- 457 Marcian, Eastern Roman Emperor (450-57), dies at about 65
- 672 Vitalian, Pope (657-72) and saint who dealt with Monothelitism controversy, dies
- 847 Sergius II, Pope (844-47), dies
- 1164 Abraham ibn Ezra, Jewish Spanish poet and philosopher, dies (b. c. 1093)
- 1311 Külüg Khan, Chinese Prince of Huaining, 3rd Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, dies at 29
- 1490 Ashikaga Yoshimasa, 8th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1443-73), dies at 54
- 1540 Angela Merici, Italian religious educator, founder of the Ursuline Order of nuns, and Roman Catholic saint, dies at 65
- 1547 Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, Queen of the Romans, dies at 43
- 1556 Humayun, Second Mughal emperor (1530-40, 1555-56), dies three days after a fall at 47
- 1565 Robrecht de Berghes, prince-bishop of Liege (1557-64), dies
- 1612 Maarten van Valckenborch, Flemish painter, buried at about 77
- 1625 Adriaen Valerius, Dutch composer ("Wilt Heden Nu Treden" - "We Gather Together"). and poet (Nederlandtsche gedenck-clanck), dies at about 49
- 1629 Hieronymus Praetorius, German organist and composer, dies at 68
- 1638 Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish novelist
- 1669 Gaspar de Crayer, Flemish painter, dies at 87
- 1688 Empress Xiaozhuangwen [Grand Empress Dowager Zhaosheng], Qing Dynasty consort empress (1643-88), dies at 74
- 1699 William Temple, English diplomat and advisor to Charles II, dies at 70
- 1731 Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker who is considered the inventor of the piano (Arpicimbalo del piano e forte, c. 1700), dies at 75 [1]
- 1740 Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prime Minister of France, dies at 47
- 1750 Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian noble and field marshal (Russo-Turkish War; Great Northern War), dies at 82 {OS= January 19]
- 1763 Johann Theodor of Bavaria, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Freising and Liège, dies at 59
- 1773 Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72
- 1802 Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, German lieder and ballad composer, and conductor, dies at 42
- 1814 Philip Astley, English circus owner "Father of the Modern Circus", dies at 72
1st Viscount Hood, British admiral in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars, dies at 91
- 1823 Charles Hutton, English mathematician and surveyor, dies at 85
- 1850 Johann Gottfried Schadow, German sculptor (Brandenburg Gate chariot), dies at 85
- 1850 Philipp Roth, German composer, dies at 70
American ornithologist and painter (The Birds Of America), dies at 65
- 1851 Karl Moser, German composer and violinist, dies at 77
- 1857 Dorothea Lieven, Russian-born correspondent of Czars and Empresses (held influential salons in London and Paris), dies at 72
- 1858 Gerrit van der Linde "The Schoolmaster" Dutch poet, dies at 49
- 1859 Carl A. Agardh, Swedish botanist, bishop of Karlstad, dies at 74
- 1860 János Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (non-Euclidean geometry), dies at 57
- 1860 Thomas Brisbane, British soldier, administrator and astronomer, dies at 86
- 1864 Leo von Klenze, German neoclassical architect (Walhalla), dies at 59
- 1866 John Gibson, British sculptor (Sir Robert Peel statue at Westminster Abbey), dies at 75
- 1880 Edward Middleton Barry, English architect (Covent Garden Opera House), dies at 49
- 1889 Ivan Aksakov, Russian journalist (Denj, Moskvitsh), dies at 65
- 1894 Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and naturalist, dies at 86
Italian opera composer (Rigoletto; La Traviata; Nabucco), dies from complications of a stroke at 87
- 1904 Adam Münchheimer [Minchejmer], Polis composer, dies at 73
- 1909 Benoît-Constant Coquelin, French actor, dies at 68
- 1910 Thomas Crapper, English plumber, bathroom fittings seller who contributed to sanitary engineering, dies at 73 [1]
- 1919 Endre Ady, Hungarian lyric poet (Még egyzer, Uj versek), dies from complications related to alcoholism at 41
- 1921 Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
- 1922 Giovanni Verga, Italian writer (I Mala Voglia), dies at 81
American journalist and writer (Ten Days in a Mad House), dies at 56
