Deaths on 31 December
2000s
Arnold Rüütel
2024
President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006 (1928–2024)
Johnnie Walker (DJ)
2024
British radio DJ (1945–2024)
Cale Yarborough
2023
American racing driver (1939–2023)
Pope Benedict XVI
2022
Head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013
Barry Lane
2022
English professional golfer (1960–2022)
Betty White
2021
American actress and comedian (1922–2021)
Kader Khan
2018
Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer (1937–2018)
William Christopher
2016
American actor (1932–2016)
Natalie Cole
2015
American singer (1950–2015)
Wayne Rogers
2015
American actor (1933–2015)
Edward Herrmann
2014
American actor (1943–2014)
Abdullah Hussain
2014
Malaysian novelist and writer
Norm Phelps
2014
American animal rights activist (1939–2014)
S. Arthur Spiegel
2014
American judge (1920–2014)
Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington
2014
British peer and army officer (1915–2014)
James Avery
2013
American actor (1945–2013)
Roberto Ciotti
2013
Italian blues musician and composer
Bob Grant (radio host)
2013
American radio host (1929–2013)
Irina Korschunow
2013
German writer (1925–2013)
Tarak Mekki
2012
Tunisian businessman and political figure
Jovette Marchessault
2012
Canadian writer and artist (1938–2012)
Günter Rössler
2012
German photographer (1926–2012)
Raymond Impanis
2010
Belgian cyclist (1925–2010)
Per Oscarsson
2010
Swedish actor (1927–2010)
Cahal Daly
2009
Irish Roman Catholic cardinal (1917–2009)
Justin Keating
2009
Irish politician (1930–2009)
Donald E. Westlake
2008
American novelist (1933–2008)
Roy Amara
2007
American researcher, scientist
Michael Goldberg (painter)
2007
American painter (1924–2007)
Bill Idelson
2007
American actor (1919–2007)
Milton L. Klein
2007
Canadian politician (1910 - 2007)
Ettore Sottsass
2007
Italian architect and designer (1917–2007)
Ya'akov Hodorov
2006
Israeli footballer
Seymour Martin Lipset
2006
American sociologist (1922–2006)
George Sisler Jr.
2006
American professional baseball player and executive
Enrico Di Giuseppe
2005
American tenor (1932–2005)
Phillip Whitehead
2005
Gérard Debreu
2004
French economist and Nobel laureate (1921–2004)
Arthur R. von Hippel
2003
German physicist (1898–2003)
Kevin MacMichael
2002
Canadian guitarist (1951–2002)
Eileen Heckart
2001
American actress (1919–2001)
Alan Cranston
2000
American politician and journalist (1914–2000)
José Greco
2000
American dancer and choreographer
Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane
2000
Israeli rabbi and activist (1966–2000)
1900s
Elliot Richardson
1999
American lawyer and politician (1920–1999)
Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi
1999
Indian islamic scholar (1913 – 1999)
Ted Glossop
1998
Australian RL coach and former rugby league footballer
Floyd Cramer
1997
American pianist (1933–1997)
Billie Dove
1997
American actress (1903–1997)
Wesley Addy
1996
American actor (1913–1996)
Woody Strode
1994
American athlete and actor (1914–1994)
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
1993
First President of Georgia (1991–92)
Brandon Teena
1993
American murder victim (1972–1993)
Big Bertha (cow)
1993
Oldest cow ever
George Allen (American football coach)
1990
American football coach (1918–1990)
Vasily Lazarev
1990
Soviet cosmonaut (1928–1990)
Giovanni Michelucci
1990
Italian architect (1891-1990)
Nicolas Calas
1988
Greek-American poet and art critic
Jerry Turner (anchorman)
1987
American television news anchor (1929-1987)
Ricky Nelson
1985
American musician and actor (1940–1985)
Sevim Burak
1983
Turkish writer
Marshall McLuhan
1980
Canadian philosopher and communications scholar (1911–1980)
Raoul Walsh
1980
American film director and actor (1887–1980)
Basil Wolverton
1978
American cartoonist
Roberto Clemente
1972
Puerto Rican baseball player (1934–1972)
Henry Gerber
1972
20th-century US homosexual rights activist
Cyril Scott
1970
English composer and writer (1879–1970)
George Lewis (clarinetist)
1968
American jazz clarinetist (1900–1968)
Bobby Byrne (baseball)
1964
American baseball player (1884–1964)
