Famous Deaths on October 10

Abel Tasman (1603-1659)

Dutch seafarer and explorer (1st European to sight Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji), dies around the age of 55

1676 Sebastian Knupfer, German composer, dies at 43
1691 Isaac de Benserade, French poet, dies at 77
1708 David Gregory, Scottish mathematician and astronomer (Astronomiae, physicae & geometricae elementa), dies at 49
1714 Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (b. 1646)
1720 Antoine Coysevox, French Baroque sculptor (Palace of Versailles), dies at 80
1723 William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1665)
1725 Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, Governor-General of New France (b. 1643)
1727 Alphonse d'Ève, Flemish Baroque composer, dies at 61
1745 Jacobus Nozeman, Dutch composer and organist, dies at 52
1747 John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1674)
1759 Granville Elliott, British military officer (b. 1713)
1765 Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, dies at 77
1789 Pierre-Louis Couperin, French organist and composer, dies at 34
1791 C F D Schubart, writer, dies
1795 Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, Italian theologian and historian, dies at 81
1797 Carter Braxton, American plantation owner and signer of the US Declaration of Independence, dies at 61
1825 Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky, Russian-Ukrainian harpsichordist and composer (Tantum Ergo), dies at 73
1827 Ugo Foscolo, Italian poet (Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis), dies at 49
1834 Thomas Say, American naturalist and father of descriptive entomology, dies from typhoid fever at 47
1836 Jacob-Joseph-Balthasar Martinn, Flemish composer, dies at 61
1836 Martha Jefferson Randolph, daughter of Thomas Jefferson the 3rd President of the U.S., dies at 64
1837 Charles Fourier, French philosopher and early Socialist (credited with inventing term 'feminism'), dies at 65
1843 Karl Theodor Toeschi, Italian-German composer and violinist, dies at 75
1856 Mikhail Vielgorsky, Russian composer, dies at 67
1857 Thomas Crawford, American sculptor (Statue of Freedom on dome of US Capitol), dies of cancer at 43
1858 Karl August Varnhagen von Ense, German biographer, diplomat and soldier (Die Sterner), dies at 73
1864 David Bullock Harris, US Confederate colonel, dies of yellow fever
1867 Ignacy Feliks Dobrzynski, composer, dies at 60
1871 Octavius Catto, American educator (Institute for Colored Youth, 1859-71), civil rights activist, and baseball player (Philadelphia Pythians, 1865-71), killed in election day race riot in Philadelphia at 32

William H. Seward (1801-1872)

American politician (Secretary of State, 1861-69, Governor of New York, 1839-42), dies at 71

1873 Hermann Kurz, German poet and novelist (Schillers Heimatjahre), dies at 59
1875 Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Russian novelist, poet and dramatist (Prince Serebrenni), dies at 58
1876 Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville, French geologist (b. 1814)
1877 Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist, dies at 76
1885 John McCloskey, 1st American cardinal and Archbishop of New York, dies at 75
1886 David L Yule, 1st Jewish US senator, dies
1889 Adolf von Henselt, German composer, dies at 75
1893 Lip Pike, American baseball player, dies at 48
1901 Lorenzo Snow, 5th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), dies at 87
1910 Willem Maris, Dutch painter (Hague School), dies at 66
1913 Adolphus Busch, German-born American brewer (Anheuser-Busch), dies at 74
1913 Katsura Taro, Japanese general and politician (Prime Minister of Japan 1901-1906, 1908-1911, 1912-1913), dies of cancer at 65
1914 Carol I, King of Romania (1881-1914), dies at 75
1914 Gijsbert van Tienhoven, Dutch politician (Mayor of Amsterdam, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1891-1894), dies at 73
1914 Karol I, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, King of Romania (1881-1914), dies
1927 Gustave Whitehead, German-born inventor (b. 1874)

Elijah McCoy (1844-1929)

Canadian-American inventor (57 patents), dies at 86

1930 Adolf Engler, German botanist (b. 1844)
1931 Carl von Bach, German mechanical engineer, dies at 84
1935 Arthur Henderson, British Labour minister (Nobel Peace Prize 1934), dies at 72
1938 Lord Hawke [Martin Hawke], English cricket batsman (5 Tests; Yorkshire CCC, Cambridge Uni CC, MCC), dies at 78
1939 Eleanor Rigby, a real person whose name may have suggested the title to The Beatles song (b. 1895)
1940 Berton Churchill, Canadian-American actor (I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now), dies at 63
1942 Richard von Schaukal, Moravian-Austria poet and writer (Schlemihle), dies at 68
1943 Charlotte Salomon, German-Jewish artist gassed at Auschwitz aged 26
1947 [Joseph Jacinto] Jo Mora, Uruguayan-born American cartoonist, cowboy and illustrator who lived with the Hopi tribe and wrote extensively of his experiences, dies at 70
1957 Karl Genzken, Nazi physician, Chief of the Medical Office of the Waffen-SS, dies at 72
1959 Prince Friedrich Aloys Johannes Maria, Prince of Liechtenstein, dies at 88

