Notable people who died on May 28 include: Germain of Paris, Ucha'an K'in B'alam, Kong Qian, Li Jiji, Wulfstan.

Notable Deaths on May 28

Q: What is Zainul Abedin known for?

Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (born 1914)

91 people 576 – 2023

May 28 has seen 91 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 576 – 2023. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · May 28 — Wikipedia

1976 — Zainul Abedin

Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (born 1914)

Did you know

He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during its British colonial period

Did you know

Like many of his contemporaries, his paintings on the Bengal famine of 1943 are viewed as his most characteristic works

Did you know

In 1948, he helped to establish the Institute of Arts and Crafts at the University of Dhaka

Did you know

Zainul Abedin, also known as Shilpacharya was a Bangladeshi painter

Did you know

After the Partition of Indian subcontinent he moved to East Pakistan

Germain of Paris

French bishop and saint (born 496)

Germain was the bishop of Paris and is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. According to an early biography, he was known as Germain d'Autun, rendered in modern times as the…

576

Ucha'an K'in B'alam

Mayan king

Uchaʼan Kʼin Bʼalam was the fourth Mayan king of Dos Pilas. He is also known as the Ruler 3, Master of Sun Jaguar, Scroll-head God K, Spangle-head and Jewelled-head. His title was "He of Five Captives".

741

Kong Qian

official of Later Tang

Kong Qian was a Chinese economist and politician of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang (and Later Tang's predecessor state Jin. He was credited with making sure that the campaigns of Later…

926

Li Jiji

prince of Later Tang

Li Jiji (李繼岌), formally the Prince of Wei (魏王), nickname Hege (和哥), was an imperial prince of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang. He was Later Tang's founder Emperor Zhuangzong of Later…

926

Wulfstan

English archbishop

Wulfstan was an English Bishop of London, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York. He is thought to have begun his ecclesiastical career as a Benedictine monk. He became the Bishop of London in 996. In 1002 he was…

1023

William Wishart

Scottish bishop

William Wishart was a 13th-century Bishop of St. Andrews. He was postulated to the see of St. Andrews while holding the position as Bishop-elect of Glasgow, which he resigned when, on 2 June 1271, he was elected to that…

1279

Robert Baldock

Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England

Robert Baldock was the Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England, during the reign of King Edward II of England.

1327

Afonso IV of Portugal (born 1291)

Afonso IV, called the Brave, was King of Portugal from 1325 until his death in 1357. He was the only legitimate son of King Denis of Portugal and Elizabeth of Aragon.

1357

Henry IV

Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (born 1397)

Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg was Count of Holstein-Rendsburg and Duke of Schleswig from 1404 until his death.

1427

Saitō Dōsan

Japanese samurai (born 1494)

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa, was a Japanese samurai lord and daimyo during the Sengoku period. He was also known as the "Viper of Mino" for his ruthless tactics. He was appointed Governor of Yamashiro…

1556

Thomas Howard

1st Earl of Suffolk (born 1561)

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk,, of Audley End House in the parish of Saffron Walden in Essex, and of Suffolk House near Westminster, a member of the House of Howard, was the second son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of…

1626

Henry Grey

10th Earl of Kent, English politician (born 1594)

Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent, known as Lord Ruthin from 1639 to 1643, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and succeeded to the title Earl of Kent in 1643.

1651

John Trevor

Welsh politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (born 1626)

Sir John Trevor III was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1646 and 1672.

1672

Juan de Ayala y Escobar

Governor of Spanish Florida (1716–1718) (born 1635)

Juan Francisco Buenaventura de Ayala y Escobar was a prominent Spanish soldier and administrator who governed Spanish Florida from October 30, 1716, to August 3, 1718. The succeeding governor, Antonio de Benavides, a…

1727

Luc de Clapiers

marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (born 1715)

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues was a French writer and moralist. He died at age 31, in broken health, having published the year prior—anonymously—a collection of essays and aphorisms with the encouragement of…

1747

Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (born 1720)

Teruhito , posthumously honored as Emperor Sakuramachi was the 115th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was enthroned as Emperor in 1735, a reign that would last until 1747 with his…

1750

Leopold Mozart

Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1719)

Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, violinist, and music theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen…

1787

Luigi Boccherini

Italian cellist and composer (born 1743)

Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and galante style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major classical musical centers. He is…

1805

Richard Hurd

English bishop (born 1720)

Richard Hurd was an English divine and writer, and bishop of Worcester.

