Notable Deaths on October 11

October 11 has 91 recorded notable deaths across history, from 965 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.

Werner von Trapp

2007 — Werner von Trapp

Austrian-American singer (born 1915)

By · Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 91 source records 965 – 2025

Major events on October 11

See what else happened on this day in history.

  1. 1890 In Washington, D.C., the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded. Source
  2. 1958 NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe, although it fails to achieve a stable orbit. Source

Did you know about Werner von Trapp

In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" until they ceased to perform as a unit in 1957.

Did you know about Meriwether Lewis

President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806.

Did you know about Richard Cromwell

Cromwell's fame was perhaps first assured in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), with Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone.

Did you know about Casimir Pulaski

Born in Warsaw and following in his father's footsteps, he became interested in politics at an early age.

Did you know about Huldrych Zwingli

Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland.


More major people who died on October 11

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

1809 Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis

American captain, explorer, and politician, 2nd Governor of Louisiana Territory (born 1774)
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark. Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade with, and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon Country for the United States before European nations. They also collected scientific data and information on indigenous nations. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806. He died in 1809 of gunshot wounds, in what was either a murder or suicide.
1960 Richard Cromwell

Richard Cromwell

American actor (born 1910)
Richard Cromwell also known as Roy Radabaugh, was an American actor. His career was at its pinnacle with his work in Jezebel (1938) with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda and again with Fonda in John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Cromwell's fame was perhaps first assured in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), with Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone. That film was the first major effort directed by Henry Hathaway and it was based upon the popular novel by Francis Yeats-Brown. The Lives of a Bengal Lancer earned Paramount Studios a nomination for Best Picture in 1935, though Mutiny on the Bounty instead took the top award at the Academy Awards that year.
1779 Casimir Pulaski

Casimir Pulaski

Polish-American general (born 1745)
Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski, anglicised as Casimir Pulaski, was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The Soldier of Liberty". Born in Warsaw and following in his father's footsteps, he became interested in politics at an early age. He soon became involved in the military and in revolutionary affairs in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Pulaski was one of the leading military commanders for the Bar Confederation and fought against the Commonwealth's foreign domination. When this uprising failed, he was driven into exile.
1531 Huldrych Zwingli

Huldrych Zwingli

Swiss pastor and theologian (born 1484)
Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system, he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly center of Renaissance humanism. He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln, where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus. During his tenures at Basel and Einsiedeln, Zwingli began to familiarize himself with many criticisms Christian institutions were facing regarding their reform guidance and garnered scripture which aimed to address such criticisms.
2013 Erich Priebke

Erich Priebke

German captain (born 1913)
Erich Priebke was a German mid-level Schutzstaffel (SS) commander in the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo) of Nazi Germany. In 1996, he was convicted of war crimes in Italy for commanding the unit which was responsible for the Ardeatine massacre in Rome on 24 March 1944 in which 335 Italian civilians were killed in retaliation for a partisan attack that killed 33 men of the German SS Police Regiment Bozen. Priebke was one of the men held responsible for this mass execution. After the end of World War II in Europe, he fled to Argentina, where he lived for almost 50 years.
1579 Sokollu Mehmed Pasha

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha

Ottoman politician, 43rd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1506)
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was most notable for being the grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in Ottoman Herzegovina into an Orthodox Christian family, Mehmed was abducted as a young boy as part of the so-called "blood tax" to serve as a janissary to the Ottoman devşirme system of recruiting Christian boys to be raised as officers or administrators for the state. He rose through the ranks of the Ottoman imperial system, eventually holding positions as commander of the imperial guard (1543–1546), High Admiral of the Fleet (1546–1551), Governor-General of Rumelia (1551–1555), Third Vizier (1555–1561), Second Vizier (1561–1565), and Grand Vizier under three sultans: Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III. He was assassinated in 1579, ending his near 15-years of service to several Sultans, as sole legal representative in the administration of state affairs.
2000 Donald Dewar

Donald Dewar

Scottish politician, 1st First Minister of Scotland (born 1937)
Donald Campbell Dewar was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the first first minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000 and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 1998 until his death in 2000. He was widely regarded as the "Father of the Nation" during his tenure as first minister, and the "Architect of Devolution" whilst serving as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997 to 1999. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Anniesland from 1978 to 2000. Dewar was also Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the equivalent seat from 1999 to 2000.
1986 Norm Cash

Norm Cash

American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1934)
Norman Dalton Cash was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an American League left-handed hitter when he retired, behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig; his 373 home runs with the Tigers is tied for second in franchise history with Miguel Cabrera, behind Al Kaline (399). He also led the AL in assists three times and fielding percentage twice; he ranked among the all-time leaders in assists and double plays upon his retirement, and was fifth in AL history in games at first base (1,943). He was known to fans and teammates during his playing days as "Stormin' Norman."
2014 Bob Such

