- 1023 Wulfstan, English bishop, Archbishop of York, who drafted King Cnut's law codes, dies
- 1089 Lanfranc, Italian Archbishop of Canterbury (1070-89) and counsellor to William the Conqueror, dies
- 1317 Guy of Avesnes, Bishop of Utrecht, dies at about 63
- 1357 Afonso IV, King of Portugal (1325-57) called the Brave, dies at 66
- 1521 William de Croÿ [Guillaume II de Croÿ,], influential chief tutor and First Chamberlain to Charles V of Spain, dies at about 62
- 1534 Dirk Martens, Flemish printer/humanist, dies at about 83
- 1556 Saitō Dōsan, Japanese daimyo (b. 1494?)
- 1650 Gilles Hayne, Flemish composer, dies at 59
- 1672 Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, English soldier, admiral and patron of Samuel Pepys, killed at the Battle of Solebay at 46
- 1672 John Trevor, English politician (b. 1626)
- 1685 Pieter de la Court, economist/historian, dies at about 67
- 1700 Jan Six, Dutch merchant and Mayor of Amsterdam (friend and subject of painter Rembrandt), dies at 82
- 1747 Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French writer, dies at 31
- 1750 Sakuramachi [Teruhito], 115th Emperor of Japan (1735-47), dies at 30
- 1787 Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dies at 67
- 1791 Joseph Schmitt, German-Dutch composer, dies at 57
- 1805 Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (Minuet), dies at 62
- 1808 Richard Hurd, English bishop and writer, dies at 88
- 1811 Henry Dundas, British minister (b. 1742)
- 1816 Ras Wolde Selassie, Ethiopian warlord and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire
- 1828 Anne Seymour Damer, English acclaimed sculptor, dubbed a 'female genius' by her peers, and regular Royal Academy exhibitionist, dies at 79
- 1828 Daikokuya Kōdayū, Japanese castaway (b. 1751)
- 1831 Henri Grégoire, French Catholic priest and revolutionary leader, coined the term 'vandalism', dies at 80
- 1833 Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner, German-Swedish organist, composer, conductor, choirmaster, and educator (Studentsång), dies at 74
- 1836 Anton Reicha, Czech-French composer, and pedagogue, dies at 66
- 1838 Thomas Busby, English composer, dies at 82
American lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary), dies at 84
- 1846 Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, Polish politician and Minister of the Treasury of the Kingdom of Poland, dies at 67 [1] [2]
- 1849 Anne Brontë, English novelist (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall), dies at 29
- 1863 Edmund Kirby Jr, American Brigadier General (Union Army), dies of injuries at 23
- 1864 Henry H Giesy, US Union-brigadier general, dies in battle
- 1864 Simion Bărnuţiu, Romanian philosopher and liberal politician, dies at 55
- 1872 Sophie of Bavaria, German-born Archduchess of Austria, dies at 67
- 1883 August Freyer, Polish organist (Warsaw Evangelical Church, 1837-83), composer, and pedagogue, dies at 81
- 1886 John Russell Bartlett, American linguist and historian known for his "Dictionary of Americanisms", dies at 80
- 1890 Viktor Nessler, Alsatian composer, dies at 49
- 1891 Winfield Scott Featherston "Old Swet", American politician and Army Brigadier General (Confederate), dies at 70
- 1893 Felipe Villanueva y Gutierrez, Mexican composer and musician of the Porfiriato period, dies at 31
- 1900 George Grove, British civil engineer, writer, musicologist, music historian (Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians), and administrator (Director of Royal College of Music, 1882-94), dies at 79
- 1902 Adolf Kussmaul, German physician (stomach pump, Kuszmaul disease), dies at 80
- 1911 Stephanus Jacobus du Toit, South African theologist and journalist (Afrikaner Bond), dies at 64
- 1912 Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist, dies at 74
- 1913 Lord Avebury [John Lubbock], British banker and politician, dies at 79
- 1913 Lunsford L. Lomax, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 77
- 1914 Adolf Sonnenfeld, Polish violinist and composer, dies at 76
