Deaths on 1 May
2000s
Gordon Lightfoot
2023
Canadian singer-songwriter (1938–2023)
Olympia Dukakis
2021
American actress (1931–2021)
Geoff Duke
2015
British motorcycle racer
Vafa Guluzade
2015
Azerbaijani diplomat
María Elena Velasco
2015
Mexican actress, comedian, singer-songwriter and dancer (1940–2015)
Grace Lee Whitney
2015
American actress and singer (1930–2015)
Adamu Atta
2014
Governor of Kwara State, Nigeria, 1979–1983
Radhia Cousot
2014
Inventor of abstract interpretation
Assi Dayan
2014
Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer (1945–2014)
Juan de Dios Castillo
2014
Mexican footballer and manager (1951-2014)
Kris Kross
2013
American hip hop group
Pierre Pleimelding
2013
French footballer (1952-2013)
James Kinley
2012
Lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia from 1994 to 2000
Mordechai Virshubski
2012
Israeli politician
Henry Cooper
2011
British boxer (1934–2011)
Ted Lowe
2011
English snooker commentator
Helen Wagner
2010
American actress (1918–2010)
Anthony Mamo
2008
President of Malta from 1974 to 1976
Philipp von Boeselager
2008
German Wehrmacht officer, failed assassin of Adolf Hitler
Kenneth and Mamie Clark
2005
African-American married psychologist duo
Miss Elizabeth
2003
American professional wrestling manager (1960–2003)
Wim van Est
2003
Dutch racing cyclist (1923-2003)
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh
2002
Bahraini poet (1908–2002)
Steve Reeves
2000
American bodybuilder and actor (1926–2000)
1900s
Eldridge Cleaver
1998
American activist (1935–1998)
Fernand Dumont
1997
Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian and poet (1927–1997)
Antonio Salemme
1995
American sculptor
Ayrton Senna
1994
Brazilian racing driver (1960–1994)
Pierre Bérégovoy
1993
French politician (1925–1993)
Ranasinghe Premadasa
1993
President of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1993
Richard Thorpe
1991
American actor and film director (1896–1991)
Sergio Franchi
1990
Italian-American tenor and actor (1926–1990)
Sally Kirkland (editor)
1989
American journalist and fashion editor (1912–1989)
V. M. Panchalingam
1989
Patrice Tardif (politician)
1989
Canadian politician (1904-1989)
Ben Lexcen
1988
Australian marine architect and Olympic sailor (1936–1988)
Hylda Baker
1986
English comedian and actress (1905–1986)
Hugo Peretti
1986
American songwriter
Denise Robins
1985
English novelist (1897–1985)
Jüri Lossmann
1984
Estonian long-distance runner
William Primrose
1982
Scottish violist and teacher (1904–1982)
Aram Khachaturian
1978
Soviet Armenian composer (1903–1978)
T. R. M. Howard
1976
American physician (1908–1976)
Alexandros Panagoulis
1976
20th-century Greek politician and poet
Asger Jorn
1973
Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author
Yi Un
1970
Last Crown Prince of Korea (1897–1970)
Jack Adams
1968
Canadian ice hockey player and coach (1894–1964)
Harold Nicolson
1968
British diplomat, author, diarist and politician (1886–1968)
Spike Jones
1965
American actor, comedian, musician, bandleader and conductor (1911–1965)
Lope K. Santos
1963
Filipino writer, poet, activist, and politician
Charles Holden
1960
English architect (1875–1960)
LeRoy Samse
1956
American pole vaulter (1883–1956)
William Thomson Sloper
1955
Everett Shinn
1953
American painter (1876–1953)
Joseph Goebbels
1945
German Nazi propaganda minister (1897–1945)
Magda Goebbels
1945
Wife of Joseph Goebbels (1901–1945)
Napoleon Soukatzidis
1944
Greek communist and trade unionist
Johan Oscar Smith
1943
Norwegian minister (1871–1943)
Henri Pélissier
1935
French cyclist (1889-1935)
Princess Margaret of Connaught
1920
Crown Princess of Sweden (1882–1920)
John Barclay Armstrong
1913
Texas ranger (1850–1913)
Grigorios Maraslis
1907
Antonín Dvořák
1904
Czech composer (1841–1904)
1800s
Ludwig Büchner
1899
German philosopher and scientist (1824–1899)
David Livingstone
1873
British colonialist and missionary to Africa (1813–1873)
John Wilbur (Quaker minister)
1856
American Quaker minister (1774–1856)
Antoine Louis Dugès
1838
French zoologist (1797–1838)
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
1813
French Marshal (1768–1813)
Before 1800
Gottfried Achenwall
1772
German philosopher and historian
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle
1738
British nobleman, peer and statesman (c. 1669 – 1738)
Johann Ludwig Bach
1731
German composer
François de Troy
1730
French painter (1645–1730)
Frans Luycx
1668
Flemish painter (c. 1604–1668)
Pope Pius V
1572
Head of the Catholic Church from 1566 to 1572
Pope Marcellus II
1555
Head of the Catholic Church in 1555
Isabella of Portugal
1539
Holy Roman Empress from 1530 to 1539
Paul I Šubić of Bribir
1312
Ban of Croatia
Albert I of Germany
1308
King of Germany from 1298 to 1308
William of Villehardouin
1278
Prince of Achaea from 1246 to 1278
Stefan Uroš I
1277
King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276
Walter de Gray
1255
Archbishop of York (1215–1255) and Lord Chancellor of England (1205–1214)
Roger de Moulins
1187
Eighth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Diarmait Mac Murchada
1171
King of Leinster, Ireland (1110 – 1171)
Matilda of Scotland
1118
Queen of England from 1100 to 1118
Wang Zongji
908
Marculf
558
Arcadius
408
Roman emperor from 383 to 408