Famous Deaths on January 23

Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516)

King of Aragon (1479-1516), King of Naples (1504-16), dies at 63

1548 Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer, dies at 57
1549 Johannes Honter, Transylvanian Saxon humanist and theologian (b. 1498)
1567 Jiajing, 12th Emperor of Ming Dynasty of China, dies at 59
1622 William Baffin, English explorer, dies of a gunshot wound at in attack on Qeshm about 38
1639 Francisco Maldonado da Silva Solis, Peruvian poet, burned at stake
1648 Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, Spanish playwright (Del Rey Abajo Ninguno), dies at 40
1708 Thomas Bullis, English composer, dies at 80 (buried)
1744 Giambattista Vico, Italian philosopher and historian (b. 1668)
1785 Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician (b. 1717)
1789 Frances Brooke, English writer (b. 1724)
1789 John Cleland, English novelist (Fanny Hill), dies (b. 1709)
1800 Edward Rutledge, American founding father, Governor of South Carolina (1798-1800) and signer of the Declaration of Independence, dies at 50
1803 Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer and founder of the Guinness brewery, dies at 77
1805 Claude Chappe, French engineer and telecommunications pioneer (optical telegraph), commits suicide at 41
1805 Vaclav Pichl, Czech composer, dies at 63

William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806)

British Prime Minister (Tory: 1783-1801, 1804-06), dies of a suspected peptic ulceration of his stomach or duodenum at 46

1812 Robert Craufurd, British general, dies at 47
1813 George Clymer, American merchant and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution), dies at 73
1820 Prince Edward, British Duke of Kent and Strathearn, son of Geor III and father of Queen Victoria, dies of pneumonia at 52
1833 Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, British admiral (b. 1757)
1837 John Field, Irish pianist and composer (Nocturnes), dies at 54
1845 Francesco Ruggi, Italian composer, dies at 77
1864 Michele Puccini, Italian organist and composer (father of Giacomo), dies at 50
1866 Thomas Love Peacock, English satirical writer (headlong Hill), dies at 80
1875 Charles Kingsley [Parson Lot], English vicar and historian (Westward Ho!), dies at 55
1879 Adolf Jensen, German composer, dies of tuberculosis at 42
1883 Gustave Doré, French artist, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1832)
1888 Eugène Marin Labiche, French playwright (The Italian Straw Hat), dies at 72
1889 Alexandre Cabanel, French painter (Birth of Venus), dies at 65
1891 Prince Baudouin of Belgium, Count of Flanders, dies at 21
1893 Jose Zorrilla y Moral, Spanish poet (Granada), dies at 75
1893 Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, American politician and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 67
1893 Phillips Brooks, American Episcopal bishop and composer (Little Town of Bethlehem), dies at 57
1898 W. A. Remy [Wilhelm Mayer], Austro-Bohemian composer, dies at 66
1908 Edward Alexander MacDowell, American composer (Indian Suite), dies at 47
1913 Nazim Pasha, Turkish Minister of War, assassinated at 65
1921 Wlasyslaw Zelenski, Polish composer, dies at 83
1922 Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic), dies at 66
1923 Max Nordau, Austrian author, philosopher, and Zionist leader (b. 1849)
1926 Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Belgian philosopher and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, dies at 74
1926 Joseph Carl Breil, American lyric tenor, and composer - one of the first to write for film (Les amours de la reine Élisabeth; Birth of a Nation; Intolerance), dies of heart disease at 55
1931 Anna Pavlova, Russian prima ballerina and choreographer (Diaghilew, Dying Swan), dies from pneumonia at 49
1936 Clara Butt, English alto singer (Country of Hope and Glory), dies at 62
1937 Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (Minister of Education), dies at 60
1939 Matthias Sindelar, Austria soccer star, dies under mysterious circumstances at 35
1941 Dobri Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 65
1943 Alexander Woollcott, American drama critic (The New Yorker), dies of a heart attack on radio, at 56

Edvard Munch (1863-1944)

Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at 80, bequeathing all of his work to the city of Oslo

