Famous Deaths on October 12

Maximilian II (1527-1576)

Holy Roman Emperor (1564-76), dies at 49

1590 Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (b. 1543)
1600 Luis Molina, Spanish Jesuit priest (De liberi arbitrii cum gratiae donis), dies at 65
1632 Kutsuki Mototsuna, Japanese samurai commander (b. 1549)
1646 François de Bassompierre, marshal of France, dies at 67
1654 Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter (pupil of Rembrandt), injured in the Delft Explosion and later dies of his injuries at 32
1666 Dirck Graswinckel, Dutch States-General court clerk, dies at 66
1672 Frederik of Nassau, count of Buren, slain in battle
1678 Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (b. 1621)
1679 William Gurnall, English writer (b. 1617)
1685 Christoph Ignaz Abele, Austrian jurist (b. 1628)
1685 Geeraerdt Burns, theologist/poet/historian, dies at 59
1685 Gerard Brandt, Dutch theologist, poet and historian, dies at 59
1692 Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian composer, dies at 60
1694 Matsuo Basho, greatest Japanese haiku poet, dies
1730 Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway (1699-1730), dies at 59
1758 Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, British field marshal (b. 1680)
1791 A L Karschin, writer, dies at 68
1794 James Lyon, American composer, dies at 59
1797 Pierre Jélyotte, French composer, dies at 84
1817 Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, German organist, pianist, kapellmeister, composer, and priest, dies at 66
1820 Elias Annes Borger, Dutch theologist and poet (Ode on the Rhine), dies at 36
1829 Jacobus Blue, Dutch regent/patriot, dies at about 73
1837 Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands (1815-37), dies at 62
1844 Claude Tillier, French journalist and writer (My Uncle Benjamin), dies at 43

Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845)

English prison reformer, social reformer and Quaker Minister, dies of a stroke at 65

1858 Ando Hiroshige, Japanese painter, dies at 61
1860 Harry Smith, English military commander and leader of British-Indian forces (Battle of Aliwal), dies at 73
1864 Roger Taney, 5th Supreme Court Chief Justice (1836-64), dies at 87
1865 William Vincent Wallace, Irish-American violinist (known as the 'Australian Paganini'), and composer (Maritana), dies at 53

Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)

American General who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War, dies of pneumonia at 63

1875 Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter (b. 1827)
1887 Dinah Craik, English writer (John Halifax, Gentleman), dies at 61
1890 William Worth Belknap, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), dies from a heart attack at 61
1896 Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish nobleman and politician (Council President of Denmark 1865-70), dies at 78
1898 Calvin Fairbank, American abolitionist minister (b. 1816)
1904 Charles Dowd, American principal who was the 1st to propose standardized time zones (for America's railways), struck and killed by a train at 79
1914 Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (flat-bottomed paper bag), described as a "female Thomas Edison", dies at 76

Edith Cavell (1865-1915)

British nurse, executed by German firing squad in Belgium during World War I at 49

