Famous Deaths on July 31

• 450 Petrus Chrysologus, Emilia-Romagnan priest (1st archbishop of Ravenna, 433-50), Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint, dies at about 44 [birthdate uncertain]
• 855 Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muslim Jurisprudent (b. 780)
• 1358 Etienne Marcel, French textile merchant/reformer/Boer leader, dies
• 1396 William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1342)
• 1508 Na’od, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1494)
• 1556 Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest, theologian and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit) religious order, dies in Rome at about 65
• 1566 Bartholome de Casas, Spanish historian/bishop of Chiapa, dies at 92
• 1638 Sybilla Schwarz, German baroque poet, dies at 17
• 1648 Benedictus van Haeften, Flemish poet (Regia thru Crucis), dies at about 60
• 1653 Thomas Dudley, British colonial governor of Massachusetts, dies at 76
• 1693 Willem Kalf, Dutch ‘Golden Age’ painter (Still life with nautilus beaker and porcelain lidded bowl), dies at 73 or 74 [exact birthday in 1619, unknown]
• 1726 Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1695)
• 1750 John V, King of Portugal (1706-50), also known as “The Magnificent”, dies at 60

• 1790 Johann Christian Frischmuth, German composer, dies at 48
• 1795 Basílio da Gama, Portuguese poet (O Uraguai), dies at 54
• 1805 Dheera Chinnamalai, Indian Polygar (governor) and freedom fighter, executed by the British at 49
• 1849 Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet (A virágnak megtiltani nem lehet – You Cannot Forbid the Flower), and revolutionary, last seen alive at the Battle of Segesvár (Transylvania), presumed killed in action at 26
• 1854 Samuel Wilson, American meat packer and possible namesake of Uncle Sam, dies at 87
• 1864 Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (Librairie Hachette), dies at 64
• 1871 Phoebe Cary, American poet (Poems of Alice & Phoebe Cary), dies at 46

• 1891 Jean-Baptist Capronnier, French-Belgian glass painter, dies at 77
• 1895 Richard Morris Hunt, American architect and educator, dies at 67
• 1911 Jack Edwards, Australian cricket batsman (3 Tests, Victoria CA), dies from mental illness at 51
• 1913 John Milne, British geologist (developed the first modern seismograph), dies of Bright’s disease at 62
• 1914 A J Jean Jaurès, French socialist (L’Humanité/Les Preuves), murdered=
• 1917 Charlie Finlason, cricketer (South Africa’s 1st Test), dies
• 1917 Francis Ledwidge, Irish poet (b. 1881)
• 1917 Hedd Wyn, Welsh poet (b. 1887)
• 1919 Dick Barlow, English cricket all-rounder (17 Tests, 2 x 50, 34 wickets, BB 7/40; Lancashire CCC), dies at 68
• 1927 Walter Travis, Australian-American golfer, writer, course designer (US Amateur C’ship 1900-01, 03; British Amateur 1904), dies at 65
• 1932 Francesco Paolo Neglia, Italian composer, dies at 58

• 1940 Whitey Krakow [or Krakower], American gangster and hitman (Murder Inc), murdered by “Bugsy” Siegel
• 1942 Francis Younghusband, British journalist and explorer (1904 British expedition to Tibet), dies at 79
• 1943 Hedley Verity, English cricket spin bowler (40 Tests, 144 wickets @ 24.37), dies in POW camp in Italy at 38

