Famous Deaths on October 21

• 1125 Cosmas of Prague, Bohemian writer
• 1204 Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester, English nobleman
• 1221 Alix of Thouars, Duchess of Brittany, dies at 21

• 1266 Birger jarl, Swedish statesman (b. 1210)

• 1439 Ambrose Traversari, Italian theologian and monk, dies at 53
• 1500 Go-Tsuchimikado, 103rd Emperor of Japan (1464-1500), dies at 58
• 1505 Paul Scriptoris, German mathematician and professor at Tübingen, dies in exile (b. c. 1460)
• 1558 Julius Caesar Scaliger, Italian-French physician and scholar (On the Subtlety of Things), dies at 74
• 1561 Johannes Vasaeus, Flemish humanist/historian, dies at about 49
• 1600 Toda Katsushige, Japanese warlord (b. 1557)
• 1623 William Wade, English statesman and diplomat (b. 1546)
• 1627 Frederik de Houtman, Dutch navigator (1st Dutch expedition to Java) and colonial governor of Ambon and the Moluccas, dies at 55 or 56
• 1628 Tumenggung Bahurekso, Matarams/Javanese general, dies in battle
• 1637 Laurens Reael, Dutch vice-governor of Ambon, poet, and admiral, dies at 54
• 1650 Pedro de Espinosa, Spanish poet/writer, dies
• 1662 Henry Lawes, British sacred and secular songwriter, dies at 66
• 1687 Edmund Waller, English poet (Song: Go, lovely rose) and politician, dies at 81
• 1765 Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Italian painter and architect, dies at 73
• 1773 Johann Conrad Schlaun, German baroque architect, dies at 78

• 1777 Samuel Foote, British actor, dramatist and theatre manager (Mirror), dies at 57
• 1793 Johann Ernst Hartmann, Danish violinist and composer, dies at 66
• 1798 Johann Christoph Schmugel, German organist and composer, dies at 71

• 1805 Johann Baptist Lasser, German singer and composer, dies at 54
• 1810 Franz Teyber, Austrian composer, dies at 52
• 1861 Edward Dickinson Baker, British-American attorney, politician (US Senator from Oregon, 1860-61; US Representative from Illinois, 1845-47, 1849-51), and Union Army officer, dies in the US Civil War Battle of Balls Bluff, Virginia at 50
• 1861 John Breckinridge Grayson, American Confederate brigadier general, dies of pneumonia and tuberculosis at 55
• 1872 Jacques Babinet, French physicist, mathematician and astronomer (contributions to optics), dies at 78
• 1873 Johann Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian poet, dies at 66
• 1881 Eduard Heine, German mathematician known for the Heine-Borel theorem, dies at 60
• 1886 Jose Hernandez, Argentine poet (La vuelta the MartinFierro), dies at 51
• 1891 Alpheus Baker, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 63
• 1896 James Henry Greathead, British engineer (b. 1844)
• 1897 Paul Kuczynski, Polish composer, dies at 50
• 1901 James A. Walker, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 69
• 1904 Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer of North Africa, dies in a flash flood at 27
• 1905 José Teodor Vilar, Spanish organist and composer (La Rambla de les Flors), dies at 69
• 1906 Helena Amelung [Georgette Amelung], Dutch actress (Small Lord; De Spaansche Brabander), dies of injuries from a fall at 60
• 1907 Jules Chevalier, French Roman Catholic priest (Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart), dies at 83
• 1916 Karl von Stürgkh, Austrian nobleman and politician (Prime Minister, 1911-16) who declared war on Serbia, initiating WWI, assassinated while having lunch at 56
• 1919 Sven August Körling, Swedish composer, dies at 77
• 1924 Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick, Belgian composer, dies at 76
• 1929 Owen Dunell, South African cricket batsman (South Africa’s 1st Test captain; 2 Tests), dies at 73
• 1931 Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian playwright (La Ronde – Reigen), and novelist (Fräulein Else), dies a brain hemorrhage at 69
• 1937 Lucy Diggs Slowe, American educator (Dean of Women, Howard University, 1922-37), tennis champion (American Tennis Association, 1917), and sorority co-founder (Alpha Kappa Alpha, 1908), dies at 52
• 1939 H G “Nummy” Deane, South African cricket batsman (17 Tests [12 as captain], 3 x 50; Natal, Transvaal), dies from a heart attack at 44
• 1940 William G. Conley, American politician, Governor of West Virginia (1929-33), dies at 74
• 1943 Dudley Pound, British admiral of the fleet and 1st Sea Lord (Jutland, WW II), dies at 66
• 1944 Alois Kayser, German missionary to Nauru (b. 1877)
• 1945 Henry Armetta, Italian-American actor (The Black Cat, Bell for Adano, Big Store), dies from a heart attack at 57
• 1953 Muirhead Bone, Scottish etcher and painter (WWI & WWII war artist), dies at 77
• 1955 Roy Minnett, Australian cricket all-rounder who played 9 Tests, 3 x 50, 11 wickets; NSW, dies at 69
• 1961 Nils Johan Einar Ferlin, Swedish poet (Barfotabarn), dies at 62
• 1963 George Cressey, American geographer (Crossroads), dies at 66
• 1963 Józef Franczak, Polish soldier and anti-communist resistance fighter who was the last cursed soldiers, dies in a firefight with 35 functionaries of a ZOMO (paramilitary riot police) at 45
• 1965 Bill Black, American bandleader and bassist who worked with Elvis, dies of a brain tumor at 39
• 1965 Marie McDonald, American singer and actress known as “The Body Beautiful” (Promises Promises), dies of an accidental drug overdose at 42
• 1966 Gertrude W. Hoffman (née Wesselhoeft), German-American character actress (The Ape; Mrs Odetts in “My Little Margie”), dies at 96
• 1967 Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish astronomer (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram), dies at 94

