Famous Deaths on May 28

1805 Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (Minuet), dies at 62
1808 Richard Hurd, English bishop and writer (b. 1720)
1811 Henry Dundas, British minister (b. 1742)
1816 Ras Wolde Selassie, Ethiopian warlord and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire
1828 Daikokuya Kōdayū, Japanese castaway (b. 1751)
1833 Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner, German-Swedish organist, composer, conductor, choirmaster, and educator (Studentsång), dies at 74
1836 Anton Reicha, Czech-French composer, and pedagogue, dies at 66
1838 Thomas Busby, English composer, dies at 82

Noah Webster (1758-1843)

American lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary), dies at 84

1849 Anne Brontë, English novelist (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall), dies at 29
1863 Edmund Kirby Jr, American Brigadier General (Union Army), dies of injuries at 23
1864 Henry H Giesy, US Union-brigadier general, dies in battle
1864 Simion Bărnuţiu, Romanian philosopher and liberal politician, dies at 55

John Russell (1792-1878)

1st Earl Russell, British Prime Minister (Whig: 1846-52 and 1865-66), dies at 85

1883 August Freyer, Polish organist (Warsaw Evangelical Church, 1837-83), composer, and pedagogue, dies at 81
1890 Viktor Nessler, Alsatian composer, dies at 49
1891 Winfield Scott Featherston "Old Swet", American politician and Army Brigadier General (Confederate), dies at 70
1893 Felipe Villanueva y Gutierrez, Mexican composer and musician of the Porfiriato period, dies at 31
1900 George Grove, English biblical scholar and misicographer, dies at 79
1902 Adolf Kussmaul, German physician (stomach pump, Kuszmaul disease), dies at 80
1911 Stephanus Jacobus du Toit, South African theologist and journalist (Afrikaner Bond), dies at 64
1912 Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French scientist, dies at 74
1913 Lord Avebury [John Lubbock], British banker and politician, dies at 79
1913 Lunsford L. Lomax, American Major General (Confederate Army), dies at 77
1914 Adolf Sonnenfeld, Polish violinist and composer, dies at 76
1916 Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer and political activist, dies at 59
1921 Geo Mestdagh, Belgian aviation pioneer, dies
1922 Carl Teike, German military composer, dies at 58
1922 John Munro Longyear, American capitalist and developer of timber and mineral lands, dies at 72
1927 Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter (b. 1878)
1927 Georges Eekhoud, Belgian writer (Belgian Kempen), dies at 73
1928 Charles Edward Montague, English journalist and author (Fiery Particles), dies at 61
1929 Alice Stopford Green, Irish historian and proponent of Irish independence, dies at 81

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Austrian psychiatrist (Inferiority Complex), dies at 67

1940 Friedrich Karl von Hessen (b. 1868)
1940 Randle Ayrton, British actor (The Manxman, Nell Gwyn), dies at 70
1940 Theodor Streicher, Austrian composer, dies at 65
1940 Walter Connolly, American actor (It Happened One Night, Good Earth), dies from a stroke at 53
1944 Katri Vala, Finnish poet, dies at 42
1947 August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal, dies at 40
1948 Unity Mitford, English fascist sympathizer and one of the Mitford sisters, dies from the effects of a bullet in her head at 33
1950 Vicente Sotto, Filipino politician and author (Sotto Law, Republic Act No. 53), dies at 73
1952 Joseph Lauber, Swiss concert pianist and composer, dies at 87
1953 Hori Tatsuo, Japanese writer (b. 1904)
1954 Achille Longo, Italian composer and pedagogue, dies at 54
1958 Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský, Slovak composer, dies at 77
1959 Herbie Collins, Australian cricket all-rounder and captain (19 Tests, 1,352 runs @ 45.06, 4 x 100s), dies at 71
1962 Jesse Crawford, American pianist, theatre organist for silent films, and recording artist, dies at 66
1963 Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin, Soviet composer, dies at 60
1964 John Finley Williamson, American choral conductor (Westminster Choir College, 1920-58), dies at 76
1968 Corbett Davis, American NFL football fullback, 1938-42 (Cleveland Rams), dies of a ruptured spleen in a boating accident at 53
1968 Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (b. 1908)
1969 Rhys Williams, Welsh actor (How Green Was My Valley, Nightmare, Okinawa, Cross My Heart), dies at 71
1971 Audie Murphy, American soldier who was among the most decorated in WW II with 33 medals and actor (To Hell and Back, Whispering Smiths), killed in a plane crash at 46
1971 Jean Vilar, French stage and film actor and director (Théâtre National Populaire), dies at 59

Edward VIII (1894-1972)

King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India (Jan 20th, 1936 until his abdication on Dec 11th, 1936), dies at 77