- 1916 Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer and political activist, dies at 59
- 1921 Geo Mestdagh, Belgian aviation pioneer, dies
- 1922 Carl Teike, German military composer, dies at 58
- 1922 John Munro Longyear, American capitalist and developer of timber and mineral lands, dies at 72
- 1927 Boris Kustodiev, Russian-Soviet painter and stage designer, dies of tuberculosis at 49
- 1927 Georges Eekhoud, Belgian writer (Belgian Kempen), dies at 73
- 1928 Charles Edward Montague, English journalist and author (Fiery Particles), dies at 61
- 1929 Alice Stopford Green, Irish historian and proponent of Irish independence, dies at 81
- 1940 Friedrich Karl von Hessen (b. 1868)
- 1940 Randle Ayrton, British actor (The Manxman; Nell Gwyn), dies at 70
- 1940 Theodor Streicher, Austrian composer, dies at 65
- 1940 Walter Connolly, American actor (It Happened One Night, Good Earth), dies from a stroke at 53
- 1944 Katri Vala, Finnish poet (Tulenkantajat (The Fire Bearers)), literary critic, and teacher, dies of tuberculosis at 42
- 1947 August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal, dies at 40
- 1948 Unity Mitford, English fascist sympathizer and one of the Mitford sisters, dies from the effects of a bullet in her head at 33
- 1950 Vicente Sotto, Filipino politician and author (Sotto Law, Republic Act No. 53), dies at 73
- 1952 Joseph Lauber, Swiss concert pianist and composer, dies at 87
- 1953 Hori Tatsuo, Japanese writer (b. 1904)
- 1954 Achille Longo, Italian composer and pedagogue, dies at 54
- 1958 Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský, Slovak composer (Missa pastoralis; Otče náš; Ave Maria), dies at 77
- 1959 Herbie Collins, Australian cricket all-rounder and captain (19 Tests, 1,352 runs @ 45.06, 4 x 100s), dies at 71
- 1962 Jesse Crawford, American pianist, theatre organist for silent films, and recording artist, dies at 66
- 1963 Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin, Soviet composer, dies at 60
- 1964 John Finley Williamson, American choral conductor (Westminster Choir College, 1920-58), dies at 76
- 1968 Corbett Davis, American football fullback (#1 overall pick NFL Draft 1938 Cleveland Rams), dies of a ruptured spleen in a boating accident at 53
- 1968 Fyodor Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper considered one of the deadliest snipers in history, dies at 60
- 1969 Rhys Williams, Welsh actor (How Green Was My Valley, Nightmare, Okinawa, Cross My Heart), dies at 71
- 1971 Audie Murphy, American soldier who was among the most decorated in WW II with 33 medals and actor (To Hell and Back, Whispering Smiths), killed in a plane crash at 46
- 1971 Jean Vilar, French stage and film actor and director (Théâtre National Populaire), dies at 59
King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India (Jan 20th, 1936 until his abdication on Dec 11th, 1936), dies at 77
- 1973 Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, German composer and conductor (Hassan), dies at 73
- 1975 Eric Emerson, entertainer, dies
- 1975 Roy Roberts, American actor (Petticoat Junction, Lucy Show), dies from a heart attack at 69
- 1976 Steffan Danielsen, Faroese painter, mostly of local landscapes, dies at 53
- 1977 Jiří Reinberger, Czech organist and composer, dies at 63
- 1978 Arthur Brough, English actor (b. 1905)
- 1979 William Edmonson, American bass harmony and gospel vocalist (Southernaires), radio, stage and screen actor (Thirty Years Later), dies at 76
- 1980 Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician (b. 1895)
- 1981 Mary Lou Williams (née Scruggs), American jazz pianist, arranger (Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman), composer (Zodiac Suite; Mary Lou's Mass), and philanthropist, dies of bladder cancer at 71
- 1981 Stefan Wyszyński, Polish Cardinal, dies at 79
- 1982 Lieutenant Herbert "H." Jones, British Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment and Victoria Cross recipient, dies at 42
- 1983 Erastus Corning 2nd, American politician, longest serving mayor of a major American city as Mayor of Albany (1941-83), dies at 73