• 1969 Oscar “TV Slim” Wills, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (“Flatfoot Sam”), dies in a car wreck at 53
• 1969 Waclaw Sierpinski, Polish mathematician (Sierpinski triangle), dies at 87

• 1971 Raymond Hatton, American actor (Girls in Prison, Lady Killer), dies of a heart attack at 84
• 1971 Shiga Naoya, Japanese novelist (Road Through Dark Night), dies at 88
• 1973 Arabi El Goni, VP/Chad parliament, murdered
• 1975 Charles Reidpath, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 4×400m relay 1912), dies at 86
• 1977 Ferit Tüzün, Turkish composer (Esintiler – Inspirations; The Ears of Midas), and conductor (Turkish State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, 1959-77), dies at 48
• 1978 Anastas Mikoyan, Armenian revolutionary, politician (First Deputy Premier of Supreme Soviet, 1855-64), diplomat, and cookbook publisher (The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food), dies at 83
• 1978 Mel Street, American country music singer-songwriter (“Lovin’ on Back Streets”, “Lovin’ on Borrowed Time”), dies of a self-inflicted gunshot on his 42nd bithday
• 1980 Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and eponym of Asperger syndrome, dies at 74
• 1981 Karel Šrom, Czech composer, musicologist, critic, and broadcaster, dies at 77
• 1982 Radka Toneff, Norwegian jazz singer (It Don’t Come Easy), dies of a drug overdose at 30
• 1983 Theodorus Henricus Johannes Zwartkruis, Dutch Bishop of Haarlem (1966-83), dies at 73 [1]
• 1984 Dalibor Cyril Vačkář, Czech composer (Smoking Symphony), dies at 78
• 1984 Francois Truffaut, dir (Fahrenheit 451), dies of brain cancer at 52
• 1986 Lionel Murphy, Australian politician and judge, dies at 64
• 1987 Bob Simmons, British actor and stuntman (James Bond films, 1962-85), dies at 64
• 1987 Ying-Chin Ho, Taiwan government official, dies at 88
• 1989 Jean Image [Imre Hajdú], Hungarian-born French animator, dies at 79
• 1990 Tom Carvel [Athanasios Karvelas], Greek-American ice cream mogul (Carvel – “Fudgie the Whale” ice dream cake), dies at 84
• 1992 Jackson Weaver, voice of Smokey the Bear, dies of diabetes
• 1992 Jim Garrison, Louisiana District Attorney who investigated JFK assassination, dies at 70
• 1993 Assad Saftawi, Palestinian co-founder of al-Fatah, murdered at 58
• 1993 Irving Torgoff, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers), dies at 75
• 1993 James Leo Herlihy, American novelist (Midnight Cowboy), commits suicide at 66
• 1993 Melchior Ndadaye, 1st Hutu President of Burundi (1993), murdered at 40
• 1993 Sam Zolotow, US theater critic (NY Times), dies at 94
• 1993 Scott Heiser, US photographer (Interview), dies at 44
• 1994 Jerome Bert Weisner, American engineer (science advisor to John. F Kennedy, President of MIT 1971-80), dies at 79
• 1995 Jesús Blasco, Spanish comic book author (Cuto), dies at 75
• 1995 Jose Ignacio Cabrujas, Venezuelan playwright and writer ‘Maestro of the Telenovelas’, dies at 58
• 1995 Linda Goodman, American astrologer and poet, dies from complications of diabetes at 70
• 1995 Maxene Andrews, American pop and sing jazz singer (The Andrews Sisters – “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”; “Rum and Coca-Cola”), dies of a heart attack at 79
• 1995 Shannon Hoon, American vocalist (Blind Melon), dies of a drug overdose at 28
• 1996 Abdelhamid Benhadugah, novelist, dies at 71
• 1996 Eric Halsall, English TV presenter and sheepdog trial commentator (One Man and His Dog), dies at 76
• 1996 Georgios Zoitakis, leader of Greece (1967-72), dies
• 1996 Wang Li, politician, dies at 78
• 1997 Dolph Camilli, Bkln Dodger/MVP (1941), dies at 90
• 1998 Alan Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury, British business executive, dies at 96
• 1998 Alexander Cairncross, Scottish economist (Chancellor of Glasgow University), dies at 87
• 1998 Francis W. Sargent, 64th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1915)
• 1999 Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Turkish politician, journalist, and educator, assassinated at 60

