Famous People who Died of a Kidney Failure

1 - 29 of 29 Historically important and notable famous people who died of a kidney failure ranked by their popularity on On This Day.

List of Deaths from Kidney Failure

• 1792-07-18 John Paul Jones, Scottish-American naval captain and the United States first well-known naval hero ("I have not yet begun to fight"), dies of kidney failure and pneumonia at 45
• 1871-10-18 Charles Babbage, British mathematician and inventor (calculating machine) considered the "father of the computer", dies of renal failure at 79
• 1907-04-26 Joseph Hellmesberger Jr., Austrian composer, violinist, and conductor, dies of kidney failure at 52
• 1917-04-18 Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist, professor, and writer (The Forensic Psychopathology), dies of renal failure at 59
• 1919-05-25 Madam C. J. Walker [Sarah Breedlove], African American entrepreneur (First American self-made female millionaire, Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company), dies of kidney failure complications at 51
• 1922-05-22 Ada Jane Jones, English-American popular singer, among the earliest female singers to be recorded, dies of kidney failure at 48
• 1922-10-07 Marie Lloyd [Mathilda Wood], English music-hall performer ("Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do"), dies of heart and kidney failure at 52
• 1923-03-05 (Theodora) "Dora" Pejačević, Croatian countess and composer (Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 41), dies of kidney failure at 37
• 1929-06-04 Harry Frazee, American MLB team owner (Boston Red Sox), dies of kidney failure at 48
• 1935-11-14 Jacobus Wouterus van Dieren, Dutch biologist (specializing in study of dune formation, particularly on West Frisian Island of Terschelling), dies of kidney failure at 33
• 1942-05-29 John Barrymore, American actor (Beloved Rogue, Dinner at 8), dies from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure at 60
• 1943-08-03 Edward "Corky" Cornelius, American jazz trumpeter (Benny Goodman; Gene Krupa), dies of kidney failure at 28
• 1946-08-20 (John) "Rags" Ragland, American burlesque comedian, and stage and screen character actor (Whistling In The Dark), dies of liver and kidney failure at 40
• 1953-11-16 Sol Hoʻopiʻi [Kaʻaiʻai], Native Hawaiian acoustic and electric lap steel guitar virtuoso, dies of diabetes related kidney failure at 50
• 1962-09-08 Solomon Linda, South African singer and composer ("Mbube" / "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), dies of kidney failure at 52 or 53 [birth date uncertain]
• 1963-11-22 C. S. Lewis [Clive Staples], British author (The Chronicles of Narnia), dies of renal failure at 64
• 1964-10-15 Cole Porter, American composer and lyricist ("Anything Goes"; "Night And Day"; "I've Got You Under My Skin"), dies of kidney failure at 73
• 1970-06-21 Sukarno, 1st President of Indonesia (1945-67), dies from kidney failure while under house arrest at 68
• 1976-04-14 Maudie Prickett [Doyle], American character actress (Harvey; Hazel - "Rosie"), dies of renal failure at 61
• 1980-04-29 Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (Psycho; The Birds; Rear Window; Vertigo), dies of renal failure at 80
• 1983-09-30 Adele Sebastian, American jazz flute player and vocalist (The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra), dies of kidney failure at 27
• 1983-10-14 Paul Fix, American actor (Rifleman), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 1983-11-08 Robert Agnew, American silent movie director, dies at 84 of kidney failure
• 1984-02-09 Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1982-84) and KGB Chief (1967-82), dies of total renal failure at 69
• 1984-03-30 Gaëtan Dugas, French Canadian flight attendant and HIV patient erroneously vilified as "Patient Zero", dies of AIDS related kidney failure at 32
• 1987-06-03 Will Sampson, American-Muscogee rodeo performer, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: The Yellow Rose; The White Buffalo), and painter, dies of post-surgery kidney failure at 54
