Did you know
He became the first Canadian in space on October 5, 1984, and flew on three Space Shuttle missions
Notable Deaths on June 4
91 people
756 – 2025
June 4 has seen 91 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 756 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2025 — Marc Garneau
Canadian astronaut and Member of Parliament (born 1949)
Did you know
Garneau served as a naval officer before being selected as an astronaut as part of the 1983 NRC Group
Did you know
From 2001 to 2005, Garneau was president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
Did you know
Garneau entered politics and was elected to the House of Commons in 2008, serving as a Montreal-area member of Parliament (MP) until 2023
Did you know
A member of the Liberal Party, Garneau served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from January to October in 2021 and as Minister of Transport from 2015 to 2021.
756
863
895
Lombard prince
Guaimar II was the Lombard prince of Salerno from 901, when his father Guaimar I retired to a monastery where he resided until his death. His mother was Itta. He was associated with his father in the principality from…
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946
Muslim ruler
Muhammad III was the Shirvanshah from 981 to 991. He was the son and successor of Ahmad.
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956
1039
Polish nobleman (born c. 1044)
Władysław I Herman was the Duke of Poland from 1079 until his death in 1102.
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1102
Danish duke
Magnus the Strong, also known as Magnus Nilsson, was a Danish duke who ruled Götaland in southern Sweden from the 1120s to c. 1132. It is disputed whether he was elected king by the Swedes, but he is nevertheless…
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1134
Emperor Huizong of Song, personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. He was also a very well-known painter, poet and calligrapher.…
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1135
Adela of Champagne, also known as Adelaide, Alix and Adela of Blois, was Queen of France as the third wife of Louis VII. She was regent of France from 1190 to 1191 while her son Philip II participated in the Third…
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1206
Isabella was Queen of England from 1200 to 1216 as the second wife of King John, Countess of Angoulême in her own right from 1202 until her death in 1246, and Countess of La Marche from 1220 to 1246 as the wife of Count…
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1246
Przemysł I, a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1239 until his death, from 1241 with his brother Bolesław the Pious as co-ruler. He was able to re-acquire large parts of Greater Poland, ruling…
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1257
wife of Henry IV of England (bornc. 1368)
Mary de Bohun was the first wife of Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Northampton, who became King Henry IV. As she died before her husband came to the throne, Mary was never queen. She and Henry had six children together,…
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1394
Byzantine commander
Andronikos Palaiologos Kantakouzenos was the last Grand Domestic of the Byzantine Empire. Present in the city at the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, he was one of the group of high Imperial officials executed by Ottoman…
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1453
Italian historian and author (born 1392)
Flavio Biondo was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to use a three-period division of history and is known as one of the first archaeologists.
Born in the capital city of…
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1463
Aztec poet (born 1402)
Nezahualcoyotl Acolmiztli, "Fasting Coyote" was tlatoani (king) of the Acolhua altepetl (city-state) of Texcoco from 1431 to his death in 1472, in pre-Columbian Mexico. He is noted for his achievements as a philosopher…
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1472
1585
Italian Catholic priest (born 1563)
Francis Caracciolo, born Ascanio dei Caracciolo Pisquizi, was an Italian Catholic priest who co-founded the Order of the Clerics Regular Minor with John Augustine Adorno and Fabrizio Caracciolo. He decided to adopt a…
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1608
Hungarian soldier and historian (born 1568)
Baron Péter Révay de Szklabina et Blathnicza was a Hungarian nobleman, Royal Crown Guard for the Holy Crown of Hungary, poet, state official, soldier, and historian. He was the grandson of Ferenc Révay.
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1622
English archbishop and academic (born 1582)
William Juxon was an English churchman, Bishop of London from 1633 to 1646 and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1660 until his death.
