Famous Deaths on July 12

• 783 Bertrada of Laon, Frankish queen sometimes referred to as “Bertha Broadfoot”, and mother of Charlemange the Great, dies
• 1073 Johannes Gualbertus, Italian monk/saint, dies
• 1429 Jean de Gerson, French theologian (Theologica mystic), dies at 65

• 1441 Ashikaga Yoshinori, 6th Japanese shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate (1428-41), assassinated during an evening play by the Akamatsu family at 47
• 1450 Jack Cade who led a revolt against English King Henry VI is captured and mortally wounded in Sussex. His head later erected on a pole on London Bridge.

• 1545 Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal and consort of Spanish crown prince Philip of Asturias, dies of a haemorrhage after giving birth at 17
• 1575 Renée of France, duchess of Ferrara and daughter of French King Louis XII, dies at 63
• 1584 Steven Borough, English explorer, dies at 58
• 1633 Simon Besler, German composer, dies at 49
• 1640 Henry Casimir I, count of Nassau-Dietz, dies
• 1664 Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker (b. 1610)
• 1682 Jean Picard, French astronomer, dies at 61
• 1693 John Ashby, English admiral
• 1708 William of Nassau de Zuylenstein, Earl of Rochford, Dutch soldier and diplomat, dies

• 1742 Evaristo Felice dall’Abaco, Italian cellist and composer, dies on 67th birthday
• 1749 Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois, Governor of New France
• 1751 Tokugawa Yoshimune, 8th Japanese shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate (1716-45), dies at 66
• 1773 Johann Joachim Quantz, German royal flautist and composer, dies at 76

• 1835 David Douglas, Scottish botanist (Douglas fir), dies from falling in to a pit trap while surveying Mauna Kea in Hawaiʻi at 35
• 1845 Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet (Creation, Humanity, and Messiah) and author, dies at 37
• 1849 Dolley Madison, American 4th First Lady Of The United States (1809-17) as wife of President James Madison, dies at 81 [1]
• 1850 Robert Stevenson, Scottish civil engineer (Bell Rock Lighthouse, Scotland), dies at 78
• 1874 Fritz Reuter, German novelist, dies at 63
• 1882 Alfred Pease, American composer, dies at 44
• 1883 Hermann Zopff, German composer, dies at 57
• 1886 Ferdinand Berthier, French deaf educator (founder of the Société Centrale des Sourds-muets), dies at 82

• 1892 Cyrus West Field, American financier noted for success of 1st transatlantic cable, dies at 72
• 1897 Félix Godefroid, Belgian harpist and composer, dies at 78
• 1898 Paul Voulet, French captain/mass murderer in Senegal, dies
• 1899 Mauritius Adriaan de Savornin Lohman, Dutch Governor of Suriname (1889-91), dies at 67
• 1902 Pieter Caland, Dutch hydraulic engineer (New Waterway), dies at 74
• 1906 Henrique Alves de Mesquita, Brazilian composer, conductor and educator, dies at 70

• 1917 François Fournier, Swiss-French postage stamp forger, dies at 71
• 1918 Dragutin Lerman, Croatian explorer, dies at 54
• 1918 William McComb, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 89
• 1926 Charles Wood, Irish composer, dies at 40

• 1929 Robert Henri, American painter (The Eight) and leader of Ashcan school of painting, dies at 63
• 1934 Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American industrialist and inventor (outboard marine engine), dies at 57