- 1984 Eric Morecambe [John Bartholomew], British comedian (Morecambe & Wise, Picadilly Palace), dies of a heart attack at 58
- 1986 Lurene Tuttle, American actress (Father of Bride, Julia), dies at 78 [1]
- 1987 Charles Ludlam, American playwright and actor (Big Easy), dies at 44
- 1988 (Melvin) "Sy" Oliver, American jazz arranger, songwriter (Jimmie Lunceford; Tommy Dorsey - "Yes, Indeed!"), dies at 77 [1]
- 1990 Giorgio Manganelli, Italian writer and journalist (Gruppo 63 movement), dies at 67
- 1990 Hussein Bin Onn, 1st minister of Malasia (1976-81), dies
- 1990 Joseph Hardy, American character actor (Husbands; The Clock), dies at 71
- 1990 Julius Eastman, American pianist, vocalist, and minimalist composer (The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc; Gay Guerrilla), dies of cardiac arrest at 49 [1]
- 1991 Brigitte B Fischer, writer, dies
- 1991 Ethel Lois Payne, American civil rights journalist and "1st Lady of the Black Press", dies at 79
- 1993 (Isiah) "Doctor" Ross, American blues singer and one-man band, known as 'the Harmonica Boss' ("Cat Squirrel"), dies at 67
- 1993 Charles Barnett, English cricketer (20 Tests for England), dies at 82
- 1994 Charles Spry, Australian soldier and security chief, dies at 83
- 1994 Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer, dies at 77
- 1994 Julius Boros, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1968, US Open 1952, 63), dies of a heart attack at 74
- 1994 Rita Gillespie, British pioneering TV Director, dies at 65
- 1995 Daniela Rocca, Italian actress (Battle of Austerlitz), dies at 57
- 1995 Henning Kronstam, Danish dancer, dies at 60
- 1995 Jean Muir, British fashion designer, dies at 66
- 1996 Buck Bundy, TV dog (Married with Children), dies at 13
- 1996 Jimmy Rowles [Hunter], American jazz pianist and composer (The Peacocks), dies of cardiac arrest at 77
- 1996 John "Jack" Layden, local politician, dies at 70
- 1996 Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
- 1996 Sidney Greenbaum, grammarian, dies at 66
Canadian-American actor (NewsRadio, 1995-98; The Simpsons, 1991-91; SNL, 1986-94: Peewee's Playhouse), and graphic artist, murdered by his wife in his sleep at 49
- 1998 Philip L. Carret, American investor and founder of Pioneer Fund, dies at 101
- 1999 Henry Carlsson, Swedish soccer (Olympic gold 1948), dies at 81
- 2000 Eric Turner, American football safety (First-team All-Pro 1994; Pro Bowl 1994, 96; NFL interceptions co-leader 1994; Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens), dies of stomach cancer at 31
- 2001 Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
- 2001 Joe Moakley, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1973-2001), dies at 74
- 2001 Tony Ashton, British musician (Ashton, Gardner & Dyke), dies of cancer at 55
- 2001 Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist, dies at 79
- 2002 Jean Berger [Arthur Schloßberg], German-born American composer, dies at 92
- 2003 Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
- 2003 Janet Collins, American ballerina, choreographer, and teacher, dies at 86
- 2003 Martha Scott, American actress (The Ten Commandments; Our Town; Ben-Hur), dies of natural causes at 90
- 2003 Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (b. 1933)
- 2004 Gerald Anthony, American actor (Marco Dane in "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital"), dies at 52
- 2004 Umberto Agnelli, Italian automobile executive (Fiat, 1965-2004), dies of lung cancer at 69
- 2006 Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (Olympic bronze Individual large hill 1948), dies at 86
- 2007 Marquise Hill, American football player (b. 1982)
- 2007 Parren Mitchell, American politician (Rep-D-MD, 1971-87), dies at 85
- 2007 Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
- 2008 Beryl Cook, British painter, dies at 81
- 2008 David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)
- 2008 Dennis Moss, British jazz tenor saxophonist, dies at 80
