Deaths in History on April 8

Caracalla (188-217 AD)

Roman emperor (198-217), murdered at 29

622 Prince Shōtoku, Japanese regent and politician who promoted Buddhism (Hōryū-ji temple), dies at about 48
956 Gilbert of Chalon, Duke of Burgundy
1143 John II Komnenos, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (1118-43), dies in an accident at 55
1364 John II, the Good, King of France (1350-64), dies at 44
1461 Georg von Purbach, Austrian mathematician and astronomer (best known for his streamlined presentation of Ptolemaic astronomy in the Theoricae Novae Planetarum), dies at 37

Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492)

Italian Lord of Florence (1469-92), statesman and patron of the arts during the Florentine Renaissance, dies at 43 [1]

1537 Willem Aerts, Flemish architect, dies
1586 Martin Chemnitz, German Lutheran reformer and theologian, dies at 63
1587 John Foxe, English writer and martyrologist (Foxe's Book of Martyrs), dies (b. 1516)
1629 Willem Teellinck, Dutch pastor and theologian, dies at 50
1676 Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Empress consort of Germany, dies at 22
1697 Niels Juel, Danish-Norwegian admiral, dies at 68
1704 Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English statesman, dies at 63
1704 Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist (b. 1624)
1725 John Wise, American clergyman and political activist who protested against British taxes, dies at 73
1735 Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian nobleman and leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburg, dies at 59
1778 Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, Dutch founder (Teyler Museum), dies at 76
1820 Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist, dies at 48
1853 Jan Willem Pieneman, Dutch historical painter (Battle at Waterloo), dies at 73
1857 Mangal Pandey, Indian Sepoy (soldier) in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (B.N.I.) regiment of the British East India Company, hanged at 29

Elisha Otis (1811-1861)

American founder of the Otis Elevator Company and inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails, dies of diphtheria at 50

1879 Anthony Panizzi, Italian librarian at British Museum, dies at 81
1882 Jules Quicherat, French historian and archaeologist, dies at 67
1890 Junius Spencer Morgan, American merchant and philanthropist (Metro Museum of Art), dies at 76
1894 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Indian novelist (Mrinalini, Anandamath), dies at 55
1897 Heinrich von Stephan, German Director of the Post service who introduced the telephone to Germany, dies at 66
1898 William Polk Hardeman, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
1899 John Wesley Turner, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), dies at 65
1902 Dmitry Sipyagain, Russian Minister of Interior/headed Secret Service, assassinated by a Socialist-Revolutionary at 49
1906 Auguste Deter, German woman notable for being the 1st person diagnosed with Alzheimer's, dies of sepsis caused by an infected bedsore at 55
1919 Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist (introduced idea of molecular surface tension), dies at 70 (b. 1848)
1931 Eric Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet (Nobel Prize for Literature 1931), dies at 66
1935 Edwin Cannan, British economist and historian (A History of the Theories of Production and Distribution), dies at 74
1936 Robert Bárány, Austrian physician, Nobel laureate (b. 1876)
1942 Alfred Mombert, German poet, dies at 70
1943 Paul Colin, Belgian journalist/collaborator, executed
1948 Josef Kjellgren, Swedish writer (Guldkedjan), dies at 40
1950 Albert Ehrenstein, Austrian writer and poet (Strum), dies at 63
1958 Ethel Turner, Australian author (Seven Little Australians), dies at 88
1958 George Jean Nathan, American editor, author and critic (American Mercury), dies at 76
1959 Gustave Charlier, Belgian literature historian, dies
1965 Erik A. Blomberg, Swedish art historian, poet and author, dies at 70
1966 George Creten, Belgian sculptor and painter, dies at 79
1969 Haskell Karp, American heart transplant patient, who received 1st fully artificial heart, dies after 65 hours at 48
1970 Marie V Felix, Prince of Luxemburg, dies

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Spanish painter (The Three Dancers, Guernica) and sculptor who co-founded the Cubist movement, dies at 91

1974 James Charles McGuigan, Catholic cardinal archbishop of Toronto, dies at 79

Omar Bradley (1893-1981)

American WWII General (Invasion of Normandy) and 1st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1949-53), dies of cardiac arrhythmia at 88

1984 Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist (Nobel 1978), dies at 89
1987 Francis C. Denebrink, US Naval officer (WW I, WW II, Korea), dies at 90
1989 John Wyer, English sports car racing team manager, dies at 79
1990 Ryan White, American hemophiliac AIDS sufferer, dies at 18
1992 Daniel Bovet, Swiss-born pharmacologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1907)
1993 Hubertus Earnest, bishop of Breda, dies at 100
1994 Irene Eisinger, German-British singer, dies at 91
1994 Walter Arnold, German theologist (World council of Churches), dies at 64
1997 Charles Hayes, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1983-93), dies at 79
2000 Bernie Grant, British politician (Labour), dies of a heart attack at 56
2001 Frank Annunzio, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1965-93), dies of Parkinson's disease at 86
2004 Bruce Edwards, American golf caddie (mainly for 5 x British Open champion Tom Watson), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 49
2005 Onna White, Canadian choreographer (b. 1924)
2006 Gerard Reve, Dutch writer (Evenings, Dear Guys), dies at 82
2007 Carey W. Barber, a member of Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (b. 1905)
2007 Sol LeWitt, American artist (b. 1928)
2008 John Button, Australian politician (Button car plan), dies at 74
2008 Timothy Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley (b. 1928)
2010 Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1979-80), dies at 84
2010 Jack Agnew, American World War II veteran (b. 1922)
2011 Hedda Sterne, Romanian born American artist, dies at 100
2012 Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman (Commodore Computers), dies at 83