Sad Birthday: 15 Famous People And Personalities Who Died On Their Birthday

The Droeshout portrait of William Shakespeare. Photo By
Martin Droeshout – Wikimedia Commons

Sad Birthday: 15 Famous People And Personalities Who Died On Their Birthday

According to some beliefs, dying on your birthday isn’t such a bad thing. Okay, there’s nothing fun about death, but it’s actually considered some sort of blessing when you die on the day you were born.

 Birthday deaths are relatively rare occurrences. In fact, it was not until 2012 that the term ‘birthday-perisher’ was coined for those who happened to meet their end on the same day they were welcomed on earth. The name sounds a bit spooky if you ask me..,like something off a Stephen King horror novel!

Just like you and me, these 15 ‘birthday-perishers’ had no clue when exactly they would die. However, I bet they never expected it to be on their birthdays. 

Learn about Stephen King and other famous people who failed before succeeding here.

From The 1300s

1. Ashikaga Yoshinori (1394 -1441)

Ashikaga Yoshinori once served as shogun (commander in chief) of the Ashikaga shogunate. He was appointed the 6^th shogun after Ashikaga Yoshimochi died having no heirs.

As shogun, Yoshinori led Ashikaga to victory during the Eiyo Rebellion. He also restored the partnership between China and Japan. However, he was an oppressive leader.

Yoshinori forced his measures down the people’s throats. He secretly wanted to use his willpower to overthrow Askamatsu Mitsusuke in three of his provinces. When Mitsusuke heard of this, he invited him to his dwellings.

Yoshinori didn’t make it home that night. He was assassinated on orders of Mitsusuke.

Fun Fact: Yoshinori dedicated part of the oldest standing Tang-style temple in Yamato and Yamashiro.

From The 50s

2. William Shakespeare (1564 -1616)

Romeo and Juliet Brown. Photo By Ford Madox Brown – Wikimedia Commons

William Shakespeare was a renowned poet from Stratford, England. He has written over 200 narrative poems, sonnets, plays, and collaborative verses.

The talented author is well known for a number of literary pieces, his most famous being Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Prince of Denmark. He passed away on 23^rd April 1616.

The cause of Shakespeare’s death remains unknown. Some believe he died from syphilis. Others say that it was a bad hangover that killed him.

From The 80s

3. Captain ‘Titus’ Oates (1880-1912)

The death of Lawrence Edward Oates was said to have been self-inflicted. He passed away during a scientific/geographic expedition in Antarctica after suffering from hypothermia.

Oates joined the British army when he was 18. He took part in the Boer War and other military operations in different parts of the world. He was appointed lieutenant and officially became Captain in 1906.

When the Terra Nova (a South Pole expedition) was launched, Oates gained interest and applied. He was accepted as part of a team of 16. You’d think a trip in extremely harsh weather would be one to form a brotherhood bond. It wasn’t. On the contrary, he and his teammates butt heads on several occasions.

The team managed to reach the South pole successfully. On their return, they were met with adverse weather conditions.

By this time, Oates’ health was deteriorating. He knew he would drag the team’s progress, so he set himself up for an easy death. He froze himself to death.

4. Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983)

Corrie ten Boom. Photo Source by Wikimedia Commons

Corrie Ten Boom and her family are the perfect examples of empathy and selflessness. They risked their lives greatly during the holocaust to shelter endangered Jews. Unfortunately, Corrie was ratted out and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1944.

Since her early years, Corrie was passionate about community work. She opened an organization for young girls to teach crafting skills and instill religious values. She was named a Dutch resistant when she opened her doors to approximately 800 Jews during World War II.

In 1962, Corrie was acknowledged and knighted by Queen Julian of the Netherlands. She became a public speaker and traveled across 64 different countries preaching the word.

Corrie authored a best-selling book, The Hiding Place, in 1971. She died on 15^th April 1983 after two strokes left her numb and immobilized.

