Famous Deaths on August 17

• 754 Karloman, abbot of Monte Cassino, dies at 39
• 1153 Eustace IV of Boulogne, son of Stephen of England (b. 1130)
• 1304 Go-Fukakusa, 89th Emperor of Japan (1246-60), dies at 61

• 1464 Nikolaus von Cusa, German theologist, mathematician and philosopher, dies
• 1510 Edmund Dudley, English treasurer and author (Tree of Commonwealth), beheaded for treason on orders of King Henry VIII
• 1510 Richard Empson, English treasurer, beheaded on orders of Henry VIII at 59 or 60
• 1553 Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1504-53), dies at 66
• 1635 Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna, dies at 48
• 1673 Regnier de Graaf, Dutch physician and anatomist, dies of possible suicide at 32
• 1676 Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, German writer (Simplicius Simplicissimus), dies
• 1681 Nikon [Nikita Minin], patriarch of Russian-orthodox church, dies at 76
• 1720 Anne Lefèvre Dacier, French scholar and translator of classical works (b. 1654)
• 1723 Joseph Bingham, English scholar (b. 1668)
• 1730 Mauritius Vogt, German composer, dies at 61
• 1731 Johann Augustin Kobelius, German Baroque composer, and kapellmeister, dies at 57
• 1768 Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky, Russian poet and pioneering literary critic, dies at 65

• 1777 Giuseppe Scarlatti, Italian composer, dies at 54
• 1785 Jonathan Trumbull, American politician and statesman during the American Revolutionary wars, Governor of Connecticut (1769-84), dies at 74

• 1792 Jan Jachym Kopriva, Czech composer and organist, dies at 38
• 1804 Barbara Heck, Irish born North American colonist, organized 1st Methodist church in US in NY, dies (b. 1734)
• 1834 Husein Gradaščević, Bosniak general, dies at 31
• 1838 Lorenzo Da Ponte [Emanuele Conegliano], Italian-American librettist (Don Giovanni; Cosi Fan Tutti), poet, and libertine priest, dies at 89

