Famous Deaths on March 17

45 BC Titus Labienus, Roman leader (Lieutenant of Julius Caesar who later opposed him), killed in the Battle of Munda

Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)

Emperor of Rome (161-180), dies at 58

461 Saint Patrick, Patron saint of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)
659 Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian abbess, patron saint of travellers, dies at about 32
1040 Harold Harefoot (Harold I), King of England (1035-40), dies
1058 King Lulach I of Scotland
1199 Jocelin, bishop of Glasgow
1272 Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)

Ibn Khaldūn (1332-1406)

North African Islamic scholar, philosopher and historian (Muqaddimah), dies at 73

1425 Ashikaga Yoshikazu, 5th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, dies at 17
1516 Giuliano de' Medici, ruler of Florence, dies at 37
1565 Alexander Ales [Alesius], Scottish theologian of the school of Augsburg, dies at 64
1588 Petrus Dathenus, Flemish minister/physician (Psalms of David), dies
1605 Pieter Bast [Bastius], Dutch engraver/cartographer, dies at about 34
1620 Jan Sarkander, Polish-Czech Roman Catholic priest, martyr, and saint dies from injuries caused by torturing at 43
1640 Philip Massinger, English dramatist, dies (b. 1583)
1649 Gabriel Lallemant, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1610)
1649 Gerardus Johannis Vossius [Gerrit Vos], Dutch regent, dies at 71
1680 François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld, French writer of maxims and memoirs, dies at 66
1704 Menno, Baron van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (Coevorden mortar), dies at 63
1713 Juraj Jánošík, Slovak outlaw-highwayman, executed at 25
1715 Gilbert Burnet, Scottish philosopher and Bishop of Salisbury, dies at 71
1741 Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French playwright and poet (Sacred Odes & Songs), dies at 69
1764 George Parker, English astronomer, dies
1782 Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician, and physicist (10 time French Award), dies at 82
1796 Pieter Paulus, Dutch Patriot and President of the First National Assembly in The Hague, dies of a serious cold at 42
1801 Juan de Sesé y Balaguer, Aragonese composer, dies at 64
1803 Candido Jose Ruano, Spanish composer, dies at 42
1806 David Dale, Scottish industrialist & philanthropist (cotton magnate who implemented advanced social and educational conditions), dies at 67
1830 Laurent, 1st Marquis of Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal, dies at 65
1846 Friedrich Bessel, German astronomer and mathematician (star parallax, Bessel functions), dies at 61
1849 William II, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg, dies at 56

Christian Doppler (1803-1853)

Austrian physicist (Doppler effect), dies at 49

1855 Ramon Carnicer y Batlle, Spanish composer, dies at 65
1857 Adolph Trube, German composer and organist, dies at 42
1860 Anna Brownell Jameson, Anglo-Irish historian and writer (Loves of the Poets), dies at 65
1861 Petter Conrad Boman, Swedish composer, dies at 56
1862 Fromental Halévy, French composer, dies at 62
1863 John Pelham, U.S. Confederate artillery major, dies in battle at 24
1864 Alexandre Calamo, Swiss painter, etcher and lithographer, dies at 53
1889 Joseph Alberdingk Thijm, Dutch poet (Dietsche Warande), dies at 68
1891 Napoléon JKP Bonaparte, French prince and member of National Convention, dies at 68
1893 Jules Ferry, French statesman, dies at 60
1895 Adolphe Nibelle, French composer (Le Loup-Garou (The Werewolf)), dies at 69
1898 Blanche Kelso Bruce, American politician (Senator-Mississippi, 1875-1881), dies at 57
1901 Franz Melde, German physicist (Melde Test), dies at 69
1902 George William Warren, American hymn composer, dies at 73
1910 Joaquin Valverde Durán, Spanish composer, dies at 64
1912 Lawrence "Titus" Oates, British explorer (Antarctica), sacrifices himself during the Terra Nova Expedition at 32
1913 Richard Montgomery Gano, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 82
1915 Walter Crane, English painter, cartoonist and illustrator (The Lady of Shalott), dies at 69
1926 Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general most noted for the development of new offensive tactics used in the 1916 Brusilov Offensive, dies at 72
1927 James Scott Skinner, Scottish fiddler and composer, dies at 83
1933 Ferdinand Von Alten, German-Russian actor (Champagne), dies at 48
1941 Joachim Schepke, German commandant (U-100), dies in battle
1941 Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)
1946 Dai Li, Chinese spymaster (b. 1897)
1949 Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b. 1882)
1949 Felix Bressart, German actor (Ninotchka, Escape, Crossroads), dies from Leukemia at 57
1950 Adolf Meyer, American psychiatrist and neurologist (pioneered mental hygiene), dies at 83
1953 Conrado del Campo y Zabaleta, Spanish composer and violinist, dies at 73
1954 Victor Rousseau, Belgian sculptor, dies at 88

