Famous People Who Died on February 19
Emma Newman
Updated on January 16, 2026
Discover the most famous people who died on February 19. The list includes people like Deng Xiaoping, Harper Lee, Bon Scott, Umberto Eco, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Famous personalities featured on this list, include novelists, actors, directors and political leaders and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Italy & Germany and many more countries.
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1
Pop Smoke(American rapper closely associated with Brooklyn drill)
Birthdate: July 20, 1999
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Canarsie, New York, United States
Died: 2020
2
Harper Lee(American Author Best Known for Her Novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’)
Birthdate: April 28, 1926
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Monroeville, Alabama, United States
Died: 2016
Harper Lee was an American novelist who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Despite publishing only two books, Lee was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to literature, such was her impact in the world of literature. A friend of Truman Capote, Lee has been portrayed by popular actresses in Capote's biographical films.
Birthdate: July 9, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Forfar, Scotland
Died: 1980
Bon Scott worked with bands such as The Spektors, Valentines, and Fraternity before joining the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, replacing lead singer Dave Evans in 1974. He was one of Classic Rock’s 100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time. Following his death, AC/DC released a best-selling album as a tribute.
4
Karl Lagerfeld(Famous as the Creative Director of the French Fashion House 'Chanel')
Birthdate: September 10, 1933
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: 2019
German fashion magnate Karl Lagerfeld, son of businessman Otto Lagerfeld, had served as the creative director of Chanel and Fendi. He was also a talented photographer and caricaturist, and had a penchant for collecting books. He was known for his signature sunglasses, white hair, fingerless gloves, and detachable collars.
Birthdate: August 4, 1944
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Died: 2023
Richard Belzer is best known as John Munch from the series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU. He continued to play the role in several other series and a TV movie. He has also written several books on conspiracy theories, of which two became bestsellers.
Birthdate: November 4, 1916
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, United States
Died: 1945
John Basilone was a US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who played a crucial role in the Battle for Henderson Field, for which he was honored with the Medal of Honor. Basilone died during the Battle of Iwo Jima and was posthumously honored with the Navy Cross, becoming the only enlisted Marine to receive these two decorations in World War II.
7
Umberto Eco(Medievalist, Philosopher and Author of 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Foucault's Pendulum')
Birthdate: January 5, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Alessandria, Italy
Died: 2016
Italian novelist Umberto Eco is best remembered for his novels The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. He also taught at the University of Bologna and had released quite a few children’s books and translations. He was also known for his work on semiotics and medieval studies.
Birthdate: December 15, 1928
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Vienna
Died: 2000
Austrian visual artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser is remembered for his imagination, his love for bold colors and uneven forms, and his dislike for “straight lines.” He and his Jewish mother escaped the Nazis by posing as Christians. His architectural projects are focused on environment-friendly buildings, such as the Hundertwasserhaus apartment block.
9
Grandpa Jones(Banjoist, Singer, Songwriter)
Birthdate: October 20, 1913
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Niagara
Died: 1998
10
Johnny Paycheck(Singer-songwriter)
Birthdate: May 31, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Greenfield, Ohio
Died: 2003
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
11
Betty Lou Bredemus(Actress)
Birthdate: August 13, 1934
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Died: 2015
12
Billy Mitchell(Military General)
Birthdate: December 29, 1879
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: 1936
13
Lionel Jeffries(Actor)
Birthdate: June 10, 1926
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Forest Hill, London, England, UK
Died: 2010
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
14
Lee Morgan(Jazz trumpeter)
Birthdate: July 10, 1938
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 1972
Birthdate: September 29, 1913
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, US
Died: 2001
16
Derek Jarman(Film director, Actor, Screenwriter, Diarist, Painter, Costume designer, LGBT rights activist)
Birthdate: January 31, 1942
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Northwood
Died: 1994
17
Andre Gide(French Author and Winner of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Birthdate: November 22, 1869
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: 1951
Nobel Prize-winning French author Andre Gide is remembered for exhibiting the conflict between sexuality and the puritanical standards of society through his works. Much of his work was autobiographical and used the confessional format. A homosexual himself, he defended homosexuality through works such as Corydon.
Birthdate: February 18, 1838
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brno, Czech Republic
Died: 1916
Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach is remembered for his contributions to the study of shock waves. He is also credited for discovering a non-acoustic function of the inner ear that helps control human balance. As a philosopher of science, he is considered a major influence on logical positivism and American pragmatism.
19
Georgios Papanikolaou(Physician, Oncologist)
Birthdate: May 13, 1883
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kymi
Died: 1962
Georgios Papanikolaou was a Greek physician who was a pioneer in early cancer detection. He reported that uterine cancer cells could be detected in vaginal smears as early as 1928, but his work did not receive much attention until the 1940s. He invented the Papanicolaou test, commonly known as the Pap smear or Pap test for cervical screening.
20
Don Newcombe(Baseball pitcher)
Birthdate: June 14, 1926
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Madison, New Jersey, United States
Died: 2019
Birthdate: October 31, 1815
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ennigerloh
Died: 1897
Karl Weierstrass was a German mathematician best remembered for his significant contributions to mathematics. Often referred to as the father of modern analysis, Weierstrass proved the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem and the intermediate value theorem. He also authorized the definition of continuous function. The asteroid 14100 Weierstrass and the lunar crater Weierstrass are named after him.
