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Who Died Today in History?

August26 Calendar
  • 1278 Ottokar II, King of Bohemia (1253-78), dies in battle
  • 1346 Charles II of Alençon, killed in the Battle of Crécy (b. 1297)
  • 1346 John the Blind, King of Bohemia (1310-46), Count of Luxemburg, dies at the Battle of Crécy at 50
  • 1346 Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine, killed in the Battle of Crécy (b. 1320)
  • 1349 Thomas Bradwardine, English Archbishop of Canterbury, dies of the plague at Rochester, just after taking office
  • 1368 Engelbrecht van der Mark, prince-Bishop of Luik (1345-64), dies
  • 1486 Ernst I, Elector of Saxony (1464-86), dies at 45
  • 1518 Giberto X, Italian mister of Correggio, husband of Veronica Gambara
  • 1551 Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen consort of Gustav I of Sweden, dies of pneumonia at 35
  • 1572 Petrus Ramus, French philosopher (b. 1515)
  • 1595 Antonio, Prior of Crato, claimant to the throne of Portugal (b. 1531)
  • 1616 Johan van de Veeken, Dutch merchant, co-founder of VOC Chamber of Rotterdam, dies at 66
  • 1666 Frans Hals, Dutch painter known for his portraiture (Laughing Cavalier) (b. circa 1580)
  • 1683 Christoph Schultze, German composer, dies at 76
  • 1712 Sebastian Anton Scherer, German composer, dies at 80
  • 1713 Denis Papin, French physicist, and inventor (steam piston engine; Papinian pot (pressure cooker), buried at 66
  • 1714 Edward Fowler, English Bishop of Gloucester (b. 1632)

Dutch microbiologist, microscopist who was the first to observe bacteria and protozoa and naturalist (Philosophical Transactions), dies at 90

  • 1728 Anne Marie of Orléans, Queen of Italy, dies at 58
  • 1770 Domingos dos Reis Quita, Portuguese playwright and poet, dies at 42
  • 1785 George Sackville Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, British soldier and politician (British Secretary of State for the Americas during War of Independence), dies at 69
  • 1795 Alessandro Cagliostro [Giuseppe Balsamo], Italian adventurer and magician (Prince of Quacks), dies while serving a life imprisonment for being a freemason in Castel Sant'Angelo at 52
  • 1813 Daniel Gottlob Turk, German composer, dies at 63
  • 1813 Theodor Körner, German soldier and poet (Zriny, Sword Song), dies fighting in the Napoleonic wars at 21
  • 1849 Jacques- Féréol Mazas, French composer, conductor and violinist, dies at 66
  • 1850 Louis-Philippe, Duke of Chartres, the last King of France (1830-48), dies in exile in England at 76
  • 1857 Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (Tarimbekken, executed in Kashgar after being mistaken for a spy at 28
  • 1860 Philipp Friedrich Silcher, German composer, dies at 71
  • 1863 John Bz. Floyd, American Governor (Virginia), Secretary of War (1857-60) and Confederate general, dies of failing health at 57
  • 1865 Johann Franz Encke, German astronomer (Comet Encke), dies at 73
  • 1865 Marcellus Monroe Crocker, US attorney/Union brigadier general, dies at 35
  • 1869 Jan August Hendrik Leys, Belgian Romantic painter, dies at 54
  • 1871 Charles Scribner, American magazine and book publisher, dies of typhoid fever at 50
  • 1873 Carl Wilhelm, German composer, dies at 57
  • 1894 PPH van Ham, Dutch general-major, dies in battle on Lombok
  • 1894 Te Wherowhero Tāwhia, Second Māori King and leader of the Waikato tribes in New Zealand, dies at 71 or 72
  • 1908 Tony Pastor, American vaudeville performer, dies at 71
  • 1915 John Bunny American film comedian, dies at 51
  • 1921 Ludwig Thoma, German writer, dies at 54
  • 1921 Matthias Enzberger, German writer and politician (Minister of Finance, 1919-20), assassinated at 45
  • 1929 Ernest Mason Satow, British diplomat and scholar, dies at 86
  • 1930 Leonidas "Lon" Chaney, American actor nicknamed "the man of a 1000 faces" (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera), dies after long illness at 47

American banker (Mellon Bank), industrialist and Secretary of the Treasury (1921-32), dies at 82

  • 1943 Ted Ray, British golfer (British Open 1912, US Open 1920), dies at 66
  • 1944 Adam von Trott zu Solz, German lawyer and diplomat, dies at 35
  • 1945 Franz Werfel, Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet (Mirror Man, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh), dies at 54
  • 1946 Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1887)
  • 1948 Oscar L. Fernandez, Brazilian conductor and composer (Imbapara), dies at 50
  • 1949 Nico van Suchtelen, Dutch writer and publisher, dies at 70
  • 1950 Ransom Eli Olds, American auto (Oldsmobile) & truck (REO) manufacturer, dies at 86
  • 1955 Sol White, American Baseball HOF executive (Philadelphia Giants 4 x consecutive black C'ships 1904–1907), dies at 87
  • 1956 Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American Marxist activist who helped establish the American Communist Party, dies at 75
  • 1957 Umberto Saba, Italian writer, dies at 74
  • 1958 Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (Hugh the Drover), dies at 85
  • 1960 Mark Hambourg, Russian-British composer, dies at 81
  • 1963 Larry Keating, American radio announcer and quiz master, and actor (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, 1953-58 - "Harry"; Mr. Ed - "Roger"), dies of leukemia at 64
  • 1966 Art Baker, American TV host (You Asked For It), dies at 68
  • 1967 Andres Sas, Belgian Peruvian composer, dies at 67
  • 1967 Dilawar Hussain, Indian cricketer (Indian wicketkeeper in the 1930's), dies at 60
  • 1968 Kay Francis, American actress (Charley's Aunt, False Madonna), dies of cancer at 63
  • 1971 Francesco Santoliquido, Italian composer, dies at 88

