December 17th famous deaths

List of celebrities and famous people who died on December 17th

2029 - 2020

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 2029 - 2020

2023

• Ronaldo Valdez

  Filipino actor (b. 1947)

2020

• Allen Dines

  American politician (b. 1921)

• Jeremy Bullock

  English actor (b. 1945)

2019 - 2010

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 2019 - 2010

2019

• Hayden Fry

  Noted biologist who made significant contributions to the field of genetics.

2018

• Penny Marshall

  Penny Marshall was an American actress known for her role in the TV show 'Laverne & Shirley'.

• Raven Wilkinson

  First African American woman to dance full-time with a major ballet company.

2016

• Henry Heimlich

  American physician and author (d. 2016)

• Benjamin A. Gilman

  American soldier and politician (d. 2016)

• Gordon Hunt

  American voice director (b. 1929)

2015

• Yelina Nikolayeva

  Renowned poet known for her evocative verses.

• Daemion Ravenwood

  Innovative playwright known for pushing the boundaries of traditional theater.

• Osamu Hayaishi

  American-japanese biochemist and academic (b. 1920)

• Hal Brown

  American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)

• Michael Wyschogrod

  German-american philosopher and theologian (b. 1928)

2014

• Waldo Schmidt

  Contributed to the development of programming languages.

• Dieter Grau

  German-american scientist and engineer (d. 2014)

• Lowell Steward

  American captain (b. 1919)

• Oleh Lysheha

  Ukrainian poet and playwright (b. 1949)

• Richard C. Hottelet

  American journalist (b. 1917)

Ivan Vekić

Croatian colonel, lawyer, and politician, croatian minister of the interior (b. 1938)

2013

• Tetsurō Kashibuchi

  Japanese drummer, songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)

• Fred Bruemmer

  Latvian-canadian photographer and author (d. 2013)

• Conny van Rietschoten

  Dutch sailor (b. 1926)

• Ricardo María Carles Gordó

  Spanish cardinal (b. 1926)

• Richard Heffner

  American historian and television host (b. 1925)

Janet Rowley

American geneticist and biologist (b. 1925)

2012

• Daniel Inouye

  American politician and the democratic senior senator from hawaii. inouye, a hero of ww ii, entered politics in 1954. inouye was elected precinct president in 1958. he also served as county committeeman, county secretary and central committeeman. he was a representative since 1959. he served on the watergate committee, the central committeeman, the secretary to the county, and most importantly, …

• Deniel Inouye

  American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Hawaii.

• Dan Inouye

  Long-serving U.S. Senator from Hawaii and Medal of Honor recipient.

• James Gower

  American priest and activist, co-founded the college of the atlantic (b. 1922)

• Richard Adams

  Filipino-american activist (b. 1947)

Laurier LaPierre

Canadian historian, journalist, and politician (d. 2012)

Daniel Inouye

American captain and politician, medal of honor recipient (d. 2012)

Frank Pastore

American radio host and baseball player (d. 2012).

2011

• Dniya Bouazizi

  Known for sparking the Arab Spring with his self-immolation protest.

• Heber Manning

  American politician who served as the Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts.

• Kim Jong-il

  North korean commander and politician, second supreme leader of north korea (b. 1941)

• Eva Ekvall

  Venezuelan journalist and author, miss venezuela 2000 (b. 1983)

2010

• Mouhamad Bouazizi

  His self-immolation sparked the Tunisian Revolution and the Arab Spring.

• Captain Beefheart

  Captain beefheart, an american musician, is known for his avant-garde music and influential work in the experimental rock genre.

• Captain Beefheart

  American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)

• Ralph Coates

  English international footballer (d. 2010)

• Walt Dropo

  American basketball and baseball player (b. 1923)

Walt Dropo

American baseball player (born in 1923)

2009 - 2000

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 2009 - 2000

2009

• Jennifer Jones

  American actress who won the oscar in 1943 for best actress for her role as bernadette's first major role. jennifer jones was instantly captivated by her portrayal of lourdes, a 19th-century maid who claimed to have seen the virgin mary. her other films include love letters and duel in the sun.

• Alaina Reed Hall

  American actress best known for her role as Olivia Robinson on 'Sesame Street'.

• Amin al-Hafez

  Former President of Syria.

• Chris Henry

  American football player (born 1983).

• Dan O'Bannon

  American actor and screenwriter (born 1943).

2008

• Sammy Baugh

  Texas, united states -- qb for the nfl hall of fame (washington redskins).

