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
Filipino actor (b. 1947)
2020
American politician (b. 1921)
English actor (b. 1945)
2019 - 2010
Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 2019 - 2010
2019
Noted biologist who made significant contributions to the field of genetics.
2018
Penny Marshall was an American actress known for her role in the TV show 'Laverne & Shirley'.
First African American woman to dance full-time with a major ballet company.
2016
American physician and author (d. 2016)
American soldier and politician (d. 2016)
American voice director (b. 1929)
2015
Renowned poet known for her evocative verses.
Innovative playwright known for pushing the boundaries of traditional theater.
American-japanese biochemist and academic (b. 1920)
American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
German-american philosopher and theologian (b. 1928)
2014
Contributed to the development of programming languages.
German-american scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
American captain (b. 1919)
Ukrainian poet and playwright (b. 1949)
American journalist (b. 1917)
Croatian colonel, lawyer, and politician, croatian minister of the interior (b. 1938)
2013
Japanese drummer, songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
Latvian-canadian photographer and author (d. 2013)
Dutch sailor (b. 1926)
Spanish cardinal (b. 1926)
American historian and television host (b. 1925)
American geneticist and biologist (b. 1925)
2012
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, …
American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Hawaii.
Long-serving U.S. Senator from Hawaii and Medal of Honor recipient.
American priest and activist, co-founded the college of the atlantic (b. 1922)
Filipino-american activist (b. 1947)
Canadian historian, journalist, and politician (d. 2012)
American captain and politician, medal of honor recipient (d. 2012)
American radio host and baseball player (d. 2012).
2011
Known for sparking the Arab Spring with his self-immolation protest.
American politician who served as the Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts.
North korean commander and politician, second supreme leader of north korea (b. 1941)
Venezuelan journalist and author, miss venezuela 2000 (b. 1983)
2010
His self-immolation sparked the Tunisian Revolution and the Arab Spring.
Captain beefheart, an american musician, is known for his avant-garde music and influential work in the experimental rock genre.
American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
English international footballer (d. 2010)
American basketball and baseball player (b. 1923)
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.
American actress best known for her role as Olivia Robinson on 'Sesame Street'.
Former President of Syria.
American football player (born 1983).
American actor and screenwriter (born 1943).
2008
Texas, united states -- qb for the nfl hall of fame (washington redskins).
Congolese chimpanzee, oldest recorded (b. 1942)
American baseball player and coach (b. 1955)
German singer-songwriter, producer, and journalist (b. 1942)
2006
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
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.
Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
Canadian actor and poet (d. 2005)
French-canadian humourist (born 1929)
2004
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
Syrian politician who served as Prime Minister of Syria.
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
Sri lankan lawyer and politician, tenth sri lankan minister of justice (b. 1910)
English actor (born 1947).
2001
Celebrated poet known for her lyrical and evocative works.
Pioneering biologist who made significant contributions to the study of genetics.
Abner Cohen was a renowned political scientist specializing in the study of ethnicity and nationalism.
2000
Key figure in the Civil Rights Movement advocating for equality and justice.
Italian journalist known for his investigative reporting.
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
Eminent American historian and professor, known for his influential works on the history of the American South.
American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1943)
American actor, singer, and songwriter known as the arizona cowboy.
1998
Canadian politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons.
American artist (born 1930).
1997
Renowned for his research on the visual system and brain plasticity.
Scientist dies at the age of 86.
1996
Northern irish singer (d. 1996)
Canadian baseball player
Opera administrator dies at 85
Teacher of slavonic languages dies at the age of 96.
Died as the prime minister of bulgaria (1971-1981).
American composer and songwriter
1995
Publisher, who dies at the age of 63.
1994
Professional baseball player who achieved great success during his career.
Director/producer (uninhabitable country), dies at 64
1993
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.
Austrian philosopher known for his work on technology and ethics.
German journalist and philosopher (d. 1992).
Polish philosopher (born in 1902)
1990
Main character in the TV series 'Mad Men' known for his charisma and advertising prowess.
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
Pioneering African American journalist known for her work in civil rights reporting.
1988
Notable poet celebrated for her lyrical and evocative verses.
1987
Renowned French author known for her novel 'Memoirs of Hadrian'.
Belgian-born French novelist and essayist, the first woman to be elected to the Académie française.