The Ten Boom Museum in the Netherlands was built as a way of commemorating her impeccable contribution to society.

Read 10 Remarkable Facts About Corrie Ten Boom on this Discover Walks article.

5. Sam Bass (1851-1878)

Photograph of Sam Bass. Photo By Photography Studio – Wikimedia Commons

Sam Bass was an American hoodlum and train robber from the 1800s. He was a member of the Bass gang and partook in the biggest train robbery in the U.S, the Union Pacific Train heist.

On July 19^th, 1878, Sam and his 2 associates were on a criminal survey in Round Rock, Texas. They wanted to figure out their escape route before robbing a nearby bank. The three wanted fellows were spotted by the authorities and a shootout ensued.

Sam was shot in his spine. He also lost fingers from the shooting. Jackson, one of the gang members, carried him out of town but he became too heavy of a burden.

Sam was found abandoned 5km from Round Rock. He was taken back to the town for treatment and on July 21^st, he succumbed to his wounds.

6. Edna May Oliver (1883-1942)

The outstanding actress, Edna May Oliver, died on November 9^th, 1942. She had been suffering from a gastrointestinal disease but succumbed to the illness shortly after.  

Edna loved acting so much she dropped out of school to chase the dream. She got her first role in a 1917 Broadway and continued to star in other musicals and stage productions.

 Edna received an Oscar for her role in Drums Along the Mohawk (1939). She died at the age of 59.

7. George Francis a.k.a Machine Gun Kelly (1895-1954)

Mug shots, Machine Gun Kelly. Photo Memphis Police Department –Wikimedia Commons

Machine Gun Kelly was a notorious robber and bootlegger in the 1920s/1930s. He earned his nickname because of the weapon he carried during his heists.

When business tycoon Charles F. Urschel was kidnapped, George’s face was all over the newspapers. He was the mastermind behind the abduction that made him USD 200,000 richer.

In 1933, he was arrested in connection with the kidnapping. He served his life sentence in Alcatraz Island, United States Penitentiary. He died in July 18^th, 1954, after suffering from a heart attack.

See this article on the top 15 most famous notorious bank robbers in history.

From The 90s

8. Olga Bancic (1912-1944)

Olga Bancic was executed by the German forces on 10^th May 1944. Her association with the French Resistance led to her capture and detainment in 1943. She was a member of anti-Nazi group that sought to fight the invasion of the Germans in the French territory.

This wasn’t Olga’s first time being part of such movement. In her teenage years, she joined a small organization at her workplace that instigated a strike due to poor working conditions. It was her first time getting arrested.

Between 1933 and 1939, Olga continued to represent the oppressed in Bessarabia, her hometown. She was in and out of prison until she relocated to France.

9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (1914 -1988)

Franklin Roosevelt Junior was a political figure and successful businessman from the 90s. He served as the American Secretary of Commerce, chairman of a federal agency, and a member of the United State Congress. He was the 5^th child of Franklin Roosevelt, the 32^nd president of America.

In 1936, Roosevelt Junior suffered from a throat infection. The infection was severe but the treatment received was successful.  He was diagnosed with lung cancer far much later, a disease that led to his demise.

Fun Fact; Roosevelt Jr. married 4 times before settling for Linda McKay, who was his wife until his demise.

10. Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982)

Original press release publicity photo of Ingrid Bergman for film Gaslight (1944). Photo By MGM photographer – Wikimedia Commons

The award-winning actress, Ingrid Bergman, succumbed to breast cancer on the day she was to turn 67. She was born in Sweden but made a killing out of acting in the U.S. She won her first Golden Globe in 1944 and proceeded to win three others in the following years. 

Ingrid starred in Gaslight (1944), Spellbound (1945), Joan of Arc (1948), and Stromboli (1950) just to name a few. She is one of five actresses to ever receive a minimum of 3 Academy Awards.

