Famous Deaths on January 5

842 Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid caliph (b. 794)

Edward the Confessor (c. 1003-1066)

King of England (1042-66) and the last King from the House of Wessex, dies at around 60 to 63

1286 Zhenjin, Crown Prince of the Mongol Empire, son of Kublai Khan and father of his successor Temür, dies at about 43
1387 Pedro IV, king of Aragon/conqueror of Sicily, dies at 67
1400 John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (executed) (b. ca. 1350)
1425 John of Bavaria/Bayern, liege of Holland/Zealand/Dordrecht, poisoned
1448 Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark (1440-48), Norway (1441-48) and Sweden (1442-48), dies suddenly at 31
1465 Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet (b. 1394)

Charles the Bold (1433-1477)

Duke of Burgundy (1467-77), killed in the Battle of Nancy by Swiss mercenaries at 43

1524 Marko Marulic/Marulus/Splichanin/Pechinich, Croatian poet, dies at 73

Catherine de' Medici (1519-1589)

Italian born Queen consort to Henry II of France and later regent to her sons, dies at 69

1592 Willem II, Duke of Gulik/Kleef/Gelre, dies at about 75
1595 Ercole Procaccini, Italian painter, dies
1603 Pieter Adriaansz van der Werff, mayor of Lead, dies at 73
1684 Claude Audran II, French painter/engraver, dies at 44
1713 Jean Chardin, French explorer (Middle East and India), dies at 69
1740 Antonio Lotti, Italian opera composer, dies at about 72
1746 Anton Simon Ignaz Praelisauer, German organist and composer, dies at 53
1759 Thomas Philip Wallrad de Hénin-Liétard d'Alsace, Cardinal- Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium, dies at 79

Elizabeth of Russia (1709-1762)

Empress of Russia (1741-62) and daughter of Peter the Great, dies at 52

1771 John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, British statesman (b. 1710)
1788 Johann Schneider, German composer and pupil of Bach, dies at 85
1796 Samuel Huntington, American politician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, dies at 64
1807 Michel Adanson, French biologist (Plant classes), dies at 79
1808 Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, Russian count (helped Catherine the Great to the throne) and military commander (Battle of Çeşme), dies at 71
1814 Johann Gottfried Krebs, German composer, dies at 72
1823 Major George Johnston, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales (b. 1764)
1827 Frederick of York, English duke/bishop/general, dies at 63
1846 Alfred Thomas Agate, American artist, dies at 33
1848 Ferdinando Orlandi, Italian musician and composer, dies at 73
1856 Pierre-Jean David d'Angers], French sculptor (Panthéon in Paris), dies at 67
1858 Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Czech field marshal, dies at 91
1860 St John Nepomucene Neumann, 1st male US saint, dies
1862 Franz Joseph Fröhlich, German composer, dies at 81
1878 Alfonso Ferrero la Marmora, Italian general and statesman (6th Prime Minister of Italy, 1864-66), dies at 73
1880 Benjamin J. Hill, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 54
1883 Charles Tompson, first Australian published poet (b. 1806)
1888 Henri Herz, Austrian composer, dies at a day before his 85th birthday
1891 Emma Abbott, American soprano, dies at 40
1891 Guillaume Louis Baud, Dutch politician (Minister of Colonies 1848-49), dies at 89
1901 Edmond Dédé, Creole-American violinist and composer (Quasimodo Symphony; Mephisto Masque), dies at 73
1904 Karl Alfred Ritter von Zittel, German geologist and paleontologist (Libya), dies at 64
1906 Kathleen Kenyon, English Archaeologist who excavated Jericho (the oldest known continuously occupied human settlement that has been inhabited for the last 11,000 years), dies at 72

Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922)

British-Irish polar explorer (Endurance, Antarctica), dies of a heart attack at 47

1929 Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanov, Grand Duke of Russia and general in World War I (1914-18), dies at 72
1932 George Forrest, Scottish botanist (plant hunter in western China), dies at 59
1933 Arthur Borton, English soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, dies at 49

Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)

30th US President (Republican: 1923-29), dies of coronary thrombosis at 60

1937 Marie Booth, child of William and Catherine Booth (b. 1864)

Amelia Earhart (1897-1939)

American aviator (1st woman to fly solo across the Atlantic), is declared dead at 41 after disappearing over the Pacific Ocean in 1937

1940 Humbert Wolfe, Italian-British poet (b. 1885)
1940 Tina Modotti, Italian artist and activist, dies at 45

Amy Johnson (1903-1941)

British pilot who was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia, dies during a ferry flight at 37

1942 Yves Paringaux, French chief of staff, murdered

George Washington Carver (1864-1943)

