Famous Deaths on April 4

John Napier (1550-1617)

Scottish mathematician and inventor (logarithms), dies from effects of gout at 67

1643 Simon Episcopius [Bisschop], Dutch theologist, dies at 60
1661 Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish soldier (b. circa 1580)
1662 Davis Mell, British violinist, composer, and clockmaker, dies at 57
1662 Leonhart Kern, German sculptor, dies at about 73
1664 Adam Willaerts, Dutch seascape painter, dies
1701 Joseph Haines, entertainer and author
1714 Karel, duke of Berry/French heir to the throne, dies
1734 Johann C van Erckel, old Catholic theologist, dies at about 79
1743 Daniel Neal, English historian, dies at 64
1761 Théodore Gardelle, Swiss painter and enameler, dies at 38
1766 John Taylor, English classical scholar (b. 1704)
1774 Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist and dramatist (She Stoops to Conquer), dies at 45
1784 Mary Mead, wife of English radical and journalist John Wilkes (b. 1715)
1792 James Sykes, American politician (b. 1725)
1806 Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer, composer, dies at 84
1807 Joseph Jerome Le Francais de Lalande, French astronomer, dies a 74
1817 André Masséna, Duke of Rivoli, Prince d'Essing and Marshal of France (b. 1758)
1831 Isaiah Thomas, American journalist, editor and historian (Massachusetts Spy), dies at 82

William Henry Harrison (1773-1841)

9th President of the United States (Whig: March 4-April 4, 1841), dies of pneumonia and becomes 1st president to die in office

1844 Charles Bulfinch, 1st US professional architect (Massachusetts State House), dies at 80
1846 Solomon Sibley, American senator from Michigan Territory (b. 1769)

Ludwig Leichhardt (1813-1848)

German explorer of northern and central Australia, disappears on an expedition at 34

1861 Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, Bohemian and Austrian statesman (Minister-President of Austria 1848), dies at 83
1861 John McLean, American jurist (US Supreme Court Justice, 1829-61; Ohio Supreme Court Justice (1816-22) and US Postmaster General (1823-28), dies at 76
1862 Harmen S Sytstra, Dutch poet/editor (Iduna), dies at 45
1863 Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver, dies at 73
1864 Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American naval officer (b. 1808)
1870 Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b. 1802)
1874 Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b. 1826)
1878 Richard Brewer, American gunslinger/cowboy (b. 1850)
1879 Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, Prussian physicist and meteorologist, dies at 75
1883 Peter Cooper, American industrialist, inventor and philanthropist (Cooper Union, steam locomotive), dies at 92
1889 Thomas Theodoor Hendrikus Jorissen, Dutch historian, dies at 56
1890 Edmond Hébert, French geologist, dies at 77
1890 Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, French Canadian politician (1st Premier of Quebec), dies at 69
1893 Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle, French-Swiss botanist, dies at 86
1901 George Thomas "Tige" Anderson, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 77
1903 Margaret Ann Neve, British 1st recorded female Supercentenarian, who lived in three centuries, dies at 110
1905 Constantin Meunier, Belgian painter and sculptor, dies at 73
1908 Josef Sucher, Hungarian composer and conductor (Aus alten Märchen), dies at 64
1912 Charles Brantley Aycock, 50th Governor of North Carolina (1901-05), dies at 52
1912 Isaac Kauffman Funk, American publisher (Funk & Wagnalls), dies at 72
1919 William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (Crookes-pipe, thallium), dies at 86
1923 John Venn, English mathematician (Venn Diagram), dies at 88
1923 L. Martov [Yuly Osipovich Tsederbaum], Russian revolutionary (leader of the Mensheviks), dies at 49

Karl Benz (1844-1929)

German inventor, engine designer and automobile manufacturer (Mercedes-Benz), dies of bronchial inflammation at 84

1930 Vladimir Majakovski, Russian poet, dies

André Michelin (1853-1931)

French industrialist, tire manufacturer (Michelin) and publisher of the Michelin Guide, dies of respiratory failure at 78