In 1974, Ingrid had her first operation to remove the lump she had noticed on her left side. She recovered and continued to play in Waters of the Moon and Golda Meir. Her health continued to deteriorate and by 1981, the cancer cells had attacked her spine.

11. Betty Friedan (1921 -2006)

Betty Friedan during a visit to the University of Southern California. Photo By Mary Frampton, Los Angeles Times – Wikimedia Commons

Betty Friedan was a force to be reckoned with. She was a revolutionist, an advocate for female empowerment, and as expected, a target of anti-feminists. Her book The Feminine Mystique (1963) pushed the agenda of equality and women’s rights, a notion not many chauvinists particularly enjoyed.

Before meeting her death, Betty led the Women’s Strike for Equality. The movement caught nationwide attention and brought over 40,000 people on board. She created the National Association for The Repeal of Abortion Laws, was elected president of an American feminist organization, and was a co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Betty had a lot going on for her. She continued changing societal norms through her political influence. She authored six books the last being Life So Far (2000). On 4^th February 2006, she died of heart failure while at her home.

12. Fran Warren (1926-2013)

Fran Warren. NYC, ca. October 1947. Photo By William P. Gottlieb –Wikimedia Commons

Frances Wolff, also Fran Warren, was a Jewish singer born in The Bronx, New York. She became part of Art Mooney’s band where she was given her stage name Fran Warren. She gained recognition in 1947, after leading the vocals on A Sunday Kind of Love.

A year after the hit, Fran went solo. She released a collaborated single I Said My Pajamas (and put on my pray’rs) in 1949. It remained in the Billboard charts for 13 weeks after its release.

Fran passed away on March 4^th, 2013. It was said her cause of death was natural.

13. Milton Glaser (1929-2020)

Cup with Milton’s ‘I Love NY’ logo. Photo By Chris Scott – Unsplash

Milton Glaser was the first graphic designer to be awarded the National Medal of the Arts. The I Love NY logo is one of his most famous designs.  He was also the brains behind the short film Mickey Mouse in Vietnam, DC Comic logos and Brooklyn Brewery logos.

Milton began art classes right before joining high school.  In 1974, he started his own company and later partnered with Walter Bernard to form WBMG. The company worked for international magazines and newspapers in producing new designs.

In his career as a designer, Milton created over 400 posters, all including his signature style and patterns. In 2020, he suffered a fatal stroke while in New York City.

Some of Milton’s works are displayed in museums across New York, London and Israel.

14. Merle Haggard (1937-2016)

Haggard performing in June 2009. Photo Source Wikimedia Commons

Merle Haggard was a singer and songwriter of country music. He contributed immensely to the genre with hits such as Hungry Eyes and Sing me back Home (1968). He made over 100 studio and live albums.

The country hitmaker was a stubborn child who often got in trouble with the law. He was living la vida loca until his arrest in 1957. He spent nearly three years in San Quentin State Prison.

Merle’s time behind bars changed his life for the better. He ventured into music and after a few hits, his career took off. He received critical acclaim and numerous awards. Sadly, he died in his California home due to pneumonia complications. He was turning 76.

To find out the 20 most popular country songs, see this article. 

15. Michael Aris (1946 – 1999)

On 27^th March 1999, Michael Aris succumbed to prostate cancer while in Oxford. He had been diagnosed with the terminal disease 2 years before his death. He was a Ph.D. holder in Tibetan literature.

Aris is remembered for his great knowledge of the Himalayan, Bhutanese, and Tibetan cultures. He first began teaching in 1967 when he was a fresh Durham University graduate. He spent 6 years teaching kids from the royal family.

Interesting Fact: Aris didn’t see his beloved wife from 1995 until the day he passed on. She was under house arrest restricting her from any form of travel.  Unluckily, Aris was denied a visitor visa because of his waning health.

However sad these birthdays were, they serve as a literal reminder of the life and death of impactful humans. Burglar, activist, or artist, these 15 famous people made the cut on a list not many manage to get their names on.