• 1988-11-06 John Hubbard, American actor (Don't Call Me Charlie, The Tall T, One Million B.C.), dies of kidney failure at 74
• 1988-11-27 John Carradine, American actor (The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach, Howling), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 1989-03-19 Alan Civil, British horn player (played solo on Beatles "For No One"), dies of liver and kidney failure at 59
• 1989-05-10 Woody Shaw, American jazz trumpeter (Rosewood), and educator, dies from kidney failure and other complications after being struck by a subway train in Brooklyn, NYC, at 44
• 1990-03-24 Ray Goulding, American comedian (Bob & Ray), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 1990-04-25 Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist Go!; The Other Side of 'Round Midnight), and actor ('Round Midnight), dies of kidney failure at 67
• 1990-06-15 Leonard Sachs, British actor (The Good Old Days; John Wesley), dies of kidney failure at 80
• 1990-08-12 Dorothy Mackaill, British-American actress (Love Affair), dies of kidney failure at 87
• 1990-12-02 Robert Cummings, American actor (Love that Bob, Dial M For Murder), dies of kidney failure at 80
• 1991-01-04 Berry Kroeger, actor (Demon Seed), dies of kidney failure at 78
• 1992-04-06 Isaac Asimov, Russian-American scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot; Foundation Trilogy), dies from kidney failure at 72
• 1992-06-03 Patrick Peyton, Irish priest 'The Rosary Priest', dies of kidney failure at 83
• 1992-11-23 Thelma Orloff, entertainer, dies of kidney failure at 76
• 1993-09-06 Josephine Rich Corday, American vaudevillian, dies of kidney failure at 79
• 1993-12-30 Irving Paul Lazar, American talent agent, dies of kidney failure at 86
• 1994-01-08 Pat Buttram, American actor (Mr Haney-Green Acres), dies of kidney failure at 78
• 1994-01-28 William Levitt, builder (Levittown), dies of kidney failure at 86
• 1994-02-01 John Littlejohn [Funchess], American electric blues slide guitarist ("So-Called Friends"), dies of renal failure at 62
• 1994-09-17 Karl Popper, Austrian-British philosopher (The Logic of Scientific Discovery; The Poverty of Historicism), dies of kidney failure while battling cancer at 92
• 1994-10-18 WiIlliam Faure, South African film producer (Shaka Zulu), dies of kidney failure at 45
• 1995-06-10 Masaya Hanai, Japanese businessman (Toyota, 1959-82), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 1995-07-16 Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine auto racer (World F1 champion 1951, 1954-57), dies of kidney failure at 84
• 1995-12-15 Johnny Lytle, American jazz drummer and vibraphonist, known as "Fast Hands", dies of kidney failure at 63
• 1996-01-30 Bob Thiele, American radio broadcaster, and record producer (John Coltrane; B.B. King), dies of kidney failure at 73
• 1997-04-24 Pat Paulsen, American comedian (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), actor, and frequent presidential candidate, dies of kidney failure while being treated for cancer at 69
• 1997-06-06 Magda Gabor [Magdolna Gábor], Hungarian actress (Mai lányok, People vs Zsa Zsa Gabor), dies of renal failure at 81
• 1997-10-16 James A. Michener, American author (South Pacific; Sayonara), dies of kidney failure at 90
• 1997-12-14 Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who), dies of kidney failure at 51
• 1998-04-15 Rose Maddox, American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and fiddle player (Sing a Little Song of Heartache), dies of kidney failure at 72
• 2000-01-16 Gene Harris [Haire], American soul-jazz pianist (The Three Sounds), dies of kidney failure at 66
• 2000-09-04 David Brown, American rock bassist (Santana, 1967-71, 1974-76), dies of liver and kidney failure at 53
• 2000-09-19 Gloria Talbott, American film and television actress, sometimes known as "the Scream Queen" for her work in B-movies, dies of kidney failure at 69
• 2000-12-02 Gail Fisher, American Emmy Award-winning actress (Mannix - "Peggy"), dies of kidney failure at 65
• 2001-07-03 Delia Derbyshire, English musician and composer (Doctor Who theme, White Noise), dies of renal failure at 64
