Famous People Who Died on January 1
Emily Carr
Updated on January 17, 2026
Discover the most famous people who died on January 1. The list includes people like Hank Williams, Grace Hopper, Aaron Copland, Townes Van Zandt, Heinrich Hertz. Famous personalities featured on this list, include political leaders, composers, mathematicians and chemists and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany & France and many more countries.
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1
Hank Williams(One of the Most Significant and Influential Singers and Songwriters of the 20th Century)
Birthdate: September 17, 1923
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mount Olive, Alabama, United States
Died: 1953
Musician Hank Williams is widely considered one of the most influential and significant American singer-songwriters of the 20th century. Hank Williams influenced several singers, such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, and Charley Pride to name a few. Since his untimely death at the age of 29, many artists have released tribute albums honoring Hank Williams.
2
Donna Douglas(Best Know for Her Role as 'Elly May Clampett' in the TV Series 'The Beverly Hillbillies')
Birthdate: September 26, 1932
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Pride, Louisiana, United States
Died: 2015
Donna Douglas is best known as Elly May Clampett from the sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. After retiring from acting, she juggled with a number of careers, becoming a real-estate agent, a motivational speaker, and a gospel singer. She has also written a Bible-themed children’s book and a cookbook.
3
Grace Hopper(Computer Scientist, Mathematician and One of the First Programmers of the ‘Harvard Mark I’ Computer)
Birthdate: December 9, 1906
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: 1992
Computer scientist and U.S. Navy rear admiral Grace Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computing system. She pioneered the machine-independent programming language technique, and the FLOW-MATIC language used by her was later used to create COBOL. She received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
4
Shirley Chisholm(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th District (1969 - 1983))
Birthdate: November 30, 1924
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: 2005
A courageous political leader, Shirley Chisholm made history when she became the first African-American woman to be elected the United States Congresswoman. Later, she yet again created history when she—though unsuccessfullyVran for Democratic Party's presidential nomination to contest for US presidency. Throughout her career, she advocated racial equality and women empowerment. As an author, she penned two books.
5
Cesar Romero(Best Known for His Role as the ‘Joker’ in the TV Series ‘Batman’)
Birthdate: February 15, 1907
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York, New York City, United States
Died: 1994
Cesar Romero was an American actor, dancer, singer, and vocal artist. He is best known for playing Jokerin the television series Batman and his portrayal was included in TV Guide's 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time list in 2013. Cesar Romero's contribution to the TV and film industry was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Birthdate: November 2, 1914
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Died: 2001
7
Townes Van Zandt(Country Singer & Songwriter Best Known for His Songs: 'Pancho and Lefty' and 'For the Sake of the Song')
Birthdate: March 7, 1944
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: 1997
Country singer Townes Van Zandt is remembered for his melancholy and lyrical tracks. His hits such as Pancho and Lefty and To Live Is to Fly have influenced many artists of subsequent generations. He struggled with depression and spent a considerable part of his life in cheap shacks and motels.
Birthdate: May 16, 1909
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Died: 1960
9
Heinrich Hertz(German Physicist Who Discovered the Existence of Electromagnetic Waves)
Birthdate: February 22, 1857
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: 1894
Heinrich Hertz was a German physicist best remembered for proving the existence of electromagnetic waves with conclusive evidence. For his contributions, Hertz has been honored around the world by a number of countries, including Japan, Russia, and Germany. In 1930, the International Electrotechnical Commission established hertz (Hz) as the SI unit for frequency.
10
Maurice Chevalier(French Singer Best Known for His Signature Songs: "Livin' In The Sunlight", "Valentine", "Louise" and "Mimi")
Birthdate: September 12, 1888
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: 1972
Best remembered for the song Valentine and the musical Gigi, French musician Maurice Chevalier not only fought in World War I, but was also injured and later imprisoned. During World War II, he reluctantly agreed to perform in exchange of the release of a few French prisoners.
11
Victor Buono(Actor)
Birthdate: February 3, 1938
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA
Died: 1982
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
12
David Stern(Lawyer, Business Executive and 4th Commissioner of the National Basketball Association)
Birthdate: September 22, 1942
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: 2020
Best remembered for his contributions to the National Basketball Association, David Stern began his stint with the NBA as an outside counsel before becoming its General Counsel, eventually the Commissioner, holding the post for thirty years. Credited with broadening the NBA's audience, he made the game popular both in and outside USA and helped to found Women's National Basketball Association.
