Welcome! Check out today's deaths, recent deaths, or our deaths stats.
Feeling experimental? Head on over to our newest (and darkest) feature: Next-2-Die™ predictions
December 17th
249 Notable deaths
Penny Marshall
American actress, director and producer (1943–2018).
Born October 15th, 1943 in The Bronx.
Died December 17th, 2018 at 75 years old in Los Angeles (type-1 diabetes).
Leopold II of Belgium
King of the belgians from 1865 to 1909.
Born April 9th, 1835 in Brussels.
Died December 17th, 1909 at 74 years old in Laeken (cerebral hemorrhage).
Alexandre Dumas
French writer and dramatist (1802–1870).
Born August 5th, 1802 in Villers-Cotterêts. [ref]
Died December 17th, 1870 at 68 years old in Puys (stroke). [ref]
Dan Fogelberg
American singer (1951–2007).
Born August 13th, 1951 in Peoria.
Died December 17th, 2007 at 56 years old in Deer Isle (prostate cancer). [ref]
Jennifer Jones
American actress (1919–2009).
Born March 2nd, 1919 in Tulsa.
Died December 17th, 2009 at 90 years old in Malibu (disease). [ref]
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French painter and sculptor (1841–1919).
Born February 25th, 1841 in Limoges. [ref]
Died December 17th, 1919 at 78 years old in Cagnes-sur-Mer (pneumonia). [ref]
Daniel Inouye
United states senator from hawaii (1924–2012).
Born September 7th, 1924 in Honolulu.
Died December 17th, 2012 at 88 years old in Bethesda (respiratory failure).
Kim Jong-il
Supreme leader of north korea from 1994 to 2011.
Born February 16th, 1942 in Vyatskoye. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2011 at 69 years old in Pyongyang (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Captain Beefheart
American musician and painter (1941-2010).
Born January 15th, 1941 in Glendale. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2010 at 69 years old in Arcata (multiple sclerosis). [ref]
Dana Andrews
American actor (1909–1992).
Born January 1st, 1909 in Collins.
Died December 17th, 1992 at 83 years old in Los Alamitos (pneumonia, heart failure).
Kaspar Hauser
Man with a mysterious history (1812–1833).
Born April 30th, 1812.
Died December 17th, 1833 at 21 years old in Ansbach (stab wound).
Stuart Adamson
Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter (1958–2001).
Born April 11th, 1958 in Manchester.
Died December 17th, 2001 at 43 years old in Honolulu (hanging to death).
Thubten Gyatso
13th dalai lama of tibet (1876-1933).
Born February 12th, 1876 in Samye.
Died December 17th, 1933 at 57 years old in Potala Palace (pneumonia).
Thomas Mitchell
American actor, playwright and screenwriter (1892-1962).
Born July 11th, 1892 in Elizabeth.
Died December 17th, 1962 at 70 years old in Beverly Hills (bone cancer).
Dorothy L. Sayers
English crime writer, playwright, essayist and christian writer (1893-1957).
Born June 13th, 1893 in Oxford.
Died December 17th, 1957 at 64 years old in Witham (coronary thrombosis).
Alaina Reed Hall
American actress and singer (1946–2009).
Born November 10th, 1946 in Springfield.
Died December 17th, 2009 at 63 years old in Santa Monica (breast cancer). [ref]
Otto Graham
American football player, coach, executive (1921-2003).
Born December 6th, 1921 in Waukegan. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2003 at 82 years old in Sarasota (aneurysm).
Dan O'Bannon
American film director, screenwriter, actor (1946-2009).
Born September 30th, 1946 in St. Louis.
Died December 17th, 2009 at 63 years old in Los Angeles (Crohn's disease). [ref]
Jeremy Bulloch
English actor (1945–2020).
Born February 16th, 1945 in Market Harborough.
Died December 17th, 2020 at 75 years old in Tooting (Parkinson's disease). [ref]
Amin al-Hafez
3rd president of the syrian arab republic (1921–2009).
Born November 12th, 1921 in Aleppo. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2009 at 88 years old in Aleppo. [ref]
Moses Gunn
American actor (1929–1993).
Born October 2nd, 1929 in St. Louis.
Died December 17th, 1993 at 64 years old in Guilford (asthma).
Grover Washington, Jr.
American jazz saxophonist (1943–1999).
Born December 12th, 1943 in Buffalo.
Died December 17th, 1999 at 56 years old in New York City (myocardial infarction).
Cesária Évora
Cape verdean singer-songwriter (1941–2011).
Born August 27th, 1941 in Mindelo.
Died December 17th, 2011 at 70 years old in Mindelo (respiratory failure). [ref]
James McCaffrey
American actor (1958–2023).
Born March 27th, 1958 in Albany. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2023 at 65 years old in Larchmont (multiple myeloma). [ref]
Henry Heimlich
American surgeon widely credited as the inventor of the heimlich maneuver (1920-2016).
Born February 3rd, 1920 in Wilmington. [ref]
Died December 17th, 2016 at 96 years old in Cincinnati (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Deaths 1 to 25 of 249
Our minds are too small to comprehend something as huge as death. Let it go. Maxime Lagacé