Famous Deaths on August 15

Macbeth (c. 1005-1057)

King of Scots (1040-57), slain in battle by the son of King Duncan at around 52

1064 Muhammad ibn Hazm, Andalusian historian, jurist and author of Islamic Spain, dies at 69
1118 Alexius I Comnenus [Alexios I Komnenos], Emperor of Byzantium (1081-1118), dies
1196 Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)
1274 Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne College, dies at 72
1369 Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England, dies at 56
1464 Pius II [Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini], Italian Pope (1458-64), (Commentaries - only biography by a reigning Pope), dies at 58
1528 Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, French military leader (b. 1485)
1552 Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (b. 1477)
1576 (Valentin) Bálint Bakfark, Hungarian lutenist, and composer, dies of the plague at about 70
1600 Johann Baptista Serranus, German singer and composer, dies at 60
1615 Cornelis C. Vrancx, Flemish poet and writer (Comfort of Soles), dies
1615 Mír 'Imád al-Ḥasaní, Persian calligrapher (Master of the Nasta‘liq style - St. Petersburg Muraqqa), assassinated on Shah's authorization (b. 1554)
1619 Miriam Bella, head of Jewish community of Kraków, dies
1621 John Barclay, Scottish satirist writer and poet (Euphormio's Satyricon), dies at 39
1666 Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary in China and astronomer, dies at 75
1714 Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1654)
1725 Gerhard Noodt, Dutch lawyer, dies at 77
1728 Marin Marais, French composer, dies at 72
1729 Benjamin Neukirch, German poet (Herrn von Hofmannswaldau), dies at 64
1758 Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (fotometrie), dies at 60
1786 Thomas Tyrwhitt, English classical scholar and critic, dies at 56
1798 Felice Alessandri, Italian organist, harpsichordist, pianist, and opera composer, dies at 50
1799 Giuseppe Parini, Italian prose writer and poet (Il Giorno), dies at 70
1807 Johann Nikolaus Tetens, German-Danish philosopher and mathematician, dies at 70
1848 Timothy Olmstead, early American composer, dies at 88
1852 Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist (discovered yttrium), dies at 92
1853 Giovanni Battista Polledro, Italian composer, dies at 72
1864 Daniel Phineas Woodbury, US engineer/Union general-major, dies
1880 Adelaide Neilson, English stage actress (Julia-The Hunchback), dies while horse riding at 32
1888 Carter L. Stevenson, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 70
1901 Karl Weinhold, German sociologist (founder of Journal of the Association of Folklore), dies at 77
1907 Joseph Joachim, German violinist (Hungarian Concerto), dies at 76
1909 Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian writer and sociologist (b. 1866)
1910 Constantin Fahlberg, Russian chemist who discovered Saccharin (artificial sweetener), dies at 59 [1]
1914 Anatoly Liadov, Russian composer (Baba yaga), dies at 59
1915 Albert Siegfried Bettelheim, Jew convicted of murder, lynched
1917 Thomas J. Higgins, Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, recipient of America's highest military decoration (Medal of Honor), dies at 86
1918 Heinrich Köselitz [Peter Gast], German composer, dies at 64
1925 Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter, dies at 46
1935 Gerard Brucken Fock, Dutch composer and painter, dies at 75
1935 Paul Signac, French painter (developed the technique called pointillism with Georges Seurat), dies at 71

Wiley Post (1898-1935)

American aviator (1st solo flight around the world), killed in plane crash in Alaska at 36

Will Rogers (1879-1935)

American humorist and actor (Judge Priest), dies in a plane crash in Alaska at 55