- 1927 Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius (Matulewicz), Lithuanian bishop
- 1928 Marie Verstraete, Belgian actress (Mooi Juultje van Volendam, Frou Frou), dies at 74
- 1930 Jean Hure, French composer and organist, dies at 52
- 1936 Johnny Golden, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1922, 26, 27 3rd; Ryder Cup 1927, 29 [3-0-0 record]; 9 x PGA Tour titles), dies of pneumonia at 39
- 1939 John Watson, Canadian philosopher (Objective Idealism), dies at 91
- 1940 Isaak Babel, Russian writer. playwright and journalist (Odessa Stories), executed at 46
- 1941 Iver Holter, Norwegian conductor (Oslo Philharmonic, 1886-1911), and composer (St. Hans Kveld), dies at 90
- 1942 Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian Prime Minister (b. 1888)
- 1945 Antal Szerb, Hungarian author (The Pendragon Legend; Journey by Moonlight), and literary scholar (History of World Literature), beaten to death at Balf Concentration Campdies at 43 [1]
- 1945 Gideon Klein, Moravian pianist and composer, dies in a Nazi labor camp at 26 (date approximate)
- 1947 Anna von Mildenburg, Austrian Wagnerian soprano, dies at 74
- 1949 Boris Asafiev, Russian composer and music critic, dies at 64
- 1954 Paul-Marie Masson, French musicologist (L’Opéra de Rameau), and composer, dies at 71
- 1955 Ernst Penzoldt, German writer and artist, dies at 62
- 1956 Erich Kleiber, Austrian-Argentine conductor (Teatro Colón, 1937-49; NBC Symphony, 1947-48), dies at 65
- 1960 Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian politician and statesman (President of the UN General Assembly 1948-49), dies at 65
- 1962 Percy LeSueur, Canadian hockey goaltender (inventor large goalie glove & LeSueur net), dies at 80
- 1963 John Farrow, Australian director and actor (Botany Bay, Wake Island), dies from a heart attack at 58
- 1964 Lieb Glantz, Ukrainian-born tenor, composer and Zionist, dies at 65
- 1965 Theo Uden Masman, Dutch big band orchestra leader (The Ramblers), dies at 63
- 1967 (Virgil) "Gus" Grissom, American USAF test pilot and NASA astronaut (Mercury-Redstone 4: Gemini 3: Apollo 1), dies of asphyxiation in fire aboard Apollo 1 during pre-launch tests at 40
- 1967 Alphonse Juin, French general and Marshal, dies at 78
- 1967 Ed White, American USAF officer and test pilot, aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut, and 1st American to walk in space (Gemini 4; Apollo 1), dies of asphyxiation in fire aboard Apollo 1 during pre-launch tests at 36
- 1967 Roger B. Chaffee, American US Navy Lt Cmdr and NASA astronaut, dies of asphyxiation in fire aboard Apollo 1 during pre-launch test at 31
- 1969 Hanns Jelinek, Austrian composer, dies at 67
- 1970 Lawren Harris, Canadian landscape painter (South Shore, Baffin Island; The Old Stump), and co-founder of the Group of Seven, dies at 84
- 1970 Probir Sen, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (14 Tests, 31 dismissals; Bengal), dies at 43
- 1970 Rita Angus [Henrietta Catherine Angus], New Zealand painter (Cass, 1936), dies of cancer at 61
President of Guatemala (1951-54); overthrown by CIA, dies at 57
American gospel singer ("Move On Up a Little Higher", "Whole World In His Hands"), dies of a heart failure at 60
- 1972 Richard Courant, German-American mathematician known for his textbooks including "What is Mathematics?" dies at 84
- 1973 William Nolde, American Army officer, last US soldier killed during Vietnam War, dies at 43
- 1974 Georgios Grivas, Cypriot leader and patriot (fought guerilla war for independence against British), dies at 75
- 1974 Paula Ludwig, Austrian German poet, dies at 74
- 1975 Bill Walsh, American producer and writer (b. 1913)
- 1977 Walter Baldwin, American actor (The Best Years of Our Lives, The Long, Long Trailer), dies at 88
- 1978 Marguerite Canal, French conductor and composer (1st woman in France to conduct an orchestra), dies at 87
- 1978 Oscar Homolka, Hungarian actor (Sabotage, The Seven Year Itch, Ball of Fire, I Remember Mama), dies at 79
- 1979 Qalander Baba Auliya, Indian Sufi master (Azeemiyya order), dies at about 81
- 1979 Victoria Ocampo, Argentine writer and publisher (Sur magazine), dies at 88
- 1981 Leo Collard, Belgian controversial Minister of Education (1946, 1954-58), dies at 78
