Famous People Who Died Today

A veteran actor with a career spanning more than seven decades, James Earl Jones has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors. He initially aspired to be a doctor but fate had other plans for him. He began his career as a stage actor and soon joined films as well.

Ahmad Shah Massoud was an Afghan military commander and politician. From 1979 to 1989, he played an important role in the Soviet-Afghan War, where he served as a powerful guerrilla commander. He was nicknamed Lion of Panjshir for his role in the war. Massoud was assassinated by Al-Qaeda in 2001. His death anniversary is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan.

James Stacy was an American actor remembered for his portrayal of Johnny Madrid Lancer in the CBS Western series, Lancer. In 1973, he lost his left arm and leg when his motorcycle was hit by a drunk driver. He made a comeback in 1975, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for playing a double-amputee veteran in the movie Just a Little Inconvenience.

One of 12 children of Polish immigrants, Jack L Warner, along with three of his brothers, formed the iconic production house Warner Bros. Apart from producing the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, and iconic films such as Casablanca, they also launched the careers of the who’s who of Hollywood.

One of the most significant and controversial leaders of the 20th century, Mao Zedong was a communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People's Republic of China which he governed as the chairman of Chinese Communist Party. He is appreciated for numerous development work but is criticised for his authoritarian regime and policies which resulted in millions of deaths .

Edward Teller was one of the famous "Martians,” or eminent Hungarian scientists who had migrated to the U.S. A prominent chemical engineer and nuclear physicist, he was part of the team that created the world’s first atomic bomb and also designed the first hydrogen bomb, or thermonuclear bomb.

British boxer and middleweight world champion Alan Minter is best remembered for his bronze-winning performance at the 1972 Munich Olympics and his trademark southpaw move. His boxing career began with an undefeated stint of 11 matches. The boxing legend died at age 69 after a long battle with cancer.

Ananda Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese Tamil philosopher of Indian art, metaphysician, and pioneering historian. He is credited for being one of the earliest interpreters of Indian culture to the West. He is also held responsible for introducing ancient Indian art to the West. Apart from bridging the gap between East and West, Coomaraswamy's works also aimed at rehabilitating original Buddhism.

Stéphane Mallarmé was a French poet whose work inspired many artistic schools of the 20th century like Surrealism, Futurism, Dadaism, and Cubism. Over the years, his poetry has also served as an inspiration for many musical pieces, including Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Mallarmé's work also influenced Man Ray's film, Les Mystères du Château de Dé.

Swedish operatic tenor Jussi Björling was closely associated with New York’s Metropolitan Opera throughout his career. He was particularly known for his expertise in Italian and French repertory. After starting to sing at age 6, he made his opera debut with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Stockholm.

Apart from being a baseball player, A. G. Spalding was also sports goods manufacturer who co-owned A.G. Spalding and Brothers. Named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he also penned the annual Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide and the history of baseball named America’s National Game.

Christopher Murray Grieve, better known by his pseudonym, Hugh MacDiarmid, was one of the pillars of the 20th-century Scottish literary renaissance. Initially a journalist, he later focused on writing poetry, but rejected English and wrote in "synthetic Scots" instead. His best-known work remains A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle.

Son of a French army man, Jules Grévy was a lawyer before he joined politics. He later became the president of France and pushed for a strong legislature. He adopted moderate foreign policies and was against colonial expansion. He resigned in the wake of a corruption scandal involving his son-in-law.

U Ottama was a Theravada Buddhist author and monk. He is best remembered for leading the independence movement in Burma during British colonial rule. U Ottama kept fighting for the freedom of his country despite being imprisoned on a number of occasions for his anti-colonialist political activities.

Swiss botanist Augustin Pyrame de Candolle excelled in literature and poetry in school but later focused on botany. He is remembered for establishing scientific standards and classification for plant genera. Known for his Théorie élémentaire de la botanique, he later lent his name to several plant species and genera.

Israeli Biblical archaeologist and historian Benjamin Mazar, considered "dean" of biblical archaeologists, is best-known for making excavations at Israel’s most significant biblical site, developing the field of historical geography of Israel and founding the campus of Hebrew University at Givat Ram and Hadassah Medical School and Hospital at Ein Karem. He also served as President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Legendary Kurdish director, screenwriter, and actor Yılmaz Güney was a veteran of the Turkish film industry. He received a Palme d'Or for co-directing and writing the movie Yol. Known as the Ugly King for his realistic portrayals, he was banned by the Turkish military junta in 1980 and thus escaped to France.

Gru was a Serbian musician, rapper, and DJ. He came into prominence in 1996 when his song Biću tu gained popularity in Eastern Europe. Nicknamed The Serbian Rap Machine, Gru is credited with creating Serbia's most commercially successful album, Gru 2. Apart from the Balkans, Gru also achieved immense popularity in other countries of Northern and Eastern Europe.

Julián Carrillo was a Mexican composer, violinist, conductor, and music theorist. He is best remembered for creating a theory of microtonal music which he called The Thirteenth Sound. Early in his life, Julián Carrillo developed an interest in the study of the mathematical and physical basis of music, which later helped him in creating The Thirteenth Sound.

Irish-born Mother Teresa Lalor co-founded the first monastery of the Visitation Order in the US, with Leonard Neale, the first Catholic bishop of the US. She had also assisted him in charitable activities during the 1797-98 yellow fever epidemic. She was also the first superior of the Visitation Order.