• 1861 Alcée Louis la Branche, American Politician (b. 1806)
• 1865 Johann Nepomuk Poissl, Bavarian composer, dies at 82
• 1865 Mosby Munroe Parsons, United States officer in the Mexican–American War and brigadier general of the Confederate States Army, dies in battle at 42
• 1875 Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (Father of Bantu Philology), dies at 48
• 1878 Richard Upjohn, English-born American architect (Gothic Revival), dies at 76
• 1880 Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer, dies at 70
• 1886 Aleksandr Mikhailovich Butlerov, Russian chemist who discovered hexamine in 1859, dies at 57
• 1886 Arthur Middleton Manigault, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 61
• 1887 Franz Commer, German composer, dies at 74
• 1888 James Jameson, Scottish heir to Jameson Whisky and explorer who paid for a 10 yr old girl to be eaten in the Congo, dies of a fever at 32
• 1889 Ernst Franck, German composer and conductor, dies at 42
• 1893 Aleksey Apukhtin, Russian poet (I See You, My Dear, In Dreams), writer, and civil servant, dies at 52 [NS=8/29]
• 1894 Charles L. Robinson, American politician (1st Governor of Kansas, 1861-63; Kansas Senate, 1873-81), dies at 76
• 1894 Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk, Dutch philologist (Tobasch’ Grammar), dies at 70
• 1896 Bridget Driscoll, 1st person in Great Britain to die in an auto-accident
• 1898 Carl Johann Adam Zeller, Austrian composer, dies at 56
• 1901 Edmond Audran, French composer, dies at 61
• 1909 Richard Hoffman, English-American composer, dies at 78
• 1914 James Grierson, British general, dies of an aneurism at 55
• 1915 Leo Frank, American convict, hanged in 1915 by a lynch mob in Georgia at 31
• 1916 Umberto Boccioni, Italian painter and sculptor (Unique Forms of Continuity in Space), dies in a military training mishap at 33
• 1920 Ray Chapman, American baseball shortstop (Cleveland Indians), dies after being hit in the head by a pitch from NY Yankees Carl Mays at 29
• 1924 Pavel Urysohn, Ukrainian mathematician, drowns at 26
• 1924 Tom Kendall, Australian cricket slow bowler (2 Tests, 14 wickets in Australia’s 1st 2 Tests, BB 7/55), dies at 72
• 1925 Ioan Slavici, Transylvanian-Romanian writer, founded the Young Romania Social and Literary Academic Society, dies at 77
• 1928 George Otto Trevelyan, British statesman and biographer, dies at 90
• 1929 Horace Alderman, American smuggler who murdered two coast guards and a secret service agent, hanged at 38
• 1935 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American feminist, writer and lecturer for social reform, dies at 75
• 1936 Pierre-Octave Ferroud, French composer (Sarabande; Jeunesse; Foules), dies in a car accident at 36
• 1940 Billy Fiske, US RAF pilot and 1st American serviceman killed in action in World War II, dies at 29
• 1944 John Trumble, Australian cricket all-rounder (7 Tests, 10 wickets; brother of Hugh), dies at 80
• 1945 Gino Marinuzzi, Sr., Italian opera conductor (Wagner; Puccini), and composer (Symphony in A), dies at 61
• 1945 Pater Bleijs [Louis], Dutch catholic priest and resistance fighter in WWII, dies in car accident at 39
• 1946 Channing Pollock, American playwright, screenwriter, and critic (The Evil Thereof, Fool), dies at 66
• 1948 Nico J. Polak, Dutch economist, dies at 60
• 1949 Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino jurist (48th Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court) and politician, dies at 57
• 1953 Bannister Fletcher, English architect and architectural historian (A History of Architecture), dies at 87
• 1953 Johannes Tielrooy, Dutch literary figure (French Living Lesson), dies at 66
• 1954 Billy Murray, Irish-American vaudeville and early recording popular music tenor, known as the ‘Denver Nightengale’ (“Shine On, Harvest Moon”), dies at 77
• 1955 Fernand Léger, French painter, sculptor and filmmaker, dies at 74
• 1958 Florent Schmitt, French composer (La tragédie de Salome; Psalm 47), and music critic (Le Temps), dies at 87
• 1961 Carlos Salzedo, French-American piano prodigy, harpist, composer, educator (Curtis Institue; Juilliard), and new music advocate (co-founder of International Composers’ Guild), dies at 76
• 1962 Peter Fechter, East German bricklayer who was shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall at 18
• 1963 Richard Barthelmess, American actor (Broken Blossoms, Noose, Heroes for Sales), dies of cancer at 68
• 1966 Archibald Palm, South African cricketer (Test South Africa v England 1927-28), dies at 65
• 1966 Ken Miles, British-American auto racer and engineer (USAC Road Racing C’ship 1961; 24 Hours of Daytona 1966), dies in practice accident at 47
• 1966 Michael Garrison, American TV producer (Crowded Sky), dies after a fall at 43
• 1969 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German-American architect (November Group), dies at 83
• 1969 Philip Blaiberg, South African dentist, third person to receive an artificial heart, dies after 19 days at 59
• 1970 Rattana Pestonji, Thai filmmaker and cinematographer (Tang), dies at 62
• 1971 Horace McMahon, American actor (Detective Story, Martin Kane Private Eye), dies from a heart ailment at 65
• 1971 Wilhelm List, German field marshal during World War II who was convicted of war crimes, dies at 91
• 1972 Alexander Vampilov, Russian playwright (Elder Son), drowns at 34
• 1972 Raymond Brulez, Belgian author (Schoone slaapster), dies at 76
• 1973 Conrad Aiken, American poet (Pulitzer Prize, US Poet Laureate 1950-52), dies at 74
• 1973 Jean Barraqué, French composer, dies at 44
• 1973 Paul Williams, American baritone singer and choreographer (The Temptations – “Cloud Nine”), commits suicide at 32
• 1974 Aldo Palazzeschi [Giurlani], Italian writer (I cavalli bianchi), dies at 89
• 1974 Edgar Dearing, American actor (Pollyanna, Abraham Lincoln, Free & Easy), dies at 81
• 1975 Sig Arno [Siegfried Aron], German-Jewish actor (Holiday in Havana, My Friend Irma), dies at 80
• 1975 Vladimir Kutz, Russian distance runner (Olympic gold 1956), dies at 48
• 1976 Murvyn Vye [Marvin], American actor (Road to Bali,; The Bob Cummings Show), dies of natural causes at 63
• 1976 William Redfield, American actor (Jimmy Hughes Rookie Cop, Marriage), dies of leukemia at 49
• 1977 Petros John Petridis, Greek composer (Isotope Suite), dies at 86
• 1979 Vivian Vance [Jones], American stage and screen actress (I Love Lucy – “Ethel Mertz”; The Lucy Show – “Viv”), dies of cancer at 70
• 1981 Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and arranger (Oklahoma!), dies at 87
• 1982 Barney Phillips [Bernard Philip Ofner], American actor (Dragnet, Felony Squad), dies from cancer at 68
• 1982 Ruth Voorst, South African (A World Apart), killed by letter bomb