1931 George Whitefield Chadwick, composer, dies at 76
1932 Ottokar Czernin, Austro-Hungarian diplomat (Imperial Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary) and politician, dies at 59
1932 Wilhelm Ostwald, Baltic German physical chemist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1909 for work on catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities), dies at 78 [1]
1934 Braulio Dueno Colon, Puerto Rican composer, dies at 80
1937 Frantisek X Salda, Czech writer/critic, dies at 69
1938 Cyril Christiani, West Indian cricket wicketkeeper (4 Tests; British Guiana), dies of malaria at 24
1943 Hartzell "Tiny" Parham, American jazz pianist, theater organist, and bandleader, dies at 43
1943 Oskar Schlemmer, German painter, sculptor and choreographer (Triadisches Ballett), dies at 54
1943 Raoul Laparra, French composer, dies during a bombing raid in WWII at 66
1944 John Peale Bishop, American poet (Undertaker's Garland), dies at 51
1944 Karel Weis, Czech composer and folk song collector, dies at 82
1947 William O'Donnell, Irish politician (b. ?)
1951 Al Christie, Canadian film director and producer (b. 1881)
1951 George Albert Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies
1953 Carol II, King of Romania (1930-40), dies at 59
1953 Rachilde [Marguerite Vallette-Eymery], French author (Monsieur Venus, "Why I am not a Feminist"), dies at 93
1954 Frederick Lonsdale, British playwright (Balkan Princess), dies at 73
1957 E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat (b. 1909)
1958 Hendrik Heyman, Belgian minister of Nijverheid/mayor, dies at 78
1958 Johnny Stompanato, American organized crime figure and abusive partner of actress Lana Turner, stabbed to death by her teenage daughter in self-defense at 32
1961 Simion Stoilow, Romanian mathematician (b. 1873)
1962 James Hanratty, executed at Bedford Prison, England, for the murder of Michael Gregsten (b. 1936)
1963 Jason Robards Sr, American actor (Acapulco, Isle of the Dead), dies from a heart attack at 70
1967 Al Lewis, American lyricist, songwriter and music publisher (Blueberry Hill, You Gotta Be a Football Hero), dies at 65
1967 Guy Chamberlin, American College/Pro Football HOF end (Uni of Nebraska; 5×NFL C'ship; First-team All-Pro 1920), dies at 73
1967 Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan soccer forward (51 caps; Nacional, FC Barcelona, FC Inter Milan, Palermo FC), dies at 68
1967 Mischa Elman, Ukraine-American violinist, dies at 76

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

American clergyman and leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Nobel 1964), assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee at 39

1970 Byron Foulger, American actor (Capt Nice, Petticoat Junction), dies at 70
1970 Victor Otto Stomps, German writer and publisher, dies at 72

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908-1972)

American politician (Rep-D-NY), dies of acute prostatitis at 63

1972 Jan A.H.J.S. Bruins Slot, Dutch co-founder and editor (illegal), dies at 66
1972 Stefan Wolpe, German composer (Zeus & Elidco), dies at 69
1976 Harry Nyquist, Swedish-American physicist and electronic engineer who contributed to communication theory (Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem; Nyquist rate), dies at 87
1977 Jeno Zador, composer, dies at 82
1978 Gino Contilli, Italian composer, dies at 70
1979 Edgar Buchanan, American actor (Petticoat Junction), dies at 76
1979 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani president, hanged in Pakistan at 51
1980 Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine, American country music singer, dies following a heart attack leading to a car crash at 62
1981 Brad Johnson, actor (Annie Oakley), dies at 56
1982 Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 50
1983 Bernard Vukas, Croatian soccer forward (59 caps, Yugoslavia; Hajduk Split; Olympic silver 1948, 52), dies at 55

Gloria Swanson (1899-1983)

American actress (Airport 1975, Sunset Boulevard) and producer, dies of a heart ailment at 84

1983 Jacqueline Logan, American actress and silent film leading lady (WAMPAS Baby Star), dies at 78
1984 Johnny Arnold, English cricket batsman (1 Test, HS 34; Hampshire CCC) and soccer winger (1 cap; Oxford City, Southampton, Fulham), dies at 76
1984 Oleg Antonov, Soviet airplane engineer (b. 1906)
1985 Kate Roberts, Welsh nationalist and writer (b. 1891)
1986 Frank Mortelmans, Belgian painter, dies at 87
1987 C. L. Moore, American science fiction and fantasy writer (Judgment Night), dies at 76
1988 Ludwig Stiel, German pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 86
1991 Edmund Adamkiewicz, German soccer forward (2 caps; Hamburger SV, Eintracht Frankfurt), dies at 70
1991 John Heinz, American businessman and Republican politician (Senator from Pennsylvania, 1977-1991), dies in a plane crash at 52
1991 Max Frisch, Swiss writer and playwright (I'm Not Stiller, Firebugs), dies at 79
1992 Arthur Russell, American experimental classical-pop fusion cellist, and composer, dies of AIDS at 40
1992 Karl Tunberg, US scriptwriter (Ben Hur), dies
1992 Rodolfo Holzmann, Peruvian composer, dies at 81
1992 Samuel Reshevsky, Polish-American chess grandmaster (World C'ship 3rd 1948; 8 x US C'ship gold), dies of a heart attack at 80
1992 Sy Kramer, singer/comedy writer dies of cancer at 59
1993 Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game inventor (Scrabble), dies at 93
1993 Bep [Alberta B] Ogterop [Rita la Roche], singer, dies
1994 (Virginia) "Ginny" Simms, American singer (Kay Kyser Band), actress (Night and Day), and radio star, dies of a heart attack at 80 [1]
1994 Olga Lowina, Dutch yodeler (Edelweisskapel), dies at 69
1995 Jo Sinclair [Ruth Seid], American writer (Wasteland), dies at 81
1995 Kenny Everett [Maurice James Christopher Cole], British TV personality and disc Jockey, dies at 50 of an AIDS related illness
1995 Priscilla Lane [Mullican], American actress (Saboteur; Arsenic and Old Lace:, Bodyguard), dies of lung cancer at 77
1996 Barney Ewell, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay, silver 100m, 200m 1948; equal WR 100m 1948), dies at 78
1996 Joy Newton, British ballet dancer, dies at 82
1996 Larry Laprise, American songwriter (The Hokey-Pokey Dance [disputed]), dies at 83
1996 Paul Cooper, American composer, dies at 69
1996 Seumas MacNeill, Scottish bagpiper, educator (College of Bagpipes), broadcaster, and editor (The Piping Times), bdies at 79
1997 Vladimir Solouchin, Russian writer, dies at 72
1999 Aldus Roger, American Cajun accordionist (Lafayette Playboys - "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés"), dies at 84
1999 Early Wynn, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Cy Young Award 1959 Chicago WS; MLB wins leader 1954, 59; 9 x MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies of a stroke at 79
1999 Faith Domergue, American actress and early "scream queen" (Vendetta, House of 7 Corpses), dies at 74
2000 Kenneth Allen, English industrialist (WH Allen and Sons Ltd, helped form CBI and negotiate 40 hr week), dies at 92 [1]
2001 Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, American custom hot rod car designer, dies of a heart attack at 69
2002 Harry L. O'Connor, Czech film stuntman
2003 Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
2003 Resortes, Mexican comedian (b. 1916)
2004 Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (World C'ship gold road race 1948, 50), dies at 84
2004 Casey Sheehan, American soldier, son of Cindy Sheehan (b. 1979)
2005 Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman (co-owner of Montreal Canadiens, 1971-78), dies of colon cancer at 77
2006 Philip Attenborough, English publisher (Hodder & Stoughton), dies at 69
2007 Bob Clark, American film director (b. 1941)
2007 Terry Hall, English ventriloquist, dies at 80

