1742 – Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1719)
1832 – Georges Cuvier [Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier], French naturalist and zoologist, dies at 62
1839 – Israel Ashkenazi of Shklov, founded Ashkenazic community (1815), dies
1925 – Boris Savinkov, Russian writer and revolutionary, dies in prison under mysterious circumstances at 46
1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian Catholic prelate and the fourth vicar apostolic of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands, dies at 68
1939 – Stanislaw Lesniewski, Polish logician and mathematician (Warsaw School of Logic), dies at 53
1982 – Gara Garayev [Kara Karayev], Soviet-Azerbaijani composer (Seven Beauties), dies at 64
1996 – John “Jack” Baines, British mountaineering publisher, dies at 57
2006 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (b. 1923)
2020 – Rolf Hochhuth, German playwright (Der Stellvertreter), dies at 89
Category: Famous Deaths
Famous Deaths for 12th May 2024
1838 – Jędrzej Śniadecki, Polish writer, physician, chemist (creation of modern Polish terminology in the field of chemistry), dies at 69
1864 – J.E.B. Stuart [James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart], Confederate General in the American Civil War, killed in action at 31
1878 – Catherine Beecher, American educator (championed higher education for women), dies at 77
1906 – Gabriel C. Wharton, American civil engineer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French writer (Against the Grain), dies at 59
1941 – Ruth Stonehouse, American silent film actress and director, dies at 48
1970 – Wladyslaw Anders, Polish army general (WWI and WWII), and politician (Parliament-in exile), dies at 78
1994 – Helen Lee Mai, Hong Kong actress, dies at 63
2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1925)
2017 – Bill Dowdy, American jazz drummer (The Three Sounds), dies at 84
Famous Deaths for 11th May 2024
1631 – Christoph Buel, German composer, dies at 57
1849 – Juliette Récamier, French socialite, dies at 71
1857 – Eugène François Vidocq, French criminal and police detective, dies at 81
1956 – Walter Sydney Adams, American astronomer and director of Mount Wilson, dies at 79
1962 – Hans Luther, German politician (Chancellor, 1925-6), dies at 83
1965 – Lode Baekelmans, Belgian writer (Tille), dies at 84
1994 – Alfred James Broomhall, British Protestant Christian medical missionary to China, dies at 82
1996 – Joan Thirkettle, British journalist, dies at 48
1996 – Ademir de Menezes, Brazilian footballer (Brazil national team 1945-53), dies at 73
2007 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Chief and Head-of-Head of Samoa (1962-2007), dies at 94
Famous Deaths for 10th May 2024
1849 – Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese painter and printmaker (The Great Wave off Kanagawa), dies at 89
1869 – Wilhelm Bernhard Molique, German composer and violonist, dies at 66
1885 – Ferdinand Hiller, German pianist, composer and conductor, dies at 73
1909 – Johannes de Koo, Dutch journalist and playwright, dies at 67
1971 – Shukichi Mitsukuri, Japanese composer (10 Haikai de Basho), dies at 75
1988 – Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (Long River), dies at 85
1994 – Lucebert [Jacobus Swaanswijk], Dutch poet and cartoonist (PC Hooft prize 1967), dies at 69
2002 – George Cates, American composer and orchestra leader (Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 90
2006 – Soraya [Lamilla], Colombian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer (“Amor En Tus Ojos / Love In Your Eyes”‘; “Casi”), dies of breast cancer at 37
2007 – Brian Wolfson, British CEO (Wembley Stadium Ltd), dies at 71
Famous Deaths for 9th May 2024
1938 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist, dies at 72
1955 – Kate Booth, English Salvationist and evangelist, dies at 97
1967 – Elmar Berkovich, Hungarian-Dutch industrial designer (Eindhoven theater), dies at 69
1976 – Raymond Chevreuille, Belgian composer, dies at 74
1982 – Ab Visser, Dutch poet and writer (Man Without a Head), dies at 69
1993 – Penelope Gilliatt, British author, dies at 61
1994 – Elias Motsoaledi, South African freedom fighter and anti-apartheid activist, dies at 69
2005 – Nasrat Parsa, Afghani singer, dies at 36
2007 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer, dies at 87
2016 – John Warr, English cricket fast-medium bowler (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Middlesex CCC, University of Cambridge CC) and executive (president MCC 1987-88), dies at 88
Famous Deaths for 8th May 2024
535 – John II [Mercurius], Roman Catholic Pope (533-35), dies at about 60 [birth date uncertain]