• 1948 Maria “Marie” Hens, Flemish actress (Female Revue), dies at 70
• 1951 J. Van Oudshoorn [Jan Koos Feylbrief], Dutch writer (Maze of Sentences), dies at 74
• 1952 N B F “Tufty” Mann, cricketer (South African slow lefty 1947-51), dies
• 1952 Waldemar Bonsels, German novelist, children’s literature writer (Maya the Bee), and outspoken anti-semite, dies at 72
• 1953 Robert A. Taft, American politician (U.S. Senator from Ohio), dies at 63
• 1954 Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (b. 1923)
• 1958 Eino Kaila, Finnish psychologist and philosopher, dies at 67
• 1960 Karl Hasse, German composer, dies at 77
• 1961 Jesse Harper, American College Football HOF coach (Notre Dame 57–17–7 [football; 67–29 [basketball]; 88–53–1 [baseball]), dies at 77
• 1964 Jim Reeves, American country singer (“He’ll Have To Go”; “Distant Drums”), and actor (Kimberley Jim), dies in airplane crash at 39
• 1965 James Rennie, Canadian actor (Lash, Little Damozel), dies at 75
• 1966 Alex von Falkenhausen, German general (China, WW II), dies at 87
• 1967 Margaret Kennedy, English novelist (The Constant Nymph), dies at 71
• 1967 Marios Varvoglis, Greek composer (Behind the Barbed Wire Fence), dies at 81
• 1967 Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist (Nobel 1938-work on carotenoids and vitamins), dies at 66
• 1968 Gertrude Short, actress (Stella Dallas, Blonde Venus), dies at 66
• 1970 Booker Ervin [Booker Telleferro Ervin II], American saxophonist (Charles Mingus), dies of kidney disease at 39
• 1970 Jimmy Conzelman, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, coach, team owner (Chicago Cardinals), dies at 72
• 1970 Walter Briggs Jr, American sports executive (owner Detroit Tigers 1952-56), dies at 58
• 1972 Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, Secretary-General of NATO, 1957-61), dies at 73
• 1972 Rollie Hemsley, American baseball catcher (5-time MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 65
• 1977 Stacy Moskowitz, shot to death by Son of Sam, at 20
• 1978 Carleton Percy Hobbs, actor (I Claudius, Dark Places), dies at 80
• 1978 Enoch Light, American orchestra leader (Gulf Road Show with Bob Smith), dies at 70
• 1978 Günther Rennert, German film and opera director and producer, dies of a lung embolism at 67
• 1979 Beatrix Lehmann, British actress (Candles at Nine, Staircase), dies at 76
• 1980 Bobby Van [Stein], American stage and screen musical singer and actor (The Affairs of Dobie Gillis; Small Town Girl), dies of brain cancer at 49
• 1980 Mohammed Rafi, Indian playback singer and musician, dies of a massive heart attack at 55
• 1980 Pascual Jordan, German theoretical physicist, helped found quantum mechanics, dies at 77
• 1981 mar Torrijos, Panamanian military officer, coup d-etat leader, and dictator (Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution, 1968-81), dies in plane crash at 52
• 1984 Bill Raisch, American one armed actor (The Fugitive, Spartacus, Sweet Smell of Success), dies from lung cancer at 79
• 1984 Paul Le Flem, French composer and music critic, dies at 103
• 1985 Eugene Carson Blake, US Secretary-General of World Council of Churches (1966-72), dies at 78
• 1985 Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricket batsman (14 Tests, 3 x 50; Canterbury, Central Districts), dies at 55
• 1986 Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (Vice-consul for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania, 1939-41), who issued thousands of travel visas to imperiled Jews, dies at 88
• 1986 Teddy Wilson, American jazz pianist and arranger (Billie Holiday; Benny Goodman), dies of stomach cancer at 73 [1]
• 1988 André Navarra, French concert cellist (Jolivet’s Cello Concerto), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1947-88), dies at 76
• 1988 Trinidad Silva, American character actor (Hill Street Blues -“Jesus Martinez”), killed in a car accident by a drunk driver at 38
• 1989 Michael Harrington, American author (Fragments of Century; The Other America), radio commentator, and political activist (Founder of the Democratic Socialists of America), dies died of esophageal cancer at 61
• 1990 Albert Leduc, Canadian ice hockey defenseman (Stanley Cup 1930, 31 Montreal Canadiens), dies at 87
• 1990 Fernando Sancho, dies after operation for malignant tumor at 72
• 1992 G Harold Carswell, supreme court justice candidate 1970, dies at 72
• 1992 Joe George, American character actor (Across 110th Street; Seinfeld – “Uncle Mac”), dies of cancer at 65
• 1992 Ralph Strait, American character actor (Search for Tomorrow, 1985-86; Halloween III), dies of a heart attack at 56
• 1992 Sjoerd de Free, Dutch reporter (Radio Herrijzend Netherland), dies
• 1993 Baudouin I, King of Belgium (1951-93), dies from heart issues at 62
• 1993 George Keyt, Sri Lankan painter, dies at 92
• 1993 Paul Henry, US Republicans Congressional leader, dies at 51
• 1993 Rob Jones, English musician known as “The Bass Thing” (The Wonder Stuff), dies of heart failure at 29
• 1994 Anne Shelton, British singer (Glenn Miller Band), dies at 66
• 1994 Caitlin Thomas (née Macnamara), British author (Leftover Life to Kill) and the wife of the poet and writer Dylan Thomas, dies at 80
• 1994 G de Ru, chairman of Dutch Reformed Synode, dies
• 1994 Pieter C. Buitendijk, co-founder (Free Netherlands), dies at 92
• 1995 Genevieve Tobin Keighley, American actress (Zaza, Great Gambini), dies at 83
• 1996 Joan Warburton, Scottish painter, dies at 76
• 1996 Paul Crawford, American Dixieland jazz musician, arranger, (Olympic Brass Band), and music historian (Tulane University), dies of lung cancer at 71
• 1996 Seagram Miller, American rapper killed in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Oakland, California at 26
• 1997 Edith Fore, American pitchwoman (ad for LifeCall alarm – I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!), dies at 81
• 1997 Ulrich Ernst Simon, German-Jewish Anglican theologian, dies at 63
• 1998 Barbara Giuranna, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 98
• 1998 Serge Golovine, French ballet choreographer (Death of Narcissus), dies at 73
• 2000 Hendrik Christoffel Van de Hulst, Dutch astronomer (correctly predicted the existence of the 21 cm hyper-fine line of neutral atomic hydrogen in interstellar space), dies at 81
• 2001 Fanny Leys, Flemish author (Ontwijding), dies at 95
• 2001 Francisco da Costa Gomes, Portuguese army officer and politician (President of Portugal, 1974-76 – unelected appointee of ruling military junta), dies at 87
• 2001 Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (b. 1910)
• 2001 Poul Anderson, American science-fiction and fantasy author, winner of 7 Hugo and 3 Nebula Awards (The Sharing of Flesh; Mirkheim; After Doomsday), dies of prostate cancer at 74
• 2002 Gerrit A. Kooy, Dutch sociologist (Apartheid & work in South Africa), dies at 76
• 2002 Jerome Beatty Jr., American author of children’s literature (Matthew and Maria Looney books), dies at 85
• 2003 Guido Crepax, Italian comics artist (b. 1933)
• 2003 John Aston Sr., English soccer striker (17 caps; Manchester United 253 games), dies at 81
• 2004 Laura Betti, Italian actress (b. 1927)
• 2004 Virginia Grey, American actress, dies at 87
• 2005 Les Braid, English bass guitarist and singer (Swinging Blue Jeans – “Hippie-Hippie Shake”), dies of lung cancer at 67
• 2005 Wim Duisenberg, Dutch banker (b. 1935)
• 2006 Paul Eells, American sportscaster (“Voice of the Razorbacks”), dies at 70
• 2009 Harry Alan Towers, English film producer and screenwriter (b. 1920)
• 2009 Sir Bobby Robson, English soccer forward, coach (20 caps; England manager 1982-90), dies of lung cancer at 76
• 2010 Mitch Miller, American oboist and recording producer (Sing Along with Mitch), dies at 99
• 2012 Bobby Edwards [Moncrief], American country singer-songwriter (“You’re The Reason”), dies at 86
• 2012 Gore Vidal, American author (Myra Breckinridge; Lincoln), dies from pneumonia at 86
• 2013 Michael Ansara, American actor (Broken Arrow, Centennial), dies at 91
• 2015 Billy Pierce, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star x 7; World Series 1945; AL wins leader 1957; MLB ERA leader 1955; AL strikeout leader; 1953; Chicago White Sox), dies from gallbladder cancer at 88
• 2015 Gerald S O’Loughlin, American actor and director (Storefront Lawyer, Rookies, Wheels), dies at 93