English aviator and sailor (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire), dies at 70

  • 1972 Jacques Gans, Dutch author and journalist, dies at 63

American aviator who was 1st to fly solo across the Atlantic, dies of lymphoma at 72

  • 1975 (James) Cullen Landis, American silent and sound screen actor (Soul of the Beast; Peacock Feathers), and director, dies at 79
  • 1975 Juliette Béliveau, Canadian actress (Le gros Bill) and singer, dies at 85
  • 1976 Lotte Lehmann, German soprano (Der Rosenkavalier, More than singing), dies at 88
  • 1976 Warner Anderson, American actor (The Bubble, Destination Moon, Peyton Place), dies at 65
  • 1977 H. A. Rey, American author of popular constellation book, dies at 78
  • 1977 Heinz Rottger, German composer, dies at 67
  • 1978 Charles Boyer, French actor (Gaslight, Rogues), dies at 78
  • 1978 Charles Trowbridge Haubiel, American composer, pianist and lecturer (Tre Ritratti Characteristici), dies at 86
  • 1978 José Manuel Moreno, Argentine footballer, dies at 62
  • 1979 Mika Waltari, Finnish novelist (The Egyptian), dies at 70
  • 1980 Jimmy Forrest, American jazz saxophonist (Night Train), dies at 60
  • 1980 Miliza Korjus, Polish-American actress (Great Waltz), dies at 71
  • 1980 Rosa Albach-Retty, German actress (b. 1874)
  • 1980 Tex Avery, American cartoonist (b. 1908)
  • 1981 Lee Hays, American folk singer (The Weavers), songwriter ("Wasn't That a Time?"; "If I Had a Hammer"; "Kisses Sweeter than Wine"), and civil rights activist, dies at 67dies of a heart attack at 67
  • 1981 Roger Nash Baldwin, American founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, dies at 97
  • 1981 Walter "Foots" Thomas, American saxophonist, flutist, and arranger (Cab Calloway Orchestra), dies from cancer at 74
  • 1983 Mike Kellin [Myron Kellin], American actor (Pipe Dream, American Buffalo), dies of cancer at 61
  • 1984 Julie Stevens, actress (Lorelei-Big Town), dies at 67
  • 1985 Alfredo Carmelo, Filipino aviator, lithographer, and painter, dies at 89
  • 1986 Jennifer Levin, American murder victim, strangled by Robert Chambers in New York City's Central Park aged 18
  • 1986 Ted Knight [Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka], American actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Ted Baxter"; Too Close for Comfort), dies of colorectal cancer at 62
  • 1987 John Goddard, West Indian cricket all-rounder and captain (27 Tests @ 30.67; 33 wickets; Barbados), dies at 68
  • 1988 Carlos Paião, Portuguese singer-songwriter (Playback), dies in a car crash at 30
  • 1989 Henk Heidweiler, Suriname politician and diplomat (Ambassador to United Nations, 1968-75; Ambassador to United States, 1981-84; Ambassador to Netherlands, 1984-85), dies at 60
  • 1989 Henk Heidweiller, Suriname politician, dies (b. 1929)
  • 1989 Irving Stone, American writer (Love is Eternal, Lust for Life), dies at 86
  • 1990 Minoru Honda, Japanese astronomer (discovered 12 comets), dies at 77
  • 1990 Roh Ogura, Japanese composer and writer, dies at 74
  • 1992 Arthur Leigh Allen, American elementary school teacher and suspected Zodiac serial killer, dies at 58
  • 1992 Bob the Moor, Flemish comic strip artist (Tintin, Kuifje), dies at 66
  • 1993 Alan Wharton, English cricketer (England batsman once v NZ 1949, scored 7 & 13), dies at 70
  • 1993 Rockin Dopsie Sr. [Alton Jay Rubin], American zydeco singer, and accordion player, dies of a heart attack at 61
  • 1994 Tariq Yunus, Indian actor (Bollywood; Ashanti; Deceivers), dies at 54
  • 1995 Annie Kriegel, French historian of communist history, dies at 68
  • 1995 Evelyn Wood, American speed reading guru, dies at 86
  • 1995 John Costello, British military historian, dies at 52
  • 1995 Olimi III, African king of Toro (Uganda), dies at 49
  • 1995 Ronnie White, American singer (The Miracles - "Shop Around"), dies of leukemia at 57
  • 1996 Alejandro Agustín Lanusse, President of Argentina (1971-73), dies at 77
  • 1996 Baron Baker, Jamaican-British anti-racism activist, dies at 71
  • 1996 Catherine Hall, British nurse who raised the professional profile of nursing and to establish its central role in health care, dies at 73
  • 1997 Jaap van Meekren, Dutch TV anchor and host (AVRO, RTL4), dies at 73
  • 1998 Frederick Reines, American physicist, (1995 Nobel Prize for Physics for co-discovering the Neutrino), dies at 80
  • 1999 Lilo Hardel, German writer, dies at 85
  • 2000 Akbar Adibi, Iranian engineer and professor (electronics and VLSI technology), dies at 61
  • 2000 Lynden Pindling, Bahamas 'Father of the Nation' Prime Minister of Bahamas (1967-92), dies at 70
  • 2000 [Douglas] Allen Woody, American bassist (The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule), dies at 44
  • 2001 Louis Muhlstock, Canadian painter, dies at 97
  • 2002 Bea Barrett, American golfer (Western Open 1938), dies at 85
  • 2002 Miguel Querol Gavalda, Spanish musicologist and composer, dies at 90
  • 2003 Jim Wacker, American football coach (Southwest Texas State), dies of cancer at 66
  • 2003 Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, dies at 72
  • 2003 Wilma Burgess, American country-pop singer (Baby; Misty Blue), dies of a heart attack at 64
  • 2004 Laura Branigan, American singer-songwriter (Gloria), dies of a brain aneurysm at 52 [1]
  • 2005 Denis D'Amour, Canadian heavy metal guitarist (Voivod), dies of cancer at 45
  • 2005 Ed White, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1949)