1944 Viktor Gusev, Russian poet (Polyushko Pole), dies at 34
1945 Helmuth James von Moltke, German jurist who opposed Nazi (July 20th Plot), executed at 37
1946 Matteo Giulio Bartoli, Italian linguist, dies at 72
1947 Pierre Bonnard, French painter and illustrator, dies at 79
1947 Roy Park, Australian cricketer (prolific Victorian bat & official), dies at 54
1952 Natalia Brassova, Russian noblewoman, wife of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, dies at 71
1956 Alexander Korda, British movie producer (Henry VIII), dies at 62
1956 Billy Evans, American Baseball HOF umpire (American League 1906-27; at age 22, youngest umpire in MLB history), dies from a stroke at 71
1957 Willie Edwards, US African American, murdered by KKK at 25
1958 Nikolaos Georgantas, Greek discus thrower (b. 1880)
1964 Louis Horst, American dance choreographer and composer, dies at 80
1967 Holcombe Ward, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1904; President USLTA 1937-47), dies at 88
1969 Jaroslav Křička, Czech composer, dies at 86
1971 Fritz Feigl, Austria-born chemist (b. 1871)
1972 Big Maybelle [Mabel Smith], American R&B singer (A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On; Candy), dies from complications of diabetes at 47
1973 Alexander Onassis, Greek heir of the Onassis family (b. 1948)
1973 Edward "Kid" Ory, American New Orleans style jazz trombonist, dies of pneumonia and a heart attack at 86
1975 Karel Paul van der Mandele, Dutch financier and director (Rotterdam Bank), dies at 94
1976 Aleksey Vasilyevich Sorokin, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 44
1976 Paul Dupuis, French Canadian actor (The Fortress; Passport to Pimlico), dies at 62
1976 Paul Robeson, American stage and screen bass-baritone singer ("Old Man River"), actor, and civil rights activist, dies of stroke complications in Philadelphia at 77
1977 Bernard "Toots" Shor, New York restaurateur (Toot's Shor's Restaurant), dies at 73
1977 Dick Burnett, American musician ("Man of Constant Sorrow"), dies at 93
1978 Jack Oakie, American actor (The Great Dictator, 1974 Photoplay Award), dies at 74
1978 Terry Kath, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Chicago - "Make Me Smile"), accidentally shoots himself in head at 31
1978 Vic Ames, American singer (Ames Brothers - "Tammy"), dies in a car accident at 52
1980 Babs Gonzales [Lee Brown], American be-bop jazz vocalist, poet, and songwriter ("Oop-Pop-A-Da"), dies of cancer at 60
1980 Lil Dagover [Marie Seubert;], German silent and sound screen actress (Destiny; Spiders), dies at 92
1981 Bobby Sherwood, American jazz and session guitarist (Bing Crosby, 1933-40), big band bandleader, and disc jockey, dies of cancer at 66

Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

American composer (School for Scandal; Adagio For Strings), dies of cancer at 70

1982 Hope Hampton, actress (Star Dust, Lawful Larcency), dies at 83
1983 Fred Bakewell, English cricket batsman (6 Tests, top score 107; Northamptonshire), dies at 74
1984 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
1984 Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
1984 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
1986 Joseph Beuys, West German avant-garde artist (Fluxus movement), dies at 64
1988 Charles Glen King, American biochemist and pioneer of nutrition research who isolated vitamin C, dies at 91
1988 Dan Daniel, American politician (Rep-D-VA, 1969-88), dies at 73

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Spanish surrealist artist (Crucifixion), dies of heart failure at 84

1990 (Larken) Allen Collins, American southern rock guitarist, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"; "Gimme Three Steps"; Rossington-Collins Band - "Don't Misunderstand Me"), dies from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis suffered in a drunk driving accident, at 37
1990 Mariano Rumor, Italian politician (Prime Minister of Italy, 1968-70; 73-1974), dies at 74
1990 [Piet] "Peter" Sweval, American rock bassist (Looking Glass - "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" ; Starz - "Cherry Baby"), dies of AIDS at 42
1991 Northrop Frye, Canadian writer and critic (b. 1912)
1992 Frederick "Freddie" Bartholomew, British child actor (Anna Karenina, David Copperfield, Captains Courageous), dies of emphysema at 67
1992 Ian Wolfe, American actor (Diary of a Madman, Wizards & Warriors, Houdini, THX-1138, Homebodies), dies at 95
1992 Simon Brand, South African banker and adviser to President F. W. de Klerk, dies
1993 Charles "Majeed" Greenlee, American jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), dies at 65
1993 Dudley Stevens, English entertainer, dies of AIDS at 57
1993 Keith Laumer [Anthony LeBaron], American sci-fi author (Retief's War), dies at 67
1993 Thomas A. Dorsey, American jazz pianist (Take My Hand, Precious Lord), dies at 93
1994 Brian Redhead, English journalist and broadcaster (b. 1929)
1994 Nikolai Ogarkov, Russian marshal (Flight KAL 007), dies at 76
1994 Oliver Smith, American 7-time Tony Award-winning set designer (Guys & Dolls), dies at 75
1994 Sherry Mathis, American actress (Search for Tomorrow), dies of cancer at 44
1994 Suzanne M. Blum, French lawyer (Charlie Chaplin), dies at 95
1995 Bill Horton, American doo-wop singer (The Silhouettes - "Get A Job"), dies at 65
1995 Harold Collett Dent, British journalist and educationist, dies at 100
1995 Ken Hill, English playwright and director, dies at 57
1995 Peter Luke, British playwright, dies at 75
1996 Norman MacCaig, Scottish poet, dies at 85
1997 Audie Pitre, American bass guitarist (Acid Bath), killed by a drunk driver at 26
1997 Charles Craig, English opera singer, dies at 77
1997 Jeremy Maas, British writer and art dealer, dies at 68
1997 Laura "Dinky" Patterson, dies bungee jumping at Super Bowl rehearsal at 43
1997 Randy Greenawalt, American convicted killer, executed by injection at 47
1997 Richard Berry, African-American singer and musician (Louie Louie), dies at 61
1997 Roger John Tayler, British astrophysicist (author of The Origin of the Chemical Elements), dies at 67
1998 Hilla Limann, president of Ghana in (1979-81), dies at 63
1999 Jay Pritzker, American entrepreneur (co-founder of Hyatt hotels), philanthropist, founder of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, dies at 76
1999 Prince Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican musician (b. 1949)
1999 Thomas C. Mann, American diplomat (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico), dies at 86
2001 Eugene [Brother Jack] McDuff, American jazz organist (George Benson, Brother Jack), dies of heart failure at 74
2001 Lou Levy, American jazz pianist (Woody Herman; Stan Getz), and accompanist (Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald), dies of a heart attack at 72
2002 Igor Kipnis, American harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and educatordies of renal cancer at 71
2002 Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
2002 Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist and anthropologist, dies at 71
2002 Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), dies at 63
2003 Nell Carter, American actress (Gimme A Break; Lobo), dies at 54
2004 Bob Keeshan, American actor (Captain Kangaroo), dies at 76
2004 Helmut Newton, German fashion photographer, dies at 83

