On This Day

Famous Deaths on November 9

  • 959 Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, Byzantine Emperor (913-59), dies
  • 1068 Agnes of Poitou, duchess of Aquitania/mother of German Empress, dies
  • 1187 Emperor Gaozong of Song, 10th emperor of Song dynasty, dies at 80
  • 1208 Sancha of Castile, wife of Alfonso II of Aragon (b. 1155)
  • 1492 Jami [Mowlanā Nūr Od-dīn ʿabd Or-raḥmān Ebn Aḥmad], Persian poet (Lava'ih), dies at 78
  • 1580 Gaspar Schetz, Dutch treasurer-general, dies at 67
  • 1623 William Camden, English historian (Brittania, Annales), dies at 72
  • 1641 Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church and military commander during the Thirty Years' War, dies at 32
  • 1677 Aert van der Neer, Dutch landscape painter, dies at about 73
  • 1699 Hortense Mancini, mistress of Charles II, King of England (b. 1646)
  • 1754 Johann Christoph Frauenholtz, Alsatian composer, dies at 70
  • 1766 Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Dutch composer, dies at 74
  • 1770 John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
  • 1778 Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian etcher, dies at 58
  • 1801 Carl Philipp Stamitz, German composer, dies at 56
  • 1802 Thomas Girtin, English artist, watercolorist and etcher ("The White House, Chelsea"), dies in his painting room at 27 from suspected asthma, consumption, or ossification of the heart
  • 1809 Paul Sandby, English cartographer and landscape painter, dies at about 78 [exact birthdate uncertain, c. 1731]
  • 1829 Jean Xavier Lefevre, composer, dies at 66
  • 1862 John Bordenave Villepigue, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 32
  • 1874 Israel Bak, created 1st Hebrew printing press, dies
  • 1881 Edwin Drake, American businessman who drilled 1st productive US oil well, dies at 61
  • 1897 Moritz Heuzenroeder, composer, dies at 48
  • 1906 Leon Vanderkindere, Belgian historian and mayor of Ukkel, dies at 64
  • 1911 Edmund Schücker, Austrian composer, dies at 50
  • 1911 Howard Pyle, American illustrator, painter and author (King Stork), dies at 58
  • 1918 Guillaume Apollinaire [Kostrowitsky], French poet (Alcools) and art critic (coined the term 'Cubism'), dies during the Spanish Flu pandemic at 38
  • 1919 Eduard Müller, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1848)
  • 1924 Henry Cabot Lodge, American Senator (b. 1850)
  • 1925 Daniel Josephus Jitta, Dutch High Court lawyer, dies at 71
  • 1927 Ole Olsen, Norwegian composer, organist, and military bandleader, dies at 77
  • 1929 Nicolaas Theunissen, South African cricket break bowler (2nd Test 1889), dies
  • 1932 Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Russian woman who was the 2nd wife of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, commits suicide at 31
  • 1935 Paolo Orsi, Italian archaeologist (Sicilian excavations), dies at 76

Ramsay MacDonaldRamsay MacDonald (1866-1937)

British Prime Minister (Labour: 1924, 1929-35), dies of natural causes at sea on board the liner Reina del Pacifico at 71

Ramsay MacDonald
  • 1938 Edward Murray East, American botanist and geneticist who developed hybrid corn, dies at 59
  • 1938 Vasily Blyukher, Soviet military commander (b.1889)
  • 1939 Dirk Klop, Dutch intelligence lt, shot by German Abwehr
  • 1940 Stephen Alencastre, Portuguese Roman Catholic prelate, dies at 64

Neville ChamberlainNeville Chamberlain (1869-1940)

British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1937-40), dies of bowel cancer at 71

Neville Chamberlain
  • 1942 Edna May Oliver [Nutter], American stage, silent and sound screen character actress (Little Women; Drums Along the Mohawk), dies on her 59th birthday
  • 1943 Bernhard Lichtenberg, German clergyman and theologian, dies at 67
  • 1944 Frank Marshall, American chess player (US Champion 1909-36), dies at 67
  • 1948 Edgar Kennedy, American actor (Little Orphan Annie), dies at 58
  • 1951 Resurreccion Maria de Azkue, composer, dies at 87
  • 1951 Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-American operetta composer (Blossom Time), dies at 64

Chaim WeizmannChaim Weizmann (1874-1952)

Israeli statesman and Zionist leader (1st President of Israel 1949-52), dies at 77

Chaim Weizmann
  • 1952 Philip Murray, 1st president of the United Steelworkers and longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, dies at 66

Ibn SaudIbn Saud (1875-1953)

Founder and first King of Saudi Arabia (1932-53), dies of a heart attack at 78

Ibn Saud

Dylan ThomasDylan Thomas (1914-1953)

