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Famous Deaths on May 27

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  • 366 Procopius, Roman usurper (b. 326)
  • 866 Ordono I, King of Asturia (850-66), dies
  • 927 Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria (b. 864 or 865)
  • 1039 Dirk III Hierosolymita, Count of Holland, dies
  • 1178 Godfried van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht, dies
  • 1444 John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English military leader (b. 1404)

Ludovico SforzaLudovico Sforza (1452-1508)

Italian duke of Milan (1494-1508) who commissioned The Last Supper, dies at 55

Ludovico Sforza
  • 1525 Thomas Muentzer, German rebel leader
  • 1541 Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, beheaded at 67 for treason in Tower of London by Henry VIII
  • 1549 Lijsbeth Dirksdr, Fries antabaptist, drowns

John CalvinJohn Calvin (1509-1564)

Protestant religious reformer and theologian (Calvinism), dies at 54 (b. 1509)

John Calvin
  • 1569 François de Coligny d'Andelot, French general (Jarnac) and Ruler of van Andelot, dies at 48
  • 1576 Louis de Boisot, Dutch admiral, drowns at about 44
  • 1580 Jonker Barthold Entens van Mentheda until Middelstum, dies
  • 1596 Tibaldi II, Italian painter/sculptor/architect, dies
  • 1610 François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (b. 1578)
  • 1615 Margaret de Valois, 1st Queen of Henry IV of France (1672-99) daughter of Henry II, dies at 61
  • 1627 Eberhard Bronchorst, Dutch lawyer, dies at 73
  • 1638 Nicolas Formé, French composer, dies at 71
  • 1652 Jacques Huyn, French baroque composer, dies at 39
  • 1661 Archibald Campbell, Scottish politician, beheaded at about 53
  • 1675 Gaspard Dughet, French painter (b. 1613)
  • 1690 Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian composer, dies at 63
  • 1702 Dominique Bouhours, French critic (b. 1628)
  • 1707 Marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (b. 1640)
  • 1708 Jacques Danican Philidor, French composer, dies at 51
  • 1768 Johann M Fleischmann, German/Dutch stamp/letter designer, dies
  • 1770 Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen consort of Denmark and Norway (1730-46), dies at 69
  • 1781 Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist, dies at 64
  • 1790 Jeremiah Carlton, laziest man in history, heir to a large fortune at 19 went to bed & stayed there for next 70 yrs, dies at 89
  • 1797 Gracchus Babeuf, French utopian socialist, dies at 36
  • 1831 Jedediah Smith, American explorer (b. 1799)
  • 1840 Niccolo Paganini, Italian composer and violin virtuoso (Princess Lucca), dies at 57
  • 1848 Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom, 5th daughter of King George III, dies at 70
  • 1855 Nikolaj Bestuzhev, Russian Navy officer, writer and painter (Decembrist revolt), dies at 64
  • 1863 Edward Payson Chapin, American lawyer and Union Army Colonel (posthumously elevated to Brigadier General), dies of injuries from the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana at 31
  • 1867 Thomas Bulfinch, American mythologist (Bulfinch's Mythology), dies at 70
  • 1876 Joseph Bosworth, lexicographer/scholar, dies
  • 1878 Carlo Marsili, Italian composer, dies at 49
  • 1887 Coenraad Johannes van Houten, Dutch chemist and cocoa manufacturer (Dutch process chocolate), dies at 86
  • 1896 Aleksandr Grigorievich Stoletov, Russian physicist (b. 1839)
  • 1896 Allard Pierson, Dutch theologist, philosopher and art historian, dies at 65
  • 1902 Jan Ferguut [Jan van Droogenbroeck], Belgian poet, dies at 67

Robert KochRobert Koch (1843-1910)

