Famous People Who Died Today

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. He is credited with founding Christian Dior, one of the world's top fashion houses, which is currently owned by Groupe Arnault. At the time of its founding, the clothes designed by Christian Dior revolutionized women's dress. The brand also re-established Paris as the fashion hub of the world after World War II.

Singer, comedian, and actor Al Jolson was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer" at the peak of his career. Known for his brash and extroverted performances, he is credited to have played a major role in defining the modern musical. He was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal for Merit.

Dead or Alive lead vocalist Pete Burns was a legendary musician of the 1980s. The son of a Holocaust survivor mother, he had a troubled childhood and quit school. He made his androgynous looks and his bisexuality his signature style. Plagued with surgery-related health issues, he died of a cardiac arrest at 57.

Marco Simoncelli was an Italian motorcycle racer. From 2002 to 2011, Simoncelli competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing and won the 2008 Grand Prix Championship. While competing in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix on 23 October, Simoncelli lost control over his motorcycle and was run over by other vehicles on the track. He died of wounds at age 24.

Malaysian-Chinese businessman Lim Goh Tong is best known for transforming Genting Highlands in Malaysia to a bustling hub of gambling, with a world-class casino resort. His memoir, My Story – Lim Goh Tong, speaks about his struggle from being a machine trader to a successful entrepreneur.

National Medal of Arts-winning American opera singer Robert Merrill began his career singing on radio shows and family functions. He made his opera debut with a production of Verdi's Aida and soon became known as a star of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. His later years saw him performing at sports events, too.

John of Capistrano was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest also known as  “the Soldier Saint.” He hailed from the Italian town of Capestrano, Abruzzo, and was a renowned preacher, theologian, and inquisitor. In 1456, he led a crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade. He is the patron saint of jurists and military chaplains. 

Ernest Thompson Seton was a wildlife artist and author. He is credited with founding a youth program called the Woodcraft Indians in 1902. A pioneer of the Boy Scouts of America, Seton also had a huge influence on the founder of the Scout Movement, Lord Baden-Powell. His life and career inspired several works of art like TV series and literature.

Nusrat Bhutto was the wife of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhurro. She was the First Lady of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.  Nusrat Bhutto also served as a senior member of the federal cabinet between 1988 and 1990.

Charles Glover Barkla won a Nobel Prize for his research on X-ray scattering, which pave way for further research on atomic structures. A staunch Methodist, he believed his work was part of his search for God. Musically talented, Barkla also sang in the church choir of King’s College, Cambridge, his alma.

Anthony Caro was an English sculptor whose work incorporates the usage of metals, especially found industrial objects. Considered the greatest English sculptor of his generation, Caro won several prestigious awards and prizes, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award for Sculpture. Also an educator, Caro taught at Saint Martin's School of Art, inspiring a generation of abstract sculptors like Phillip King.

Lebo Mathosa was a South African singer best remembered for her association with the popular band Boom Shaka. Mathosa is credited with popularizing kwaito music among South African women. Her style, sexuality, and outrageous stage outfits inspired many youngsters and nonconformists. Her life and career inspired the 2019 biopic, Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story. 

Biochemist Edward Adelbert Doisy revolutionized science with his discovery of vitamin K, which prevents blood clotting, along with Henrik Dam, a feat that eventually won the duo a Nobel Prize. The Harvard alumnus later taught at the Washington and St. Louis universities. He also isolated hormones such as estrone.

Eduard Schnitzer, or Emin Pasha, was born into a German Jewish family in modern-day Poland. A qualified physician, he moved to Constantinople after being disqualified in Germany. He not only served the Ottoman rulers but also surveyed and explored Africa extensively. He was eventually killed by Arab slave raiders.

Christopher Gable was an English actor, ballet dancer, and choreographer. He is best remembered for playing important roles in several film and television productions directed by Ken Russell. Christopher Gable is credited with transforming the Northern Ballet Theatre into a company of national renown. Gable is also credited with founding the Central School of Ballet.  

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius was a Roman senator, consul, and philosopher of the early 6th century. He worked under the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great, who later imprisoned and killed him. In jail, Boethius wrote his Consolation of Philosophy, which is considered a seminal treatise on death, fortune, and other issues. He also translated the works of Plato and Aristotle.