Famous Deaths on November 20 ·

03 Sep 2024, 00:00

November 20 Calendar

1704 Charles Plumier, French botanist (Frangipani genus Plumeria is named after him), dies at 58
1713 Thomas Tompion, English clockmaker (cylinder tunnel), dies at 74
1737 Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, German born Queen of Great Britain, consort to King George II, dies at 54
1741 Melchior de Polignac, French diplomat, Cardinal and poet, dies at 80
1750 Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian oboe virtuoso and late Baroque/early classical composer who served the court of the Prince of Wales, dies at 55 [exact date uncertain +/- 3 days]
1750 Wilhelmus Schortinghuis, Dutch theologist (Profound Christianity), dies at 50
1758 Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer, conductor and violinist, dies at 64
1764 Christian Goldbach, German mathematician (Goldbach position), dies at 74
1778 Francesco Cetti, Italian Jesuit priest and scientist, dies at 52
1827 Alexey Titov, Russian composer, dies at 58
1851 Wenzel Sedlak, Bohemian clarinetist and composer, dies at 75
1856 Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician known for his work on the foundations of geometry and the parallel axiom (Wallace–Bolyai–Gerwien theorem), dies at 81
1863 James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin & Kincardine and Governor (Jamaica), dies at 52
1882 (Albert) Béla Kéler, Hungarian composer, and conductor, dies at 62

American amateur astronomer (photos of the Moon, Orion Nebula), dies of pleurisy at 45

1887 Louis Gallait, Belgian historical painter (Egmont & Receiver), dies at 77
1888 Nathaniel Currier, American lithographer (Currier & Ives), dies at 75
1889 August Ahlqvist, Finnish poet (Suomalainen Runousoppi), dies at 63

1898 John Fowler, English engineer (engineer for London Metropolitan Railway - world's 1st underground railway), dies at 81

1907 Paula Modersohn-Becker, German Expressionist painter (1st known woman to paint nude self-portraits), dies after childbirth at 31
1908 Georgy Voronoy, Russian mathematician (Voronoi diagram), dies at 40

1917 Alfredo Napoleão dos Santos, Portuguese pianist, and composer, dies at 65
1924 Ebenezer Cobb Morley, English sportsman (drafted first FA rules), dies at 93
1925 Alexandra, Danish princess and Queen of Great Britain, consort to Edward VII, dies at 80
1927 (Carl) Wilhelm Stenhammar, Swedish composer considered the finest Swedish pianist of his time, dies of a stroke at 56
1934 Willem de Sitter, Dutch scientist and cosmologist (developed theoretical models of the universe based on Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity), dies at 62

Spanish fascist politician and founder of Falange Española, executed for conspiracy and military rebellion at 33

1938 Edwin Hall, American physicist (discovered Hall effect), dies at 83
1938 Enzo Matsunaga, Japanese writer (b. 1895)
1938 Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway, spouse of King Haakon VII, dies at 68
1939 Désiré Pâque, Belgian organist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 72
1944 Sekio Nishina, Japanese inventor (kaiten-suicide submarine), dies at 21
1945 Francis William Aston, British chemist and physicist who won a Nobel laureate for his work with isotopes and the whole number rule, dies at 68
1947 Wolfgang Borchert, German writer, dies at 26
1950 Francesco Cilea, Italian orchesztral and opera composer (L'arlesiana; Adriana Lecouvreur), dies at 84
1951 Thomas Quinlan, English opera impresario, dies at 70
1952 Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (La Critica), dies at 86
1954 Clyde Cessna, American aviator and airplane manufacturer, dies at 74
1957 Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian-Lithuanian artist, dies at 82
1957 Weldon Hart, American composer, commits suicide at 46
1959 Alfonso López Pumarejo, 16th President of Colombia (Liberal: 1934-38 and 1942-46) and statesman (President of UN security council 1948), dies at 73
1960 Ya'akov Cahan, Hebrew poet and writer, dies at 79
1962 Jasper McLevy, American politician (Socialist mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1933-57), dies at 84
1964 John Tasker Howard, American composer and music historian, dies at 73
1968 Cathy Lewis, American actress (Deidre-Hazel), dies of cancer at 50
1968 Helen Gardner, American silent film actress (Sandra), dies at 84
1973 Allan Sherman, American parody singer and songwriter ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"), dies from emphysema at 48

