Famous Deaths on April 19

Roger Williams (1603-1684)

English theologian and colonist, dies at 80

1686 Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish writer (b. 1610)
1689 Christina, Queen of Sweden who abdicated after becoming Catholic (1644-54), dies at 62
1706 Galenus Abrahamsz de Haen, Dutch baptist pastor (Lambs' War), dies at 83
1733 Elizabeth Villiers, mistress of William III of England
1739 Nicholas Saunderson, mathematician, dies
1751 Peter Lacy, Irish-born Russian Field marshal (b. 1678)
1768 Filippo della Valle, Italian sculptor, dies at about 70
1768 Giovanni Antonio Canal [Canaletto], Italian painter and printmaker (Rialto), dies at 70
1770 Esprit Antoine Blanchard, French composer, dies at 74
1772 Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer, dies at 66
1773 Florian Johann Deller, Austrian composer, dies at 43
1776 Jacob Israel Emden [Jacob ben Tswi], German rabbi, dies at 78
1791 Richard Price, nonconformist minister/writer (Alabi's World), dies
1799 Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch violinist, organist (Pembroke College & Chapel of Peterhouse, both in Cambridge, England), teacher, and composer (Glees), dies at 78
1813 Benjamin Rush, physician/abolotionist (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 67

Lord Byron (1788-1824)

British romantic poet (Childe Harold's Pilgrimage), dies at 36

1831 Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German mathematician, dies at 65
1840 Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Roman catholic bishop of Montreal (b. 1777)
1852 Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian folk poet and translator (Homerus), dies at 69
1854 Robert Jameson, Scottish naturalist (b. 1774)
1862 Louis Powell Harvey, US governor of Wisconsin, drowns
1862 Simon Fraser, Canadian explorer and fur trader (explored the Fraser River), dies at 86
1867 Robert Smirke, British architect, dies
1870 Andreas Schelfhout, Dutch landscape painter, etcher and lithographer, dies at 83
1870 Camille Marie Stamaty, French pianist, composer, and teacher of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Camille Saint-Saëns, dies at 59
1870 William Henry Havergal, composer, dies at 77
1874 Owen Jones, architect, dies
1876 Samuel Sebastian Wesley, English organist and composer, dies at 65

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

1st Earl of Beaconsfield, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1868, 1874-80) and writer, dies of bronchitis at 76

1881 Michel Abeloos, Flemish sculptor, dies at 53

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

English naturalist (Origin of the Species) who conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection, dies of heart failure at 73