Fred Allen (1894-1956)

American comedian (Fred Allen Radio Show), dies of a heart attack at 61

Irene Joliot-Curie (1897-1956)

French chemist and physicist (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1935) and daughter of Marie Curie, dies of leukemia at 58

Ramon Magsaysay (1907-1957)

7th President of the Philippines, dies in a plane crash at 49

1959 Raffaele d'Alessandro, Swiss pianist, organist, and composer, dies of a ruptured aorta on his 48th birthday
1961 Susanna Salter, 1st US female mayor/temperance leader, dies at 101
1962 Frank Orth, American actor (Boston Blackie, Brothers), dies at 82
1962 Wilhelm Blaschke, Austrian integral geometer, dies at 76
1963 Lizzie Miles [Elizabeth Landreaux], Creole-American jazz, blues and gospel singer ("Man O'War"), dies of a heart attack at 68
1963 William Henry Squire, British composer and cellist, dies at 91
1965 Almos Alonzo Stagg, American football coach (University of Chicago), dies in California at 102
1965 Nancy Cunard, British writer and activist, dies at 69
1965 Quentin Reynolds, American newscaster (Its News to Me) and author (FBI), dies at 62
1966 Walter Lang, Swiss composer, dies at 69
1967 Frank Wisbar, German director (Fireside Theater), dies at 67
1967 Richard Reeves, American character actor (The Adventures of Superman; Date With an Angel), dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 54
1970 Fernand Crommelynck, Belgian playwright (Chaud et Frois), dies at 83
1971 Ernst Bachmeister, German writer, dies at 96
1972 Manny Martindale, West Indian cricket fast bowler (10 Tests, 37 wickets; Barbados), dies at 62
1973 Geertruida Magdelena Wilhelmina Bakker, Dutch actress (2 Orphans), dies at 81
1974 Louis Kahn, Estonian-born American architect (Salk Institute), dies at 73
1974 [Robert] Carroll Nye, American actor (Gone With The Wind), dies at 72
1976 Luchino Visconti, Italian director (The Leopard, Death in Venice), dies at 69
1978 George Dickinson, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 8 wickets; Otago, Wellington) and rugby union five-eighth (NZ 5 x tour matches; Otago RFU), dies at 75
1980 Rudolf George Escher, Dutch composer (Vrai Visage de la Paix), dies at 68
1981 Paul Dean, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 68
1982 Hans ter Laag, Dutch sound technician, murdered in El Salvador
1982 Jan Kuiper, Dutch news editor (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
1982 Joop Willemsen, Dutch cameraman, murdered in El Salvador
1982 Koos Koster, Dutch newscaster (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
1983 Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, (1967 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for work in the eye), dies at 79
1983 Ray Barr, American pianist (Vincent Lopez Show), dies at 70
1985 Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (Indian all-rounder, 31 Tests 1947-58), dies at 59
1986 Hal Buckley, American actor (John Quincy-OK Crackerby), dies at 51
1986 John Bagot Glubb, British commandant and writer (A soldier with the Arabs), dies at 88
1987 Santo Trafficante Jr., American gangster (head of the Trafficante crime family in Florida and Cuba), dies at 71
1988 Nikolas Asimos, Greek counter-culture composer and singer, dies at 38
1989 Marek Bliziński, Polish jazz guitarist and composer, dies of skin cancer at 41
1989 Merritt Butrick, American actor (Shy People, Square Pegs), dies of AIDS at 29
1990 Capucine [Germaine Lefebvre], French actress and fashion model (Pink Panther, What's New Pussycat?), commits suicide at 62
1990 Rick Grech, British musician (Blind Faith, Traffic), dies at 44
1992 Charles Rea, British actor (Ipcress File), dies at 69
1992 George Lovi, American columnist (Sky & Telescope's "Ramblings"), dies
1992 Grace Stafford Lantz, American actress and cartoon voice (Woody Woodpecker), dies at 87
1992 Jack Arnold, American actor and director (Sid Caesar Special, Emmy 1967, Creature From the Black Lagoon), dies at 75
1993 Charlotte Hughes, British supercentenarian (lived under the rule of 6 monarchs and 24 British Prime Ministers), dies at 115

