Famous Deaths on July 8

• 810 Pepin, son of Charlemagne, King of Italy, dies (birth date unknown)
• 975 Edgar, King of England (959-75), divided England into shires, dies (b. c. 942)
• 1115 Peter the Hermit, French priest, led the People’s Crusade, dies at about 64

• 1153 Eugene III [Bernardo], Italian Pope (1145-53), dies
• 1253 Theobald de Champagne, French ruler (Count of Champagne; King of Navarre, 1234-53), poet, and troubadour, dies at 52
• 1422 Michelle of Valois, Duchess consort of Burgundy (1419-22), dies after falling ill at 27 possibly poisoned
• 1496 Benedetto Bonfiglio, Italian painter, dies
• 1531 Tilman Riemenschneider, German sculptor, dies at 71

• 1623 Gregory XV [Alessandro Ludovisi], Italian Catholic pope (1621-23) and Archbishop of Bologna, dies at 69
• 1656 Alexander van der Capellen, Dutch statesman, mister of Aartsbergen, dies at about 64
• 1679 Samuel Columbus, Swedish poet (Odae Sveticae), dies (b. 1642)
• 1681 Georg Neumark, German composer and poet, dies at 60
• 1689 Edward Wooster, English Connecticut pioneer (b. 1622)

• 1716 Robert South, English churchman (b. 1634)
• 1721 Elihu Yale, English merchant and philanthropist (benefactor of Yale University), dies at 72
• 1726 Antonio Maria Bononcini, Italian cellist, composer, and maestro di cappella, dies at 49
• 1726 John Ker, Scottish spy who spied for the British government against the Jacobites, dies in a debtors’ prison at 52
• 1784 Torbern Bergman, Swedish chemist and mineralogist notable for publishing the largest chemical affinity tables, dies at 49
• 1788 Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, French marshal and statesman, 3rd Duke of Richilieu, dies at 92

• 1850 Adolphus Frederick, British prince and field marshal, 1st Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of George III, dies at 76
• 1855 William Parry, English Arctic explorer (Parry Channel), dies at 64
• 1859 Oscar I [Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte], French-Swedish noble, through adoption (King of Sweden and Norway, 1844-59), dies at 60
• 1863 Francis Kenrick, Irish-American Archbishop of Baltimore (1851-63), dies at 65
• 1870 Jan David Zocher Jr., Dutch landscape architect (Soestdijk Palace), dies at 79
• 1876 Josef Dessauer, Austrian composer, dies at 78
• 1885 Henry Waelput, Flemish compose and conductor (Blessing of Arms), dies at 39
• 1894 Vladimir Nikitich Kashperov, Russian composer, dies at 67
• 1895 Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian scientist whomade the first accurate estimate of the size of molecules, dies at 74
• 1897 Isham Green Harris, American and Confederate politician (US Senator from Tennessee, 1877-97; Governor of Tennessee, 1857-1862; US Representative from Tennessee, 1849-53), dies at 79
• 1898 Soapy Smith, American con artist (b. 1860)
• 1905 Walter Kittredge, American musician during American Civil War, dies at 70
• 1909 Gaston, Marquis de Gallifet, French general and Minister of War (1899-1900), dies at 79
• 1911 Ira Erastus Davenport, American magician, claimed to be a spirit medium, dies at 51
• 1913 Louis Hémon, French novelist (Maria Chapdelaine), dies at 32
• 1917 Tom Thomson, Canadian painter, drowns in unexplained circumstances at 39
• 1930 Joseph Ward, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1906-12), dies at 74

• 1934 Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer, dies at 86
• 1939 Havelock Ellis, English physician and social reformer who studied sexual behaviour (Man & Woman), dies at 80
• 1941 Moses Schorr, Polish rabbi, senator, historian and orientalist, dies at 67
• 1941 Philippe Gaubert, French flautist, conductor (Paris Opéra, 1919-41), composer, and teacher (Paris Conservatoire), dies of a stroke at 62
• 1942 Catherinus Elling, Norwegian organist, composer, educator, and ethnomusicologist, dies at 83
• 1943 Guillermo Valencia, Colombian poet, translator and statesman, dies at 69
• 1943 Harry Oakes, Canadian-British prominent businessman in Bahamas, murdered under mysterious circumstances at 68
• 1943 Jean Moulin, French hero of the Résistance during World War II, executed at 44
• 1946 Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, Russian composer (Alexnadrov Ensemble), dies at 63
• 1948 Dave Nourse, South African cricket all-rounder (45 Tests, 1 x 100, 41 wickets; Natal, Transvaal, Western Province), dies at 69
• 1948 George Mehnert, American wrestler (Olympic gold flyweight 1904, bantamweight 1908), dies at 66
• 1949 Antun Sa’ada [Antoun Saadeh], Syrian politician (Syrian Social Nationalist Party), executed by firing squad in Lebanon at 45
• 1949 Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli, Italian composer, dies at 66
• 1950 Othmar Spann, Austrian economist and sociologist (Wahre State), dies at 71
• 1956 Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart, Dutch politician (1954 Nobel Peace Prize as High Commissioner for Refugees of the UN), dies at 55
• 1956 Giovanni Papini, Italian avant-garde writer (Un Uomo Finito), dies at 75
• 1957 Grace Goodhue Coolidge, American First Lady (1923-29) wife of Calvin Coolidge, dies at 78
• 1957 Henry Février, French composer, dies at 81
• 1957 William Adlington Cadbury, English chocolate maker, dies at 89
• 1959 US Army Maj. Dale Buis & MSgt. Chester Ovnand killed in Viet Cong attack, becoming the first and second Americans killed in combat in the Vietnam War
• 1961 Julián Bautista, Spanish orchestral and film score composer, and conductor, dies at 60
• 1962 Georges Bataille, French writer known for ” Story of the Eye” and philosopher, dies at 64