• 2001-07-05 Ernie K-Doe [Ernest Kador Jr.], American R&B singer ("Mother-in-Law"), dies of kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver at 68
• 2001-08-02 Ron Townson, American singer (The 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away"), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 2002-02-27 Spike Milligan, Irish-British actor and comedian (The Goon Show, 3 Musketeers), dies of kidney failure at 83
• 2002-09-18 Bob Hayes, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1964) and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver (3 x Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), dies of kidney failure at 59
• 2002-11-29 Daniel Gélin, French actor (Obsession; Napoléon; The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)), dies of kidney failure at 81
• 2003-06-21 Leon Uris, American novelist (Exodus; Topaz; QB VII), dies of kidney failure at 78
• 2003-08-16 Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (1971-79) who killed an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 people, dies of kidney failure aged between 75-80
• 2004-03-18 Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman (McCain Foods Limited), dies of kidney failure at 76
• 2005-03-26 James Callaghan, British Prime Minister (Labour: 1976-79), dies of lobar pneumonia, cardiac failure and kidney failure at 92
• 2005-08-13 David Lange, 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (Labour: 1984-89), dies of complications associated with renal failure and diabetes at 63
• 2005-08-30 James H. Scheuer, American politician (Rep-D-NY, 1965-73, 75- 93), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
• 2005-11-24 Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, American actor (Happy Days, Karate Kid), dies of kidney failure at 73
• 2006-07-19 Jack Warden [John Lebzelter Jr], American character actor (Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Brian's Song), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
• 2006-10-16 Tommy Johnson, American orchestral and session tuba player (theme to "Jaws"), dies from cancer and kidney failure at 71
• 2007-08-29 Richard Jewell, American security guard (central figure in 1996 Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta bombing), dies from kidney failure at 44
• 2007-09-06 Percy Rodriguez [Rodrigues], Canadian actor (Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Brainwaves), dies of kidney failure at 89
• 2007-12-23 Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 2008-01-04 Mort Garson, Canadian-American composer ("Our Day Will Come") and Moog synthesizer pioneer, dies of renal failure at 83
• 2008-01-17 Bobby Fischer, American chess player (world champion 1972-75), dies of renal failure at 64
• 2008-02-01 Shell Kepler [Michelle Alaine Kepler], American actress (General Hospital), dies from renal failure at 49
• 2008-03-16 Ivan Dixon, American actor, director and civil rights activist (Car Wash, Hogan's Heroes, The Final War of Olly Winter), dies of renal failure at 76
• 2008-04-21 Al Wilson, American soul singer ("Show and Tell"; "The Snake"), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 2009-05-04 Dom DeLuise, American comic actor (Mel Brooks films Dean Martin Show; Cannonball Run; Fatso; Don Bluth films), director, and cookbook writer, dies of kidney failure, while suffering from diabetes and cancer at 75
• 2009-06-19 Ali Akbar Khan, Indian classical sarod player, composer, and music educator, dies of kidney failure at 87
• 2009-06-25 Sky Saxon [Richard Marsh], American rocker (The Seeds - "Pushin' To Hard"), dies from heart and renal failure at 71
• 2010-06-19 Manute Bol, Sudanese-American NBA basketball center, 1985-95 (Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and 3 other teams), political activist, and philanthropist, dies from acute kidney failure at 47
• 2010-06-23 Pete Quaife, British rock bassist (The Kinks, 1963-69 - "Sunny Afternoon"), and cartoonist, dies of kidney failure at 66
