Famous Deaths on December 1

• 660 Eligius [Eloy], French patron saint of horses, goldsmiths and metalworkers who as bishop of Tournay-Noyon spent 20 years converting the pagan population of Flanders to Christianity, dies at around 72
• 1018 Thietmar, German chronicler and Bishop of Merseburg, dies at 43

• 1241 Isabella of England, wife of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1214)
• 1374 Magnus IV [Magnus Eriksson], king of Norway and Sweden (outlawed slavery), drowns at 58
• 1406 Johanna, Duchess of Brabant, ruling duchess of Brabant from 1355 to her death; however, her brother-in-law Louis II of Flanders occupied the Duchy from 1356, dies at 84
• 1417 Walraven I van Brederode, Stadtholder of Holland, dies hit by an arrow fighting the siege of Gorinchem
• 1433 Go-Komatsu, 100th Emperor of Japan (1392-1412) and the 6th and final Emperor of the Northern Court, dies at 56
• 1455 Lorenzo Ghiberti, Italian sculptor (Gates of Paradise), dies at 77

• 1530 Margaretha of Austria, governess of the Netherlands, dies at 51
• 1580 Edmund Campion, English jesuit, hanged, drawn and quartered at 42
• 1580 Giovanni Morone, Italian theologian, diplomat and cardinal, dies at 71
• 1581 Alexander Briant, English Catholic saint, hanged, drawn and quartered (b. around 1556)
• 1581 Ralph Sherwin, English Catholic saint, hanged, drawn and quartered at 31
• 1602 Kobayakawa Hideaki, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1582)
• 1633 Isabella Clara Eugenia, Sovereign of the Netherlands (1598-1621), dies at 67
• 1635 Melchior Teschner, German composer, dies at 51
• 1651 Cristóbal de Isla Diego, Spanish Baroque composer and conductor, dies at 65
• 1660 Pierre d’Hozier, French genealogist, dies at 68
• 1700 Willem ten Rhijne, Dutch physician in Batavia, dies at about 53
• 1707 Jeremiah Clarke, English Baroque composer and organist (Trumpet Voluntary), commits suicide (b. 1674)
• 1709 Abraham a Sancta Clara [Johann Ulrich Megerle], German court preacher and friar, dies at 65
• 1723 Susanna Centlivre, English actress known as “the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century”, dies at 66 (approximately)
• 1727 Johann Heinrich Buttstett, German composer, dies at 61
• 1729 Christian Ludwig Boxberg, German composer, dies at 59
• 1729 Giacomo F. Maraldi, French-Italian astronomer and mathematician, dies at 64
• 1736 Simon van Slingelandt, Dutch grand pensionary (1727-36), dies at 72
• 1740 John Abernethy, Irish Protestant minister known as part of the Belfast Society, dies at 60 [1]
• 1750 Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr, German mathematician, astronomer and cartographer, dies at 73
• 1755 Maurice Greene, English composer, dies at 59
• 1797 Oliver Wolcott, American judge, signed US Declaration of Independence, dies at 71
• 1808 Anton Fischer, German composer, dies at 30
• 1813 Ferdinando Bertoni, Italian composer, dies at 88
• 1817 Justin Heinrich Knecht, German composer, organist, and music theorist, dies at 65

• 1842 Philip Spencer, American sailor, 1st US naval officer condemned for mutiny, hanged aboard the USS Somers at 19
• 1849 Ebenezer Elliott, British poet known as the “Corn Law Rhymer'” for his opposition to the corn laws, dies at 68
• 1865 Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss poet and fabulist (Ulrich von Hutten, Hundert neue Fabeln), dies at 69
• 1865 Constant van Crombrugghe, Flemish monastery founder, dies at 76
• 1866 George Everest, Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest, dies at 76
• 1867 Philaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna and influential figure in the Russian Orthodox Church (1821-67), dies at 84
• 1883 Jeremy Francis Gilmer, American general and engineer (Chief Engineer for Confederate War Dept, planned the defense of Atlanta), dies at 65
• 1884 William Swainson, English-New Zealand lawyer, 2nd and last Attorney-General of the Crown Colony of New Zealand (1841-56) and 1st Speaker of the Legislative Council (1854-55), dies at 75
• 1887 Albertus Jacobus Duymaer van Twist, Dutch Governor-General of Dutch East Indies (1851-56), dies at 78
• 1892 Joseph Lippens, Belgian official in Congo, murdered at 37 during the Congo Arab war
• 1892 Lucius E. Polk, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 59
• 1893 Eduard Franck, German composer, dies at 76

