Did you know
He played for professional teams in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, the Western Canada Hockey League, and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1916 to 1928, when he had to retire from repeated injuries
Notable Deaths on May 15
93 people
392 – 2025
May 15 has seen 93 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 392 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1957 — Dick Irvin
Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1892)
Did you know
For his playing career, Irvin was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958
Did you know
He coached his teams to the Stanley Cup Finals 16 times in 26 years as a full-time head coach, winning one Stanley Cup coaching Toronto and three coaching Montreal, finishing with over 600 wins as a coach
Did you know
was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach
Did you know
After playing, Irvin built a successful career as a coach in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens
Roman emperor (born 371)
Valentinian II was a Roman emperor in the western part of the Roman Empire between AD 375 and 392. He was at first junior co-ruler of his half-brother, then was sidelined by a usurper, and finally became sole ruler…
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392
Christian monk (born 476)
Hilary of Galeata is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is 15 May.
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558
884
913
Chinese emperor (born 885)
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang, personal name Li Cunxu, nickname Yazi (亞子), stage name Li Tianxia (李天下), was the second ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty who later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang…
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926
973
1036
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. Noted for successfully curbing the privileges of the landowning…
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1157
Seljuk emir of Syria (born 1118)
Al-Malik al-Adil Abu al-Qasim Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd bin Imad al-Dīn Zengī, commonly known as Nur ad-Din or Nureddin, and al-Malik al-Adil, was a Turkoman member of the Zengid dynasty, who ruled the Syrian province of the…
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1174
1175
1268
Italian painter (born c. 1410)
Domenico Veneziano was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active mostly in Perugia and Tuscany.
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1461
3rd Duke of Somerset (born 1436)
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an English nobleman and army commander for the House of Lancaster during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, because the title was…
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1464
king of Sweden (born 1409)
Karl Knutsson Bonde, also known as Charles VIII and called Charles I in Norwegian contexts, was King of Sweden and King of Norway (1449–1450).
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1470
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. He served as senior…
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1585
Italian composer and educator (born 1557)
Giovanni Croce was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance, of the Venetian School. He was particularly prominent as a madrigalist, one of the few among the Venetians other than Monteverdi and Andrea Gabrieli.
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1609
English politician (born 1560)
Sir Henry Bromley was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1584 and 1604. He was imprisoned twice due to his political activities, with the more serious incident…
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1615
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. His…
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1634
1698
3rd Baronet, English politician (born 1631)
Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet was an English Jesuit who became a close adviser to King James II and was appointed a privy councillor.
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1699
1700
English publisher (born 1680)
Ephraim Chambers was an English writer and encyclopaedist, who is primarily known for producing the Cyclopaedia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Chambers' Cyclopædia is known as the original source…
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1740
English priest and hagiographer (born 1710)
Alban Butler was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College in Douay, France, where he later taught philosophy and theology. He served as a guide on…
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1773
Costa Rican lawyer and politician, Head of State of Costa Rica (born 1800)
Braulio Evaristo Carrillo Colina was the Head of State of Costa Rica during two periods: the first between 1835 and 1837, and the de facto between 1838 and 1842.
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1845
German architect and educator, designed the Semper Opera House (born 1803)
Gottfried Semper was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in Dresden and…
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1879
American poet and author (born 1830)
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Largely unpublished and unknown during her lifetime, her work is now widely regarded as canonical. The Poetry Foundation describes her as having "created in her writing a…
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1886
Austrian-born chemist and educator (born 1863)
Ida Freund was the first woman to be a university chemistry lecturer in the United Kingdom. She is known for her influence on science teaching, particularly the teaching of women and girls. She wrote two key chemistry…
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1914
Turkish journalist (born 1888)
Hasan Tahsin was the code name of Osman Nevres, a Turkish nationalist and journalist of Dönmeh descent.
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1919
French diplomat and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1852)
Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet d'Estournelles de Constant, Baron de Constant de Rebecque, was a French diplomat and politician, advocate of international arbitration and winner of the 1909 Nobel Peace Prize.
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1924
Australian biologist (born 1850)
Joseph James Fletcher was an Australian biologist, winner of the 1921 Clarke Medal.