• 1945 Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician and engineer known for the Galerkin method, dies at 74
• 1945 Wolfram von Richthofen, German-Nazi military officer (fighter pilot – WWI; Chief of Staff -Spanish civil war; Luftwaffe field marshal – WWII), dies as a prisoner of war in an army hospital of a brain tumor at 49
• 1946 Ray Stannard Baker, American journalist (Puliter Prize 1940), dies at 76
• 1947 Jimmie Lunceford, American swing jazz saxophonist and bandleader (Rhythm Is Our Business; For Dancers Only), dies of a heart attack at 45 [1] [2]
• 1949 Douglas Hyde, Irish politician, President of Ireland (1938-45), co-founder of the Gaelic League, dies at 89
• 1950 Elsie de Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (b. 1865)
• 1953 Joseph Jongen, Belgian organist and composer (Symphonie concertante, Op. 81), dies at 79 [1]
• 1956 Maurice Lippens, Belgian governor of Congo (1921-23), dies at 80
• 1961 Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (b. 1879)
• 1962 Roger Wolfe Kahn, American bandleader (“I’m Sitting On Top Of The World”), and aviator, dies of a heart attack at 54
• 1964 William Solomon, South African cricketer (Test 1898-99), dies
• 1966 D. T. Suzuki, Zen Japanese-American Buddhist scholar, dies in Tokyo, Japan at 96
• 1973 Lon Chaney Jr [Creighton Tull Chaney], American actor (Of Mice and Men; The Wolfman), dies of heart failure at 67
• 1974 Georg Annenkov, Russian-French artist and stage and film set designer (‘The Mutiny of the Machines’), dies at 84
• 1975 Carl Snavely, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Bucknell, North Carolina, Cornell 180–96–16), dies at 80
• 1976 Ted Mack, American TV host (The Original Amateur Hour), dies at 72
• 1977 Ed Holmes, actor (Growing Paynes, Once Upon a Tune), dies at 66
• 1977 Frantisek Suchy, Czech oboist and composer (Moravian Wind Quintet), dies at 75
• 1979 Carmine Galante, American Mafia chieftain of the Bonanno New York crime family, assassinated by the Mafia commission at 69 [1]
• 1979 Kalervo Tuukkanen, Finnish composer, dies at 69
• 1979 Minnie Ripperton [Andrea Davis], American pop, R&B, and disco singer-songwriter (“Lovin’ You”), dies of breast cancer at 31
• 1980 John W Davis, President (WV State college), dies at 92
• 1981 Ben Seijes, historian (WWII), dies at 73
• 1981 Merrill Ellis, American classical and experimental music composer, and performer (Kaleidoscope; Mutations), dies at 64
• 1982 Kenneth More, British actor (39 Steps, Doctor in the House), dies of Parkinson’s disease at 67
• 1983 Chris Wood, British rock saxophone and flute player (Traffic; Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Jimi Hendrix), dies of pneumonia at 39