1936 Grazia Deledda, Italian author (Nobel Prize for Literature 1926), dies at 64
1936 Henry Lytton, British actor and opera singer (The Mikado), dies at 71
1936 Stanisław Niewiadomski, Polish composer, dies at 76
1945 Korechika Anami, Japanese War Minister (who opposed surrender in WWII), commits suicide a day after signing Japan's surrender at 58
1946 Edward R. Bradley, American businessman and horse owner (1st to own 4 Kentucky Derby winners), dies at 86
1951 Artur Schnabel, Austrian pianist (Reflections on Music), dies at 69
1953 Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (considered the father of aerodynamics - discovered the boundary layer), dies at 78
1956 Constantine Freiherr von Neurath, German foreign minister, dies at 83
1959 "Blind" Willie McTell [McTier], American blues and ragtime singer and guitarist, dies at 61
1961 (Granville) "Stick" McGhee, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter ("Drinkin' Wine. Spo-Dee-O-Dee"), dies of lung cancer at 43
1961 Willie Macfarlane, Scottish golfer (US Open 1925), dies at 72
1962 Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (became a propaganda icon after his death), dies in an accident at 21
1963 John Powell, American composer, dies at 80
1966 Gerhart Pohl, German broadcaster, writer (The Crazy Ferdinand; Flüchtburg), and publisher, dies at 64
1966 Jan Kiepura, Polish vocalist and actor (Her Wonderful Lie; Give Us this Night), dies of a heart attack at 64
1966 Seena Owen, American silent screen actress and screenwriter (Queen Kelly), dies at 71
1967 René Magritte, Belgian surrealist painter (This is Not a Pipe), dies at 68
1968 Edward Kilenyi, Sr. [Ede Kilényi], composer and teacher (Clipped Wings; Outside the Law), dies at 84
1969 Stijn Streuvels [Frank Lateur], Flemish writer (De Vlaschaard), dies at 97
1970 Karl August Andersen, Norwegian cellist and composer, dies at 66

Paul Lukas (1895-1971)

Hungarian actor (Kim, Berlin Express), dies of heart failure at 76

1971 Thomas Wayne, American rockabilly singer ("Tragedy"), dies in a car accident at 31
1972 Alf Hurum, Norwegian composer (Lilja), and painter, dies at 89
1974 Edmund Cobb, American silent and sound screen actor, specializing in western film (A Final Reckoning; Motorcycle Gang; Comanche Territory), dies of a heart attack at 82
1974 Yuk Young-So, wife of South Korean president Park Chung-Hee, murdered in an assassination attempt on her husband at 48
1975 Clay Shaw, American businessman and alleged John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracist, dies of lung cancer at 61

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1922-1975)

founding father of Bangladesh, 1st and 4th President of Bangladesh (1971-72, 1975-76), assassinated in military coup by group of junior army officers at 55