1976 Trofim Lysenko, Soviet biologist and agronomist, dies at 78
1977 Maxie Wander, Austrian writer (Good Morning My Lovely), dies at 44
1978 Giorgio De Chirico, Italian painter (founded the scuola metafisica art movement), dies at 90
1978 Vasilisk Gnedov, Russian poet (b. 1890)
1980 John McEwen, 18th Prime Minister of Australia (1967-68), dies at 80
1981 Rolf Bongs, German writer, dies at 74
1982 [Catherine] Cassie Mackin, American newswoman (NBC TV) and 1st woman to regularly anchor an evening network newscast alone, dies of cancer at 43
1983 Marcel Dalio [Israel Moshe Blauschild], French actor (Sabrina, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Casablanca), dies at 83
1983 Richard Loo, American actor, (China Sky), dies of cardio-pulmonary arrest at 80
1984 Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer, dies at 78
1984 Trygve Bratteli, Norwegian Prime Minister (Labour: 1971-72, 1973-76), dies at 74
1986 William Bradford Huie, American writer and publisher, dies at 76
1989 Lynn Bari [Margaret Schuyler Fisher], American actress (Shock, Nocturne, 6 Gun Law), dies from a heart attack at 71
1991 Gina Petrushka, actress (Exorcist, Sybil), dies at 82
1992 John Foreman, producer (Prizzi's Honor), dies at 67 of heart attack
1993 Christopher Frank, British-French novelist (La Nuit américaine), screenwriter (That Most Important Thing: Love), and film director (L'Année des méduses), dies at 50
1993 Christopher Frank, French writer, dies at 51
1993 Emile Ardolino, American Emmy and Academy Award-winning director (He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'; Dirty Dancing; Sister Act), dies of AIDS at 50
1994 Ali-Akbar Sa'idi Sirjani, Iranian poet and journalist, dies at 64
1994 John Lucarotti, British-Canadian screenwriter (The Avengers; The Troubleshooters; Doctor Who), dies of spinal cancer at 68
1995 Ahmed Abel-Wadoud Karadawi, Sudanese academic and activist, dies at 50
1995 Robie Macauley, American editor (Houghton Mifflin) and novelist (A Secret History of Time to Come), dies of lymphoma at 76
1995 Sergei Grinkov, Russian figure skater (with Ekaterina Gordeeva - Pairs World Championship, 1986-87, 1989-90; Olympic gold, 1988 & 94), dies at 28 of a heart attack on the practice rink in Lake Placid, New York,
1996 Bert Geoffrey Achong, Trinidadian pathologist and inventor (electron microscopist), dies at 67
1997 Dick Littlefield, American MLB pitcher, dies at 71
1997 Gary Burris, American murderer (Kenneth Chambers), executed in Indiana at 40
1997 Robert Palmer, American rock critic, dies at 52
1998 Dick Sisler. American baseball utility (World Series 1946 St. Louis Cardinals; MLB All Star 1950), manager (Cincinnati Reds 1964–65) and coach (World Series 1967 St. L. Cardinals), dies at 78
1998 Galina Starovoitova, Russian politician and dissident, assassinated at 52
1998 Meredith Gourdine, American long jumper (Olympic silver 1952), dies at 69
1999 Amintore Fanfani, Italian politician and 5 x prime minister of Italy, dies at 91
2000 Kalle Päätalo, Finnish novelist (Iijoki), dies at 81
2000 Mike Muuss, American computer programmer (Ping), dies in a car accident at 42
2003 David Dacko, first President of the Central African Republic (b. 1930)
2003 Eugene Kleiner, American entrepreneur (b. 1923)
2003 James "Jim" Siedow, American actor (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), dies from emphysema at 83
2003 Kerem Yilmazer, Turkish actor (b. 1945)
2003 Loris Azzaro, French fashion designer (b. 1933)
2003 Robert Addie, British actor (cancer) (b. 1960)
2003 Roger Short, British Consulate General (b. 1944)
2004 David Grierson, Canadian radio host (b. 1955)
2004 Jenny Ross, English alt-rock keyboard player and vocalist (Section 25 - "Looking from a Hilltop"), dies from cancer at 42
2005 Chris Whitley, American blues-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, dies of lung cancer at 45
2005 James King, American tenor, dies at 80
2005 Manouchehr Atashi, Persian poet, dies at 74
2005 Sheldon Gardner, American psychologist (b. 1934)
2006 Andre Waters, American football player (b. 1962)

American screenwriter, producer and director (The Player, M*A*S*H, Nashville), dies of complications from leukemia at 81