22
Michael Powell(English Filmmaker)
Birthdate: September 30, 1905
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bekesbourne, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Died: 1990
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
23
Gopal Krishna Gokhale(Indian Political Leader and a Social Reformer During the Indian Independence Movement)
Birthdate: May 9, 1866
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kothluk, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
Died: 1915
24
Knut Hamsun(One of the Most Influential Norwegian Writers & Winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature.)
Birthdate: August 4, 1859
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lom Municipality, Norway
Died: 1952
Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, a leading figure of neo-romanticism, is best remembered for his novel Hunger, which narrated the tale of a starving writer. With little education, he had started his career as a shoemaker’s apprentice. He supported the Nazi occupation of Norway and was later imprisoned.
25
Tayeb Salih(Sudanese Writer Best Known for His Novel 'Season of Migration to the North')
Birthdate: July 12, 1929
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Al Dabbah, Sudan
Died: 2009
One of the most influential Sudanese authors, Tayeb Salih was born into a farming community and had thus aspired to work in agriculture. However, he became a journalist later and worked with al Majalla and BBC. His works such as The Wedding of Zein mirror the intricacies of African life.
26
George Hackenschmidt(Estonian Professional Wrestler)
Birthdate: August 1, 1877
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tartu, Estonia
Died: 1968
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
27
Lydia Shum(Actress, Comedian)
Birthdate: July 21, 1945
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Died: 2008
28
Horacio Quiroga(Uruguayan Playwright, Poet and Short Story Writer)
Birthdate: December 31, 1878
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Salto, Uruguay
Died: 1937
Horacio Quiroga was a Uruguayan poet, playwright, and short story writer. He is best remembered for depicting jungles and characters with mental illnesses in his stories. Horacio Quiroga is credited with influencing the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Julio Cortázar.
29
John Brascia(Actor)
Birthdate: May 11, 1932
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Fresno
Died: 2013
30
Sylvia Rivera(Activist)
Birthdate: July 2, 1951
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: 2002
31
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar(Sufi Saint and Poet)
Birthdate: 1177 AD
Birthplace: Marand, Iran
Died: 1274
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was a Sufi poet and saint of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Revered by the Sindhi population, Shahbaz is credited with helping many people convert to Islam. A profound scholar of religions, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is viewed as a holy figure in Sindh as it is believed that he performed many miracles during his time.
32
Charlie Finley(Businessman)
Birthdate: February 22, 1918
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ensley, Alabama
Died: 1996
33
Georg Büchner(German Dramatist and Writer of Prose and Poetry)
Birthdate: October 17, 1813
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Riedstadt, Germany
Died: 1837
Part of the Young Germany movement, German dramatist and author Georg Büchner was a revolutionary and a master of Expressionist plays. Born to an army doctor, he studied medicine but also simultaneously participated in pamphleteering for social issues. He is remembered for works such as Danton’s Death and Woyzeck.
34
Ollie Matson(American Football Player)
Birthdate: May 1, 1930
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Trinity, Texas, United States
Died: 2011
35
Adolfo Celi(Actor)
Birthdate: July 27, 1922
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Messina, Italy
Died: 1986
36
Clodius Albinus(Roman general)
Birthdate: 0150 AD
Birthplace: Sousse, Tunisia
Died: 0197
37
Virginia Hamilton(Author)
Birthdate: March 12, 1936
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States
Died: 2002
Birthdate: April 11, 1908
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Łódź, Poland
Died: 1997
39
Mancur Olson(Economist, Political scientist, University teacher, Sociologist)
Birthdate: January 22, 1932
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Grand Forks
Died: 1998
Birthdate: February 22, 1914
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Italy
Died: 2012
Renato Dulbecco was an Italian-American virologist whose work on oncoviruses earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1975. Over the course of his illustrious career, Renato Dulbecco also won other prestigious awards, such as the Marjory Stephenson Prize, Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, and Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology.
41
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi(Military Dictator)
Birthdate: February 23, 1646
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Died: 1709
42
Teo Macero(Saxophonist, Record Producer)
Birthdate: October 30, 1925
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Glens Falls, New York, United States
Died: 2008
43
Guy Rodgers(Basketball player)
Birthdate: September 1, 1935
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 2001
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
44
Edmund Landau(Former Mathematician known for Distribution of prime numbers, Landau prime ideal theorem)
Birthdate: February 14, 1877
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: 1938
45
John Grierson(Film producer, Film director, Screenwriter)
Birthdate: April 26, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Q2674217
Died: 1972
Birthdate: August 22, 1904
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Guang'an, China
Died: 1997
Deng Xiaoping led the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1989. He ordered a crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protestors in 1989, leading to the June Fourth Massacre. However, he also earned the tag of the "Architect of Modern China" for ushering in a market economy in the country.
47
Ruth Barcan Marcus(Philosopher)
Birthdate: August 2, 1921
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: 2012
48
Thomas de Mahy, Marquis de Favras(Military personnel)
Birthdate: March 26, 1744
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Blois, France
Died: 1790
49
Luigi Dallapiccola(Composer)
Birthdate: February 3, 1904
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Pazin, Croatia
Died: 1975
50
Simón Díaz(Distinguished Grammy Award-Winning Venezuelan Singer, Musician and Composer)
Birthdate: August 8, 1928
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Barbacoas, Venezuela
Died: 2014
Venezuelan singer-musician-composer Simón Díaz was most-noted for his efforts in recovering and popularizing Venezuelan music. Several of his works have been adapted by symphonies and choral ensembles and performed by different artists. He also promoted Venezuelan music through twelve television shows. It was announced in 2008 that Díaz would be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Latin Grammy Awards.