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1663
Italian adventurer and author (born 1725)
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was an Italian adventurer and writer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and…
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1798
American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1750)
Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg was an American minister and politician who was the first speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1789 to 1791 and again from 1793 to 1795. Muhlenberg served as…
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1801
Danish neoclassical and history painter, sculptor and architect (born 1743)
Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many…
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1809
Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (born 1795)
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá, known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho", was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate of Simón Bolívar,…
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1830
Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1798)
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke was a Dutch liberal statesman, one of the most important Dutch politicians of the 19th century. Thorbecke is best known for heading the commission that drafted the revision of the Constitution of…
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1872
German pastor and poet (born 1804)
Eduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used by…
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1875
32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (born 1830)
Abdulaziz was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 25 June 1861 to 30 May 1876, when he was overthrown in a government coup. He was a son of Sultan Mahmud II and succeeded his brother Abdulmejid I in 1861.
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1876
British writer (born 1857)
George Chetwynd Griffith-Jones was a British writer. He was active mainly in the science fiction genre—or as it was known at the time, scientific romance—in particular writing many future-war stories and playing a…
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1906
English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (born 1864)
William Halse Rivers Rivers was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist known for treatment of First World War officers suffering shell shock. Rivers' most famous patient was the war poet…
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1922
American Academic (born 1865)
Margaret Murray Washington was an American educator who was the principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which later became Tuskegee University. She also led women's clubs, including the Tuskegee Woman's…
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1925
Australian-English cricketer and coach (born 1853)
Frederick Robert Spofforth, also known as "The Demon Bowler", was an Australian cricket team pace bowler of the nineteenth century. He was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a Test…
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1926
Chinese warlord (born 1873)
Zhang Zuolin was a Chinese warlord who ruled Manchuria from 1916 until his assassination in 1928. He led the Fengtian clique, one of the most powerful factions during the Warlord Era. In 1927, he became the leader of…
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1928
American director, producer, and agent (born 1881)
Harry Herbert Frazee was an American theatrical agent, producer, and director, and owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923. He is well known for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, which…
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1929
Sharif of Mecca, Sharif and Emir of Mecca, King of the Hejaz (born 1853–54)
Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi was a Hejazi leader from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashim clan who was the Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1908 and, after proclaiming the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire,…
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1931
Turkish poet and author (born 1884)
Ahmet Haşim was an influential Turkish poet of the early 20th century.
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1933
English pianist and educator (born 1869)
Mathilde Verne was an English pianist and teacher, of German descent. Along with most of her other sisters, Mathilde changed her surname to Verne in 1893 after the death of their father, John Wurm.
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1936
American trumpet player (born 1900)
Thomas James Ladnier was an American jazz trumpeter. Hugues Panassié – an influential French critic, jazz historian, and renowned exponent of New Orleans jazz – rated Ladnier, sometime on or before 1956, second only to…
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1939
German Emperor (born 1859)
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 500-year rule over Brandenburg and 400-year…
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1941
German SS officer and a principle architect of the Holocaust (born 1904)
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was a high-ranking SS and police official in Nazi Germany as well as one of the principal architects of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei.…
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1942
Russian-American bassist, composer, and conductor (born 1874)
Serge Koussevitzky was a Russian and American conductor, composer, and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.
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1951
American actress and producer (born 1881)
Katherine Agnew MacDonald was an American stage and film actress, film producer, and model. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was the older sister of actresses Miriam MacDonald and Mary MacLaren.
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1956
American sportscaster (born 1882)
Charles Louis "Clem" McCarthy was an American sportscaster and public address announcer. He also narrated Pathe News's RKO newsreels. He was known for his gravelly voice and dramatic style, a "whiskey tenor" as sports…
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1962
Estonian lawyer and politician (born 1890)
Linda Marie Eenpalu was an Estonian politician. She was a member of the National Constituent Assembly (1937) and a Member of the Second Chamber of the National Council (1938) and the first women in both of these…
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1967
American actress (born 1898)
Dorothy Elizabeth Gish was an American stage and screen actress. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great success on the stage, and was inducted into the…
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1968
American actor (born 1911)
Bowen Charlton "Sonny" Tufts III was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for the films he made as a contract star at Paramount in the 1940s, including So Proudly We Hail!. He also starred in…
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1970
Hungarian historian and philosopher (born 1885)
György Lukács was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher, literary historian, literary critic, and aesthetician. He was one of the founders of Western Marxism, an interpretive tradition that departed from the Soviet Marxist…
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1971
French mathematician and academic (born 1878)
René Maurice Fréchet was a French mathematician. He made major contributions to general topology and was the first to define metric spaces. He also made several important contributions to the field of statistics and…
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1973
American songwriter, producer, and manager (born 1917)
Murry Gage Wilson was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. After the band's formation in 1961, Murry…
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1973
New Zealand doctor and soldier (born 1897)
Leslie Cecil Lloyd Averill was a New Zealand soldier who served during the First World War on the Western Front. After the war, he became a doctor and established a private practice in his hometown of Christchurch. He…
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1981
American cartoonist (born 1917)
Richard Arthur Allan Browne was an American cartoonist, best known for writing and drawing Hägar the Horrible and Hi and Lois.