• 1913 Juhan Liiv, Estonian poet (I Saw Estonia Yesterday), dies at 49
• 1914 Alfred Thayer Mahan, American naval officer (Influence of Sea Power), dies at 74
• 1916 Charles Eugène, vicomte de Foucauld, French explorer (Morocco) and ascetic, killed in the Sahara during an uprising at 58
• 1920 Theo Molkenboer, Dutch painter (“The Toilette”), and graphic designer of book covers and posters, dies of tuberculosis at 49
• 1923 Virginie Loveling, Flemish writer (Sophie) and poet, dies at 87
• 1925 Vicente Arregui Garay, Spanish composer, dies at 54
• 1926 Hans Heinrich XIV Hochberg, German composer, dies at 83
• 1928 Arthur Gore, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1901, 08-09), dies at 60
• 1928 José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian poet and novelist (Vortex), dies after falling into a coma at 40
• 1929 Louis Lewin, German toxicologist (father of psychopharmacologist), dies at 79
• 1932 Amadeo Vives, Spanish composer, dies at 61
• 1934 Sergei Kirov [Kostrikov], Russian Bolshevik leader and politician (First Secretary (Mayor) of Leningrad, 1926-34), shot to death in his office at 48
• 1935 Bernard Schmidt, German optical instrument maker (inventor of the Schmidt telescope), dies at 56
• 1939 Max Fiedler, German composer, dies at 79
• 1941 Alva B. Adams, American politician (U.S. Senator from Colorado, 1933-41), dies at 66
• 1941 Horace Chapman, South African cricket all-rounder (2 Tests, 1 wicket; Natal), dies at 51
• 1941 Paul Viardot, French violinist and composer, dies at 84
• 1943 Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai prince, son of King Mongkut and brother of King Chulalongkorn and historian, dies at 81
• 1945 Harvey Bartlett Gaul, American composer, dies at 64
• 1947 Aleister Crowley, British occultist, founded the religion of Thelema, dies at 72
• 1947 G. H. Hardy, English mathematician (Hardy–Weinberg principle, A Mathematician’s Apology), dies at 70
• 1950 Ernest John Moeran, British composer, dies at 55
• 1951 Edward Joseph Collins, American concert pianist, conductor, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 65
• 1951 Felix Petyrek, Austrian composer, dies at 59
• 1952 Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Prime Minister of Italy (1917-19) who represented Italy at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, dies at 92
• 1954 Fred Rose, American songwriter and music publishing executive (Nashville’s Acuff-Rose Music), dies of a heart attack at 57
• 1955 Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger, Colt .45), dies from stomach cancer at 57
• 1958 Patricia “Boots” Mallory, American dancer and actress (Handle With Care), dies from chronic throat disease at 45
• 1960 Ernst Rowohlt, German publisher (Rowohlt-Verlag), dies at 73
• 1960 Ion Vasilescu, Romanian composer, dies at 57
• 1964 J. B. S. Haldane, British-Indian geneticist (primordial soup theory), dies at 72
• 1968 Dario Moreno, Turkish-Jewish singer (b. 1921)
• 1968 Hugo Haas, Czechoslovakian actor and director (Bait, Pick Up, 2 Smart People), dies of asthma at 66
• 1969 “Magic” Sam [Maghett], American blues guitarist (“Feelin’ Good (We’re Gonna Boogie)”), dies of a heart attack at 32
• 1970 Frank Smailes, English cricket all-rounder (1 Test; 8 County C’ships, Yorkshire), dies at 60
• 1971 Arthur B. Spingarn, American lawyer and civil rights activist (NAACP chairman, 1940-65), dies at 93

