Famous Deaths on October 17

• 532 Boniface II, 1st “German” Pope, dies
• 1174 Queen Petronila of Aragon (b. 1135)
• 1529 Krishnadevaraya, Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (1509-29), 3rd ruler of the Tuluva dynasty, and one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, dies at 58
• 1552 Andreas Osiander, German Protestant Reformation theologist, dies at 53
• 1586 Philip Sidney, English Elizabethan era poet (Arcadia) and soldier, dies in battle at 32
• 1616 John Pitts, Catholic scholar and writer. (b. 1560)
• 1638 Gilles Claesz de Hondecoeter, Flemish (?) painter, buried at about 63
• 1660 Adrian Scrope, English regicide (b. 1601)
• 1673 Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English statesman (Member of Parliament, 1660-73). dies of suspected suicide at 43
• 1702 Walrad, Dutch Prince of Nassau-Usingen, and field marshal (for William III of Orange), dies at 67
• 1705 Anne “Ninon” de l’Enclos, French patron of the arts, courtesan and writer, dies at 84
• 1757 René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French scientist and entomologist, dies at 74
• 1763 Arnold Hoogvliet, Dutch poet (Abraham the patriarch), dies at 76
• 1776 Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian, dies at 94
• 1780 William Cookworthy, English chemist, dies at 75
• 1786 Johann Ludwig Aberli, Swiss artist (b. 1723)
• 1806 Jean Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti, dies
• 1825 Peter Winter, German composer, dies at 71
• 1836 Orest Kiprensky, leading Russian portrait painter in the Age of Romanticism, dies from pneumonia at 54
• 1837 Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian composer, dies at 58

• 1859 John Henrie Kagi, American abolitionist, John Brown’s deputy during the raid on Harper’s Ferry, shot and killed during the raid at 24

• 1887 Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist (spectroscopy, coined “black body” radiation), dies at 63
• 1889 N.G. [Nikolay Gavrilovich] Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher (What Is to Be Done?), dies at 61
• 1890 Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton, French composer, dies at 77
• 1897 Isidor Dannström, Swedish composer, dies at 84
• 1901 George Godfrey, Canadian boxer (“Old Chocolate” – World Colored Heavyweight Champion 1883-88), dies of tuberculosis at 48
• 1904 Nikolai Amani, Russian composer, dies at 32
• 1909 Nicola Spinelli, Italian composer, dies at 44
• 1910 Julia Ward Howe, American poet (Battle Hymn of the Republic), author, abolitionist, and women’s suffragist, dies of pneumonia at 91
• 1910 Sergey Muromtsev, Russian lawyer, politician and President of the First Imperial Duma, dies at 60
• 1910 William V Moody, American poet (Sabine Woman, Great Divide), dies
• 1918 Gordon White, cricketer (WW I Superb South African batsman 1905-12), dies
• 1921 Katherine Griffith [Kiernan], American actress (Pollyanna, Fast Company), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 45
• 1921 Yaa Asantewaa, Ghanaian queen of Ashanti Empire, led fight against British colonialism, dies at 80 or 81
• 1931 Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist, dies at 47
• 1932 Jane Poupelet, French sculptor and graphic artist (la bande à Schnegg), dies at 58
• 1934 Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish histologist (central nervous system) and neuroscientist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1906), dies at 82
• 1940 George Davis, American Baseball HOF shortstop and manager (New York Giants; World Series 1906 Chicago WS), dies at 70
• 1941 John S Plaskett, Canadian astronomer (Plaskett’s twins), dies
• 1943 Stefan Starzyński, Polish politician (b. 1893)
• 1944 Pavel Haas, Czech Jewish composer, murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp at 45 (b. 1899)
• 1956 Anne Crawford, British film actress (Knights of the Round Table), dies of leukemia at 35
• 1957 Henny Eman, Aruban politician who founded the Aruban People’s Party, dies at 70
• 1958 Charlie Townsend, English cricketer (2 Tests for England 1899), dies at 81
• 1958 Paul Outerbridge, American photographer, dies at 63
• 1962 (Henry) “Rubberlegs” Williams, American vaudeville dancer, and blues and jazz singer, dies at 55
• 1962 Natalia Goncharova, Russian avant-garde artist and painter, dies at 81
• 1963 Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician (proved the prime number theorem), dies at 97
• 1964 Pierre Brissaud, French Art Deco illustrator, dies at 78
• 1965 Bart King, American cricket pioneer (North America’s greatest all-rounder; helped develop art of swing bowling), dies at 91
• 1966 Soledad Jiménez, Spanish actress (Kid Galahad, The Phantom of the Range), dies at 92
• 1966 Wieland Wagner, German opera director, co-director of the Bayreuth Festival and grandson of Richard Wagner, dies of cancer at 49

