On This Day

Famous Deaths on November 3

Constantius IIConstantius II (317-361 AD)

Roman Emperor (337-61), dies at 44

Constantius II
  • 753 Pirmin [Pirminius], German saint, missionary and monk (founder in a number of monasteries including Reichenau), dies (b. before 700)
  • 1254 Johannes III Doukas Vatatzes, Byzantine Emperor (1222-54)/saint, dies
  • 1324 Petronilla de Meath, Irish maidservant, first person in Ireland or Great Britain to be burnt at the stake for witchcraft and heresy, at about 24
  • 1344 Adolf van der Mark, prince-bishop of Liege (1313-44), dies at 56
  • 1378 Jan II, ruler of Polanen, Leck and Breda, dies
  • 1428 Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, English military leader (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1388)
  • 1456 Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond and patriarch of the Tudor Dynasty, dies of bubonic plague imprisoned in Carmarthen Castle at 26
  • 1580 Jeronimo Zurita y Castro, Spanish historian (b. 1512)
  • 1584 Saint Charles Borromeo, Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan (1564-84), dies at 46
  • 1600 Richard Hooker, English theologian (b. 1554)
  • 1639 Martinus de Porres, Peruvian saint (patron of social justice), dies at 59
  • 1643 John Bainbridge, English astronomer (b. 1582)
  • 1643 Paul Guldin, Swiss astronomer and mathematician (Guldinus theorem), dies at 66
  • 1708 Henriette Catharina van Nassau, Dutch princess consort of Anhalt-Dessau and daughter of Frederick Henry Prince of Orange, dies at 71
  • 1711 Ferdinand Tobias Richter, Austrian Baroque composer, dies at 60
  • 1711 John Ernest Grabe, German-born Anglican theologian, dies at 45
  • 1787 Robert Lowth, British Bishop of the Church of England and grammarian (A Short Introduction to English Grammar), dies at 76

Olympe de GougesOlympe de Gouges (1748-1793)

French playwright and revolutionary (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), executed by guillotine at 45

Olympe de Gouges
  • 1794 François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis, French cardinal and statesman, dies at 79
  • 1803 Henri Moreau, Flemish composer, dies at 75
  • 1808 Theophilus Lindsey, English theologian and clergyman, dies at 85
  • 1832 Pietro Generali, Italian composer, dies at 59
  • 1845 Johan Gijsbert Verstolk van Soelen, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies at 69
  • 1864 Antonio Goncalves Dias, Brazilian national poet, dies at sea
  • 1867 Pieter J Jong, Dutch Zouave, dies in battle
  • 1869 Andreas Kalvos, Greek poet, dies at 77
  • 1890 Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1811)
  • 1891 Louis Lucien Bonaparte, British-French philologist, politician and nephew of Napoleon, dies at 78
  • 1904 Gaston Serpette, French composer, dies at 57
  • 1911 Salvador Giner y Vidal, Spanish composer, dies at 79
  • 1913 Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf, Prussian composer, dies at 83
  • 1914 Georg Trakl, Austrian poet (Totentag) dies of a cocaine overdose at 27
  • 1917 Léon Bloy, French novelist and essayist, dies at 71
  • 1918 Aleksandr Lyapunov, Russian mathematician (Lyapunov exponent), dies at 61
  • 1919 Terauchi Masatake, Japanese soldier and politician (Prime Minister of Japan 1916-18), dies at 67

Annie OakleyAnnie Oakley (1860-1926)

American sharp shooter (Buffalo Bill's Wild West), dies of pernicious anemia at 66

Annie Oakley
  • 1927 Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod, Czech journalist (b. 1860)
  • 1929 Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet (advocated literary use of Nynorsk), dies of tuberculosis at 46

Alfred WegenerAlfred Wegener (1880-1930)

German polar researcher and meteorologist (continental drift), dies while on an expedition to Greenland at 50 (date is approximate)

Alfred Wegener
  • 1931 Rudolf Wilhelm Canne, Fries playwright (Peaske), dies at 60

Émile RouxÉmile Roux (1853-1933)

French physician, bacteriologist, immunologist who developed the 1st diphtheria vaccine and co-founded the Pasteur Institute, dies at 79

Émile Roux
  • 1936 Filip Lazar, Romanian composer, dies at 42
  • 1937 Winthrop Ames, American theatrical director (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), dies at 66
  • 1939 Waldemar Lindgren, Swedish-American Geologist (economic geology, ore classification), dies at 79
  • 1942 Carl Sternheim, German playwright (Trousers, Snob), dies at 64
  • 1944 Jack Miner, Canadian naturalist and conservationist, dies at 79
  • 1945 Alessandro Longo, Italian composer and musicologist, dies at 80
  • 1949 Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and art collector (Guggenheim Museum New York), dies at 88

Henri MatisseHenri Matisse (1869-1954)

