1870 – Charles Dickens, English writer (Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol), dies of stroke at 58
1900 – Birsa Munda, Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero of the Munda tribe who led an uprising in Bengal against the British Raj, dies in jail awaiting trial at 24
1964 – [William Maxwell] Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Canadian British newspaper owner (Leatherhead), dies at 85
1978 – Chief Tahachee [Jeff Davis Tahchee Cypert], Cherokee stage and film actor, dies from a heart attack at 74
1991 – Charles Loloma, painter/sculptor, dies
1994 – Dhirendra Bhramachari [Flying Swami], hindu leader, dies at 70
2001 – David Sheinfeld, American violinist and composer, dies at 94
2014 – Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A’s; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), dies from a broken neck at 57
2018 – Lorraine Gordon [Stein], American jazz music advocate and owner of Village Vanguard jazz club, dies at 95
2022 – Oleg Moliboga, Ukrainian volleyball player (Olympic gold USSR 1980, silver 1976; World C’ship gold 1978, 82), dies at 69
Category: Famous Deaths
Famous Deaths for 8th June 2024
1383 – Thomas Ros, 4th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, English Crusader, dies at 49
1714 – Sophia of Hanover, Princess Palatine and Electress of Saxony, dies at 83
1771 – George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, English statesman, dies at 54
1831 – Sarah Kemble Siddons, English tragic actress (Fatal Marriage, Lady Macbeth), dies at 75
1993 – René Bousquet, French Vichy-police chief (deported Jews), dies at 84
1998 – Sani Abacha, de facto President of Nigeria (1993-98), dies at 54
2000 – (Abram) “Abe” Lincoln, American sweet jazz trombonist (Paul Whiteman; Ozzie Nelson), and Dixieland jazz revivalist, dies at 93
2018 – Eunice Gayson, British actress and 1st Bond Girl (Sylvia Trench- “Dr. No” and “From Russia With Love”), dies at 90
2022 – Julio Jiménez, Spanish road cyclist (King of the Mountains: Tour de France 1965, 66, 67 and Vuelta a España 1963, 64, 65), dies at 87
2022 – Aarno Turpeinen, Finnish soccer defender (16 caps; HJK 225 games), dies at 51
Famous Deaths for 7th June 2024
1549 – Eelke Fouckens, Frisian anabaptist, beheaded
1916 – Émile Faguet, French writer and critic (b. 1847)
1927 – Voikov, Soviet ambassador to Warsaw, murdered
1979 – Forrest [Asa Earl] Carter, American author and segregationist speech writer, dies at 53
1980 – Henry Miller, American writer (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn), dies of circulatory complications at 88
1988 – Joe Partridge, cricketer (South African pace bowler 1963-65), commits suicide
1995 – “Sheikh” Imam [Eissa], Egyptian folk and protest singer-songwriter, dies at 76
2009 – Kenny Rankin, American singer-songwriter (“Peaceful”), dies of lung cancer at 69
2011 – Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (b. 1937)
2011 – Hubert Du Plessis, South African pianist and composer, dies at 88
Famous Deaths for 6th June 2024
1730 – Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon, Marshal of France, dies at 83
1840 – Marcellin Champagnat, French priest (b. 1789)
1891 – John A. Macdonald, Canadian politician and businessman (1st Prime Minister of Canada 1867-73, 1878-91), dies of a stroke at 76
1922 – Lillian Russell, American actress and operetta singer, dies at about 60
1934 – Max Pallenberg [Pollack], Austrian extempore farce actor (Morn to Midnight), husband of operetta star Fritzi Massary, dies in air crash at 56
1946 – Gerhart Hauptmann, German author (Before Dawn – Nobel Prize in Literature, 1912), dies at 83
1977 – Sophie Stewart, actress (As You Like It), dies at 69
1985 – Siem Devout, Dutch actor, dies at 54
2015 – Pierre Brice [Pierre-Louis Le Bris], French actor (Winnetou), dies at 86
2023 – Gints Freimanis, Latvian soccer right-back (13 caps; Jelgava 110 games), dies from skin cancer at 38
Famous Deaths for 5th June 2024
1864 – William Edmonson “Grumble” Jones, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies in battle at 39
1894 – Immanuel Faisst, German composer, dies at 70
1953 – Bill Tilden, American tennis player (US Open 1920-25, 29; Wimbledon 1920-21, 30; French 1927, 30), dies of a heart attack at 60
1953 – Roland Young, English American actor (David Copperfield, Irene, Dulcy), dies at 65
1970 – Jay Irving, American cartoonist (Draw Me a Laugh), dies at 69
1984 – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Indies Sikh leader
2001 – Pedro Laín Entralgo, Spanish writer, medical and humanist, dies at 93
2002 – Curtis Amy, American jazz musician (Way Down), dies at 72
2004 – Ronald Reagan, 40th US President (Republican: 1981-89) and actor (Bedtime for Bonzo), dies at 93
2005 – Susi Nicoletti, German actress (b. 1918)
Famous Deaths for 4th June 2024
