Today's 6 May Famous Deaths in History

  • 523 Thrasamund, King of Vandals and Alans (496-523)
  • 680 Mu'awiya I, 1st Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, dies (b. 602) date disputed
  • 820 Yax Pac [First Dawn], 16th and last ruler of the Maya K'inich Yax K'uk Mo' dynasty of Copán, dies after a 57 year reign
  • 850 Ninmyō, 54th Emperor of Japan (833-50) during the Heian period, dies at 41
  • 988 Dirk II, West Frisian count of Holland
  • 1124 Balak, Emir of Aleppo, murdered
  • 1471 Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, English military commander, executed for treason after the Battle of Tewkesbury at about 33 [birthdate uncertain, c. 1438]
  • 1475 Dieric Bouts, Dutch painter, dies at about 64
  • 1502 James Tyrrell, alleged murderer of the Princes in the Tower (executed)

Duke of Bourbon, Constable of France (1515-21) and military leader who opposed King of France Francis I and fought for Holy Roman Emperor, dies in the Sack of Rome at 37

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  • 1540 Jean Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and Renaissance humanist thought of as the father of modern psychology, dies at 48
  • 1596 Giaches de Wert, Franco-Flemish composer of madrigals, dies at approximately 60
  • 1620 Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1543)
  • 1631 Robert Bruce Cotton, English politician and antiquarian (his library formed basis of British Museum manuscript collection), dies at 60
  • 1638 Cornelius Jansen, Dutch Roman Catholic reform leader (Jansenism), dies at 52
  • 1642 Frans Francken the Younger, Flemish painter, dies on 61st birthday
  • 1666 Paul Siefert, German organist and composer, dies at 79
  • 1678 Joseph Chabanceau de La Barre, French composer, dies at 44
  • 1708 François de Laval, French clergyman, 1st Roman Catholic bishop of Québec, and saint, dies at 85
  • 1727 Catharine I of Russia [Marta Samuilovna], wife of Peter the Great, dies at about 42
  • 1739 Bernardus Smijtegelt, Dutch vicar, and writer (“Het Gekrookte Riet” (The Bruised Reed)), dies at 63
  • 1757 Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician, dies at 73
  • 1757 Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal, dies at 72
  • 1757 Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne, Austrian field marshal, dies at 51
  • 1776 James Kent, British composer, dies at 76
  • 1794 Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, French composer and organist (Notre Dame, 1783-93), dies at 59
  • 1814 George Joseph Vogler, German composer, dies at 64
  • 1836 Christian Ignatius Latrobe, English clergyman and composer (Selection of Sacred Music), dies at 78
  • 1840 Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian president and independence leader (b. 1792)
  • 1841 John Thomson, Scottish composer, dies at 35
  • 1852 Charles-Louis-Joseph Hanssens, Belgian composer, dies at 75
  • 1856 William Hamilton, metaphysicist, dies
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Photo for the article Today's 6 May Famous Deaths
  • 1864 Henry Livermore Abbott, US Union brigadier general, dies in battle
  • 1864 Micah Jenkins, Confederate brigadier general (friendly fire), dies at 28
  • 1870 James Young Simpson, Scottish obstetrician who popularized chloroform for medicinal use, dies at 58
  • 1873 José Antonio Páez, President of Venezuela (1830-35), dies at 82
  • 1877 Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (Finland's national anthem "Maamme"), dies at 73
  • 1882 Lord Frederick Cavendish, English politician who was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in May 1882 and murdered only hours after his arrival in Dublin, dies at 45
  • 1882 Thomas Henry Burke, assassinated by Fenian Invincibles, in Dublin
  • 1890 Hubert Léonard, Belgian violinist, and pedagogue (Brussels Conservatoire, 1848-67), dies at 71
  • 1891 Thomas Hare, English barrister and political reformer, dies at 85
  • 1892 Ernest Guiraud, French opera composer (Piccolino; Sylvie), arranger (Bizet), and teacher, dies at 54
  • 1904 Franz von Lenbach, German painter, dies at 67
  • 1906 David Houston, Scottish-American inventor (Kodak camera), dies at 64 [1]
  • 1909 (Francesca) "Fanny" Cerrito, Italian ballerina and choreographer (Rosida), dies at 91

King of England (1901-10), dies at 68

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  • 1916 Dirk Bos, Dutch Liberal 2nd Member of Parliament, dies at 53
  • 1916 Earl Ross Drake, American composer, dies at 50

American author (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), dies of a stroke at 62