• 2016 Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler (31 tournament c’ships; Kyushu Tournament 1981-88), dies from pancreatic cancer at 61

• 2017 Chuck Loeb, American jazz guitarist (Metro, Fourplay, Stan Getz), dies of cancer at 61
• 2017 Jeanne Moreau, French actress (Going Places, Jules & Jim), dies at 89
• 2018 Tony Bullimore, British yachtsman (1997 solo around-the-world yacht race, dramatic rescue), dies of cancer at 79 [1]
• 2019 Gordon Brand Jr., Scottish golfer (8 x European Tour wins; Ryder Cup 1987, 89), dies from a heart attack at 60
• 2019 V. G. Siddhartha, Indian coffee entrepreneur (Café Coffee Day), found dead at 60
• 2020 Alan Parker, English director (Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express), dies at 76 [1]
• 2020 Stephen Tataw, Cameroonian soccer right-back (63 caps; captain Cameroon national team FIFA World Cup 1990, 94), dies at 57
• 2021 Alvin Ing, American stage and screen singer and actor (Flower Drum Song), dies of COVID-19 complications at 89
• 2021 Paul Cotton, American country-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Poco – “Heart of the Night”), dies at 78 [1]
• 2021 Terry Cooper, English soccer defender (20 caps; Leeds, Middlesborough) and manager (Bristol City, Birmingham City), dies at 77
• 2022 Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian pan-Islamist militant and leader of al-Qaeda (2011-22), killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan at 71

• 2022 Fidel V. Ramos, Filipino general and 12th President of the Philippines (1992-98), dies at 94
• 2022 Hartmut Heidemann, German soccer defender (3 caps West Germany; MSV Duisburg 347 games), dies at 81
• 2022 Mo Ostin [Ostrofsky], American record company executive (Verve; Reprise; Warner Bros,; Dreamworks), dies at 95
• 2023 Angus Cloud, American actor (Euphoria), dies of an accidental drug overdose at 25
• 2023 Melaku Worede, Ethiopian plant geneticist and agronomist (helped Ethiopia recover from 1984 famine), dies at 87 [1]
• 2024 Anshuman Gaekwad, Indian cricket batsman (40 Tests, 2 x 100, HS 201; Baroda) and coach (India; Champions Trophy 2000 runner-up), dies of blood cancer at 71

July 31 Highlights