Famous Deaths on May 20

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

Italian explorer and navigator who discovered the "New World" for Spain and initiated European colonization, dies around the age of 54

1509 Catharina Sforza, Italian duchess of Forli, dies at 45
1550 Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shogun (b. 1510)
1597 Dutch commander Matthijs Heldt, dies in battle
1622 Osman II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1618-22), dies at 17
1648 Władysław IV Vasa, King of Poland (1632-48), dies of kidney stones at 52
1650 Francesco Sacrati, Italian composer, dies at 44
1669 Joris van der Hagen, landscape painter, dies
1677 George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, English statesman (b. 1612)
1713 Thomas Sprat, English writer (b. 1635)
1717 John Trevor, British statesman (b. 1637)
1722 Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist, dies at 52
1732 Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (b. 1676)
1751 Domingo Miguel Bernaube Terradellas, Spanish composer, dies at 38
1782 Carlo Giovanni Testori, Italian composer, dies at 68
1782 Christoph Gottlieb Schröter, German organist (St Nikola Church, Nordhausen, 1732-82), composer, and inventor of the tangent piano, dies at 82
1782 William Emerson, British mathematician (b. 1701)
1793 Charles Bonnet, Swiss naturalist and writer, dies at 73
1795 Ignác Martinovics, Hungarian physicist/revolutionary, beheaded
1825 Papaflessas, Greek priest and government official (b. 1788)
1834 Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert de Motier, nobleman, dies

Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834)

American patriot and French revolutionary, dies at 76

1841 Joseph Blanco White, theological writert, dies
1847 Mary Lamb, British writer (Tales from Shakespeare), dies at 82
1864 John Clare, English poet (Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery), dies at 70
1873 Sir George-Étienne Cartier, French Canadian statesman (b. 1814)
1875 Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece, German born consort of King Otto of Greece, dies at 58
1876 Harold of Schleswig-Holstein, grandson of English queen Victoria, dies at 8 days old
1876 Khristo Botev, Bulgarian poet, dies
1880 Eugene LFC prince the Ligne, Belgian prince of Ambise, dies at 76
1883 William Chambers, Scottish author and publisher (Basis of Communication & Coding), dies at 83