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1989
American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1949)
Steven John Bator, known professionally as Stiv Bator and later as Stiv Bators, was an American punk rock vocalist and guitarist from Youngstown, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands Dead Boys and the Lords of the…
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1990
Czech opera singer (born 1902)
Zdenka Ziková, also known as Zdenka Zika, was a Czech soprano opera singer and music teacher.
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1990
American businessman, founded Little League Baseball (born 1910)
Carl E. Stotz was the American founder of Little League Baseball.
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1992
American writer (born 1922)
Bernard Evslin was an American author best known for his adaptations of Greek mythology.
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1993
English musician (born 1943)
Derek "Lek" Leckenby was an English musician and lead guitarist, most famous for his work with English pop group Herman's Hermits.
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1994
English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1946)
Ronald Frederick Lane was an English musician and songwriter who was the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Small Faces (1965–1969) and Faces (1969–1973).
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1997
American actress (born 1903)
Josephine Hutchinson was an American actress. She acted in dozens of theater plays and dozens of films, including The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Somewhere in the Night (1946), Ruby Gentry…
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1998
Peruvian architect and politician, 42nd President of Peru (born 1912)
Fernando Sergio Marcelo Marcos Belaúnde Terry was a Peruvian politician who twice served as President of Peru. Deposed by a military coup in 1968, he was re-elected in 1980 after twelve years of military rule.
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2002
American saxophonist and composer (born 1934)
Steve Lacy was an American jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone. Coming to prominence in the 1950s as a progressive dixieland musician, Lacy went on to a long and…
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2004
Italian actor (born 1921)
Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter.
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2004
American baseball player and coach (born 1937)
Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was an American professional baseball third baseman—who occasionally played shortstop and second base—in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Athletics (1955–1957), New York Yankees…
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2007
American businessman (born 1933)
William Clifton France, better known as Bill France Jr. or Little Billy, was an American motorsports executive who served from 1972 to 2000 as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of the…
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2007
American captain and politician (born 1933)
Craig Lyle Thomas was an American politician who served as United States senator from Wyoming from 1995 until his death in 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party. In the Senate, Thomas was considered an expert on…
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2007
American basketball player and coach (born 1910)
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for…
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2010
Virgin Islander sergeant and politician, 23rd Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (born 1940)
Juan Francisco Luis was a Puerto Rican-U.S. Virgin Islander politician who served as the third governor of the United States Virgin Islands, and the territory's 23rd governor overall. As lieutenant governor, Luis…
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2011
Danish author and composer (born 1953)
Andreas P. Nielsen, was a Danish author and composer.
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2011
New Zealand architect, designed the Lyttelton Road Tunnel Administration Building (born 1925)
Peter Jamieson Beaven was a New Zealand architect based in Christchurch, who lived for his last few months in Blenheim. He was a co-founder of New Zealand's first heritage lobby group, the Civic Trust, and is regarded…
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2012
Dominican-American baseball player (born 1946)
Pedro Borbón Rodriguez was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World…
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2012
Guatemalan cardinal (born 1932)
Rodolfo Ignacio Quezada Toruño was a Guatemalan Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Santiago de Guatemala from 2003 to 2010. He previously served as Bishop of Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas from 1980 to…
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2012
2012
American race car driver (born 1916)
Walter Charles Arfons was the half brother of Art Arfons, his former partner in drag racing, and his competitor in jet-powered land speed record racing. Along with Art, he was a pioneer in the use of aircraft jet…
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2013
American drummer (born 1945)
Joseph Edward Covington was an American drummer, best known for his involvements with Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship.