• 1983 Edwin Denby, American dance critic and poet (Snoring in N, Horse Eats Hat), dies at 80
• 1988 Joshua Logan, Broadway producer (South Pacific), dies at 79 of palsy
• 1988 Julian Trevelyan, English Surrealist painter and collage maker, dies at 78
• 1988 Raymond W Goldsmith, US economist, dies at 83
• 1989 Sidney Hook, American philosopher (The Paradoxes of Freedom), dies at 86
• 1990 João Saldanha, Brazilian journalist and football manager (Brazil 1969-70), dies at 73
• 1990 Richard R Briggs, dies after short illness at 71
• 1992 Carla van Neste, Belgian classical violinist (Trio Reine Elisabeth), dies at 78
• 1992 Reginald Beck, English film editor (Robbery, Accident, Boom), dies
• 1993 Dan Eldon, British-Kenyan photojournalist, killed in Somalia while working for Reuters at 22
• 1993 Gusti Huber, Austrian American actress, (The Diary of Anne Frank), dies of heart failure at 78
• 1993 Lily van Lugt Melsert, Dutch actress (Tomorrow Will Be Better), dies at 91
• 1994 David Malcolm Lewis, English historian, expert in Greek Epigraphy, dies at 56
• 1994 Henk Terlingen, Dutch radio and TV host (Sport in Image), dies at 52
• 1994 James Bysse Joll, British historian, dies at 76
• 1995 Alan David Marks, American concert pianist, dies of cancer at 49
• 1995 Earl Coleman, American jazz singer, dies of cardiac arrest at 69
• 1995 Ernie Furtado, American jazz double-bassist, dies at 72
• 1995 Michael Clegg, English naturalist and TV presenter (Clegg’s People), dies at 62
• 1996 (Andrew) Rodger Waterson, Scottish zoologist, specializing in malacology (mollusks) and entomology (insects), dies at 84
• 1996 Gottfried von Einem, Austrian composer, mainly of opera (Der Prozeß – The Trial), dies at 78
• 1996 John Boon, English publisher (MiIls and Boon), dies at 79
• 1996 John Chancellor, American journalist and news anchor (Voice Of America, 1965-67; NBC Nightly News, 1970-82), dies at 68
• 1996 Jonathan Melvoin, American funk-rock keyboardist (Prince; Smashing Pumpkins, 1995-96), dies of a heroin overdose at 34
• 1996 Nazar Mohammad, Pakistani cricket batsman (5 Tests, 1 x 100 Pakistan’s 1st centurion), dies at 75
• 1998 Jimmy Driftwood, American folk songwriter and musician, dies at 91
• 1998 Serge Lemoyne, French Canadian artist (b. 1941)
• 1999 Bill Flett, Canadian NHL and WHA hockey forward, 1967-80 (Stanley Cup, 1974, 1975 – Philadelphia Flyers, and 3 other teams), dies of liver failure at 55
• 1999 Bill Owen [William Owen Rowbotham], British actor (Last of the Summer Wine, Not So Dusty), dies from pancreatic cancer at 85
• 2000 Charles Merritt, Canadian Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War II, dies at 98
• 2000 Merrill Bradshaw, American composer, and music professor (Brigham Young, 1957-94), dies at 71