German pioneering bacteriologist (TB, Cholera, Nobel Prize 1905), dies at 66

Robert Koch
  • 1914 Joseph Swan, English physicist and chemist (incandescent light bulb), dies at 85
  • 1916 Joseph Gallieni, French general (Battle of Marne) and military governor of Paris, dies at 67
  • 1918 Henry Adams, American historian and writer (Education of Henry Adams), dies at 80
  • 1919 Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian social reformer from Andhra Pradesh, dies at 71
  • 1926 Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (b. 1904)
  • 1933 Jean de Merode, Belgian lieutenant colonel, Grand Marshal of the Court of Belgium, and Prince de Merode, dies at 65
  • 1934 Meijer Linnewiel [Prof Cockadorus], Amsterdam famous street hawker, dies at 67
  • 1937 Frank Grant, American Baseball HOF 2nd baseman (International League; pioneer early Negro leagues; considered greatest African-American player of 19th century), dies at 71
  • 1939 Joseph Roth, Austrian-Jewish journalist (Fluctuate ohne Ende), dies of pneumonia at 44
  • 1941 AH Borgesius, tutor/experimentator/amateur astronomer, dies at 76
  • 1942 Chen Duxiu, Chinese revolutionary socialist and author who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party with Li Dazhao and was the 1st General Secretary (1921-27), dies at 62
  • 1947 Ed Konetchy, American MLB player, dies at 61
  • 1949 Ropert L Ripley, cartoonist (Believe It or Not), dies at 55 in NY
  • 1951 Thomas Blamey, Australian general (WWI, WWII), dies at 67
  • 1953 Jesse Burkett, American Baseball HOF left fielder (NL batting champion 1895-96, 1901; 240 hits in 1896 MLB record for 15 years; Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals), dies at 84
  • 1954 Herzmanovsky-Orlando, writer, dies
  • 1958 Ainslie Pryor, actor (Adventures of Hiram Holiday), dies at 46
  • 1958 Samuel Stritch, US cardinal/archbishop (Chicago), dies
  • 1960 Edward Brophy, American character actor (Champ, Dumbo, Great Guy, The Cameraman, Doughboys), dies at 65
  • 1960 George Zucco, British actor (Fog Island, Black Raven, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Captain Fury), dies at 74
  • 1960 James Montgomery Flagg, American illustrator, dies at 82
  • 1962 Egon Petri, Dutch classical pianist, dies at 81
  • 1963 Lambrakis, Greek EDA-parliament leader, murdered

Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964)

1st Prime Minister of India (1947-64) and important leader of the Indian independence movement, dies of an assumed heart attack at 74

Jawaharlal Nehru
  • 1967 Ernst Niekisch, German politician (b. 1889)
  • 1969 Jeffrey Hunter, American actor (Star Trek Cage, The Searchers), dies of an intracranial hemorrhage at 43
  • 1970 Emmy van Lokhorst, Dutch writer and literary critic, dies at 78
  • 1971 Chips Rafferty [John William Pilbean Goffage], Australian actor (Wake in Fright, Desert Rats), dies from a heart attack at 62
  • 1971 Jack Doscher, American baseball pitcher (1st son of a major leaguer to play MLB), dies at 90
  • 1972 Roy K. Marshall, American astronomer and TV scientist (Nature of Things), dies at 64

Ezzard CharlesEzzard Charles (1921-1975)

American world heavyweight boxing champion (1949-51), dies of ALS at 53

Ezzard Charles
  • 1976 Ruth McDevitt, actress (Jo-All in the Family), dies at 80
  • 1983 (Arnoldus) Arnold van Wyk, South African concert pianist and composer (Nagmusiek - Night Music), dies at 67
  • 1985 (Clifton) "Skeeter" Best, American jazz guitarist (Erskine Hawkins; Earl Hines; Oscar Pettiford; Ray Charles; Milt Jackson), dies at 70
  • 1985 Kay Campbell, actress (All My Children), dies at 80
  • 1986 Gaston Duribreux, Flemish writer (Sour Dove), dies at 82
  • 1986 Isma'il Raji' al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (b. 1921)
  • 1987 John H. Northrop, American biochemist (crystallized enzymes (Nobel 1946)), dies at 95
  • 1988 Florida Friebus, American actress (Bob Newhart Show), dies of a stroke at 79
  • 1988 Renato Salvatori, actor (Burn, Luna, 2 Women), dies
  • 1989 Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet (b. 1907)
  • 1989 Jack Starrett, director/actor (Chase, Nightwish, 1st Blood), dies
  • 1990 Robert B. Meyner, American politician (44th Governor of New Jersey), dies at 81
  • 1991 Ed Dodd, cartoonist (Mark Trail), dies at 88
  • 1991 Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist (International Bruckner Society; Mozart's Requiem), and educator (Vienna University, 1932-73), dies at 86
  • 1992 Daniel Robberechts, Belgian writer (Aankomen in Avignon), dies at 55
  • 1992 John Myhers, director/actor (Billion Dollar Hobo), dies at 70
  • 1992 Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, American mobster (St Valentine's Day) and boss of the Chicago Outfit, dies of respiratory and heart conditions at 86
  • 1992 Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (b. 1890)
  • 1993 Jan Wiley, actress (Underdog, Brute Man, She Wolf of London), dies
  • 1993 Roger MacDougall, Scottish playwright and screenwriter (The Man in the White Suit), dies at 82
  • 1994 Norman Cook, British museum curator, dies at 87
  • 1994 Red Rodney [Robert Chudnick], American jazz trumpeter (Charlie Parker Quintet), dies from lung cancer at 66
  • 1994 Theo Swagemakers, Dutch portrait painter, dies at 95
  • 1995 C W Stubblefield, music promoter, dies at 64
  • 1995 László Kalmár, Hungarian composer (Triangles), dies at 63
  • 1995 Ulysses Kay, American neoclassical composer (Of New Horizons: Overture), dies of Parkinson's disease complications at 78
  • 1996 Albert "Pud" Brown, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 79
  • 1996 Ivan Sutton, British classical music concert promoter (City Music Society), dies at 82
  • 1998 Ghazar Saryan, Armenian composer (Symphonic Panels on motifs by Saryan; Day of Peace), and educator (Komitas State Conservatory, 1960-86), dies at 77
  • 1999 Alice Adams, American author (Beautiful Girl), dies at 72
  • 2000 Crawford Murray MacLehose of Beoch, British statesman (b. 1917)
  • 2000 Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer, fighter pilot, intelligence and counter-intelligence officer (b. 1912)