Alec Bedser (1918-2010)

English cricket medium-pace bowler (51 Tests, 236 wickets, BB 7/44; Surrey CCC), dies at 91

2010 Clifford M. Hardin, American politician (17th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture), dies at 94
2010 Rudy Kousbroek, Dutch writer and literary (Leopold the Buch), dies at 81
2011 Bronisław Kazimierz Przybylski, Polish composer (Requiem, In Memory of the Children – Martyrs of the War) and educator, dies at 69
2011 Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist, assassinated at 52
2011 Scott Columbus, American heavy metal drummer (Manowar, 1983–91 & 1994–2008), takes his own life at 54
2012 Claude Miller, French director and screenwriter, dies at 70
2013 Carmine Infantino, American comic book artist, dies at 87
2013 Ian Walsh, Australian rugby league hooker (25 Tests [10 as captain]; St. George RLFC) and coach (Australia 5 Tests; St. George, Parramatta), dies at 80
2013 Roger Ebert, American film critic (Pulitzer Prize 1975), dies of cancer at 70
2014 Margo MacDonald, Scottish national broadcaster and politician (MP for Glasgow Govan 1973-74), dies at 70
2015 Elmer Lach, Canadian Hockey HOF center (Stanley Cup 1944, 46, 53 Montreal Canadiens; Hart Trophy 1945; Art Ross Trophy 1948; 5 x NHL All Star), dies of a stroke at 97
2015 John Read, British businessman, CEO (TSB Group), dies at 97
2016 (Dorothy) "Dottie" Schwartz (née Hummitzsch), American barbershop quartet vocalist (The Chordettes, 1946-52), dies at 89
2016 Carlo Mastrangelo, Italian-American rocker (Dion & The Belmonts), dies of cancer at 78
2016 Chus Lampreave [María Jesús Lampreave Pérez], Spanish actress (Volver, Belle Époque), dies at 85
2018 Gertrude Jeannette, African American taxi driver, playwright and film and stage actress (Shaft, Cotton Comes to Harlem), dies at 103
2018 Ray Wilkins, English soccer midfielder (84 caps; Chelsea, Manchester Utd, AC Milan, Rangers, QPR) and manager (QPR, Fulham, Jordan), dies of cardiac arrest, resulting in a fall at 61
2019 Myer "Whitey" Skoog, American basketball guard (NBA C'ship 1952, 53, 54 Minneapolis Lakers), dies at 92
2020 Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, dies at 87
2020 Forrest Compton, American actor (Gomer Pyle USMC, Edge of Night), dies at 94
2020 Patrick Kincaid, American computer programmer (TODAY) and communications consultant, dies at 72
2022 Petar Skansi, Croatian basketball center (Olympic silver Yugoslavia 1968; Jugoplastika) and coach (Yugoslavia, Croatia, Jugoplastika, Benetton Treviso), dies at 78
2023 Birger Jensen, Danish soccer goalkeeper (19 caps; Club Brugge KV 328 games), dies at 72