• 1974 Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian/American author (Angry Angel), dies at 83
• 1974 Stephen Gill Spottswood, American African Methodist Episcopal Zion bishop, and civil rights leader (NAACP Chairman, 1961-74), dies at 77
• 1974 Teddy Knox, British comedian (The Cromwells; Nervo and Knox), dies at 78
• 1975 Anna E. Roosevelt, American radio personality (b. 1906)
• 1975 Ernesto Maserati, Italian auto racer and engineer (director, chief engineer Maserati of Modena), dies at 77
• 1975 Nellie Fox, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (15 x MLB All Star; AL MVP 1959; Chicago White Sox), dies from lymphatic cancer at 47
• 1975 Nick Kenny, American columnist and songwriter (Nick Kenny Show), dies at 80
• 1975 Ranganandhan Francis, Indian field hockey goalkeeper (Olympic gold 1948, 52, 56), dies at 55
• 1976 George Earnshaw, American baseball pitcher (World Series 1929-30; Philadelphia Athletics), dies at 76
• 1977 Teun Struycken [Antoon Arnold Marie Struycken], Dutch Minister of Justice (1950-51) and Governor of the Netherlands Antilles (1951-56), dies at 70
• 1980 Sam Levene, American Broadway actor (Purple Heart, Designing Women), dies at 75
• 1982 Dorothy James, American composer, dies on her 81st birthday
• 1982 Hugh Plaxton, Canadian ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1928; Montreal Maroons) and politician (House of Commons of Canada 1935-40), dies at 78
• 1983 Leon Mirsky, Russian-British mathematician (Mirsky’s theorem), dies at 64
• 1984 Roelof Frankot, Dutch painter associated with the CoBrA movement, dies of cancer at 73
• 1986 Bobby Layne, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL champion 1952-53, 57; 6 x Pro Bowl; Detroit Lions), dies of cardiac arrest at 59
• 1986 Horace Heidt, American orchestra leader (Swift Show Wagon), dies at 85
• 1986 [Irving] Lee Dorsey, American pop and R&B singer (Working in the Coal Mine), dies at 61
• 1987 Donn Fulton Eisele, American USAF officer and NASA astronaut (Apollo 7), dies of a heart attack at 57
• 1987 Elijah “Buddy” Fogelson, American lawyer, businessman, horse breeder, and third husband to Greer Garson, dies at 87
• 1987 James Arthur Baldwin, American writer (Another Country), dies at 63

• 1987 Punch Imlach, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame coach and general manager (Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres), dies of a heart attack at 69
• 1989 Alvin Ailey, US choreographer (Blues Suite, Revelations), dies at 58
• 1989 William “Billy” Lyall, Scottish musician (Bay City Rollers), dies of AIDS-related causes at 36
• 1990 Jan Hendrik de Groot, Dutch co-founder of Vrij Nederland), dies at 89
• 1990 Robert Gordon, American child actor (billed as “Bobby” – The Jazz Singer; Mountains of Manhattan), and director (The Joe Louis Story), dies at 77

