Famous Deaths on March 8

William III (1650-1702)

William of Orange, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689-1702) and Stadtholder, dies of pneumonia at 51

1709 William Cowper/Cooper, English anatomist, dies at about 62
1716 Harald Vallerius, Swedish composer and teacher (1697 choral book), dies at 69
1717 Abraham Darby I, English ironmaster (1st to smelt iron ore with coke, pivotal figure in Industrial Revolution), dies at about 40
1720 Georg Bronner, German composer and organist, dies at 53
1724 Enrico Giovanni Zuccalli, Swiss architect, dies at about 81
1728 Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni, Italian literary and critic (Arcadia), dies at 64
1731 Ferdinand Brokoff, Czech sculptor and carver of the Baroque era, dies at 42
1734 Carolomannus Pachschmidt, Austrian composer, dies at 33
1754 Don Jose de Carvajal bon Lancaster, Sp min of Foreign affairs, dies
1757 Thomas Blackwell, Scottish classical scholar, dies at 55
1771 Louis August le Clerc, French-born sculptor (b. 1688)
1817 Wentworth Cheswell, American auditor, teacher, Revolutionary War messenger, 1st African American elected to public office, dies of typhus fever at 70
1819 Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, doctor, Massachusetts militia officer, member of the Massachusetts legislature (b. 1739)
1828 Johann Anton Sulzer, Swiss writer and composer, dies at 75
1844 Charles XIV [Jean Bernadotte], French-born King of Sweden & Norway (1818-44), Marshall of France, dies at 81
1853 Edward John Dent, British clockmaker to Queen Victoria and commissioned to make Big Ben, London (completed after his death by his son Frederick Dent), dies at 62

Bill the Butcher (1821-1855)

American gang member (New York City's Bowery Boys), dies of a gunshot wound at 33

1862 Adrien de La Fage, composer, dies at 56

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

French composer (Symphonie fantastique), dies at 65

1872 Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter, dies at 56

Millard Fillmore (1800-1874)

13th President of the United States (Whig: 1850-53), dies at 74

1887 Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (b. 1813)
1887 James Buchanan Eads, American engineer and inventor (Eads Bridge-St Louis), dies at 66
1887 Pavel Annenkov, Russian literature historian/critic, dies at 73 (b. 1813)

John Ericsson (1803-1889)

Swedish-American inventor (screw propeller, rotating turret), dies at 85

1901 Karl Freiherr von Stumm-Halberg, German politician and industrialist (richest person in German Empire), dies at 64
1901 Peter Benoit, Flemish composer (De Leie; Rubens Cantata: Requiem), and conductor, dies at 66

Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917)

German general and inventor (rigid dirigibles) who founded the Zeppelin airship company, dies at 78

1919 Auguste Tolbecque, French cellist and composer, dies at 88
1919 LaMarcus Thompson 'Father of the American roller coaster', American inventor (Switchback Railway), dies at 71 [1]
1920 Rafael Obligado, Argentine writer (Santos Vega), dies at 69
1920 Wilhelm Bousset, German theologist and historian, dies at 54

Johannes van der Waals (1837-1923)

Dutch physicist (Nobel 1910, Liquid and Gas States), dies at 85

1923 Krišjānis Barons, Latvian writer who published Latvian folk songs, dies at 87
1930 Edward Terry Sanford, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1865)

William Howard Taft (1857-1930)

27th US President (Republican: 1909-13) and Chief Justice, dies at 72

1931 Clara Kathleen Rogers, composer, dies at 87
1932 Jan de Louter, Dutch lawyer and tutor of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, dies at 84
1935 Ruan Lingyu [Fenggen], Chinese silent film actress (The Goddess), commits suicide at 24
1937 Albert Verwey, Dutch poet and literary historian (Motion), dies at 71

Howie Morenz (1902-1937)

Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Montreal Canadiens, 3-time Stanley Cup winner), dies of a heart attack at 34

1941 José Serrano Simeón, Spanish composer, dies at 67
1941 Sherwood Anderson, American author & publisher (Winesburg Ohio), dies at 64

José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942)

Cuban World Chess Champion (1921-27), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage provoked by hypertension at 53