Renowned French novelist and essayist.
American porn actress (b. 1951)
Dutch cardinal (b. 1900)
Archbishop of ultrecht (netherlands), dies at the age of 87.
American porn star (born 1951)
Author (memoirs of hadrien), died at 84
1986
Renowned Japanese poet and literary critic.
Colombian journalist (d. 1986)
Record president (mgm) dies at 52 from cancer
1985
Writer
1983
Mexican-American playwright known for her works on Mexican culture and folklore.
1982
Soviet violin virtuoso acclaimed for his technical mastery and emotional depth in performances.
Wilbert Lee was an American politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco.
American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1889)
American politician (born 1889)
German composer, pianist, and conductor, who was considered to be the greatest composer of modern music in the 1920s.
Russian violinist dies at the age of 58.
1981
Greek composer and conductor (b. 1903)
1980
Notable Hungarian film director and screenwriter.
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
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
American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, and playwright.
Actor (parachute nurse inside the law), is killed at 67
Jazz musician dies at 86.
1974
American author best known for his book 'Rascal'.
1973
At 101 years old, us astronomer sun constant dies.
Composer dies at 74
1972
Composer dies at 63
1971
Renowned Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1970
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
British physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
At 67, president of brazil (1967-1969), dies.
1968
Adolph Lewishon was a British writer and critic.
1967
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 …
Australian lawyer and politician, 17th prime minister of australia (d. 1967)
American actor and stuntman (d. 1967).
Chicago ill, architect, is killed at 83
1966
Composer dies at 68
1965
Notable engineer who contributed to the development of radar technology.
Italian composer/tenor rondine dies at the age of 76.
1964
Austrian-american physicist and academic, nobel prize laureate (b. 1883)
Austrian-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic rays.
Austrian-born american physicist, nobel laureate (born 1883).
1963
Pioneer in the field of nuclear physics and co-discoverer of the photoelectric effect.
1962
Indonesian diplomat and politician who played a key role in the country's independence movement.
![Thomas Mitchell]()
American actor (b. 1892)
1961
Lillian Trasher was an American missionary who founded the Assiut Orphanage in Egypt, one of the largest orphanages in the world.
Elwin Bruner was a renowned psychologist known for his work in cognitive psychology.
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
English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)
English writer (born in 1893)
Author (whose body), passes away at 64
1956
American actor (d. 1956)
Actor (guns of pecos), died at 48
1953
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
Composer dies at 72
1948
Composer dies at 68
1947
Greek engineer (b. 1877)
1946
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.
Russian-english translator dies at the age of 84.
1944
Cayley Robinson was a British artist known for his illustrations and paintings.
26. death of student/resistance fighter
Russian, german, or french painter
1942
Lord apsley, english lieutenant and politician (b. 1895)
1940
Alicia Boole Stott was a British mathematician known for her work in geometry and four-dimensional space.
Irish mathematician (born 1860)
1939 - 1930
Famous deaths on December 17th for the celebrities who died in the years 1939 - 1930
1937
Dutch bank president/banker, who dies at 72.
1935
American poet (b. 1856)
1933
German philosopher side-studies dies at the age of 81.
13th dalai lama (born 1876)
1932
Danish discus thrower, shot putter, and tug of war competitor (b. 1867)
1930
Welsh composer and critic (b. 1894)
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
Portuguese general and politician, tenth president of portugal (b. 1863)
Portuguese politician (born 1863)
1928
American photographer (d. 1928).
1927
Indian british anti-occupation activist (born in 1892)
1922
Prominent Ottoman journalist and writer.
1921
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
First woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in Britain, and a pioneer in the medical education of women.
American professional wrestler (born in 1878).
English physician (born 1836)
1916
Russian monk, assassinated
1915
Alden J. Blethen was a politician who served as the Mayor of Seattle.
1914
Austrian poet and founder of the Meinl coffee company.
1913
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
1907
Known for formulating the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
British mathematician and engineer, who had a profound influence on the scientific thinking of his generation.
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, also known as William Thomson, was a British physicist who made important contributions to the field of thermodynamics.
Known for formulating the Kelvin scale of temperature.
At the age of 83, he dies.
1904
Irish-australian politician, 16th premier of victoria (b. 1848)