Famous people and celebrities who died in 1951

A dedicated page for remembering the famous people and celebrities who passed away in 1951. This year saw the loss of many influential and beloved figures who left a lasting impact on the world. From entertainment icons and sports legends to renowned scholars and public figures, our comprehensive list pays tribute to their lives and legacies. Join us in honoring their contributions and celebrating their achievements as we reflect on their remarkable stories.

• Jan. 10 Sinclair Lewis

  LIT - American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, nobel prize laureate (b. 1885)

• Jan. 22 Lawson Robertson

  Lawson robertson was a scottish-american athlete and track and field coach, known for his achievements in the high jump and long jump.

• Jan. 30 Ferdinand Porsche

  Legendary automotive engineer and founder of Porsche, famous for designing the iconic Volkswagen Beetle and establishing one of the world's most prestigious car manufacturers.

• Feb. 19 André Gide

  LIT - French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, nobel prize laureate (b. 1869)

• Feb. 19 André Paul Guillaume Gide

  Nobel Prize laureate for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight

• March 6 Ivor Novello

  British actor in the 20s and 30s in both u.s. films and british films. his film credits include "man without desire" and "the constant nymph." novello was multi-talented. he was a playwright and popular music composer as well as a producer.

• March 31 Ralph Forbes

  Actor (riptide shock, shock, shock), is killed at 45

• April 23 Charles Gates Dawes

  Nobel Prize laureate for his crucial role in bringing about the Dawes Plan

• April 26 Arnold Sommerfeld

  German physicist, whose atomic model allowed the explanation of fine structure spectral lines.

• April 29 Ludwig Wittgenstein

  Austrian philosopher, linguist, and writer who had a profound influence on many schools of logic positivism, semantic analysis, and linguistics.

• May 7 Warner Baxter

  American actor who was born 1918 and had a long, successful career. for his role as "the cisco kid", he won the best actor oscar in 1931.

• May 26 Lincoln Ellsworth

  Pioneering explorer who made significant contributions to Antarctic exploration.

• May 29 Fanny Brice

  American comedian, genius at caricature and humor. she was an excellent mimic, and had a great ear for dialects. brice sang popular 1910 songs in yiddish accent and won her first amateur contest. she also took home $10.00. ziegfeld discovered her and she began working in vaudeville and the follies, as well as creating "baby snooks", which were used for …

• May 29 Robert Kahn

  Robert Kahn is a pioneering computer scientist who co-invented the TCP/IP protocols, fundamental to the modern internet's communication infrastructure.

• June 6 Olive Tell

  American singer and actress (d. 1951).

• July 1 Tadeusz Borowski

  Polish writer and Holocaust survivor known for his powerful and harrowing accounts of life in Nazi concentration camps. His works provide critical insights into human suffering during World War II.

• July 13 Arnold Schoenberg

  Austrian musician, self-taught, who composed for the violin from an early age. he was the author of "the teachings of harmony." he was distant, complex, patriarchal and silently disapproving. schoenberg introduced the 12-tone composition to music. he was a refugee from america, and he became unrecognized, and cut off from his native culture until his death.

• July 23 Philippe Pétain

  French statesman, military leader, and premier of the vichy government in ww i. he was also a collaborator with the nazis.

• July 31 Cho Ki-chon

  North Korean poet known for his contributions to modern Korean literature during the early 20th century, who died relatively young during the Korean War.

• Aug. 16 Louis Jouvet

  French theatre director, designer, stage worker, teacher, and stage administrator before his film and acting careers. jouvet excelled on the stage, even though he was often seen in film. jouvet, a cultural ambassador for france, was a lecturer, writer, and an honorary citizen. he co-made "hotel du nord" together with geiraudoux. his daughter lisa jouvet followed him into the entertainment …

• Aug. 21 Constant Lambert

  Constant Lambert was a prominent British composer, conductor, and music critic known for his significant contributions to 20th-century classical music and ballet. He was a key figure in the development of the Royal Ballet and worked closely with choreographers like Frederick Ashton. Lambert's compositions blended classical techniques with jazz and modernist influences.

• Sept. 1 Nellie McClung

  Canadian suffragist and social reformer who played a key role in the women's suffrage movement.

• Sept. 7 Maria Montez

  Prominent Dominican-French actress of the 1940s, known for her exotic roles in Hollywood adventure films and her status as a pin-up icon during World War II.

• Sept. 9 Gibson Gowland

  Gibson Gowland was a renowned actor known for his roles in silent films.

• Oct. 4 Henrietta Lacks

  Her immortal HeLa cells became a cornerstone of modern medical research, revolutionizing scientific understanding despite the unethical circumstances of their original collection.

• Oct. 6 Otto Fritz Meyerhof

  MED - German-american physician and biochemist, nobel prize laureate (b. 1884)

• Dec. 12 Mildred Bailey

  Mildred Bailey was a pioneering jazz singer known for her distinctive vocal style and significant influence on early swing and popular music during the 1930s and 1940s.

What happened in 1951?

Discover what the world looked like in 1951: