Famous Deaths on August 25

• 383 Gratian (Flavius Gratianus), Emperor of Rome (375-383), murdered at 25
• 471 Gennadius I, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 458)
• 882 Louis III, King of France (879-82), dies at 19

• 1192 Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1142)

• 1282 Thomas Cantilupe, English saint (b. ca 1218)
• 1330 Sir James Douglas, Scottish soldier (b. 1286)

• 1554 Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, English great admiral, dies
• 1556 David Jorisz, Flemish glass blower/sect leader, dies at about 54
• 1580 Frederick Schenk van Toutenburg, last archbishop of Utrecht, dies
• 1632 Thomas Dekker, English pamphleteer and dramatist dies at about 60 [his life was poorly documented, exact birth and death dates are uncertain]
• 1649 Richard Crashaw, English clergyman/poet, dies at about 36

• 1699 Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway, dies at 53
• 1711 Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey, English politician
• 1742 José António Carlos de Seixas, Portuguese composer, dies at 38
• 1773 Franz Nikolaus Novotny, Austrian composer, dies at 29
• 1774 Niccolò Jommelli, Italian composer, dies at 59

• 1789 Mary Ball Washington, mother of George, dies
• 1791 Pietro Domenico Paradisi, composer, dies
• 1792 Jacques Cazotte, French writer and supporter of the monarchy, guillotined at 74
• 1797 Thomas Chittenden, American politician (1st Governor of Vermont, 1791-97; Governor of Vermont Republic, 1778-89 & 1790-91), dies at 67

• 1835 Ann Rutledge, said to be Abraham Lincoln’s true love, dies at 22
• 1840 Karl Leberecht Immermann, German writer, dies at 44
• 1842 Jerome-Joseph de Momigny, Belgian French composer, dies at 80
• 1846 Giuseppe Acerbi, Italian traveller and naturalist, dies at 73

• 1868 Costache Negruzzi, Romanian author/poet, dies at about 60
• 1868 Henry P Scholte, Dutch/US vicar (Iowa), dies at 62
• 1868 Jacob van Lennep, Dutch poet and novelist (The Adopted Son), dies at 66
• 1885 Reuben Fenton, American merchant and politician (22nd Governor of New York), dies at 66

• 1900 Kuroda Kiyotaka, Japanese diplomat and politician (2nd Prime Minister of Japan, 1888-1889; President of the Privy Council, 1894-90), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 59
• 1904 William Hall, Canadian Royal Naval sailor (b. 1827)
• 1908 Eyre Massey Shaw, British first chief of London Fire Brigade, dies at 78

• 1924 Mariano Álvarez, Filipino revolutionary general and statesman, dies at 106
• 1925 Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf, Austro-Hungarian field marshal, dies at 72
• 1929 Frederick Burton, Australian cricketer (Australian wicketkeeper 1886-87), dies at 63
• 1936 Grigory Zinoviev [Hirsch Apfelbaum], Russian revolutionary, Communist International chairman (1919-26), and anti-Stalinist politician, executed on treason charges during Stalin’s ‘Great Purge’ at 52
• 1938 Aleksandr Kuprin, Russian author (Jama), dies at 67
• 1939 (Charles) “Babe” Siebert, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1925-39, 3X All-Star (Montreal Maroons, Boston Bruins, and 2 other teams), drowns in Lake Huron at 35

• 1942 George Edward Alexander Windsor, British nobleman (Duke of Kent), and RAF officer, dies in battle at 39
• 1942 Panayot Pipkov, Bulgarian bandmaster, composer, pedagogue, and (with his son) Antarctic glacier namesake, dies at 70
• 1942 W van Daalen, opposition leader on Celebes, beheaded
• 1943 Johan Petter Johansson, Swedish inventor and industrialist (modern adjustable spanner), dies at 86
• 1944 Krijn van den Helm, Dutch resistance fighter (KP Leeuwarden), shot to death
• 1944 Musa Cälil, Russian-Soviet Tatar poet (The Moabit Notebooks), and resistance fighter, executed by guillotine in Plötzensee Prison, Berlin at 38
• 1945 John Birch, American intelligence officer and missionary (b. 1918)
• 1945 Willis Augustus Lee, American World War II admiral (Guadalcanal) and sport shooter (5 Olympic golds 1920), dies of a heart attack at 57 while being ferrying him out to his flagship USS Wyoming off the coast of Maine
• 1947 Clark Wissler, American anthropologist (American Indian), dies at 76
• 1947 Franz Cumont, Belgian religious historian and archaeologist (cult of Mithra), dies at 79
• 1950 Earl Caddock, American professional wrestler and world heavyweight champion (1917), dies at 62
• 1956 Alfred Kinsey, American entomologist and sexologist (Kinsey Report), dies from a heart ailment and pneumonia at 62
• 1956 George Washington Pierce, American physicist who pioneered electrical communication (crystal oscillator circuit), dies at 84
• 1957 Leo Perutz, Austrian writer and mathematician, dies at 74
• 1965 Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, American MLB baseball outfielder (New York Giants – 1 game, 1905), medical doctor, and subject of “Field of Dreams” film, dies at 88
• 1967 George Lincoln Rockwell, American far-right political activist. founder and leader of the American Nazi Party, assassinated by former party member John Patler at 49