1922 Margriet Baers, Flemish social worker, feminist, and philosopher, dies at 33
1923 A P "Bunny" Lucas, cricketer (five Tests for England 1879-82), dies
1924 Anatole France [Jacques Anatole Thibault], French writer (Thaïs, Wickerwork Woman, Nobel 1921), dies at 80
1924 Monroe Althouse, American composer, dies at 71
1926 Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (Flatland), dies at 87
1929 Max Ettlinger, German philosopher/theorist, dies at 52
1934 Gertrude Käsebier, American pioneering photographer, dies at 82
1936 Bernard Bosanquet, English cricketer (1st great googly bowler, England), dies at 58
1936 Edwin Blashfield, American painter who decorated the dome of Library of Congress, dies at 87
1938 Hugh Massie, Australian cricket batsman and captain (9 Tests; NSW), dies at 84
1940 Tom Mix, American silent screen cowboy actor (Texan, Hidden Gold), dies at 60
1941 Harry Micajah Daugherty, American politician, lawyer and political manager accused of corruption, dies at 81
1944 Regina Jonas, German first woman rabbi, dies at 42
1945 Jesse James Payne, a sharecropper, lynched in Madison County, Florida
1946 Joseph W. Stilwell, American general (commanded U.S. forces in China, Burma, and India in WWII), dies at 63
1947 Nelson Betancourt, cricket wicket-keeper (WI Test 1930), dies at 42
1948 Alfred Kerr, German-British writer, dies at 80
1948 Susan Sutherland Isaacs, English educational psychologist and psychoanalyst, dies at 63
1951 Leon Errol, Australian actor (Ziegfeld Follies, What a Blonde!), dies at 70
1951 Simon Kimbangu/Kibangu, Congolese religious leader and founder of Kimbanguism, dies in captivity at 62
1954 George Welch, American World War II flying ace (Medal of Honor nominee) and test pilot, dies in a plane crash of his experiential F-100 Super Sabre at 36
1955 Bernarr McFadden, American physical culture advocate, credited with beginning the culture of health and fitness in the United States, dies of a urinary tract infection at 87
1958 Ed Hinton, actor (Henderson-I Lived 3 Lives), dies at 30
1958 Gerard Hordijk, Dutch architect and painter, dies at 59
1958 Gordon Griffith, American silent and sound screen child actor, first to portray Tarzan on film (as Young Tarzan in "Tarzan of the Apes" (1918)), dies of a heart attack at 51
1959 Arnoldt Bronnen, writer, dies at 63
1960 Inejiro Asanuma, Leader of the Japanese Socialist Party, murdered at 61

Eugene Bullard (1895-1961)

1st African-American military pilot, flew for France in World War I as part of the French Foreign Legion, dies of stomach cancer at 66

1964 J Howard Frazer, USTA pres, dies in office
1966 Arthur Lourié, Russian-American composer (Concerto spirituale; The Feast in a Time of Plague), dies at 74
1967 Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, Indian Socialist politician, dies at 57
1967 Nathaniel "Nat" Pendleton, American wrestler (Olympics 1920, Silver) and actor (The Thin Man, Reckless), dies from a heart attack at 72
1969 Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French abstract painter and guiatrist, dies at 69

Sonja Henie (1912-1969)

Norwegian figure skater (Olympic gold 1928, 32, 36), and actress (My Lucky Star), dies from leukemia at 57

