Famous People Who Died Today

Tom Hayden was a prominent social/political activist, and a champion for civil rights and anti-war campaigns. Also known as Jane Fonda’s ex-husband, he had contributed to the Port Huron Statement and stood trial in the Chicago Seven Case. He was part of the California State Assembly and the California Senate.

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.

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.

Austrian musical conductor August Kubizek is best-remembered for his close friendship with Adolf Hitler during their late-teens. They reunited after thirty years following which the Nazi Party hired Kubizek to write about his youth with Hitler in two short propaganda booklets called Reminiscences. Kubizek also wrote about his childhood experience with Hitler in the book The Young Hitler I Knew.

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. 

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.

A pioneer of modern anthropology and a renowned ethnographer, 16th-century Spanish priest and missionary Bernardino de Sahagún remains one of the greatest resources of the history of ancient Mexico. Best remembered for compiling Historia General and its manuscript the Florentine Codex, he developed the Aztec language Nahuatl.

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.

Daniel Wildenstein was a French historian and art dealer who owned one of the 20th century's most influential and successful art dealerships, Wildenstein & Co. At the peak of his career, Wildenstein was described as the most powerful and richest art dealer on earth. Daniel Wildenstein is also remembered for breeding and owning many thoroughbred racehorses.

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. 

Abraham Geiger was a German rabbi and scholar credited to be the founding father of Reform Judaism. He emphasized Judaism’s constant evolution over the years and sought to reformulate the tenets of the religion to make it compliant with contemporary times. He was responsible for much of the reform doctrine of the mid-19th century. 

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.

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.