• 1967 Stanley Bruce, 8th Prime Minister of Australia, dies at 84
• 1968 John George [Tufei Fatella], Syrian actor (Black Orchids, Don Juan, Adventures of Fu Manchu), dies from emphysema at 70
• 1968 Stan McCabe, Australian cricket batsman (39 Tests, @ 48.21, 6 x 100, HS 232; NSWCA), dies of a fractured skull at 58
• 1971 Ted Lewis [Theodore Leopold Friedman], American entertainer, bandleader and musician (Is Everybody Happy?), dies of lung failure at 81
• 1972 Juan Carlos Paz, composer, dies at 71
• 1972 Robert Denzler, Swiss concert pianist, conductor, champion of contemporary music, and composer, dies at 80
• 1974 Gus Viseur, Belgian-French jazz button accordionist, dies at 59
• 1975 Frans van Amelsvoort, Dutch choir conductor, dies at 75
• 1975 John R Dunning, US physicist, dies at 67
• 1976 Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist (Return to Ithaca; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1974), dies at 76
• 1976 Perc Hornibrook, Australian cricket slow-medium bowler (6 Tests; 17 wickets; best 7-92 1930), dies at 77
• 1979 Alberto Ruz Lhuillier, Mexican archaeologist who excavated Palenque, dies at 73
• 1979 Ray Eberle, American big band vocalist (Glenn Miller; Gene Krupa), and bandleader, dies of a heart attack at 60 [1]
• 1979 Stan Kenton, American musician, jazz pianist, arranger and bandleader (Artistry In Rhythm), dies at 67
• 1980 Gower Champion, American actor, dancer, choreographer, and theater director (42nd Street; Showboat; Marge & Gower Champion Show), dies of blood cancer at 61
• 1982 Hans van Tongeren, Dutch actor (Spetters), commits suicide at 27
• 1984 Andy Varipapa, American ten-pin bowler (BPAA All-Star champion 1947-48), dies at 93

• 1984 Viktor Chukarin, Ukrainian gymnast (Olympic gold USSR 4 x 1952, 3 x 1956), dies at 62
• 1984 Waite Hoyt, American MLB baseball HOF pitcher (World Series 1923, 27, 28; AL wins leader 1927; NY Yankees), dies from heart failure at 84
• 1985 Samantha Smith, American peace activist and actress (invited to the Soviet Union during Cold War), dies in plane at 13
• 1986 Allen Case, actor (Deputy, Legend of Jesse James), dies at 51
• 1988 Art Rooney, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers [Pirates] team founder,owner, and chairman, 1933-88, dies at 87
• 1988 Price Daniel, American politician (38th Governor of Texas), dies at 77
• 1989 Gunnar, Swedish-Danish classical and avant-garde composer (Cosmogonie; Essai accoustique III’), dies at 80
• 1989 Roman Palester, Polish composer (The Weichsel), dies at 81
• 1990 Morley Callaghan, Canadian writer and radio personality, dies at 87
• 1991 Don Nute, American actor, dies of AIDS at 56
• 1991 Niven Busch, American screenwriter (Duel in the Sun), dies at 88
• 1991 Sergei Ajromeiev, soviet general, commits suicide
• 1992 Alma Graciela Haro Esmerelda, singer, dies of diabetes at 65
• 1992 Frederick O’Neal, American actor, theatre producer and television director (Pinky, Car 54 Where Are You), dies from natural causes at 86
• 1992 Jan G Toonder, writer (Castle in Ireland), dies at 78
• 1993 Amy Biehl, US activist in South-Africa, murdered at 26
• 1994 Ramdas Nayak, Indian Hindu leader and politician, murdered at 52
• 1995 Doug Stegmeyer, American rock bassist (Billy Joel Band, 1976-87), dies of a self-inflicted gun wound at 43
• 1995 John Brunner, Britsih sci-fi author (100th Millennium), dies at 60
• 1995 R B Hudmon, R&B/Soul Singer, dies at 41
• 1996 Dai Houying, writer, dies at 58
• 1996 Erskine Childers, Irish writer and United Nations civil servant official, dies at 67
• 1996 Sylvia Fisher, Australian operatic soprano (Albert Herring Opera), dies at 86
• 1997 Clodomiro Almeyda Medina, Chilean external minister (1970-73), dies
• 1997 James Dewar, journalist/documentary filmmaker, dies at 70
• 1997 Robert Pinget, French novelist (The Interrogation) and playwright, dies at 78