2006 Zoia Ceauşescu, Romanian mathematician and daughter of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, dies of lung cancer at 57
2007 Ian Smith, Rhodesian farmer, fighter pilot, and politician (Prime Minister of Rhodesia, 1964-79), dies at 88
2008 Sven Inge, Swedish painter and modern artist (b. 1935)
2009 H.C. Robbins Landon, American musicologist (Haydn: Chronicle and Works), dies at 83
2009 Lino Lacedelli, Italian mountaineer (b. 1925)
2009 Max Robertson, British sports commentator, dies at 94
2010 Chalmers Johnson, American political scholar and author (b. 1931)
2010 Danny McDevitt, American baseball player (b. 1932)
2010 Laurie Bembenek, American convicted murderer and fugitive (b. 1958)
2010 Rob Lytle, American football player (b. 1954)
2012 Michael Dunford, British guitarist and songwriter (The Nashville Teens, 1960-63; Renaissance - "Scheherazade"), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 68
2012 William Grut, Swedish pentathlete, dies at 98
2012 Wim van Gennep, Dutch dance band singer and keyboardist (De Heikrekels - "Waarom heb jij me laten staan?"), dies at 87
2013 Peter Griffiths, British politician (C), controversially won his seat (1964), dies at 85
2013 Sylvia Browne, American author and self-proclaimed medium dubbed "America's most controversial psychic," dies at 77
2014 Arthur Butterworth, British classical trumpet player and composer dies at 91
2015 Jim Perry, American and Canadian tv host ($ale of the Century), dies at 82
2015 Keith Michell, Australian actor and theater director (6 Wives of Henry VIII), dies at 88
2016 Kostis Stephanopoulos, Greek conservative politician (President of Greece, 1995-2005), dies at 90
2016 William Trevor, Irish writer (Children of Dynmouth, Fools of Fortune), dies at 88
2018 Aaron Klug, Lithuanian born British biochemist (Nobel prize for Chemistry 1982), dies at 92
2018 Harald Heilmann, German composer, dies at 94
2018 Levine Andrade, Indian-British violinist (Arditti Quartet, 1974-90), film score composer, and conductor, dies at 64
2019 Bramwell Tillsley, Canadian Salvationist, 14th General of The Salvation Army, dies at 88
2019 Doug Lubahn, American session psychedelic rock and jazz-fusion bassist (The Doors; Pierce Arrow; Billy Squier), dies at 71
2019 Fred Cox, American football kicker (NFL C'ship 1969; Pro Bowl 1970; Minnesota Vikings all-time leading scorer), dies at 80
2019 Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder (founder Burton Snowboards; one of the inventors of modern day snowboard), dies of cancer at 65
2019 Michael J Pollard [Pollack], American character actor (Bonnie & Clyde; Roxanne), dies from cardiac arrest at 80
2019 Wataru Misaka, American basketball point guard (first non-white player, first player of Asian descent in BAA [later known NBA]; NY Knicks), dies at 95
2020 Ernesto Canto, Mexican race walker (Olympic gold 20k 1984; World C'ship gold 20k 1983), dies from pancreatic and liver cancer at 61
2020 Jan Morris, Welsh journalist, historian, writer and pioneering trans woman (Venice, Conundrum), dies at 94 [1]
2020 Ken Schinkel, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins 636 NHL games) and coach (Pittsburgh Penguins 1972-77), dies at 87
2020 Patriarch Irinej [Miroslav Gavrilović], Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, dies of COVID-19 at 90 [1]
2021 Billy Hinsche, American pop musician, singer, and songwriter (Dino, Desi & Billy; The Beach Boys), dies of cancer at 70
2021 Ray McLoughlin, Irish rugby union prop (40 caps Ireland, 3 British & Irish Lions; Barbarians RFC, London Irish RFC), dies at 82
2022 (Ione) "Joyce" Bryant, American cabaret artist (Drunk With Love), missionary, schoolteacher, and opera singer, dies at 95 [1]
2022 Hebe de Bonafini, Argentine human rights activist (co-founded Mothers of Plaza de Mayo), dies at 93 [1]
2022 Jean-Marie Straub, French film director, with Danièle Huillet (Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach; Sicilia!), dies at 89
2023 Mars Williams, American jazz and rock saxophonist (The Waitresses; Psychedelic Furs), dies of cancer at 68
2023 Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican baseball relief pitcher (World Series, AL MVP, AL Cy Young Award 1984 Detroit Tigers; MLB All-Star 1984, 85, 86), dies at 69

November 20 Highlights

Get Our Daily Email

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sLrToaCsnJGue6S7zGibnpmkncBwus6vnKaalad8c3w%3D

Famous Deaths on November 20

American amateur astronomer (photos of the Moon, Orion Nebula), dies of pleurisy at 45 Spanish fascist politician and founder of Falange Espaola, executed for conspiracy and military rebellion at 33

Share!