Deaths on 20 May
2000s
George Wendt
2025
American actor (1948–2025)
Ivan Boesky
2024
American stock trader (1937–2024)
Roger Angell
2022
American writer (1920–2022)
Susan Roces
2022
Filipino actress (1941–2022)
Gary Wilson (writer)
2021
American writer (1956–2021)
Niki Lauda
2019
Austrian racing driver (1949–2019)
Kho Jabing
2016
Convicted murderer executed in Singapore
Bob Belden
2015
American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
Femi Robinson
2015
Nigerian actor (1940–2015)
Sandra Bem
2014
American psychologist
Ross Brown (rugby union)
2014
Rugby player
Robyn Denny
2014
British artist (1930–2014)
Arthur Gelb
2014
American journalist and editor
Prince Rupert Loewenstein
2014
Spanish-born German-Bavarian aristocrat (1933–2014)
Barbara Murray
2014
British screen actress (1929–2014)
Flavio Costantini
2013
Italian artist (1926–2013)
Billie Dawe
2013
Canadian ice hockey player
Anders Eliasson
2013
Swedish composer (1947–2013)
Miloslav Kříž
2013
Ray Manzarek
2013
American keyboardist (1939–2013)
Denys Roberts
2013
British judge and colonial administrator (1923–2013)
Zach Sobiech
2013
American singer-songwriter
Leela Dube
2012
Indian anthropologist and feminist scholar
Robin Gibb
2012
British singer (1949–2012)
David Littman (activist)
2012
British historian and human rights activist
Ken Lyons
2012
Musical artist
Eugene Polley
2012
American consumer electronics engineer (1915–2012)
Andrew B. Steinberg
2012
Aviation regulatory lawyer
Randy Savage
2011
American professional wrestler (1952–2011)
Arthur Erickson
2009
Canadian architect (1924–2009)
Lucy Gordon (actress)
2009
British actress and model (1980–2009)
Pierre Gamarra
2009
French poet, novelist and literary critic
Hamilton Jordan
2008
Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter
Norman Von Nida
2007
Australian professional golfer
Paul Ricœur
2005
French philosopher (1913–2005)
William Seawell
2005
United States Air Force general
Stephen Jay Gould
2002
American biologist and historian of science (1941–2002)
Renato Carosone
2001
Italian musician
Jean-Pierre Rampal
2000
French flautist (1922–2000)
Malik Sealy
2000
American basketball player (1970–2000)
Yevgeny Khrunov
2000
Soviet cosmonaut (1933–2000)
1900s
Robert Normann
1998
Norwegian jazz guitarist
Jon Pertwee
1996
English actor (1919–1996)
Les Cowie
1995
Australia international rugby league footballer
John Hicks
1989
British economist (1904–1989)
Gilda Radner
1989
American actress and comedian (1946–1989)
Syd Howe
1976
Canadian ice hockey player
Zelmar Michelini
1976
Uruguayan reporter and politician
Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz
1976
Uruguayan political figure
Barbara Hepworth
1975
English artist and sculptor (1903–1975)
Renzo Pasolini
1973
Italian motorcycle racer
Jarno Saarinen
1973
Finnish motorcycle racer (1945–1973)
Waldo Williams
1971
Welsh poet and pacifist (1904–1971)
Rudy Lewis
1964
American singer (1936–1964)
Timothy Szretter
1962
Polish Orthodox clergyman, the third Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland
Josef Priller
1961
German World War II flying ace and wing commander (1915–1961)
Max Beerbohm
1956
English writer and caricaturist (1872–1956)
Zoltán Halmay
1956
Hungarian swimmer (1881–1956)
Damaskinos of Athens
1949
Greek politician and priest (1891–1949)
Philipp Lenard
1947
Hungarian–German experimental physicist (1862–1947)
Georgios Siantos
1947
20th-century Greek Communist Party leader and resistance fighter during WWII
Jacob Ellehammer
1946
Danish watchmaker and inventor
Hector Guimard
1942
French architect and designer (1867–1942)
Verner von Heidenstam
1940
Swedish poet and novelist (1859–1940)
Ernest Noel
1931
Joseph Howard (prime minister)
1925
Prime Minister of Malta (1862–1925)
Bogd Khan
1924
1911–1924 ruler of the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia
Valentine Fleming
1917
British politician (1882–1917)
Philipp von Ferrary
1917
Noted postage stamp collector
Ernest Hogan
1909
Vaudeville performer (1865–1909)
1800s
Clara Schumann
1896
German pianist and composer (1819–1896)
Ana Néri
1880
Brazilian nurse (1814–1880)
George-Étienne Cartier
1873
Canadian Father of Confederation (1814–1873)
John Clare
1864
English poet (1793–1864)
Joseph Blanco White
1841
Spanish poet and theologian
Marquis de Lafayette
1834
French military officer and politician (1757–1834)
Hieronymus von Colloredo
1812
German Catholic archbishop (1732–1812)
Before 1800
Charles Bonnet
1793
Genevan botanist (1720–1793)
William Emerson (mathematician)
1782
English mathematician
Thomas Boston
1732
Scottish Presbyterian church leader and theologian
Sébastien Vaillant
1722
French mycologist (1669-1722)
John Trevor (speaker)
1717
Welsh lawyer and politician (died 1717)
Thomas Sprat
1713
English churchman and writer (1635–1713)
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol
1677
English politician (1612–1677)
Władysław IV Vasa
1648
Ruler of Poland–Lithuania from 1632 to 1648
Shi Kefa
1645
Early 17th-century Ming Dynasty Minister and General
Osman II
1622
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 to 1622
Isabella Markham
1579
16th-century English lady-in-waiting
Ashikaga Yoshiharu
1550
Military ruler of Japan from 1521 to 1546
Christopher Columbus
1506
Italian navigator and explorer (1451–1506)
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici
1503
Italian banker and politician
Columba of Rieti
1501
Italian religious sister of the Third Order of St. Dominic
Isabel Ingoldisthorpe
1476
English noblewoman (1441–1476)
Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches
1449
Portuguese knight and nobleman
Peter, Duke of Coimbra
1449
Duke of Coimbra
Bernardino of Siena
1444
Italian Franciscan missionary and saint
Maria of Calabria
1366
Countess of Alba
Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
1291
South Asian Sufi saint (1190 – 1295)
John I of Cyprus
1285
13th century King of Cyprus and Jerusalem
Pope John XXI
1277
Head of the Catholic Church from 1276 to 1277
Bao Zheng
1062
11th-century Chinese politician and cultural personification of justice
Gero
965
German nobleman (c. 900 – 965)
Æthelberht II of East Anglia
794
8th-century king and saint
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
685
King of Deira (664 to 670), King of Northumbria (670 to 685)