- 2008 Jerry Cole [Jerald Kolbrak], American session guitarist and arranger (Wrecking Crew), dies of a heart attack at 58
- 2008 Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
- 2009 Mort Abrahams, American producer (Dr Doolittle, Planet Of Apes), dies at 93
- 2009 Terence Alexander, English actor (Bergerac), dies at 86
- 2010 Eddie Barth [Edward Bartholetti], American actor and voiceover artist nicknamed "Mr. Gravel" for his raspy vocals (Shaft, Simon & Simon), dies at 78
- 2010 Gary Coleman, American actor (Diff'rent Strokes), dies at 42
- 2010 Hugh Ford, British mechanic engineer, dies at 96
- 2010 Jacob Kistemaker, Dutch nuclear physicist (ultra centrifuge), dies at 93
- 2011 Alys Robi [Alice Robitaille], French Canadian cabaret and radio of French translations of Latin songs, dies at 88
- 2011 Barbara Mills, British barrister (first female Director of Public Prosecutions), dies at 70
- 2012 Dieter Schönbach, German composer, and music director (Bochum Theater, 1959–73), dies at 81
- 2013 Fotis Polymeris, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist (Asta ta mallakia sou / Let Your Tender Hair Fall), dies at 93
- 2013 Nino Bibbia, Italian sledder (Olympic gold skeleton 1948), dies at 91
- 2014 David Nadien, American concert and session violin virtuoso, dies of pneumonia at 88
- 2014 James K. Randall, American composer, dies at 84
American author ("I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), dies at 86
- 2015 Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist (Ted Heath), arranger, songwriter, producer (Eden Kane), and Moog synthesizer proponent, dies at 87
- 2015 Steven Gerber, American classical composer (Music in Dark Times), dies at 66
- 2016 Harambe, Western lowland gorilla resident at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, shot and killed at 17, by a zoo worker to protect a 3-year-old boy who had climbed into its enclosure (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- 2017 Elisabeth Chojnacka, Polish harpsichordist, with works dedicated to her by over 80 composers, dies at 79
- 2017 Eric Broadley, British automotive engineer and entrepreneur (Lola Cars), dies at 88
- 2017 Frank Deford, American sportswriter (Sports Illustrated, HBO, NPR's Morning Edition), dies at 78
- 2017 John Noakes, British TV presenter, dies at 83
- 2018 Cornelia Frances [Zulver], British-Australian actress (Home and Away, Sons and Daughters), dies of cancer at 77
- 2018 Jens Christian Skou, Danish scientist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1997), dies at 99
- 2018 María Dolores Pradera, Spanish melodic singer and actress, dies at 93
- 2019 Andre Asriel, Austrian-German classical and film score composer, dies at 97
- 2019 Edward Seaga, Jamaican politician, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (1980-89) and record producer, dies at 89
- 2020 Lennie Niehaus, American jazz saxophonist and film composer (Clint Eastwood films), dies at 90
- 2021 Mark Eaton, American NBA basketball center (All-Star 1989; NBA Defensive Player of the Year 1985, 1989; Utah Jazz), dies after a bicycle accident at 64
- 2021 William F. Clinger Jr., American politician and Republican Representative from Pennsylvania (1979-97), dies at 92
- 2022 Bo Hopkins, American actor (Midnight Express, American Graffiti), dies at 84
- 2024 Butch Johnson, American archer (Olympic gold team 1996, bronze 2000), dies at 68
- 2025 Al Foster, American jazz drummer (Miles Davis, 1973-89; Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner), dies at 82 [1]
- 2025 George E. Smith, American physicist and co-inventor of the charge-coupled device who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (2009), dies at 95 [1]
- 2025 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan writer (Weep Not, Child; A Grain of Wheat), dies at 87 [1]
- 2025 Per Nørgård, Danish composer (Papalagi; Babette's Feast), dies at 92
- 2025 Salman Hashimikov, Russian freestyle wrestler (World C'ship gold +100kg 1979, 81, 82, 83), dies from heart failure at 73