13
Patti Page(Singer, Actress)
Birthdate: November 8, 1927
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Claremore, Oklahoma, United States
Died: 2013
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
14
Dan Reeves(American Football Coach)
Birthdate: January 19, 1944
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Americus, Georgia, United States
Died: 2022
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Birthdate: June 27, 1462
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Château Royal de Blois, Blois, France
Died: 1515
Louis XII, son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, was the king of France from 1498 to 1515 and the king of Naples from 1501 to 1504. Previously known as Louis of Orléans, he fought against the French monarchy in the Mad War and also succeeded in the Italian Wars.
Birthdate: February 19, 1998
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United State
Died: 2020
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
17
Floyd Little(American football player)
Birthdate: July 4, 1942
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Died: 2021
18
Don Larsen(Baseball player)
Birthdate: August 7, 1929
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Michigan City, Indiana, United States
Died: 2020
19
Johann Christian Bach(Composer)
Birthdate: September 5, 1735
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Died: 1782
20
Fusajiro Yamauchi(Japanese Entrepreneur Best Remembered as the Founder of 'Nintendo')
Birthdate: November 22, 1859
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kyoto
Died: 1940
Fusajiro Yamauchi was a Japanese entrepreneur best remembered for founding Nintendo. He also served as the first president of the company. Yamauchi started the company as a hanafuda card-making unit. Nintendo Koppai cards were the only exception in a time when the Japanese government had banned other playing cards due to their association with gambling.
21
Juanita Moore(Actress)
Birthdate: October 19, 1914
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.
Died: 2014
Birthdate: August 6, 1667
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Basel
Died: 1748
Brother and colleague of Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli and part of the famous Bernoulli family of mathematicians, Johann Bernoulli was initially pushed to join his family business of drug and spices. He later took up medicine, eventually deviating to math and contributing to infinitesimal calculus, along with Jacob.
Birthdate: June 10, 1688
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 1766
James Francis Edward Stuart, or The Old Pretender, was the son of King James II. Following his father’s death, he reigned as James III of England and Ireland and as James VIII of Scotland. He failed to claim the British throne during the 1715 Jacobite revolt.
Birthdate: March 24, 1886
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Highland Park, Illinois, United States
Died: 1958
Edward Weston was an American photographer and archer. Regarded as one of the most influential and innovative American photographers of all time, Weston became the first photographer to be honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937. Some of his photographs, such as Nude, 1925 and Nautilus, are among the most expensive photographs ever sold.
25
Loie Fuller(Actor, Lighting designer, Choreographer, Artist, Dancer, Stage actor, Model)
Birthdate: January 15, 1862
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Illinois
Died: 1928
26
Darrent Williams(American football player)
Birthdate: September 27, 1982
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Died: 2007
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
27
Christian III of Denmark(King)
Birthdate: August 12, 1503
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Gottorf Castle, Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein
Died: 1559
28
Arleigh Albert Burke(Admiral)
Birthdate: October 19, 1901
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Boulder, Colorado, United States
Died: 1996
Birthdate: November 17, 1902
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: 1995
One of the “Martians,” or eminent Hungarian scientists who had migrated to the U.S., Eugene Wigner won a Nobel Prize for his work on nuclear physics and the law of conservation of parity in particular. He taught at Princeton and Wisconsin and was also associated with the Manhattan Project.
30
Derek Parfit(Philosopher)
Birthdate: December 11, 1942
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Chengdu
Died: 2017
Recipient of the Rolf Schock Prize, British philosopher Derek Parfit is regarded as an important and influential moral philosopher who specialised and made significant contributions in personal identity, rationality, and ethics. He gained attention with his first paper, Personal Identity, and moving on penned notable books like Reasons and Persons (1984) and On What Matters (2011).