- 1982 Iris Korn, American actress (Widder-Palmerstown USA), dies at 60
- 1983 Louis De Funes, French actor and writer (The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacobs), dies at 68
- 1983 Robert Christian, actor (Bustin' Loose), dies of cancer at 42
- 1984 Lou Crosby, American actor, and radio and TV announcer (Lum and Abner; The Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 69
- 1986 Lilli Palmer [Peiser], German actress (Cloak and Dagger, Anastasia: The Czar's Last Daughter), dies from abdominal cancer at 71
- 1987 Allison Danzig, American sports writer (Tennis Pictorial History, NY Times), dies at 88
- 1987 Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian film animator and director, dies at 72
- 1988 Edward Pawley, American actor (Angels with Dirty Faces), dies t 86
- 1988 Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian author (Le lieutenant de Kouta), historian, and playwright, dies at 49
- 1989 Bayani Casimiro, Filipino dancer and actor [Okey Ka Fairy Ko!], dies at 70
- 1989 Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer (b. 1888)
- 1990 Helen Jerome Eddy, American actress (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), dies at 92
- 1991 Dale Long, American baseball infielder (MLB record 8 HRs in consecutive games 1956; Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs), dies of cancer at 64
- 1992 Francesca Primus, American columnist and theater critic (Back Stage), dies at 45
- 1992 Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, British actress (Eliza Dolittle), dies at 101
- 1994 Claude Akins, American character actor (B. J. and the Bear; The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo; Movin' On), dies of cancer at 67
- 1994 Eddie Calhoun, American jazz bassist, dies at 72
- 1994 Joe Mays, American character actor (Mr. Saturday Night; The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd), dies of AIDS at 45
- 1994 Stanley Adams, American lyricist and songwriter ("What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"), dies from cancer at 86
- 1995 Geoffrey Parsons, Australian-British concert pianist, accompanist, and harpsichord player. dies of cancer at 65
- 1995 Halsey S. Colchester, British SAS officer, spy (MI6, 1947-72), and Anglican priest (1974-91), dies at 76
- 1995 Jean Tardieu, French dramatist, dies at 91
- 1995 Raphael M. Robinson, American mathematician, dies at 83
- 1995 Willem R "Wim" van der Zee, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of the Netherlands, dies at 64
- 1996 Barbara Skelton, English writer, memoirist and socialite (mistress to King Farouk), dies at 79
- 1996 Julian W. Hill, American research chemist (developed nylon), dies at 91
- 1996 Olga Havlová (nee Šplíchalová) Czech political activist (First Lady of the Czech Republic, 1993-96; First Lady of Czechoslovakia, 1989-92), dies of cancer at 63
- 1996 Patrick Ludlow, British actor (Naughty Husbands, Evergreen and Modesty Blaise), dies at 93
- 1996 Ralph Webster Yarborough, American politician, U.S. Senator from Texas (1957-71), dies at 92
- 1996 Tommy Mitchell, English cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 8 wickets; Derbyshire CCC), dies at 93
- 1996 Willian Edward Hanford, American chemist (process for making polyurethanes), dies at 87 [1]
- 1997 Cecil Arthur Lewis, British fighter pilot and writer, dies at 98
- 1997 David Townsend, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, HS 36; Durham CCC), dies at 84
- 1997 Gerald Marks, American songwriter ("All of Me"), dies at 96
- 1999 Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement, dies at 88
- 2000 Friedrich Gulda, Austrian classical and jazz pianist and composer (Ineffable; Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra), dies at 69
- 2000 Mae Faggs, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1952), dies from cancer at 67
- 2001 André Prévost, Canadian composer, dies at 66
- 2001 Stavros Damianides, Greek musician (b. 1941)
- 2003 Henryk Jabłoński, President of Poland (b. 1909)
- 2003 Louis Archambault, Quebec sculptor (b. 1915)
- 2004 Hard Boiled Haggerty [Don Stansauk], American pro wrestler (AWA, NWA, WWA World Tag Team C'ship; IWA World Heavyweight C'ship) and actor (The Incredible Hulk), dies at 78
