Notable Deaths on May 28

May 28 has 94 recorded notable deaths across history, from 576 to 2026. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.

Audie Murphy

1971 — Audie Murphy

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

By · Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 94 source records 576 – 2026

Major events on May 28

See what else happened on this day in history.

  1. 1961 Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International. Source
  2. 1926 The 28 May 1926 coup d'état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic. Source

Did you know about Audie Murphy

Audie Murphy was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history.

Did you know about Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars", and an influential child actor.

Did you know about Harambe

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 dragged and thrown by Harambe.

Did you know about Alfred Adler

Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology.

Did you know about Claude Lemieux

Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his career, including two with the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the team's victory in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final.


More major people who died on May 28

Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.

2010 Gary Coleman

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 medications used to treat a kidney disease, his growth was limited to 4 ft 8 in (142 cm). In the mid-1970s, he appeared in commercials and acted in an episode of Medical Center. He caught the attention of a producer after acting in a pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals (1977), who decided to cast him as Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), a role that launched Coleman into stardom. For playing the role of Arnold he received several accolades, which include two Young Artist Awards; in 1980 for Outstanding Contribution to Youth Through Entertainment and in 1982 for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series; and three People's Choice Awards; consecutive three wins for Favorite Young TV Performer from 1980 to 1983; as well as nominations for two TV Land Awards. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars", and an influential child actor.
2016 Harambe

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 dragged and thrown by Harambe. Fearing for the boy's life, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to use lethal force. Several primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals near humans and the need for better standards of care.
1937 Alfred Adler

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 set him apart from Freud and others in their common circle. He proposed that contributing to others was how the individual feels a sense of worth and belonging in the family and society. His earlier work focused on inferiority, coining the term "inferiority complex", an isolating element which he argued plays a key role in personality development. Adler considered a human being as an individual whole, and therefore he called his school of psychology Individual Psychology.
2026 Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux

heavy-hitting retired NHL forward and four-time Stanley Cup winner (born 1965)
Claude Percy Lemieux was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played as a right winger for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his career, including two with the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the team's victory in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final. He was one of 11 players to win a Stanley Cup championship with at least three different teams. One of the greatest playoff performers, he scored 80 playoff goals, ranking as the ninth most in NHL history. He was also known throughout his career as an aggressor, agitator, and enforcer.
2021 Mark Eaton

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 the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) Eaton became one of the best defensive centers in NBA history. He led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5). His No. 53 was retired by the Jazz.
1805 Luigi Boccherini

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 best known for the minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5, and the Cello Concerto in B♭ major . The latter work was long known in the heavily altered version by German cellist and prolific arranger Friedrich Grützmacher, but has recently been restored to its original version. He is also particularly well known for his Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid.
2008 Beryl Cook

Beryl Cook

English painter and illustrator (born 1926)
Beryl Cook, OBE was a British painter. Often comical, her works pictured people whom she encountered in everyday life, including people enjoying themselves in pubs, girls shopping or out on a hen night, drag queen shows or a family picnicking by the seaside or abroad. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her thirties. She was a shy and private person, and in her work often depicted flamboyant and extrovert characters very different from herself. Although widely popular and recognised as one of the best-known contemporary British artists, Cook was never accepted by the art establishment.
2001 Joe Moakley

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 Day Hicks in a 1972 rematch; the seat had been held two years earlier by the retiring Speaker of the House John William McCormack. Moakley was the last Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Rules before Republicans took control of the chamber in 1995. He is the namesake of both Joe Moakley Park and the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston.
1976 Zainul Abedin

Zainul Abedin

Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (born 1914)
Zainul Abedin, also known as Shilpacharya was a Bangladeshi painter. He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during its British colonial period. After the Partition of Indian subcontinent he moved to East Pakistan. In 1948, he helped to establish the Institute of Arts and Crafts at the University of Dhaka. The Indian Express has described him as a legendary Bangladeshi painter and activist. Like many of his contemporaries, his paintings on the Bengal famine of 1943 are viewed as his most characteristic works. His homeland honored him with the title "Shilpacharya" "Great teacher of the arts" for his artistic and visionary attributes. He was the pioneer of the modern art movement that took place in Bangladesh and was rightly considered by Syed Manzoorul Islam as the founding father of Bangladeshi modern arts, soon after Bangladesh became an independent republic.
1023 Wulfstan

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 elected simultaneously to the diocese of Worcester and the archdiocese of York, holding both in plurality until 1016, when he relinquished Worcester; he remained archbishop of York until his death. It was perhaps while he was at London that he first became well known as a writer of sermons, or homilies, on the topic of Antichrist. In 1014, as archbishop, he wrote his most famous work, a homily which he titled the Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, or the Sermon of the Wolf to the English.
1930 Frank Cowper

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 cruising", following the publication of his five books, Sailing Tours, describing his circumnavigation of the British Isles, the East coast of Ireland, and the French coast of Brittany in a converted 29-ton, 48-foot Dover Fishing boat named Lady Harvey. In a review of the last of his sailing books published in the year of his passing, recognition of his achievements during and after his eventful life are summarized with the following accolades. His books "laid the foundation" of the pilot guides used by yachtsmen today.
2022 Patricia Brake

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 Elms (1973), Emmerdale (1975), Nicholas Nickleby (1977), A Sharp Intake of Breath (1977), EastEnders (2004), and Coronation Street (2005-2006). She was most notable for her role as Ingrid Fletcher, eldest daughter of Norman Stanley Fletcher, in the BBC sitcom Porridge (1974-1977), and its sequel Going Straight (1978), and for starring as Gwen Lockhead in 128 episodes of Eldorado (1992-1993).
2014 Maya Angelou

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 television shows spanning more than 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
1998 Phil Hartman

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. He completed a BA at California State University, Northridge, and designed album covers for bands including Poco and America. In 1975, Hartman joined the comedy group the Groundlings, where he helped Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse.
1831 William Carnegie

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 Nore Mutiny of 1797 and was the officer selected to relay the demands of the mutineers to George III. He most notably served as third-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in HMS Britannia. He later became Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.
1984 D'Urville Martin

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 Lionel Jefferson. Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s and soon appeared in prominent films such as Black Like Me, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Rosemary's Baby. Martin also directed films in his career, including Dolemite, starring Rudy Ray Moore.
2023 George Cassidy

George Cassidy

Northern Irish jazz musician (born 1936)
George Cassidy was a Northern Irish jazz musician and music teacher from Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland, specializing in the tenor saxophone. He was also noted for teaching fellow Belfast musician Van Morrison music reading and notation and giving him saxophone lessons. Cassidy also played the clarinet, hurdy-gurdy and Hawaiian Guitar. Following a stint with The Skyliners, a local show band, Cassidy toured in Ireland playing saxophone behind Dusty Springfield with The Springfields. Cassidy was lead saxophonist with the Regal Accordion & Saxophone Band.
1975 Ezzard Charles

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 light heavyweight of all time, and one of the greatest fighters pound for pound, having defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles was the world heavyweight champion from 1949 to 1951, and made eight successful title defenses in under two years.
2003 Martha Scott

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 character in both films. She originated the role of Emily Webb in Thornton Wilder's Our Town on Broadway in 1938, and later recreated the role in the 1940 film version, for which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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