• 2003 (Steven) Elliott Smith, American Academy Award nominated singer-songwriter (Good Will Hunting – “Miss Misery”), dies of suspected self-inflicted stab wounds at 34 [1]
• 2003 Fred Berry, American actor (Rerun in “What’s Happening!!” and “What’s Happening Now!!”) and Baptist minister, dies at 52
• 2003 Louise Day Hicks, American politician (b. 1916)
• 2003 Luis A. Ferré, Puerto Rican industrialist and politician (Governor of Puerto Rico, 1969-73), dies at 99
• 2005 Tara Correa-McMullen, American actress (Judging Amy), shot at 16
• 2006 Rene Gerber, Swiss composer, dies at 98
• 2007 Paul Fox, English musician and singer (The Ruts), dies at 56
• 2007 Ronald B. Kitaj, American-British painter and graphic artist (pop art), dies at 74
• 2009 Louise Cooper, British fantasy author (Nemesis, Inferno, Infanta, Nocturne), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 57 [1]
• 2011 Edmundo Ros, Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician and arranger, dies at 100
• 2012 Dann Cahn, American film editor, dies of natural causes at 89

• 2012 Yash Chopra, Indian director (Waqt), dies from dengue fever and multiple organ failure at 80
• 2013 Bud Adams Jr., American NFL team owner (Tennessee Titans), dies at 90
• 2013 Major Owens, American politician (Rep-D-NY, 1983-2007), dies at 77
• 2013 Marion Morgan (née Swires), American big band jazz singer (Harry James; Stop the Music), dies at 89 [1]

• 2014 Christopher France, British civil servant and Permanent Secretary (Department of Health 1986-92, Ministry of Defence 1992-95), dies at 80 [1]
• 2014 Gough Whitlam, Australian politician (Prime Minister, 1972-1975), dies at 98
• 2014 Seth Gaaikema, Dutch cabaret performer, dies at 75
• 2015 Marty Ingels, American comedian (I’m Dickens He’s Fenster), dies at 79
• 2016 Manfred Krug, German actor (Boxer), dies at 79
• 2018 Robert Faurisson, British-born French academic, dies at 89
• 2019 Jerry Fogel, American actor (The Mothers-in-Law – “Jerry”; The White Shadow), dies at 83
• 2019 Willie Brown, American Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, coach and executive (Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84; Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders), dies at 78
• 2020 Frank Bough, British sports and current affairs television presenter, dies at 87
• 2020 Gordon Astall, English soccer forward (2 caps; Birmingham City 235 games, 59 goals), dies from dementia at 93
• 2020 Marge Champion (née Belcher), American dancer (Marge & Gower Champion Show), dies at 101
• 2020 Viola Smith, American drummer and bandleader (one of the first professional female drummers), dies at 107 [1]
• 2021 Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor (Concertgebouw, 1961-88; London Philharmonic, 1967-79; Royal Opera Covent Garden, 1987-2002), dies at 92 [1]
• 2021 Bill Zeliff, American innkeeper, and politician (US Representative (R) from New Hampshire, 1991-97), dies at 85
• 2021 Kathy Flores, American rugby union coach (United States women’s team 2002-11; Brown University), dies at 66
• 2021 Nils Einár Grönberg, Swedish rapper (“Första klass”; “Katten i trakten”), shot to death in suspected gang-related incident at 19
• 2021 Wilfred Gibson, British session and pop violinist (Electric Light Orchestra, 1972-73; ELO II, 1991-94; Berkeley Square Society Band), dies at 72
• 2022 Harry White, Australian jockey (Melbourne Cup: Think Big 1974, 75; Arwon 1978; Hyperno 1979; Australian Racing HOF), dies from multiple sclerosis at 78
• 2022 Jim Bolla Jr., American college basketball coach (UNLV Women 1982-96; Uni of Hawaii 2004-09), dies of cancer at 70

• 2023 Bobby Charlton, English soccer midfielder (106 caps; World Cup 1966; Manchester United) and manager (Preston NE), dies from complications of dementia at 86
• 2023 Bobi, Portuguese purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo dog and claimed as world’s oldest recorded dog, dies at 31 years and 165 days (now disputed) [1] [2]
• 2023 Reino Börjesson, Swedish soccer midfielder (10 caps; FIFA World Cup runner-up 1958; Jonsereds IF, IFK Göteborg, Norrby IF, Örgryte IS), dies at 94
• 2024 Barbara Kolb, American contemporary classical composer (Trobar Jus; All in Good Time), dies at 86
• 2024 Paul Di’anno [Andrews], Brazilian-British rock singer (Iron Maiden, 1981-84), dies at 66

October 21 Highlights