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December 4th
222 Notable deaths
Frank Zappa
American musician (1940–1993).
Born December 21st, 1940 in Baltimore.
Died December 4th, 1993 at 52 years old in Los Angeles (prostate cancer).
Shashi Kapoor
Indian film actor and producer (1938–2017).
Born March 18th, 1938 in Kolkata.
Died December 4th, 2017 at 79 years old in Mumbai (liver cirrhosis). [ref]
Fred Hampton
African-american activist (1948-1969).
Born August 30th, 1948 in Summit.
Died December 4th, 1969 at 21 years old in Chicago (gunshot wound).
Umaga
American professional wrestler.
Born March 28th, 1973 in San Francisco, American Samoa.
Died December 4th, 2009 at 36 years old in Houston (myocardial infarction).
Hannah Arendt
German-american political theorist and philosopher (1906–1975).
Born October 14th, 1906 in Linden, Lindener Marktplatz 2, Hannover, Hanover.
Died December 4th, 1975 at 69 years old in Upper West Side (myocardial infarction).
Christine Keeler
English model and showgirl (1942–2017).
Born February 22nd, 1942 in Uxbridge.
Died December 4th, 2017 at 75 years old in Princess Royal University Hospital (pulmonary emphysema). [ref]
Robert Loggia
American actor (1930–2015).
Born January 3rd, 1930 in Staten Island. [ref]
Died December 4th, 2015 at 85 years old in Brentwood (Alzheimer's disease). [ref]
Jeremy Thorpe
British politician (1929–2014).
Born April 29th, 1929 in South Kensington.
Died December 4th, 2014 at 85 years old in Greater London (Parkinson's disease).
Max Planck
German theoretical physicist (1858–1947).
Born April 23rd, 1858 in Kiel.
Died December 4th, 1947 at 89 years old in Göttingen (myocardial infarction).
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Japanese actor (1950-2025).
Born September 27th, 1950 in Higashi-Azabu.
Died December 4th, 2025 at 75 years old in Santa Barbara (stroke). [ref]
Pimp C
American rapper and record producer (1973–2007).
Born December 29th, 1973 in Crowley.
Died December 4th, 2007 at 33 years old in Hollywood (controversy). [ref]
Bert Lahr
American actor (1895–1967).
Born August 13th, 1895 in New York City.
Died December 4th, 1967 at 72 years old in New York City (pneumonia).
Benjamin Britten
English composer, conductor, and pianist (1913-1976).
Born November 22nd, 1913 in Lowestoft.
Died December 4th, 1976 at 63 years old in Aldeburgh (heart failure). [ref]
David Lander
American actor.
Born June 22nd, 1947 in Brooklyn.
Died December 4th, 2020 at 73 years old in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (multiple sclerosis). [ref]
Sócrates
Brazilian association football player (1954–2011).
Born February 9th, 1954 in Belém.
Died December 4th, 2011 at 57 years old in São Paulo (septic shock). [ref]
Brian Thompson
American businessman (1974–2024).
Born July 10th, 1974 in Ames. [ref]
Died December 4th, 2024 at 50 years old in Manhattan (gunshot wound). [ref]
Ali Abdullah Saleh
President of north yemen (1978–1990) and yemen (1990–2012).
Born March 21st, 1947 in Sanhan. [ref]
Died December 4th, 2017 at 70 years old in Sanaa (gunshot wound). [ref]
Jesse L. Brown
United states navy officer (1926–1950).
Born October 13th, 1926 in Hattiesburg.
Died December 4th, 1950 at 24 years old in Changjin County (hypothermia).
Tommy Bolin
American guitarist (1951–1976).
Born August 1st, 1951 in Sioux City.
Died December 4th, 1976 at 25 years old in Miami (drug overdose).
Margaret Whitton
American actress (1950–2016).
Born November 30th, 1950 in Fort Meade. [ref]
Died December 4th, 2016 at 66 years old in Palm Beach (cancer). [ref]
Archibald Gracie IV
Writer, historian, real estate investor (1858–1912).
Born January 17th, 1859 in Mobile.
Died December 4th, 1912 at 53 years old in New York City (diabetes).
Karen Horney
American-german psychoanalyst.
Born September 16th, 1885 in Blankenese. [ref]
Died December 4th, 1952 at 67 years old in New York City.
Bob McGrath
American actor (1932–2022).
Born June 13th, 1932 in Ottawa. [ref]
Died December 4th, 2022 at 90 years old in Norwood (stroke). [ref]
Nick Bollettieri
American tennis coach (1931–2022).
Born July 31st, 1931 in Pelham.
Died December 4th, 2022 at 91 years old in Bradenton. [ref]
Bob Willis
English cricketer (1949-2019).
Born May 30th, 1949 in Sunderland.
Died December 4th, 2019 at 70 years old in Wimbledon. [ref]
Deaths 1 to 25 of 222
I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. Gilda Radner