Honoring the Legacies: Remembering Those Who Passed Away Today – 29th December
Dear readers, today, we come together to honor the memories of the notable individuals who departed from this world on this very day. 29th December marks the day when we reflect on the lives and legacies of those who have left an indelible imprint on history through their remarkable contributions and achievements.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 274 | Pope Felix I |
| 717 | Egwin of Evesham, bishop of Worcester |
| 903 | Tian Jun, Chinese warlord (b. 858) |
| 925 | Wang Shenzhi, founder of Min (b. 862) |
| 1115 | Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine |
| 1331 | Bernard Gui, inquisitor (b. 1261 or 1262) |
| 1435 | Bonne of Berry, Regent of Savoy (b. 1362) |
| 1436 | Louis III, Elector Palatine (b. 1378) |
| 1460 | Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Irish politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (b. 1443) |
| 1460 | Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (b. 1411) |
| 1525 | Jakob Fugger, German banker and businessman (b. 1459) |
| 1572 | Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (b. 1512) |
| 1573 | Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian author and poet (b. 1504) |
| 1591 | Pope Innocent IX (b. 1519) |
| 1621 | Job of Manyava, Ukrainian monk and saint (b. 1550) |
| 1640 | John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (b. 1597) |
| 1643 | Giovanni Baglione, Italian painter and historian of art (b. 1566) |
| 1644 | Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist, physiologist, and physician (b. 1577) |
| 1662 | Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (b. 1628) |
| 1769 | Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Irish-Austrian soldier and courtier (b. 1685) |
| 1777 | Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1727) |
| 1788 | Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1702) |
| 1803 | Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (b. 1713) |
| 1879 | Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre, Baron of Santo Ângelo, Brazilian poet and painter (b. 1806) |
| 1896 | José Rizal, Filipino ophthalmologist, journalist, and author (b. 1861) |
| 1906 | Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (b. 1828) |
| 1908 | Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1844) |
| 1916 | Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic (b. 1869) |
| 1928 | Jean Collas, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (b. 1874) |
| 1937 | Hans Niels Andersen, Danish businessman, founded the East Asiatic Company (b. 1852) |
| 1940 | Childe Wills, American engineer (b. 1878) |
| 1941 | El Lissitzky, Russian photographer and architect (b. 1890) |
| 1944 | Romain Rolland, French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866) |
| 1945 | Song Jin-woo, South Korean journalist and politician (b. 1889) |
| 1947 | Han van Meegeren, Dutch painter (b. 1889) |
| 1947 | Alfred North Whitehead, English-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1861) |
| 1954 | Archduke Eugen of Austria (b. 1863) |
| 1955 | Rex Ingamells, Australian poet and author (b. 1913) |
| 1967 | Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (b. 1887) |
| 1968 | Trygve Lie, Norwegian journalist and politician, 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1896) |
| 1970 | Sonny Liston, American boxer (b. 1932) |
| 1971 | Jo Cals, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1914) |
| 1971 | Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1919) |
| 1979 | Richard Rodgers, American playwright and composer (b. 1902) |
| 1982 | Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (b. 1896) |
| 1983 | Violette Cordery, English race car driver (b. 1900) |
| 1986 | Era Bell Thompson, American journalist (b. 1905) |
| 1988 | Yuli Daniel, Russian author and poet (b. 1925) |
| 1988 | Isamu Noguchi, American sculptor and landscaper (b. 1904) |
| 1990 | Raghuvir Sahay, Indian author, poet, and critic (b. 1929) |
| 1993 | İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil, Turkish lawyer and politician, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1908) |
| 1993 | Irving “Swifty” Lazar, American talent agent (b. 1907) |
| 1993 | Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian-French physicist and academic (b. 1907) |
| 1994 | Dmitri Ivanenko, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (b. 1904) |
| 1995 | Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1914) |
| 1995 | Doris Grau, American voice actor and script supervisor (b. 1924) |
| 1996 | Lew Ayres, American actor (b. 1908) |
| 1997 | Shinichi Hoshi, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1926) |
| 1998 | Sam Muchnick, American wrestling promoter, co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance (b. 1905) |
| 1999 | Joff Ellen, Australian comedian and actor (b. 1915) |
| 1999 | Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, co-designed the Cologne Rodenkirchen Bridge and Fernsehturm Stuttgart (b. 1909) |
| 1999 | Des Renford, Australian swimmer (b. 1927) |
| 2000 | Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1909) |
| 2002 | Mary Brian, American actress (b. 1906) |
| 2002 | Eleanor J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (b. 1910) |
| 2002 | Mary Wesley, English author (b. 1912) |
| 2003 | John Gregory Dunne, American novelist, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1932) |
| 2004 | Artie Shaw, American clarinet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910) |
| 2005 | Eddie Barlow, South African cricketer and coach (b. 1940) |
| 2005 | Rona Jaffe, American novelist (b. 1932) |
| 2006 | Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (b. 1937) |
| 2006 | Terry Peck, Falkland Islander police officer and spy (b. 1938) |
| 2006 | Michel Plasse, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1948) |
| 2009 | Rowland S. Howard, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1959) |
| 2009 | Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian journalist and politician, 4th President of Indonesia (b. 1940) |
| 2011 | Ronald Searle, English-French cartoonist (b. 1920) |
| 2012 | Philip Coppens, Belgian-American journalist and author (b. 1971) |
| 2012 | Beate Sirota Gordon, Austrian-American director and producer (b. 1923) |
| 2012 | Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1909) |
| 2012 | Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (b. 1928) |
| 2012 | Dennis Ferguson, Australian sex offender (b. 1948) |
| 2013 | Kinnaird R. McKee, American admiral (b. 1929) |
| 2013 | José María Maguregui, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1934) |
| 2013 | Eiichi Ohtaki, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1948) |
| 2013 | Johnny Orr, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927) |
| 2014 | Terry Becker, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921) |
| 2014 | Jim Galloway, Scottish-Canadian clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1936) |
| 2014 | Luise Rainer, German-born American-British actress (b. 1910) |
| 2015 | Doug Atkins, American football player (b. 1930) |
| 2015 | Howard Davis, Jr., American boxer and trainer (b. 1956) |
| 2015 | Mangesh Padgaonkar, Indian poet, playwright, and translator (b. 1929) |
| 2015 | Howard Pawley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Premier of Manitoba (b. 1934) |
As we draw this tribute to a close, let us carry forward the lessons and legacies of those we have lost. Their impact on the world remains etched in the fabric of time, serving as a reminder of the enduring power of the human spirit. May their contributions continue to inspire us to strive for greatness and leave our own meaningful mark on the world.
Join us in continuing to celebrate the lives and contributions of those who have shaped our world, even in their absence. Their memory lives on through the stories we share and the legacies we continue to uphold. Until next time, may their spirits find peace in the legacy they have left behind.