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  • 1924 Carel S Adama van Scheltema, poet/writer (socialism), dies at 47
  • 1935 Bronson M. Cutting, American politician (Senator (R) New Mexico 1927-28, 1929-35), dies in a plane crash at 46
  • 1935 Kate Edger, First woman in New Zealand and probably the second in the British Empire to gain a university degree (Batchelor of Arts), dies at 78
  • 1936 Hans Jelmoli, Swiss pianist and composer, dies at 59
  • 1948 43 communist rebels, executed in Athens
  • 1949 Arthur L Ochse, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 10 wickets, BB 4–79; Eastern Province), dies at 49
  • 1949 Kunihiko Hashimoto, Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator, dies of gastric cancer at 44

Belgian playwright, poet and author (Blue Bird, Nobel 1911), dies at 86

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  • 1950 Agnes Smedley, writer, dies
  • 1951 Élie Cartan, French mathematician (b. 1869)
  • 1951 Henri Carton de Wiart, Belgian count and politician (Prime Minister of Belgium 1920-21), dies at 82
  • 1952 Alberto Savinio [Andrea Francesco Alberto de Chirico], Italian composer (Capitano Ulisse), dies at 60

Italian physician/educationist, dies at 81

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  • 1954 B. C. Forbes, Scottish-born American financial journalist, author, and founder of Forbes magazine, dies at 73
  • 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
  • 1961 Lucian Blaga, Romanian philosopher and poet (Transcendental censor), dies at 65
  • 1963 Monty Wooley, American actor (The Bishop's Wife, The Man Who Came to Dinner), dies at 74
  • 1963 Ted Weems [Wemyes], American jazz trombonist, violin player and big band bandleader (Somebody Stole My Girl; Heartache), dies of emphysema at 61
  • 1963 Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-born American physicist and aeronautic engineer (co-founder of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), dies at 81 [1]
  • 1964 Harold Morris, American pianist and composer, dies at 74
  • 1965 Oren E. Long, American politician and 10th Territorial Governor of Hawai'i (1951-3), dies from asthmatic bronchitis attack at 76
  • 1967 Zhou Zuoren, Chinese essayist and scholar, dies at 82
  • 1970 Wharton Esherick, American artist and sculptor who worked primarily in wood, dies at 82
  • 1971 Helene Weigel, Austrian/German actress (Metropolis), dies at 70
  • 1972 Deniz Gezmiş, Turkish Left-wing Political Activist (b. 1947)
  • 1972 Donald Pritzker, American entrepreneur (co-founder and president of Hyatt hotels), dies of a heart attack while playing tennis at Honolulu, Hawaii Hyatt at 39
  • 1973 Ernest MacMillan, Canadian organist, conductor and composer, dies at 79
  • 1975 József Mindszenty [József Pehm], Hungarian cardinal who opposed fascism and communism in Hungary, dies at 83
  • 1976 Karel Cruysberghs, Flemish religious writer (On the Pulpit), dies at 85

American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m, 300m, 4x100m freestyle relay 1920; first US female champion), dies at 76

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  • 1978 Ko van Dijk Jr, Dutch stage, screen, and radio actor and director (Dagboek van een herdershond), dies of a heart attack at 61
  • 1982 Sam Baker, American silent film actor (The Missing Link; The Lost City; The Sea Beast), dies at 75
  • 1983 Ezra Jack Keats, American children's author known for "The Snowy Day" winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, dies at 67
  • 1983 Kai Winding, Danish-American Jazz musician and trombonist ("Georgia On My Mind"), dies of a brain tumor at 60
  • 1984 Mary Cain, American Mississippi newspaper editor and politician, dies at 79
  • 1984 William A. Egan, American Democratic politician, 1st Governor of Alaska (1959-66, 1970-74), dies of cancer at 69
  • 1985 Julie Vega, Filipina child actress and singer, dies at 16
  • 1985 Pete Desjardins, American diver (Olympic gold 10m platform, 3m springboard 1928), dies at 78
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  • 1988 Paul Wilson, American doo-wop baritone singer (Flamingos, 1953-64 - "I Only Have Eyes For You"; "Lovers Never Say Goodbye"), dies at 53
  • 1989 Earl Blaik, American College Football coach (NCAA C'ship 1944–46; AFCA Coach of the Year 1946; Army) and executive (AD Army 1948–59, dies at 92
  • 1990 Charles Farrell, American actor (7th Heaven, My Little Margie), dies at 89
  • 1991 Anthony van Kampen, writer (Ketelbinkie, Geschonden Eldorado), dies
  • 1991 Thomas A Carlin, dies at 62
  • 1991 Wilfrid Hyde-White, British actor (My Fair Lady, Peyton Place), dies at 87
  • 1992 Gaston Reiff, Belgian athlete (Olympic gold 5,000m 1948), dies at 71
  • 1992 Jilly Rizzo, restaurateur/friend of Frank Sinatra, dies in a car crash at 75

German American actress and singer (The Blue Angel, Shanghai Express), dies in Paris at 90