Maurice RichardMaurice Richard (1921-2000)

Canadian NHL star (Montreal Canadiens, MVP-1947), dies of abdominal cancer and parkinson's disease at 78

Maurice Richard
  • 2001 Ramon Bieri, American actor (Badlands, The Andromeda Strain), dies at 71
  • 2001 Victor Kermit Kiam II, American businessman (Remington shavers) and NFL owner (New England Patriots 1988–91), dies at 74
  • 2003 Francois Bondy, Swiss writer and journalist (Preuves), dies at 88
  • 2003 Luciano Berio, Italian composer (Chemins), dies at 77
  • 2004 Denis ApIvor, British composer, dies at 88
  • 2006 Alex Toth, American cartoonist (b. 1928)
  • 2006 Craig Heyward, American NFL fullback (Pro Bowl 1995; New Orleans Saints), dies from brain cancer at 39
  • 2006 Dieter Acker, German composer and pedagogue, dies at 65
  • 2006 Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (b. 1944)
  • 2006 Paul Gleason, American actor (Breakfast Club, Die Hard), dies of lung cancer at 67
  • 2006 Rob Borsellino, American columnist (b. 1949)
  • 2007 Ed Yost, American inventor of the modern hot air balloon and known as "Father of the Modern Day Hot-Air Balloon.", dies at 87
  • 2007 Gretchen Wyler, American actress, dancer (Silk Stockings), and animal rights activist, dies at 75
  • 2007 Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard - "Makenaide (Please Don't Lose)"), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40
  • 2007 Ron Archer, Australian cricket all-rounder (19 Tests, 1 x 100, 48 wickets; Queensland CA), dies at 73
  • 2008 Franz Künstler, Last remaining Austro-Hungarian Empire World War I veteran (b. 1900)
  • 2009 Ammo Baba, Iraqi football player and coach, dies at 74

Clive GrangerClive Granger (1934-2009)

Welsh-born British economist (Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2003), dies at 74

Clive Granger
  • 2010 John William Finn, American US Navy sailor, awarded the 1st Medal of Honor of WWII for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, dies at 100
  • 2010 Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator (The Adventure of Sudsakorn), dies at 81
  • 2011 Gill Scott-Heron, American writer, poet and singer ("Whitey on the Moon"), dies at 62
  • 2011 Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (Taxi - "Bobby"; Grease - "Kenickie"; Babylon 5 - "Zack"), dies of pneumonia and sepsis at 60
  • 2011 Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974)
  • 2013 Bill Pertwee, British actor (Dad's Army), dies at 86
  • 2014 Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director and writer (Apple Trees; Germany, Pale Mother), dies of cancer at 73
  • 2015 Gordon Hobday, English scientist (developed penicillin with Alexander Fleming, worked on Ibuprofen), dies at 99
  • 2017 Gregg Allman, American Hammond organist, guitarist and vocalist (The Allman Brothers Band - "Whipping Post"), dies of cancer at 69
  • 2018 Connie Kurtz, American Gay Rights advocate, dies at 81
  • 2018 Donald Herod Peterson, American USAF Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-6), dies of Alzheimer's disease and bone cancer, at 84
  • 2018 Russell Nype, American singer and actor (The Stuff,;Call Me Madam; Dorothy), dies at 98
  • 2019 Bill Buckner, American MLB 1st baseman (1986 World Series infamous fielding error; NL batting champ 1980), dies of dementia at 69
  • 2020 Larry Kramer, American playwright and AIDS activist, dies at 84
  • 2020 Liesbeth Migchelsen, Dutch soccer defender (97 caps; FFC Heike Rheine, SV Fortuna Wormerveer, AZ Alkmaar), dies from cancer at 49
  • 2021 William Jay Sydeman, American avant-garde composer, dies at 93
  • 2022 Boris Porena, Italian composer, music theorist, poet, and writer, dies at 94
May 27 Highlights

Famous People by Cause of Death

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