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2013
Icelandic footballer, handball player, and sportscaster (born 1946)
Hermann Gunnarsson commonly referred to by his nickname, Hemmi Gunn, was an Icelandic television and radio personality, performer and former football and handball player at an international level. Hermann is known as…
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2013
2013
2014
Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1928)
Nathan Shamuyarira was a Zimbabwean nationalist who at different times fought on behalf of and helped lead FROLIZI, ZANU, and ZAPU. He later served as the Information Minister of Zimbabwe and as the Information…
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2014
Baron Templeman, English lawyer and judge (born 1920)
Sydney William Templeman, Baron Templeman, MBE, PC was a British judge. He served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1982 to 1995.
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2014
American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1931)
Donald William Zimmer was an American infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmer was involved in professional baseball from 1949 until his death, a span of 65 years, across 8 decades.
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2014
English economist and author (born 1915)
Hilda Elsie Marguerite Patten,, was a British home economist, food writer and broadcaster. She was one of the earliest celebrity chefs who became known during World War II thanks to her programme on BBC Radio, where she…
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2015
Ukrainian mathematician and academic (born 1938)
Leonid Ivanovych Plyushch was a Ukrainian mathematician and Soviet dissident.
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2015
American race car driver (born 1930)
Cerry Ezra "Jabe" Thomas was an American NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series driver who competed from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. His son Ronnie was also a NASCAR Cup Series driver; competing from 1977 to…
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2015
British academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to Denmark (born 1927)
Dame Anne Warburton was a British diplomat who was the first female British ambassador. She served as British Ambassador to Denmark from 1976 to 1983 and British Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva…
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2015
Bissau-Guinean politician (born 1937)
Carmen Maria de Araújo Pereira was a Bissau-Guinean politician. She served three days as Acting President in 1984, becoming the first woman in this role in Africa and the only one in Guinea-Bissau's history. She had the…
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2016
Spanish essayist, poet and novelist (born 1931)
Juan Goytisolo Gay was a Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist. He lived in Marrakesh from 1997 until his death in 2017.
He was considered Spain's greatest living writer at the beginning of the 21st century, yet he had…
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2017
American actor (born 1939)
Clarence Williams III was an American actor. He was best known for his starring role as Linc Hayes on the television series The Mod Squad (1968-73). He also appeared in films such as Purple Rain, 52 Pick-Up, Tales from…
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2021
Barbadian novelist (born 1927)
George William Lamming OCC was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for In the Castle of My Skin, his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished…
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2022
Indian actress (born 1928)
Sulochana Latkar, better known by her screen name Sulochana, was an Indian actress of Marathi and Hindi cinema, who acted in 50 films in Marathi and around 250 films in Hindi. She received accolades and honor throughout…
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2023
Australian radio and television presenter (born 1947)
John Blackman was an Australian radio and television presenter, voice artist, comedy writer and author. He was most widely-known for his voice-over work for the long-running Nine Network comedy variety show Hey Hey It's…
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2024
American racing driver (born 1933)
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and the…
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2024
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Notable deaths
Who died on June 4?
Marc Garneau — Canadian astronaut and politician (1949–2025)
FeaturedMarc Garneau
Death year2025
Known forGarneau served as a naval officer before being selected as an astronaut as part of the 1983 NRC Group
Deaths on this date91 (756 – 2025)
Explore June 4
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on June 4 in History
2025
Eleven people are killed and 56 people are injured during a crowd crush incident outside M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India for the celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Indian Premier League victory. Wikipedia →
2023
Protests begin in Poland against the PiS government. Wikipedia →
2023
See all events on June 4
Four people are killed when a Cessna Citation V crashes into Mine Bank Mountain in Augusta County, Virginia. Wikipedia →
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