• Gregoire

  Congolese chimpanzee, oldest recorded (b. 1942)

• Dave Smith

  American baseball player and coach (b. 1955)

• Freddy Breck

  German singer-songwriter, producer, and journalist (b. 1942)

2006

• Larry Sherry

  American baseball player and the first to appear in all four world series winning games, 1960. after a stellar career at his high school, he signed with the l.a. dodgers. he was a world series champion in three months.

2005

• Jack Anderson

  Since 1947, american newspaper journalist with hard-hitting exposes on corruption and scandal in high places. his "washington merry-go-round", syndicated in 746 newspapers with millions of readers, was hugely popular on radio broadcasts and tv. anderson was also the author and editor of political biographies.

• Haljand Udam

  Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)

• Marc Favreau

  Canadian actor and poet (d. 2005)

• Marc Favreau

  French-canadian humourist (born 1929)

2004

• Tom Wesselmann

  American artist who was associated with pop art. he worked in sculpture, collage, and painting. tom wesselmann, a 73-year-old man who had undergone heart surgery, died from complications on december 17, 2004.

2003

• Luay al-Atassi

  Syrian politician who served as Prime Minister of Syria.

• Otto Graham

  American athlete. he was the quarterback of the cleveland browns football team between 1946 and1955, a decade that is considered to be the golden age of the team.

2002

• K. W. Devanayagam

  Sri lankan lawyer and politician, tenth sri lankan minister of justice (b. 1910)

• James Hazeldine

  English actor (born 1947).

2001

• Marianita Collins

  Celebrated poet known for her lyrical and evocative works.

• Carroll Gibson

  Pioneering biologist who made significant contributions to the study of genetics.

• Abner Cohen

  Abner Cohen was a renowned political scientist specializing in the study of ethnicity and nationalism.

2000

• Williette Hinton

  Key figure in the Civil Rights Movement advocating for equality and justice.

• Donato Bilancia

  Italian journalist known for his investigative reporting.

• Hoyt Curtin

  Hoyt Curtin was a composer best known for his work on animated TV series like The Flintstones and The Jetsons.

1999 - 1990

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1999 - 1990

1999

• C. Vann Woodward

  Eminent American historian and professor, known for his influential works on the history of the American South.

• Grover Washington Jr.

  American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1943)

• Rex Allen

  American actor, singer, and songwriter known as the arizona cowboy.

1998

• Lucien Lamoureux

  Canadian politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons.

• Allan D'Arcangelo

  American artist (born 1930).

1997

• Shepherd Ivory Franz

  Renowned for his research on the visual system and brain plasticity.

• Reginald Victor Jones

  Scientist dies at the age of 86.

1996

• Ruby Murray

  Northern irish singer (d. 1996)

• Michael Saunders

  Canadian baseball player

• Francesco Siciliani

  Opera administrator dies at 85

• Elizabeth Hill

  Teacher of slavonic languages dies at the age of 96.

• Stanko Todorov

  Died as the prime minister of bulgaria (1971-1981).

Irving Caesar

American composer and songwriter

1995

• Lila Clark Knapp

  Publisher, who dies at the age of 63.

1994

• Dale Burman

  Professional baseball player who achieved great success during his career.

• Jan Wiegel

  Director/producer (uninhabitable country), dies at 64

1993

• Dagny Holm

  Norwegian physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.

• Janet Margolin

  American actress annie hall, 50, dies from ovarian cancer.

1992

• Dana Andrews

  American actor (laura the best years of our lives, i was a communist for fbi) dies at the age of 82 from congestive heart disease.

• Gunther Anders

  Austrian philosopher known for his work on technology and ethics.

• Günther Anders

  German journalist and philosopher (d. 1992).

• Gunther Anders

  Polish philosopher (born in 1902)

1990

• Don Draper

  Main character in the TV series 'Mad Men' known for his charisma and advertising prowess.

• Mieke Verstraete

  Actress (pleasant settled) from belgium/netherlands dies at 79

1989 - 1980

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1989 - 1980

1989

• Beulah Wright

  Pioneering African American journalist known for her work in civil rights reporting.

1988

• Iona McCreath

  Notable poet celebrated for her lyrical and evocative verses.

1987

• Margaruite Yourcenar

  Renowned French author known for her novel 'Memoirs of Hadrian'.

• Marguerite Yourcenar

  Belgian-born French novelist and essayist, the first woman to be elected to the Académie française.

