Famous People Who Died Today

The 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower held office from 1953 to 1961. An army officer During World War II, he was part of many successful operations. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and his two terms as president saw widespread economic prosperity in USA. He is ranked high among American presidents.

Virginia Woolf was an English writer who pioneered a narrative mode called stream of consciousness to describe the thoughts and feelings of the narrator. Regarded as one of the most prominent modernist 20th-century writers, Woolf's works have gained much attention for inspiring feminism. Her life and work have inspired several films, novels, and plays.

Jim Thorpe was an American athlete who was counted among the most versatile athletes of the modern era. Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the 1912 Olympics and became the first Native American to give the United States an Olympic gold. He also played American football, professional baseball, and basketball. He was memorialized in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe – All-American.

Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, conductor, and virtuoso pianist of the late Romantic period. Credited with exploring the expressive possibilities of the piano, Rachmaninoff's music continues to be featured in films. His four-year struggle with depression, which was followed by the critical failure of his Symphony No. 1, was depicted in the 2015 musical Preludes.

Maria von Trapp was the matriarch of the Austrian singing family, Trapp Family Singers. As a young woman, she married widowed naval commander Georg von Trapp. He already had seven children from his first wife, and the couple had three more. The family began singing together at events and became a popular touring act called the Trapp Family Singers. 

Peter Ustinov was a British actor, writer, and filmmaker. An intellectual, Ustinov held several academic posts and served as the president of the World Federalist Movement. Over the course of his illustrious career, Peter Ustinov won many prestigious awards, such as the Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and BAFTA Awards.

Richard Griffiths was an English actor known for his contribution across all the three major acting mediums. He played important roles in popular movies, such as the Harry Potter film series, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, The French Lieutenant's Woman, and Hugo. In the 2008 New Year Honours, Richard Griffiths was appointed an OBE for his contributions.

Russian-French artist Marc Chagall, a key figure of modernism, had explored a wide range of media as an artist, from paintings and drawings to stained glass and ceramics. His major projects included the ceiling of the Paris Opéra, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Jerusalem Windows of Israel.

Modest Mussorgsky was a Russian composer best remembered for being part of a renowned 19th-century Russian composers group known as The Five. An innovator of Russian music, Mussorgsky worked towards achieving a Russian musical identity that challenged the already established Western music, which was generally considered conventional at that time.

German-Austrian actress, author, and businesswoman Christine Kaufmann gained attention of post-war German movie audiences with her performances in films like Rosen-Resli, Der schweigende Engel and Ein Herz schlägt für Erika. She became the first German to be honoured with Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in the drama film Town Without Pity.

Dick Haymes was an Argentinian-Irish singer and actor whose popularity reached its peak during the 1940s and early 1950s. Haymes led a lavish lifestyle and was also popular among women; he was married six times to actresses and models like Joanne Dru, Rita Hayworth, and Nora Eddington. Haymes declared bankruptcy during early 1960s and experienced financial problems later in life.

Patrick Troughton was an English actor best known for his portrayal of Second Doctor in the popular science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Before starting his acting career, Troughton joined the Royal Navy where he served throughout the Second World War. After the war, he achieved popularity as a TV and film actor, although he was trained for the stage.

Born to a freed slave, Pertinax joined the Roman army early in life and soon rose to be a commander. He was declared the emperor after Commodus was murdered but was himself killed within three months of his rule. Septimius Severus later organized a state funeral and also deified him.

Eugene Ionesco was a Romanian-French playwright and one of the 20th century's leading figures of the French avant-garde theatre. He is best remembered for his play, The Bald Soprano, which played an important role in the development of the Theatre of the Absurd. Eugène Ionesco was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.

Ahmed Kathrada was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. He is best remembered for his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement, which landed him in jail following the infamous Rivonia Trial. In 1988, he was honored with ANC's highest possible award, the Isitwalandwe Award. In 2004, he was named in the Top 100 Great South Africans list.

Stephen Harding is remembered as a founder of the Cistercian Order of the Catholic Church. He also released his own version of the Bible and set austere regulations for the followers of his order. An abbot of Cîteaux, he is now revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

British-American William Thornton was initially trained in medicine and that is when he began drawing and sketching as part of his medical notes. He later won a contest for the design of the Library Company of Philadelphia's new hall. He also designed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Miguel Hernández was a 20th-century Spanish-language poet and playwright. He was associated with the Generation of '27 and the Generation of '36 movements. He had a difficult childhood and was mostly self-taught. He became a prominent literary figure at a young age. His poems are counted among the finest pieces of Spanish poetry of the 20th century. 

Karl Lennart Oesch was a Finnish military leader and one of the most important generals during the Second World War. He received numerous awards during his service, including the Finnish Mannerheim Cross. Karl Lennart Oesch also played an important role during the Continuation War, after which he was convicted for war crimes.

A self-taught artist, Pro Hart pioneered the Australian Outback painting movement. While he began sketching at age 7, he later painted rural life and religious subjects. He also invented balloon painting and cannon painting and experimented with sculpting, too. He was also passionate collector of vintage cars.