Famous Deaths on July 7

• 1304 Benedict XI [Niccolo Boccasini], Pope (1303-04), dies

• 1348 John Andreae, Italian canonist, dies
• 1537 Madeleine of Valois, French princess who briefly became Queen of Scotland after marrying James V, dies only six months after the wedding at 16
• 1572 Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland (1548-72), dies at 51
• 1573 Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, Italian architect, dies at 65
• 1647 Thomas Hooker, American colonial clergyman (known as “the father of Connecticut”), dies at 61
• 1656 Michelangelo Rossi, Italian Baroque organist, violinist, and opera composer, dies at about 55
• 1694 Dokusho, Zen teacher, Obaku line, dies
• 1701 William Stoughton, American judge (Salem witch trials, 1692), dies at 69
• 1713 Henry Compton, British clergyman (Bishop of Oxford, 1675-1713), member of the Privy Council, and botanist, dies at about 81 [birthdate uncertain]
• 1764 William Pulteney, English politician (1st Earl of Bath, shortest-ever British Prime Minister for 2 days in 1746 disputed), dies at 80
• 1773 Cornelis Douwes, Dutch mathematician and astronomer, dies at 60
• 1774 Giuseppe Maria Carretti, Italian composer, dies at 83
• 1776 Jeremiah Markland, English classical scholar (b. 1693)
• 1790 Frans Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher, dies at 68
• 1794 Pascal Boyer, French composer, dies at 51
• 1799 William Curtis, English botanist and publisher (Botanical Magazine), dies at 53
• 1816 Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish playwright (The Rivals, The School for Scandal) and Whig MP, dies at 64
• 1826 Friedrich Dülon, German flautist and composer, dies at 56
• 1855 Konstantin Batyushkov, Russian poet (b. 1787)
• 1861 John Willis Ellis, US governor of NC (1858-61), dies
• 1865 David Herold, American pharmacist’s assistant who was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, executed by hanging at 23
• 1865 George Atzerodt, American conspirator who failed to attempt an assassination of Vice President Andrew Johnson on the night Abraham Lincoln was murdered, executed by hanging at 30
• 1865 Lewis Powell, American Confederate soldier who was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and who attempted to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, executed by hanging at 21
• 1865 Mary Surratt, American boarding house owner who was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, executed by hanging at 42 or 45. She becomes the first woman executed by the US government.
• 1868 Edward Coles, American anti-slavery advocate and politician (Governor of Illinois, 1822-26), dies at 81
• 1879 George Caleb Bingham, American politician and painter (Country Election), dies at 68
• 1885 Nicola De Giosa, Italian composer, dies at 66
• 1889 Giovanni Bottesini, Italian Romantic composer, conductor and a double bass virtuoso, dies at 67

• 1898 Lucien Petipa, French dancer/choreograph/ballet leader, dies
• 1899 George Washington Julian, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana, dies at 82

• 1903 José Augusto Ferreira Veiga, Viscount of Arneiro, Portuguese composer, dies at 64
• 1907 James McGranahan, American composer, dies at 67
• 1909 Walter Ritz, Swiss physicist, known for the Rydberg–Ritz combination principle, dies of tuberculosis at 31
• 1913 Edward Burd Grubb, American Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General, dies at 71
• 1919 Paul Deusen, German philosopher/CEO (Schopenhauer-Gesellschaft), dies
• 1922 Cathal Brugha, Chief of Staff of Irish Republican Army, dies of a bullet wound at 47
• 1925 Clarence Hudson White, American photographer, dies at 54
• 1927 Magnus Gösta Mittag-Leffler, Swedish mathematician and founder of Acta Mathematica, dies at 81 [1]

