Deaths on 31 May
2000s
Stanley Fischer
2025
American and Israeli economist (1943–2025)
Robert Pickton
2024
Canadian serial killer (1949–2024)
Marian Robinson
2024
Mother of Michelle Obama (1937–2024)
Colin Cantwell
2022
American film concept artist and director (1932–2022)
KK (singer)
2022
Indian playback singer (1968–2022)
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela
2022
Colombian drug lord (1939–2022)
Jim Parks (cricketer, born 1931)
2022
English cricketer (1931–2022)
Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician)
2016
Sahrawi President from 1976 to 2016
Jan Crouch
2016
American religious broadcaster
Carla Lane
2016
English television writer (1928–2016)
Rupert Neudeck
2016
German journalist
Gladys Taylor (publisher)
2015
Canadian writer and publisher (1917–2015)
Marilyn Beck
2014
American syndicated columnist and author
Marinho Chagas
2014
Brazilian footballer
Hoss Ellington
2014
American racing driver and team owner
Martha Hyer
2014
American actress (1924–2014)
Lewis Katz
2014
American lawyer
Mary Soames
2014
English author (1922–2014)
Gerald E. Brown
2013
American theoretical physicist
Frederic Lindsay
2013
Scottish writer
Miguel Méndez
2013
American writer and educator (1930–2013)
Tim Samaras
2013
American engineer and storm chaser (1957-2013)
Murder of Jairo Mora Sandoval
2013
Costa Rican environmentalist
Jean Stapleton
2013
American actress (1923–2013)
Christopher Challis
2012
British cinematographer (1919–2012)
Randall B. Kester
2012
American judge
Paul Pietsch
2012
German racing driver (1911–2012)
Orlando Woolridge
2012
American basketball player (1959–2012)
Pauline Betz
2011
American tennis player (1919–2011)
Jonas Bevacqua
2011
American clothing designer and entrepreneur
Derek Hodge
2011
U.S. Virgin Islander politician and lawyer
Hans Keilson
2011
John Martin (Royal Navy officer)
2011
Royal Navy Vice-Admiral (1918–2011)
Andy Robustelli
2011
American football player, executive, announcer (1925–2011)
Louise Bourgeois
2010
French-American artist (1911–2010)
Brian Duffy (photographer)
2010
English photographer and film producer
William A. Fraker
2010
American film director, producer and cinematographer
Rubén Juárez
2010
Argentine musician (1947–2010)
Merata Mita
2010
New Zealand filmmaker (1942–2010)
Danny La Rue
2009
Irish singer and entertainer (1927–2009)
George Tiller
2009
American abortion provider (1941–2009)
Miguel Ortiz Berrocal
2006
Spanish sculptor
Raymond Davis Jr.
2006
American scientist (1914–2006)
Aiyathurai Nadesan
2004
Robert Quine
2004
American guitarist (1942–2004)
Étienne Roda-Gil
2004
French writer, lyricist (1941–2004)
Subhash Gupte
2002
Indian cricketer
Arlene Francis
2001
American actress and TV host (1907–2001)
Petar Mladenov
2000
Final leader of Communist Bulgaria (1989-90); first President of Bulgaria (1990)
A. Jeyaratnam Wilson
2000
Sri Lankan Tamil academic, historian and author
1900s
Charles Van Acker
1998
Belgian–American racing driver (1912–1998)
Timothy Leary
1996
American psychologist (1920–1996)
Stanley Elkin
1995
American novelist, essayist, and professor
Uzay Heparı
1994
Musical artist
Herva Nelli
1994
Italian and American soprano (1909–1994)
Spuds MacKenzie
1993
Dog mascot of Bud Light beer
C. L. R. James
1989
Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist (1901–1989)
Owen Lattimore
1989
American Orientalist and writer (1900–1989)
John Abraham (director)
1987
Indian film director and screenwriter
Jane Frank
1986
American painter and sculptor (1918–1986)
James Rainwater
1986
American physicist
Gaston Rébuffat
1985
French alpinist, mountain guide, and author
Jack Dempsey
1983
American boxer (1895–1983)
Carlo Mauri
1982
Italian mountaineer and explorer
Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth
1981
British economist; life peer
József Bozsik
1978
Hungarian footballer (1925–1978)
William Castle
1977
American filmmaker (1914–1977)
Jacques Monod
1976
French biochemist (1910–1976)
Terry Sawchuk
1970
Canadian ice hockey player (1929–1970)
Clare Sheridan
1970
English sculptor, journalist and writer
Billy Strayhorn
1967
American jazz pianist, composer, lyricist and arranger (1915–1967)
Henry F. Ashurst
1962
American politician (1874–1962)
Willem Elsschot
1960
Flemish writer
Walther Funk
1960
German economist and politician (1890–1960)
Stefanos Sarafis
1957
Greek communist guerrilla during World War II and Greek Civil War (1906–1957)
Leopold Staff
1957
Polish poet (1878–1957)
Antonis Benakis
1954
Greek art collector (1873–1954)
Odilo Globocnik
1945
Austrian Nazi, SS officer, and Holocaust perpetrator (1904–1945)
Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau
1931
Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Willy Stöwer
1931
German painter (1864–1931)
Elizabeth Blackwell
1910
British-American physician (1821–1910)
Thomas Price (South Australian politician)
1909
Australian politician
Louis-Honoré Fréchette
1908
Canadian politician and writer (1839–1908)
1800s
Stefanos Koumanoudis
1899
Greek archaeologist, teacher and writer
Eugénie de Guérin
1848
French writer
Thomas Chalmers
1847
Scottish clergyman, writer and historian (1780 – 1847)
Philip Marheineke
1846
German Protestant church leader (1780-1846)
Joseph Grimaldi
1837
English actor, comedian and dancer
Évariste Galois
1832
French mathematician (1811–1832)
Samuel Bentham
1831
English mechanical engineer and naval architect
Joseph Haydn
1809
Austrian composer (1732–1809)
Jean Lannes
1809
Marshal of The First French Empire (1769–1809)
Before 1800
Andrey Osterman
1747
Russian statesman, vice-chancellor of Russian Empire (d. 1747)
Frederick William I of Prussia
1740
King in Prussia from 1713 to 1740
Joachim Neander
1680
German minister and composer
Pieter Jansz. Saenredam
1665
Painter of the Dutch Golden Age
Zeynab Begum
1640
Fourth daughter of Safavid king Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576), major Safavid stateswoman
Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg
1601
Elector-Archbishop of Cologne from 1577 to 1588
Tintoretto
1594
Italian painter (1518–1594)
Guido de Bres
1567
Walloon protestant theologian reformer
Philip Hoby
1558
16th-century English politician
Engelbert II of Nassau
1504
Count of Nassau-Vianden and Lord of Breda
Martin of Aragon
1410
King of Aragon from 1396 to 1410
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
1408
Military ruler of Japan from 1368 to 1394
Vitalis of Assisi
1370
Italian Roman Catholic saint
Thomas Wake, 2nd Baron Wake of Liddell
1349
14th-century English baron
Albertino Mussato
1329
Italian statesman, writer and historian (1261-1329)
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley
1326
English noble and rebel
Birger, King of Sweden
1321
King of Sweden from 1290 to 1318
Géza II of Hungary
1162
King of Hungary and Croatia from 1141 to 1162
Sigwin von Are
1089
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria
1076
11th-century Anglo-Saxon earl of Northumbria
Fujiwara no Morosuke
960
Japanese statesman, courtier and politician
Liu Hua (Wang Yanjun's wife)
930
Petronius Maximus
455
Western Roman emperor in 455