Famous Deaths on May 8

1781 Richard Jago, English poet (b. 1715)
1782 Marquis of Pombal, Prime Minister of Portugal (1756-1777), dies at 82
1785 Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French statesman, dies at 65
1785 Pietro Longhi, Venetian painter, dies at 83
1788 Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
1794 Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry (identified oxygen and hydrogen), guillotined at 50
1806 Robert Morris, English-born merchant and American Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 72
1809 Augustin Pajou, French sculptor (Bachante), dies at 78
1818 Franz Ignaz Kaa, German composer, dies at 78

Kamehameha I (1738-1819)

King of Hawaii (1782-1819), dies at 81

1822 John Stark, American military officer (Battle of Bennington), dies at 93
1829 Mauro Giuliani, Italian musician and composer, dies at 47
1837 Alexander Balashov, Russian general and statesman, dies at 66
1842 Jules Dumont d'Urville, French explorer and naval officer, dies at 51
1846 Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
1853 Jan Roothaan, 1st Dutch general of the Jesuits (1829-53), dies at 67
1864 James Samuel Wadsworth, American politician and major general (Union), dies in battle at 56
1864 Leroy Augustus Stafford, Confederate American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies from injuries incurred 3 days earlier during the Battle of the Wilderness in northern Virginia, at 42

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

English philosopher, political economist and utilitarian, dies of erysipelas at 66

1876 Truganini, last originating Tasmanian, dies
1880 Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary), dies at 58
1885 Pavel Křížkovský, Czech choral composer and conductor (Sts. Cyril and Methodius), dies at 65
1887 Alexander Ulyanov, Russian revolutionary and brother of Vladimir Lenin, hanged for the attempted assassination of tsar Alexander III at 21
1891 Helena Blavatsky, Russian occultist, philosopher, and author (co-founded Theosophical Society), dies at 59
1894 Clara Fey, German Roman Catholic Nun and the founder of the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus, dies at 79

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)

French painter who worked in French Polynesia, dies at 54

1904 Eadweard Muybridge, English photographer, pioneer in study of motion, dies at 74
1909 Friedrich von Holstein, German civil servant (head of the political department of the German Foreign Office), dies at 72
1915 Henry McNeal Turner, 1 African American Methodist Bishop and 1st African American army chaplain, dies at 82
1924 Lev Lunts, Russian writer (Outside the Law, City of Truth), dies at 23
1925 Frank L. Gillespie, American founder of Supreme Life Insurance Company, dies at 48
1930 (Ivar) Henning Mankell, Swedish pianist and composer, dies at 61
1936 Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (Underworld of Abendlandes), dies at 55
1941 Heinrich Zöllner, German composer, dies at 86

Mordecai Anielewicz (1919-1943)

Jewish commander of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, suspected to have committed suicide at 24 rather than surrender to Nazi troops that had surrounded his command bunker

1945 Bernhard Rust, German Nazi politician and Minister of Science, Education and National Culture (1934-45), reportedly commits suicide at 61
1947 Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-born department store founder (b. 1858)
1948 Alfred Holy, Czech composer and harpist, dies at 81
1948 U Saw, Burmese politician (b. 1900)
1950 Franklin Dyall, British actor (Easy Virtue, Atlantic), dies at 80
1950 Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician (b. 1865)
1952 William Fox [Wilhem Fuchs], Hungarian-American movie theater pioneer and film producer (Fox Film Corporation), dies at 73
1957 Jan Sluyters, Dutch painter (Moderne Kunstkring), dies at 75
1958 Nasni Matni, Lebanese journalist, assassinated at 48 or 49
1958 Norman Bel Geddes, American theatrical designer (Rivals, Dead End), dies at 65
1959 Renato Caccioppoli, Italian mathematician and pianist, takes his own life at 55
1960 Hugo Alfvén, Swedish violinist, conductor, and composer (Midsommarvaka - Midsummer Vigil), dies at 88
1960 J. H. C. Whitehead, British mathematician (one of the founders of homotopy theory), dies at 55
1965 Wally Hardinge, English cricketer (scored 25 & 5 in only Test for England), dies at 79
1967 Barbara Payton [Redfield], American actress known for her tumultuous private life (Dallas, Trapped, Bad Blonde), dies of heart and liver failure due to drug addiction at 39

Elmer Rice (1892-1967)

