Famous Deaths on August 2

• 257 St Stephen I, bishop of Rome (Pope) (254-57) and heretic fighter, dies
• 640 Severinus, Italian Pope (640), dies
• 686 Pope John V, 1st Greek-Syrian Pope (685-86), dies

• 924 Ælfweard of Wessex, briefly King of the Anglo-Saxons
• 1002 Almanzor [Abu Amir Mohammed ibn Abd allah ibn Mohammed ibn Abi Amir], Arab general and chancellor of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba dies at 64
• 1075 John VIII Xiphilinus, theologian and patriarch of Constantinople, dies
• 1100 William II [William Rufus], King of England (1087-1100), killed by an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrell while hunting in the New Forest at 44
• 1222 Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (1194-1222), dies at 65
• 1511 Andrew Barton, Scottish sailor and privateer, killed in a battle at sea
• 1512 Alessandro Achillini, Italian physician and philosopher, dies at 48

• 1600 Arent van Dorp, Dutch governor of East-Zealand, dies at about 70
• 1611 Kato Kiyomasa, Japanese warlord and samurai (b. 1562)
• 1649 Elisabeth Bas, Dutch businesswoman and wife of Admiral Swartenhondt, dies at about 78
• 1655 Alfonso de la Cueva, Spanish marquis of Bedmar and diplomat, dies at 83
• 1661 Louis Couperin, French composer and organist, dies (b. 1626)
• 1696 Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, Scottish military commander (b. 1630)
• 1701 Kondiaronk [Le Rat], Petun Huron chief at Michilimackinac (signed Great Peace of Montreal), dies of a fever at about 52 [1]
• 1769 Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham, English politician, dies at 80
• 1776 Louis François I, Prince of Conti, French nobleman and military leader, dies at 58
• 1788 Thomas Gainsborough, English leading portrait painter (Blue Boy), dies at 61 [1]
• 1792 Nathanael Gottfried Gruner, German composer (Kantor at Gera), dies at 60
• 1799 Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, French inventor (1st hot air balloon), dies at 54
• 1811 William Williams, American merchant (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 80
• 1815 Guillaume Brune, French marshal, dies at 52
• 1823 Lazare Carnot, French politician, engineer and mathematician known as the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, dies at 70
• 1827 James Hewitt, American composer and conductor, dies at 57
• 1849 Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Albanian-born Pasha and viceroy of Egypt (founder of modern Egypt), dies at 80

• 1873 Frank Mori, English conductor and composer (Frindolin; River Sprite), dies at 53

• 1877 James Douglas, British-Canadian fur trader and politician (1st Governor of British Columbia 1858-64) called “The Father of British Columbia”, dies of a heart attack at 73
• 1881 Marcus Clarke, English born Australian author (For the Term of His Natural Life), dies at 35
• 1889 Eduardo Gutiérrez, Argentinian author known for “Juan Moreira”, dies at 38
• 1890 Louise-Victorine Ackermann, French poet (works characterized by a deep sense of pessimism), dies at 76
• 1891 George Washington Williams, American historian (History of the Negro Race in America), dies from tuberculosis and pleurisy at 41
• 1895 Joseph Thomson, Scottish geologist and early African explorer (Thomson’s Gazelle), dies of pneumonia at 37
• 1903 Edmond Nocard, French veterinarian (Louis Pasteur Institute), dies at 53
• 1914 Gabriel Édouard Xavier Dupont, French composer, dies of tuberculosis at 36
• 1916 Hamish MacCunn, Scottish composer (The Land of the Mountain and the Flood), and teacher, dies at 48
• 1920 Ormer Locklear, American movie stunt pilot (The Great Air Robbery), dies at 28

• 1922 Mina Kruseman, Dutch author and feminist, dies at 82

• 1929 Mae Costello [Altschuk], American actress (The Joys of a Jealous Wife), dies of heart disease at 47
• 1931 Kinue Hitomi, Japanese athlete (World record women’s 100m, 200m, long jump, triple jump; Olympic silver 800m 1928), dies from pneumonia at 24
• 1932 Dan Brouthers, American Baseball HOF first baseman (first great MLB slugger; 4×NL batting champion; Buffalo Bisons, Detroit Wolverines, Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Grooms), dies at 74
• 1933 Arthur Collins, American baritone vocalist, known as ‘King of the Ragtime Singers’ (Peerless Quartet), and comedian, dies at 69