French painter and sculptor (Dance II), dies at 84

Henri Matisse
  • 1957 Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-American psychoanalyst (coined term "sexual revolution", worked with Freud), dies at 60
  • 1958 Harry Revel, (né Glaser), Latvian-American film score composer (Sitting Pretty; Gay Divorcee), dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 52
  • 1959 Friedrich Niggli, Swiss composer (Buechfinkeliedli; Nach dem Regen), dies at 83
  • 1960 Bobby Wallace, Baseball HOF shortstop, pitcher (Temple Cup 1895 Cleveland Spiders) and manager (St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 86
  • 1960 Harold Spencer Jones, English astronomer and 10th astronomer royal of England whose work led to a more accurate determination of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, dies at 70
  • 1960 Paul Willis, American actor (The Little Lumberjack; Little Kaintuck), dies at 59

Harlow CurticeHarlow Curtice (1893-1962)

President of General Motors (1953-58), dies at 69

Harlow Curtice
  • 1964 John Henry Barbee, American blues guitarist and singer, dies of a heart attack at 58
  • 1966 Eric Spear, British film and TV composer (Coronation Street theme), dies at 58
  • 1968 Vern Stephens, American baseball shortstop (8 x MLB All Star; AL HR leader 1945; 3×AL RBI leader; St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox), dies of a heart attack at 48
  • 1969 Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish soccer striker (16 caps; Fenerbahçe), dies at 71
  • 1970 Peter II Karadjordjevic, last King of Yugoslavia (1934-45), dies at 57
  • 1971 Étienne Gailly, Belgian long distance runner (famous Olympic bronze finish 1948), dies at 48
  • 1973 Arturo de Córdova [Arturo García Rodríguez], Mexican actor (Medal for Benny), dies from a stroke at 66
  • 1973 Marc Allégret, French director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
  • 1977 Florence Vidor, American actress (Jack Knife Man), dies at 82
  • 1977 William Kurelek, Canadian artist and writer (The Maze, Passion of Christ series), dies of cancer at 50
  • 1980 Hans Ruin, Finnish Swedish-language historian and philosopher, dies at 89
  • 1980 Ludwig Hohl, writer, dies
  • 1981 Thérèse Casgrain, French Canadian politician and senator, dies at 85
  • 1982 E. H. Carr, English historian (History of Soviet Russia), dies at 90
  • 1982 Jack Westland, American politician (US House of Representatives 1953-65) and golfer (US Amateur C'ship 1952), dies at 77
  • 1983 Alfredo Antonini, Italian-American Emmy Award-winning conductor (CBS Symphony; Columbia Pan-American Orchestra), and composer (The Great City), dies during heart surgery at 82
  • 1983 Bob Scholte, Dutch vocalist, dies at 81
  • 1986 E. Cuyler Hammond, American epidemiologist (first to link smoking with lung cancer), dies at 74
  • 1986 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American jazz saxophonist (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band), dies of cancer at 65
  • 1988 Henri van Praag, Dutch para-psychologist, dies

Mary MartinMary Martin (1913-1990)

American actress (Peter Pan) and Larry Hagman's mom, dies of cancer at 76

Mary Martin
  • 1990 Sashadhar Mukherjee, Indian film producer (Jagrit), dies at 81
  • 1990 Valerie French, British actress (Jubal), dies of leukemia at 62
  • 1992 Jean Daskalides, Belgian chocolate factory, dies at 70
  • 1992 John H Davis, actor (Our Gang), dies of respiratory failure at 78
  • 1993 Aidan Crawley, British journalist and politician (Labour MP 1945-51), dies at 85
  • 1993 Duncan Gibbins, director (Fire With Fire), dies in California fire at 41
  • 1993 John Lupton, American actor (Tom-Broken Arrow), dies at 65
  • 1993 Leon Theremin, Russian-Soviet electronic musical instrument inventor, dies at 97
  • 1993 William Lanteau, actor (On Golden Pond), dies at 70
  • 1994 Dennis C Ott, American actor (Star Trek 3/4), dies of AIDs
  • 1994 Ralph Wyckoff, American scientist and pioneer of X-ray crystallography, dies at 97
  • 1995 Eddie Pola [Sidney Edward Pollacsek], American radio and TV producer, and lyricist ("The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"; "I Love The Way You Say Goodnight"), dies at 88
  • 1995 Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and President of the Canadian Medical Association, dies at 108
  • 1995 Isang Yun, Korean-born German composer, dies at 78
  • 1995 John Orchard, British actor (Capone, M*A*S*H), dies at 66
  • 1996 Abdullah Çatlı, a Turkish nationalist and neofascist activist (b. 1956)
  • 1996 Barry Porter, British lawyer and Conservative Party politician, dies at 57
  • 1996 Bernard Frank, French oriental scholar and writer, dies at 69

Jean-Bédel BokassaJean-Bédel Bokassa (1921-1996)

President (1966-76) and later Emperor (1976-79) of the Central African Republic, dies of a heart attack at 75

