Famous People Who Died Today

American writer Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as the architect of modern short story, the inventor of the detective-fiction genre and a major contributor towards science fiction genre. The influential writer is recognised for his tales of mystery and macabre. His notable works include The Raven (poem), The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher (short stories).

Mario J. Molina was a Mexican chemist who played a key role in understanding and explaining the threat from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases to the Earth's ozone layer, which earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995. Molina was the third Mexican-born Nobel laureate and the first Mexican-born person to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Anna Politkovskaya was a Russian writer, journalist, and human rights activist. She is best remembered for reporting the Second Chechen War. In spite of various acts of intimidation and violence, Politkovskaya never gave up reporting on the war. Her efforts and work earned her several international awards, such as the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award. Politkovskaya was murdered in 2006.

Remembered as a pioneer of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie was enrolled into wrestling classes to channelize his aggression in childhood. He also followed what is known as the Gracie diet. Thirteen of his 21 children have the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. He and his family developed the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

The second prime minister of Australia and Federation movement leader Alfred Deakin had developed an interest in literature and philosophy and had written several pieces of drama and poetry while studying to be a barrister. He later joined the Liberal Party. He spent his final years struggling with memory loss.

The son of a musician, Emil Kraepelin, remembered as the founder of psychiatry, was the first to differentiate between dementia praecox, now known as schizophrenia, and manic-depressive psychosis. His classification of mental illnesses influenced much of the research on the subject in the 20th century.

George Morris Baker was an English writer and actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Tiberius Caesar Augustus in the popular TV series I, Claudius. As a writer, Baker is well-known for his contribution to a TV play titled Fatal Spring, which earned him a UN peace award. George Morris Baker is also remembered for his charitable work.    

British doctor John Langdon Down was pushed to assist at his father’s shop at 14. He gained an interest in medicine after apprenticing with a London surgeon. A pioneer in the treatment of mentally challenged patients, he is remembered for his study of what is now known as Down syndrome.

Irving Penn was an American photographer best remembered for his portraits, fashion photography, and still lifes. He was one of the earliest photographers to pose his subjects against a white or grey backdrop. During his illustrious career, he worked for popular publications like Vogue. He was honored by the German Society for Photography with the prestigious Cultural Award in 1987. 

Romanian-born Nobel Prize-winning cell biologist George E. Palade moved to the U.S. after World War II. He is best remembered for his discovery of the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum. He used electron microscopy to study various cell structures and spent most of his life teaching at prestigious institutes.

Maud Allan was a Canadian dancer who became known for her Dance of the Seven Veils. She studied piano at the Hochschule für Musik and became a piano teacher. She later abandoned the piano in favor of dance. She was very creative as a dancer and even designed her own costumes. She became a dance teacher in her later years.  

Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor best remembered for designing the iconic monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. He is also credited with designing the Pulitzer Prize gold medal along with H. Augustus Lukeman in 1917. Daniel Chester French also founded or co-founded many organizations like the National Sculpture Society (NSS) and the American Academy in Rome.

Though he initially studied chemistry, Seebohm Rowntree soon joined his family cocoa business. He soon introduced employee-friendly policies, such as the 5-day work week and a pension plan, in the company. His pioneering study of working-class homes in York became an iconic sociological treatise on the poor.

Natalia Ginzburg was an Italian author who dealt with sensitive subjects like politics and family relationships during the Second World War. Ginzburg's works were often translated into English for readers in the USA and the UK. Over the course of her illustrious career, Natalia Ginzburg won several prestigious awards, such as the Bagutta Prize and Strega Prize.

French Post-Impressionist painter Paul Sérusier, considered a pioneer of abstract art, was a member of Les Nabis group that played a key role in transition from impressionism and academic art to abstract art and symbolism. His 1888 painting The Talisman, made under guidance of Paul Gauguin at the artist's colony of Pont-Aven in Brittany, became an icon of 20th-century art.  

French opera and theater director and filmmaker Patrice Chéreau is best known for his historical romantic drama La Reine Margot, or Queen Margot, and the erotic drama film Intimacy, both of which won multiple awards. He has staged many prominent plays at the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers. His many awards include the Cannes Jury Prize.

Japanese navy admiral Keisuke Okada was born to a former samurai family and later grew up to be the prime minister of Japan. He was a moderate voice and tried to reduce the influence of military extremists in Japan. He also advocated for peace with the Allies during World War II.

Siegfried Lenz was a German writer best remembered for his novels, essays, and short stories. He also served as a soldier in Nazi Germany's navy during World War II. He then went on to establish himself as a notable writer, winning prestigious awards like the International Nonino Prize and the Goethe Prize.

Niels Kaj Jerne was a Danish immunologist best remembered for winning the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside César Milstein and Georges J. F. Köhler. Jerne, who made important contributions to the fields of Immunology and Microbiology, was also honored with the Marcel Benoist Prize and Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 1978 and 1982 respectively.

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta was an Italian nobleman and condottiero. He was regarded as one of the most dangerous and daring military leaders of his time. He is credited with commanding the Venetian forces against the Ottoman Empire in the 1465 campaign. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta's life and career inspired Edward Hutton's 1906 historical novel, Sigismondo Malatesta.

François Magendie was a French physiologist and a pioneer of experimental physiology. He is perhaps best remembered as a notorious vivisector who often shocked his contemporaries and general public with live dissections at public lectures. Many scholars and scientists have criticized him for needlessly torturing animals in the name of experiments.