Northern Irish politician (Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party), dies at 79

  • 2005 Robert Denning, American interior designer, dies at 78
  • 2006 Josef Hadar, Israeli violinist and composer (Evening of Roses), dies at 79
  • 2006 Rainer Barzel, German politician CDU-CSU) and minister, dies at 82
  • 2006 Sir Clyde Walcott, West Indian cricket batsman (44 Tests @ 56.68; 15 x 100s) and administrator (ICC chairman 1997-2000), dies at 80
  • 2007 Edward Brandt Jr., American physician and public health official, dies at 74
  • 2007 Gaston Thorn, 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1974–79) and 7th President of the European Commission (1981–85), dies at 78
  • 2007 Ramon Zamora, Filipino martial arts actor, dies at 72
  • 2007 Roy McLean, South African cricketer (prolific South African batsman played 40 Tests), dies at 77
  • 2009 Dominick Dunne, American writer and producer (Panic in Needle Park), dies at 83
  • 2009 Ellie Greenwich, American singer-songwriter ("Da-Doo Ron Ron"; "Leader of the Pack"), dies of a heart attack at 68
  • 2011 George Band, English mountaineer (1st to climb Kangchenjunga, world's 3rd highest mountain), dies at 82
  • 2011 John McAleese, British SAS Trooper, Team leader during 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege (b. 1949)
  • 2012 A K Hangal, Indian freedom fighter and Bollywood character actor (Aaina, Sholay), dies of respiratory disease at 98
  • 2013 Ruth S. White, American electronic music composer (Flowers Of Evil), dies at 87
  • 2015 P J Kavanagh [Patrick Joeseph], British poet, actor and journalist (The Perfect Stranger), dies at 84

American playwright (The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Biloxi Blues), dies at 91

  • 2018 Rosa Bouglione, French circus performer, dies at 107
  • 2020 Dan Yochum, American football offensive lineman (CFL All-Star 1975, 76, 77, 78; Grey Cup 1974, 77; Montreal Alouettes; CFHOF), dies at 70
  • 2020 Joe Ruby, American animator (co-creator of Scooby-Doo), dies at 87
  • 2021 Kenny Malone, American Nashville-based session drummer (Dolly Parton; Dobie Gray: Waylon Jennings), dies of COVID-19 at 83
  • 2021 Vladimir Shadrin, Russian Hockey HOF centre (Olympic gold Soviet Union 1972, 76; 5 x World C'ship gold; HC Spartak Moscow, Oji Seishi), dies at 73
  • 2022 Mable John, American blues, R&B, and gospel vocalist (Tamla-Motown; Ray Charles; "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"), and minister, dies at 91

American TV game show host (The Price is Right, 1972-2007; Truth or Consequences, 1956-75), actor (Happy Gilmore), and animal rights activist, dies at 99 [1]

  • 2023 John Kezdy, American punk-rock guitarist and singer (The Effigies), and later prosecuting attorney, dies from injuries sustained in a bicycle crash at 64
  • 2023 Tony Roberts, American College Football HOF broadcaster (play-by-play announcer Notre Dame Fighting Irish football 1980-2006), dies at 94
  • 2023 Yvon Pedneault, Canadian Hockey HOF journalist and broadcaster (Montreal Canadiens: Réseau des sports, Télévision de Radio-Canada, TVA, TQS), dies from cancer at 77

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Artie Phelan

Update: 2024-09-29