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1926
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (born 1845)
Umegatani Tōtarō I was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from the town of Haki, Chikuzen Province, now Shiwa, Fukuoka Prefecture. He was the sport's 15th yokozuna. He was generally regarded as the strongest…
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1928
Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (born 1878)
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was a Russian avant-garde artist and art theorist, whose pioneering work and writing influenced the development of abstract art in the 20th century. His concept of Suprematism sought to…
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1935
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. He was…
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1937
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. He was a bandmaster in the British…
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1945
English author, poet, and critic (born 1886)
Charles Walter Stansby Williams was an English poet, novelist, playwright, theologian and literary critic. Most of his life was spent in London, where he was born, but in 1939 he moved to Oxford with the university…
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1945
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. After serving as a parish priest in the Diocese of Omaha, he founded the orphanage and…
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1948
American soldier and author (born 1893)
William March was an American writer of psychological fiction and a highly decorated U.S. Marine. The author of six novels and four short-story collections, March was praised by critics but never attained great…
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1954
American lawyer, politician, and businessperson (born 1881)
Harry Jheopart Capehart Sr. was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Capehart served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing McDowell County…
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1955
English painter and magician (born 1886)
Austin Osman Spare was an English artist and occultist who worked as a draughtsman, writer and painter. Influenced by symbolism and Art Nouveau, his art was known for its clear use of line and its depiction of monstrous…
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1956
American race car driver (born 1920)
Keith Phillip Andrews was an American racecar driver. He was killed after crashing his car during practice for the 1957 Indianapolis 500.
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1957
English-born Bishop of Accra and soldier (born 1884)
John Orfeur Aglionby was Bishop of Accra during the second quarter of the 20th century.
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1963
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…
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1964
1965
American painter (born 1882)
Edward Hopper was an American realist painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes.
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1967
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1890)
Maurice Joseph Cletus Malone was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens, and Hamilton…
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1969
English director, producer, and playwright (born 1900)
Sir William Tyrone Guthrie was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at his…
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1971
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. He held office as the leader of the United Australia Party…
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1978
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. Prange was a professor of history at the University of Maryland from…
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1980
American race car driver (born 1946)
Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.
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1982
American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (born 1912)
Francis August Schaeffer was an American evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He co-founded the L'Abri community in Switzerland with his wife Edith Schaeffer, a prolific author in her own right.…
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1984
American actress and writer (born 1947)
Jackie Curtis was an American underground actor, singer, and playwright best known as a Warhol superstar. Primarily a stage actor in New York City, Curtis performed as a man and also performed in drag.
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1985
Italian race car driver (born 1958)
Elio de Angelis was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1979 to 1986.
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1986
American historian, journalist, and author (born 1915)
Theodore Harold White was an American political journalist and historian, first known for his 1946 best-seller Thunder Out of China, reporting from China during World War II and then the Making of the President series.
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1986
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. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and…
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1989
Canadian ethnographer and author (born 1910)
Luc Lacourcière, CC was a Québécois writer and ethnographer, who established himself during his lifetime as a leading figure in folklore studies. Trained by Marius Barbeau, he in turn influenced renowned researchers…
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1989
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. Floer's first pivotal contribution was a solution…
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1991
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. A champion of Africa's oral tradition and traditional…
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1991
German race car driver (born 1922)
Friedrich "Fritz" Riess or Rieß was a racing driver from Germany. He participated in one "Formula One" World Championship Grand Prix, the 1952 German Grand Prix on 3 August 1952, then run to Formula Two rules. He…
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1991
Sudanese poet and diplomat (born 1933)
Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, was a Sudanese literary writer, poet and diplomat. He is considered one of the most important Sudanese poets of the first generation after the country's independence, marking the transition from…
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1993
American actor (born 1905)
Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso, known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice nominated for…
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1994
English actor (born 1928)
Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.
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1995
American lawyer and judge (born 1910)
Charles Britton Fulton was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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1996
American basketball player (born 1944)
Earl Manigault was an American street basketball player who was nicknamed "the Goat" or "the Lip". He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players never to have played in the National Basketball…
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1998
1998
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (born 1929)
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American country singer, songwriter, comedienne, actress, and author. A five-time Grammy Award winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash.…
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2003
Iraqi footballer (born 1961)
Nazar Abdul Zahra Khalaf, nicknamed "Maradona of Al-Minaa", was an Iraqi footballer who played forward. He spent the majority of his career with Al-Minaa club.