1808

Henry Dundas

1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (born 1742)

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE, styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1791 to 1794 and First Lord of the Admiralty from 1804 to 1805. He was…

1811

William Carnegie

7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (born 1756)

Admiral William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. While in command of HMS Monmouth he was caught in the…

1831

Noah Webster

American lexicographer (born 1758)

Noah Webster was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education". He authored…

1843

Anne Brontë

English novelist and poet (born 1820)

Anne Brontë was an English novelist and poet. A member of the Brontë literary family, she was the younger sister of Charlotte, Emily, and Branwell. Anne is known for her 1847 novel Agnes Grey and for her 1848 novel The…

1849

Simion Bărnuțiu

Romanian historian and politician (born 1808)

Simion Bărnuțiu was a Romanian historian, academic, philosopher, jurist, and liberal politician. A leader of the 1848 revolutionary movement of Transylvanian Romanians, he represented its Eastern Rite Catholic wing.…

1864

John Russell

1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1792)

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 1866.

1878

Kicking Bear

Native American tribal leader (born 1846)

Kicking Bear was an Oglala Lakota who became a band chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux. He fought in several battles with his brother, Flying Hawk, and first cousin, Crazy Horse, during the War for the Black Hills,…

1904

Ivan Franko

Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (born 1856)

Ivan Yakovych Franko PhD was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, translator, economist, political activist, ethnographer, and the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in…

1916

Boris Kustodiev

Russian painter and stage designer (born 1878)

Boris Mikhaylovich Kustodiev was a Russian painter, draughtsman, and stage designer during the Modernist period.

1927

Frank Cowper

English yachtsman, author and illustrator (born 1849)

Frank Cowper was an English single-handed yachtsman, explorer, author, illustrator, artist, and journalist who was influential in popularizing single-handed cruising. He has been credited as "the forefather of modern…

1930

Alfred Adler

Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (born 1870)

Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, relationships within the family, and birth order…

1937

Carter Glass

American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (born 1858)

Carter Glass was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both houses of Congress and served as the United States secretary of the treasury under…

1946

August Eigruber

Austrian-German politician (born 1907)

August Eigruber was an Austrian-born Nazi Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter of Reichsgau Oberdonau and Landeshauptmann of Upper Austria. He was convicted of war crimes at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and hanged.

1947

Philippe Desranleau

Canadian archbishop (born 1882)

Philippe-Servulo Desranleau was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and the Archbishop of Sherbrooke from 1951 to 1952.

1952

Tatsuo Hori

Japanese author and poet (born 1904)

Tatsuo Hori was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short stories and novels.

1953

Terry Dillon

American football player (born 1941)

Terrance Gilbert Dillon was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). Dillon played with the Minnesota Vikings during the 1963 NFL season. He had also been drafted in the 19th round of the 1963 American…

1964

Fyodor Okhlopkov

Russian sergeant and sniper (born 1908)

Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov was a Soviet sniper during World War II credited with 429 kills. Nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944 after tallying his first 420 sniper kills but rejected for unclear…

1968

Audie Murphy

American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1925)

Audie Leon Murphy was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted…

1971

Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (born 1894)

Edward VIII, later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.

1972

Ezzard Charles

American boxer (born 1921)

Ezzard Mack Charles, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1959. Known as "the Cincinnati Cobra", Charles was respected for his slick defense and precision, and is often regarded as the greatest…

1975

Rolf Nevanlinna

Finnish mathematician and academic (born 1895)

Rolf Herman Nevanlinna was a Finnish mathematician who made significant contributions to complex analysis. He is the namesake of Nevanlinna theory for meromorphic functions.

1980

Mary Lou Williams

American pianist and composer (born 1910)

Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records. Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington and…

1981

Stefan Wyszyński

Polish cardinal (born 1901)

Stefan Wyszyński was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Warsaw and Archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He previously served as Bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948. He was created a cardinal…

1981

H. Jones

English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1940)

Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones,, known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green…

1982

Erastus Corning 2nd

American soldier and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany (born 1909)

Erastus Corning 2nd was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Albany, New York from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County was controlled by one of the last classic urban…

1983

Eric Morecambe

English actor and comedian (born 1926)

John Eric Bartholomew, known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in…

1984

D'Urville Martin

American actor and director (born 1939)

D'Urville Martin was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become All in the Family as…

1984

Edip Cansever

Turkish poet and author (born 1928)

Edip Cansever was a Second New Movement Turkish poet. Talât Sait Halman referred to Cansever as in the light of surrealist Asaf Halet Celebi and Orhan Sarıkaya characterized him as a nonconformist.

