Did you know
Richard Wayne Penniman, better known by his stage name Little Richard, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist.
Notable Deaths on May 9
2020 — Little Richard
American singer, songwriter, and pianist (born 1932)
May 9 has 106 recorded notable deaths across history, from 480 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
106 source records
480 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on May 9
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war: United States President Joe Biden signs the 2022 Lend-Lease Act into law, a rebooted World War II-era policy attempting to expedite American equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. Source
- 1877 Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. The date will become recognised as the Independence Day of Romania. Source
- 1992 Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Source
- 2018 Barisan Nasional, the coalition that had governed Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957, suffer a historic defeat in the 2018 Malaysian general election. Source
Did you know
Julius Nepos, or simply Nepos, ruled as Roman emperor of the West from 24 June 474 to 28 August 475.
Did you know
William Bradford moved to Leiden in the Dutch Republic in order to escape persecution from King James I of England, and then emigrated to the Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower in 1620.
Did you know
Walter Philip Reuther was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history.
Did you know
Brenda Nokuzola Fassie was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist.
More major people who died on May 9
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
480
Julius Nepos
Western Roman Emperor
Julius Nepos, or simply Nepos, ruled as Roman emperor of the West from 24 June 474 to 28 August 475.
1657
William Bradford
English-American politician, 2nd Governor of Plymouth Colony (born 1590)
William Bradford was an English Pilgrim Separatist and Governor of Plymouth Colony, originally from the West Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England.
1970
Walter Reuther
American union leader (born 1907)
Walter Philip Reuther was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history.
2004
Brenda Fassie
South African singer (born 1964)
Brenda Nokuzola Fassie was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop" or the "Madonna of the Townships".
1968
Mercedes de Acosta
American author, poet, and playwright (born 1893)
Mercedes de Acosta was an American poet, playwright, and novelist.
1911
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
American abolitionist (born 1823)
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who went by the name Wentworth, was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, politician, and soldier.
1915
Anthony Wilding
New Zealand tennis player and cricketer (born 1883)
Anthony Frederick Wilding, also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I.
1957
Ernest de Silva
Sri Lankan banker and businessman (born 1887)
Sir Albert Ernest de Silva was a Ceylonese business magnate, banker, barrister and public figure, considered to be the most prominent Ceylonese philanthropist of the 20th century.
1997
Marco Ferreri
Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1928)
Marco Ferreri was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor, who began his career in the 1950s directing three films in Spain, followed by 24 Italian films before his death in 1997.
1983
Henry Bachtold
Australian soldier and railway engineer (born 1891)
Brigadier Henry Bachtold, was an Australian soldier and railway engineer.
1745
Tomaso Antonio Vitali
Italian violinist and composer (born 1663)
Tomaso Antonio Vitali was an Italian composer and violinist of the mid to late Baroque era.
1968
Marion Lorne
American actress (born 1883)
Marion Lorne MacDougal or MacDougall, known professionally as Marion Lorne, was an American actress on stage, film, and television.
2019
Freddie Starr
English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor (born 1943)
Freddie Starr was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor.
1987
Obafemi Awolowo
Nigerian lawyer and politician (born 1909)
Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician and statesman who served as the first Premier of the Western region of Nigeria.
1789
Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval
French general and engineer (born 1715)
Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval was a French artillery officer and engineer who revolutionised the French cannon, creating a new production system that allowed for lighter, more uniform guns…
1959
Bhaurao Patil
Indian activist and educator (born 1887)
Bhaurao Patil, was a social activist and educator in Maharashtra, India. A strong advocate of mass education, he founded the Rayat Education Society.
1979
Eddie Jefferson
American singer and lyricist (born 1918)
Eddie Jefferson was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo.
2012
Bertram Cohler
American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and academic (born 1938)
Bertram Joseph Cohler was an American psychologist, psychoanalyst, and educator primarily associated with the University of Chicago, the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, and Harvard University.
1976
Ulrike Meinhof
German militant, co-founded the Red Army Faction (born 1934)
Ulrike Marie Meinhof was a German left-wing militant, journalist, author and founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) in West Germany, commonly referred to in the press as the "Baader-Meinhof gang".