Notable Deaths on May 4

109 people 408 – 2024

May 4 has seen 109 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 408 – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By · Wikipedia

Frank Stella

2024 — Frank Stella

American painter (born 1936)

Did you know

He moved to New York City in the late 1950s, where he created works which emphasized the picture-as-object

Did you know

Stella's work catalyzed the minimalist movement in the late 1950s

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Frank Philip Stella was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction

Did you know

These were influenced by the abstract expressionist work of artists like Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock.


Venerius
archbishop of Milan
Venerius was Archbishop of Milan from 400 to 408. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is May 6.
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408
Arbeo
bishop of Freising
Saint Arbeo of Freising was an early medieval author and the Bishop of Freising from 764.
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784
duke of Swabia
Herman II was a member of the Conradine dynasty. He was Duke of Swabia from 997 to his death. In 1002, Herman unsuccessfully attempted to become king of Germany.
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1003
Gotthard of Hildesheim
German bishop (born 960)
Gotthard, also known as Gothard or Godehard the Bishop, was a German bishop venerated as a saint.
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1038
Coluccio Salutati
chancellor of Florence (born 1331)
Coluccio Salutati was an Italian Renaissance humanist and notary, and one of the most important political and cultural leaders of Renaissance Florence; as chancellor of the Florentine Republic and its most prominent…
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1406
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson
Swedish rebel leader (27 April O.S.).
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson was a Swedish nobleman, rebel leader and military leader of German ancestry. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union.
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1436
Edward of Westminster
Prince of Wales, son and heir of Henry VI of England (born 1453)
Edward of Westminster, also known as Edward of Lancaster, was the only child of Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou. He was killed aged seventeen at the Battle of Tewkesbury.
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1471
Duke of Bedford (born 1457)
George Neville, Duke of Bedford was an English nobleman, a scion of the House of Neville. At birth, he was likely heir to great wealth, but due to the political failure of his father and uncle, he inherited very little.
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1483
Husayn Mirza Bayqara
Timurid ruler of Herat (born 1438)
Sultan Husayn Bayqara Mirza was the Timurid ruler of Herat from 1469 until May 4, 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470.
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1506
Lorenzo de' Medici
duke of Urbino (born 1492)
Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici was the ruler of Florence from 1516 until his death in 1519. He was also Duke of Urbino during the same period. A scion of the Medici, his wealth and power saw his daughter Catherine de'…
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1519
John Houghton
Carthusian monk and saint
John Houghton, OCart was a Catholic priest of the Carthusian order and the first martyr to die as a result of the Act of Supremacy by King Henry VIII of England. He was also the first of the Carthusians to die as a…
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1535
Lelio Sozzini
Italian Protestant theologian (born 1525)
Lelio Francesco Maria Sozzini, often known in English by his Latinized name Laelius Socinus, was an Italian Renaissance humanist and theologian, and, alongside his nephew Fausto Sozzini, founder of the Nontrinitarian…
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1562
Luca Ghini
Italian physician and botanist (born 1490)
Luca Ghini was an Italian physician and botanist, notable as the creator of the first recorded herbarium, as well as the first botanical garden in Europe.
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1566
Pierre Viret
Swiss theologian and reformer (born 1511)
Pierre Viret was a Swiss Reformed theologian, evangelist and Protestant reformer.
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1571
Claudio Merulo
Italian organist and composer (born 1533)
Claudio Merulo was an Italian composer, publisher and organist of the late Renaissance period, most famous for his innovative keyboard music and his ensemble music composed in the Venetian polychoral style. He was born…
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1604
Ulisse Aldrovandi
Italian naturalist (born 1522)
Ulisse Aldrovandi was an Italian naturalist, the moving force behind Bologna's botanical garden, one of the first in Europe. Carl Linnaeus and the comte de Buffon reckoned him the father of natural history studies. He…
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1605
Flemish priest and mathematician (born 1561)
Adriaan van Roomen, also known as Adrianus Romanus, was a mathematician, professor of medicine and medical astrologer from the Duchy of Brabant in the Habsburg Netherlands who was active throughout Central Europe in…
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1615
Arthur Lake
English bishop and scholar (born 1569)
Arthur Lake was Bishop of Bath and Wells and a translator of the King James Version of The Bible.
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1626
Isaac Barrow
English mathematician and theologian (born 1630)
Isaac Barrow was an English Christian theologian and mathematician who is generally given credit for his early role in the development of infinitesimal calculus; in particular, for a proof of the fundamental theorem of…
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1677
John Nevison
English criminal (born 1639)
John Nevison, also known as William Nevison or Nevinson, was one of England's most notorious highwaymen, a gentleman rogue supposedly nicknamed Swift Nick by King Charles II after a renowned 200-mile (320 km) dash from…
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1684
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May 4 in the Blog

Kent State Shootings — May 4, 1970
Kent State Shootings — May 4, 1970

On May 4, 1970, the National Guard opened fire on a crowd of student protesters at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine.

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Notable deaths

Who died on May 4?

Frank Stella — American artist (1936–2024)

FeaturedFrank Stella
Death year2024
Known forHe lived and worked in New York City for much of his career before moving his studio to Rock Tavern, New York
Deaths on this date109 (408 – 2024)

Explore May 4

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

Also on May 4 in History

2023
Nine people are killed and thirteen injured in a spree shooting in Mladenovac and Smederevo, Serbia. It is the second mass shooting in the country in two days. Wikipedia →
2019
The inaugural all-female motorsport series, W Series, takes place at Hockenheimring. The race was won by Jamie Chadwick, who would go on to become the inaugural series champion. Wikipedia →
2014
Three people are killed and 62 injured in a pair of bombings on buses in Nairobi, Kenya. Wikipedia →
See all events on May 4
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