1986

Sy Oliver

American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (born 1910)

Melvin James "Sy" Oliver was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader.

1988

Julius Eastman

American composer (born 1940)

Julius Eastman was an American composer. He was among the first composers to combine the processes of some minimalist music with other methods of extending and modifying his music as in some experimental music. He thus…

1990

Julius Boros

American golfer (born 1920)

Julius Nicholas Boros was an American professional golfer noted for his effortless-looking swing and strong record on difficult golf courses, particularly at the U.S. Open.

1994

Ely Jacques Kahn

Jr., American author and academic (born 1916)

Ely Jacques Kahn Jr. was an American writer with The New Yorker for five decades.

1994

Phil Hartman

Canadian-American actor and comedian (born 1948)

Philip Edward Hartman was a Canadian and American comedian, actor, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he was ten years old. After…

1998

Michael Barkai

Israeli commander (born 1935)

Michael (Yomi) Barkai was the Commander of the Israeli Navy, a recipient of the Medal of Distinguished Service for his command of the missile ships during the Yom Kippur War.

1999

B. Vittalacharya

Indian director and producer (born 1920)

B. Vittalacharya was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He was known as Janapada Brahma in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film production company…

1999

George Irving Bell

American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (born 1926)

George Irving Bell was an American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer, and a grandson of John Joseph Seerley. He died in 2000 from complications of leukemia after surgery.

2000

Joe Moakley

American lawyer and politician (born 1927)

John Joseph Moakley was an American politician who served as the United States representative for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 2001. Moakley won the seat from incumbent Louise…

2001

Francisco Varela

Chilean biologist and philosopher (born 1946)

Francisco Javier Varela García was a Chilean biologist, philosopher, cybernetician, and neuroscientist who, together with his mentor Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to…

2001

Mildred Benson

American journalist and author (born 1905)

Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest Nancy Drew mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under the…

2002

Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov

Russian engineer and astronaut (born 1933)

Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov was a Soviet cosmonaut.

2003

Ilya Prigogine

Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917)

Viscount Ilya Romanovich Prigogine was a Belgian physical chemist, noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility.

2003

Martha Scott

American actress (born 1912)

Martha Ellen Scott was an American actress. She was featured in major films such as Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), and William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959). Martha played the mother of Charlton Heston's…

2003

Michael Buonauro

American author and illustrator (born 1979)

Michael A. Buonauro was an American webcomic artist, and author. Best known for his webcomic Marvelous Bob, Buonauro had co-created various other webcomics in collaboration with Jeff Lofvers.

2004

John Tolos

Greek-Canadian wrestler (born 1930)

John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.

2004

Thorleif Schjelderup

Norwegian ski jumper and author (born 1920)

Thorleif Schjelderup was a Norwegian ski jumper, author and environmentalist.

2006

Jörg Immendorff

German painter, sculptor, and academic (born 1945)

Jörg Immendorff was a German painter, sculptor, stage designer and art professor. He was a member of the art movement Neue Wilde.

2007

Toshikatsu Matsuoka

Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (born 1945)

Toshikatsu Matsuoka was a Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 2006 until his suicide in 2007 amid a financial scandal.

2007

Beryl Cook

English painter and illustrator (born 1926)

Beryl Cook, OBE was a British painter best known for her original and instantly recognisable paintings. Often comical, her works pictured people whom she encountered in everyday life, including people enjoying…

2008

Gary Coleman

American actor (born 1968)

Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known as a high-profile child star of the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Zion, Illinois, Coleman grew up with his adoptive parents. Due to the corticosteroids and other…

2010

Gino Valenzano

Italian racing driver (born 1920)

Luigi "Gino" Valenzano was an Italian racing driver. He entered 39 races between 1947 and 1955 in Abarths, Maseratis and Lancias as a teammate of drivers like Robert Manzon and Froilán González.

2011

Bob Edwards

English journalist (born 1925)

Robert John Edwards was a British journalist.

