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December 15th
222 Notable deaths
Jess Willard
American boxer (1881–1968).
Born December 29th, 1881 in Kansas.
Died December 15th, 1968 at 86 years old in Los Angeles.
Francisco Tárrega
Spanish composer and classical guitarist (1852-1909).
Born November 21st, 1852 in Villarreal.
Died December 15th, 1909 at 57 years old in Villapene.
Claud Cockburn
British journalist (1904-1981).
Born April 12th, 1904 in Beijing.
Died December 15th, 1981 at 77 years old in Cork.
Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
Third son and fourth child of louis ii, grand duke of hesse.
Born July 15th, 1823 in Darmstadt.
Died December 15th, 1888 at 65 years old in Darmstadt.
Ed Parker
American martial artist (1931-1990).
Born March 19th, 1931 in Honolulu.
Died December 15th, 1990 at 59 years old in Honolulu.
Rufus Thomas
American singer (1917–2001).
Born March 26th, 1917 in Cayce.
Died December 15th, 2001 at 84 years old in Memphis (heart failure).
Fran Jeffries
American singer (1937-2016).
Born May 18th, 1937 in Palo Alto.
Died December 15th, 2016 at 79 years old in Los Angeles (cancer).
Joe Ely
American singer-songwriter (1947–2025).
Born February 9th, 1947 in Amarillo.
Died December 15th, 2025 at 78 years old in Taos. [ref]
William Proxmire
American politician (1915–2005).
Born November 11th, 1915 in Lake Forest.
Died December 15th, 2005 at 90 years old in Sykesville (Alzheimer's disease).
Maggie L. Walker
African-american teacher and businesswoman.
Born July 15th, 1867 in Richmond.
Died December 15th, 1934 at 67 years old in Richmond.
Licio Gelli
Italian financier, liaison with nazi germany, p2 grandmaster, involved in many scandals (1919-2015).
Born April 21st, 1919 in Pistoia.
Died December 15th, 2015 at 96 years old in Arezzo (respiratory failure). [ref]
Chiang Fang-liang
Former first lady of taiwan (1916-2004).
Died December 15th, 2004 at 88 years old in Taipei Veterans General Hospital (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Politician, statesman and philanthropist and the first prime minister of mauritius (1900-1985).
Born September 19th, 1900 in Flacq District.
Died December 15th, 1985 at 85 years old in Port Louis.
María Grever
Mexican-american musician, songwriter, conductor.
Born September 14th, 1885 in León de Los Aldama. [ref]
Died December 15th, 1951 at 66 years old in New York City.
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
German artist and poet (1874 –1927).
Born July 12th, 1874 in Świnoujście.
Died December 15th, 1927 at 53 years old in Paris (asphyxia).
Anatole Litvak
Ukrainian-american filmmaker (1902–1974).
Died December 15th, 1974 at 72 years old in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Alfonso Bedoya
Mexican actor (1904–1957).
Born April 16th, 1904 in Sonora.
Died December 15th, 1957 at 53 years old in Mexico City.
Dummy Hoy
American baseball player (1862–1961).
Born May 23rd, 1862 in Houcktown.
Died December 15th, 1961 at 99 years old in Cincinnati.
Anne Blunt
British musician and horse breeder (1837–1917).
Born September 22nd, 1837 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Died December 15th, 1917 at 80 years old in Cairo.
Davey Graham
British guitarist (1940–2008).
Born November 22nd, 1940 in Hinckley.
Died December 15th, 2008 at 68 years old in London, Greater London (lung cancer). [ref]
Jean Rollin
French film director, actor and novelist (1938-2010).
Born November 3rd, 1938 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Died December 15th, 2010 at 72 years old in 20th arrondissement of Paris (disease). [ref]
Robert Toombs
American politician (1810-1885).
Born July 2nd, 1810 in Washington.
Died December 15th, 1885 at 75 years old in Georgia.
Grégoire Kayibanda
Rwandan politician, 1st and former president of rwanda (1924-1976).
Born May 1st, 1924 in Musambira.
Died December 15th, 1976 at 52 years old in Kabgayi (disease).
Ungku Abdul Aziz
Vice-chancellor of the university of malaya.
Born January 28th, 1922 in London.
Died December 15th, 2020 at 98 years old in Prince Court Medical Centre (senility). [ref]
Jackie Brenston
American r&b singer, saxophonist, songwriter (1930–1979).
Born August 15th, 1930 in Clarksdale.
Died December 15th, 1979 at 49 years old in Memphis (myocardial infarction).
Deaths 26 to 50 of 222
Death is never an apology. Soul King