Deaths on May 26

This archive lists notable deaths associated with May 26 across multiple years. For the specific 2026 archive, see Deaths on May 26, 2026.

Virginia Held, American philosopher, died on May 26, 2026

Virginia Held dead at age 96

Virginia Held, an American philosopher and feminist theorist whose work helped shape the ethics of care,
died on June 3, 2026. She was 96. Born Virginia Potter Held on October…

Renato Rosaldo dead at age 85

Renato Rosaldo, an American cultural anthropologist,
died on May 26, 2026. Born in Champaign, Illinois, on April 15, 1941, he carried out field research among the Ilongots of northern Luzon…

William Smithers, Actor, died on May 26, 2026

William Smithers dead at age 98

William Smithers, the actor best known for recurring roles on "Peyton Place" and "Dallas,"
died on May 26, 2026. Born Marion Wilkinson Smithers Jr. on July 10, 1927, in Richmond,…

Koji Tanaka dead at age 70

Koji Tanaka, a Japanese football player and manager,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 70. Born in Saitama on November 2, 1955, he graduated from Meiji University…

Terry Don Phillips, American college athletics administrator, died on May 26, 2026

Terry Don Phillips dead at age 78

Terry Don Phillips, an American college athletics administrator and former Clemson Tigers athletic director,
died on May 26, 2026. He served as athletic director at Liberty Baptist College, now Liberty…

Alan Saret, American postminimalist artist, died on May 26, 2026

Alan Saret dead at age 81

Alan Saret, an American postminimalist artist and sculptor whose wire works helped define parts of the Soho alternative art scene,
died on May 26, 2026. He was 81. Born in…

Arnold Whittall, British musicologist, died on May 26, 2026

Arnold Whittall dead at age 90

Arnold Whittall, the British musicologist who wrote widely on 20th- and 21st-century classical music,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 90. Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on November…

Bob Horner, St. Louis Cardinals, died on May 26, 2026

Bob Horner dead at age 68

Bob Horner, an American baseball player who starred for the Atlanta Braves and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals,
died on May 26, 2026. Born James Robert Horner on…

Theo Diegelmann dead at age 86

Theo Diegelmann, a German football goalkeeper who played for SSV Reutlingen 05, VfL Bochum and 1. FC Nürnberg,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 86. Born on…

Donald Newhouse, Businessman, died on May 26, 2026

Donald Newhouse dead at age 96

Donald Newhouse, the American businessman and publisher who led Advance Publications,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 96, according to the family company. Born in New York…

Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter, died on May 26, 2026

Klaus Lehnertz dead at age 88

Klaus Lehnertz, a German pole vaulter and Olympic bronze medalist,
died on May 26, 2026. He was 88. Born in Solingen on April 13, 1938, Lehnertz competed for the United…

Marc Johnson dead at age 49

Marc Johnson, an American skateboarder,
died on May 26, 2026, at age 49. Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on January 6, 1977, he was a professional skateboarder whose career included…

Edoardo Rovida, Italian Roman Catholic prelate, died on May 26, 2026

Edoardo Rovida dead at age 98

Edoardo Rovida, an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and apostolic nuncio,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 98. Born in Alessandria on August 26, 1927, he was ordained…

Bjørn Tidmand, Singer, died on May 26, 2026

Bjørn Tidmand dead at age 86

Bjørn Tidmand, a Danish singer,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 86. Born in Copenhagen on January 24, 1940, he began his career in 1959 after singing…

Samuel Yin, Businessman, died on May 26, 2026

Samuel Yin dead at age 75

Samuel Yin, a Taiwanese conglomerate industry executive,
died on May 26, 2026, at the age of 75. He was a businessman best known as the founder of the Tang Prize…

Mark Bailey, American baseball player, died on May 26, 2026

Mark Bailey dead at age 64

Mark Bailey, an American baseball player who played for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants,
died on May 26, 2026, at age 64. A catcher in Major League Baseball…

Gennaro Sasso dead at age 97

Gennaro Sasso
died on May 26, 2026. He was 97. An Italian philosopher and historian of philosophy, Sasso was born in Rome on June 25, 1928. His work and teaching…

Forbes Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player, died on May 26, 2026

Forbes Kennedy dead at age 90

Forbes Kennedy, the Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins,
died on May 25, 2026. He was 90. Born in Dorchester,…

Gu Yudong

Chinese surgeon and politician
Died on Tuesday May 27th 2025

Idriss Ngari

Gabonese politician
Died on Tuesday May 27th 2025

Bill Walton

American basketball player (Portland Trail Blazers
Died on Monday May 27th 2024

Rey Mysterio

47
Died on Monday May 27th 2024

Cotton Tree

c. 400
Died on Saturday May 27th 2023