1907 – Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Norwegian pianist, composer, and teacher, dies at 59
1962 – Clem McCarthy, American sportscaster (NBC Radio; RKO newsreels), dies at 79
1966 – Blanche Knopf, American publisher, president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and wife of publisher Alfred A. Knopf Sr., dies at 71
1992 – Carl Stotz, founder (baseball’s little league), dies at 82
2001 – John Hartford [Harford], American folk and bluegrass fiddler, banjo player, and songwrite (“Gentle On My Mind”), dies at 63
2001 – Dipendra of Nepal, Nepal prince who shot his parent and seven other family members, dies in a coma while technically King at 29
2007 – Clete Boyer, American MLB baseball infielder, 1955-71 (New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), dies at 70
2011 – Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer, dies at 58
2012 – Pedro Borbón, Dominican baseball pitcher (World Series 1975, 76; Cincinnati Reds), dies from cancer at 65
2023 – Roger Craig, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1955, 59 – Brooklyn/LA Dodgers, 1964 St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (SD Padres, 1978-79; SF Giants, 1985-92), dies at 93
Famous Deaths for 3rd June 2024
545 – Chlotilde, wife of French King Clovis and saint, dies at about 70
1881 – Japanese giant salamander, dies in Dutch zoo at 55; oldest amphibian
1882 – Christian Wilberg, German painter, dies at 42
1890 – Henryk Oskar Kolberg, Polish folklorist and composer, dies at 76
1959 – Ole Windingstad, Norwegian conductor (Brooklyn’s Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra, 1913-39), pianist and composer, dies after a heart attack at 73
1995 – Frank Waters, American writer, dies at 92
1998 – Joseph C. Harsch, American newscaster (Background), dies at 93
2004 – Jonathan D. Kramer, American composer (Notta Sonata), dies of leukemia at 61
2013 – Deacon Jones, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (8 × Pro Bowl; 5 × First-team All-Pro; LA Rams, SD Chargers), dies from natural causes at 73
2017 – Jimmy Piersall, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 1954, 56; his bipolar disorder subject book and film, “Fear Strikes Out”), dies at 87
Famous Deaths for 2nd June 2024
1871 – George Stevens, English jockey (record 5 Grand National wins), dies from fractured skull at 38
1873 – François George-Hainl, French cellist and composer, dies at 65
1951 – Alain [Emile-Auguste Chartier], French philosopher and writer, dies at 83
1959 – Max Rousié, French rugby footballer, dies in a car crash at 46
1990 – Robert Noyce, American inventor (co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968), dies at 62
1992 – Philip Dunne, founder (Screen Writers Guild), dies of cancer at 84
1994 – David Stove, Australian philosopher (b. 1927)
1999 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican musician (The Wailers) (b. 1949)
2003 – Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler (b. 1918)
2023 – Jacques Rozier, French film director (Adieu Philippine; Du côté d’Orouët), dies at 96
Famous Deaths for 1st June 2024
1873 – Joseph Howe, Canadian politician (3rd Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia), dies at 68
1938 – Ödön von Horváth, Hungarian writer (A Child of Our Time), dies at 36
1942 – Vladislav Vančura, Czech writer (Rozmarné léto), dies at 50
1970 – Giuseppe Ungaretti, Italian poet (Hermeticism) and journalist, dies at 82
1973 – Harvey S. Firestone Jr, American tire manufacturer, dies at 75
1983 – Anna Seghers [Netty Reiling], German author (The 7th Cross), dies at 82
1983 – Charles Tham, of Saxon-Coburg-Gotha, count of Flanders/Prince, dies
1991 – David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (My Girl; Ain’t Too Proud to Beg), dies of a drug overdose at 50
1992 – Howard Ralston, actor (Pollyana), dies
1996 – Stephen Jones, English art historian, dies of cancer at 41
Famous Deaths for 31st May 2024
1198 – Moses ben Solomon Ha-Cohen, rabbi of Mainz, dies
1551 – Aristotele “Basiano” da Sangallo, Italian set designer, dies
1747 – Andrei Osterman, Russian statesman (b. 1686)
1891 – Antoine-Aimé Dorion, Canadian politician and jurist (joint premier of Canada 1858, 1863-64), dies at 73
1960 – Willem Elsschot [Alfons Josephus de Ridder], Flemish writer (Kas), dies at 78
2000 – Johnnie Taylor, American RandB and multi-genre singer (“Disco Lady”; “I Believe In You”), dies at 66
2009 – Danny La Rue, Irish drag entertainer, dies at 81
2010 – William A. Fraker, American cinematographer (b. 1923)
2017 – Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech conductor (Czech Philharmonic, 1990-92 and 2012-17; Prague Philharmonia, 1993-2005; BBC Symphony, 2006-12), dies of cancer at 71
2019 – Roky Erickson [Roger Kynard], American musician (The 13th Floor Elevators – “Starry Eyes”; “Don’t Slander Me”), dies at 71