African-American agricultural scientist (studied the peanut), dies at 81

1944 Adolph Goldschmidt, German/Swiss art historian, dies at 80
1946 (Catherine) "Kitty" Cheatham, American folk singer and children's music singer-songwriter, dies at 81
1946 George "Slim" Summerville, American actor (All Quiet on the Western Front, Keystone Cops), dies of a stroke at 53
1948 Mary Dimmick Harrison, US First lady (1889-93) as second wife of the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison, dies at 89
1951 Andrei P Platonov, Russian author (Prok, Kotlovan), dies at 51
1952 I. A. K. Pataudi, Indian cricket batsman (3 Tests England, 3 India; 1 x 100; Oxford University CC, Worcestershire CCC, Southern Punjab), dies from a heart attack at 41
1952 Nawab of Pataudi, cricket (play polo 3 Tests for Eng 3 for Ind), dies
1952 Victor Alexander John Hope, Viceroy of India (1936-43), dies at 64
1954 Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player (Boston Braves), dies at 62
1956 Mistinguett [Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois], French actress and singer (Moulin Rouge star), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 80
1960 Donald Knight, cricketer (54 runs in 2 Tests for England 1921), dies
1960 Pavel Parenago, Soviet scientist and astronomer (stellar astronomy) dies at 53

American Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (NL MVP 1925, 29; 7 x NL batting champion; 3 x .400+ seasons; St. Louis Cardinals, Browns) and manager (Cardinals, Browns, Cubs), dies of a heart ailment at 66

1965 Nell Craig, American actress (Dr. Kildare (films); The Queen of Sheba), dies at 73
1965 Paul Arntzenius, Dutch painter, graphic artist and etcher, dies at 81
1966 George Duckworth, English cricket wicket-keeper (24 Tests, 60 dismissals), dies at 64
1968 Jean Murat, French actor (Eternal Rain, Carnival Flanders), dies at 79
1969 Franz Theodor Csokor, Austrian author (Gottes General), dies at 83
1969 Tom Aherne, actor (Hustler, April Fools), dies of influenza in NY
1970 Cyril Fagan, Irish astrologer and author, dies at 73
1970 Max Born, German physicist (quantum mechanics, Nobel 1954), dies at 87
1970 Roberto Gerhard, Spanish Catalan composer (The Plague), dies of heart disease at 73
1971 Columbus O'Donnell Iselin, American oceanographer, dies at 66
1971 Douglas Shearer, Canadian film engineer (b. 1899)
1972 Gerald Kelly, British painter, dies at 92
1974 Lev Oborin, Russian-Soviet pianist (winner of 1st International Chopin Competition, 1927), composer and pedagogue, dies at 66
1975 Don Wilson, American baseball pitcher (2 x no-hitters 1967, 69; MLB All Star 1971; Houston Astros), dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at 29
1976 Georges Migot, French composer, and poet (Les Agrestide; L'Arche), dies at 84
1976 John A. Costello, 3rd Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, dies at 84
1976 Mal Evans, British Beatles roadie and personal assistant, dies in a confrontation with police at his Los Angeles home at 40
1977 Onslow Stevens, American actor (This is the Life), dies at 74
1979 Charles Mingus, American jazz bassist (Pithecanthropus Erectus), dies from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 56
1981 Guy Paquinet, French jazz trombonist, and bandleader, dies at 77
1981 Harold Urey, American physical chemist (Deuterium, Nobel 1934), dies at 87
1981 Lanza del Vasto, Italian philosopher (b. 1901)
1981 Paul Félix, Flemish architect (Song of the Sun), dies at 67
1982 Edmund Herring, Australian military commander, Lieutenant Governor of Victoria (b. 1892)
1982 Hans Conried, American actor (Peter Pan; Bullwinkle Show; Make Room for Daddy - "Uncle Tonoose"; The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T), dies from a heart ailment at 64
1982 Harvey Lembeck, American stage and screen actor (The Phil Silvers Show; Stalag 17; Beach Party films), dies of a heat attack at 58
1985 John Paxton, American screenwriter and producer (On The Beach, Kotch, Farewell My Lovely), dies at 73
1985 Robert L. Surtees, American Oscar-winning cinematographer (Ben-Hur) (b. 1906
1986 Ilmari Salminen, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 10,000m 1936), dies at 83
1987 Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-born Canadian cross-country skier (b. 1875)
1987 Margaret Laurence, Canadian author (The Stone Angel), dies at 60

Pete Maravich (1947-1988)

American Basketball HOF guard (5 × NBA All-Star; All-NBA First Team 1976, 77; NBA scoring champion 1977 NO/Utah Jazz; Atlanta Hawks), dies of heart failure at 40