Welsh poet and writer (Child's Christmas in Wales), dies of a severe lung infection at 39

Dylan Thomas
  • 1955 Tom Powers, American actor (Station West, Destination Moon), dies at 65
  • 1956 Aino Kallas, Finnish writer (White Ship, Estonian Tales), dies at 78
  • 1957 Ettore Pozzoli, Italian classical pianist and composer, dies at 84
  • 1957 Peter O'Connor, Irish athlete (1st recognised world long jump record 1901), dies at 85
  • 1958 Dorothy Canfield Fisher, American novelist and social reformer (managed 1st US adult education program, helped conscientious objectors), dies at 79
  • 1959 Frederick Preston Search, American cellist, composer and conductor (Bridge Builders), dies at 70
  • 1961 Antonius Coolen, Dutch author (Village by the River), dies at 64
  • 1967 Charles Bickford, American actor (Dynamite, The Virginian), dies of a blood infection at 78
  • 1968 Gerald Mohr, American radio and screen actor (The Angry Red Planet; The Sniper; Foreign Intrigue), dies of a heart attack at 54
  • 1968 Jan Johansson, Swedish jazz pianist, dies at 37
  • 1968 Wally Grout, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (51 Tests, 187 dismissals, 3 x 50s), dies from a heart attack at 41
  • 1969 Clifford Gray, American bobsledder (Olympic gold 5-man 1928, 4-man 1932), dies at 76

Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle (1890-1970)

French army general and President of France (1958-69), dies at 79

Charles de Gaulle
  • 1970 William L. Dawson, American politician (Rep-D-Ill), dies at 84
  • 1971 Maude Fealy, American actor and drama coach (The Ten Commandments), dies at 88
  • 1974 Egon Wellesz, Austrian-British composer (Alkestis; The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo), teacher, and musicologist (Byzantine), dies at 89
  • 1975 Luwig Turek, German writer, dies at 77
  • 1976 Billy Halop [William Halop Cohen], American actor (Angels with Dirty Faces, All in the Family), dies of a heart attack at 56
  • 1977 Fred Haney, American MLB baseball player, 1922-29 (Detroit Tigers and 3 other teams), manager, 1939-41 and 1953-59 (Milwaukee Braves and 2 other teams), and executive, 1961-68 (Los Angeles Angels), dies of a heart attack at 81
  • 1977 Gertrude Astor [Eyster], American silent and sound screen character actress (The Strong Man: Hell Bound), dies of a stroke on her 90th birthday
  • 1978 Joe Wong, actor (Ken Murray Show), dies at 75
  • 1978 Otto Siegl, Austrian composer, dies at 82
  • 1979 Lewis Charles [Cholost], American stage and screen actor (Topaz; The Rose Tattoo), dies of cancer at 67
  • 1980 Carmel Myers, American stage and silent and sound screen actress (Ben-Hur; Svengali), dies of a heart attack at 81
  • 1980 Victor Sen Yung [Cheung Young], American actor (Across the Pacific, Charlie Chan in Honolulu), dies from accidental asphyxiation at 65
  • 1985 Helen Rose, costume designer, dies at 81
  • 1985 Mary MacLaren, actress (Black Swan), dies at 85 of respiratory probs
  • 1988 Billy Curtis, 4'2" actor (Terror of Tiny Town), dies at 79
  • 1988 David Bauer, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame player and builder (priest, school coach; National Team manager), dies at 64
  • 1988 John Mitchell, American lawyer, political operative (US Attorney General, 1969-72), and convicted perjurer (Watergate Scandal), dies of heart attack in Washington, DC at 75
  • 1991 Guido Claus, Belgian actor (Sacrament), dies
  • 1991 Yves Montand [Ivo Livi], Italian-French actor (Z; Napoleon; Grand Prix), and singer, dies of a heart attack at 70
  • 1992 Charles Fraser-Smith, English inventor (man who never was), dies
  • 1992 William Hillcourt, author (Boy Scout Handbook), dies at 92
  • 1993 Gerald Thomas, English director (Carry on), dies at 72
  • 1993 Stanley Myers, English television and film composer (The Deer Hunter), dies of cancer at 63
  • 1994 Priscilla Morrill, American actress (Edie Grant-Mary Tyler Moore), dies at 67
  • 1994 Ralph Michael, British actor (Quest, Doctor in the House), dies at 87
  • 1995 F. G. Emmison, British archivist and historian, dies at 88
  • 1996 Frederic Lipmann, French watchmaker, dies at 91
  • 1996 Roger Makins, British diplomat (UK Ambassador to the US 1953-56), dies at 92
  • 1997 Helenio Herrera, French football player and coach (b. 1910)
  • 1998 Ursula Reit [Reith], German actress (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), dies from natural causes at 84
  • 2000 Hugh Paddick, English actor (Round the Horne), dies at 85
  • 2001 Denis Atkinson, West Indian cricketer (WI all-rounder, 219 v Australia 1955), dies at 75
  • 2001 Niels Jannasch, Canadian historian and museum curator, dies at 77
  • 2002 Merlin Santana, American actor (b. 1976)
  • 2002 William Schutz, American psychologist (b. 1925)