1889 Warren De La Rue, astronomer/chemist, dies
1892 Fr. Thomas Dale SSC, Anglican clergyman prosecuted for Ritualist practices in the 1870s (b. 1821)
1893 John Addington Symonds, British historian and writer (Probs in Greek Ethics), dies at 52
1895 George Scharf, British art critic and administrator (National Portrait Gallery, 1857-95), dies at 74
1895 Victor J van Hinsbergh, South Neth engraver (PTT-stempels), dies at 70
1901 Alfred Horatio Belo, American newswriter and businessman (b. 1839)
1903 Oliver Mowat, Canadian lawyer and politician (Premier of Ontario 1872-96, a founder of the Canadian Confederation), dies at 82 [1]
1906 Pierre Curie, French physicist (Nobel 1903) and husband of Marie Curie, dies in a cart accident at 46
1906 Spencer Gore, British tennis player (1st Wimbledon singles champion 1877), dies at 56
1914 Charles Peirce, American scientist and philosopher known as "the father of pragmatism", dies at 74
1916 Ephraim Shay, American inventor of Shay type of geared steam locomotive, dies at 76
1923 Thomas Payne Westendorf, American songwriter ("I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"), dies at 75
1926 Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian statistician (b. 1874)
1926 Sir Squire Bancroft [Butterfield], British actor and manager known for creating 'drawing-room comedy' (Haymarket), dies at 84
1930 Charles Scribner II, American magazine and book publisher, dies at 75
1930 Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian senator (b. 1827)
1932 Władysław Rzepko, Polish composer, dies at 77
1937 William Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English historian and explorer (Spitzbergen), dies at 81
1938 Henry John Newbolt, English poet and author (Studies Green & Gray), dies at 75
1941 Johanna Muller-Hermann, composer, dies at 63
1943 Alexander Schmorell, German resistance fighter, beheaded
1943 Gustave Doret, Swiss composer, dies at 76
1943 Willy Graf, German resistance fighter, beheaded
1944 Tommy Hitchcock, polo player (Westchester Cup 1924, 27), dies at 44
1945 J P Heyboer, resistance fighter, executed
1947 Charles Bidwill, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Chicago Cardinals 1933-46), dies of pneumonia at 51
1949 Stephen Samuel Wise, American Rabbi and President of Zionist Org of America, dies at 75
1949 Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater (Olympic gold men's singles 1908; 10 x World C'ship gold), dies at 71
1950 Lord Berners [Gerald Tyrwhitt], English composer (1st Childhood), dies at 66
1956 Ernst Robert Curtius, German literature historian, dies at 70
1956 Leon Junschlaeger, Dutch sailor, soldier, and head of military intelligence in Dutch Indonesia, dies after a series of strokes while on trial fighting charges of subversion at 52
1956 Lionel Crabb "Buster", British Royal Navy diver (WWII), disappears presumed dead on a job for M16 at 47
1957 Charles Earle Funk, American lexicographer (Funk & Wagnalls), dies at 76
1957 Johan Willem Albarda, 1st Dutch socialist minister (1939-45), dies at 79
1964 Cyril Merry, Trinidadian cricketer (WI batsman in 2 Tests 1933), dies at 53
1965 George Davis, Flemish actor (Private Lives, Devil May Care), dies at 75

Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967)

Chancellor of West Germany (CDU: 1949-63), dies at 91

1968 Tommy Bridges, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers), dies at 61
1971 Russ Hodges, American sportscaster (NY Mets, SF Giants; Wednesday Night Fights), dies at 60
1972 Adolf Bach, German language professor and sociologist, dies at 82
1972 Billy Burke, American golfer (US Open 1931), dies at 69

Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975)

African American chemist who received 130 patents, pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants, dies at 76