1945 H J Jamin, Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Buchenwald
1945 Jan Beekes, resistance fighter, executed at 26
1946 Frederick Lanchester, English Engineer who built the first British petrol automobile (1896), dies at 77
1948 Emily Bissell, American welfare worker and founder of Christmas Seals, dies at 86
1950 Jaroslav Kocián, Czech composer and teacher, dies at 67
1951 Honeymoon Killers, dies in electric chair
1951 John Winter Thompson, composer, dies at 83
1955 Clémentine, Princess of Belgium, wife of Prince Napoleon Bonaparte V, dies at 82
1957 Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer, chiefly of art songs, and conductor, dies at 70 [1]
1958 Josephina "Frieda" Herberich, German actress (Salontiroler), dies at 85
1959 Abdel Wahab Shawwaf, Iraqi colonel/putschist, murdered
1961 Thomas Beecham, English conductor (co-founded and led London Philharmonic, 1932-39; Royal Philharmonic, 1946-60), dies of heart failure at 81
1962 Howard Engstrom, American computer designer (co-creator Univac computer), dies at 59
1963 John Hartley, cricketer (bowl avg 115 in 2 Tests for Eng 1906), dies
1965 Esther Howard, actress (Detour), dies of a heart attack at 72
1965 Tadd Dameron, American jazz pianist, composer ("If You Could See Me Now"; "Lady Bird"), arranger (Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine) and bandleader, dies of cancer at 48
1967 Herman "Ivory" Chittison, American jazz pianist (Harlem Rhythm Makers), dies at 58
1971 Harold Lloyd sr, American silent film actor, comedian, and director (Why Worry, Safety Last!), dies of cancer at 77
1972 Erich von dem Bach, Nazi official (b. 1899)
1973 Gordon Leggat, New Zealand cricket batsman (9 Tests, 2 x 50; Canterbury), dies at 46
1973 Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, American rock singer, harmonica player, and occasional keyboardist (Grateful Dead, 1965-72), dies of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at 27
1974 Christian van Geel, Dutch poet/sculptor (Spinroc), dies at 56
1974 Willem "Wim" Sonneveld, Dutch singer considered one of the 'Great Three' of Dutch cabaret (My Fair Lady), dies from a heart attack at 56
1975 George Stevens, American Academy Award-winning film director and screenwriter (A Place In The Sun; Giant; Swing Time; Gunga Din), dies of a heart attack at 70
1976 Alfons Rebane, Estonian military commander (b. 1908)
1977 Henry Hull, American actor (Werewolf of London, Boys Town), dies at 86
1983 William Walton, English composer (Troilus & Cressida; Belhazzar's Feast), dies at 80
1985 Edward Andrews, American actor (Tea & Sympathy, Glass Bottom Boat), dies of a heart attack at 70
1985 Thomas Creighton, US heart patient (3 implants in 46 hrs), dies at 33
1986 Hubert Fichte, German writer, dies of an AIDS related illness at 50
1988 Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer "The Elvis of Punjab" killed by unknown gunmen as he arrived for concert at age 26 [1]
1988 Henryk Szeryng, Polish-born violinist (b. 1918)
1988 Ken Colyer, British New Orleans jazz devotee trumpeter, cornetist, and bandleader, dies at 79
1988 Lala Abdul Rashid, Pakistani field hockey goalkeeper (Olympic gold 1960), dies at 65
1988 Werner Hartmann, German physicist (b. 1912)
1989 Stuart Hamblen, American singer and composer (This Ole House), dies at 80
1991 John Bellairs, American sci-fi author (Chessmen of Doom), dies of cardiovascular disease at 53
1992 George "Red" Callender, American jazz and session string bass and tuba player, dies of thyroid cancer at 76
1993 Billy Eckstine, American jazz singer (Tenderly, A Fool in Love), dies at 78 of a stroke
1993 Don Barksdale, American basketball forward (Olympic gold 1948, NBA All Star 1953), dies of throat cancer at 69
1993 Johan Bodegraven, radio host (Purses Open, Dikes Closed), dies at 78
1993 Joop Scheltens, TV host/director (Explore Your Place), dies at 69
1993 Wells Root, American screenwriter (Prisoner of Zenda), dies at 92
1994 John Ewart, Australian radio, stage, and screen actor (The Muddle-Headed Wombat.; The Picture Show Man), dies of throat cancer at 65
1994 Joop C Swart, publisher/founder (World Press Photo), dies at 69
1994 Knut Haukelid, Norway/US resistance fighter (Rjukan 1943), dies at 82
1995 Ingo Schwichtenberg, German heavy metal drummer (Helloween), commits suicide by jumping in front of a train at 29
1995 Ota Adler, Czech-British fur trader and founder (Jewish Aid Trust), dies at 83
1995 Paul Horgan, American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (Mountain Standard Time), dies at 91
1996 Alison McCartney, pathologist/Breast Cancer campaigner, dies at 45
1996 Jack Churchill, British Army commando, dies at 89
1996 Paul Harrhy, actor and opera singer (Intelligence Park), dies at 38
1997 Alexander Salkind, producer (Superman), dies at 75
1997 Raymond Edwards, American doo-wop bass (The Silhouettes - "Get A Job"), dies of cancer at 72

Ray Nitschke (1936-1998)

American Pro Football HOF linebacker (5 × NFL C'ship; Super Bowl 1967, 68; First-team All-Pro 1964, 66; Green Bay Packers), dies of a heart attack at 61