Art CarneyArt Carney (1918-2003)

American Emmy and Oscar winner actor (The Honeymooners - "Ed Norton"; Harry and Tonto -"Harry"), dies of natural causes at 85

Art Carney
  • 2003 Binod Bihari Verma, Indian Maithili literateur (b.1937)
  • 2003 Gordon Onslow Ford, English painter (b. 1912)
  • 2004 Edward "Ed" Kemmer, American actor (Space Patrol, Lux Video Theatre), dies at 83
  • 2004 Iris Chang, American author and journalist, committed suicide at 36

Stieg LarssonStieg Larsson (1954-2004)

Swedish author (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), dies of a heart attack at 50

Stieg Larsson
  • 2005 Avril Angers, British stand-up comedian and actress (Coronation Street, The Family Way), dies at 87
  • 2005 K. R. Narayanan, 10th President of India (1997-2002), dies at 85
  • 2006 Ed Bradley, American journalist and CBS news correspondent (60 Minutes), dies of complications from lymphocytic leukemia at 65
  • 2006 Ellen Willis, American journalist and feminist, dies at 64
  • 2006 Markus Wolf, East German Intelligence Director, dies at 83
  • 2008 Preacher Roe, American baseball pitcher (5 × MLB All-Star Brooklyn Dodgers; NL strikeout leader 1945 Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 92
  • 2011 Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist (Nobel 1968), dies at 89
  • 2011 Joel J. Tyler, judge who pronounced 'Deep Throat' obscene, dies of a heart attack at 90
  • 2011 Roger Christian, American ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1960; Christian Brother's Hockey Sticks), dies at 75
  • 2012 Bill Tarmey, English actor (Coronation Street), dies at 71
  • 2012 Joseph D. Early, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1975-93), dies at 79
  • 2012 Major Harris, American R&B singer (Love Won't Let Me Wait), dies from congestive heart and lung failure at 65
  • 2015 Andy [Andrew] White, Scottish drummer, drummed on early Beatles records ("Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You"), dies at 85
  • 2016 Al Caiola, American guitarist (Bonzanza theme), dies at 96
  • 2016 Zoltán Kocsis, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer, dies of cancer at 64
  • 2017 Fred Cole, American rock artist (The Lollipop Shoppe, Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows), dies from cancer at 69
  • 2017 Hans Vermeulen, Dutch singer and guitarist (Sandy Coast), dies at 70
  • 2017 John Hillerman, American actor (Magnum PI; Chinatown; Blazing Saddles), dies at 84
  • 2018 Ken Howell, American baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 57
  • 2018 Paula Wayne [Watkins], American stage and Emmy Award-winning actress (Golden Boy; Everglade!), pop vocalist ("Everything's Great"), and civil rights activist, dies of cancer at 84
  • 2018 Sisto Malaspina, Australian cafe owner (Pellegrini's) who started Melbourne coffee culture, dies in terror attack at 74
  • 2020 Amadou Toumani Touré, Mali politician, President of Mali (2002-12), dies at 72 [1]
  • 2020 Fernando Atzori, Italian boxer (Olympic gold flyweight 1964), dies at 78
  • 2020 Tom Heinsohn, American NBA star, coach (Boston Celtics) and broadcaster, dies at 86
  • 2022 Einārs Gņedojs, Latvian soccer defender (18 caps; FK Zvejnieks Liepāja, FC Skonto Rīga), dies at 57
  • 2022 Fred Hickman, American sports broadcaster (CNN, TBS, YES Network, ESPN; NY Sports Emmy Award 2004), dies of liver cancer at 66
  • 2022 Gal Costa, Brazilian bossa nova and Tropicália singer, dies at 77
  • 2022 Garry Roberts, Irish rock guitarist (Boomtown Rats - "I Don't Like Mondays"), and audio engineer, dies at 72
  • 2022 Ham Kee-yong, South Korean runner (Boston Marathon 1950), dies at 91
  • 2022 Roland Guillas, French soccer midfielder (9 caps; ASSE Saint-Étienne, FC Grenoble, FC Rouen, FC Bordeaux, FC Lorient), dies at 86
November 9 Highlights

Famous People by Cause of Death

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