1977 Günter Bruno Fuchs, German writer, poet and artist, dies at 48
1978 Emile de Strijker, Belgian philosopher, dies at 70
1979 Rogers Morton, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland), dies at 64
1980 Ethel Wilson, actress (Aunt Harriet-Aldrich Family), dies at 88
1980 Tony Beckley, actor (Assault, When a Stranger Calls), dies at 51
1981 Ernst Levy, Swiss composer, dies at 85
1983 Jerzy Andrzejewski, Polish writer (Ashes and Diamonds), dies at 73
1983 Lorene Scott, actress (Faraway Hill), dies at 74
1986 Alvin Childress, actor (Amos-Amos 'n' Andy), dies at 78
1986 Dag Wirén, Swedish composer, dies at 80
1987 Hugh Brannum, American actor and singer (Captain Kangaroo - "Mr. Green Jeans"; The Fred Waring Show - "Lumpy"), dies of cancer at 77
1987 Maxwell D. Taylor, American army general, (WWII Commander 101st airborne), Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff 1962-64), dies at 85
1988 Kwon Ki-ok, first Korean female pilot (b. 1901)
1989 Daphne Du Maurier, English writer (Rebecca, Jamaica Inn), dies at 82
1990 Vladislav Ivanovich Gulyayev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 52
1991 Stanley Hawes, British-born Australian film producer, director and administrator (b. 1905)
1992 Alice Mary Riley, entertainer, dies of cancer at 51
1992 Deacon Lunchbox [Timothy Tyson Ruttenber], American poet and performance artist, dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 41
1992 Frankie Howerd, actor (Carry on Doctor, Up the Front), dies at 70
1992 Pat Thompson, actress (Strictly Ballroom), dies at 51
1992 Rob Clayton, American alternative rock drummer (The Jody Grind), dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 22
1992 Robert Hayes, American alternative rock bassist (The Jody Grind), dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 24
1993 Blas Galindo, Mexican composer (A la Patria), dies at 83
1993 David Koresh [Vernon Howell], American cult leader (Davidians), dies shot at 33
1993 George Mickelson, American politician (Governor of South Dakota 1987-93), dies in a plane crash at 52
1993 Steve Douglas [Kreisman], American session and touring saxophonist and flautist (Phil Spector; Duane Eddy; Beach Boys), dies of a heart attack at 54
1994 Frederick Ferrari, English tenor and variety performer (Love Descended Like An Angel), dies at 81
1994 Larry Davis, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 57
1994 Louis Simmonds, British bookseller, dies at 87
1994 Michael Carreras, film Director, dies at 67
1994 Michel van Rooy, Dutch actor (Doctor Vlimmen, The Attack), dies at 43
1995 "King" Herbert Whitaker, American R&B tenor saxophonist, dies at 66
1995 Igor Hajek, Czech translator and writer, dies at 64
1995 J. Peter Grace, American businessman and industrialist,, dies from cancer at 81
1995 Kenneth Burslam Gardner, librarian/Orientalist, dies at 70
1996 Bernard Edwards, American funk and disco bass player (Chic - "Le Freak"; "Good Times"), dies of pneumonia at 44
1996 Norman Oldfield, English cricketer (scored 99 runs in Test for England), dies at 84
1996 Peg Ridge, peace campaigner, dies at 72
1997 El Duce [Eldon Wayne Hoke], American singer and drummer (The Mentors), dies from a "misadventure" on a train-track at 39
1998 Liam Sullivan, American singer and actor (Star Trek; The Magic Sword; Monroes), dies of a heart attack at 74
1998 Octavio Paz, Mexican poet (Salamandra; Topoemas), writer and diplomat who won the 1990 Nobel Prize laureate, dies at 84
1999 David Sanes, US Navy employee
1999 Hermine Braunsteiner, Nazi war criminal and female camp guard at Ravensbrück and Majdanek concentration camps, dies at 79
2000 Louis Applebaum, Canadian conductor and composer, dies at 82
2003 Conrad Leonard, British composer and pianist, dies at 104
2004 John Maynard Smith, English biologist (b. 1920)
2004 Norris McWhirter, Scottish co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records (b. 1925)
2005 Clement Meadmore, Australian sculptor (b. 1929)
2005 George Pan Cosmatos, Greek film director (b. 1941)
2005 Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish jazz bassist (b. 1946)
2005 Rick Lewis, American doo-wop tenor (The Silhouettes - "Get A Job"), dies at 71
2005 Ruth Hussey, American actress (Another Thin Man), dies at 93
2006 Ellen Kuzwayo, South African member of parliament (ANC) and noted writer ("Call me Woman"), dies at 91
2006 Ian Morrow, British company director, best known for saving Rolls Royce, dies at 93
2006 Scott Crossfield, American pilot, first man to fly at Mach 2 (b. 1921)
2006 Zola Levitt, Messianic Jewish preacher (b. 1938)
2007 Helen Walton, wife of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton (b. 1919)
2007 Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (Trout), dies at 74
2008 Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, dies at 72
2008 Germaine Tillion, French anthropologist, member of French Resistance (b. 1907)
2008 John Marzano, American baseball player (b. 1963)
2009 Doc Blanchard, American College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Heisman Trophy 1945; National C'ship 1944, 45, 46; Army), dies of pneumonia at 84
2009 J.G. Ballard, British novelist (Empire of the Sun; Crash), dies of prostate cancer at 78
2010 Carl Williams, Australian criminal (b. 1970)
2010 Edwin Valero, Venezuelan boxer (undefeated world champion WBA super featherweight 2006-08; WBC lightweight 2009-10), commits suicide at 28
2010 Keith "Guru" Elam, American rapper (b. 1966)
2011 Elisabeth Sladen, British actress (b. 1946)