• Marguerette Yourcenar

  Renowned French novelist and essayist.

• Linda Wong

  American porn actress (b. 1951)

• Bernardus Johannes Alfrink

  Dutch cardinal (b. 1900)

Bernard Cardinal Alfrink

Archbishop of ultrecht (netherlands), dies at the age of 87.

Linda Wong

American porn star (born 1951)

Marguerite Yourcenard

Author (memoirs of hadrien), died at 84

1986

• Kazumi Saeki

  Renowned Japanese poet and literary critic.

• Guillermo Cano Isaza

  Colombian journalist (d. 1986)

• Ron Kass

  Record president (mgm) dies at 52 from cancer

1985

• Otto Gotsche

  Writer

1983

• Josephina Niggli

  Mexican-American playwright known for her works on Mexican culture and folklore.

1982

• Leonidus Kogan

  Soviet violin virtuoso acclaimed for his technical mastery and emotional depth in performances.

• Wilbert Lee

  Wilbert Lee was an American politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco.

• Homer S. Ferguson

  American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1889)

• Homer S Ferguson

  American politician (born 1889)

• Philipp Jarnach

  German composer, pianist, and conductor, who was considered to be the greatest composer of modern music in the 1920s.

Leonid B Kogan

Russian violinist dies at the age of 58.

1981

• Antiochos Evangelatos

  Greek composer and conductor (b. 1903)

1980

• Janos Balázs

  Notable Hungarian film director and screenwriter.

• Captain Beefheart

  Captain Beefheart was an influential musician known for his avant-garde music.

1979 - 1970

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1979 - 1970

1978

• Don Ellis

  American jazz musician, composer, trumpeter and drummer. ellis, a "wunderkind" in jazz, is a musician who plays with his own band at gigs around the country and on international tours. he is known for his film scores that are rich in rhythm, sophistication, and joyful musical energy. this was evident in "the french connection", 1971.

1975

• Noble Sissle

  American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, and playwright.

• Frank Sully

  Actor (parachute nurse inside the law), is killed at 67

• Noble Sissle

  Jazz musician dies at 86.

1974

• Sterling North

  American author best known for his book 'Rascal'.

1973

• Charles G Abbot

  At 101 years old, us astronomer sun constant dies.

• Patrick Hadley

  Composer dies at 74

1972

• Erwin Dressel

  Composer dies at 63

1971

• Matilda Kshesinskaya

  Renowned Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

1970

• Oliver Waterman Larkin

  American historian, author, and educator (b. 1896)

1969 - 1960

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1969 - 1960

1969

• Dorothy Draper

  British physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.

• Arturo da Costa e Silva

  At 67, president of brazil (1967-1969), dies.

1968

• Adolph Lewishon

  Adolph Lewishon was a British writer and critic.

1967

• Harold Holt

  Australian politician and prime minister of australia 1966-1967. holt supported the united states' involvement in vietnam during his tenure. one of his first acts in his role as prime minister was to increase australia's presence in vietnam by one-third. holt introduced decimal currency on 2/15/1966 - cents and dollars. australians voted "yes" in a referendum that changed the commonwealth constitution …

• Harold Holt

  Australian lawyer and politician, 17th prime minister of australia (d. 1967)

• Jack Perrin

  American actor and stuntman (d. 1967).

• [Francis] Barry Byrne

  Chicago ill, architect, is killed at 83

1966

• Gustaf Paulson

  Composer dies at 68

1965

• Nial Ismay

  Notable engineer who contributed to the development of radar technology.

• Tito [Raffaele A] Schipa

  Italian composer/tenor rondine dies at the age of 76.

1964

• Victor Francis Hess

  Austrian-american physicist and academic, nobel prize laureate (b. 1883)

• Victor Hess

  Austrian-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic rays.

• Victor Franz Hess

  Austrian-born american physicist, nobel laureate (born 1883).

1963

• Germain Hess

  Pioneer in the field of nuclear physics and co-discoverer of the photoelectric effect.

1962

• Raden Sadjad

  Indonesian diplomat and politician who played a key role in the country's independence movement.

• Thomas Mitchell

  American actor (b. 1892)

1961

• Lillian Trasher

  Lillian Trasher was an American missionary who founded the Assiut Orphanage in Egypt, one of the largest orphanages in the world.

• Elwin Bruner

  Elwin Bruner was a renowned psychologist known for his work in cognitive psychology.