• 2011-08-14 Shammi Kapoor, Indian actor and director known as the "Elvis Presley of India" (Amaran, Brahmachari, Vidhaata), dies of chronic renal failure at 79
• 2011-12-24 Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), dies of kidney failure at 80
• 2012-01-26 Ian Abercrombie, English actor (Birds of Prey, Desperate Housewives), dies from kidney failure at 77
• 2012-02-15 Charles Anthony [Caruso], American tenor, dies from kidney failure at 82
• 2012-02-25 Red Holloway [James], American jazz tenor saxophonist, dies from stroke and kidney failure at 84
• 2012-07-08 Ernest Borgnine [Ermes Borgnino], American Academy Award-winning actor (Marty; From Here To Eternity; ; McHale's Navy; The Poseidon Adventure), dies from renal failure at 95
• 2012-09-09 Verghese Kurien, Indian engineer (billion-litre idea), dies from kidney failure at 90
• 2012-10-10 Alex Karras, American NFL player, dies from kidney failure at 77
• 2013-05-16 Bernard Waber, American children's book author ("The House on East 88th Street"; "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile"), dies from kidney failure at 88
• 2013-09-29 L. C. Greenwood, American football player, dies from kidney failure at 67
• 2013-10-30 Frank Wess, American jazz flutist, saxophonist (Duke Ellington, 1953-64; New York Jazz Quartet, 1974-82) and composer, dies of a heart attack related to kidney failure at 91
• 2013-11-13 Barbara Lawrence, American model, actress, and real estate agent (Oklahoma!, A Letter to Three Wives), dies of kidney failure at 83
• 2014-01-16 Russell Johnson, American television and film actor, best known for his role as "The Professor" on Gilligan's Island, dies of kidney failure at 89
• 2014-01-16 Dave Madden, Canadian-born American actor (Charlotte's Web, Alice, The Partridge Family), dies from heart and kidney failure at 82
• 2015-05-15 Bob Hopkins, American basketball forward and coach (Syracuse Nationals; Seattle SuperSonics), dies of heart and kidney failure at 80
• 2015-06-11 Dusty Rhodes [Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.], American pro wrestler (Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year 1979, 86; WWE HOF), dies of kidney failure at 69
• 2015-06-17 Ron Clarke, Australian athlete (17 x WRs, 5,000m, 10,000m, 20,000m; 2, 3, 6, 10 miles) and politician (mayor Gold Coast), dies from kidney failure at 78
• 2016-02-15 Vanity [Denise Matthews], Canadian R&B singer, Prince protege ("Nasty Girl"), actress (52 Pick Up), and evangelist dies of kidney failure at 57
• 2017-03-19 Ken Still, American golfer (3 PGA Tour titles), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 2017-04-14 Bruce Langhorne, American session and touring folk guitarist and tambourine man, dies of kidney failure at 78
• 2018-09-19 Arthur Mitchell, African-American ballet dancer (New York City Ballet, 1955-66), choreographer, and founder of Dance Theater of Harlem (1968), dies of renal failure at 84
• 2019-01-02 "Mean" Gene Okerlund, American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), dies of kidney failure at 76
• 2019-01-02 Daryl Dragon, American keyboardist (The Beach Boys (touring); Captain & Tennille - "Love Will Keep Us Together"), dies of kidney failure at 76
• 2019-09-08 Camilo Sesto, Spanish singer (Perdóname, El Amor De Mi Vida), dies of kidney failure at 72
• 2019-12-13 Yasuhiro Takai, Japanese baseball first baseman, designated hitter and broadcaster (NPB record 27 career pinch-hit home runs; Hankyu Braves), dies of kidney failure at 74
• 2020-03-01 Jack Welch, American businessman and CEO of General Electric (GE), dies of renal failure at 84
• 2020-04-15 Willie Davis, American Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl I, II; Pro Bowl 1963-67; First-team All-Pro 1962, 64–67; GB Packers), dies from kidney failure at 85
• 2020-04-24 Harold Reid, American country bass vocalist (Statler Brothers - "Bed Of Rose's"), dies of kidney failure at 80
• 2020-05-09 Pedro Pablo León, Peruvian soccer forward (49 caps; Alianza Lima), dies from pneumonia and kidney failure at 76
• 2020-08-05 Pete Hamill, American journalist (New York Post; New York Daily News: The Village Voice, and novelist), dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
