May 16th
187 Notable deaths
Andy Kaufman
American entertainer (1949–1984).
Born January 17th, 1949 in New York City.
Died May 16th, 1984 at 35 years old in West Hollywood (lung cancer).
Sammy Davis Jr.
American entertainer (1925–1990).
Born December 8th, 1925 in New York City.
Died May 16th, 1990 at 64 years old in Beverly Hills (head and neck cancer).
Jim Henson
American puppeteer (1936–1990).
Born September 24th, 1936 in Greenville.
Died May 16th, 1990 at 53 years old in Manhattan (toxic shock syndrome, organ dysfunction).
Ronnie James Dio
American heavy metal singer (1942–2010).
Born July 10th, 1942 in Portsmouth.
Died May 16th, 2010 at 67 years old in Houston (stomach cancer). [ref]
Margaret Hamilton
American film character actress (1902–1985).
Born December 9th, 1902 in Cleveland.
Died May 16th, 1985 at 82 years old in Salisbury (myocardial infarction).
Eliot Ness
American prohibition agent (1903-1957).
Born April 19th, 1903 in Chicago.
Died May 16th, 1957 at 54 years old in Coudersport (myocardial infarction).
Dabney Coleman
American actor (1932–2024).
Born January 3rd, 1932 in Austin.
Died May 16th, 2024 at 92 years old in Santa Monica (heart failure, cardiac arrest, dysphagia). [ref]
Ashley Massaro
American professional wrestler, reality television contestant and model (1979-2019).
Born May 26th, 1979 in New York City.
Died May 16th, 2019 at 39 years old in Smithtown (hanging to death). [ref]
Django Reinhardt
Romani-belgian /french jazz musician (1910–1953).
Born January 23rd, 1910 in Pont-à-Celles.
Died May 16th, 1953 at 43 years old in Samois-sur-Seine (cerebral hemorrhage).
Mehmed VI
36th and last sultan of the ottoman empire (1918–1922).
Born January 14th, 1861 in Istanbul.
Died May 16th, 1926 at 65 years old in Sanremo (stroke).
I. M. Pei
Chinese-american architect (1917–2019).
Born April 26th, 1917 in Guangzhou.
Died May 16th, 2019 at 102 years old in New York City. [ref]
Bob Hawke
Australian politician, 23rd prime minister of australia (1929-2019).
Born December 9th, 1929 in Bordertown.
Died May 16th, 2019 at 89 years old in Sydney. [ref]
Lynn Shelton
American filmmaker (1965–2020).
Born August 27th, 1965 in Oberlin.
Died May 16th, 2020 at 54 years old in Keck Hospital of USC (hematopoietic system disease). [ref]
Oleg Penkovsky
British spy in the ussr (1919–1963).
Born April 23rd, 1919 in Vladikavkaz.
Died May 16th, 1963 at 44 years old in Moscow.
Dean Potter
American rock climber (1972–2015).
Born April 14th, 1972 in Leavenworth. [ref]
Died May 16th, 2015 at 43 years old in Yosemite National Park (BASE jumping).
A. Philip Randolph
Black american civil rights activist, labor unionist, politician (1889-1979).
Born April 15th, 1889 in Crescent City.
Died May 16th, 1979 at 90 years old in Manhattan.
Félicien Kabuga
Génocidaire.
Born March 1st, 1933 in Byumba Province. [ref]
Died May 16th, 2026 at 93 years old in The Hague. [ref]
Bronisław Malinowski
Polish anthropologist and ethnographer based in england and the usa (1884–1942).
Born April 7th, 1884 in Kraków.
Died May 16th, 1942 at 58 years old in New Haven (myocardial infarction).
Joseph Campanella
American actor (1924–2018).
Born November 21st, 1924 in New York City.
Died May 16th, 2018 at 93 years old in Sherman Oaks (Parkinson's disease). [ref]
Edward Hardwicke
English actor (1932–2011).
Born August 7th, 1932 in London.
Died May 16th, 2011 at 78 years old in Chichester (cancer). [ref]
Duchess Helene in Bavaria
Bavarian princess; wife of maximilian anton, hereditary prince of thurn and taxis (1834-1890).
Born April 4th, 1834 in Munich.
Died May 16th, 1890 at 56 years old in Regensburg (stomach cancer).
Paul Shane
British comedian and actor (1940–2013).
Born June 19th, 1940 in Thrybergh.
Died May 16th, 2013 at 72 years old in Rotherham (disease). [ref]
Lola Flores
Spanish actress, dancer and singer (1923–1995).
Born January 21st, 1923 in Jerez de la Frontera. [ref]
Died May 16th, 1995 at 72 years old in Alcobendas (breast cancer).
Julius Schreck
Nazi officer, first commander of the ss (1898-1936).
Born July 13th, 1898 in Munich.
Died May 16th, 1936 at 37 years old in Munich (meningitis).
Robert Mondavi
American winemaker (1913–2008).
Born June 18th, 1913 in Virginia.
Died May 16th, 2008 at 94 years old in Yountville. [ref]
Deaths 1 to 25 of 187
Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. Haruki Murakami