• 1969 Charmian Clift, Australian writer and essayist, dies at 45
• 1969 Red Rolfe, American baseball third baseman (5 x World Series; 4 x MLB All Star; NY Yankees) and manager (Detroit Tigers 1949–52), dies from chronic kidney disease at 60
• 1971 Charlie Shavers, American jazz trumpet player, dies at 50
• 1972 (Cora) “Lovie” Austin (née Taylor), American jazz and blues pianist, songwriter (“Down Hearted Blues”), and band leader (The Blues Serenaders), dies at 84 [1]
• 1973 Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
• 1973 Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (4187 1st-class wickets, most ever), dies at 95
• 1974 Morris “Moose” Charlap, American Broadway composer (Peter Pan; Kelly), dies at 45
• 1977 Rie Cramer, Dutch writer and illustrator, dies at 89
• 1979 Charles Kynard, American soul, jazz, and funk Hammond B-3 organ player (Reelin With The Feelin’), dies at 46
• 1979 Michael Wilding, British actor (Stage Fright, Courtney Affair, World of Suzie Wong), dies from a head injury at 66
• 1979 Robert B. Woodward, American organic chemist (Nobel 1965), dies at 62
• 1979 Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1906)
• 1981 Loring Smith, American actor (Hartmans), dies at 86
• 1982 Isa Miranda, Italian model and actress (Summertime), dies of infected bone at 77
• 1982 Virginia Hall [Goillot], American spy with British Special Operations during WWII (1940-66), dies at 76
• 1984 Brassaï [Gyula Halász], Hungarian-French artist, dies at 84
• 1984 Christine McIntyre, American actress and singer (The Three Stooges, The Rangers’ Round-Up), dies from cancer at 73
• 1985 Gardner Cowles Jr., American publisher (Look Magazine), dies at 82
• 1985 Phil Foster, American comedian (Frank De Fazio-Laverne & Shirley), dies at 72
• 1985 Simon Kuznets, American economist (Nobel 1971), dies at 84
• 1986 Hyman G. Rickover, US Admiral (father of modern nuclear navy, at 63 years the longest serving US naval officer), dies at 86
• 1987 Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet (Versos humanos), dies at 90
• 1987 Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (Canadian Member of Parliament), dies at 84
• 1988 Ray Barbuti, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 400m relay 1928), dies at 83
• 1990 Howard Duff, American actor (Flamingo Road, Knots Landing), dies of a heart attack at 76
• 1990 Malcolm Hilton, English cricket slow left-arm (4 Tests), dies at 61
• 1991 James Franciscus, American actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Mr Novak, Longstreet), dies of emphysema 57
• 1991 Lotte Palfi Andor, German-American actress (Lovesick, All That Jazz), dies at 87
• 1993 Charles Adkins, American boxer (Olympic gold light welterweight 1952), dies at 61
• 1994 Christian-Jaque [Christian Maudet], French film director (Fearless Little Soldier, Race for Life, The Pearls of the Crown), dies at 89
• 1994 Dick Sargent [Richard Stanford Cox], American actor (Darren in “Bewitched”), dies of cancer at 64
• 1994 Dominic Lucero, American dancer and singer, dies of lymphatic cancer at 26