2012

Yuri Susloparov

Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (born 1958)

Yuri Vladimirovich Susloparov was a Soviet football player and manager.

2012

Viktor Kulikov

Russian commander (born 1921)

Viktor Georgiyevich Kulikov was the Warsaw Pact commander-in-chief from 1977 to 1989. He was awarded the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union on 14 January 1977.

2013

Eddie Romero

Filipino director, producer, screenwriter, and National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts (born 1924)

Edgar Sinco Romero,, commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter.

2013

Gerd Schmückle

German general (born 1917)

Gerd Schmückle was a German four-star general. Schmückle served in the 7th Panzer Division under Erwin Rommel during the Fall of France. With this division he later fought in the Soviet Union where he was wounded six…

2013

Maya Angelou

American memoirist and poet (born 1928)

Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, essayist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and…

2014

Stan Crowther

English footballer (born 1935)

Stanley Crowther was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion during the 1950s and early 1960s. He won three caps for the England…

2014

Oscar Dystel

American publisher (born 1912)

Oscar Dystel was an American publisher and paperback books pioneer whose firm Bantam Books published bestselling paperback editions of Catcher in the Rye, Jaws and Ragtime among many others. His management made Bantam…

2014

Malcolm Glazer

American businessman (born 1928)

Malcolm Glazer was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, and owned both…

2014

Bob Houbregs

Canadian-American basketball player and manager (born 1932)

Robert J. Houbregs was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

2014

Isaac Kungwane

South African footballer (born 1971)

Isaac Ramaitsane "Shakes" Kungwane was a South African football midfielder who played for Kaizer Chiefs, Jomo Cosmos, Pretoria City and Manning Rangers. During his spell at Kaizer Chiefs he wore the number 11 jersey…

2014

Steven Gerber

American pianist and composer (born 1948)

Steven Roy Gerber was an American composer of classical music. He attended Haverford College, graduating in 1969 at the age of twenty. He then attended Princeton University with a fellowship to study musical…

2015

Johnny Keating

Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (born 1927)

John Keating was a Scottish musician, songwriter, arranger and trombonist.

2015

Reynaldo Rey

American actor and screenwriter (born 1940)

Reynaldo Rey was an American actor, comedian and television personality.

2015

Harambe

Cincinnati Zoo western lowland gorilla (born 1999)

Harambe was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy visiting the zoo climbed under a fence into an outdoor gorilla enclosure where he was grabbed and violently…

2016

Neale Cooper

Scottish footballer (born 1963)

Neale James Cooper was a Scottish football player and coach. He played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s, most prominently for the Aberdeen team managed by Alex Ferguson, and later played for Aston Villa,…

2018

Jens Christian Skou

Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)

Jens Christian Skou was a Danish biochemist and Nobel laureate.

2018

Cornelia Frances

English-Australian actress (born 1941)

Cornelia Frances Zulver,, credited professionally as Cornelia Frances, was an English-Australian actress. After starting her career in small cameos in films in her native England, she became best known for her acting…

2018

Mark Eaton

American basketball player (born 1957)

Mark Edward Eaton was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted…

2021

Patricia Brake

English actress (born 1942)

Patricia Ann Kennedy, better known by her stage name Patricia Brake, was an English actress. Her credits include Lorna Doone (1963), The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968-1969), My Lover, My Son (1970), The Optimists of Nine…

2022

David Brewer

English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (born 1940)

Sir David William Brewer was a British marine insurance broker who served as Lord Mayor of London (2005/06) and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London to Elizabeth II (2008–15).

2023

Notable deaths

Who died on May 28?

Zainul Abedin — Bangladeshi painter and pioneer of the modern art movement

FeaturedZainul Abedin

Death year1976

Known forHe became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during its British colonial period

Deaths on this date91 (576 – 2023)

Explore May 28

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

Events on May 28 Birthdays on May 28 Deaths on May 28 May 28 quiz

Also on May 28 in History

2017

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from an engine issue in his first entry of the event. Wikipedia →

2016

Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various internet memes. Wikipedia →

2013

Start of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey. Wikipedia →

See all events on May 28

May 27 May 29

Explore notable deaths on the interactive calendar.

Open the Calendar All Blog Posts

Notable Deaths on May 28

1976 — Zainul Abedin

Who died on May 28?

Explore May 28

Also on May 28 in History

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