Famous Deaths on September 12

  • 352 Maximinus van Trier, bishop of Trier/saint, dies
  • 413 Marcellinus of Carthage, Christian saint
  • 1012 Guido van Anderlecht, Flemish pilgrim/saint, dies
  • 1015 Lambert I with the Beard, Count of Leuven, dies in battle at about 65
  • 1185 Andronicus I Comnenus, Byzantine emperor (1183-85), lynched
  • 1213 Pedro II [el Catolico], king of Aragon, dies in battle
  • 1362 Innocent VI [Etienne Aubert], Pope (1352-62), dies
  • 1369 Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt, dies possibly of the plague at 24 (age disputed)
  • 1500 Albert III, Duke and ruler of Saxony, dies at 57
  • 1591 Richard Grenville, English privateer, explorer, politician and vice-admiral (established Roanoke colony), dies fighting a rearguard action as a result of the naval Battle of Flores at 49
  • 1604 Louis Gunther, earl of Nassau, dies in battle at about 29
  • 1612 Tsar Vasili IV of Russia (1606-10), dies deposed as a prisoner (b. 1552)
  • 1642 Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, marquis de Cinq Mars, French nobleman, beheaded for treason in plot again Cardinal de Richelieu (b. 1620)
  • 1647 Joos Banckert, Swiss admiral (Spanish silver fleet), dies at 48
  • 1660 Jacob Cats [Father Cats], Dutch grand pensionary and poet (Houwelyck), dies at 82
  • 1661 Jacobus de la Torra, RC apostole vicar of Holland, dies at about 53
  • 1665 Jean Bolland, Flemish Jesuit writer and historian (Acta Sanctorum), dies at 69
  • 1672 Tanneguy Lefebvre, French classical scholar (b. 1615)
  • 1674 Nicolaas Tulp, Mayor of Amsterdam (1654-71), dies at 80
  • 1683 Afonso VI, mentally ill King of Portugal (1656-67), dies at 40
  • 1691 Johann Georg III, Elector of Saxony (1680-91), dies at 44
  • 1695 Jacob Abendana, Spanish scholar (b. 1630)
  • 1732 Jean Philippe Eugène de Mérode, Belgian marquis of Westerloo, dies at 58
  • 1739 Reinhard Keiser, German opera conductor and composer (Almira; Lukas-Passion), dies at 65
  • 1764 Jean Philippe Rameau, French composer (Castor en Pollux), dies at 80
  • 1779 Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, English politician, dies at 67
  • 1789 Franz Xaver Richter, Austro-Moravian singer, violinist, composer, conductor and music theorist, dies at 79
  • 1806 Christian Gottfried Thomas, German composer, publisher, and musicologist, dies at 58
  • 1807 Edward Miller, English organist, flautist, composer (Rockingham; Galway), and musical theorist (Treatise of Thorough Bass and Composition), dies at 71
  • 1812 Pyotr Bagration, Georgian-Russian prince and general, dies fighting during Napoleonic invasion of Russia at 47

Edmund RandolphEdmund Randolph (1753-1813)

US Founding Father, 1st US Attorney General (1789-94) and 2nd US Secretary of State (1794-95), dies at 60

  • 1815 José Maurício, Portuguese organist, and sacred music and modinha (love song) composer, dies at 63
  • 1819 Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian general (b. 1742)
  • 1824 Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe, French cartographer to Napoleon, dies at 62
  • 1836 Christian Dietrich Grabbe, German writer and dramatist, dies from the effects of syphilis at 34
  • 1860 John Winebrenner, American clergyman (founded Church of God General Conference), dies at 63
  • 1861 George N. Briggs, American lawyer and politician, 19th Governor of Massachusetts, dies at 65

Peter Mark RogetPeter Mark Roget (1779-1869)

British lexicographer (Roget's Thesaurus) and inventor (slide rule, pocket chessboard), dies at 90