• 2020-08-12 Bill Yeoman, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Houston 1962-86; record 160–108–8), dies from kidney failure and pneumonia at 92
• 2020-08-24 Tony Colton [Chalk], British singer-songwriter, and record producer (Head, Hands, and Feet), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 2021-01-23 Larry King [Zeiger], American radio and TV host ("Larry King Live", CNN), dies of sepsis and renal failure at 87
• 2021-02-05 Charlie Krueger, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Texas A&M; Pro Bowl 1960, 64; San Francisco 49ers), dies from heart and kidney failure at 84
• 2021-03-09 Roger Mudd, American Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and TV news anchor (CBS Weekend News; NBC Evening News; Meet The Press), dies of kidney failure at 93
• 2021-04-19 Jim Steinman, American Grammy Award-winning songwriter and record producer (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell; Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart), dies of kidney failure at 73
• 2021-05-05 George Jung [Boston George], American drug trafficker whose story was portrayed in the biopic "Blow", dies of liver and kidney failure at 78
• 2021-05-23 Eric Carle, American illustrator, collage artist, and writer of children's books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), dies of kidney failure at 91
• 2021-06-24 Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (Liberal Party: 2010-16), dies of diabetes related kidney failure at 61
• 2021-06-29 Stuart Damon [Zonis], American stage and screen actor (General Hospital, 1977-2007 - "Dr. Alan Quartermaine"), dies of kidney failure at 84
• 2021-09-05 Rickie Lee Reynolds, American southern rock guitarist (Black Oak Arkansas - "Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)"), dies of COVID-19 complications, including kidney failure and heart attack at 72
• 2021-12-08 Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican reggae bassist (Sly & Robbie - "DJ Riot"), dies of kidney failure at 68
• 2021-12-15 Bell Hooks [Gloria Jean Watkins], American author, feminist, educator, and social activist, dies of kidney failure at 69
• 2022-01-10 Khan Jamal [Warren Cheeseboro], American jazz vibraphonist and marimba player (Sounds of Liberation; Creative Art Ensemble), dies of kidney failure at 75
• 2022-02-10 Olsen Filipaina, New Zealand rugby league five eighth (28 Tests; Auckland RL, Balmain RLFC, Eastern Suburbs RLFC, North Sydney DRLFC), dies from kidney failure at 64
• 2022-02-12 Howard Grimes, American soul music session drummer (Al Green; Ann Peeples), dies of kidney failure at 80
• 2022-03-19 Scoey Mitchell [Roscoe Mitchill], American TV writer, director, and actor (Barefoot in the Park; Rhoda), dies of kidney failure at 92
• 2022-06-18 Mark Shields, American political journalist and commentator (PBS NewsHour, 1988-2020; CNN Capitol Gang, 1998-2005), dies of kidney failure at 85
• 2022-12-29 Dave Davis, American ten-pin bowler (PBA Tournament of Champions 1968, 75; PBA National C'ship 1965, 67), dies from kidney failure at 80
• 2023-01-26 Billy Packer, American college basketball broadcaster (Raycom Sports, NBC, CBS), dies of kidney failure at 82
• 2023-03-07 Ian Falconer, American author, illustrator of children's books and magazines (Olivia (the pig) series; The New Yorker), and theatrical set and costume designer, dies of kidney failure at 63
• 2024-01-13 Tom Shales, American Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic (Washington Post, 1977-2010), and author (Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live), dies of COVID-19 complicated kidney failure at 79
• 2024-07-19 Toumani Diabaté, Malian traditional musician, world music and flamenco kora (21-string lute/harp mash-up) player, dies of kidney failure at 58
• 2024-08-14 Peter Marshall [Ralph Pierre LaCock], American TV game show host (Hollywood Squares), and stage actor and singer, dies of kidney failure at 98

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