American comedian and TV host of the Jack Paar Show and The Tonight Show (1957-62), dies at 85
- 2004 Salvador Laurel, Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
- 2006 Gene McFadden, American R&B singer-songwriter and producer (McFadden & Whitehead - "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"), dies of lung cancer at 56 [1]
- 2006 Jan Frank Fischer, Czech composer, dies at 84
- 2006 Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer best known for his solo self-rescue on Annapurna with a broken arm, presumed dead at 40
- 2006 Johannes Rau, German politician (President of Germany, 1999-2004; Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, 1978-98), dies at 75
- 2006 Roger Durham Hannay, American composer and teacher, dies at 75
- 2007 Bing Devine, American baseball executive (GM St. Louis Cardinals 1957-64 [World Series 1964], NY Mets), dies at 90
- 2007 Bob Carroll, American radio and screenwriter (I Love Lucy; The Lucy Show; The Mothers-In-Law; Here's Lucy), dies at 88
- 2007 Tige Andrews, American character actor (The Mod Squad; The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor), dies of cardiac arrest at 86
- 2008 Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008), dies at 97
- 2008 Louie Welch, mayor of Houston (b. 1918)
Indonesian army officer and 2nd President of Indonesia (1967-98), dies at 86
- 2009 John Updike, American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (Rabbit' Run; Rabbit is Rich; Rabbit at Rest), and poet, dies of lung cancer at 76
- 2009 R. [Ramaswamy] Venkataraman, Indian politician, eighth President of India, dies at 98
American novelist (The Catcher in the Rye), dies at 91
- 2010 Zelda Rubinstein, American actress (Poltergeist series, Picket Fences) and human rights activist, dies at 76
- 2012 Kevin White, American politician, dies at 82
- 2013 Éamon de Buitléar, Irish wildlife documentarian, naturalist, and writer dies at 83
American folk singer (The Weavers - "Goodnight Irene") and activist, helped create the modern American folk music movement, dies at 94
- 2015 Charles Hard Townes, American Physicist and inventor (Nobel Prize 1964 for mazer-lazer principle), dies at 99
- 2015 Harriet Elizabeth Byrd, American politician, Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives (1998-88), dies at 88
- 2015 John T. Myers, American politician (Rep-R-IN, 1967-97), dies at 87
- 2016 Artur Fischer, German Inventor with more patents than Edison, dies at 96
- 2017 Benny Barth, American session and touring jazz drummer, dies at 86
- 2017 Emmanuelle Riva, French actress (Hiroshima Mon Amour), dies at 89
- 2017 Robert Ellis Miller, American film director, dies at 89
Swedish eccentric businessman (founder of IKEA) and author (The Testament of a Furniture Dealer), dies at 91
- 2018 Mort Walker, American cartoonist (Beetle Bailey, Hi & Lois), dies at 94
- 2019 Peter Magowan, American businessman (CEO Safeway 1979-93) and sports executive (owner SF Giants 1993-2008), dies of liver cancer at 76
- 2020 Alberto Naranjo, Venezuelan jazz drummer, composer and arranger, dies at 78
- 2020 Jack Burns, American comedian (Burns & Schreiber), actor, and screenwriter (The Muppet Show), dies of respiratory failure at 86 [1]
- 2021 Cloris Leachman, American Oscar and Emmy Award-winning actress (The Last Picture Show; The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Phyllis"), dies at 94 [1] [2]
- 2021 Mehrdad Minavand, Iranian soccer midfielder (67 caps; Persepolis, Sturm Graz), dies from COVID-19 at 45
- 2022 Alain Bancquart, French violist, contemporary classical composer, and musical director, dies at 87
- 2022 Charanjit Singh, Indian field hockey captain (Olympic gold 1964, silver 1960), dies from a heart attack at 90
- 2022 Diego Verdaguer [Miguel Boccadoro], Argentine-Mexican singer-songwriter, bandoneón player, and trumpeter ("Volveré"; "Voy a Conquistarte"), dies of COVID-19 complications at 70
- 2023 Donald Trelford, English journalist and editor (Observer Newspaper 1975-93), dies at 85 [1]
- 2023 Floyd Sneed, Canadian rock drummer (Three Dog Night - "Joy To The World"; Ohio Players), dies at 80
- 2023 Sylvia Syms, English actress (Asylum, Moonraker, Shirley Valentine), dies at 89 [1]
- 2024 Lillebjørn Nilsen, Norwegian folk-pop singer-songwriter, dies at 73
