Famous People Who Died Today

William Morris was a British poet, novelist, textile designer, translator, and socialist activist. He played a major role in reviving the traditional British textile arts and the various methods of production. As a novelist and poet, Morris helped establish the fantasy genre, which is prevalent today. He is counted among the most important cultural figures of the Victorian era.

US Army Delta Force soldier Randy Shughart is remembered for his heroic contribution to the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, for which he was posthumously awarded the US Medal of Honor. His story was later related in the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War and the 2001 movie Black Hawk Down.

Peter Norman was an Australian athlete who won a silver medal in the 200 meters event at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He is remembered for supporting fellow athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos by wearing the Olympic Project for Human Rights badge during their medal ceremony; he is the third athlete seen in the popular Olympics Black Power salute photograph.

An Italian Catholic friar, deacon, mystic, and preacher, St Francis of Assisi was the founder of the men's Order of Friars Minor and the women's Order of Saint Clare. He arranged for the first Christmas live nativity scene in 1223. Also known as Francesco, he is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity.

Gustav Stresemann was the only one of his siblings to complete university education. He grew up to serve as the chancellor of the Weimar Republic briefly, before becoming the foreign minister. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the French foreign minister Aristide Briand for an agreement of reconciliation.

William Steig was an American illustrator, cartoonist, and children's book writer. He is best remembered for his work Shrek, which has been adapted into a movie series of the same name. Some of his other works which have been adapted into films include Doctor De Soto and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. 

Akio Morita was a Japanese businessman best remembered as the co-founder of Sony Group Corporation along with Masaru Ibuka. He also served as the president of Sony from 1971 and later served as its chairman. Akio Morita was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Albert Medal.

Carl Nielsen was a Danish violinist, composer, and conductor. He is widely regarded as the most important Danish composer of all time. Nielsen also taught music at the Royal Academy and served as its director in 1931. Thanks to his teaching career, he has had considerable influence on Denmark's classical music. Among his pupils were Thorvald Aagaard and Harald Agersnap. 

Swedish artist Lars Vilks created a major controversy with one of his drawings that showed Prophet Muhammad's head set on a dog's body. Previously, his 2 sculptures, Nimis and Arx, set in the Kullaberg nature reserve, were attacked by vandals. He died in a traffic accident in southern Sweden.

John Weitz was a menswear designer, writer, and historian. He was the son of a successful textile manufacturer. As a young man, he served in the army and joined his father’s textile business. He later started his own textile business and launched multiple clothing lines, focusing on stylish and affordable designs. He wrote fiction and non-fiction as a hobby. 

Born to a doctor father, German astronomer Max Wolf had an observatory in his backyard, as a child. He is best remembered for pioneering astrophotography and for discovering comets. He was also the first to use the stereocomparator, which helps locate motion in celestial photos.

Javid Iqbal was a Pakistani philosopher whose publications on modern Islamic philosophy and the philosophy of law in national and international journals earned international acclaim. Javid Iqbal also served as the Lahore High Court's Chief Justice from 1982 to 1986. From 1986 to 1989, he served as the Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Scottish Quaker leader Robert Barclay is best remembered for his written work An Apology for the True Christian Divinity. His close friendship with James II, Duke of York, helped him secure the land of East Jersey for himself and his several Quaker friends who had been facing persecution back then.

Florence R. Sabin was an American medical scientist best remembered as a pioneer for women in science. Sabin was the first woman to hold a membership at the National Academy of Sciences and a full professorship at the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Florence R. Sabin was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973.

Renowned Spanish Baroque painter Juan Carreño de Miranda had been the court painter of King Charles II. His frescos and oil paintings of religious scenes, such as Founding of the Trinitarian Order, depict a balanced combination of light and shadow. His portraits of the royal family are rich in their accuracy.

The founder of Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, Tony Ryan had to give up his studies at 18, following his father’s death, and take up jobs. He first tasted success in the aircraft leasing arena, with Guinness Peat Aviation. He also made significant charitable contributions to various Irish educational institutes.

Initially a faculty member of University of California, Barkley, Bernard Ralph Maybeck was an American architect associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement of early 20th century. Mostly working within the San Francisco Bay Area, he designed many important buildings including the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkley and Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco and mentored numerous Californian architects.

Philippa Foot is remembered as a forerunner of what is now known as virtue ethics. Granddaughter of American president Grover Cleveland, Foot laid down the Trolley problem and believed that the morality of any act is related to its rationality. She was also associated with the charitable organization Oxfam.