• 1984 Hammie Nixon [Nickerson], American blues harmonica player (Sleepy John Estes), dies at 76
• 1984 Hollie Roffey, British youngest ever heart transplant, dies at 28 days
• 1987 Charles Drummond de Andrade, Brazilian poet (Claro Enigma), dies at 84
• 1987 Gary Chester [Cesario Gurciullo], Italian-American sessiondrummer (Monkees; Lovin’ Spoonful) and drum instructor, dies at 62

• 1987 Shaike Ophir, Israeli actor, comedian and Israel’s 1st mime (The Policeman; The Delta Force), dies of lung cancer at 57
• 1988 Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr, American politician and son of President Roosevelt (Rep-D-NY, 1949-55), dies on his 74th birthday
• 1988 Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani military officer and President of Pakistan (1978-88), dies in plane crash at 64
• 1988 Victoria Shaw, Australian-American actress (Alvarez Kelly, Westworld), dies at 53
• 1989 Harry Corbett, English puppeteer (Sooty), TV presenter and magician, dies at 71
• 1990 Pearl Bailey, American Tony and Emmy Award-winning stage and screen actress, singer and dancer (Hello, Dolly!), dies of a heart attack at 72
• 1990 Roderick Cook, English actor (Rockabye), dies of apparent heart attack at 58
• 1991 Donald “Don” Dubbins, American actor (From Here to Eternity, The Caine Mutiny), dies of cancer at 63
• 1991 Leo Geerts [Marcel van der Linden], Belgian writer and critic, dies at 56
• 1991 Mervyn Nelson, American stage director (Some of My Best Friends Are…), dies at 76
• 1992 Andre de Villiers, South African farmer and ANC informant, murdered at 42
• 1992 Barbara Morgan, American photographer (Martha Graham), dies at 92
• 1992 Tommy Nutter, English fashion designer (bell bottom pants), dies of AIDS at 49
• 1993 Feng Kang, Chinese mathematician known for his work in computational mathematics, dies at 72
• 1993 Johnny Sayles, American soul singer (“I Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love”), dies of a heart attack at 56
• 1993 Phil Seymour, American rock and power pop musician, singer, and songwriter (The Dwight Twilley Band), dies of lymphoma at 41
• 1993 Robert C Maynard, American journalist (Oakland Tribune), dies at 56
• 1994 Jack Sharkey, American boxer (NYSAC, NBA and lineal heavyweight champion 1932-33), dies at 91
• 1995 “Wild Bill” Davis, American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger, dies at 76
• 1995 David Warrilow, English actor (Simon, Radio Days, Barton Fink), dies at 60
• 1995 Howard Koch, American playwright and screenwriter, dies at 92
• 1995 Marjorie Sykes, British educator, peace activist, and Indian independence campaigner, dies at 90
• 1995 Ted Whitten, Australian rules footballer, dies at 62
• 1996 Edward Digby Baltzell, American Ivy League sociologist (coined term WASP), dies at 80
• 1996 Eric Evans, English dean of St Paul’s, dies at 68
• 1998 Tadeusz Slusarski, Polish track and field athlete (b. 1950)
• 1998 Wladyslaw Komar, Polish athlete (Olympic gold shot put 1972) and actor, dies in a car crash at 58
• 1999 Reiner Klimke, German equestrian (Olympic gold 1984), dies of a heart attack at 63
• 2000 Robert Gilruth, American aviation and space pioneer (NASA Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, 1961-74), dies at 86
• 2001 Flip Phillips [Joseph Filippelli], American jazz and swing tenor saxophonist and clarinet player (Jazz at the Philharmonic; Woody Herman), dies at 86
