Famous People Who Died Today

Gloria Vanderbilt was an American fashion designer, actress, author, and socialite. As a child, she was subjected to a child custody trial, which the press named trial of the century due to its high-profile nature. As a designer, Vanderbilt is credited with developing and popularizing designer blue jeans. She also launched a line of household goods and perfumes.

Cyd Charisse was an American dancer and actress best remembered for playing important roles in films that highlighted her dancing skills, although she stopped dancing in films later in her career. In 2006, Cyd Charisse was honored with the prestigious National Medal of the Arts and Humanities.

Kenneth Kaunda is a Zambian former politician. He served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. A major figure in Zambia’s struggle for independence from British rule, he became the first president of independent Zambia. As the president, he implemented many educational and economic reforms to accelerate the rate of modernization in the country.

Well-educated and well-traveled, John III Sobieski initially joined the Swedes as a soldier, in opposing Polish ruler John Casimir. He then switched to the Polish side. He gradually rose through the ranks to become a grand marshal and a grand-hetman, and eventually became the king of Poland.

American philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn is noted for his book on history of science, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, publication of which marked a significant event in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. He presented his notion of paradigm shift and identified and elaborated on normal science in this book which remained influential in academic and popular circles.

Jean-Louis Trintignant was a French actor who is often counted among the finest dramatic actors of post-war France. Over the course of his illustrious career, Jean-Louis Trintignant won several prestigious awards like the César Award, Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival and Best Actor Award at Cannes Film Festival.

Gianfranco Ferré was an Italian fashion designer often hailed as the architect of fashion. He studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan and began his career by designing fashion accessories. He then began designing raincoats and went on to launch his own company. He received many prestigious awards, including the L'Occhio d'Oro, during his career. 

Ron Clarke was an Australian athlete, politician, and writer. One of the most recognized middle and long-distance runners of the 1960s, Clarke is best remembered for setting 17 world records. He also won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters event at the 1964 Summer Olympics. In 2000, Ron Clarke was honored with the prestigious Australian Sports Medal.

Yitzhak Zuckerman was a revolutionary best remembered for his leadership role in conducting the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against Nazi Germany during the Second World War. His 1976 interview about the uprising was turned into a book and was later translated into English. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising inspired the war drama miniseries Uprising where Yitzhak Zuckerman was played by David Schwimmer.

Donald J. Cram was an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987. He shared the award with Charles J. Pedersen and Jean-Marie Lehn and the trio was also responsible for founding the field of host–guest chemistry. Donald J. Cram was also honored with other prestigious awards including the National Medal of Science.

Ralf Dahrendorf was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, and political scientist. As a class conflict theorist, he was a leading expert on analyzing class divisions in modern society. He was the author of multiple articles and books, including Class Conflict in Industrial Society (1959). He served as a professor of sociology in several universities in Germany and the UK.  

The son of an Indian-origin English vicar, solicitor George Edalji made headlines when he was convicted of mutilating a horse and writing anonymous threatening letters. Though acquitted later, Edalji had a tough time clearing his name and took the help of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to campaign for him.

Arthur Harden was a British biochemist best remembered for winning the prestigious 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his investigations into the fermentative enzymes and fermentation of sugar. He shared the award with German-born Swedish biochemist Hans Karl August Simon von Euler-Chelpin. Arthur Harden is also remembered as a Biochemical Society's founding member.

Mohamed Morsi served as the Egyptian president from 2012 to 2013 and was ousted from office by a coup. He led the Freedom and Justice Party briefly and was part of the Muslim Brotherhood. Following his ouster, he was charged with various crimes, but he died during a re-trial.