  • 1870 Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American author (The Hasheesh Eater), dies at 34
  • 1871 Karl Collan, Finnish composer, dies at 43
  • 1874 François Guizot, French historian and politician (17th Prime Minister of France), dies at 86
  • 1876 Henry A. Wise, American lawyer and politician (33rd Governor of Virginia), dies at 69
  • 1877 Julius Reitz, German cellist, composer, teacher, and music editor, dies at 64
  • 1878 Friedrich August von Alberti, German geologist (Triasic Age), dies at 83
  • 1879 Peter Arnold Heise, Danish composer (Drot og Marsk (King and Marshal)), dies at 49
  • 1889 Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges, French historian and sociologist, dies at 59
  • 1892 Carl Faust, Prussian military musician and composer (Marsch Glück auf - Lucky March), and conductor, dies at 62
  • 1912 Pierre-Hector Cardinal Coullie, Cardinal-Archbishop of Lyon
  • 1913 Major R B Stewart, cricketer (scored 4 & 9 in S Afr's 1st Test), dies
  • 1917 Eric Lundie, cricketer (WWI Test South Africa v England 1914), dies
  • 1918 George Reid, fourth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1845)
  • 1919 Leonid Andreyev, Russian journalist and writer (Red Laugh, Seven Hangs), dies at 48
  • 1923 Jules Violle, French physicist and inventor, dies at 81
  • 1926 Edmund Jenkins, American clarinetist and composer (Charlestonia; Afram), dies at 32
  • 1927 Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer, dies at 80
  • 1927 Walther Amelung, German archaeologist, dies at 61
  • 1929 Rainis [Jānis Pliekšāns], Latvian poet and playwright, dies at 64
  • 1934 Catherine Breshkovsky, Babushka/Grandmother of Russian revolution, dies at 90
  • 1936 Hermann Hirt, German linguist (Indo-European Grammar), dies at 70
  • 1947 Harry Rowe Shelley, American hymn composer, dies at 89
  • 1949 Harry Burleigh, African American composer (Springarn Medal), dies at 82
  • 1953 Frederick Kuys, cricketer (one Test South Africa v England 1898), dies
  • 1953 Hugo Schmeisser, German inventor and weapons designer, dies at 68
  • 1953 Lewis Stone, American actor (The Lost World, Prisoner of Zenda), dies of a heart attack at 73
  • 1955 Gustave Vanzype, Belgian literary (La Gazette), dies at 86
  • 1956 Hans Carossa, German writer, dies at 77
  • 1956 Sándor Graf Festetics, Hungarian nobleman and politician, dies at 74
  • 1960 Jules Buffano, American composer and pianist (Jimmy Durante Show), dies at 62
  • 1961 Carl Hermann, German physicist, dies at 63
  • 1962 William Frederick Archdall Ellison, Irish clergyman and astronomer (director of the Armagh Observatory), dies at 53
  • 1963 Ben Sealey, cricketer (one Test WI v England 1933), dies
  • 1963 Mervyn A. Ellison, British astronomer (spectrohelioscope), dies at 63
  • 1972 William Boyd, American film actor, cowboy hero (Hopalong Cassidy), dies at 77
  • 1973 Eduard Flipse, Dutch conductor/composer, dies at 77
  • 1973 Marjorie Post, US philanthropic/multi-millionaire ($200m), dies at 86
  • 1975 Doc Alexander, American College Football Hall of Fame guard (Syracuse; All Pro 1921, 22; Rochester Jeffersons; NFL C'ship 1925; NY Giants), dies at 78
  • 1977 Robert Lowell, American poet and pacifist (Lord Weary's Castle, Near the Ocean), dies at 60
  • 1977 Steven Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist, dies in police custody at 30
  • 1978 Frank Ferguson, American character actor (Gus Broeberg-My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson-Peyton Place), dies of cancer at 78
  • 1979 Denis Smith, cricketer (England left-handed batsman 1935), dies
  • 1980 André Chéron, French chess player (French Champion, 1926, 1927 & 1929) and endgame theorist, dies at 84
  • 1980 Lillian Randolph, actress (Roots, Amos n Andy), dies at 65
  • 1981 Eugenio Montale, Italian poet and translator (Xenia-Nobel 1975), dies at 84
  • 1982 Karen Aabye, Danish author (Less bedstemor there jomfru), dies at 77
  • 1982 Kommer Kleijn, Dutch actor and radio play director (Tomorrow It Will Be Better), dies at 89
  • 1983 Sabin Carr, American athlete (Olympic gold pole vault 1928; WR 4.27m 1927), dies at 79
  • 1984 Geoffrey Lloyd, British politician and Governor of the BBC, dies at 82
  • 1986 Frank Nelson, actor (Ralph-I Love Lucy, Jack Benny Show), dies at 75
  • 1986 Jacques-Henri Lartigue, French photographer and painter, dies at 92
  • 1987 John Qualen, Canadian actor (Casablanca, The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers), dies at 87
  • 1988 (Carlos) "Charlie" Palmieri, American salsa and charanga music bandleader, musical director, and piano player (Tito Puente; Alegré All-Stars), dies after a heart attack at 60
  • 1988 Alan Bible, American lawyer and politician (Sen-D-Nev, 1954-74), dies at 78
  • 1988 Lauris Norstad, American general (NATO commander) and CEO (Owens-Corning Fiberglass), dies at 71
  • 1989 Anton Lubowski, Namibian attorney/SWAPO, murdered at 37
  • 1990 Athene Seyler, actress (Make Mine Mink), dies at 101
  • 1991 Jacques Benoit [JJM Bayer], poet, dies
  • 1991 Regis Toomey, American actor (Burke's Law, Petticoat Junction), dies at 93

Anthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins (1932-1992)

American actor (Psycho; Friendly Persuasion; Fear Strikes Out; Pretty Poison), and singer, dies from AIDS-related pneumonia at 60 [1]

  • 1992 Ed Peck, American character actor (Zoot Suit; Bullitt; Happy Days - "Officer Kirk"}, dies of a heart attack at 75
  • 1992 Ruth Nelson, American stage and screen actress (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; 3 Women; Awakenings), dies at 87
  • 1993 Charles Lamont, American actor and director (Abbott & Costello films), dies at 95
  • 1993 Harold Innocent, English actor (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), dies at 60
  • 1993 Herman Nieland, organist/pianist/composer, dies at 82
  • 1993 Raymond Burr, Canadian-American actor (Perry Mason, Ironsides, Godzilla), dies of liver cancer at 76
  • 1994 Boris Yegorov, Soviet physician and cosmonaut (Voskhod I), dies at 56
  • 1994 Douglas MacKenzie Davey, psychometrist, dies at 72
  • 1994 Major Bill Smith, record producer, dies at 72
  • 1994 Tom Ewell [Sam Yewell Tompkins], American actor (Tom Ewell Show, The Seven Year Itch), dies at 85
  • 1995 Geoffrey Stokes, rock & roll writer, dies at 55
  • 1995 Jeremy Brett [Peter Huggins], English actor (Sherlock Holmes), dies at 61
  • 1995 John Stuart-Jervis, balloonist, dies
  • 1995 Lawrence Bernard "Larry" Gales, bassist, dies at 59
  • 1996 Ernesto Geisel, 29th President of Brazil (1974-79), dies at 89
  • 1996 Geoffrey Bryan Bentley, Canon of Windsor and moral theologian, dies at 87
  • 1996 James Gulliver, Scottish businessman (Argyll Foods), dies at 66
  • 1996 Lloyd Turner, journalist (Daily Express), dies at 57
  • 1996 Oscar Michael Moore, journalist, dies at 36
  • 1996 Ricardo López, Uruguayan-born American stalker of Björk, commits suicide aged 21
  • 1996 Richard Barrer, New Zealand-born chemist (father of zeolite chemistry), dies at 86
  • 1996 Richard Maling Barrer, chemist, dies at 86
  • 1996 Toma Prošev, Macedonian composer, and pedagogue, dies at 64
  • 1997 (Stig) "Stikkan" Anderson, Swedish actor, music entrepreneur and co-founder of Polar Music (ABBA), dies of a heart attack at 66
  • 1997 Janet Leach, American potter, dies at 79
  • 1997 Judith Merril [Grossman], American-Canadian sci-fi writer, dies at 74
  • 1999 Bill Quackenbush, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman (8 x NHL All-Star; Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings) and coach (Princeton), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 77
  • 2000 Gary Olsen [Grant], British stage and screen actor (2point4 Children - "Ben"), dies of cancer at 42
  • 2000 Stanley Turrentine, American jazz saxophonist (Wonderland), dies at 66
  • 2001 Victor Wong [Yee Keung Victor Wong], American actor (Big Trouble in Little China), dies of a heart attack at 74

