Birthdays are special days celebrated by individuals with their loved ones. It is a joyous occasion, where you get to spend a beautiful and memorable time with your friends and family members. However, for some, this could be a day to say goodbye! Several celebrities passed away on the same day as their birthday, either due to natural causes, illness or suicide.
Take a look at the list of celebrities who died on their birthdays.
1. William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare has written several popular plays, including Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The playwright died on his 52nd birthday, April 23, 1616.
2. Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver passed away on her 59th birthday, on November 9, 1942, due to intestinal blockage. The actress had won an Oscar nomination for supporting role for her film Drums Along the Mohawk.
3. Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet, the popular jazz saxophonist, who was born on May 14, 1897, died on the same date due to lung cancer in 1959 in France. He was 62.
4. Levi P Morton
Levi P Morton, the 22nd Vice President of the United States, passed away due to pneumonia on May 16, 1920. He was 96.
5. George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist and inventor, who started an industrial research lab and focused on promoting alternative crops to prevent soil depletion. The scientist died after falling down from stairs at his home on his 79th birthday, on January 5, 1943.
6. Joe Tinker
Joe Tinker, a baseball player and manager, played for Chicago clubs. Born on July 27, 1880, Tinker passed away on his 68th birthday in 1948 due to complications of diabetes. The professional baseball player had apparently developed a toe infection, which spread to the rest of his body.
7. Otto Kruger
Otto Kruger was popularly known for playing villain roles. Prior to that, he was a Broadway matinee idol and the grandnephew of Paul Kruger, the former President of South Africa. The television and film star died of stroke on his 89th birthday on September 6, 1974, in California.
8. Swede Risberg
Swede Risberg, who played for the Chicago White Sox, passed away on his 81st birthday on October 13, 1975. The baseball player was infamous for his involvement in the Black Sox scandal in 1919, where along with him, eight members were accused of deliberately losing the World Series in exchange for money from gamblers.
9. Gertrude Astor
Gertrude Astor was known as Hollywood’s one of the most elegant and best dressed women. The American motion picture character actress, passed away due to stroke on her 90th birthday on November 8, 1977.
10. Mel Street
Born on October 21, 1936, Mel Street was a talented country singer. He killed himself by shooting on his 43rd birthday in 1978.
11. Corrie Ten Boom
Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker, who later turned a Christian writer and public speaker, helped many Jews escape from Nazis during the Holocaust during World War II, along with her family. She died in California after suffering a stroke on her 91st birthday on April 15, 1983.
12. Ella Baker
Born on December 13, 1903, Ella Baker was a civil rights and human rights activist. In the 20th century, she worked with several famous civil rights leaders. She apparently died in her sleep on her 83rd birthday in 1986.
13. Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was a leading figure in the US’ women’s movement and the National Organization for Women’s co-founder. The feminist writer and activist passed away due to congestive heart failure on her 85th birthday on February 4, 2006.
14. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., popularly known as FDR, was a politician and the son of 32nd President of US Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He passed away on his birth day, August 17, 1988, after battling with lung Cancer. He was 74.
15. Walter Diemer
Walter Diemer, the inventor of bubble gum, died due to congestive heart failure in Pennsylvania on his birthday, January 9, 1998. He was 94.
16. Mike Douglas
The host of The Mike Douglas Show, Mike Douglas, who introduced several stars like Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand, passed away on his 86th birthday, August 11, 2006. The reason for his death is not known, but his wife had revealed to AP that he was undergoing treatment after becoming dehydrated while golfing.
17. Fran Warren
Fran Warren, the Big Band vocalist, died on her 87th birthday, March 4, 2013. Reportedly, the singer-actress passed away due to natural causes at Brookfield home.
18. Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard, the country singer, died from pneumonia on his 79th birthday, April 6, 2016. Due to heart and respiratory issues, he was visiting the hospital in his later years. However, he continued to perform and remained active during his last days.
19. Johnny Longden
Johnny Longden was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and had won the Triple Crown of horse racing in 1943. Johnny had health issues and was bedridden for four months after suffering stroke. He died on Valentine’s Day in 2003. He was 96.
20. Edward Aschoff
Edward Aschoff, sports reporter for ESPN and the Gainesville Sun, passed away on his birthday, December 24, 2019. The 34-year-old reporter was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
21. Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser, the graphic designer, who created “I ♥ NY” logo and the co-founder of New York magazine, passed away on his 91st birthday, on June 26, 2020 due to stroke and renal failure.
22. Grace Bradley
Grace Bradley made her Broadway debut when she was 17. Post which, she did several movies. The actress passed away due to age-related issues, on her birthday September 21, 2010. She was 97.
23. Frankie Lons
Frankie Lons was a singer and had appeared on TV reality shows Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is and Frankie & Neffe. More than her music career, she was known as the mother of R&B singer Keyshia Cole. Frankie, who was fighting addiction for a long time and had also been to rehab, died on her 61st birthday, July 18, 2021, due to multiple drug intoxications, an accidental overdose.