1973 Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, German composer and conductor (Hassan), dies at 73
1975 Eric Emerson, entertainer, dies
1975 Roy Roberts, American actor (Petticoat Junction, Lucy Show), dies from a heart attack at 69
1976 Steffan Danielsen, Faroese painter, mostly of local landscapes, dies at 53
1977 Jiří Reinberger, Czech organist and composer, dies at 63
1978 Arthur Brough, English actor (b. 1905)
1979 William Edmonson, American bass harmony and gospel vocalist (Southernaires), radio, stage and screen actor (Thirty Years Later), dies at 76
1980 Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician (b. 1895)
1981 Mary Lou Williams, American jazz pianist and composer (Zodiac Suite), dies at 71
1981 Stefan Wyszyński, Polish Cardinal, dies at 79
1982 Lt Col 'H'. Jones VC, Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (British Army) (Falklands War) (b. 1940)
1983 Erastus Corning 2nd, American politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany, New York (b. 1909)
1984 Eric Morecambe [John Bartholomew], British comedian (Morecambe & Wise, Picadilly Palace), dies of a heart attack at 58
1986 Lurene Tuttle, American actress (Father of Bride, Julia), dies at 79
1987 Charles Ludlam, American playwright and actor (Big Easy), dies at 44
1988 (Melvin) "Sy" Oliver, American jazz arranger, songwriter (Jimmie Lunceford; Tommy Dorsey - "Yes, Indeed!"), dies at 77 [1]
1990 Giorgio Manganelli, writer, dies at 67
1990 Hussein Bin Onn, 1st minister of Malasia (1976-81), dies
1990 Joseph Hardy, actor and director (Tree Grows in Brooklyn), dies at 71
1990 Julius Eastman, American pianist, vocalist, and minimalist composer (The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc; Gay Guerrilla), dies of cardiac arrest at 49
1991 Brigitte B Fischer, writer, dies
1991 Ethel Lois Payne, American civil rights journalist and "1st Lady of the Black Press", dies at 79
1993 Charles "Doctor" Ross, American blues singer and guitarist (Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss), dies at 67
1993 Charles Barnett, English cricketer (20 Tests for England), dies at 82
1994 Charles Spry, Australian soldier and security chief, dies at 83
1994 Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer, dies at 77
1994 Julius Boros, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1968, US Open 1952, 63), dies of a heart attack at 74
1994 Rita Gillespie, British pioneering TV Director, dies at 65
1995 Daniela Rocca, Italian actress (Battle of Austerlitz), dies at 57
1995 Henning Kronstam, Danish dancer, dies at 60
1995 Jean Muir, British fashion designer, dies at 66
1996 Buck Bundy, TV dog (Married with Children), dies at 13
1996 Jimmy Rowles [Hunter], American jazz pianist and composer (The Peacocks), dies of cardiac arrest at 77
1996 John "Jack" Layden, local politician, dies at 70
1996 Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
1996 Sidney Greenbaum, grammarian, dies at 66

Phil Hartman (1948-1998)

Canadian-American actor (NewsRadio, 1995-98; The Simpsons, 1991-91; SNL, 1986-94: Peewee's Playhouse), and graphic artist, murdered by his wife in his sleep at 49

1998 Philip L. Carret, American investor and founder of Pioneer Fund, dies at 101
1999 Henry Carlsson, Swedish soccer (Olympic gold 1948), dies at 81
2000 Eric Turner, American football safety (First-team All-Pro 1994; Pro Bowl 1994, 96; NFL interceptions co-leader 1994; Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens), dies of stomach cancer at 31
2001 Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
2001 Joe Moakley, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1973-2001), dies at 74
2001 Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist, dies at 79
2002 Jean Berger [Arthur Schloßberg], German-born American composer, dies at 92
2003 Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
2003 Janet Collins, American ballerina, choreographer, and teacher, dies at 86
2003 Martha Scott, American actress (The Ten Commandments, Our Town, Ben-Hur), dies of natural causes at 90
2003 Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (b. 1933)
2004 Umberto Agnelli, Italian automobile executive (Fiat, 1965-2004), dies of lung cancer at 69
2006 Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (b. 1920)
2007 Marquise Hill, American football player (b. 1982)
2007 Parren Mitchell, American politician (Rep-D-MD, 1971-87), dies at 85
2007 Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
2008 Beryl Cook, British painter, dies at 81
2008 David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)
2008 Dennis Moss, British jazz tenor saxophonist, dies at 80
2008 Jerry Cole [Jerald Kolbrak], American session guitarist and arranger (Wrecking Crew), dies of a heart attack at 58
2008 Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
2009 Mort Abrahams, American producer (Dr Doolittle, Planet Of Apes), dies at 93
2009 Terence Alexander, English actor (Bergerac), dies at 86
2010 Eddie Barth [Edward Bartholetti], American actor and voiceover artist nicknamed "Mr. Gravel" for his raspy vocals (Shaft, Simon & Simon), dies at 78
2010 Gary Coleman, American actor (Diff'rent Strokes), dies at 42
2010 Hugh Ford, British mechanic engineer, dies at 96
2010 Jacob Kistemaker, Dutch nuclear physicist (ultra centrifuge), dies at 93
2011 Alys Robi [Alice Robitaille], French Canadian cabaret and radio of French translations of Latin songs, dies at 88
2011 Barbara Mills, British barrister (first female Director of Public Prosecutions), dies at 70
2013 Nino Bibbia, Italian sledder (Olympic gold skeleton 1948), dies at 91
2014 David Nadien, American concert and session violin virtuoso, dies of pneumonia at 88
2014 James K. Randall, American composer, dies at 84

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

American author ("I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), dies at 86

2015 Steven Gerber, American classical composer (Music in Dark Times), dies at 66
2016 Harambe, Western lowland gorilla resident at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, shot and killed at 17, by a zoo worker to protect a 3 year old boy who had climbed into its enclosure (Cincinnati, Ohio)
2017 Elisabeth Chojnacka, Polish harpsichordist, with works dedicated to her by over 80 composers, dies at 79
2017 John Noakes, British TV presenter, dies at 83
2018 Cornelia Frances [Zulver], British-Australian actress (Home and Away), dies from bladder cancer at 77
2018 Jens Christian Skou, Danish scientist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1997), dies at 99
2018 María Dolores Pradera, Spanish melodic singer and actress, dies at 93
2019 Andre Asriel, Austrian-German classical and film score composer, dies at 97
2020 Lennie Niehaus, American jazz saxophonist and film composer (Clint Eastwood films), dies at 90
2021 Mark Eaton, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1989; NBA Defensive Player of the Year 1985, 89; Utah Jazz), dies after a bicycle accident at 64