• 1970 Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist and politician, kidnapped and killed by Front de libération du Québec while Vice-Premier of Quebec at 49
• 1970 Vola Vale, American actress (b. 1897)
• 1972 George, Crown Prince of Serbia, eldest son of King Peter I, dies at 85
• 1972 Walter “Turk” Broda, Canadian ice hockey goaltender, 5x Stanley Cup, 2x Vezina Trophy (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1935-51), dies of a heart attack at 58
• 1973 Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian author and poet (Gott von Manhattan), dies at 47
• 1974 René de Rooy, Surinamese and Antillean poet (Juancho Picaflor), dies of a heart attack at 57
• 1975 Vittorio Gui, Italian conductor and composer (Batture d’aspetto), dies at 90
• 1977 Cal Hubbard, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1936-51) and Pro/College Football HOF tackle (4 × NFL C’ship 1927, 29–31; 4 × First-team All-Pro; NY Giants, GB Packers), dies of cancer at 77
• 1979 John Stuart, Scottish actor (Kittie, Superman, Number Seventeen), dies at 81
• 1979 Karel Reiner, Czech pianist, composer, and Theresienstadt concentration camp survivor, dies at 69
• 1979 S J Perelman, American author, humorist and screenwriter (The New Yorker, Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 75
• 1981 David Guion, American pianist, composer, and cowboy, dies at 88
• 1982 Alain de Rothschild, French banker (Banque Rothschild), dies at 72
• 1982 Peterus van Doorne, Dutch industrialist, dies at 47
• 1983 Pol le Roy, Flemish writer (Stroom) and WWII collaborator, dies at 78
• 1983 Raymond Aron, French sociologist and political scientist (The Opium of the Intellectuals), dies at 78
• 1984 Alberta Hunter, American blues singer and composer, dies at 89
• 1985 Joseph Rosenstock, American conductor (NY City Opera), dies at 90
• 1987 Abdul Malek Ukil, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1925)
• 1987 Roderich Menzel, Czech tennis player (French Open singles 1938 runner-up; US Open mixed doubles 1935 runner-up), dies at 80
• 1987 Ruby Dandridge [Ruby Jean Butler], American actress (Father of the Bride), dies at 87
• 1991 “Tennessee” Ernie Ford, American country music singer (“Sixteen Tons”), and actor (I Love Lucy; The Ford Show), dies of liver disease at 72
• 1991 J. G. Devlin, Northern Irish actor (No Surrender), dies at 84
• 1991 Piet van Est, The Vuurbal, cyclist (7x Tour de France), dies at 57
• 1992 Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, politician, and ‘National Hero,’ dies at 80
• 1992 Ton Hasebos, cameraman/TV director (Gnome Hasebos), dies
• 1993 Criss Oliva, American musician (Savatage), dies at 30
• 1993 Frank J Del Giudice, US industrial designer (Boeing 747), dies at 77
• 1993 Helmut Gollwitzer, German anti-Nazi theologian and pacifist, dies at 84 [1]
• 1993 Wim van Dooren, theologist/humanist/philosopher, dies
• 1994 Barbara Grigor, Scottish filmmaker and art entrepreneur, dies at 50
• 1994 Dmitri Cholodov, Russian journalist, murdered at 27
• 1994 Gus Risman, Welsh rugby league centre, fullback (18 Tests Wales, 17 Great Britain, 1 England; Salford RLFC, Workington Town RLFC) and coach (Bradford Northern, Salford, Workington Town), dies at 83
• 1994 Ralph Hill, American athlete (Olympic silver 5,000m 1932; same time as winner Lauri Lehtinen), dies at 85
• 1994 Rik van Bentum, painter/art director of Paradiso, dies at 57
• 1995 Peter Bingham Hinchcliff, British-South African Anglican priest and church historian (1 Sided Reciprocity), dies at 66
• 1996 Berthold Goldschmidt, German-British opera composer (Beatrice Cenci), dies at 93
• 1996 Christopher Acland, English drummer (Lush), takes his own life at 30
• 1997 Paul Edwin Zimmer, American sci-fi writer (Dark Border series), dies of a heart attack at 54
• 1998 Hakim Mohammed Said, Pakistani scholar and philanthropist
• 1998 Joan Hickson, British actress (b. 1906)
• 1999 Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American mathematician, physicist and computer scientist, dies at 84
• 1999 Ralph Grey, Baron Grey of Naunton, Governor of Northern Ireland (1968-73), dies at 89