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2006
American pastor, founded Liberty University (born 1933)
Jerry Laymon Falwell was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He founded Lynchburg…
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2007
Scottish footballer and manager (born 1956)
Thomas Burns was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He is best known for his long association with Celtic, where he was a player, manager and coach.
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2008
American composer and conductor (born 1919)
Alexander Mair Courage Jr. familiarly known as "Sandy" Courage, was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme music for…
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2008
American illustrator (born 1921)
William Elder was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art but is best known for a frantically funny cartoon style that helped launch Harvey Kurtzman's Mad comic book…
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2008
Australian actor, director, and producer (born 1923)
Charles William Tingwell AM, known professionally as 'Bud' Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his first motion picture in 1946 and went on to…
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2009
American basketball player and bass player (born 1964)
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma, he was…
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2009
Austrian footballer (born 1987)
Besian Idrizaj was an Austrian professional footballer. He played in the Football League for Crystal Palace and Luton Town both whilst on loan from Liverpool for whom he did not make a League appearance. He also played…
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2010
2010
Mexican novelist and essayist (born 1928)
Carlos Fuentes Macías was a Mexican novelist, essayist and ambassador to France. Among his works are The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962), Aura (1962), Terra Nostra (1975), The Old Gringo (1985) and Christopher Unborn…
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2012
German historian and author (born 1924)
Arno Lustiger was a German historian and author of Jewish origin. Lustiger made significant contributions to research and document the history of Jewish resistance under Nazi rule.
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2012
Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (born 1918)
Zakaria Mohieddin was an Egyptian military officer, politician who served as the 3rd prime minister of Egypt and head of the first Intelligence body in Egypt, the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate.
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2012
Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (born 1946)
Henrique Pereira Rosa was a Bissau-Guinean politician who served as interim President of Guinea-Bissau from 2003 to 2005. He was born in 1946 in Bafatá.
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2013
French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (born 1940)
Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career, he was nicknamed "The Plumber", as well as "The…
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2014
Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1933)
Norifumi Suzuki , was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He is best known for the Torakku Yarō series.
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2014
German-American physical therapist and author (born 1914)
Elisabeth Dorothea Bing was a German physical therapist, co-founder of Lamaze International, and proponent of natural childbirth. She trained as a physical therapist in England after fleeing Nazi Germany due to her…
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2015
American sculptor and educator (born 1945)
Jackie Brookner was an ecological artist, writer, and educator. She worked with ecologists, design professionals, engineers, communities, and policy-makers on water remediation/public art projects for parks, wetlands,…
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2015
Scottish Gaelic singer (born 1928)
Flora MacNeil, MBE was a traditional singer of Scottish Gaelic folk music. MacNeil gained prominence after meeting Alan Lomax and Hamish Henderson during the early 1950s, and continued to perform into her later years.
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2015
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. During his nine seasons with the…
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2015
publisher of pet books, and entrepreneur (born 1927)
Herbert Richard Axelrod was an American tropical fish expert, a publisher of pet books, and an entrepreneur. In 2005 he was sentenced in U.S. court to 18 months in prison for tax fraud.
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2017
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…
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2020
British journalist and scientist (born 1937)
Oliver J. Gillie was a British journalist and scientist. He previously served as the medical correspondent for The Sunday Times, and later medical editor for The Independent.
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2021
Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950)
Frank Curry Jr. was an Australian rugby league player and coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs club.
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2022
English actress (born 1951)
Kay Mellor was an English actress, scriptwriter, producer and director. She was known for creating television series such as Band of Gold, Fat Friends, and The Syndicate, as well as co-creating CITV's children's dramas…
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2022
Indian politician (born 1927)
Kamla Beniwal was an Indian independence activist and veteran politician who served as the deputy chief minister of Rajasthan. A leader of the Indian National Congress, she was the first female minister and held cabinet…
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2024
Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1950)
Robert Walls was an Australian rules footballer who represented Carlton and Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s.
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2025
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Notable deaths
Who died on May 15?
Dick Irvin — Canadian ice hockey player and coach (1892–1957)
FeaturedDick Irvin
Death year1957
Known forwas a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach
Deaths on this date93 (392 – 2025)
Explore May 15
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on May 15 in History
2024
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and critically injured while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová. Wikipedia →
2023
The UN commemorates the Palestinian Nakba Day for the first time. Wikipedia →
2013
See all events on May 15
An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days. Wikipedia →
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