Did you know
Brown won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964.
Notable Deaths on May 18
2023 — Jim Brown
American football player, civil rights activist, and actor (born 1936)
May 18 has 106 recorded notable deaths across history, from 526 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
106 source records
526 – 2026
Today in history
Major events on May 18
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1652 Slavery in Rhode Island is abolished, although the law is not rigorously enforced. Source
- 1955 Operation Passage to Freedom, the evacuation of 310,000 Vietnamese civilians, soldiers and non-Vietnamese members of the French Army from communist North Vietnam to South Vietnam following the end of the First Indochina War, ends. Source
- 1993 Riots in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, caused by the approval of the four Danish exceptions in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. Police open fire against civilians for the first time since World War II and injure 11 demonstrators. Source
- 1927 After being founded for 20 years, the Nationalist government approves Tongji University to be among its first national universities. Source
Did you know
After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century.
Did you know
Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies.
Did you know
" before he was swept away by a lateral blast; despite a thorough search, Johnston's body was never found, but state highway workers discovered remnants of his USGS trailer in 1993.
Did you know
Shortly after joining the National Youth Administration in 1935, Bethune became the first Black woman to lead a federal agency when she was appointed by President Franklin D.
More major people who died on May 18
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1911
Gustav Mahler
Austrian composer and conductor (born 1860)
Gustav Mahler was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation.
2021
Charles Grodin
American actor and talk show host (born 1935)
Charles Sidney Grodin was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host.
1980
Victims of Mount St. Helens eruption:
David Alexander Johnston was an American United States Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist who was killed by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington.
1955
Mary McLeod Bethune
American educator and activist (born 1875)
Mary McLeod Bethune was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist, and civil rights activist.
1963
Ernie Davis
American football player, coach, and manager (born 1939)
Ernest R. Davis was an American college football player who was a halfback for the Syracuse Orangemen and won the Heisman Trophy in 1961. He was the award's first black recipient.
2004
Elvin Jones
American drummer and bandleader (born 1927)
Elvin Ray Jones was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era.
2009
Dolla
American rapper (born 1987)
Roderick Anthony Burton II better known by his stage name Dolla, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.
1909
George Meredith
English novelist and poet (born 1828)
George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first, his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but Meredith gradually established a reputation as a novelist.
2024
Tony O'Reilly
Irish rugby player and businessman (born 1936)
Sir Anthony John Francis O'Reilly was an Irish businessman and international rugby union player.
526
Pope John I
Pope John I was the bishop of Rome from 13 August 523 to his death on 18 May 526. He was a native of Siena, in Italy.
1550
Jean
Cardinal of Lorraine (born 1498)
Jean de Lorraine was the third son of the ruling Duke of Lorraine, and a French cardinal, who was archbishop of Reims (1532–1538), Lyon (1537–1539), and Narbonne (1524–1550), bishop of Metz, and Administrator of the…
2017
Chris Cornell
American singer (born 1964)
Christopher John Cornell was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave.
2020
Ken Osmond
American actor and police officer (born 1943)
Kenneth Charles Osmond was an American actor and police officer.
1692
Elias Ashmole
English astrologer and politician (born 1617)
Elias Ashmole was an English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer, freemason and student of alchemy.
2009
Velupillai Prabhakaran
Sri Lankan rebel leader, founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (born 1954)
Velupillai Prabhakaran was an Eelam Tamil revolutionary, guerrilla leader and a major figure of Tamil nationalism, being the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
2009
Wayne Allwine
American voice actor, sound effects editor and Foley artist (born 1947)
Wayne Anthony Allwine was an American voice actor, sound effects editor, and foley artist.
1909
Isaac Albéniz
Spanish pianist and composer (born 1860)
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish virtuoso composer, conductor, and pianist.
2017
Roger Ailes
American businessman (born 1940)
Roger Eugene Ailes was an American television executive and media consultant. He was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television.
2026
Tom Kane
American voice actor (born 1962)
Thomas Kane Roberts was an American voice actor. He was known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the Star Wars franchise, voicing established characters Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Boba Fett, Qui-Gon…