Helen Hayes (1900-1993)

American actress (Caesar & Cleopatra, Happy Birthday), and 1st female EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner), dies of congestive heart failure at 92

1993 Laadi Flici, Algerian politician and writer, assassinated at 55
1993 Skip Young, American actor (Smokey & Hotwire Gang, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies at 62
1994 Arthur C. Jacobs, Scottish poet, dies at 57
1994 Charlotte Auerbach, German-Born British geneticist and zoologist, dies at 94
1994 Ellsworth Vines, American tennis player (US Open 1931-32; Wimbledon 1932), golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies at 82
1994 Harold Myers, British film journalist (Variety), dies at 81
1994 Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and film director (Witches, Offbeat, Jet Storm), dies of cancer at 68
1994 Walter Janka, German writer (Troubles with Truth), dies at 79
1995 Ahmad Khomeini, youngest son of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, dies at 48
1995 Donald Baverstock, British television Producer (Tonight), dies at 71
1995 Marcus Jan Adriani, Dutch biologist and director (Weevers' Duin), dies at 56
1995 Rick Aviles, US comic/actor (Ghost), dies of AIDS
1995 Ronnie Kray, English gangster (The Firm), dies at 61
1995 Sunnyland Slim, American jazz, blues singer and pianist (Delta Blues), dies at 87
1996 Bela Szigeti, Hungarian theoretical physicist, dies at 83
1996 Rene Clement, French film director (Forbidden Games), dies at 83
1996 Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
1996 Thomas Enders, American diplomat, dies at 64
1997 Jermaine Stewart, American R&B singer (We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off), dies of cancer at 37
1998 Bernarr Rainbow, English historian of music education, organist, and choir master, dies at 83
1999 Ernest Gold, Austrian-born American film composer (Exodus), dies at 77
1999 Rod Hull, British comedian (Emu), dies after falling off a roof at 63
2001 Zinaida Voronina, Russian and Soviet gymnast (1968 Olympics: 4 medals including 1 gold), dies at 53
2002 Luise Rinser, German writer (Prison Journal), dies at 90
2002 Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)
2002 Paul Runyan, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1934, 38; Ryder Cup 1933, 35), dies at 93
2002 Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (Family Matters, The Brother from Another Planet), dies from diabetes at 90
2003 Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)
2004 J. J. Jackson, American television personality (b. 1941)
2004 Michael Mellinger, German actor (Goldfinger, The Bourne Identity), dies at 74
2005 (Eduardo) "Lalo" Guerrero, American guitarist, Chicano singer-songwriter (Los Carlistas), and women's rights activist, dies at 88
2005 Andre Norton, American writer (b. 1912)
2005 George F. Kennan, American diplomat, Cold War strategist who advocated containment ("Long Telegram"; "The Sources of Soviet Conduct") and historian, dies at 101
2006 Bob Blue, American singer/songwriter (b. 1948)
2006 Bob Papenbrook, American voice actor, dies at 50
2006 Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (for Jackie Kennedy), dies at 92
2006 Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b. 1913)
2007 Jim Cronin, Animal welfare campaigner and founder of Monkey World in Dorset, England. (b. 1951)