Jean-Bédel Bokassa
  • 1997 Wally Bruner, American broadcast journalist (ABC News), and TV host (What's My Line?, 1968-72), dies at 66
  • 1998 Bob Kane, American comic artist and Batman co-creator, dies at 83
  • 1998 Martha O'Driscoll, American film actress, dancer and socialite (Young and Willing, Blonde Alibi), dies at 76
  • 1999 Ian Bannen, Scottish character actor (Eye of the Needle, Gorky Park), dies in a car crash at 71
  • 2001 Ernst Gombrich, Austrian-English art historian (The Story of Art), dies at 92
  • 2001 Thomas Brasch, German writer and film director, dies at 56
  • 2002 (Anthony) "Lonnie" Donegan, British-Scottish singer-songwriter ( as "the King of Skiffle" ("Rock Island Line"; "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)"), known as the "King of Skiffle", dies after a heart attack at 71
  • 2002 John Habakkuk [Hrothgar Habakkuk], Welsh economic historian (Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University 1973–77), dies at 87
  • 2002 Jonathan Harris [Charasuchin], American stage and screen character actor (The Bill Dana Show - "Mr. Phillips"; Lost In Space - "Dr Zachary Smith"), dies at 87
  • 2003 Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet (b. 1923)
  • 2004 Joe Bushkin, American jazz pianist (Bunny Berigan; Tommy Dorsey; Bing Crosby), composer ("Oh! Look At Me Now"), and TV host (A Couple of Joes), dies of pneumonia at 87
  • 2006 Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian soccer forward (11 caps; 5 caps Uruguay; most goals in Copa Libertadores [54] 1960-72), dies of heart failure at 68
  • 2006 Marie Rudisill, American author and "Fruitcake Lady" (b. 1911)
  • 2006 Paul Mauriat, French easy listening orchestra leader, composer, and arranger ("Love Is Blue"), dies at 81
  • 2007 Martin Meehan, Irish republican (b. 1945)
  • 2008 Alan Ford, American swimmer (world 100m freestyle record 55.4; Olympic silver 1948), dies of emphysema at 84
  • 2008 Jean Fournet, French conductor, dies at 95
  • 2009 Francisco Ayala, Spanish novelist (b. 1906)
  • 2010 (Cecil) Hotep Idris Galeta, South African jazz pianist, composer, and educator, dies of an asthma attack at 69
  • 2010 James "Jim" Clench, Canadian bassist and songwriter (April Wine; Bachman-Turner Overdrive), dies of lung cancer at 61
  • 2010 Jerry Bock, American Broadway composer (Fiddler on the Roof), dies of heart failure at 81
  • 2010 Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian politician (Prime Minister of Russia), dies at 72

Bob ForschBob Forsch (1950-2011)

American MLB baseball pitcher, 1974-1989 (St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros), dies of a thoracic aortic aneurysm at 61

Bob Forsch
  • 2011 Matty Alou, Dominican baseball outfielder (NL batting champion 1966; MLB All-Star 1968-69; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies of diabetes complications at 72
  • 2012 Tommy Godwin, British track cyclist (Great Britain coach; 2 x Olympic bronze 1948; President British Cycling Federation), dies at 91
  • 2013 Gerard Cieślik, Polish soccer striker (45 caps, 27 goals; Ruch Chorzów 237 games) and manager (Ruch Chorzów), dies at 86
  • 2015 Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqi politician (supported US 2003 invasion), dies at 71
  • 2015 Howard Coble, American politician (Rep-R-NC, 1985-2015), dies at 84
  • 2015 Tom Graveney, England cricket batsman (79 Tests; top score 258; 732 first class games), dies of Parkinson's disease at 88
  • 2016 Kay Starr [Katherine Starks], American pop singer ("Wheel of Fortune"), dies at 94
  • 2017 Abdur Rahman Biswas, President of Bangladesh, 1991-96, dies at 91
  • 2018 Sondra Locke, American actress (The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter; Willard), and director (Impulse), dies at 74 of a heart attack while suffering from breast and bone cancer
  • 2019 Yvette Lundy, French resistance fighter during WWII, dies at 103
  • 2020 Don Talbot, Australian swimming coach and sport administrator (coach national swim teams - Canada, United States, Australia), dies from dementia complications at 87
  • 2021 Warren Powers, American football running back (Oakland Raiders) and coach (Washington State University 1977, University of Missouri 1978-84), dies from Alzheimers at 80
  • 2022 Benoît Dauga, French rugby union lock, #8 (63 caps; Stade Montois), dies at 80
  • 2022 Igor Sypniewski, Polish soccer forward (2 caps; ŁKS Łódź, Panathinaikos FC, Halmstads BK), dies from depression, alcoholism issues at 47
  • 2022 Ray Guy, American College-Pro Football HOF punter (Southern Miss; Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84; 6×First-team All-Pro; 7×Pro Bowl; Oakland/LA Raiders), dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 72
  • 2022 Siegfried Stritzl, American soccer midfielder (11 caps; NY Cosmos; NASL Rookie of the Year 1969), dies at 78
  • 2022 Wang Tao, Chinese soccer striker (2 caps; Dalian Wanda FC) and executive (founder BSU FC), dies at 52
November 3 Highlights

Famous People by Cause of Death

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in history.