24. Nan Grey
In her 1930s, Nan Grey worked for Universal and other studios. She developed cosmetic mirrors, especially for near-sighted people. The actress died of heart failure on her 75th birthday, July 25, 1993, in California.
25. Max Julien
Max Julien was best known for his film The Mack, in which he played the role of a pimp, Goldie. The actor and designer died of cardiopulmonary arrest on his 88th birthday, New Year’s Day, 2022.
26. Allen Drury
Allen Drury was a reporter in the Senate during World War II. The novelist also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his first novel, Advise and Consent. He died due to heart failure on his 80th birthday, September 2, 1998, in California.
27. Ian Marter
Ian Marter was seen in several television series, the most popular one being, Doctor Who. The actor and writer died from a heart attack linked to cardiovascular disease caused by diabetes on his 42nd birthday, October 28, 1986.
28. Maury Chaykin
Maury Chaykin was known for his work as a character actor in several films and TV shows. The award-winning Canadian-American actor, who was battling kidney problems, passed away after a heart-valve infection on July 27, 2010. He was 61.
29. James Ephraim Lovelock
James Ephraim Lovelock, an environmentalist and futurist, best known for developing the Gaia hypothesis, passed away on his 103rd birthday, July 26, 2022. He died due to complications caused by a fall.
30. James Schine Crown
James Schine Crown was chairman and CEO of Henry Crown and Company. The scion of one of Chicago’s leading philanthropic families, died on his 70th birthday, June 25, 2023, in a single vehicle crash.
31. Robert De Niro Sr.
Born on May 3, 1992, Robert De Niro Sr., an abstract expressionist painter, died on his 71st birthday in 1993. He was the father of Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro.
32. John Banner
John Banner passed away on January 28, 1973. The 63-year-old actor died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm hemorrhage. He is still remembered for his TV series Hogan’s Heroes.
33. Stephen Dunham
Stephen Dunham, who is known internationally for his roles as Isaac Henderson and Dr. Paul Chamberlain in The Mummy and Monster-in-Law, respectively, died on his 48th birthday, September 14, 2012. The charismatic actor passed away days after suffering from a heart attack.
34. Gavin Gordon
Gavin Gordon, who is known for his films Mystery of the Wax Museum and Bride of Frankenstein, passed away on April 7, 1983 due to stroke. The actor was 82-years-old.
35. Paul Herman
Paul Herman was the mainstay of Gangster movies. He is remembered for his role on The Sopranos and has several movies in his credits. Paul died on March 29, 2022. He was 76.
36. George Petrie
The longtime character actor, George Petrie died on his 85th birthday, November 16, 1997, due to lymphoma, in California.
37. Jilly Rizzo
Jilly Rizzo was a restaurateur and longtime friend of Frank Sinatra. He was killed in a car accident, and the suspect was apparently a drunk driver. Before his death, he was preparing for his 75th birthday, unfortunately, he was no more to celebrate it. He died on May 6, 1992.
38. Sam Bass
Sam Bass, the American hoodlum and train robber of the 1800s, died on his 27th birthday. During a shootout, Sam was shot and succumbed to his wound on July 21, 1878.
39. Diane Shalet
Diane Shalet passed away on February 23, 2006. The Broadway and television actress was 71 years old, when she died.
40. Laura Hawn
Laura Hawn, known for films Swing Shift and Deceived, passed away on her 80th birthday, November 27, 1993.
41. Ron Cobb
Ron Cobb, cartoonist turned production designer, had played a big role in creating the aesthetics of science fiction like Alien and Star Wars. He passed away on his 83rd birthday, September 21, 2020, due to Lewy body dementia.
42. Eleanor Gehrig
Eleanor Gehrig, philanthropist and socialite, died on her 80th birthday, March 6, 1984. Eleanor was married to baseball player, Lou Gehrig.
43. Rudy Doucette
Rudy Doucette, remembered for his films The Love Bug and Gremlins, passed away on his 98th birthday, March 29, 2021.
44. Philip Eugene Batt
Philip Eugene Batt, the American politician and a member of the Republican Party, died on his birthday, March 4, 2023.
45. Grachan Moncur III
Grachan Moncur III was the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper. The jazz trombonist passed away due to cardiac arrest on June 3, 2022. He was 85.
46. Peter Dickinson
Peter Dickinson passed away on December 16, 2015. The author was best known for children’s books and detective stories.
47. Dynamite Kid
Thomas Wilton Billington passed away on his 60th birthday, December 5, 2018. Known as the Dynamite Kid, the British professional wrestler had been suffering from ill health for several years.
48. Ellie Soutter
British snowboarder Ellie Soutter had represented Great Britain at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival and won a bronze medal in snowboard cross. The snowboarder passed away on her 18th birthday, July 25, 2018 by committing suicide.
