Famous people and celebrities who died on October 20

Welcome to Takemeback.to's page dedicated to remembering the celebrities and famous people who passed away on October 20. On this day, we honor the lives and legacies of notable figures from various fields who left an indelible mark on the world. Explore our list to learn about their remarkable contributions and celebrate their enduring impact.

• 1935 Arthur Henderson

  PEA - Scottish-english politician, secretary of state for foreign affairs, nobel prize laureate (b. 1863)

• 1952 Basil Radford

  Actor (whisky galore dead of night), is killed at 55

• 1977 Ronnie Van Zant

  Lead singer of the iconic Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1977. He was known for writing legendary songs like 'Free Bird' and 'Sweet Home Alabama'.

• 1983 Merle Travis

  Merle Travis was a pioneering country and western musician who revolutionized guitar playing with his unique 'Travis picking' fingerstyle technique. He was a significant influence on folk and country music, best known for his hit song 'Sixteen Tons' and his virtuosic guitar skills.

• 1984 Paul Dirac

  Paul Dirac was a pioneering English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He is renowned for his 1928 relativistic quantum theory of the electron and for predicting the existence of antiparticles, work that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics.

• 1984 Carl Ferdinand Cori

  MED - Czech-american biochemist and pharmacologist, nobel prize laureate (b. 1896)

• 1984 Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac

  Nobel Prize laureate for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory

• 1986 Samora Machel

  Mozambican revolutionary leader and first president of Mozambique.

• 1987 Andrey Kolmogorov

  Renowned Russian mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to probability theory, topology, and information theory. He is considered one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century.

• 1989 Anthony Quayle

  Renowned English actor known for significant roles in classic films like 'Anne of the Thousand Days' and 'Lawrence of Arabia', with a distinguished career in cinema and theater.

• 1990 Joel McCrea

  Prominent Hollywood actor known for his versatile roles in westerns, dramas, and sophisticated comedies. He starred in notable films like 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Palm Beach Story', transitioning from a horse-wrangler and stuntman to a leading actor.

• 1994 Burt Lancaster

  Acclaimed Hollywood actor known for his powerful performances and versatile roles, winning an Oscar for 'Elmer Gantry' and starring in numerous classic films.

• 1994 Eberhard Feik

  German actor (tatort) dies at 50

• 2003 Jack Elam

  Iconic Western character actor known for his distinctive menacing stare and roles as villainous thugs in over 60 films. His unique appearance was partly due to losing sight in his left eye during a childhood fight. Transitioned from accounting to become a memorable Hollywood heavy in the 1950s.

• 2004 Anthony Hecht

  Renowned American poet and academic, known for his sophisticated and technically precise poetry exploring themes of suffering and moral complexity.

• 2006 Jane Wyatt

  Renowned American actress known for her roles in television and film, particularly in the classic sitcom 'Father Knows Best'.

• 2010 Farooq Leghari

  Farooq Leghari was the 8th President of Pakistan, serving from 1993 to 1998. He was a prominent Pakistani politician who played a significant role in the country's political landscape during the 1990s.

• 2012 John McConnell

  Environmentalist and peace activist who is widely credited as a founder of Earth Day, promoting global environmental awareness and sustainability.

• 2012 Paul Kurtz

  Prominent American philosopher, skeptic, and secular humanist who founded the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and played a significant role in promoting scientific critical thinking and challenging pseudoscience.

• 2012 E. Donnall Thomas

  Nobel Prize laureate for their discoveries concerning organ and cell transplantation in the treatment of human disease

• 2013 Lawrence Klein

  Lawrence Klein was a renowned American economist who revolutionized economic modeling and forecasting. He was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1980 for his groundbreaking econometric models that significantly improved economic prediction techniques. Klein's work profoundly influenced modern macroeconomic analysis and policy-making.

• 2013 Don James

  Renowned American football coach who led successful programs at Kent State University and the University of Washington, establishing one of the most impressive winning records in college football history.

• 2014 Oscar de la Renta

  Internationally acclaimed Dominican-American fashion designer who revolutionized haute couture and dressed numerous celebrities and First Ladies.

• 2016 Junko Tabei

  Pioneering Japanese mountaineer who became the first woman to successfully summit Mount Everest in 1975, breaking significant gender barriers in mountaineering.

• 2018 Wim Kok

  Prominent Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1994 to 2002, leading the Dutch Labour Party and playing a significant role in national politics during a transformative period.