inventor credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer. Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s at Iowa State College.…

1995

Ella Fitzgerald

American singer and actress (born 1917)

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction,…

1996

Sir Fitzroy Maclean

1st Baronet, Scottish general and politician (born 1911)

Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean, 1st Baronet, was a British Army officer, writer and politician. A Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) from 1941 to 1974 Maclean was one of only two soldiers who during the Second World War…

1996

Dick Murdoch

American wrestler (born 1946)

Hoyt Richard Murdoch was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the NWA, World Wrestling Federation and New Japan…

1996

Omer Côté

Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1906)

Omer Côté was a Canadian politician and a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.

1999

Jules Roy

French author, poet, and playwright (born 1907)

Jules Roy was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air Force…

2000

Henri Alekan

French cinematographer (born 1909)

Henri Alekan was a French cinematographer.

2001

Choi Hong Hi

South Korean general and martial artist, founded Taekwondo (born 1918)

Choi Hong-hi was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of taekwondo to North…

2002

Hume Cronyn

Canadian-American actor (born 1911)

Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and received many honors, including three…

2003

Ahmet Piriştina

Turkish politician and mayor of İzmir (born 1952)

Ahmet Piriştina was a Turkish politician who was Mayor of İzmir from 1999 to 2004. His Family was of Albanian Turkish descent, his family was from the city of Prishtina.

2004

Suzanne Flon

French actress (born 1918)

Suzanne Flon was a French stage, film, and television actress. She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the 1961 film Thou Shalt Not Kill. Flon also received two César Awards and two Molière Awards…

2005

Raymond Devos

Belgian-French comedian and clown (born 1922)

Raymond Devos was a French humorist, stand-up comedian and clown. He is best known for his sophisticated puns and surreal humour.

2006

Herb Pearson

New Zealand cricketer (born 1910)

Herbert Taylor Pearson was a New Zealand cricketer who played for Auckland in the 1930s and 1940s.

2006

Hugo Corro

Argentine boxer (born 1953)

Hugo Pastor Corro, better known plainly as Hugo Corro, was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed middleweight championship between April 1978 and June 1979.

2007

Ray Getliffe

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1914)

Raymond Getliffe was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. Born in Galt, Ontario, he played with the Saint John…

2008

Bill Haast

American herpetologist and academic (born 1910)

Bill Haast was the owner and operator, from 1947 until 1984, of the Miami Serpentarium, a tourist attraction south of Miami, Florida, where he entertained customers by performing live venom extraction from snakes. After…

2011

Phillip D. Cagan

American economist and author (born 1927)

Phillip David Cagan was an American scholar and author. He was Professor of Economics Emeritus at Columbia University.

2012

Barry MacKay

American tennis player and sportscaster (born 1935)

Barry Bruce MacKay was an American tennis player, tournament director and broadcaster. He was ranked #1 in the U.S. in 1960.

2012

Israel Nogueda Otero

Mexican economist and politician, 10th Governor of Guerrero (born 1935)

Israel Nogueda Otero was a Mexican politician, economist and member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Nogueda served as the Municipal President of Acapulco municipality from 1969 to 1971 and the Governor…

2012

Jerry Tubbs

American football player and coach (born 1935)

Gerald J. Tubbs was an American professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. He was selected by Chicago Cardinals in the first round of the 1957…

2012

Heinz Flohe

German footballer and manager (born 1948)

Heinz "Flocke" Flohe was a German footballer and manager.

2013

José Froilán González

Argentinian racing driver (born 1922)

José Froilán González was an Argentine racing driver who competed in Formula One between 1950 and 1960. Nicknamed "the Pampas Bull" and "el Cabezón", González was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship…

2013

Dennis O'Rourke

Australian director and producer (born 1945)

Dennis O'Rourke was an Australian cinematographer and documentary filmmaker.

2013

Kenneth G. Wilson

American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1936)

Kenneth Geddes "Ken" Wilson was an American theoretical physicist and a pioneer in using computers for studying particle physics. He was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on phase…

2013

Jacques Bergerac

French actor and businessman (born 1927)

Jacques Bergerac was a French actor and businessman.

2014

Franco Zeffirelli

Italian film director (born 1923)

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining…

2019

Glenda Jackson

English actress and politician (born 1936)

Glenda May Jackson was an English actress and politician. Over the course of her distinguished career she received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, making her one of…

2023

James Kent

American chef (born 1979)

Jamal James Kent was an American chef. In 2010, he won the Bocuse d'Or USA. Kent and his commis Tom Allan went on to represent the U.S. at the international finals of Bocuse d'Or the following year, in Lyon, France,…

2024

Matija Sarkic

English-born Montenegrin footballer (born 1997)

Matija Sarkic was a professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

2024

Notable deaths

Who died on June 15?

Mihai Eminescu — Romanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850–1889)

FeaturedMihai Eminescu

Death year1889

Known forEminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul, the official newspaper of the Conservative Party (1880–1918)

Deaths on this date88 (923 – 2024)

Explore June 15

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

Events on June 15 Birthdays on June 15 Deaths on June 15 June 15 quiz

Also on June 15 in History

2013

A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others. Wikipedia →

1996

The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people. Wikipedia →

1992

The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries. Wikipedia →

See all events on June 15

June 14 June 16

Explore notable deaths on the interactive calendar.

Open the Calendar All Blog Posts

Notable Deaths on June 15

1889 — Mihai Eminescu

Who died on June 15?

Explore June 15

Also on June 15 in History

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!