• Marion Perkins

  At 53 years old, the sculptor man of sorrow dies.

1959 - 1950

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1959 - 1950

1957

• Dorothy L. Sayers

  English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)

• Dorothy L Sayers

  English writer (born in 1893)

• Dorothy Sayers [Atherton Fleming]

  Author (whose body), passes away at 64

1956

• Eddie Acuff

  American actor (d. 1956)

• Eddie Acuff

  Actor (guns of pecos), died at 48

1953

• Beni Gershom

  Beni Gershom was a Polish-Israeli mathematician known for his work in the field of abstract algebra.

1949 - 1940

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1949 - 1940

1949

• David Stanley Smith

  Composer dies at 72

1948

• Edgar Istel

  Composer dies at 68

1947

• Christos Tsigiridis

  Greek engineer (b. 1877)

1946

• Constance Garnett

  English translator for 71 volumes of russian literature from the nineteenth century. garnett was the first english translator of leo tolstoy and fyodor dostoyevsky's russian literature. she also introduced them to the english-speaking general public. she died in kent on 17/12/1946 at the cearne.

• Constance [Clara] Garnett

  Russian-english translator dies at the age of 84.

1944

• Cayley Robinson

  Cayley Robinson was a British artist known for his illustrations and paintings.

• Pieter A Roodenburgh

  26. death of student/resistance fighter

• Vassily V Kandinsky

  Russian, german, or french painter

1942

• Allen Bathurst

  Lord apsley, english lieutenant and politician (b. 1895)

1940

• Alicia Boole Stott

  Alicia Boole Stott was a British mathematician known for her work in geometry and four-dimensional space.

• Alicia Boole Stott

  Irish mathematician (born 1860)

1939 - 1930

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1939 - 1930

1937

• Gerard Vissering

  Dutch bank president/banker, who dies at 72.

1935

• Lizette Woodworth Reese

  American poet (b. 1856)

1933

• 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
• Hans Vaihinger

  German philosopher side-studies dies at the age of 81.

• Thubten Gyatso

  13th dalai lama (born 1876)

1932

• Charles Winckler

  Danish discus thrower, shot putter, and tug of war competitor (b. 1867)

1930

• Peter Warlock

  Welsh composer and critic (b. 1894)

• Peter Warlock

  British music critic and composer. heseltine used the alias warlock for all of his published musical works. it reflects his interest in occult practice. heseltine is most well-known as a singer and composer. however, his unusual and sometimes scandalous lifestyle earned him notoriety.

1929 - 1920

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1929 - 1920

1929

• Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa

  Portuguese general and politician, tenth president of portugal (b. 1863)

• Manuel Gomes da Costa

  Portuguese politician (born 1863)

1928

• Frank Rinehart

  American photographer (d. 1928).

1927

• Rajendra Lahiri

  Indian british anti-occupation activist (born in 1892)

1922

• Mustafa Shakir

  Prominent Ottoman journalist and writer.

1921

• Gabryela Zapolska

  Gabryela Zapolska was a Polish playwright, novelist, and actress who was known for her social commentary and criticism of Polish society.

1919 - 1910

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1919 - 1910

1917

• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

  First woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in Britain, and a pioneer in the medical education of women.

• Frank Gotch

  American professional wrestler (born in 1878).

• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

  English physician (born 1836)

1916

• Grigori Efimovich Rasputin

  Russian monk, assassinated

1915

• Alden J. Blethen

  Alden J. Blethen was a politician who served as the Mayor of Seattle.

1914

• Julius Meinl

  Austrian poet and founder of the Meinl coffee company.

1913

• Stefano Gobatti composer

  At the age of 61, he dies.

1909 - 1900

Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1909 - 1900

1909

• Leopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)

1907

• Kelvin Klein

  Known for formulating the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

• William Thomson

  British mathematician and engineer, who had a profound influence on the scientific thinking of his generation.

• William Thomson

  American music educator at the college level, music composer, former music school dean, and professor at thornton school of music university of southern california, 1980aeur”1992. his main interest in music research is the cognitive and perceptual basis of it.

• Baron Kelvin

  Baron Kelvin, also known as William Thomson, was a British physicist who made important contributions to the field of thermodynamics.

• Lord Kelvin

  Known for formulating the Kelvin scale of temperature.

Kelvin of Largs [William Thomson] British physicist (Kelvin)

At the age of 83, he dies.

1904

• William Shiels

  Irish-australian politician, 16th premier of victoria (b. 1848)