• 2000 Leo Nomellini, American College/Pro Football HOF defensive tackle (Uni of Minnesota; 6×First-team All-Pro; 10×Pro Bowl; NFL 1950s All-Decade Team; SF 49ers), dies of a stroke at 76
• 2001 Jay Livingston, American Academy Award-winning composer and songwriter (chiefly with Ray Evans – “Que Será, Será”, “Silver Bells”; “Mona Lisa”; “Tammy”, theme to “Mr. Ed”), dies at 86 [1]
• 2001 Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete (Olympic gold shot put, discus; bronze high jump 1948), dies at 78
• 2001 Rehavam Zeevi, Israeli politician (b. 1926)
• 2002 (George) Derek Bell, Northern Irish harpist, pianist, oboist, musicologist, and composer (The Chieftans; “Three Images of Ireland in Druid Times”), dies of a heart attack at 66 [1]
• 2002 Aileen Riggin, American diver (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1920, 24), dies at 96
• 2002 Fred Scolari, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1952, 53; Washington Capitols; Baltimore Bullets), dies at 80
• 2003 Janice Rule, American actress (Alvarez Kelly, Doctor’s Wife), dies at 72
• 2004 Uzi Hitman, Israeli pop singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality, dies of a heart attack at 22)
• 2005 Ba Jin, Chinese writer and anarchist (The Family), dies at 100
• 2005 Franky Gee, European techno artist (b. 1962)
• 2006 Christopher Glenn, American newscaster (b. 1938)
• 2006 Daniel Emilfork, French actor (b. 1924)
• 2007 Joey Bishop [Gottlieb], American TV talk show host (Joey Bishop Show) and member of the “Rat Pack” group of entertainers, dies at 89
• 2007 Robert A. Young, American politician (Rep-D-MO, 1977-87), dies at 83
• 2007 Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer (Put Another Nickel In), dies at 76
• 2008 Ben Weider, Canadian businessman and author (The Murder of Napoleon), dies at 85
• 2008 Levi Stubbs [Stubbles], American baritone singer (The Four Tops – “It’s the Same Old Song”; “Standing In The Shadows of Love”), dies at 72
• 2009 Louis Stevens, American engineer (invented magnetic disk storage for IBM 305 RAMAC), dies at 84 [1]
• 2009 Vic Mizzy, American composer (“Green Acres” and “The Addams Family” themes), and bandleader, dies at 93
• 2011 Carl Lindner, Jr., Cincinnati businessman and one of the world’s richest people (b. 1919)
• 2012 Stanford Robert Ovshinsky, American inventor and scientist (nickel-metal hydride battery), dies from prostate cancer at 89 [1]
• 2012 Sylvia Kristel, Dutch actress known for the Emmanuel films, dies from throat and liver cancer at 60
• 2015 Danièle Delorme [Gabrielle Girard], French actress (Pardon My Affair), dies at 89
• 2015 Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), dies at 69
• 2016 Eddie Applegate, American actor (The Patty Duke Show – “Richard”), dies at 81
• 2017 Danielle Darrieux, French stage and screen actress (Alexander the Great; Mayerling; 8 Women), dies due to injuries from a fall at 100
• 2017 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), dies of glioblastoma at 53
• 2017 Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95
• 2017 Julian May, American sci-fi author (Golden Torc, Magnificat), dies at 86
• 2019 Alicia Alonso, Cuban ballerina and founder of the National Ballet of Cuba, dies at 98
• 2019 Elijah Cummings, American politician (Rep-Maryland (D) 1996-2019), dies at 68
• 2019 Márta Kurtág [née Kinsker], Hungarian classical pianist, dies at 92
• 2019 Michael Bowen, British clergyman (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark. 1977-2003; Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, 1971–77), dies at 89
• 2022 Carmen Callil, Australian publisher working in the UK (Virago Press), dies at 84
• 2022 Michael Ponti, German pianist (Boston Competition 1964), dies at 84
• 2023 Aurèle Vandendriessche, Belgian marathon runner, dies at 91
• 2023 Carla Bley [Lovella Borg], American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer (Escalator Over The Hill; Fictitious Sports), dies of brain cancer at 87 [1]
• 2024 (Andrzej) “Andrew” Schally, Polish-American endocrinologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1977), and cancer researcher, dies at 97 [1]
• 2024 Mitzi Gaynor [Francesca von Gerber], American actress, singer, and dancer (Anything Goes; South Pacific), dies at 93 [1]

October 17 Highlights