31
Odo, Count of Paris(King of West Francia)
Birthdate: 0857 AD
Birthplace: Unknown
Died: 0898
32
Lhasa de Sela(Singer-songwriter)
Birthdate: September 27, 1972
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Big Indian, New York
Died: 2010
33
Mark Eden(Actor)
Birthdate: February 14, 1928
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: St Pancras, London, England
Died: 2021
34
Charles II of Navarre(King)
Birthdate: October 10, 1332
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Évreux, France
Died: 1387
35
Roland Hayes(African-American concert artist)
Birthdate: June 3, 1887
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Curryville, Georgia, United States
Died: 1977
36
Lloyd Haynes(Actor, Screenwriter)
Birthdate: September 19, 1934
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana, United States
Died: 1987
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
37
Alastair Denniston(Scottish Field Hockey Player)
Birthdate: December 1, 1881
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Died: 1961
Alastair Denniston was a Scottish code breaker and hockey player. He was deputy head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) from 1919 to 1942. As a member of the Scottish Olympic hockey team in 1908, he won a bronze medal. He worked as a code breaker during the war years. He taught French and Latin following his retirement.
38
Gioffre Borgia(Illegitimate child of Pope Alexander VI)
Birthdate: October 10, 1482
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Rome
Died: 1517
39
Thomas Sutherland(Founder of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation)
Birthdate: August 16, 1834
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
Died: 1922
Thomas Sutherland was a British politician and banker best remembered for founding The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), the founder member of HSBC Group. After his demise, a street in Sheung Wan was named after him.
40
Kiro Gligorov(Politician)
Birthdate: May 3, 1917
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Shtip, North Macedonia
Died: 2012
41
Gary Burgess(Former Journalist, broadcaster known for ITV Channel Television, Channel 103)
Birthdate: November 13, 1975
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bury, England
Died: 2022
42
Bob Anderson(British Olympic Fencer and a Renowned Film Fight Choreographer)
Birthdate: September 15, 1922
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Gosport, Hampshire, England
Died: 2012
43
Vilmos Zsigmond(Cinematographer)
Birthdate: June 16, 1930
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Szeged
Died: 2016
Best known for his Academy Award-winning work in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond was regarded as a prominent pillar of the American New Wave movement. He was also known for his signature use of colors, natural light, and the technique of flashing or pre-fogging.
Birthdate: August 27, 1884
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Revel, France
Died: 1966
Vincent Auriol, former French president, was initially a lawyer and also headed the Association of Journalists in Toulouse. A Socialist Party member, he had also served as more of a conciliatory agent between the left and the right wings, as a minister in Charles de Gaulle’s cabinet.
45
Willie Keeler(Baseball player)
Birthdate: March 3, 1872
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: 1923
46
Ulrich Beck(German Sociologist and One of the Most Cited Social Scientists in the World During His Lifetime)
Birthdate: May 15, 1944
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Slupsk, Poland
Died: 2015
Ulrich Beck was a German sociologist whose work focused on questions of uncertainty, ignorance, and uncontrollability in the modern age. One of the most cited sociologists during his lifetime, Beck is credited with coining the terms second modernity and risk society. Over the course of his career, Ulrich Beck was honored with many prestigious awards like the Schader Prize.
47
Ignatius L. Donnelly(Politician)
Birthdate: November 3, 1831
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 1901
48
Helen Suzman(Politician)
Birthdate: November 7, 1917
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Germiston
Died: 2009
Born to Lithuanian immigrants in South Africa, Helen Suzman studied commerce and economics, and initially worked as a statistician and a lecturer. A vocal anti-apartheid activist, she later worked for human rights causes and also oversaw the country’s first democratic election as an Independent Electoral Commission member.
49
Louis Auguste Blanqui(French Revolutionary and Political Activist Known for His Revolutionary Theory of 'Blanquism')
Birthdate: February 8, 1805
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Puget-Theniers, France
Died: 1881
Louis Auguste Blanqui was a French socialist who gave rise to Blanquism, a form of radicalism. While he initially studied both medicine and law, he later stepped into politics. He had been imprisoned for more than three decades and died of a stroke after a political speech at age 75.
Birthdate: February 21, 1894
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bhera
Died: 1955
Known as the father of research laboratories, Indian physical chemist Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar was a BHU professor. An avid poet, he also penned the kulgeet of the university. He was the first chairman of UGC, headed CSIR, and played a key role in setting up many R&D labs in India.