1989 Philip Herschkowitz, Romanian composer, dies at 82
1990 Arthur Kennedy, American Tony Award-winning stage and screen actor (Death of a Salesman; Fantastic Voyage; Peyton Place; Some Came Running),dies of complications from thyroid cancer at 75
1990 Bart LaRue, American character actor, dies of a heart attack at 57
1991 Johnny Eck [Eckhardt], American sideshow performer, actor (Freaks; Tarzan films), magician, and artist, dies of a heart attack at 79
1991 Marie Madeline Sullivan, American actress (Elvira, Mistress of Dark), dies at 80
1991 Vasko Popa, Yugoslavia-Serbian poet (Heaven is a Side Issue), dies at 68
1993 Anthony Wakefield Cox, English architect, dies at 77
1993 George L George, Russian/American journalist/director/producer, dies at 85
1993 Henk Knol, Suriname MP (PvdA), dies at 61
1993 Jennifer Raine Bissell, British actress (Thriller, Rush: Inspired by Battlefield), dies from a heart ailment 60
1993 Juan Benet Goitia, Spanish writer (Herrumbrosas Lanzas), dies at 65
1993 Klaas Wiersma, Dutch sec of Justice (VVD), dies
1993 Leonce Gras, Flemish singer/conductor, dies at 84
1993 Nyamuisi Muvingi, Zaire minister of Culture, murdered
1993 Ronnie Welsh, actor (Patterns), dies of brain cancer at 52
1993 Westley A Dodd, US murderer, 1st hanging in US since 1965
1994 Brian Johnston, British cricket commentator (BBC radio commentator & cake connoisseur), dies at 81
1994 Louis R J Ridder van Rappard, Dutch mayor of Zoelen, dies at 87
1994 Tip O'Neill, American politician and 47th speaker of the house (D-Ma: 1977-86), dies of cancer at 81
1994 Victor van Os, Dutch jazz guitarist, dies at 39
1994 William Raynor, American screenwriter (Gomer Pyle; Get Smart; McDuff, The Talking Dog; Dukes of Hazzard), dies at 73
1995 Francis Lopez, Basque-French chanson and operetta composer (La Belle de Cadiz; Andalousie; The Three Musketeers), dies at 78
1995 Mansour Sattari, Iranian Brigadier General and commandant (Iran Air Force), dies at 46
1995 Somerset de Chair, British writer, politician and poet, dies at 83
1996 Danny White, American singer and bandleader, dies at 84
1996 Jay Arena, American pediatrician (Duke Poison Center Director, inventor of the child-proof safety cap), dies at 86
1996 Lincoln Kirstein, American writer and impresario, dies at 88
1996 Richard Versaille, tenor, dies at 63
1996 Yahya Ayyash, Palestinian militant and chief bombmaker for Hamas, assassinated by booby trapped cell phone at 29
1997 Andre Franquin, cartoonist, dies at 72

Sonny Bono (1935-1998)

American actor, musician, vocalist, (Sonny & Cher) and politician (Rep-R-Ca, 1995-98), dies at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, California, when he hits a tree at 62

1998 David Bairstow, English cricket wicket keeper, broadcaster (4 Tests, 13 dismissals; father of England Test 'keeper Jonny; Yorkshire CCC), dies from suicide at 46
1998 Georgi Sviridov, Soviet neoromantic composer, dies of a heart attack at 82
1998 Ken Forssi, American musician (Love) (b. 1943)
1998 Wilhelm Herz, German motorcycle racer (first to 200mph), dies at 85
2001 Nancy Parsons, American actress (b. 1942)
2003 Doreen Carwithen, British composer, widow of William Alwyn (b. 1922)
2003 Jean Kerr, Irish-American novelist (Please Don't Eat the Daisies), dies at 80
2003 Massimo Girotti, Italian actor (Last Tango in Paris, In the Name of the Law), dies of a heart attack at 84
2003 Roy Jenkins, British MP (Labour, Liberal Democrats) and President of the European Commission (1977-81), dies at 82
2004 Charles Dumas, American high jumper (Olympic gold 1956; first to clear 7 foot mark), dies from cancer at 66
2004 John Guerin, American session and touring jazz-rock drummer and percussionist (Frank Zappa; L.A. Express; Joni Mitchell: Linda Ronstadt), dies of heart failure at 64
2004 Tug McGraw, American baseball player and father of Tim McGraw, dies at 59
2005 Danny Sugerman, American music manager (The Doors), dies of lung cancer at 50
2006 Lord Merlyn-Rees, British politician (b. 1920)
2007 Chih Ree Sun, Chinese-American physicist and poet. dies of kidney and lung cancer at 83 [1]