• 1931 Johannes Kotze, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 6 wickets, BB 3/64; London County, Transvaal, Western Province), dies from heart failure at 51
• 1932 Alexander Grin, Russian novelist (Jessie and Morgiana), dies at 51
• 1932 Henry Eyster Jacobs, American Lutheran theologian, dies at 87
• 1934 Doodles Tapscott, cricketer (South African batsman 1922-23), dies
• 1939 Deacon White, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (NL batting champion, RBI leader 1877; Boston Red Stockings), dies from heat stroke at 91
• 1944 Erich Salomon, German photographer, dies at 58
• 1944 Georges Mandel [Louis Rothschild], French politician and resistance leader, is executed by the Milice at 59
• 1945 Salomėja Nėris [Salomėja Bačinskaitė-Bučienė], Lithuanian poet, dies of cancer at 40
• 1949 (Willie) “Bunk” Johnson, American trumpeter, traditional jazz revivalist, and raconteur, dies after a series of strokes at 69 or 59 {year of birth disputed] [1] [2]
• 1954 Vincas Krevė-Mickevičius, Lithuanian poet, philologist and playwright (founder of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences), dies at 71
• 1955 Franco Casavola, Italian composer, music theorist, and futurist, dies at 63
• 1956 Gottfried Benn, German physician, pathologist, poet, and essayist (Morgue and other Poems), dies at 70
• 1958 Raymond Hackett, American husband of Blanche Sweet and actor (Faithless Lover), dies at 55
• 1965 Bill Hitch, England cricket fast-bowler (7 Tests 1911-21), dies
• 1965 Moshe Sharett, 2nd Prime Minister of Israel (1954-55), dies at 70
• 1966 Carmelita Geraghty, dies of a heart attack at 65

• 1968 Jo Schlesser, French Formula One racing driver dies in a crash during the French Grand Prix at Rouen at 40
• 1968 Leo Sowerby, American organist and composer (Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1946), dies at 73
• 1969 Erskine Sanford, American actor (Citizen Kane, Angel on My Shoulder), dies at 83
• 1969 Gladys Swarthout, American mezzo-soprano (La Gioconda), dies of heart disease at 68
• 1970 Allen Lane, English publisher and founder of Penguin Books, dies at 67
• 1970 Dame Laura Knight, English impressionist artist, dies at 92
• 1970 Louise Harrison, British mother of Beatle George, dies at 59
• 1970 Sylvester Wiere, Czech-American vaudeville comedian (Wiere Brothers; Oh! Those Bells), dies at 60
• 1971 Claude Gauvreau, Canadian writer and playwright, part of the Automatist movement, dies from a fall at 45
• 1971 Ub Iwerks, American animator and special-effects technician who worked on the design on Mickey Mouse, dies at 70 [1] [2]
• 1972 Athenagoras I [Aristocles Matthew Spyrou], Greek Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople (1948-72), dies at 86 [1]
• 1972 Talal bin Abdullah, King of Jordan (1951-52), established modern constitution, forced to abdicate due to mental illness, dies at 63

