Deaths on 16 December
2000s
Lusanda Dumke
2025
South African rugby union player (1996–2025)
Dick Van Arsdale
2024
American basketball player (1943–2024)
Tulsi Gowda
2024
Indian environmentalist (1937 or 1938 – 2024)
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
2023
Emir of Kuwait from 2020 to 2023
Keely Smith
2017
American jazz and popular music singer (1928–2017)
Peter Dickinson
2015
English author & poet (1927–2015)
Lizmark
2015
Mexican professional wrestler (1950 – 2015)
George Earl Ortman
2015
American painter, printmaker, constructionist and sculptor (1926-2015)
Martin Brasier
2014
British paleontologist (1947–2014)
Tim Cochran
2014
American mathematician
Tahira Qazi
2014
Pakistani educationist (1951 – 2014)
James Flint (RAF officer)
2013
Ray Price
2013
American singer (1926–2013)
Marta Russell
2013
American journalist
Elwood V. Jensen
2012
American biologist (1920–2012)
Jake Adam York
2012
American poet (1972–2012)
Robert Easton (actor)
2011
American actor (1930–2011)
Nicol Williamson
2011
British actor (1936–2011)
Melvin E. Biddle
2010
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1923–2010)
Ayinde Barrister
2010
Nigerian musician (1948–2010)
Roy E. Disney
2009
American businessman and filmmaker (1930–2009)
Yegor Gaidar
2009
Soviet-Russian economist and politician (1956–2009)
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang
2009
South African politician (1940–2009)
Dan Fogelberg
2007
American singer-songwriter (1951–2007)
The Spoiler (wrestler)
2006
Canadian professional wrestler (1940–2006)
Taliep Petersen
2006
South African actor, singer and theatre director
Pnina Salzman
2006
Israeli pianist (1922–2006)
Stanford J. Shaw
2006
American historian (1930–2006)
Kenneth Bulmer
2005
British writer
Ed Hansen
2005
American film director
John Spencer (actor)
2005
American actor (1946–2005)
Ted Abernathy
2004
American baseball player (1933–2004)
Deyda Hydara
2004
Gambian editor
Agnes Martin
2004
American painter (1912–2004)
Robert Stanfield
2003
Canadian premier and opposition leader (1914–2003)
Gary Stewart (singer)
2003
American country singer-songwriter (1944–2003)
Stuart Adamson
2001
Scottish guitarist, songwriter and vocalist (1958–2001)
Stefan Heym
2001
German writer (1913–2001)
1900s
William Gaddis
1998
American novelist (1922–1998)
Lillian Disney
1997
Wife of Walt Disney (1899–1997)
Quentin Bell
1996
British art historian (1910–1996)
Moses Gunn
1993
American stage and screen actor
Kakuei Tanaka
1993
Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974
Eszter Tamási
1991
Oscar Alfredo Gálvez
1989
Argentine racing driver (1913–1989)
Silvana Mangano
1989
Italian actress (1930–1989)
Aileen Pringle
1989
American actress (1895–1989)
Lee Van Cleef
1989
American actor (1925–1989)
Thomas Bilotti
1985
American mobster (1940–1985)
Paul Castellano
1985
American crime boss (1915–1985)
Karl Deichgräber
1984
German classical philologist (1903–1984)
Debs Garms
1983
American baseball player (1907–1984)
Mitchell WerBell III
1983
American mercenary (1918–1983)
Colin Chapman
1982
English design engineer (1928–1982)
Colonel Sanders
1980
American entrepreneur (1890–1980)
Hellmuth Walter
1980
German rocket scientist
Risto Jarva
1977
Finnish filmmaker
Réal Caouette
1976
Canadian politician (1917–1976)
Kostas Varnalis
1974
Greek poet (1884–1974)
Oscar Lewis
1970
American anthropologist
Alphonse Castex
1969
French rugby union player
Soe Hok Gie
1969
Chinese Indonesian activist
Futabayama Sadaji
1968
Japanese sumo wrestler
Muhammad Suheimat
1968
Jordanian military general and statesman (1916-1968)
W. Somerset Maugham
1965
English playwright and author (1874–1965)
Hans Rebane
1961
Estonian politician, diplomat and journalist
Nina Hamnett
1956
Welsh artist (1890–1956)
Robert Henry Best
1952
American journalist and Nazi propagandist
Sidney Olcott
1949
Canadian filmmaker (1873–1949)
Giovanni Agnelli
1945
Italian businessman (1866–1945)
Fumimaro Konoe
1945
Prime Minister of Japan (1937–1939; 1940–1941)
Betsie ten Boom
1944
Dutch concentration camp victim
George Bambridge
1943
British soldier and diplomat (1892–1943)
Eugène Dubois
1940
Dutch paleoanthropologist (1858–1940)
Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866)
1940
American baseball player (1866–1940)
Frank Eugene
1936
American photographer (1865–1936)
Thelma Todd
1935
American actress (1906–1935)
Elinor Wylie
1928
American poet
Gabriel Narutowicz
1922
President of Poland in 1922
Camille Saint-Saëns
1921
French composer (1835–1921)
Frank Gotch
1917
American professional wrestler (1878–1917)
American Horse
1908
Native American (Oglala Lakota) politician
1800s
Pavel Tretyakov
1898
Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist
Alphonse Daudet
1897
French novelist (1840–1897)
Henry Yesler
1892
American politician
Wilhelm Grimm
1859
German author (1786–1859)
Antoine-François de Fourcroy
1809
French chemist (1755–1809)
Saverio Cassar
1805
Maltese priest, politician, and commander
Before 1800
Johann Adolph Hasse
1783
German composer, singer and teacher (1699–1783)
Sir William James, 1st Baronet
1783
Bombay Marine officer and politician (1721–1783)
François Quesnay
1774
French physician, Physiocratic economist, and orientalist (1694–1774)
Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
1751
Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1700–1751)
William Petty
1687
English economist and philosopher (1623–1687)
Nathaniel Fiennes
1669
17th-century English politician and religious radical (1608–1669)
Yi Sun-sin
1598
16th-century Korean naval commander
Allison Balfour
1594
Scottish witch
Ivan Fyodorov (printer)
1583
Russian printer
Thomas Cheney
1558
Member of the Parliament of England
Afonso de Albuquerque
1515
Portuguese general and conquistador (1453–1515)
Ali Qushji
1474
Turkish astronomer
John II, Duke of Lorraine
1470
Duke of Lorraine (1426-1470)
John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel
1379
English soldier
Secondotto
1378
Margrave of Montferrat (1372-1378)
Charles, Count of Valois
1325
French prince and nobleman (1270–1325)
Öljaitü
1316
Ilkhan from 1304 to 1316
Haakon IV
1263
King of Norway from 1217 to 1263
Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester
1153
Anglo-Norman baron
AD 999
999
Calendar year
Wei Yifan
902
Pope John VIII
882
Head of the Catholic Church from 872 to 882
Ado of Vienne
874
Frankish churchman and writer
Eberhard of Friuli
867
Frankish Duke of Friuli
Pepin of Herstal
714
Duke and Prince of the Franks (635–714)
Wu Zetian
705
Empress of China from 690 to 705
Chen Shubao
604
Emperor of the Chen dynasty from 582 to 589