• 1999 Rob Fisher, British rock keyboardist (Naked Eyes), dies at 42

• 2000 Jack Nitzsche, American composer, arranger, music producer, keyboardist (Rolling Stones; Neil Young), and songwriter (“Up Where We Belong”), dies at 63
• 2001 Aaliyah [Haughton], American singer and actress, dies in a plane crash in the Bahamas at 22
• 2001 Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
• 2001 Ken Tyrrell, English race driver and founder of Tyrrell Racing, dies at 77
• 2001 Madge Adam, English solar astronomer (1st solar physicist at Oxford university’s observatory), dies at 89
• 2001 Philippe Léotard, French actor and singer (b. 1940)
• 2002 Dorothy Hewett, Australian writer (b. 1923)
• 2002 William Warfield, American concert bass-baritone singer and actor (Show Boat), dies from neck injuries suffered in a fall at 82
• 2004 Helen Copley, American newspaper publisher (The San Diego Union-Tribune), dies at 81
• 2005 Peter Glotz, German politician (b. 1939)
• 2005 Terence Morgan, British actor (Sir Francis Drake, Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb), dies of a heart attack at 83
• 2006 Vijay Mehra, Indian cricket batsman (8 Tests, 2 x 50; Delhi, Eastern Punjab, Railways), dies at 68
• 2007 Benjamin Aaron, American labor law expert, dies at 91
• 2007 Ray Jones, English footballer, dies when he crashed his car into a bus 3 weeks after getting his driver’s license at 18
• 2008 John Thoday, British geneticist, dies at 91
• 2008 Josef Tal, Israel composer (Israeli art music), dies at 97
• 2008 Kevin Duckworth, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1989, 91; Portland Trail Blazers), dies of heart failure at 44
• 2008 Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress (Black Orpheus), dies of a heart attack at 74
• 2008 Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer (b. 1959)
• 2008 Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), dies at 64
• 2009 Robert Heppener, Dutch composer (Hymns & Conversations for 28 Harps; Memento), dies at 84

• 2013 Gilmar, Brazilian soccer goalkeeper (94 caps; Corinthians 486 games, Santos 266 games), dies from heart attack complications at 83
• 2014 Marcel Masse, Canadian politician and federal cabinet minister, dies at 78
• 2015 Frank E. Petersen, American soldier and both the 1st African American Marine Corps aviator and Marine Corps general, dies at 83
• 2015 Ian Smith, South African cricket leg-spin bowler (9 Tests, 12 wickets; Natal), dies at 90
• 2016 James Cronin, American nuclear physicist (Physics Nobel Prize, 1980), dies at 84
• 2016 Marvin Kaplan, American character and voice actor (Top Cat – “Choo Choo”; Alice – “Henry”), dies at 89
• 2016 Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), dies at 91
• 2016 Sonia Rykiel, French fashion designer, dies at 86
• 2017 Enzo Dara, Italian operatic basso buffo (The Barber of Seville – “Don Bartolo”), and author, dies at 78

• 2018 Noam Sheriff, Israeli composer, conductor, and music director, dies at 83
• 2019 Bob Bouber [Boris Blom], Dutch singer (ZZ & Masks), dies at 83
• 2019 Pál Benkő, Hungarian-American chess player, author (Grandmaster; record 8 US Open Championships), dies at 91
• 2019 Vince Naimoli, American businessman and MLB team owner (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), dies of progressive supranuclear palsy at 81
• 2020 Cora de Man-Canne Meyer, Dutch mezzo-soprano (Figaro, Carmen), dies at 91
• 2020 Tim Renton, British politician (Conservative Minister under Thatcher and Major – came up with National Lottery), dies at 88
• 2021 Neal Brendel, American rugby union prop (6 Tests; Pittsburgh RC) and executive (Chairman USA Rugby 2002-05), dies from cancer at 66
• 2021 Robin Miller, American motorsports journalist (Indianapolis Star, Autoweek, Car and Driver, ESPN, Speed, NBCSN), dies from leukemia at 71
• 2021 Ted Dexter, English cricket all-rounder and captain (62 Tests, 4,502 runs @ 47.89, 9 x 100s, 66 wickets; Sussex), dies at 86
• 2022 Herman Van Springel, Belgian road cyclist (Tour de France, 5 career stage wins; Tour de France 1968 & Giro d’Italia 1971 runner-up; Vuelta a España 1970 3rd), dies at 79
• 2022 Inez Foxx, American R&B singer (“Mockingbird”), dies at 84
• 2022 Joey DeFrancesco, American jazz Hammond organist, 9-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (All Of Me; Reboppin’), dies at 51 [1]
• 2022 Orval Tessier, Canadian ice hockey coach (Chicago Blackhawks 1982-85) and center (Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins), dies at 89
• 2024 Alexander Goehr, English composer (The Deluge; Promised End; Psalm IV), and pedagogue, dies at 92

August 25 Highlights