Famous People Who Died Today

Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. He was also the U.S. secretary of war and had fought in the Mexican–American War earlier. He was against secession. He wrote an autobiography named The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.

India's first Minister of Law and Justice, B. R. Ambedkar inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement. He also fought against social discrimination prevalent in India at that time. Widely regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution of India, Ambedkar was posthumously honored with India's highest civilian award - The Bharat Ratna.

Frances Bavier was an American actress best known for playing Aunt Bee in the television series, The Andy Griffith Show and its spin-off, Mayberry R.F.D., winning an Emmy Award for her performance in 1967. Bavier chose not to marry and led a quiet life after her retirement. She promoted Easter Seal Societies and Christmas and often wrote letters to fans.

A veteran actor with a career spanning six decades, Ron Leibman was best known for his work as a theater actor. He was the recipient of one Drama Desk Award and one Tony Award. He appeared in over 500 performances of the play Rumors in a span of three years. He had also acted in many films and TV shows. 

Psychologist Harry Harlow proved that monkeys raised without their mothers exhibited abnormal psychological development. He had a long association with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he conducted most of his experiments. He was criticized for using dramatic names, such as “pit of despair,” for his experimental devices.

Born to a German Jewish family, Ralph H. Baer and his family escaped to New York later. He went from working in a factory to becoming an engineer. While working at Sanders Associates, he developed the idea of playing games on TV and later created the first video game console.

German electrical engineer Werner von Siemens is remembered as a pioneer of the telegraph industry. The founder of Siemens also inspired the name to the SI unit of electrical conductance. He was part of the Prussian army and had begun his chemistry experiments while in prison for a minor crime.

Mathilde Kschessinska was a Russian ballerina hailing from the Polish noble family Krzesiński. She was the daughter of Feliks Krzesiński, who danced in Saint Petersburg.  As a young woman, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia. She later opened her own ballet school and trained students, such as Margot Fonteyn, Alicia Markova, and André Eglevsky. 

Devan Nair was a Malayan-born Singaporean politician best remembered for his service as the third President of Singapore from 23 October 1981 until his resignation on 28 March 1985. A respected political figure, Devan Nair held several important offices, including the Secretary-General office of the National Trades Union Congress.

Pierre Roger, who later became the fourth Avignon pope, as Pope Clement VI, had also served as the archbishop of Sens and Rouen. He was a significant figure of the Crusades against the Ottoman Turks and led a campaign in Smyrna. Highly nepotistic, he erected statues of his relatives.

Philip Berrigan was a peace activist and Catholic priest. He was active in the peace and nuclear disarmament movement and advocated for peaceful and nonviolent protests. He was affiliated with the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. He was married to a former nun and peace activist Elizabeth McAlister. The couple founded Jonah House, a faith-based community. 

Joseph Black was an 18th-century Scottish physicist and chemist. He is remembered for his discoveries of magnesium, specific heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide. He spent several years of his career as a professor of medicine and chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. In 1783, he became one of the founders of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

Frantz Fanon was a French-West Indian born in Martinique, a former French colony. A skilled psychiatrist and physician, he realized the impact of colonialism on the human mind while treating French soldiers and Algerians. The author of books such as The Wretched of the Earth, Fanon supported the Algerian independence movement.

Australian disability activist, comedian, and broadcast journalist Stella Young had worked extensively for the ABC. Born with a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, or the brittle bone disease, she spent almost her entire life on a wheelchair. She died of an aneurysm at age 32.

Spanish baroque author and philosopher Baltasar Gracian was a leading proponent of the conceptismo style. Inspired by his priest uncle, he took Jesuit vows. His notable works include Subtlety and the Art of Genius and the three-part novel The Critick, with the latter written under a pseudonym.

Džej Ramadanovski was a Serbian folk singer. An exponent of pop-folk and turbo-folk music, Ramadanovski released 13 albums from 1988 to 2003. He is also remembered for his collaborations with numerous arrangers and lyricists, including Aleksandar Radulović. Džej Ramadanovski died due to cardiac arrest at the age of 56.

Mimi Smith was a British nurse best remembered as the parental guardian and maternal aunt of the popular English musician John Lennon. She played an important role in the upbringing of John Lennon. Mimi Smith has been portrayed in several films, including Birth of the Beatles, In His Life: The John Lennon Story, and John and Yoko: A Love Story.

João Goulart was a Brazilian politician best remembered for his service as the President of Brazil from 1961 to 1964. Goulart also served as the Vice President of Brazil from 31 January 1956 to 25 August 1961. An important member of the Brazilian Labour Party, Goulart also served as the Minister of Labour, Industry and Trade from 1953 to 1954.

César Baldaccini was a French sculptor who had occupied the most important position among other sculptors of the Nouveau Réalisme movement. Baldaccini, who had become one of France's most prominent sculptors by 1960, was renowned for his experimental works. He is credited with creating the César du cinéma trophy, which is regarded as the most prestigious award in French cinema.