1970 Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani Urdu poet, dies at 40
1971 Dean Acheson, American statesman and U.S. Secretary of State (1949-53), dies at 78
1971 Gene Vincent [Vincent Eugene Craddock], American rock guitarist and vocalist ("Be-Bop-A-Lula"), dies of bleeding ulcers at 36
1972 (Wilfred) "Billy" Williams, American pop singer ("I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter"), dies at 61
1974 Hendrik Diels, Flemish conductor, dies at 73
1974 Joseph Frederick Wagner, American composer, conductor (Boston Civic Symphony, 1925 to 44), and teacher, dies at 74
1976 Jose Rozo Contreras, Colombian composer, dies at 82
1977 Doris Davenport, actress (Behind the News, Westerner), dies at 81
1977 Jan Zrzavý, Czech painter, dies at 86
1978 Nancy Spungen, killed by boyfriend Sid Vicious in NYC
1979 Celia Lovsky, Austrian-American actress (Man of a Thousand Faces), dies from natural causes at 82
1982 (Christiann) "Chris"Reumer, Dutch operatic tenor, dies at 73
1983 Ernie Roth, American wrestling manager (ring name "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling"), dies at 57
1983 Jiří Lederer, Czech journalist and anti-communist dissident (Prague Spring), dies at 61
1984 Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (bombing victim) (b. 1925)
1985 Johnny Olson, American radio personality and television announcer (The Price is Right), dies at 75
1985 Ricky Wilson, American rock guitarist (B-52's - "Love Shack"), dies of AIDS at 32
1987 Alf Landon, American politician, Governor of Kansas (1933-37) and Republican Presidential nominee in 1936, dies at his Topeka home at 100
1987 Philleo Nash, American politician and Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (1961-66), dies at 77
1988 Ken Murray, American comedian (Ken Murray Show, Judy Garland Show) and actor (Bill and Coo, Crooner), dies at 85
1988 Ruth Manning-Sanders, author of children's books (b. 1895)
1989 Carmen Cavallaro, American actor and pianist (Hollywood Canteen, Diamond Horseshoe), dies from prostate cancer at 76
1989 Franco Luambo [Makiadi], Congolese jazz and rumba guitarist, composer, and bandleader (TPOK Jazz), dies from AIDS at 51
1989 Jay Ward, American cartoonist (Rocky & His Friends, Bullwinkle), dies of kidney cancer at 69
1990 Max Tailleur, Dutch adjudant to Prince Bernhard and Jewish humorist, dies at 81
1990 Rifaat Maghub, president Egyptian MP, murdered
1990 Tom Carvel, Greek born American ice cream mogul (Carvels), dies at 84
1991 Aline MacMahon, American actress (Backdoor to Heaven), dies at 92
1991 Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky, Soviet-Russian sci-fi author (Tale of the Troika), dies at 66
1991 Sheila Florance, Australian actress (Cactus), dies of cancer at 75
1992 Alexander Pola [Abraham Polak], Dutch actor and writer (Farce Major), dies at 78
1992 John Hancock, American actor (LA Law, Love & War), dies of a heart attack at 51
1992 Ulysses Guimaraes, Brazilian MP (chairman), dies in accident
1993 Leon Ames, American actor (Mister Ed, Father of the Bride), dies from a stroke at 91
1993 Tofik Bakhramov, Russian footballer (b. 1926)
1994 Gérald Godin, French Canadian poet and politician, dies at 55
1995 David McLean [Eugene Joseph Huth], American actor known for appearing in Marlboro advertisements (Days of Our Lives, Tate), dies of lung cancer at 73
1995 Eleanor Aller, American cellist (Hollywood String Quartet), dies at 78
1995 Gary Bond, actor (Outback, Zulu, Anne of Thousand Days), dies at 55
1996 David Gilroy Bevan, British politician, dies at 86
1996 Jack Robertson, English cricketer (Middlesex & England opening batsman 11 Tests), dies at 79
1996 Pavel Alexandrovich Solovyov, aero-engine designer, dies at 79

René Lacoste (1904-1996)

French tennis player (7 Grand Slam titles, Lacoste clothing), dies of heart failure at 92

1996 Trevor Illtyd williams, scientific writer, dies at 75
1996 Vernon Elliott, British composer and bassoonist, dies at 84

John Denver (1943-1997)

American pop songwriter ("Leaving On A Jet Plane"), country-pop singer ("Sunshine On My Shoulders"; "Calypso"; "Thank God I'm A Country Boy"), and actor (Oh, God!), dies in a solo plane crash at 53

1998 Mario Beaulieu, Canadian politician (Senator for Quebec, 1990-94), dies at 68
1998 Matthew Shepard, American murder victim (b. 1976)
1998 Oldřich Flosman, Czechoslovakian composer (Visions of Michelangelo; Butterflies Don't Live Here Any Longer), dies at 73
1999 Robert Marsden Hope, Australian Justice and Royal Commissioner, dies at 80

Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999)

American College / Basketball HOF center (4 x NBA MVP; 13 x All Star; NBA C'ship 1967, 72 [MVP]; Philadelphia/SF Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Lakers), dies of heart failure at 63

2001 Quintin Hogg, British politician, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, dies at 94 (b. 1907)
2001 Witold Szalonek, Polish composer (Satire), educator, and musicologist, dies at 74
2002 Audrey Mestre, French diver (b. 1974)
2002 Ray Conniff, American bandleader and musician (Ray Conniff Singers), dies at 85