2007 John Backus, American computer scientist and inventor (FORTRAN computer language), dies at 82
2007 Roger Bennett, American Southern Gospel performer (b. 1959)
2008 Roland Arnall, American businessman and U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, dies at 68
2009 Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and TV host (b. 1937)
2009 Whitey Lockman, American baseball player, dies at 82
2010 Alex Chilton, American rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer (Box Tops - "The Letter"; Big Star - "Thirteen"), dies of a heart attack at 59
2010 Charlie Gillett, British pop-rock and world music radio presenter and writer (The Sound of the City), dies at 68
2010 Robert Michael White, American test pilot (X-15), dies at 85
2010 Sid Fleischman, American author, and screenplay writer (The Whipping Boy; Blood Alley: The Abracadabra Kid), dies at 90
2010 Wayne Collett, American 400m runner (Olympic silver 1972), dies of cancer at 60
2011 Ferlin Husky, American country singer (Born to Lose, Gone), dies at 85
2011 Michael Gough, English actor (Hammer Horror Films, Search for the Nile), dies at 94
2012 Chaleo Yoovidhya, Thai co-creator of Red Bull energy drink, dies from natural causes at 88
2012 John Demjanjuk, convicted Nazi war criminal, dies from natural causes at 91
2012 Pope Shenouda III, Egyptian Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, dies from prostate cancer at 88
2013 Jan van Houwelingen, Dutch politician (Undersecretary of Defense (CDA), dies at 73
2014 Gene Feist, American actor, playwright, producer and co-founder of Roundabout Theater Company, dies at 91
2014 Joseph Kerman, American educator and musicologist (Contemplating Music: Challenges to Musicology), dies at 89
2014 L'Wren Scott [Laura Bambrough], American fashion designer and partner of Mick Jagger, commits suicide at 49
2015 Bob Appleyard, English cricketer (superb England off-spinner, brief career), dies at 90
2015 Shaw Taylor, British actor and television presenter (Police 5), dies at 90
2016 Paul Daniels, British magician (The Paul Daniels Magic Show), dies at 77
2017 Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet (Omeros), Nobel Prize for Literature 1992, dies at 87
2019 Barbara Benary, American composer (Gamelon Son Of Lion), dies at 73
2019 [Zephire] Andre Williams, American R&B musician ("Jailbait"; "Shake a Tail Feather"), dies at 82
2020 Lyle Waggoner, American actor (The Carol Burnett Show; Wonder Woman), dies from cancer at 84
2020 Roger Mayweather, American boxer (WBA & lineal super featherweight title 1983-84, WBC light welterweight 1987-89; IBO light welterweight; IBO welterweight 1994-95), dies at 58
2021 Freddie Redd, American hard-bop jazz pianist, organist, and composer, dies at 92
2021 John Magufuli, Tanzanian politician, President of Tanzania (2015-2021), dies in office at 61
2022 Alan Rees, Welsh rugby union fly-half (3 Tests; Maesteg RFC), rugby league five eighth (Leeds RLFC) and cricket all-rounder (Glamorgan CCC), dies at 84
2022 Peter Bowles, British actor (I, Claudius; Rumpole of the Bailey - "Featherstone"), dies of cancer at 85
2023 Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, American pop, R&B, and funk singer-songwriter (Parliament-Funkadelic - "Knee Deep"), dies at 81 [1]
2023 John Jenrette Jr, American lawyer, politician (US Representative for South Carolina (D), 1975-80), and convicted felon (bribery), dies at 86