American playwright (Pulitzer-Street Scene) and novelist, dies at 74

1967 LaVerne Andrews, American pop and swing jazz singer (The Andrews Sisters - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"; "Rum and Coca-Cola"), dies of cancer at 55
1969 Remington Kellogg, American naturalist and director (U.S. National Museum), dies at 76
1974 Graham Bond, British R&B musician, dies jumping under a train at 36
1975 Avery Brundage, American businessman (5th President International Olympic Committee 1952-72), dies at 87
1976 Fred McLeod, Scottish golfer (US Open 1908), dies at 94
1976 Ulrike Meinhof, German journalist who lead Germany Red Army Faction ("Baader-Meinhof gang"), dies in uncertain circumstances in prison at 41
1979 Talcott Parsons, American sociologist, dies at 76
1981 Margaret Lindsay, American actress (G Men, Lady Killer, Jezebel), dies at 70
1981 Maurice Fernandes, West Indian cricket captain (WI in 1st Test win, 1930 v England), dies at 83
1982 Al Leader, Canadian-American Hockey Hall of Fame player, referee and administrator (Western Hockey League), dies at 78
1982 Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian auto racer (World F1 runner-up 1979; Ferrari), dies in a practice accident prior to Belgian GP, at 32
1982 Neil Bogart, American record executive (b. 1943)
1983 John Fante, Italian-American author and screenwriter (Wait Until Spring, Bandini, Ask the Dust, Full of Life), dies at 74
1984 Gino Bianco, Brazilian racing driver (b. 1916)
1985 Adolphus "Dolph" Sweet, American actor (Gimme a Break, Which Way is Up), dies of cancer at 64
1985 Karl Marx, German composer and conductor, dies at 87
1987 Doris Stokes, British psychic medium (b. 1920)
1987 Pam Ewing (Victoria Principal) character on Dallas, is killed off
1988 Domingo Ortega, Spanish bullfighter (The Art of Bullfighting), dies at 82
1988 Robert A. Heinlein, American sci-fi writer (Friday), dies of heart failure at 80
1990 Luigi Nono, Italian avant-garde composer (Intolleranza), dies at 66
1990 Tomas O'Fiach [Tomas Seamus Fee], Irish cardinal-archbishop, dies of a heart attack at 66
1991 Jean Langlais, French organist, and composer (Missa Salve Regina), dies at 84
1991 Lloyd Ford, American stuntman, dies at 79
1991 Ronnie Brody, British actor (Superman 3, What's Up Nurse, Ritz), dies at 72
1992 Addeke H. Boerma, Dutch economist and general manager (FAO), dies at 80
1992 Brian Moore, Northern Irish-Canadian writer (Catholics), dies of heart failure at 59
1992 Gul Mahomed, Pakistani cricketer (8 Tests for India & one for Pakistan), dies at 70
1992 Margaretha D. Ferguson-Wigerink, Dutch author (Fear on Java), dies at 71
1992 Richard Derr, American actor (When Worlds Collide), dies at 74 of cancer
1992 Sergey Vladimirovich Obraztsov, Soviet puppet master, dies at 90
1993 Avram Davidson, American sci-fi author (Hugo, Peregrine: Primus, Rork!), dies at 70
1993 Kees Deenik, Dutch singer, bandleader, and broadcaster, dies at 78-ish
1994 Cobina W "Coby" Molenaar, peace activist, dies at 88
1994 George Peppard, American actor (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Banacek, A-Team, Blue Max), dies at 65
1994 Rupert Haselden, journalist and screenwriter, dies at 36
1994 Steven Keats, American actor (Death Wish), dies of apparent suicide at 48
1995 Carroll Best, American bluegrass banjo player and educator, shot to death by his brother at 64
1995 Jerry Zipkin, American socialite (friend of Nancy Reagan), dies at 80
1995 Prem Bhatia, Indian journalist and diplomat (friend of Jawaharlal Nehru), dies at 83
1995 Teresa Teng [Li-chun], Taiwanese pop singer ("Aijin"; "The Power Of Love"; "Airport"), and actress, dies from a severe asthma attack at 42
1996 Garth Williams, American illustrator (Charlotte's Web), dies at 84
1996 Jane Cowan, British cello teacher (International Cello Centre), dies at 80
1996 Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter, dies at 69
1996 Serge Chermayeff, Russian-British architect and designer, dies at 95
1997 Brian Wenham, British journalist (BBC), and media consultant, dies at 60
1997 Kai-Uwe Von Hassel, German politician (President of Bundestag 1969-72), dies at 84
1998 Bebe Rebozo, American banker and Watergate figure (b. 1912)
1999 Dana Plato, American actress (Kimberly-Diff'rent Strokes), dies at 34