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  • 1993 Ann Todd, British stage and screen actress (The Seventh Veil; The Paradine Case; The Passionate Friends), dies of a stroke at 84
  • 1993 Minnie Gentry, actress (Def by Temptation), dies in NY at 77
  • 1994 Fred Sadoff, American actor (Quiet American), dies of AIDS at 67
  • 1994 Haskell Sadler, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 59
  • 1994 Helen Lessore, English artist, dies at 86
  • 1994 Montague Modlyn, English radio and TV broadcaster, dies at 72
  • 1994 Moses Rosen, Chief Rabbi of Romania (1948-94), dies at 81
  • 1995 Clarence Paul [Pauling], American songwriter, and record producer (Motown; Stevie Wonder - "Fingertips"), dies at 67
  • 1995 Gottfried von Haberler, Austrian-American economist (international trade), dies at 94
  • 1995 Hilda Toledano [Maria Pia de Braganca], Portuguese journalist and writer who claimed to be the bastard daughter of King Carlos I of Portugal, dies at 88
  • 1995 Leonard "Red" Truss, American R&B singer (The Steelers - "Get It From The Bottom"), dies at 47
  • 1995 Nicholas Palmer, English TV writer and producer, dies at 57
  • 1995 Noel Brotherston, Irish soccer winger (27 caps Northern Ireland; Blackburn Rovers 317 games), dies of a heart attack at 38
  • 1996 Frank Hercules, Trinidadian-American novelist (On Leaving Paradise; Sunrise at Midnight), and teacher, dies at 85
  • 1996 Geoffrey Dawes, British physiologist (fetal and neonatal physiology), dies at 78
  • 1996 Geoffrey Hodges, British bomb disposal expert, dies at 87
  • 1996 Joseph Stone, American lawyer, Nuremberg Trial prosecutor, and labor arbitrator, dies at 79
  • 1996 Leo Joseph Suenens, Belgian Roman Catholic cardinal (Second Vatican Council), dies at 91
  • 1996 Michael Gerzon, British mathematician and audio pioneer (Ambisonics), dies at 50
  • 1999 Dennis Riley, American composer (Masques (for wind quintet)), dies at 55
  • 1999 Johnny Morris, British broadcaster and actor (Once in a Lifetime), dies at 82
  • 2000 Leonard Salzedo, British orchestral, ballet, and film composer (The Witch Boy; Requiem Sine Voxibus, Hammer Films), dies at 78
  • 2001 Mike Hazlewood, British pop singer and songwriter ("The Air That I Breathe", "It Never Rains in Southern California"), dies of a heart attack at 59
  • 2002 Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor (Saskatoon Symphony), and teacher (University of Saskatchewan), dies at 96
  • 2002 Otis Blackwell, American songwriter ("Fever"; "Don't Be Cruel"; "Great Balls Of Fire"; All Shook Up"), dies of a heart attack at 70
  • 2002 Saleh Selim, Egyptian football midfielder (10 caps; Al-Ahly Cairo SC 354 games) and executive (President Al-Ahly SC 1980-88, 1992-2002), dies at 71
  • 2003 Colin Gunton, British theologian known for "The One, The Three And The Many: God, Creation And The Culture Of Modernity", dies at 62
  • 2004 Barney Kessel, American jazz and session guitarist (The Wrecking Crew), dies at 80
  • 2004 Philip Kapleau, American Zen teacher and founder (Rochester Zen Center in New Haven), dies at 91
  • 2006 Grant McLennan, co-founder of Australian band The Go-Betweens (b. 1958)
  • 2006 Lillian Asplund, last American Titanic survivor, dies at 99
  • 2006 Lorne Saxberg, Canadian television journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2006 Shigeru Kayano, Japanese politician and leading Ainu activist, dies from pneumonia at 79
  • 2007 Curtis Harrington, American film director (b. 1926)
  • 2007 Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian politician (b. 1938)
  • 2007 Đorđe Novković, Croatian pop singer-songwriter (Pro Arte), and television personality (Hrvatski Idol), dies at 63
  • 2009 Valentin Varennikov, Soviet-Russian general and statesman, dies at 85
  • 2010 Robin Roberts, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (7 x MLB All Star; won 28 consecutive complete games 1952-53; Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 83
  • 2012 George Lindsey, American actor (Andy Griffith Show -"Goober"), dies at 83
  • 2013 Giulio Andreotti, Italian Prime Minister, dies at 94
  • 2014 Antony Hopkins [Reynolds], British composer, pianist, conductor (Intimate Opera Company, 1954-62), writer, and radio broadcaster (Talking About Music, 1954-92), dies at 93
  • 2014 Farley Mowat, Canadian author, dies at 92