Johnny Carson (1925-2005)

American comedian and TV host (The Tonight Show, Who Do You Trust), dies of respiratory failure arising from emphysema at 79

2005 Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, British politician (b. 1921)
2006 Chris McKinstry, Canadian scientist (b. 1967)
2006 Virginia D. Smith, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska), dies at 94
2007 E. Howard Hunt, American intelligence officer involved in Watergate break-in, dies at 88
2007 Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist and writer (b. 1932)
2007 Syed Hussein Alatas, Malaysian Politician (b. 1928)
2009 George Perle, American composer (12 Tone Tonality), dies at 93
2009 Robert W. Scott, American politician, governor of North Carolina (b. 1929)
2011 Jack LaLanne, American fitness and nutritional expert, dies at 96
2012 Anthony Capo, DeCavalcante crime family hitman and informant, dies from heart attack at 52/53
2014 Riz Ortolani, Italian Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger, predominantly of film scores (Mondo Cane - "More"), dies at 87

Ernie Banks (1931-2015)

American Baseball HOF shortstop, 1st baseman (14 x MLB All Star; NL MVP 1958, 59; Chicago Cubs), dies of a heart attack at 83

2015 Guy Gallo, American poet, playwright, and screenwriter (Under the Volcano), dies of cancer at 59
2015 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (2005-2015), dies at 90
2016 Bobby Wanzer, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1952–56; Rochester Royals) and coach (NBA All-Star Game 1957), dies at 94
2016 Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), dies at 85
2016 Walt "No-Neck" Williams, American professional baseball player (White Sox), dies at 72
2017 Bobby Freeman, American singer (Do You Want to Dance), dies at 76
2017 Gorden Kaye, British actor (Allo Allo), dies at 75
2017 Lee O’Denat, American internet entrepreneur (WorldStarHipHop.com), dies of heart disease at 43
2018 Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, described as the "father of South African jazz" ("Grazing in the Grass"; "Soweto Blues"; Sarafina!), and anti-apartheid activist dies of prostate cancer at 78
2018 Lari White, American country music singer and actress (You Can Be a Star winner- 1988), dies of peritoneal cancer at 52
2018 Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet, mathematician, and physicist (Defense of Violeta Parra), dies at 103
2018 Stansfield Turner, American admiral and CIA director (1977-81), dies at 94
2018 Wyatt Tee Walker, African-American pastor, civil rights leader, chief of staff for Martin Luther King, Jr. and cultural historian, dies at 88
2019 Diana Athill, English writer and editor (Stet), dies at 101
2019 Jonas Mekas, American avant garde filmmaker and film critic, dies at 96
2019 Norman Orentreich, American dermatologist known as "the father of modern hair transplantation", dies at 96
2019 Oliver Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean Afro-Jazz and 'tuku' singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sarawoga; Tolerance; Tuku Music), dies of diabetes complications at 66 [1]
2020 Alfred Körner, Austrian soccer striker (47 caps; Rapid Wien), dies at 93
2020 Frank Froehling, American tennis player (US C'ships 1963 runner-up; doubles, mixed doubles 1965 runner-up), dies at 77
2021 Hal Holbrook, American stage and screen Tony and Emmy award-winning actor (All the President's Men; “Mark Twain Tonight!”), dies at 95 [1]

Larry King (1933-2021)

American radio and TV host ("Larry King Live", CNN), dies of sepsis and renal failure at 87 [1] [2]

2022 (Bobbe) "Beegie" Adair (née Long), American jazz and Nashville-based session pianist, and educator, dies at 84
2022 Keto Losaberidze, Georgian archer (Olympic gold USSR women's individual 1980; World C'ship gold team 1973, 81), dies at 72
2022 Thierry Mugler, French fashion designer, parfumeur, and bodybuilder, dies at 73
2023 Fred Lindop, British rugby league referee (22 Tests; World Cup Final 1970; 5 x Challenge Cup Finals), dies at 84

January 23 Highlights