Famous People Who Died Today

American actor Gregory Peck was one of the most famous movie stars between the 1940s and the 1960s. In 1999, Gregory Peck was ranked 12th in the Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema list published by the American Film Institute. Also known for his humanitarian efforts, Gregory Peck was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.

Nicole Brown Simpson was the ex-wife of O. J. Simpson. Her murder led to one of the most famous criminal trials of all time, the O. J. Simpson murder case. After her murder, The Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation was established in her memory. Her story inspired several movies, such as the 1995 TV movie The O. J. Simpson Story.

Basketball player Jerry West, also known as Mr. Clutch, for his ability to snatch games in clutch situations, is known for his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He was part of the US squads that won an Olympic gold in 1960 and a Pan American Games gold in 1959.

Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress who often played sexually liberated ingénues in films. Shearer is often revered as a feminist pioneer as she played bold characters that challenged the norm of the society during the 1930s. In 2008, she was inducted into  Canada's Walk of Fame. 

William Marshall was an American opera singer, actor, and director. He is best remembered for playing the titular character in the 1972 blaxploitation horror film Blacula and its 1973 sequel Scream Blacula Scream. During his career, Marshall also performed on stage and in TV series. He received the Emmy Award for his performance in As Adam Early in the Morning.

Known for his 2’9” frame, Mihaly “Michu” Meszaros initially gained fame in the Hungarian National Circus and later as part of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is best remembered for his portrayal of an alien, wearing a full-body costume, in the NBC series ALF.

Vittorio Mussolini was an Italian film producer and critic. He was also the first officially acknowledged son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. In reality, Vittorio was the second son of Benito Mussolini; his older half-brother was never acknowledged by his father's fascist regime.

Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Karl von Frisch is best remembered for his research on communication among bees. He was the first to observe that bees communicate the location of food to other bees by a form of “dance.” He penned down his studies in books such as The Dancing Bees.

Apart from being the mother of Thin Lizzy lead singer Phil Lynott, Philomena Lynott also made her mark as an author, with her memoir My Boy. She learned about Phil’s struggle with drug addiction after he collapsed in his home. Phil died soon after, following which Philomena became a campaigner against drug abuse.

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was an Indian writer, humorist, actor, scriptwriter, musician, composer, and orator. Over the course of his illustrious career, Deshpande won several prestigious awards, such as the Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, and Kalidas Samman. He was also known for his social and philanthropic activities. His life inspired a couple of films and documentaries.      

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick was an Anglo-French military leader. He was an illegitimate son of James II of England, who reigned as the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1685 to 1688. James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick is best remembered for his service as a general under Louis XIV of France.

Teresa Carreno was a Venezuelan composer, conductor, and pianist. During the course of her illustrious career, which spanned more than 50 years, Carreno achieved international popularity as a virtuoso pianist and was nicknamed the Valkyrie of the Piano. Carreno is also credited with teaching pianists like Edward MacDowell, who went on to become a popular pianist in his own right.

Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich was a Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain who served during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He played important roles in the trials of Protestant martyr Anne Askew as well as that of Catholic martyrs John Fisher and Thomas More. Richard Rich is also credited with founding Felsted School.  

Hassan-i Sabbah was an Islamic religious leader best remembered for founding the Nizari Isma'ili state and its infamous military group, the Order of Assassins. In the West, he came to be known as the Old Man of the Mountain and his life has inspired several works of art, including novels.

Frédéric Passy was a French pacifist and economist. He is credited with co-founding the Inter-Parliamentary Union as well as many peace societies, such as the Société Française pour l'Arbitrage entre Nations. He is best known for his involvement in the European peace movement, for which he received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. 

Initially aspiring to be a lawyer, Austrian writer Karl Kraus later deviated to philosophy and German literature before quitting studies altogether. He had also been a stage performer but later made his mark as one of the finest aphorists and playwrights in German history, with works such as Nights.

Best known for her pioneering contribution to contemporary ballet, Polish-born dancer Marie Rambert was the founder of one of England’s oldest ballet groups, the Rambert Dance Company. Apart from being a fine ballerina, she was also a great ballet teacher and was awarded with the Order of the British Empire.

Al Williamson was an American cartoonist, illustrator, and comic book artist. Williamson specialized in sketching characters for science fiction, adventure, fantasy, and Western genres. Al Williamson has been an influence on numerous younger artists like Tom Yeates, Frank Cho, and Steve Epting among others. In 2000, he was made an inductee of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Swiss-born French-origin painter is best remembered for his pastel portraits. Having spent a considerable part of his career in Constantinople, he adopted Turkish costumes and sported a beard, thus earning the nickname the Turkish painter when he traveled to Vienna. His portraits include those of Empress Maria Theresa and the Princess of Wales.

After a 10-year stint as an engineer working to construct and install submarine telegraph cables, Fleeming Jenkin published reports establishing the ohm as the unit of electrical resistance. He is also remembered as the inventor of the cable car and taught at institutes such as the University of Edinburgh.

Nek Chand was an Indian artist, architect, and sculptor. He is best remembered for building an 18-acre sculpture garden named the Rock Garden of Chandigarh which is visited by millions of people annually. In 1984, Nek Chand was honored with India's fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.