Bill Shoemaker (1931-2003)

American Racing Hall of Fame jockey (8,833 career victories, Kentucky Derby 1955, 59, 65, 86), dies of natural causes at 72

2003 Jim Cairns, Australian politician (b. 1914)
2003 Joan Kroc [Mansfield], American philanthropist and 3rd wife of Ray Kroc, the owner of McDonald's and the San Diego Padres, dies of a brain tumor at 75
2003 Ram Gopal, Indian-English dancer (Blue Peter, Purple Plain), dies at 90
2005 C. Delores Tucker, American politician and civil rights activist (b. 1927)
2006 Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian film director (b. 1919)
2007 Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect (b. 1934)
2007 Lon "Lonny" Chapman, American actor (Investigator, For the People), dies from heart disease at 87
2008 Cliff Nobles American soul singer ("The Horse"), dies at 67
2008 Karl Chircop, Maltese politician (b. 1965)
2008 Marta Pan, Hungarian-French sculptor (Great spiral), dies at 85
2009 Dickie Peterson American heavy metal bassist (Blue Cheer), dies of liver cancer at 63
2009 Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian road racing cyclist, dies at 34
2009 Ian Wallace, British buffo bass-baritone opera and concert singer ("Gendarmes' Duet"), and broadcaster (BBC's My Music, 1964-97), dies at 90
2010 Belva Plain, American novelist (b. 1919)
2010 Woody Peoples, American football player (b. 1943)
2011 Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist (created C programming language, helped developed Unix), dies at 70
2011 Heinz Bennent, German actor (Possession, The Serpent's Egg), dies at 90
2011 Joel "Taz" DiGregorio, American country-rock keyboardist (Charlie Daniels Band), killed in a car accident at 67 [1]
2011 Patricia Breslin, American television and film actress dies at 80
2011 Peter Hammond, British actor and director (The Buccaneers, King of the Castle), dies at 87
2013 Eduard Martsevich, Soviet-Russian actor and People's Artist of the RSFSR, dies at 76
2013 Oscar Hijuelos, American novelist (The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love), dies from a heart attack at 62
2015 Armin Kircher, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor, dies of heart failure at 48
2015 George Mueller, NASA Systems Engineer (managed 1969 Moon landing), dies at 97
2015 Joan Leslie, American actress (High Sierra, Yankee Doodle Dandy), dies at 90
2016 (William) "Sonny" Sanders, American soul vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer (Jackie Wilson), dies at 77
2017 Grape-kun, a Humbolt penguin from Tobu Zoo, who gained fame from the anime series "Kemono Friends", dies aged 21 (Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan).
2018 Takehisa Kosugi, Japanese violinist and experimental music composer (Group Ongaku; Taj Mahal Travellers), dies at 80
2019 George Chambers, American rock bassist and vocalist (Chambers Brothers - "Time Has Come Today"), dies at 88
2020 Nevzat Güzelırmak, Turkish soccer defender (18 caps; Göztepe) and manager (Denizlispor; Turkey U21), dies at 78
2021 Leon Black, American college basketball coach (Texas Longhorns men's team 1967-76), dies at 89
2021 Paddy Moloney, Irish uilleann pipe and tin whistle player, composer, and producer (The Chieftains), dies at 83
2021 Raúl Coloma, Chilean soccer goalkeeper (13 caps; Ferrobádminton, Municipal Santiago, Ferroviaros), dies at 93
2021 Renton Laidlaw, Scottish golf broadcaster and journalist (President Association of Golf Writers 1995-2015; BBC Radio), dies from COVID-19 at 82
2022 Luke Jackson, American basketball center/forward (Olympic gold 1964; NBA C'ship 1967 Philadelphia 76ers; NBA All Star 1965), dies from heart failure at 80