1976 Jean Haesaert, Flemish lawyer and sociologist, dies at 84
1978 Harrison Kerr, American composer, dies at 80
1981 Humphrey Waldock, British lawyer (UN International Law Commission, 1961-72), and jurist (European Court of Human Rights, 1966-74; International Court of Justice, 1973-81), dies of a heart attack at 77
1981 Pappy Waldorf, American College Football Hall of Fame tackle and coach (Northwestern, California), dies at 78
1982 (Axel) Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist (Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology, 1955, for discovery of oxidoreductase enzymes), dies at 79 [1]
1983 Anthony Costello, American actor (Will Penny, The Outer Limits), dies of HIV/AIDS at 45
1983 Benjamin V Cohen, American author of New Deal legislation, dies at 88
1983 Carol Ryrie Brink, American Newberry Medal-winning novelist (Caddie Woodlawn), dies of heart failure at 85
1985 Joe Carveth, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NHL All Star 1950; Stanley Cup 1943, 50 Detroit Red Wings; Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens), dies at 67
1985 Richard Yardumian, American composer (Creator Spirit), dies at 68
1986 Richard E. Holz, American composer for brass band (Salvation Army), dies at 74
1988 Barry Bingham Sr, US daily newspaper publisher, dies at 82
1988 Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, Pakistani general and politician (President of Pakistan 1978-88), killed in plane crash at 64
1989 Fritz de Jong Edz, Dutch historian (director of IISG), dies at 70
1990 Lew DeWitt, American country singer and composer (Statler Brothers - "Flowers on the Wall"), dies of Crohn's disease complications at 52
1990 Nina Bara [Frances Bauer], Argentinian actress (Missile to the Moon, Space Patrol), dies of cancer at 70
1990 Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician (Kino), dies in a car accident at 28
1991 Marietta Tree, American diplomat and ambassador (1st woman to serve as chief U.S. delegate to the UN in 1961), dies at 74
1992 Evelyn Wesler Zemel, American author (American Glass Animals), dies
1992 Giorgio Perlasca, Italian anti-fascist (who saved 5,200 Jews from deportation in Hungary), dies at 82
1992 Jackie Edwards, Jamaican songwriter (Keep On Running), dies at 53 or 54
1992 Marie Paxton, English actress, dies at 82
1992 Martha Blackburn, Canada newspaper publisher (London Free Press), dies at 48
1992 Osamu Inaba, Japanese Minister of justice (helped bring down Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka in Lockheed bribery scandal), dies at 82
1993 Robert W. Kempner, German officer of justice in Prussia, dies at 93
1994 Shepherd Mead, American writer (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), dies of stroke at 80
1994 Simon R. Naoli, Tanzanian marathoner, dies in an accident at 28
1994 Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (Rome-Naples-Rome 1957), dies at 64
1995 Erbie Bowser, American blues and jazz pianist, dies at 77
1995 Humphrey Sims Moore, British pacifist and journalist (founder of Peace News), dies at 86
1995 Jesse Thomas 'Babyface', American blues singer, dies at 84
1996 Masao Maruyama, Japanese social scientist, dies at 82
1999 Hugh Casson, British architect (director of architecture of the Festival of Britain 1948, President of the Royal Academy) and artist, dies at 89
2000 Helmut Coing, German legal historian (Max Planck institute), dies at 88
2001 Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)
2002 Kyle Rote, College Football HOF halfback (SMU; 4 × Pro Bowl; NY Giants) and broadcaster (WNEW, NBC, WNBC New York), dies at 74
2003 Gösta Sundqvist, Finnish songwriter and singer (Leevi and the Leavings), dies of a heart attack at 43
2004 Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, dies at 63
2004 Semiha Berksoy, Turkish operatic soprano (Istanbul Opera, 1940-72), dies of heart surgery complications at 94
2004 Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist, (1982 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for identification of prostaglandins), dies at 88
2006 Doug White, American news anchor, dies of cancer at 61
2006 Faas Wilkes, Dutch soccer star (Xerxes, Fortuna, Inter Milan), dies at 82
2006 Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (Cronulla), dies of cancer at 52
2006 Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand Māori Queen for 40 years, dies at 75
2007 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, dies at 80
2007 Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand bush walker (rediscovered Takahe, thought extinct), dies at 98
2007 John Gofman, American Manhattan Project scientist and advocate (b. 1918)
2007 Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (Canadian Opera Company, 1989-2007), dies of a heart attack at 63
2007 Sam Pollock, Canadian NHL hockey general manager, 9X Stanley Cups (Montreal Canadiens, 1964-78), dies at 81
2008 James Orthwein, American businessman (owner of the New England Patriots), dies at 84
2008 Jerry Wexler, American music producer who coined the term "rhythm and blues" (Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan), dies from congestive heart failure at 91
2008 Leroy Sievers, American journalist (CBS News, Nightline), dies of cancer at 53
2008 Vic Toweel, South African boxer (undisputed world bantamweight champion), dies at 79
2009 Jim Dickinson, American record producer (Mud Boy), dies at 67
2010 James J. Kilpatrick, American newspaper journalist and columnist (60 Minutes), dies at 89
2011 Eric Dempster, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, TS 47, 2 wickets; Wellington CA), dies at 86
2011 Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 27
2012 Bob Birch, American session and touring bassist (Elton John), commits suicide at 56
2012 Harry [Maxwell] Harrison, American author, dies at 87
2014 Jerry Lumpe, American baseball player, dies at 81
2014 Licia Albanese, Italian-American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1940-66), dies at 105
2015 Julian Bond, American civil rights leader and politician (D-Ga), dies at 75
2016 Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player ("Little B's Poem"; SFJAZZ Collective), dies of emphysema at 75
2017 Vernon "Vern" Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), dies of complications from Alzheimers disease at 83
2018 Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricket batsman and captain (37 Tests; top score 143; Bombay), dies at 77
2020 Henk Wullems, Dutch soccer manager (NAC Breda, SBV Vitesse, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ; Indonesia 1996-98), dies from a Cerebral infarction at 84
2021 Gary Woollard, New Zealand rugby league five eighth (10 Tests; Wellington), dies at 79

Gerd Müller (1945-2021)

German soccer striker (62 caps; FIFA World Cup 1974; Bayern Munich 453 games, 398 goals), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 75

2021 Joe Walton, American football coach (New York Jets 1983-89; Robert Morris University), dies at 85
2022 Pete Carril, American basketball coach (13 × Ivy League champion, Princeton University), dies at 92

August 15 Highlights