Deaths on 20 October
2000s
Barbara Dane
2024
American folk, blues and jazz singer (1927–2024)
Fethullah Gülen
2024
Turkish scholar, theologian and dissident (1941–2024)
Walter Jacob
2024
American Reform rabbi (1930–2024)
Janusz Olejniczak
2024
Polish classical pianist and actor (1952–2024)
Paul White, Baron Hanningfield
2024
British politician (1940–2024)
Lucy Simon
2022
American composer (1940–2022)
James Randi
2020
Canadian-American magician and skeptic (1928–2020)
Wim Kok
2018
Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1994 to 2002
Robert E. Kramek
2016
US Coast Guard admiral (1939–2016)
Michael Massee
2016
American actor (1952–2016)
Junko Tabei
2016
Japanese mountain climber (1939–2016)
Makis Dendrinos
2015
Greek basketball player and coach
Arno Gruen
2015
Kazimierz Łaski
2015
Polish-Austrian economist
Michael Meacher
2015
British politician (1939–2015)
Ian Steel
2015
Scottish cyclist
René Burri
2014
Swiss photographer
Oscar de la Renta
2014
Dominican fashion designer (1932–2014)
Christophe de Margerie
2014
French businessman (1951–2014)
Jovanka Broz
2013
First Lady of Yugoslavia
Don James (American football)
2013
American football player and coach (1932–2013)
Lawrence Klein
2013
American economist (1920–2013)
Joginder Singh (rally driver)
2013
Kenyan rally driver (1932–2013)
Larri Thomas
2013
American actress
Sid Yudain
2013
American journalist
Przemysław Gintrowski
2012
Musical artist
Paul Kurtz
2012
American philosopher (1925–2012)
Dave May
2012
American baseball player (1943–2012)
John McConnell (peace activist)
2012
American environmentalist (1915-2012)
E. Donnall Thomas
2012
American hematologist
Raymond Watson
2012
Muammar Gaddafi
2011
Leader of Libya from 1969 to 2011
Mutassim Gaddafi
2011
Libyan military officer and National Security Advisor of Libya (1974–2011)
Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr
2011
Libyan military officer and politician (1940-2011)
Iztok Puc
2011
Slovenian and Croatian handball player (1966-2011)
W. Cary Edwards
2010
American politician
Bob Guccione
2010
American photographer, painter and publisher (1930–2010)
Eva Ibbotson
2010
Austro-British children's writer (1925–2010)
Max Kohnstamm
2010
Dutch historian and diplomat (1914–2010)
Farooq Leghari
2010
President of Pakistan from 1993 to 1997
Gene Hickerson
2008
American football player (1935–2008)
Max McGee
2007
American football player (1932–2007)
Arnold Viiding
2006
Estonian athlete
Jane Wyatt
2006
American actress (1910–2006)
Shirley Horn
2005
American jazz singer and pianist (1934–2005)
Eva Švankmajerová
2005
Czech artist and writer (1940–2005)
André van der Louw
2005
Dutch politician (1933–2005)
Anthony Hecht
2004
American poet (1923–2004)
Chuck Hiller
2004
American baseball player (1934–2004)
Jack Elam
2003
American actor (1920–2003)
Ted Ammon
2001
American lawyer
1900s
Calvin Griffith
1999
American baseball team owner (1911–1999)
Jack Lynch
1999
Taoiseach (1966–1973, 1977–1979)
Christopher Stone (actor)
1995
American actor (1940–1995)
John Tonkin
1995
Australian politician (1902–1995)
Burt Lancaster
1994
American actor (1913–1994)
Yasushi Sugiyama
1993
Japanese painter (1909–1993)
Werner Torkanowsky
1992
German-American violinist and conductor (1926–1992)
Joel McCrea
1990
American actor (1905–1990)
Anthony Quayle
1989
British actor (1913–1989)
Sheila Scott
1988
British aviator (1922–1988)
Andrey Kolmogorov
1987
Soviet mathematician (1903–1987)
Carl Ferdinand Cori
1984
Czech Nobel prize laureate and scientist
Paul Dirac
1984
British theoretical physicist (1902–1984)
Yves Thériault
1983
Canadian novelist (1915–1983)
Merle Travis
1983
American country/Western singer-songwriter and musician (1917–1983)
Gunnar Nilsson
1978
Swedish racing driver (1948–1978)
Steve Gaines
1977
American guitarist (1949–1977)
Ronnie Van Zant
1977
American singer (1948–1977)
Norman Chandler
1973
American newspaper publisher
Harlow Shapley
1972
American scientist and political activist (1885–1972)
Bud Flanagan
1968
British comedian, singer and actor (1896–1968)
Shigeru Yoshida
1967
Prime Minister of Japan (1946–1947; 1948–1954)
Herbert Hoover
1964
President of the United States from 1929 to 1933
Michalis Dorizas
1957
Greek athlete (1886–1957)
Edward B. Greene
1957
American banker and mining and steel executive
Lawrence Dale Bell
1956
American industrialist (1894–1956)
Werner Baumbach
1953
German bomber pilot
Henry L. Stimson
1950
American politician (1867–1950)
Ken Farnes
1941
English cricketer (1911–1941)
Gunnar Asplund
1940
Swedish architect (1885–1940)
Anne Sullivan
1936
Teacher and companion of Helen Keller (1866–1936)
Arthur Henderson
1935
British iron moulder, Labour politician and Nobel laureate
Jack Peddie
1928
Scottish footballer
Eugene V. Debs
1926
American labor and political leader (1855–1926)
David B. Hill
1910
American politician (1843–1910)
Vaiben Louis Solomon
1908
Australian politician
Naim Frashëri
1900
Albanian poet, writer and activist (1846–1900)
1800s
James Anthony Froude
1894
English historian, novelist and biographer (1818–1894)
Richard Francis Burton
1890
British explorer, army officer, writer and scholar (1821–1890)
George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall
1883
British politician
Lydia Maria Child
1880
American abolitionist, author, and activist (1802–1880)
Karl Christian Ulmann
1871
Michael William Balfe
1870
Irish composer (1808–1870)
Champ Ferguson
1865
American mass murderer
Before 1800
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
1740
Holy Roman Emperor from 1711 to 1740
Archibald Pitcairne
1713
Scottish physician (1652–1713)
Antonio Coello
1652
Spanish dramatist and poet
John Ball (Puritan)
1640
Walter Leveson
1602
English politician and landowner
João de Barros
1570
Portuguese historian (1496 – 1570)
Francesco Maria I della Rovere
1538
Italian condottiero (1490–1538)
Thomas Linacre
1524
English humanist scholar and physician (c.1460–1524)
Ambrose Traversari
1439
Italian monk and theologian (1386–1439)
Jacopo della Quercia
1438
Italian sculptor (c. 1374–1438)
Henry Bowet
1423
Archbishop of York from 1407 to 1423
Klaus Störtebeker
1401
German pirate (1360–1401)
Teresa d'Entença
1327
Countess of Urgell
Pope Urban III
1187
Head of the Catholic Church from 1185 to 1187
Henry the Proud
1139
12th-century Bavarian nobleman
Ralph d'Escures
1122
Archbishop of Canterbury from 1114 to 1122
Li Yixing
967
Dangxiang warlord
Aelia Eudocia
460
Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Theodosius II