1079 – Stanislaus, Polish clergyman (Bishop of Kraków, 1072-79), martyr, and Catholic saint, murdered by of King Bolesław II the Bold, at 48 [date observed in Poland, exact date disputed, some sources say April, some May 7]
1278 – Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
1945 – Bernhard Rust, German Nazi politician and Minister of Science, Education and National Culture (1934-45), reportedly commits suicide at 61
1985 – Karl Marx, German composer and conductor, dies at 87
1985 – Adolphus “Dolph” Sweet, American actor (Gimme a Break, Which Way is Up), dies of cancer at 64
1991 – Jean Langlais, French organist, and composer (Missa Salve Regina), dies at 84
1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (Charlotte’s Web), dies at 84
1998 – Jack Heslop-Harrison, English botanist, Director of Kew Gardens (1970-76), dies at 78
2006 – Viola Mae Wilkerson, American pop singer (“Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now”), dies of cancer at 69
Famous Deaths for 7th May 2024
1427 – Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr, English churchman
1932 – Albert Thomas, French socialist politician (Minister of Armament WW1), dies at 53
1962 – Jimmy Conlin, American actor (Sin of Harold Diddlebock), dies at 77
1977 – Irwin Fischer, American composer and organist (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), dies at 73
1981 – Mieczyslaw Kolinski, Polish-Canadian composer (Encounterpoint), educator, and ethnomusicologist, dies at 79
1987 – Colin Blakely, Northern-Irish character actor (Shattered, Equus, King Lear), dies of leukemia at 56
1995 – Maria Luisa Bemberg, Argentine filmmaker, dies at 73
2020 – Mike Storen, American sports executive (Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks; ABA Commissioner 1973-76), dies from cancer at 84
2021 – Ernest Angley, American Christian televangelist, dies at 99
2022 – Kang Soo-yeon, South Korean actress (The Surrogate Woman, Come Come Come Upward), dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 55
Famous Deaths for 6th May 2024
523 – Thrasamund, King of Vandals and Alans (496-523)
1757 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician, dies at 73
1852 – Charles-Louis-Joseph Hanssens, Belgian composer, dies at 75
1950 – Agnes Smedley, writer, dies
1960 – Paul Abraham, Hungarian composer (Blume von Hawaii), dies at 67
1960 – Vern Bickford, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1949; no-hitter 1950; Boston / Milwaukee Braves), dies from cancer at 39
1984 – Bonner Pink, Conservative Party politician
2002 – Otis Blackwell, American songwriter (“Fever”; “Don’t Be Cruel”; “Great Balls Of Fire”; All Shook Up”), dies of a heart attack at 70
2009 – Valentin Varennikov, Soviet-Russian general and statesman, dies at 85
2020 – Steve Blackmore, Welsh rugby union prop (4 caps; Cardiff RFC), dies from a brain tumour at 58
Famous Deaths for 5th May 2024
1811 – Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
1864 – Alexander Hays, US Union-general-major, dies in battle at 44
1902 – Bret Harte, American author (Outcasts of Poker Flat), dies at 65
1951 – Leo Diegel, American golfer (PGA C’ship 1928-29), dies of throat and lung cancer at 52
1976 – Thomas Burnett Swann, American sci-fi author (Day of Minotaur), dies of cancer at 47
2011 – Arthur Laurents, American playwright (West Side Story: Gypsy), and screenwriter (Rope; Anastasia), dies at 93
2012 – Raman Surendranath, Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 26 wickets), dies at 75
2017 – Adolph Kiefer, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1936), dies at 98
2020 – Millie Small, Jamaican ska singer, and songwriter (“My Boy Lollipop”), dies of a stroke at 72
2021 – Del Crandall, American baseball catcher (11 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1957; 4 × Gold Glove Award; Boston/Milwaukee Braves) and manager (Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners), dies at 91
Famous Deaths for 4th May 2024
1615 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish mathematician (b. 1561)
1804 – Simon Stijl, Frisian physician and writer, dies at 73
1953 – T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
1970 – Allison Beth Krause, American student, killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard at Kent State University while protesting against US military at 19
1973 – Jane Bowles, American writer and playwright, dies at 56
1984 – Larry Stock, American singer-songwriter (“Blueberry Hill”; “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You”), dies at 87
1990 – Don Appell, American writer and director, dies at 70
1996 – Rowley Israel Arenstein, South African attorney, communist and activist (under house arrest for 18 years), dies at 77
2010 – Zvonimir Levačić – Ševa, Croatian humorist and entertainer (b. 1943)
2018 – BN Vijaya Kumar, Indian politician, dies at 59 of a heart attack