Deaths on 20 January
2000s
Lynn Ban
2025
Singaporean jewelry designer (1972–2025)
Cecile Richards
2025
American activist (1957–2025)
Norman Jewison
2024
Canadian filmmaker (1926–2024)
Meat Loaf
2022
American singer and actor (1947–2022)
Sibusiso Moyo (politician)
2021
Zimbabwean politician (1960–2021)
Mira Furlan
2021
Croatian-American actress and singer (1955–2021)
Jaroslav Kubera
2020
Czech politician (1947–2020)
Tom Railsback
2020
American politician and lawyer (1932–2020)
Paul Bocuse
2018
French chef (1926–2018)
Naomi Parker Fraley
2018
American war worker (1921–2018)
Mykolas Burokevičius
2016
Lithuanian communist politician (1927–2016)
Edmonde Charles-Roux
2016
French writer (1920–2016)
Claudio Abbado
2014
Italian conductor (1933–2014)
Otis G. Pike
2014
Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives (1921–2014)
Jonas Trinkūnas
2014
Lithuanian ethnologist (1939–2014)
Pavlos Matesis
2013
Toyo Shibata
2013
Etta James
2012
American blues singer (1938–2012)
John Levy (musician)
2012
American jazz bassist and manager (1912–2012)
Ioannis Kefalogiannis
2012
Greek politician (1933–2012)
Alejandro Rodriguez (psychiatrist)
2012
Child psychiatrist (1918–2012)
Stéphanos II Ghattas
2009
Head of the Coptic Catholic Church from 1986 to 2006
Per Borten
2005
Norwegian politician (1913–2005)
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański
2005
Polish journalist and writer (1914–2005)
Miriam Rothschild
2005
British natural scientist and author
Alan Brown (racing driver)
2004
British racing driver (1919–2004)
T. Nadaraja
2004
Sri Lankan academic, lawyer and author
Al Hirschfeld
2003
American caricaturist (1903–2003)
Nedra Volz
2003
American actress (1908–2003)
Carrie Hamilton
2002
American dramatist (1963–2002)
1900s
Bobo Brazil
1998
American professional wrestler (1924–1998)
Gerry Mulligan
1996
American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist (1927–1996)
Matt Busby
1994
Scottish footballer, manager (1909–1994)
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
1994
1st Vice President of Kenya
Audrey Hepburn
1993
British actress (1929–1993)
Barbara Stanwyck
1990
American actress (1907–1990)
Alamgir Kabir (film maker)
1989
Bangladeshi film director (1938–1989)
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
1988
Indian independence activist (1890–1988)
Dora Stratou
1988
Greek actress and choreographer (1903–1988)
Johnny Weissmuller
1984
American swimmer, water-polo player, and actor (1904–1984)
Garrincha
1983
Brazilian footballer (1933–1983)
William Roberts (painter)
1980
British painter (1895–1980)
Dimitrios Kiousopoulos
1977
Greek jurist and politician
Lorenz Böhler
1973
Austrian physician and surgeon
Amílcar Cabral
1973
Bissau-Guinean politician (1924–1973)
Broncho Billy Anderson
1971
American actor, writer, film director, and producer (1880–1971)
Minanogawa Tōzō
1971
Japanese sumo wrestler
Alan Freed
1965
American disc jockey and rock-and-roll figure (1921–1965)
Robinson Jeffers
1962
American poet (1887–1962)
Robert P. T. Coffin
1955
American poet
Warren Bardsley
1954
Australian cricketer
Fred Root
1954
English cricketer
Josh Gibson
1947
American baseball player (1911–1947)
Andrew Volstead
1947
American politician (1860–1947)
James McKeen Cattell
1944
American psychologist and educator (1860–1944)
Omar Bundy
1940
United States Army officer (1861–1940)
George V
1936
King of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936
Margrethe Munthe
1931
Norwegian children's writer and songwriter (1860–1931)
Ivo Crapp
1924
Australian rules football umpire
Mary Watson Whitney
1921
American astronomer (1847–1921)
Georg Lurich
1920
Estonian wrestler and strongman
Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun
1915
Irish businessman, politician and philanthropist
José Guadalupe Posada
1913
Mexican political lithographer (1852–1914)
John Ordronaux (doctor)
1908
American physician
Agnes Mary Clerke
1907
Irish astronomer and writer (1842–1907)
Zénobe Gramme
1901
Belgian electrical engineer (1826–1901)
John Ruskin
1900
English polymath (1819–1900)
1800s
Kalākaua
1891
King of Hawaii from 1874 to 1891
Jean-François Millet
1875
French painter (1814–1875)
Basil Moreau
1873
French priest
Bettina von Arnim
1859
German writer (1785–1859)
Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke
1852
Japanese sumo wrestler
Adam Oehlenschläger
1850
Danish poet and playwright
Christian VIII
1848
King of Denmark from 1839 to 1848
Jørgen Jørgensen
1841
Danish adventurer (1780–1841)
Minh Mạng
1841
Second emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th century
John Soane
1837
English architect (1753–1837)
Charles IV of Spain
1819
King of Spain from 1788 to 1808
Benjamin Chew
1810
American lawyer and judge (1722–1810)
Before 1800
David Garrick
1779
English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer
Charles Yorke
1770
British lawyer and politician
John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol
1751
English politician (1665–1751)
François de la Chaise
1709
Confessor of King Louis XIV of France (1624–1709)
Humphrey Hody
1707
English scholar and theologian
Anne of Austria
1666
Queen of France from 1615 to 1644
Isaac Ambrose
1663
English Puritan clergy
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
1612
Holy Roman Emperor from 1576 to 1612
Myles Coverdale
1568
English preacher and theologian (1488–1569)
John II of Aragon
1479
King of Aragon from 1458 to 1479
Robert, King of Naples
1343
King of Naples from 1309 to 1343
John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford
1336
English noble
John Mansel (died 1265)
1265
13th-century administrator
Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia
1191
Duke of Swabia
Theobald V, Count of Blois
1191
Count of Blois from 1151 to 1191
Emperor Shizong of Jin
1189
Emperor of Jin China from 1161 to 1189
Henry (bishop of Finland)
1156
Bishop of Finland (died 1156)
Wulfstan (died 1095)
1095
11th-century Bishop of Worcester and saint
Queen Heonae
1029
Queen consort of Goryeo (964–1029)
Zhao Guangfeng
928
Li Jitao
924
Military general in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
Louis the Younger
882
Rex Francorum
Theophilos (emperor)
842
Byzantine emperor from 829 to 842
Al-Shafi'i
820
Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionist (767–820)
Eadbald of Kent
640
King of Kent from 616 to 640