Famous People Who Died Today

James Gandolfini was an American actor who achieved the rare feat of being identified more as the character he performed rather than as himself. Years of immaculately performing the role of a powerful crime boss for the TV series, The Sopranos, defined Gandolfini’s legacy forever as a character actor, a legacy he gracefully carried over to the big screen.

As an actor, who was also interested in photography and playing the guitar, Anton Yelchin was a man of many talents. Unfortunately, he was involved in a freak accident that killed him when he was 27. Such was his impact in Hollywood that a bronze statue of his was erected at his grave and many celebrities attended the unveiling ceremony.

Known for his 7’ 7” frame, Manute Bol made headlines as one of the tallest NBA players ever. Born in Sudan, he was initially a soccer player but quit it because of his height. He later moved to the US to represent basketball teams such as the Golden State Warriors.

Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish playwright and novelist. He is credited and remembered for creating the famous fictional character, Peter Pan. In the 1922 New Year Honours, Barrie was made a member of the Order of Merit. Before his death, he gifted the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children with the rights of his Peter Pan works.

Jean Arthur was an American film and Broadway actress whose performances in films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and You Can't Take It with You established her as the quintessential comedic leading lady of Hollywood. Jean Arthur's contribution to the film industry earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

William Golding was a British playwright, novelist, and poet whose novel Rites of Passage earned him the Booker Prize in 1980. In 1983, Golding was honored with the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1988, William Golding was knighted for his contributions to literature. In 2008, he was mentioned in The Times' list of 50 greatest British writers since 1945. 

British naturalist Joseph Banks is remembered for accompanying Captain James Cook on his voyage across places such as Brazil and Tahiti. He had also been the president of the Royal Society for over 40 years. Both his herbarium and library now find a place at the British Museum.

Luca Pacioli was an Italian Franciscan friar and mathematician. He worked closely with Leonardo da Vinci and produced works, such as Divina proportione, a book on mathematics. Luca Pacioli was an early contributor to the field which came to be known as accounting. Pacioli is widely regarded as The Father of Accounting and Bookkeeping.  

Samuel Chase was one of the founding fathers of the USA. From 1796 to 1811, he served as the Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was also a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence.

The son of a brewer, Noboru Takeshita had initially been a high-school teacher. He later stepped into politics and joined the Liberal Democratic Party, eventually becoming the prime minister of Japan. He was forced to resign following his involvement in a corruption and insider trading scandal.

French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire is best remembered for his principle of unity of composition. He also laid down the idea of teratology, or the study of animal abnormalities. He was also part of Napoleon’s scientific expedition in Egypt and later taught zoology at the University of Paris.

Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón gained international fame with his first adult novel, The Shadow of the Wind. Previously, he had dabbled in the young-adult genre, with novels such as The Prince of Mist. He had initially been associated with the advertising industry and later also wrote scripts.

Kathleen McKane Godfree was a British badminton and tennis player. Godfree won two Wimbledon singles titles. She also won two US Open doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. The second-most successful female British Olympian, Godfree won five Olympic medals in two Olympic Games. In 1978, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Initially a member of the Generation of ’37 intellectual movement, Juan Bautista Alberdi opposed Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas and was thus exiled. He later studied law in Uruguay. He is best remembered for his iconic book Bases and Starting Points for the Political Organization of the Argentine Republic.

Cordelia E. Cook was an American combat nurse who served in the US Army Nurse Corps during the Second World War. Cook was the first woman in the history of the US Army to receive both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. After the war, Cordelia E. Cook worked as a nurse at Doctors Hospital North in Ohio.

Song dynasty scholar Fan Zhongyan rose up to be the kingdom’s chancellor and fought against corruption. He is known for his iconic saying “Be the first to care for the nation’s fate and the last to enjoy its comforts.” Though he owned a profitable farm, he spent a lot on charity.

Ethel Rosenberg was an American citizen who was convicted along with Julius Rosenberg of spying in favor of the Soviet Union. Ethel and Julius were convicted of passing top-secret information about sonar, radar, valuable nuclear weapon designs, and jet propulsion engines to the Soviet Union. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by the American government in 1953.

Marguerite-Élie Guadet was a French politician who played an important role during the Revolutionary period. During the French Revolution, Guadet led the Girondin faction of working-class revolutionaries. An ardent supporter of the democratic monarchy, Marguerite-Élie Guadet opposed the ministers of Louis XVI.

Born to hotel tycoon Junius Myer Schine, G. David Schine was educated at Harvard. He was dragged into a controversy for his association with anti-communist Sen. Joe McCarthy. A plane crash killed both him and his wife, former Miss Universe Hillevi Rombin, and their son who was piloting the plane.

Lotte Reiniger was a German film director best remembered for making animated films. A pioneer of silhouette animation, Reiniger is credited with directing The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which is the oldest surviving feature-length animated film. Lotte Reiniger is also credited with devising the first form of a multiplane camera. 

Antonio Aguilar was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and equestrian. Nicknamed Mexico's Horseman, Aguilar is credited with introducing a Mexican equestrian sport called charrería to international audiences. A prolific musician and actor, Antonio Aguilar recorded over 150 albums and appeared in over 120 films. His contribution to Mexican cinema earned him many awards including the Golden Ariel.

Lord Acton was an English Catholic historian, writer, and politician. Born to a prominent family in Naples, he was the son of a British baronet. He studied at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he developed a deep love of historical research. After building a career as a historian and writer, he ventured into politics as well. 

Bonnie Nettles was an American registered nurse best remembered for co-founding the Heaven's Gate new religious movement alongside  Marshall Applewhite. Nettles died of cancer in 1985, 12 years before the religious group's mass suicide in 1997. Bonnie Nettles was one of the two main leaders of the group.

Renowned Spanish filmmaker Miguel Morayta had fought for the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War but left Spain to move to eventually settle in Mexico, where he revolutionized filmmaking. He gathered experience as both a technician and a director and ended up directing over 80 films, such as Amor perdido.

Miguel Miramón initially fought against the US as part of the Mexican army. He then joined the campaign of Ignacio Comonfort and Benito Juárez, against the Liberal forces. At 26, he became the president of Mexico. He was also the first president who wasn’t born under the Spanish colonial rule.