  • 2014 Geoffrey Maitland Smith, British accountant (Sir Charles Clore; Paul McCartney) and businessman (CEO of Sears, 1978-95), dies at 81
  • 2014 Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (WBA heavyweight title 1968-70), dies from dementia at 74
  • 2014 Leslie Thomas, Welsh writer (The Virgin Soldiers), dies at 83
  • 2014 William H Dana, American aeronautical engineer, US Navy pilot, NASA test pilot (X-15), and astronaut, dies at 83
  • 2015 Errol Brown, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter (Hot Chocolate - "You Sexy Thing"), dies at 71
  • 2015 Jim Wright, American Democratic politician (48th Speaker of the House, 1987-89; US Representatives from Texas, 1955-89), dies at 92
  • 2016 Niklaus Schilling, Swiss film director (Dormire, Atem, Rheingold), dies at 72
  • 2016 Reg Grundy, Australian media and television mogul (Neighbours, Prisoner), dies at 92
  • 2017 Steven Holcomb, American Bobsledder (Olympic gold, 2010), dies in his sleep, with mix of alcohol and prescription medication found in his blood, at 37
  • 2018 Brad Steiger, American author and paranormal researcher, dies at 82
  • 2018 Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, dies at 76
  • 2018 Eric Geboers, Belgian motocross racer (5 x world champion; 39 x career Grand Prix wins), dies in a drowning accident at 55
  • 2018 George G. Hall, Northern Irish applied mathematician, dies at 93
  • 2018 Herbert E. Brekle, German typographer and linguist, dies at 82
  • 2018 Khaled Mohieddin, Egyptian military officer (member of the Revolutionary Command Council), dies at 95
  • 2019 Seymour Nurse, West Indian cricket batsman (29 Tests @ 47.60, 6 x 100; TS 258; Barbados), dies at 85
  • 2020 Barry Farber, American talk radio host (WINS-AM; WMCA-AM), dies at 90
  • 2020 Brian Howe, British rock singer (Bad Company, 1986-93 - "This Love"; "Holy Water"), dies of a heart attack at 66
  • 2020 Steve Blackmore, Welsh rugby union prop (4 caps; Cardiff RFC), dies from a brain tumour at 58
  • 2021 Carlos Timoteo Griguol, Argentine soccer midfielder (Atlanta, Rosario Central) and manager (Ferro Carril Oeste, Real Betis, River Plate), dies from COVID-19 at 84
  • 2021 Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga author (Berserk), dies at 54
  • 2021 Paul Van Doren, American businessman and the co-founder of Vans, dies at 90
  • 2021 Pervis Staples, American gospel vocalist (The Staple Singers -"Uncloudy Day"), dies at 85
  • 2021 Stuart Silver, American design director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1962-78) best known for designing the "Treasures of Tutankhamun" exhibit, dies of complications of cancer at 84
  • 2022 George Pérez, American comic book artist (The Avenger; Teen Titans), dies of pancreatic cancer at 67
  • 2022 Patricia A. McKillip, American sci-fi author known for the Riddle-Master trilogy, dies at 74
  • 2023 André Carolus Cirino, Surinamese indigenous writer, dies at 93
  • 2023 Marc Lalonde, French Canadian politician (30th Minister of Finance, 1982-84), dies at 93
  • 2023 Menahem Pressler, Israeli-American classical pianist (Beaux Arts Trio, 1955-2008), and educator (Indian University, 1955-2023), dies at 99
  • 2023 Newton N. Minow, American lawyer, statesman (FCC Chairman, 1961-63), and public broadcasting advocate, dies at 97 [1]

American baseball pitcher (6 x MLB All-Star; Cy Young Award & AL MVP 1971; World Series 1972, 73, 74 Oakland A's; SF Giants, KC Royals), dies at 73

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  • 2024 Hootie Ingram, American college football coach (Clemson Uni 1970-72) and executive (AD Florida State Uni 1981–89, Alabama 1989–95), dies at 90
  • 2024 Joel Collier, American football coach (HC Buffalo Bills 1966-68; DC Denver Broncos 1972–88), dies at 91
  • 2024 Judy Devlin Hashman, English-American badminton player (World Team Championship gold US - 1957, 1960, 1963, 1966), dies at 88 [1]
  • 2025 James Foley, American music video and film director (Glengarry Glen Ross, Fifty Shades Darker), dies of cancer at 71
  • 2025 Joseph Nye Jr., American political scientist known for coining the term "soft power", dies at 88
  • 2025 Lord Etherton [Terence Etherton], British Olympic fencer and the first openly gay senior judge, dies of a hereditary blood disorder at 73
  • 2025 Peter Goodchild, British television executive and producer (Horizon, Threads), dies at 85


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