• 1973 Veronica Lake [Constance Ockleman], American actress (Sullivan’s Travels, I Married a Witch), dies from hepatitis and acute kidney injury at 50
• 1975 Barbara Brown, American actress dies at 73
• 1975 Jacob Bjerknes, Norwegian-American meteorologist (USAF in London), dies at 77
• 1975 Ruffian, American thoroughbred racehorse (b. 1972)
• 1975 Vito Frazzi, Italian composer, dies at 86
• 1976 Gustav Heinemann, President of West Germany (1969-74), dies at 76
• 1976 Norman Foster, American actor (Skyscraper Souls), dies at 75
• 1976 Walter Giesler, American soccer coach (b. 1910)
• 1979 Dalton Conyngham, South African cricket medium-pace bowler (1 Test, 2 wickets; Natal, Transvaal, Western Province), dies at 82
• 1980 Reginald Gardiner, British actor (The Flying Deuces; The Great Dictator), dies at 77
• 1981 Keefe Brasselle [John Brasselli], American actor (The Eddie Cantor Story, Be Our Guest), dies of liver disease at 58
• 1981 Peace Pilgrim [Mildred Lisette Norman], American peace activist, dies at 72
• 1982 Bep Bakhuys, Dutch soccer striker (23 caps, 28 goals; Metz), dies at 73
• 1982 Fred Stuthman, actor (Henry Adler-Hello Larry), dies at 63
• 1983 Herman Kahn, American futurist and nuclear strategist, dies at 71
• 1983 Vic Wertz, American MLB player, dies during surgery at 58
• 1983 Vicki Morgan, American mistress (Beautiful Bad Girl), murdered at 30
• 1984 Carl Boenish, American father of BASE jumping, dies at 43
• 1984 Flora Robson, actress (Great Day, Frieda), dies in her sleep at 82
• 1985 Guido Kisch, Czech-American Jewish historian (Jews in medieval Germany), dies at 96
• 1985 John Scarne [Orlando Carmelo Scarnecchia], American magician known for his card skills, dies at 82
• 1987 Tibor Frešo, Slovak composer (Fanfares of Peace; A Beetle was Born), and conductor (Slovak National Theatre Opera), dies at 68
• 1988 Jimmy Edwards, British comedy writer and actor (Take It From Here – “Pa Glum”; Whack-O – “Professor”!), dies from pneumonia at 68
• 1990 Bill Cullen, American game show host (Price is Right), dies at 70 of cancer
• 1990 Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer, dies at 32
• 1990 Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle, German Jesuit priest and Buddhism Zen teacher, dies at 92
• 1992 Clint Frank, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1937; unanimous All-American 1937; Yale), dies at 76
• 1992 Josy Barthel, Luxembourgish 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 65
• 1992 Juanita Jackson Mitchell, American lawyer (1st African American to practice law in Maryland, NAACP), dies at 79
• 1992 Ruurd Faber, Dutch politician and Mayor of Aalten (1971-75), dies at 79
• 1993 Mia Zapata, American singer with The Gits (b. 1965)
• 1994 Anita Garvin, American stage, silent and sound screen actress (Sailors Beware; Laurel and Hardy – Swiss Miss; Blotto; The Charlatan; Hats Off), dies at 88
• 1994 Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer who worked for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, dies at 69
• 1994 Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German Luftwaffe officer in WWII and West German general, dies at 87
• 1994 Rosa Chacel, spanish Novelist, dies at 96
• 1995 Gábor Ormai, Hungarian violist (Takács Quartet, 1975-95), and pedagogue, dies of cancer at 40
• 1995 Geoffrey Freeman Allen, English railway writer, dies at 73
• 1996 Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael, Duke of Bavaria, dies at 91
• 1997 Jerry Doggett, American sportscaster, 1956-87 (Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers), dies at 80
• 1998 Brigadier Theuns Swanepoel, South African Security Police notorious for ordering the police to shoot at protesting school children in 1976, 70
• 1998 Moshood Abiola, 1993 Nigerian presidential election candidate and presumed winner of the inconclusive election, dies in detention at 60
• 1999 Captain Vikram Batra, Indian Army officer, awarded Param Vir Chakra (September 9,1974)
• 2000 Kenny Irwin, Jr., American auto racer (USAC National Midget Champion 1996; NASCAR 87 starts), dies in a crash during practice at 30
• 2000 Mary Armour, Scottish painter, dies at 80
• 2001 Edward Fiennes-Clinton, Australian-born 18th Earl of Lincoln, dies at 88
• 2001 Fred Neil [Morlock], American songwriter, folk singer, guitarist (Everybody’s Talkin’; Candy Man), and conservationist (Dolphin Project), dies from skin cancer at 65
• 2001 Maria Gorokhovskaya, Russian gymnast (equal record 7 x Olympic medals, Soviet Union 1952; 2 x gold [team, all-round], 5 x silver), dies at 79
• 2002 Bison Dele, American basketball player (b. 1969)
• 2003 Izhak Graziani, Bulgarian-born conductor (b. 1924)
• 2004 Jeff Smith, American chef and TV host of “The Frugal Chef”, dies at 65
• 2005 Al Downing, American rockabilly piano player and singer (Big Al & The Chartbusters), dies at 65 [1]
• 2006 John Money, New Zealand-American psychologist and sexologist, dies at 84
• 2006 Juan de Ávalos, Spanish sculptor (b. 1911)
• 2006 Kees Andrea, Dutch textile artist, dies at 92
• 2006 Rudi Carrell [Rudolf Kesselman], Dutch entertainer known for “Rudi Carrell Show”, dies at 71

