Did you know
In 2009, she was posthumously inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2025, she was named a posthumous inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Notable Deaths on May 15
2003 — June Carter Cash
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (born 1929)
May 15 has 94 recorded notable deaths across history, from 392 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
94 source records
392 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on May 15
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1934 A self coup by prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis succeeds in Latvia, suspending its constitution and dissolving its Saeima. Source
- 1963 Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone. Source
- 1851 The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier. Source
- 1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals. Source
Did you know
Fred Willard is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), For Your Consideration (2006), and Mascots (2016).
Did you know
Robert Menzies held office as the leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) in his first term, and subsequently as the inaugural leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in his second.
Did you know
Carlos Fuentes was often named as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he never won.
Did you know
During his nine seasons with the Dolphins, Yepremian led the league in scoring in 1971, received two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors, and helped the Dolphins win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
More major people who died on May 15
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2020
Fred Willard
American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933)
Frederic Charles Willard was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A…
1978
Robert Menzies
Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (born 1894)
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th prime minister of Australia from 1939 to 1941 and from 1949 to 1966.
2012
Carlos Fuentes
Mexican novelist and essayist (born 1928)
Carlos Fuentes Macías was a Mexican novelist, essayist and ambassador to France.
2015
Garo Yepremian
Cypriot-American football player (born 1944)
Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian was an Armenian-Cypriot American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins.
1957
Dick Irvin
Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1892)
James Dickinson "Dick" Irvin Jr. was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach.
1980
Gordon Prange
American historian and author (born 1910)
Gordon William Prange was the author of several World War II historical manuscripts which were published by his co-workers after his death in 1980.
1937
Philip Snowden
1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1864)
Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, PC was a British politician. A strong speaker, he became popular in trade union circles for his denunciation of capitalism as unethical and his promise of a socialist utopia.
1585
Niwa Nagahide
Japanese samurai (born 1535)
Niwa Nagahide , also known as Gorōzaemon (五郎左衛門), his other legal alias was Hashiba Echizen no Kami (羽柴越前守), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century.
1991
Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Malian ethnologist and author (born 1901)
Amadou Hampâté Bâ was a Malian writer, historian, and ethnologist. He was an influential figure in the twentieth-century African literature and cultural heritage.
1991
Andreas Floer
German mathematician and academic (born 1956)
Andreas Floer was a German mathematician who made seminal contributions to symplectic topology, and mathematical physics, in particular the invention of Floer homology.
1989
Johnny Green
American composer and conductor (born 1908)
John Waldo Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger.
1634
Hendrick Avercamp
Dutch painter (born 1585)
Hendrick Avercamp was a Dutch painter during the Dutch Golden Age of painting. He was one of the earliest landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school, he specialized in painting the Netherlands in winter.
1845
Braulio Carrillo Colina
Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (born 1800)
Braulio Evaristo Carrillo Colina was a Costa Rican lawyer and statesman who served as the 3rd and 5th Head of State of Costa Rica from 1835 to 1837 and as a dictator from 1838 until 1842.
1969
Joe Malone
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1890)
Maurice Joseph Cletus Malone was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre.
1945
Kenneth J. Alford
English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (born 1881)
Frederick Joseph Ricketts was an English composer of marches for band. Under the pen name Kenneth J. Alford, he composed marches which are considered to be great examples of the art.
1948
Edward J. Flanagan
Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (born 1886)
Edward Joseph Flanagan was an Irish-born priest of the Catholic Church in the United States who served for decades in Nebraska.
1157
Yuri Dolgorukiy
Grand Prince of Kiev (born 1099)
Yuri I Vladimirovich, commonly known as Yuri Dolgorukiy, was a Monomakhovichi prince of Rostov and Suzdal, acquiring the name Suzdalia during his reign.
1956
Austin Osman Spare
English painter and magician (born 1886)
Austin Osman Spare was an English artist and occultist who worked as a draughtsman, writer and painter.
1964
Vladko Maček
Croatian lawyer and politician (born 1879)
Vladimir Maček was a politician in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As a leader of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) following the 1928 assassination of Stjepan Radić, Maček had been a leading Croatian political figure until…