• 1936 Louis Blériot, French aviator who made the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft, dies of a heart attack at 64
• 1938 Bjarni Thorsteinsson, Icelandic organist, composer, musical folklorist, and priest, dies at 76
• 1939 Harvey Spencer Lewis, American Rosicrucian author and mystic, dies at 55
• 1941 Jose Juan Tablada, Mexican poet (el Florilegio), dies at 70
• 1942 Friedrich Aereboe, German landlord and agricultural economist, dies at 77
• 1945 Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek, Austrian composer (Donna Diana), dies at 85
• 1945 Pietro Mascagni, Italian opera composer (Cavalleria Rusticana), dies at 81
• 1953 Betty Jack Davis, American country singer (with Skeeter Davis in The Davis Sisters), killed in car crash at 21
• 1954 Rene Amengual, Chilean pianist, composer and educator, dies at 42
• 1955 Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at 54
• 1955 Rupprecht, last crown prince of Bavaria and German fieldmarshall during WWI, dies at 86
• 1955 Wallace Stevens, American poet (The Auroras of Autumn), dies at 75
• 1956 Albert Woolson, last veteran US Union army, dies at 109
• 1959 Prospero Bisquertt, Chilean composer, dies at 78
• 1961 Giovanni Battista Angioletti, Italian author (Il giorno del giudizio), dies at 64
• 1963 Oliver [Hazard Perry] La Farge, American anthropologist and novelist, dies at 61
• 1964 Jack Kirkwood, Scottish actor (Fibber McGee & Molly), dies at 69
• 1964 José María Castro, Argentine composer, dies at 71
• 1965 Milton B. Babbitt, American composer (Widow’s Lament), dies at 49
• 1965 N. Howell Furman, American Chemist whose work on separating uranium contributed to the development of the atomic bomb, dies at 73
• 1967 Claude Albert Barnett, American journalist and founder (Associated Negro Press), dies at 77
• 1969 Clarence Dickinson, American composer, dies at 96
• 1971 Ludwig Marcuse, German philosopher (Obscene: The history of an indignation), dies at 77
• 1972 Brian Cole, American rock vocalist and bassist (The Association – “Windy”; “Cherish”), dies of a drug overdose at 29
• 1972 Helen Hoyt, American poet, known for “Ellis Park”, dies at 85
• 1972 Paul Goodman, American social critic and writer known for “Growing Up Absurd”, dies of a heart attack at 60
• 1972 Rudolph Ganz, Swiss-American pianist, conductor (St. Louis Symphony, 1921-27), composer, and educator (Chicago Musical College, 1928-54), dies at 95
• 1973 Jean-Pierre Melville, French filmmaker (Bob Le Flambeur), dies of a heart attack at 57
• 1974 W. Douglas Hawkes, British auto racer and designer, dies at 80
• 1976 Fritz Lang, Austrian-German-American director (M, Metropolis, Fury, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse), dies from a stroke at 85
• 1978 Carlos Chávez, Mexican conductor and composer (Sinfonía India), dies at 79
• 1978 Satomi Myodo, Zen nun/attendant of Hakuun Yasutani Roshi, dies at 82
• 1978 Totie Fields [Sophie Feldman], American comedienne, dies at 48
• 1979 Thurman Munson, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1971, 73–78; World Series 1977, 78; AL MVP 1976; NY Yankees), dies in a plane crash at 32
• 1979 Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician and author (founder of Peruvian Aprista Party), dies at 84
• 1980 Verdun Scott, New Zealand cricket batsman (10 Tests, 3 x 50; Auckland) and rugby league utility back (1 Test; Auckland Pakehā), dies at 64
• 1981 Stefanie Clausen, Danish diver (Olympic gold 10m platform 1920), dies at 81
• 1982 Cathleen Nesbitt, English actress (Separate Tables), dies at 93
• 1982 Rudolf Maros, Hungarian composer (Sirato/Lament; Euphonies), and pedagogue, dies at 65
• 1983 Charles Eyck, Dutch painter and sculptor (Limburg School), dies at 85
• 1983 James Jamerson, American session bass guitarist (Motown Records’ “Funk Brothers”), dies of alcohol-related complications at 47

• 1985 Frank Faylen, American actor (It’s a Wonderful Life, Funny Girl), dies of pneumonia at 79
• 1985 Sandy Bell, South African cricket fast bowler (16 Tests, 48 wickets, BB 6/99; Western Province, Rhodesia), dies at 79
• 1986 Roy Cohn, American lawyer (“grand inquisitor” for US Senator Joseph McCarthy; George Steinbrenner; Aristotle Onassis; Donald Trump; Mafia figures: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York), dies of complications of AIDS at 59
• 1986 Roy Marcus Cohn, American lawyer (Joseph McCarthy), dies of AIDS at 59
• 1987 Myron Stout, US abstract artist, dies at 79
• 1988 Joe Carcione, American consumer advocate (The Green Grocer), dies at 73
• 1988 Raymond Carver, American poet and short story writer (Furious Season), dies at 50
• 1988 Roger Vuataz, Swiss organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 90
• 1989 Helmer-Rayner Sinisalo, Karelian-Soviet composer (Sampo), and educator, dies at 69
• 1990 Edwin Richfield, British actor (Interpol Calling, The Avengers), dies at 68
• 1990 Norman Mclean, American writer (b. 1902)
• 1991 Helen Page Camp, American actress, dies at 60
• 1992 Ephraim Katz, Israeli American writer and filmmaker (The Film Encyclopedia), dies at 60
• 1992 Jim Whaley, TV host (Cinema Showcase), dies of a heart attack at 44
• 1992 Julio C Fernandez, Cuban/American journalist (founder Alma Mater), dies
• 1992 Michel Berger [Hamburger], French singer-songwriter, and record producer. dies of a heart attack at 44
• 1994 Bert Freed, American character actor (Shane, Invaders From Mars), dies of a heart attack at 74
• 1994 Bhagwatpersad Ausan, commandant Suriname military police, dies at 38
• 1995 Brian Smith, Canadian sportscaster and NHL player, dies at 54 after being shot the previous day
• 1995 Colin Falkland Gray, New Zealand fighter ace of the Second World War, dies at 80
• 1995 Irwin Bazelon, American composer (Duo for Viola), dies at 73
• 1996 Humphrey Fisher, English born TV Producer, dies at 72
• 1996 Michel Debre, French politician, Prime Minister of France (1959-62), dies at 84