1999 Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinean writer (b.1914)
1999 Hans Eklund, Swedish composer, dies at 71

Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999)

American Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder (13 × MLB All-Star; 9 x World Series; 3 x AL MVP; MLB record 56-game hitting streak; NY Yankees), dies of lung cancer at 84

1999 Mary Margaret "Peggy" Cass, American actress, comedian, game show panelist and announcer (To Tell The Truth), dies at 74
2001 Edward Winter, American actor (b. 1937)
2003 Adam Faith [Terence Wright], English pop and rock singer ("What Do You Want?"; "Poor Me"), actor (Budgie; Love Hurts), and financial journalist, dies of a heart attack at 62
2003 Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909)
2004 Abu Abbas [Muhammad Zaidan], Palestinian founder of the Palestine Liberation Front, dies in American custody of allegedly natural causes at 55
2004 Frank Mooney, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (13 Tests, 30 dismissals; Wellington), dies at 82
2004 Robert Pastorelli, American actor (b. 1954)
2005 Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen leader (b. 1951)
2005 César Lattes, Brazilian physicist (b. 1924)
2005 Larry Bunker, American session and West Coast jazz drummer, vibraphonist, and timpanist (Bill Evans, Lalo Schifrin, The 5th Dimension, Peggy Lee), dies from complications of a stroke at 76
2006 Brian Barratt-Boyes, New Zealand heart surgeon (b. 1924)
2007 John Inman, English actor (Mr. Humphries-Are You Being Served?), dies at 71
2007 John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach.. (b. 1947)
2007 Viky Vanita, Greek actress (b. 1948)
2008 Carol Barnes, British television news journalist (ITN; ITV), dies a few days after suffering a stroke at 63
2009 Ali Bongo [William Oliver Wallace], British comedy musician and magician (President of The Magic Circle - Shriek of Araby), dies at 79
2009 Zbigniew Religa, Minister of Health of the Republic of Poland (b. 1938)
2011 Mike Starr (musician), American Musician (b. 1966)
2012 Leslie Cochran, American peace activist and police critic, dies from head trauma at 60
2014 William Guarnere, American WWII veteran and author, portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, dies at 90
2015 Lew Soloff, American jazz trumpeter (Blood, Sweat and Tears), dies at 71

George Martin (1926-2016)

British record producer (The Beatles), dies at 90

2017 Lou Duva, American boxing trainer, dies at 94
2018 Kate Wilhelm, American fiction author (Hugo Award: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang), dies of respiratory failure at 89
2018 Milko Kelemen, Croat composer (Archetypon), dies at 93
2018 Sir Wilson Harris, Guyanese author (Palace of the Peacock, Jonestown, The Ghost of Memory), dies of natural causes at 96
2018 Togo West Jr., American attorney and public official (3rd Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1998-2000), dies of a heart attack at 75
2019 Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor (Frankfurt Opera, 1967-87); Cincinnati Symphony, 1980-86); Southwest German Radio Symphony, 1986-99), and composer, dies at 91

Max Von Sydow (1929-2020)

Swedish actor (Hawaii, Exorcist, Dune, Game of Thrones), dies at 90

2021 Fergal McCann, Irish Gaelic football coach and trainer (All-Ireland Championship 2005, 08; Tyrone), dies from cancer at 47
2021 Julien-François Zbinden, Swiss jazz pianist, and jazz and classical composer (Monophrases), dies at 103
2021 Norm Sherry, American baseball catcher (Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets) and manager (California Angels), dies at 89
2021 Norton Juster, American architect and children's author (The Phantom Tollbooth; The Dot and The Line), dies at 91 [1]
2021 Rhéal Cormier, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals; Philadelphia Phillies; Boston Red Sox), dies of pancreatic cancer at 53 [1]
2021 Trevor Peacock, British stage and screen actor (The Vicar of Dibley - "Jim Trott"), screenwriter, and songwriter ("Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"), dies at 89
2022 Gordon Lee, English soccer manager (Port Vale, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Everton, Preston NE, KR Reykjavik), dies at 87
2022 Johnny Grier, American football official (1981-2004; first African-American referee in NFL history 1988), dies at 74
2022 Ron Miles, American jazz cornetist, composer, and bandleader, dies Polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder, at 58
2022 Tomás Boy, Mexican football midfielder and manager (52 caps; Tigres UANL 413 games), dies from a pulmonary thromboembolism at 70
2023 Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, Puerto Rican food historian (face of Puerto Rican cuisine), dies at 67 [1]
2023 Gianmarco Calleri, Italian soccer entrepreneur (President SS Lazio 1986-92, Torino FC 1994-97), dies at 81
2023 Joe Pamensky, South African cricket administrator (president South African Cricket Union 1976-91), dies at 92