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

German pianist and composer of the Romantic era, dies of a stroke at 76

1900 Gustav Heinrich Graben-Hoffman, composer, dies at 80
1909 Ernest Hogan, blackface comedian and musician (b. 1859)
1910 Jean-Baptiste Theodore Weckerlin, French composer, dies at 88
1911 E. M. Grace, English cricket all-rounder (1 Test, HS 36; Gloucestershire CCC), dies at 69
1917 Philipp von Ferrary, Italian philatelist (compiled world's most complete stamp collection), dies at 67
1917 Valentine Fleming, Scottish politician (b. 1887)
1923 Hans Goldschmidt, German chemist, dies
1926 Dick Pougher, cricketer (17 & 3-26 in only Test for England 1892), dies
1932 Bipin Chandra Pal, Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, dies at 73
1932 James "Bubber" Miley, American jazz trumpet and cornet player (Duke Ellington, 1923-29 - "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"; "Black And Tan Fantasy"), dies of tuberculosis at 29
1935 Ivans [Jacob van Schevichaven], Dutch lawyer and detective writer, dies at 68
1939 Joe Carr, American Pro Football HOF contributor (NFL President 1921-39), dies from a heart attack at 59
1940 Amar Singh, Indian cricket all-rounder (7 Tests, 28 wickets; India's first half-century in Test cricket), dies of pneumonia at 29
1940 Joris van Severen, Flemish politician and founder of the Alliance of Dietsche National Solidarists, dies at 45
1940 Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish poet and novelist (Charles Men, Nobel 1916), dies at 80
1942 Hector Guimard, French Art Nouveau architect and designer (entrances to Paris Metros),
1946 Jacob Ellehammer, Danish watchmaker and inventor (powered flight), dies at 74
1947 Philipp Lenard, Austrian physicist (Nobel 1905), dies at 84
1949 Randolph West, American biochemist, known for the Dakin-West reaction (b. 1890)
1951 Jan Ingenhoven, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 74
1956 Andre Eugene Maurice Charlot, actor (Summer Storm), dies
1956 Max Beerbohm, English caricaturist, writer and parodist (Saturday Review), dies at 83
1959 Alfred Schütz, Austrian-American architect and philosopher, dies at 60
1961 Josef "Pips" Priller, German fighter ace (b. 1915)
1961 Nannie Helen Burroughs, American educator and civil rights activist (founded National Training School for Women and Girls), dies at 82
1964 Rudy Lewis, American pop vocalist (The Drifters - "Up On The Roof"; "On Broadway), dies of a probable drug overdose at 27
1968 Albert Hartkopf, cricketer (one Test for Australia), dies
1968 Kees van Dongen, Dutch-French painter (Fauves style), dies at 91
1969 Fred Sherman, American actor (Chain Lightning), dies after a stroke at 64
1969 Royal Beal, American actor (Death of a Salesman), dies of cancer at 69
1971 Martín Dihigo, Cuban Baseball HOF two-way player (2 × Negro League All-Star New York Cubans; 4 × Cuban League MVP), dies at 65
1971 Waldo Williams, Welsh poet (b. 1904)
1972 Cornelis Jakob van der Klauw, Dutch biologist and zoologist, dies at 78
1973 Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
1975 Dame Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor, dies in fire at 72
1975 Jacques Stehman, Belgian pianist and composer (Symphonie de poche), dies at 62
1976 Syd Howe, Canadian Hockey HOF left wing (Stanley Cup 1936, 37, 43 Detroit Red Wings), dies from throat cancer at 64
1976 Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan politician, member of the Christian-Democrat party, and Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz "disappeared"
1978 Ivan Harold Browning, American stage and screen actor and singer (Shuffle Along - "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), dies at 87
1983 Clair Bee, American College Basketball and Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Long Island University undefeated 1936, 39; National Invitation Tournament 1939, 41), dies at 87
1984 Peter Bull, British actor and author (The African Queen, Tom Jones, Dr Strangelove), dies of a heart attack at 72
1985 George Memmoli, actor (Earl-Hello Larry), dies at 46
1985 Harm Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch painter, etcher and ceramist, dies at 92
1986 Bernard Naylor, English-Canadian organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 78
1986 Willem Pee, Belgian linguist, dies at 83
1988 René Defossez, Belgian composer, composer, and pedagigue, dies at 82
1989 Erzsébet Galgoczi, Hungarian writer, dies at 58
1989 Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (SNL, 1975-80; Haunted Honeymoon), dies of ovarian cancer at 42
1989 John R. Hicks, English economist (Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Sciences 1972), dies at 85
1991 Julian Orbon De Soto, Cuban composer, dies at 65
1991 Pete Runnels, American baseball infielder (5 x MLB All Star; AL batting champion 1960, 62 Boston Red Sox; Washington Senators, Houston Colt .45s) and manager (Boston Red Sox 1966), dies from a stroke at 63
1992 Roger Keith Coleman, American murder who protested his innocence, is executed at 33
1993 Max Klein, inventor (paint by numbers), dies at 77
1994 Dallas Pratt, American collector (The American Museum in Britain), dies at 79
1994 Vivien John, English painter and daughter of Augustus John, dies at 79
1996 Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter, dies at 65
1996 George Malcolm Thomson, British journalist, dies at 96
1996 Jack Wyngaard, South African dancer, dies at 37
1996 Janaki Ramachandran, Indian politician, Chief Minister of Indian state of Tamil Nadu (1988), dies at 72
1996 Jon Pertwee, English actor and entertainer (third Doctor in Doctor Who, Worzel Gummidge), dies from a heart attack at 76
1996 Julius Marmur, American biochemist and geneticist (DNA research), dies at 70
1996 Lewis B Combs, American civil engineer and US Navy officer (1917-45), founding member and commander of the "Seabees", dies at 101
1997 Virgilio Boat, president of Colombia (1986-90), dies
1998 Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitar pioneer, accordionist, and composer, dies at 81
1999 Robert Rhodes James, British politician historian (Gallipoli), dies at 66
2000 Jean-Pierre Rampal, French classical flautist (The Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano), dies of heart failure at 72
2001 Renato Carosone, Italian canzone napoletana singer, pianist, songwriter ("Tu vuò fà l'americano" - "You Want to Be American"), and accordionist, dies at 81

Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002)

American paleontologist and popular science writer, dies of cancer at 60

2004 Lord Murray of Epping Forest, British labour politician and union leader, dies of emphysema and pneumonia at 82
2005 John Donovan "J D" Cannon, American actor (McCloud, Ike, Call to Glory), dies at 83
2005 Paul Ricoeur, French philosopher (b. 1913)
2005 William Seawell, United States Army Brigadier General (b. 1918)
2007 Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer, coach, broadcaster (British Open 1948 3rd), dies at 93
2007 Stanley Miller, American chemist (created 'primordial soup' experiment to show how life might have originated on earth), dies at 77
2008 Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician and governor of Jakarta (1966-77), dies at 79
2008 Hamilton Jordan, former Carter White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
2009 Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect (b.1924)
2009 Lucy Gordon, British model and actress (b. 1980)

Randy Savage (1952-2011)

American pro wrestler (WWF/SMW/ICW; WWE Hall of Fame), dies of a heart attack at 58

2012 Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, convicted bomber (Pan Am 103), dies from prostate cancer at 60
2012 Robert Nix, American drummer and songwriter (Roy Orbison; Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You"; "Imaginary Lover"), dies at 67

Robin Gibb (1949-2012)

English rock-pop-disco singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever), dies from colon and liver cancer at 62

2013 Anders Eliasson, Swedish contemporary classical composer, dies at 66
2013 Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball coach (Czech Women's team, German Men's team), dies at 88
2013 Ray Manzarek, American musician and keyboardist (The Doors - "Light My Fire", "Hello, I Love You"), dies of cancer at 74
2013 Robert DiDomenica, American flautist, composer and educator, dies at 86
2014 Phil Sharpe, English cricket batsman (12 Tests, 1 x 100, 4 x 50, HS 111; Yorkshire CCC, Derbyshire CCC), dies at 77
2015 Brian Cubbon, British senior civil servant, dies at 87
2017 Jimmy Dale, British-Canadian pianist and orchestra leader (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), dies at 81

Billy Cannon (1937-2018)

American College Football Hall of Fame back and tight end (Heisman Trophy 1959, LSU; AFL C'ship 1960, 61, 67; AFL All-Star 1961, 69; Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders), dies at 80

2018 Carol Mann, American golfer (1964 Western Open, 1965 US Open), dies at 77
2018 Dieter Schnebel, German experimental composer (Harley-Davidson, for nine motorbikes and trumpet), dies at 88
2018 Patricia Morison, American actress (Peyton Place, Dressed to Kill, Kiss Me, Kate The King and I), dies at 103

Niki Lauda (1949-2019)

Austrian auto racer (F1 world champ 1975, 77, 84), dies of at 70

2020 Howard Curtis Nielson, American politician (Rep-R-UT, 1983-91), dies at 95
2020 Stephen A. DiMauro, American thoroughbred racing jockey, trainer, breeder and owner (Eclipse Award 1975; Lady Pitt, Dearly Precious, Nassipour, Wajima), dies from cancer at 87
2021 Freddy Marks, English actor, singer and entertainer (Rod, Jane and Freddy), dies of cancer at 71
2021 Roger Hawkins, American session drummer (the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin), dies at 75
2021 Sándor Puhl, Hungarian soccer referee (1994 FIFA World Cup Final; 1997 UEFA Champions League Final; IFFHS World's Best Referee 1994-97), dies at 65
2022 Roger Angell, American literary editor and baseball journalist (The New Yorker), dies of congestive heart failure at 101
2023 Rick Hummel, American sports writer (St. Louis Post-Dispatch; J. G. Taylor Spink Award 2007; president Baseball Writers' Association of America), dies at 77
2023 Sante Ranucci, Italian cyclist (gold UCI World C'ships amateur road race 1955), dies at 89
2023 Terry McDermott, American speed skater (Olympic gold 500m 1964, silver 1968), dies at 82