• 1991 Byron Webster, British-American actor (That Man Bolt), dies of AIDS at 58
• 1991 George Joseph Stigler, US economist (Nobel Prize, 1982), dies at 80
• 1993 Peter Wood, English session and touring rock keyboardist and songwriter (Sutherland Bros and Quiver; Al Stewart; Joan Armatrading; Lou Reed), dies of injuries from a fall at 43
• 1994 Bogumil Witalis Andrzejewski, Polish-British professor of Cushtic Languages, dies at 72
• 1995 Koos Schuur, Dutch writer, poet (Novemberland), translator, and editor (Het Woord), dies at 79
• 1995 Maxwell Thurman, American US Army General and chemical engineer, dies of leukemia at 64
• 1996 Babrak Karmal, Afghan politician (General Secretary 1979-86), dies at 67
• 1996 Irving Gordon, American songwriter (“Unforgettable”; “Me, Myself, And I”), dies of multiple myeloma cancer at 81
• 1996 Peter Bronfman, Canadian businessman (Edper Investments; co-owner of Montreal Canadiens, 1971-78; Labatt Brewing), dies of cancer at 67
• 1997 Denis G. Barrington, British artist, dies at 67
• 1997 Michel Bélanger, French Canadian businessman and banker (b. 1929)
• 1997 Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, dies at 89
• 1998 Albert de Klerk, Dutch organist, composer, and conductor, dies at 81
• 1998 Bertil Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Atalanta; Olympic gold 1948), dies at 81
• 1998 Freddie Young, British cinematographer (Lawrence of Arabia), dies at 96
• 1999 Gene Baker, American baseball infielder (MLB All-Star 1955; World Series 1960; Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 74
• 1999 William “Pop” Gates, American Basketball Hall of Fame guard and coach (Harlem Globetrotters “Legends” Ring 1995), dies at 82
• 2001 Ellis R. Dungan, American born Indian film director, dies at 92
• 2001 Michael Iovenko, American lawyer and president of the Legal Aid Society (1991-94), dies of a heart attack at 71
• 2002 Dave McNally, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1969-70, 72; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles), dies from lung cancer at 60
• 2003 Clark Kerr, first Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (b. 1911)
• 2003 Eugenio Monti, Italian bobsledder (2 x Olympic gold 2-man, 4-man 1968; World C’ships 9 x gold), dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 75
• 2004 Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands dies of lung cancer at 93
• 2005 Dai-Keong Lee, Hawaiian-American classical and theater composer, dies at 90
• 2005 Gust Avrakotos, American intelligence case officer (b. 1938)
• 2005 Jack Colvin, American actor (The Incredible Hulk, Child’s Play), dies at 71
• 2006 Bruce Trigger, Canadian archaeologist (McGill University) (b. 1937)
• 2006 Claude Jade, French actress (Stolen Kisses), dies at 58
• 2007 Anton Rodgers, British actor (May to December), dies at 74
• 2007 Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (That Woman & Other Verses), dies at 92
• 2007 Ken McGregor, Australian tennis player (Australian C’ship 1952), dies of stomach cancer at 78
• 2007 Sally L. Smith, American educator and founder (Lab School of Washington), dies at 78
• 2008 Joseph B. Wirthlin, American businessmen, religious leader, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), dies at 91
• 2008 Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (b. 1934)
• 2008 Paul Benedict, American actor (Harry-Jeffersons), dies at 70
• 2009 Éva Szörényi, Hungarian actress and freedom activist for Hungary, dies at 92
• 2009 Gustavo Adolfo Palma, Guatemalan singer (b. 1920)
• 2009 Ramses Shaffy, Dutch singer and cabaret actor (Zaak MP, Liefdesbekentenissen), dies at 76
• 2009 Tommy Henrich, American baseball utility (MLB All Star 1942, 1947–50; World Series 1938, 41, 47, 49, 51; NY Yankees), dies of a stroke at 96
• 2010 Alojz Srebotnjak, Slovenian composer, dies at 79
• 2010 Hillard Elkins, American theatre and film producer (b. 1929)
• 2011 Arthur Beetson, Australian rugby league front rower (29 Tests; Balmain, Easts, Parramatta; RL “Immortal”) and coach (2 Tests Australia, 16 games Queensland), dies of a heart attack at 66
• 2011 Christa Wolf, German writer in East Germany (Divided Heaven), dies at 82
• 2011 Ragnhild Hveger, Danish swimmer (Olympic silver 400m freestyle 1936; 44 world records 1938-56), dies at 90
• 2012 Galina Vishnevskaya, Russian soprano opera singer (Britten’s “War Requiem”), dies at 85
• 2012 Rick Majerus, American college basketball coach (5 × WAC Coach of the Year; Uni of Utah), dies of heart failure at 64
• 2013 Martin Sharp, Australian cartoonist, album cover artist songwriter (Cream), and filmmaker, dies of emphysema at 71
• 2013 Richard Coughlan, British progressive rock drummer and percussionist (Caravan – “In the Land of Grey and Pink”), dies of pneumonia at 66
• 2014 (Moisés) “Mario” Abramovich, Argentinian tango and classical violinist (Sexteto Major, 1974-2014), dies at 88
• 2015 Jim Loscutoff, American basketball forward (NBA champion: 1957, 59–64; Boston Celtics), dies from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia at 85
• 2016 Elisabeth Carron, American soprano (“The Saint of Bleecker Street”; New York City Opera, 1958-73), dies at 94
• 2016 Ousmane Sow, Senegalese sculptor, dies at 81
• 2018 Calvin Newborn, American R&B and jazz guitarist, dies at 85
• 2018 Kenneth “Ken” Berry, American actor (F Troop, Mayberry RFD, Mama’s Family), dies at 85
• 2019 Pat Sullivan, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1971, Auburn University; NFL: Atlanta Falcons) and coach (TUC, Samford), dies from cancer at 69
• 2019 Shelley Morrison, American actress (General Hospital, Will & Grace), dies at 83
• 2020 Arnie Robinson Jr., American athlete (Olympic gold long jump 1976; bronze 1972), dies from a brain tumor at 72
• 2020 Denis Menke, American baseball infielder (MLB All Star 1969, 70; Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 80
• 2020 Maria Itkina, Russian athlete (9 sprint world records, 60m-400m), dies at 88
• 2021 Alvin Lucier, American composer of experimental music (I Am Sitting In A Room; Music On A Long Thin Wire), educator, and music director, dies from complications of a fall at 90
• 2022 Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist (Olympic gold men’s road race 1956; World C’ship gold individual pursuit 1956; Giro d’Italia 1958), dies at 89

• 2022 Mylene Demongeot, French actress (3 Murderesses), dies at 87

• 2024 Ian Redpath, Australian cricket batsman (66 Tests, 8 x 100, HS 171; Victoria), dies at 83
• 2024 Terry Griffiths, Welsh snooker player (World pro champion 1979; World amateur champion 1975), dies at 77

December 1 Highlights