Johnny CashJohnny Cash (1932-2003)

American country singer ("I Walk the Line"; "Ring of Fire"; "A Boy Named Sue"), dies at 71

  • 2004 John Buller, British composer, dies at 77
  • 2004 Kenny Buttrey, American session drummer based in Nashville (Bob Dylan; Neil Young; Elvis Presley; Joan Baez, Jimmy Buffett), dies of cancer at 59
  • 2004 Max Abramovitz, American architect (Lincoln Center, UN Building), dies at 96
  • 2007 Phil Frank, American cartoonist (Farley, The Elderberries comics), dies at 64
  • 2008 Bob Quinn, Australian Football Hall of Fame rover (All Australian captain 1947; SA captain 1945-47; Magarey Medal 1938, 45; Port Adelaide FC), dies at 93
  • 2008 David Foster Wallace, American author and essayist (b. 1962)

Jack KramerJack Kramer (1921-2009)

American tennis player (Wimbledon 1947, US Open 1946, 47), dies of cancer at 88

  • 2009 Norman Borlaug, American agronomist (Green revolution - Nobel Peace Prize 1970), dies at 95
  • 2009 Willy Ronis, French photographer (b. 1910)
  • 2010 Claude Chabrol, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2010 Giulio Zignoli, Italian footballer (b. 1946)
  • 2011 Alexander Galimov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1985)
  • 2011 Frits Castricum, Dutch journalist and politician (PvdA), dies at 64

Ray DolbyRay Dolby (1933-2013)

American engineer, sound expert, and inventor (Dolby noise reduction system), dies of leukemia at 80

  • 2014 Donald Sinden, English actor, dies from prostate cancer at 90

Ian PaisleyIan Paisley (1926-2014)

First Minister of Northern Ireland (Democratic Unionist Party: 2007-08), loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader, dies at 88

  • 2014 Joe Sample, American jazz and session keyboardist and composer (The Jazz Crusaders), dies of mesothelioma at 75
  • 2014 Salah El Mahdi, Tunisian composer, conductor, musicologist, and artistic director, dies at 89
  • 2015 Bryn Merrick, British musician (The Damned), dies at 56
  • 2015 Frank D. Gilroy, American writer (Subject Was Roses), dies at 89
  • 2015 Max Beauvoir, Haiti Chief Voodoo Priest, dies at 79
  • 2016 Hidayat Inayat Khan, British-French classical composer, conductor and Sufi teacher, dies at 99
  • 2017 Edith Windsor [née Schlain], American LGBT rights activist (lead plaintiff in United States v. Windsor), dies at 88
  • 2017 Riem de Wolff, Indonesian-Dutch singer and guitarist (Blue Diamonds), dies at 74
  • 2020 Barbara Jefford, British stage actress (James Joyce's Ulysses), dies at 90
  • 2020 Edna Wright, American pop singer (Honey Cone - "Want Ads"), dies of a heart attack while suffering from COPD at 75
  • 2020 Terence Conran, English designer and restaurateur (Habitat), dies at 88
  • 2021 Michel Maïque, French rugby league second rower (8 Tests; FC Lézignan) and politician (Mayor of Lézignan-Corbières 2014-20), dies from acute pancreatitis at 73
  • 2022 Harry Landis, British stage director and character actor (EastEnders, 1995-97 - "Felix"; Friday Night Dinner, 2012-14 - "Mr. Morris"), dies at 90
  • 2022 Ramsey Lewis, American Grammy Award-winning jazz-pop pianist ("The In Crowd"; "Wade in the Water"), dies at 87 [1]
September 12 Highlights