• 1997 Tom Blackburn, American novelist and screenwriter of the Western genre, dies at 79

• 1998 Shari Lewis [Phyllis Hurwitz], American puppeteer and ventriloquist (Lamb Chop), dies of breast cancer at 65
• 2000 Abraham Pais, Dutch-American physicist and science historian (Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein), dies at 82 [1] [2]
• 2001 Edward Gardner, British barrister and Conservative Party politician (British Nationality Act 1981), dies at 89
• 2001 Ron Townson, American singer (The 5th Dimension – “Up, Up and Away”), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 2003 Charles Kerruish, Manx politician and President of Tyndwald Isle of Man, dies at 86
• 2003 Don Estelle [Ronald Edwards], British actor and singer (“It Ain’t Half Hot Mum”), dies at 70
• 2003 Mike Levey, American TV infomercials host, dies of cancer at 55
• 2003 Peter Safar, Austrian physician (pioneered cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR), dies at 79
• 2004 Don Tosti, American musician (“Pachuco Boogie”), dies at 81
• 2004 François Craenhals, Belgian comic artist (Chevalier Ardent), dies at 77
• 2005 Steven Vincent, American journalist and writer, kidnapped and murdered by religious extremists in Iraq at 49
• 2007 Chauncey Bailey, American journalist and editor, murdered while investigating a crime syndicate at 57
• 2007 Holden Roberto, Angolan independence leader, founder of the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), dies at 84
• 2007 Kay Dotrice [Katherine Newman], British actress (Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 78
• 2008 Fujio Akatsuka, Japanese cartoonist, dies of pneumonia at 72
• 2008 John F. Seiberling, American politician (Rep-D-OH, 1971-86), dies at 89
• 2011 Baruj Benacerraf, Venezuelan-American immunologist (Nobel 1980 – discovery of genes that regulate immune responses and of the role that some of these genes play in autoimmune diseases), dies at 90
• 2011 Clarence E. Miller, American politician (Rep-R-OH, 1967-93), dies at 93
• 2011 DeLois Barrett Campbell, American gospel singer (Barrett Sisters), dies at 85
• 2012 Jimmy Jones, American singer-songwriter (“Handy Man”), dies at 75
• 2012 Marguerite Piazza, American operatic soprano (Young Broadway), dies at 86
• 2014 Rosetta Hightower, American pop singer (The Orlons – “Don’t Hang Up”), dies at 70
• 2015 Forrest Bird, American aviator and inventor (1st respirators and ventilators), dies at 94
• 2016 Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist, (Nobel Prize 1999), dies at 70
• 2016 David Huddleston, American actor (The Big Lebowski), dies at 85
• 2016 Forbes Carlile, Australian athlete and influential swimming coach, dies at 95
• 2017 Ara Parseghian, American College Football HOF coach (Northwestern; NCAA C’ship 1966, 73 Notre Dame), dies at 94
• 2020 Bob Ryland, American tennis player (first African-American to play professionally) and coach (Harold Solomon, Arthur Ashe, Venus & Serena Williams), dies of aspiration pneumonia at 100
• 2020 Leon Fleisher, American pianist and conductor (Annapolis Symphony 1970-82), dies of cancer at 92 [1]
• 2020 Saïd Amara, Algerian soccer midfielder (5 caps; Strasbourg, Béziers, Bordeaux) and manager (Algeria), dies at 87
• 2020 Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch artist, dies at 97
• 2020 Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold, light-flyweight 1980; World C’ship gold 1981), dies at 69
• 2021 Ged Dunn, English rugby league winger (8 Tests; Hull KIngston Rovers 301 games), dies at 74
• 2021 June Daugherty, American women’s college basketball coach (Boise State Uni, Uni of Washington, Washington State University), dies from heart issues at 64
• 2022 Buddy Arrington, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series 103 x top 10 finishes), dies at 84
• 2022 Hans Bangerter, Swiss football administrator (General Secretary UEFA 1960-89), dies at 98
• 2022 Ray Majors, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople, 1975-76; British Lions, 1977-78), dies at 73

• 2023 Peter Dixon, English rugby union flanker (22 Tests England, 3 British & Irish Lions; Oxford University RFC, Harlequins RFC), dies at 79
• 2024 Barbara Howar, American reporter (Washington Post; Entertainment Tonight), and memoirist (Laughing All the Way), dies at 89 [1]
• 2024 Tommy Cassidy, Irish soccer midfielder (24 caps Northern Ireland; Newcastle United 180 games, Burnley), dies from Alzheimer’s disease at 73

August 2 Highlights