Ólafur Thors
1964
Icelandic politician (1892–1964)
Henry Maitland Wilson
1964
British field marshal (1881–1964)
Albert Plesman
1953
Dutch aviation pioneer (1889–1953)
Murtaza Hasan Chandpuri
1951
Indian Islamic Scholar
Charles Koechlin
1950
French composer and musicologist (1867–1950)
Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı
1949
Turkish poet and philosopher, one of the signatories of armistice of Mondros (1869-1949)
Raimond Valgre
1949
Estonian composer
Malcolm Campbell
1948
British racing driver and speed record holder (1885–1948)
Miguel de Unamuno
1936
Spanish writer, philosopher and academic (1864–1936)
Cornelia Clapp
1934
American zoologist and educator (1849–1934)
Boies Penrose
1921
American politician (1860–1921)
Archibald Hoxsey
1910
American aviator (1884–1910)
John Moisant
1910
American businessman, revolutionary, and aviation pioneer (1868–1910)
Spencer Trask
1909
19th Century American financier and philanthropist
1800s
Thomas Joannes Stieltjes
1894
Dutch mathematician (1856–1894)
Samuel Ajayi Crowther
1891
Anglican bishop in Yoruba country (present day Nigeria)
Pancha Carrasco
1890
Costa Rican soldier
Ion Creangă
1889
Moldavian - born writer, raconteur and school teacher (1837–1889)
George Kerferd
1889
Australian politician (1831–1889)
Samson Raphael Hirsch
1888
19th century German Jewish theologian
Gustave Courbet
1877
French realist painter (1819–1877)
Catherine Labouré
1876
French Daughter of Charity and saint
Aleksis Kivi
1872
National writer of Finland (1834–1872)
Jean-Pierre Duport
1818
French cellist (1741–1818)
Before 1800
Jean-François Marmontel
1799
French historian and writer 1723–1799
Richard Montgomery
1775
Irish-born American army officer (1738–1775)
Charles III Philip
1742
Elector Palatine from 1716 to 1742
Carlo Gimach
1730
Maltese architect, engineer and poet (1651–1730)
John Flamsteed
1719
English astronomer (1646–1719)
Catherine of Braganza
1705
Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1662 to 1685
Robert Boyle
1691
Anglo-Irish scientist (1627–1691)
Dudley North (economist)
1691
English merchant, politician, economist and writer
Giovanni Alfonso Borelli
1679
Italian physiologist, physicist, and mathematician (1608–1670)
Oliver St John
1673
English judge and politician (1598–1673)
Janusz Radziwiłł (1612–1655)
1655
Polish–Lithuanian magnate
Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet
1655
English politician
Dorgon
1650
Regent of Qing China from 1643 to 1650
Christian, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen
1637
German count (1585–1637)
Ludolph van Ceulen
1610
German-Dutch mathematician
Thomas Erastus
1583
Swiss Calvinist theologian and physician (1524–1583)
Pierino Belli
1575
16th-century Italian soldier and jurist
Shimazu Tadayoshi
1568
Japanese daimyō (1493–1568)
William Skeffington
1535
English knight and official, Lord Deputy of Ireland
Bianca Maria Sforza
1510
Holy Roman Empress from 1508 to 1510
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
1460
English nobleman (1400–1460)
Margaret Holland, Duchess of Clarence
1439
English noblewoman (1385–1439)
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter
1426
English military commander
Joanna of Bavaria
1386
Queen of Germany and Bohemia from 1370 to 1386
John Wycliffe
1384
English theologian (c. 1328 – 1384)
Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine
1302
Duke of Lorraine from 1251 to 1303
Margaret, Countess of Anjou
1299
Countess of Anjou and Maine from 1290 to 1299
Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford
1298
13th-century English nobleman
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
1194
Duke of Austria from 1177 to 1194
Ottokar III of Styria
1164
Ahmad Maymandi
1032
Vizier of the Ghaznavids (1013–24, 1031–32)
Ibn Hawshab
914
Iraqi Isma'ili missionary (died 914)
Li Shiji
669
Chinese Tang dynasty general (594–669)
Pope Sylvester I
335
Head of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335
Commodus
192
Roman emperor from 177 to 192
Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC)
-45
Ancient Roman statesman and general