1999 Dirk Bogarde [Derek van den Bogaerde] British writer and actor (Death in Venice, Servant), dies at 78
1999 Ed Gilbert, American actor (The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries), dies at 67
2000 Alexander Chislenko, Russian-American transhumanist (b. 1959)
2000 Guadalupe "Pita" Amor, Mexican poet (b. 1918)
2000 Henry Nicols, American AIDS activist, dies as the result of a car accident at 26
2000 Karl-Rudi Griesbach, German composer, dies at 83
2004 John Peel, British politician (C), dies at 91
2005 Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentine racing driver, dies at 23
2006 Iain Macmillan, Abbey Road photographer (b. 1938)
2006 Viola Mae Wilkerson, American pop singer ("Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now"), dies of cancer at 69
2007 Carson Whitsett, American session keyboard player and songwriter ("Don't Give Up On Me"), dies of brain cancer at 62
2008 Eddy Arnold, American country music singer ("Make The World Go Away"; "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"), dies at 89
2008 François Sterchele, Belgian football player (b. 1982)
2008 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), dies of emphysema on his 80th birthday
2009 Bud Shrake, American writer (b. 1931)
2009 Dom DiMaggio, American baseball outfielder, 1940-53 (Boston Red Sox), co-founder of New England Patriots, dies at 92
2011 Cornell Dupree, American jazz and R&B session guitarist (Atlantic Records - Aretha Franklin), dies of emphysema at 68
2011 Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (WBA, WBC, The Ring bantamweight title 1968-69; first Indigenous Australian to win a world title), dies at 62
2012 Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator, dies at 83
2012 Nicholas Katzenbach, American Attorney General, dies at 90
2013 Brian Forbes, English director and actor, dies at 86
2013 Jeanne Cooper, American actress (Kay-The Young & Restless), dies at 84
2013 Taylor Mead, American writer, actor and performer (Factory, Taylor Mead's Ass), dies at 88
2014 Roger L. Easton, American scientist, inventor and designer of GPS, dies at 93
2015 (Antoni) "Ton" Hartsuiker, Dutch pianist, composer, broadcaster, and educator, dies at 81
2015 Jaime León, Colombian pianist, composer, and conductor Filarmónica de Bogota, 1971-78), dies at 93
2016 John Bradshaw, American theologian, dies at 82
2016 William Schallert, American character actor (Patty Duke Show - "Martin"; Get Smart - "The Admiral"), dies at 93
2017 Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), dies at 78
2018 Anne V. Coates, British film editor (1962 Oscar, Lawrence of Arabia), dies at 92
2018 Ernest Medina, American soldier and commanding officer of the unit responsible for the My Lai Massacre of 16 March 1968, dies at 81
2018 George Deukmejian, American politician, 35th Governor of California (1983-91), dies at 89
2018 James Scott, American boxer and felon, dies at 71
2018 Mahmoud Hammoud, Lebanese politician and diplomat, dies at 82 or 83
2020 Roy Horn [Uwe Ludwig Horn], German-American Las Vegas entertainer (Siegfried & Roy), dies of COVID-19 at 75
2021 Bo, Obama family's Portuguese water dog and "First Dog" of the White House, dies of cancer
2021 Curtis Fuller, American jazz trombonist (Yusef Lateef; John Coltrane; Farmer/Golson Jazztet), dies at 88
2021 Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian soccer centre-back (77 caps; CSKA Sofia, Saint-Étienne), dies from cancer at 62
2021 Helmut Jahn, German-American architect who designed the O'Hare United Airlines Terminal and the Thompson Center in Chicago and One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, killed when struck by cars while bicycling at 80 [1] [2]
2021 Pierre S "Pete" Du Pont IV, American attorney and politician (Governor of Delaware, 1977-85), dies at 86
2022 Dennis Waterman, English stage and screen actor (Fair Exchange; Minder; The Sweeney), and singer, dies of lung cancer at 74
2022 Fred Ward, American actor (Escape From Alcatraz; The Right Stuff: Remo Williams; Thunderheart), dies at 79
2023 Joe Kapp, American College / Canadian Football HOF quarterback (UC Berkeley; NFL C'ship & Pro Bowl 1969 Minnesota Vikings; CFL Grey Cup 1964 BC Lions; CFL All-Star 1963, 64), dies at 85
2023 Rita Lee [Jones], Brazilian rock singer, songwriter and musician (Os Mutantes), dies at 75 [1]