Grete Waitz (1953-2011)

Norwegian long distance athlete (9 x NYC Marathon titles; World C'ship gold 1983; 5 x gold World Cross Country; WR x 4), dies of cancer at 57

2011 Jaroslav Smolka, Czech composer (Metamorfosi), music director, dramaturge, pedagogue, and musicologist, dies at 78
2012 Greg Ham, Australian rock saxophonist and flutist (Men At Work - "Who Can It Be Now"), dies under mysterious circumstances at 58
2012 Levon Helm, American drummer and singer (The Band - "Up On Cripple Creek"; "The Weight"), and actor (Coal Miner's Daughter; The Right Stuff), dies from throat cancer at 71
2012 Valeri Vasiliev, Soviet ice hockey defenceman (2x Olympic gold, dies at 62
2013 Allan Arbus, American commercial photographer, and actor (M*A*S*H - "Dr. Sidney Freeman"; Greaser's Palace; Curb Your Enthusiasm), dies of congestive heart failure at 95
2013 François Jacob, French biologist and bacteriologist (Nobel 1965), dies at 92
2013 Mike Denness, English cricket batsman and captain (28 Tests, top score 188), dies from cancer at 72
2013 Patrick Garland, British director (Doll House), dies at 78
2015 Roy Mason [Baron Mason of Barnsley], British defense secretary and Labour MP, dies at 91
2016 Milt Pappas, American baseball pitcher, (3-time MLB All Star), dies at 76
2016 Patricio Aylwin, Chilean lawyer, politician and President of Chile (1990-94), dies at 97
2016 Walter Kohn, Austrian-born American scientist (Nobel Prize Chemistry 1998), dies at 93
2018 Graciela Agudelo, Mexican pianist and avant garde composer (Celebration of Wine), dies at 72
2019 Bob Efford, British jazz and session baritone saxophonist and reed player, dies at 91
2019 Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor, dies at 91
2020 Bob Oliver, American MLB player, dies at 77
2020 Ian Whitcomb, English rocker ("You Turn Me On"), dies at 78
2020 Índio, Brazilian soccer striker (7 caps; Flamengo, Corinthians, Espanyol), dies at 89
2020 Steve Dalkowski, American baseball player and inspiration for Bull Durham film, dies of COVID-19 complications at 80

Jim Steinman (1947-2021)

American Grammy Award-winning songwriter and record producer (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell; Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart), dies of kidney failure at 73 [1]

2021 Monica Bandini, Italian racing cyclist (World Championship gold women's team time trial 1988), dies from a heart attack at 56

Walter Mondale (1928-2021)

American politician (US Senator from Minnesota (D), 1964-76 ; 42nd Vice President, 1977-81), dies at 93

2021 Willy van der Kuijlen, Dutch soccer forward (22 caps; PSV 528 games), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 74
2022 Kane Tanaka, Japanese centenarian (world's 2nd oldest recorded person), dies as the world's oldest living person at 119 [1]
2022 Mike Gregory, English darts player (BDO World C'ship 1992 runner-up), dies from dementia at 65
2022 Sandra Pisani, Australian field hockey captain (Olympic gold 1988), dies from cancer at 63
2023 (Elmer) "Bud" Shuster, American politician (US Representative-R-PA, 1973-2001), dies at 91
2023 Dave Wilcox, American Pro Football HOF linebacker (First-team All-Pro 1971, 72; 7 x Pro Bowl; San Francisco 49ers), dies at 80
2023 Moonbin [Moon Bin], South Korean K-pop singer and actor, dies in a suspected suicide at 25 [1]
2023 Richard Riordan, American politician (Mayor of Los Angeles (R) 1993-2001), dies at 92 [1]