Edith Piaf (1915-1963)

French singer (No, I Don't Regret Anything; Le Vie En Rose), dies of liver failure at 47

1963 Roy Cazaly, Australian rules footballer, dies at 70
1964 Bedřich Havlík, Czech composer, dies at 71
1964 Eddie Cantor, American comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater), dies at 72
1964 Guru Dutt [Vasanth Padukone], Indian Bollywood actor, regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time (Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool), dies from an accidental overdose at 39
1964 Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet pianist (The Art of Piano Playing), dies at 76
1964 Konrad Bayer, Ausrian writer, commits suicide at 31
1964 Russ Case, American orchestra leader (Julius La Rosa Show), dies at 52

Charlotte Cooper (1870-1966)

British tennis player (1st female Olympic champion 1900; Wimbledon 1895-96, 98, 1901, 08), dies at 96

1967 Ervin Major, Hungarian composer, dies at 66
1968 Wilhelmina Johanna "Willy" Haak, Dutch actress and acting teacher (GoetheJane Eyre), dies at 71
1970 Adam Rapacki, Polish minister of Maritime (1956-68), dies at 60

Édouard Daladier (1884-1970)

72nd Prime Minister of France (1933, 1934 and 1938-40) and PM at the start of World War II, dies at 86

1971 Christopher Dark [Alfred Francis DeLeo], American character actor, (World Without End; The Time Tunnel), dies of a heart attack at 51
1971 John Cawte Beaglehole, New Zealand historian (b. 1901)
1973 Albe [Renaut A. Joostens], Flemish writer (Paradise Bird), dies at 71
1973 Ludwig von Mises, Austrian-American Economist (The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality), dies at 92

Lyudmila Pavlichenko (1916-1974)

Soviet sniper during World War II known as 'Lady Death' - the most successful female sniper in history with 309 confirmed kills, dies of a stroke at 58

1974 Marie Luise Kaschnitz, German writer, dies at 73
1975 Lillian Walker {Wolke] American silent era actress and film producer (An Embarrassment of Riches), dies at 88
1976 Connee Boswell, American jazz singer (Pete Kelly's Blue), dies at 68
1976 Silvana Armenulic, Yugoslavian folk singer (b. 1939)
1977 Angelo Muscat, Maltese-born British actor (The Prisoner, Doctor Who), dies at 47
1977 Jean Duvieusart, 36th Prime Minister of Belgium, dies at 77
1978 Gesina Van der Molen, Dutch WWII resistance fighter/lawyer, dies at 86
1978 Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpeter and big band bandleader ("Skokiaan"; "Shish-Kebab"; "Dry Marterie"), dies at 63
1978 Ralph Metcalfe, American athlete, politician (Rep-D-Ill; joint world record 100m, Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1936), dies of a heart attack at 68
1979 Christopher Evans, British psychologist and computer scientist (b. 1931)
1979 Paul Paray, French organist, conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1951-62), and composer, dies at 93
1980 Walter Keeton, cricketer (opening bat in 2 Test for Eng 1934-39), dies
1980 William "Billie" Thomas, American child actor (Buckwheat- Our Gang), dies of a heart attack at 49
1982 Jean Effel, French painter and journalist (b. 1908)

Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)

English actor (Anna Karenina, Doctor Zhivago), dies of a stroke at 80

Orson Welles (1915-1985)

American actor and director (Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds), dies of a heart attack at 70

Yul Brynner (1920-1985)

Russian-Swiss Tony and Academy Award-winning stage and screen actor (The King and I; The Ten Commandments), dies of lung cancer at 65

1986 (Ivy) Priaulx Rainier, South African-British composer (Ploërmel), dies at 83
1986 Gleb Wataghin, Ukrainian-Italian physicist, dies at 86
1988 Juan Pujol Garcia, Spanish double agent (spied for Britain, codename Garbo, pretended to spy for Nazi Germany codename Arabel), dies at 76
1989 Joe Techner, American jazz trumpeter (Elliot Lawrence Band - "Elevation"), dies at 63
1990 Carlos Thompson, actor (Mistress of the World), dies at 67
1990 Dick Jorgensen, NFL referee, dies at 56
1990 Irene Mayer Selznick, American socialite and theatrical producer (Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire"), dies at 83
1990 Michael A Salcido, dies at 39
1990 Tom Murton, American penologist (b. 1928)
1991 Stephen J Falat, dies after long illness at 34
1992 James Seay, actor (Amazing Colossal Man), dies at 78
1993 Catherine Collard, French concert pianist (Schumann; Brahms), and teacher, dies of cancer at 46
1993 Djillali Belkhenchir, Algerian doctor, murdered at 52
1993 Owen Saunders, English mathematician and mechanical engineer, dies at 89
1994 Anna Hauptmann, wife of Lindbergh baby kidnapper Bruno, dies at 95
1994 Chaim Raphael, English Jewish scholar and writer, dies at 86
1994 Nikolai Nikolayevich Karetnikov, Russian composer, dies at 64
1994 Richard John Copeland Atkinson, archaeologist, dies at 74
1995 Edward Gill, baseball player, dies at 100
1995 Jimmy Nash, record company owner, dies at 47
1995 John Rodolph, wheelchair-race world record holder, hit by truck at 31
1995 Michelle Francis Bird, campaigner, dies at 30
1995 Paolo Gucci, entrepreneur/accessories designer, dies at 64
1995 Robert Finch, American politician (8th U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare), dies at 70
1996 David Viscott, American psychiatrist and media personality, dies at 58
1996 Dick Pickering, British trade unionist, dies of a heart attack at 54
1996 Hugh Stirling Mackenzie, British Royal Navy officer, dies at 83
1996 John Hillaby, English writer and traveller, dies at 79
1996 Siddig El Nigoumi, ceramicist, dies at 65
1997 George Malcolm, British keyboard player and conductor (Westminster Cathedral Master of the Music, 1947-59), dies at 80
1998 Clark M. Clifford, American lawyer and presidential advisor (US Secretary of Defense 1968-69), dies at 91
1998 Tommy Quaid, Irish hurler (b. 1957)
1999 John Hadfield, British author and publisher (Love on a Branch Line), dies at 92
2000 Bruce F. Vento, American politician (Rep-D-Minnesota, 1977-2000), dies of cancer at 60
2000 Ferenc Farkas, Hungarian composer, dies at 94

Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1916-2000)

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1960-65, 1970-77 and 1994-2000) and 1st female head of state, dies of a heart attack at 84

2001 Eddie Futch, American boxing trainer, dies at 90
2001 Vasily Mishin, Soviet rocket designer (b. 1917)
2002 Teresa Graves, American actress (Laugh-in, Get Christie Love!), dies in a fire at her home at 54
2003 Eugene Istomin, American pianist (Leventritt Award-1943), dies at 77
2004 Arthur H. Robinson, American cartographer (b. 1915)

Christopher Reeve (1952-2004)

American actor (Superman, Somewhere in Time), dies of an adverse reaction to an antibiotic at 52

2004 Ken Caminiti, MLB third baseman, 1987-2001, (Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and 3 other teams; NL MVP- 1996), dies of a drug overdose at 41
2004 Maurice Shadbolt, New Zealand writer (Season of the Jew), dies at 72
2005 Milton Obote, President of Uganda (b. 1925)
2005 Wayne Booth, American literary critic (b. 1921)
2006 Francis Berry, British poet and academic (Shakespearean scholar), dies at 91
2006 Ian Scott, Canadian politician (b. 1934)
2006 Michael John Rogers, English ornithologist (b. 1932)
2007 Mehmed Uzun, Contemporary Kurdish writer and novelist. (b. 1953)
2008 Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (b. 1947)
2008 Sid Hudson, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1941, 42; Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox), dies at 93
2009 Stephen Gately, Irish pop singer (Boyzone - "A Different Beat"; "No Matter What"), dies of a congenital heart defect at 33
2010 Dame Joan Sutherland, Australian operatic soprano, known as 'La Stupenda' (Metropolitan Opera debut 1961), dies at 83
2010 Solomon Burke [McDonald], American soul singer ("Cry To Me"; "Diamond In Your Mind"), dies at 70
2011 Jagjit Singh, Indian Musician, Ghazal Maestro, Padma Bhusan awardee (b. 1941)
2012 Alex Karras, American NFL player, dies from kidney failure at 77
2012 Kyaw Zaw, Burmese politician and soldier, dies at 92
2012 Sam Gibbons, American politician (Rep-D-FL, 1963-97), dies at 92
2013 Janice Lynn Kuehnemund, American rock guitarist (Vixen - "Edge of a Broken Heart"), dies of cancer at 59
2013 Kumar Pallana, Indian character actor and vaudevillian (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore), dies at 94

Scott Carpenter (1925-2013)

American astronaut (Mercury 7-Aurora 7), dies from complications from a stroke at 88

2014 Curtis Otto Bismark Curtis-Smith, American pianist, composer, and educator, dies at 73
2015 Hilla Becher (née Wobeser), German artist, worked collaboratively with husband Bernd Becher, dies at 81
2015 Saša Britvić, Croatian conductor (Croatian Baroque Ensemble, 1999-2015), and pedagogue, dies at 51
2016 Graham Carleton Greene, British publisher (Jonathon Cape), dies at 80
2018 Mary Midgley, British-American philosopher (Animals and Why They Matter), dies at 99
2020 Leon Biriotti, Uruguayan composer and oboist, dies at 90
2020 Vasili Kulkov, Russian soccer defensive utility (20 caps Soviet Union, 21 Russia; Spartak Moscow, Benfica), dies from cancer at 54
2022 Anita Kerr [née Grilli], American pop and country singer, composer, and producer (The Anita Kerr Singers), dies at 94 [1] [2]
2022 Sergio Brighenti, Italian soccer forward (9 caps; Modena, Internazionale, Triestina, Padova, Sampdoria), dies at 90