• 2007 Dame Anne McLaren, British biologist and leading researcher on human in vitro fertilisation (IVF), dies at 80
• 2008 Bruce Conner, American artist (b. 1933)
• 2008 Dorian Leigh, American supermodel and icon of the fashion industry, dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 91
• 2008 Hugh Mendl, British record label executive (Decca/Deram Records), dies at 88 [1]
• 2011 Allan W. Eckert, American historian, naturalist and author (“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom”; “Incident at Hawk’s Hill”), dies at 80
• 2011 Dick Williams, American Baseball Hall of Fame manager (World Series 1972, 73 Oakland A’s) and utility (Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at 82
• 2011 Josef Suk, Czech concert violinist (Artist of Merit, 1977), violist, and namesake of composer grandfather, dies of prostate cancer at 81
• 2012 Leon Schlumpf, Swiss politician, President Swiss Federal Council (1984), dies at 87
• 2013 Anna Wing, British stage and screen actress (EastEnders, 1985-88 – “Lou Beale”; Blithe Spirit), dies at 98
• 2013 Donald J. Irwin, American politician (32nd Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut), dies from heart failure at 86

• 2014 Lois Johnson, American country music singer (“Loving You Will Never Grow Old”), dies at 72
• 2014 Richard “Dick” Jones, American actor (“Pinocchio “- Pinocchio, The Frontiersman), dies at 87
• 2016 Rokusuke Ei, Japanese author and lyricist (Sukiyaki), dies at 83
• 2017 Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), dies at 89
• 2017 Lala Rukh, Pakistani activist and abstract artist (Women’s Action Forum), dies at 69 [1]
• 2018 Paul Fetler, American composer (December Stillness; Three Poems By Walt Whitman), dies at 98
• 2019 Greg Johnson, Canadian NHL hockey center, 1994-2006 (Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators (captain 2002-06), and 2 other teams), dies of suspected suicide at 48
• 2020 Dannes Coronel, Ecuadorian soccer defender (27 caps; El Nacional), dies from a heart attack at 47
• 2021 Carlos Reutemann, Argentine auto racer (World F1 Drivers C’ship 1981 runner-up; 3 x third) and politician (governor of Santa Fe 2003-21), dies from a digestive hemorrhage at 79
• 2021 Chick Vennera, American actor (Thank God It’s Friday; High Risk; Milagro Beanfield War; Animaniacs), dies of lung cancer at 74
• 2021 Dilip Kumar [Muhammad Yusuf Khan], Indian Bollywood actor known as the “Tragedy King” and one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema (Jwar Bhata), dies at 98
• 2021 Jovenel Moïse, Haitian politician, President of Haiti (2017-21), assassinated at 53
• 2021 Robert Downey, Sr [Elias Jr], American filmmaker (Putney Swope; Rittenhouse Square), and actor (You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It or You’ll Lose That Beat), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 85
• 2022 (Patrick Henry) “Adam” Wade, American pop singer (The Writing On The Wall), actor (Kiss Me Goodbye), and 1st US Black game show host (Musical Chairs), dies of complications from Parkinson’s disease at 87
• 2022 Pedro Ferrándiz, Spanish basketball coach (EuroLeague 1965, 67, 68, 74 Real Madrid; Spain 1964-65), dies at 93
• 2023 Joseph Chebet, Kenyan athlete (Boston Marathon 1999, New York Marathon 1999, Amsterdam Marathon 1998, Vienna Marathon 2003), dies at 52
• 2023 Nikki McCray, American Women’s Basketball HOF guard (WNBA All-Star 1999-2001 Washington Mystics; ABL MVP 1997 Columbus Quest; Olympic gold 1996, 2000) and coach (Old Dominion, Mississippi State), dies at 51
• 2023 Simon Brown, British barrister, judge, Baron of Eaton-under-Heywood, and Justice of the Supreme Court of the UK (2009-12), dies at 86 [1] [2]

July 7 Highlights