• 2003 (Bennett) “Benny” Carter, American Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, arranger, composer (“Harlem Renaissance Suite”), and bandleader, dies at 93
• 2004 Betty Oliphant, co-founder of National Ballet of Canada (b. 1918)
• 2004 Jean Ruth Adams, American entomologist (insect pathogens and viruses), dies at 75 or 76
• 2005 John King, Baron King of Wartnaby, British businessman and CEO of British Airways after its privatization, dies at 87
• 2006 Hubert Lampo, Flemish writer and essayist (The Coming of Joachim Stiller), dies at 85
• 2007 Mr. Butch, Iconic Boston street figure (b. 1951)
• 2007 Robert Burås, Norwegian rock guitarist (Madrugada; My Midnight Creeps), dies at 31
• 2007 Stan Zemanek, Australian radio personality (b.1947)

• 2008 Tony Snow, former speechwriter for Presidents George H. W. Bush and press secretary for George W. Bush, dies of colon and liver cancer at 53
• 2009 Donald MacCormick, British broadcaster, dies at 70
• 2009 Simon Vinkenoog, Dutch writer and poet, dies at 80
• 2010 Buff Cobb [Patrizia Cobb Chapman], American actress and TV personality (Masquerade Party), dies at 82
• 2010 Harvey Pekar, American comic book writer (American Splendor), dies at 70
• 2010 James P. Hogan, British sci-fi author (Giants’ Star), dies at 69
• 2010 Paulo Moura, Brazilian jazz and swing clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 77
• 2011 David Carr, British rock keyboardist (The Fortunes, 1963-68 – “You’ve Got Your Troubles”; “Here It Comes Again”), dies at 67
• 2011 Sam Denoff, American screenwriter (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and television producer (That Girl), dies from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at 83 [1]
• 2011 Sherwood Schwartz, American television screenwriter and producer (The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island), dies at 94
• 2012 Alimuddin, Pakistani cricket batsman (25 Tests, 2 x 100s, 7 x 50s; Rajputana, Karachi), dies at 81
• 2013 Alan Whicker, British journalist and TV broadcaster (Whicker’s World), dies at 91
• 2013 Amar Bose, American electrical engineer, academic (M.I.T.), sound engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur (Bose Corporation), dies at 83
• 2013 Pran Krishan Sikand, Indian actor often cast as the villain in Hindi cinema (Khandaan, Be-Imaan), dies of pneumonia at 93
• 2014 Kenneth J. Gray, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1955-74, 85-89), dies at 89
• 2014 Pat Costello Jr., American rower (Olympics, 1952, silver – 1956), dies at 85
• 2016 Gregg Smith, American choral conductor and composer, dies at 84
• 2017 (Charles) “Chuck” Blazer, American soccer administrator, dies from colorectal cancer at 72
• 2017 Ray Phiri, South African jazz and mbaqanga guitarist (Paul Simon; Stimela), dies of cancer at 70
• 2017 Scharlette Holdman, American death penalty mitigation specialist, dies at 70
• 2017 Tommy Carberry, Irish jockey (Grand National 1975, Cheltenham Gold Cup 1970, 71 [L’Escargot]) and trainer (Grand National 1999 [Bobbyjo]), dies from a stroke at 75
• 2018 Len Chappell, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1964 NY Knicks; All-American 1962 Wake Forest Uni), dies of stroke & pneumonia at 77
• 2018 Robert Wolders, Dutch actor (Erik Hunter-Laredo), dies at 81
• 2018 Tom Gallagher, American diplomat, gay activist, and 1st Foreign Service officer to publicly come out in 1976, dies at 77
• 2018 Wibo van de Linde, Dutch TV host, director, and screenwriter (Avro), dies at 79
• 2019 Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and bandleader, dies at 91
• 2020 Judy Dyble, British folk singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention), dies of lung cancer at 71
• 2020 Kelly Preston, American actress (Mischief, Twins, A Tigers Tale), dies of breast cancer at 57
• 2020 Lajos Szűcs, Hungarian soccer defender (37 caps; Ferencváros, Honvéd FC; Hungarian Footballer of the Year 1976; Olympic gold 1968), dies at 76
• 2020 Rod Bernard, American “swamp pop” singer (“Allons Danser Colinda”), dies at 79 [1]
• 2020 Wim Suurbier, Dutch soccer right back (60 caps; Ajax 392 games) and manager (LA Heat, TB Rowdies), dies of a cerebral haemorrhage at 75
• 2021 Edwin Edwards, American politician (Governor of Louisiana 1992-96), dies at 93
• 2021 John L. Rotz, American thoroughbred jockey (Preakness Stakes 1962; Belmont Stakes 1970; Racing Hall of Fame 1983), dies at 86
• 2021 Paul Orndorff, American pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame 2005; WCW World Tag Team C’ship [Paul Roma] 1995; “Mr Wonderful”), dies at 71
• 2022 Bramwell Tovey, British conductor (Vancouver Symphony, 2000-18; NY Philharmonic Summer Series, 2004-14), and composer (Stream of Limelight), dies of sarcoma at 69
• 2022 George Esson, Scottish Chief Constable who headed the police investigation into the Lockerbie Bombing, dies at 80
• 2022 Jan Wijn, Dutch classical pianist and pedagogue, dies at 88
• 2023 André Watts, American-Hungarian concert pianist, and educator, dies of prostate cancer at 77 [1] [2]
• 2024 (Antonia) “Tonke” Dragt, Dutch children’s author (Towers of February), dies at 93
• 2024 Evan Wright, American reporter and author (Generation Kill), commits suicide at 59
• 2024 Khalid “Billy” Ibadulla, Pakistani cricket batsman (4 Tests; 1 x 100, HS 166; Warwickshire, Otago) and broadcaster (TVNZ), dies at 88
• 2024 Ruth Westheimer (née Karola Ruth Siegel) German-American sex therapist and media personality (Dr Ruth), dies at 96 [1]

July 12 Highlights