• 2004 D-Roc the Executioner [Dennis Miles], American heavy metal musician (Body Count), dies of complications of lymphoma at 44
• 2004 Gérard Souzay, French baritone, dies at 85
• 2004 Thea Astley, Australian novelist and short-story writer, dies at 78
• 2005 John Bahcall, American astrophysicist (b. 1934)
• 2005 John Norris Bahcall, American astrophysicist (Standard Solar Model), dies from a rare blood disorder at 70 [1] [2]
• 2007 Alison Plowden, English historian known for her Tudor histories, dies at 75
• 2007 Bill Deedes [William Francis Deedes], British politician, journalist, and editor of The Daily Telegraph (1974-86), dies at 94 [1]
• 2008 Franco Sensi, Italian oil tycoon and president of A.S. Roma, dies at 82
• 2008 František Zvarík, Slovakian stage actor (Slovak National Theatre), dies at 87
• 2009 Grazyna Miller, Polish-Italian poet, translator, and journalist (Italian translation of “Roman Triptych”), dies at 52 [1] [2]
• 2010 Edwin Morgan, Scottish poet (At Eighty), dies at 90
• 2010 Francesco Cossiga, Italian politician and 8th President of the Italian Republic (1985-92), dies at 82
• 2012 Lou Martin, Northern Irish rock and blues piano and organ player (Killing Floor; Rory Gallagher), dies of cancer at 63
• 2012 Patrick Ricard, French businessman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, dies from cardiac arrest at 67
• 2013 John Hollander, American poet and literary critic, dies at 83
• 2014 Caterina De Nave, New Zealand television producer (Shortland Street), dies of leukaemia at 67
• 2015 Arsen Dedić, Croatian singer-songwriter and poet, dies at 77
• 2015 Jan Fotek, Polish composer (Musica Cromatica), dies at 76
• 2015 Yvonne Craig, American actress (Batgirl), dies at 78
• 2016 Arthur Hiller, Canadian director (Love Story), dies at 92
• 2020 Boyd Grant, American college basketball coach (PCAA Coach of the Year 1978, 81, 82; Fresno State, Colorado State), dies from a stroke at 87
• 2020 Savvas Theodoridis, Greek soccer goalkeeper (12 caps; Olympiacos), dies at 85
• 2021 Sheila Bromberg, British orchestral and session harpist (The Beatles – “She’s Leaving Home”; Heatwave -“Boogie Nights”), dies at 92
• 2022 Josephine Tewson, British actress (Keeping Up Appearances; Last Of The Summer Wine, 2003-10), dies at 91
• 2023 Bobby Eli [Eli Tatarsky], American session and touring guitarist (Philadelphia International Records; Sigma Sound; Salsoul Orchestra), songwriter, and producer, dies at 77 [1]
• 2023 Gabriella Kotsis, Hungarian Volleyball HOF coach (Hungary Olympics 1972, 76, 80), dies at 95
• 2023 Gary Young, American rock drummer (Pavement), dies at 70
• 2023 Gudrun Pflüger, Austrian mountain runner (World C’ship gold 1992, 94, 95, 96), dies at 50
• 2023 Guillermo Timoner, Spanish cyclist (UCI Motor-paced World C’ships 1955, 59, 60, 62, 64, 65), dies at 97
• 2023 John Devitt, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 4x200m freestyle relay 1956, 100m freestyle 1960; silver 100m freestyle 1956; International Swimming HOF), dies at 86
• 2023 Miroslav Bošković, Serbian soccer defender (6 caps Yugoslavia; Hajduk Split, FK Partizan, Angers SCO), dies at 76
• 2023 Rick Jeanneret, Canadian Hockey HOF broadcaster (Buffalo Sabres Hockey Network 1972–2022), dies from multiple organ failure at 81
• 2024 Hans Eijkenbroek, Dutch soccer midfielder (18 caps; Sparta 299 games) and manager (Roda JC, AZ ’67, Haarlem), dies at 84

August 17 Highlights