• 1994 Lars-Eric Lindblad, Swedish-American entrepreneur and explorer (b. 1927)
• 1995 Elizabeth Adams, American Beverly Hills madame and mentor to Heidi Fleiss, dies at 65
• 1995 Günter Bialas, German composer and music educator, dies at 87
• 1996 (James Woodie) J.W. Alexander, American gospel and soul music songwriter, singer, and producer (Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Solomon Burke), dies of prostate cancer at 80
• 1996 Amschel Rothschild, British banker (executive chairman of Rothschild Asset Management of the Rothschild banking family of England), dies at 41
• 1996 Ernest Armstrong, British politician (L) and teacher, dies at 81
• 1996 Thomas Mitchell, British architect and structural engineer, dies at 90 [1]
• 1999 Pete Conrad, American US Navy pilot and NASA astronaut (Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12, Skylab 2), dies injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident at 59
• 2000 FM-2030 [Fereidoun M. Esfandiary], Iranian-American author and transhumanist (Are You a Transhuman?), dies at 69
• 2000 Nikola Hercigonja, Croatian composer, dies at 89
• 2001 Christl Haas, Austrian downhill skier (Olympic gold 1964), dies at 57
• 2001 Ernst Baier, German figure skater (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 95
• 2001 John O’Shea, New Zealand film director (b. 1920)
• 2002 Ward Kimball, American animator (one of Disney’s Nine Old Men), dies at 88
• 2003 Kunio Toda, Japanese composer, dies at 87
• 2004 Jean Lefebvre, French actor (Diabolical, Now Where Did the Seventh Company Get to?), dies at 84
• 2004 Paula Danziger, American author (b. 1944)
• 2004 Pieter Brattinga, Dutch graphic artist, dies at 73
• 2006 June Allyson [Eleanor Geisman], American stage and screen actress (Best Foot Forward; Too Young to Kiss; The Glenn Miller Story; The DuPont Show with June Allyson), dies of respiratory failure and bronchitis at 88
• 2006 Peter Hawkins, British actor/voice actor (b. 1924)
• 2007 Chandra Shekhar, Indian politician, 8th Prime Minister of India (1990-91), dies at 80
• 2007 Jindřich Feld, Czech composer (Concerto for Flute and Orchestra), dies at 82
• 2007 Wayne A. Downing, American US Army general, 1962-96, dies of meningitis 67
• 2008 Alex d’Arbeloff, Georgian-American entrepreneur who co-founded Teradyne, dies at 80 [1]

• 2011 Mary Fenech Adami, First Lady of Malta (b. 1933)
• 2011 Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet (Home Alone, Deranged, The Great Gatsby), dies of a stroke at 87

• 2015 Ernie Maresca, American singer and songwriter (“Runaround Sue”; “The Wanderer”), dies at 76
• 2015 James Tate, American poet (Pulitzer Prize 1992), dies at 71
• 2015 Ken Stabler, American Pro Football HOF quarterback (4 x Pro Bowl; NFL MVP, First-team All-Pro 1974; Super Bowl 1976; Oakland Raiders), dies of colon cancer at 69
• 2016 Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistani philanthropist (Edhi Foundation), dies at 88
• 2016 William H. McNeill, Canadian-born historian (Rise of the West), dies at 98
• 2017 Elsa Martinelli, Italian actress (Indian Fighter), dies at 82
• 2017 Nelsan Ellis, American actor (True Blood), dies of complications from heart failure at 39
• 2018 Alan Johnson, American Emmy Award-winning screen and stage choreographer (The Producers – “Springtime for Hitler”; Legs Diamond), director (To Be Or Not To Be), and dancer (West Side Story), dies at 81
• 2018 Lonnie Shelton, American basketball forward (NBA C’ship 1979; NBA All Star 1982 Seattle Supersonics), dies from heart attack complications at 62
• 2018 Oliver Knussen, British composer (Where the Wild Things Are, Chicara), dies at 66
• 2018 Tab Hunter [Arthur Andrew Kelm], American actor (Tab Hunter Show, Lust in the Dust) and singer (“Young Love”), dies of complications of deep vein thrombosis at 86
• 2020 Abdelmajid Tlemçani, Tunisian soccer striker (54 caps; Espérance Sportive de Tunis), dies at 82
• 2020 Alex Pullin, Australian snowboarder (World C’ship gold snowboard cross 2011, 13), dies from drowning at 32
• 2020 Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (Glee; Step Up: High Water), drowns while swimming at Lake Piru, near Santa Clarita, California, at 33
• 2021 Sam Reed, American jazz and session saxophonist, and musical director (Uptown Theater (Philadelphia); Teddy Pendergrass), dies at 85
• 2022 Larry Storch, American stage and screen comic and character actor (F Troop – “Cpl. Agarn”; Tennessee Tuxedo – “Prof. Whoopee”), dies at 99
• 2022 Luis Echeverria Alvarez, Mexican politician, President of Mexico (1970-76), dies at 100

• 2022 Tony Sirico, American actor (The Sopranos – “Paulie Walnuts”; Cop Land; Family Guy), dies at 79

July 8 Highlights