Momofuku Ando (1910-2007)

Taiwanese-Japanese inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles, dies of heart failure at 96

2008 Clinton Grybas, Australian sports commentator (b. 1975)
2008 Irene Reid, American jazz singer ("I Must Be Doing Something Right"). dies at 77
2008 Thomas Gray, English pioneering anaesthetist, dies at 94
2009 Ned Tanen, American movie executive (b. 1931)
2010 Gisela Kraft, German writer, dies at 73
2010 Kenneth Noland, American Color Field painter, dies of kidney cancer at 85
2010 Murray Saltzman, Reform Jewish rabbi and civil rights leader (b. 1929)
2010 Willie Mitchell, American R&B, pop, and soul singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger, dies of a heart attack at 81
2011 Roland Kayn, German electronic music composer, dies at 77
2012 Don Carter, American pro bowler (6 x Bowler of the Year; first athlete to earn $1m in single endorsement deal [Ebonite International]), dies from pneumonia and emphysema at 85
2012 Frederica Sagor Maas, American playwright and screenwriter, dies at 111
2012 Hikaru Hayashi, Japanese pianist, conductor and composer (Onibaba), dies at 80
2013 Bruce McCarty, American architect, dies at 92
2013 Sybil Michelow, South-African contralto and composer, dies at 87
2014 Carmen Zapata, American actress (Hagen, Viva Valdez, Man & the City), dies at 86
2014 Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, Portuguese footballer (top goalscorer-1966 World Cup), dies from heart failure at 71
2014 Jerry Coleman, American MLB 2nd baseman, dies from complications from brain bleeding and surgery at 89
2016 Elizabeth Swados, American theater composer playwright (Runaways), and author, dies from complications after surgery for esophageal cancer at 64
2016 Nicholas Caldwell, American R&B and soul singer (The Whispers - "And The Baet Goes On"; "It's A Love Thing"), dies of congestive heart failure at 71
2016 Pierre Boulez, French composer (La Visage Nuptial), conductor (BBC Symphony, 1970-77; New York Philharmonic, 1971-77), and new music advocate (IRCAM, Ensemble intercontemporain)dies at 90
2017 Géori Boué, French soprano, dies at 98
2018 Antonio Valentín Angelillo, Italian-Argentinian footballer who played for both Argentina and Italy, dies at 80
2018 Bruce Hood, Canadian National Hockey League referee (1965-84), and author (Calling The Shots), dies of prostate cancer at 81
2018 Jerry Van Dyke, American actor (My Mother the Car, Coach), dies at 86
2018 John Young, American astronaut and 9th person to walk on the Moon (Gemini 3 & 10, Apollo 10 & 16, STS 1 & 9), dies of pneumonia complications at 87
2018 José Molina [Quijada], Spanish-born American flamenco dancer, dies of lung cancer at 81
2019 Dragoslav Šekularac, Serbian footballer, dies at 81
2019 Eric Haydock [Haddock], British rock bassist (The Hollies, 1962-66 - ""Look Through Any Window"), dies at 75
2020 Hans Tilkowski, German soccer goalkeeper (39 caps, West Germany; Westfalia Herne, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt), dies at 84
2021 Bob Brett, Australian tennis coach (Boris Becker, Goran Ivanišević, Marin Čilić), dies from cancer at 67
2021 Colin Bell, English soccer midfielder (48 caps; Manchester City 394 games), dies at 74
2021 Pat Patrick, American auto racing team owner (Patrick Racing; Indianapolis 500, 1973, 1982, 1989; Emerson Fittipaldi IndyCar title, 1989), dies at 91
2022 Greg Robinson, American football coach (Syracuse University 2005-08; Super Bowl 1997, 98 DC Denver Broncos), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 70
2022 Lawrence Brooks, American US Army soldier, 1940-45 (91st Engineer Battalion - New Guinea, The Philippines), and longest-living American World War II veteran, dies at 112
2022 Olga Szabó-Orbán, Romanian fencer (World C'ship gold women's foil individual 1962, team 1969; Olympic silver individual 1956, bronze team 1968, 72), dies at 83
2022 Ralph Neely, American football offensive tackle (Super Bowl 1971, 77 Dallas Cowboys; Pro Bowl 1967, 69; All Pro 1966-69), dies at 78
2023 Ernesto Castano, Italian soccer defender (7 caps; Juventus 265 games), dies at 83
2023 Gordy Harmon, American R&B singer (The Whispers - "And the Beat Goes On"; "Rock Steady"), dies at 79
2023 Nate Colbert, American baseball first baseman (MLB All Star 1971, 72, 73; San Diego Padres, Houston Astros), dies at 76