Bob Such

Australian educator and politician (born 1944)
Robert Bruce Such was a South Australian politician. He was the member for the seat of Fisher in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1989 until his death in 2014. He defeated Labor MP Philip Tyler at the 1989 election and was a member of the Liberals until 2000 when he became an independent. Such was Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, and Minister for Youth Affairs, in the Brown Liberal government from 1993 to 1996. He served as Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly for the Rann Labor government from 2005 to 2006. Such was joint Father of the House with Michael Atkinson from 2012.
1904 Mary Tenney Gray

Mary Tenney Gray

American editorial writer, club-woman, philanthropist, and suffragette (born 1833)
Mary Davy Tenney Gray was a 19th-century American editorial writer, clubwoman, philanthropist, and suffragist from Pennsylvania, who later became a resident of Kansas. She lived in Kansas City, Kansas for more than twenty years and during that time, was identified with almost every woman's movement. She served on the editorial staff of several publications including the New York Teacher, the Leavenworth Home Record, and the Kansas Farmer. Gray's paper on "Women and Kansas City's Development" was awarded the first prize in the competition held by the Women's Auxiliary to the Manufacturers' Association of Kansas City, Missouri.
1971 Tamanoumi Masahiro

Tamanoumi Masahiro

Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (born 1944)
Tamanoumi Masahiro was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aichi. He was the sport's 51st yokozuna. Making his professional debut in 1959, he reached the top makuuchi division in 1964. He won six tournament championships and was runner-up in 12 others. Earlier in his career he also earned six special prizes and four gold stars. He was promoted to yokozuna simultaneously with his friend and rival Kitanofuji in January 1970 and the two men represented the dawning of a new era after the dominance of Taihō. He died suddenly in October 1971 after a delayed appendectomy.
1998 Richard Denning

Richard Denning

American actor (born 1914)
Richard Denning was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including Unknown Island (1948), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Target Earth (1954), Day the World Ended (1955), Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), and The Black Scorpion (1957). Denning also appeared in the film An Affair to Remember (1957) with Cary Grant and on radio with Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband (1948–1951), the forerunner of I Love Lucy. He's more well-known as Governor Paul Jameson in late 1968-1980 police procedural TV series Hawaii Five-O.
1961 Chico Marx

Chico Marx

American comedian (born 1887)
Leonard "Chico" Marx was an American comedian, actor, and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Arthur ("Harpo"), Julius ("Groucho"), Milton ("Gummo"), and Herbert ("Zeppo"). His persona in the act was that of a charming, uneducated but crafty con artist, seemingly of rural Italian origin, who wore shabby clothes and sported a curly-haired wig and Tyrolean hat. On screen, Chico is often in alliance with Harpo, usually as partners in crime, and is also frequently seen trying to con or outfox Groucho.
1542 Thomas Wyatt

Thomas Wyatt

English poet and diplomat (born 1503)
Sir Thomas Wyatt was a 16th-century English politician, ambassador, and lyric poet credited with introducing the sonnet to English literature. He was born at Allington Castle near Maidstone in Kent, though his family was originally from Yorkshire. His family adopted the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses. His mother was Anne Skinner, and his father Henry, who had earlier been imprisoned and tortured by Richard III, had been a Privy Councillor of Henry VII and remained a trusted adviser when Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509.
2025 Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton

American actress (born 1946)
Diane Keaton was an American actress. Her career spanned more than five decades, during which she rose to prominence in the New Hollywood movement. She collaborated frequently with Woody Allen, appearing in eight of his films. Keaton's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, along with nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. She was honored with the Film at Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 2007 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2017.
2015 Dean Chance

Dean Chance

American baseball player and manager (born 1941)
Wilmer Dean Chance was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played in 11 Major League Baseball seasons for the Los Angeles / California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. With a touch of wildness and the habit of never looking at home plate once he received the sign from his catcher, Chance would turn his back fully towards the hitter in mid-windup before spinning and unleashing a good fastball, sinker or sidearm curveball.
1988 Bonita Granville

Bonita Granville

American actress (born 1923)
Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather was an American character actress and producer. The daughter of vaudevillians, Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She began as a child actress, making her film debut in Westward Passage (1932). She rose to prominence for her role in These Three (1936), which earned her an Academy Award nomination at age 14. Her prominence continued with the Nancy Drew film series and roles in Now, Voyager (1942) and Hitler's Children (1943).
1991 Redd Foxx

Redd Foxx

American actor and comedian (born 1922)
John Elroy Sanford, better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. Known as the "King of the Party Records", he performed on more than 50 records in his lifetime. He portrayed Fred G. Sanford on the television show Sanford and Son and starred in The Redd Foxx Show and The Royal Family.
1999 Leo Lionni

Leo Lionni

Dutch-American author and illustrator (born 1910)
Leo Lionni was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Born in the Netherlands, he moved to Italy and lived there before moving to the United States in 1939, where he worked as an art director for several advertising agencies, and then for Fortune magazine. Lionni returned to Italy in 1962 and started writing and illustrating children's books. That same year his book Inch by Inch was awarded the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

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