Famous People Who Died in June a to z

Dorothy Gish, younger sister of actress Lillian Gish, was a film actress in the first half of the 20th century.

British novelist William Golding wrote the critically acclaimed classic Lord of the Flies, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Benny Goodman, "The King of Swing", was the clarinetist composer responsible for multiple hit singles as a band leader before World War II.

John Gotti was an organized crime leader who became head of the Gambino family.

Charles Julius Guiteau was an American lawyer best known for assassinating President James Garfield in 1881 for denying him an ambassadorship position in Paris.

Jean Harlow was an American actress who proved herself a platinum-blonde sex-symbol and able comedian in 1930s Hollywood.

Rex Harrison was a Tony- and an Oscar-winning English actor known for his film and stage performances. His most famous role is that of Henry Higgins in the film musical My Fair Lady.

Lillian Hellman was a playwright and screenwriter whose dramas attacked injustice, exploitation and selfishness.

Patrick Henry was a brilliant orator and a major figure of the American Revolution, perhaps best known for his words "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Katharine Hepburn was an actress known as a spirited performer with a touch of eccentricity in films such as The African Queen and On Golden Pond.

Henry Hill was a member of the Lucchese crime family who became a federal informant, inspiring the Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas.

An influential teacher in the 19th century, theologian Mark Hopkins stressed moral values over intellectual achievement and self-education over dogmatic education.

English explorer Henry Hudson embarked on multiple sailing voyages that provided new information on North American water routes.

William Inge was a playwright best known for his plays Come Back, Little Sheba; Picnic, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize; and Bus Stop.

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He is known for founding the Democratic Party and for his support of individual liberty.

Singer-songwriter Michael Jackson's award-winning career as the King of Pop transformed the face of pop music and popular culture. He released the best-selling album in history, Thriller, in 1982. He died unexpectedly in 2009.

Howard Johnson was a 20th century entrepreneur who opened up a pioneering chain of restaurants and motels.

Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.

James Weldon Johnson was an African-American writer, politician, educator and lawyer. He was also an early civil rights activist and leader of the NAACP.

Lonnie Johnson was a musician, singer and songwriter, and one of the first major blues and jazz guitarists. His innovative style has influenced many blues, jazz and rock musicians.

Inigo Jones was a British architect best known as the first prominent architect in England for his work on the Queens House in Greenwich (1616) and the Banqueting House in Whitehall (1619).

Lois Mailou Jones was a painter whose works reflect a command of widely varied styles, from traditional landscape to African-themed abstraction.

Author Franz Kafka explored the human struggle for understanding and security in his novels such as Amerika, The Trial and The Castle.

American playwright George S. Kaufman co-wrote a number of Broadway hits, two of which received Pulitzer Prizes.

American educator Helen Keller overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become one of the 20th century's leading humanitarians, as well as co-founder of the ACLU.

Robert Kennedy was Attorney General during his brother JFK's administration. He later served as a U.S. Senator and was assassinated during his run for the presidency.

Jack Kevorkian was a U.S.-based physician who assisted in patient suicides, sparking increased talk on hospice care and "right to die" legislative action.

Ayatollah Khomeini became the supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, following many years of resistance to Shah Pahlavi.

Jack Kilby was an American physicist and electrical engineer who co-created the integrated circuit.

When a mostly white jury acquitted the police officers who were caught on video beating Rodney King, it set off the L.A. riots of 1992.

Paul Klee was a prolific Swiss and German artist best known for his large body of work, influenced by cubism, expressionism and surrealism.

Modernist abstract painter and collage artist Lee Krasner, wife of Jackson Pollock, created the Little Image painting series and the multimedia collage "Milkweed."

Louis L'Amour was a prolific and hugely popular writer of mostly Western novels and short stories.

Leonard Lake was a serial killer who partnered with another man to rape and kill several people in the 1980s.

American Football Hall of Famer Curly Lambeau founded the Green Bay Packers and coached the team to six NFL championships.

Ann Landers was the famous advice columnist who developed a newspaper readership counting into the millions.

Immunologist and pathologist Karl Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the major blood types.

Jacob Lawrence was an American painter, and the most widely acclaimed African-American artist of the 20th century. He is best known for his Migration Series.

Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia who made the motion for independence from Great Britain at the Second Continental Congress.

The winner of two Oscars, Jack Lemmon was one of Hollywood’s finest actors, known for his roles in films like Some Like it Hot and The Odd Couple.

Robert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and secretary of war best known as the first-born son of President Abraham Lincoln.

Louis I succeeded his father, Charlemagne, as emperor, serving as ruler of the Franks for 26 years.

Antonio López de Santa Anna was a 19th century Mexican military officer who acted as the country’s president and dictator at different periods.

Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli is best known for writing The Prince, a handbook for unscrupulous politicians that inspired the term "Machiavellian" and established its author as the "father of modern political theory."

The fourth U.S. president, James Madison believed in a robust yet balanced federal government and is known as the "Father of the Constitution."

Jayne Mansfield was an American actress best known for her bombshell curves and roles in films during the 1950s and '60s.

Thomas R. Marshall was a governor of Indiana and served as U.S. vice president under Woodrow Wilson.

Film actor. William Marshall was an actor best known for his lead role in the legendary blaxploitation film Blacula.

American Mary Cassatt was one of the leading artists in the Impressionist movement of the later part of the 1800s.

U.S. Psychologist Abraham Maslow was a practitioner of humanistic psychology. He is known for his theory of “self-actualization.”

Maximilian was the Archduke of Austria and the Emperor of Mexico from 1863-1867. He was executed in 1867 by President Benito Juárez's victorious forces.

Actress Rue McClanahan is best-known for her role as self-absorbed bombshell Devereaux on the 1980's sitcom Golden Girls. 

Clyde McPhatter was a popular rhythm-and-blues singer in the 1950s. One of the most dramatic vocalists of his generation, his style anticipated soul music.

Timothy McVeigh was convicted of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in American history. He was executed for his crimes.

Basketball player George Mikan won five NBA championships with Minneapolis. He was one of the tallest players and increased modern height expectations.

James Mill was a Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher. He supported the radical philosophical belief called Utilitarianism.

Henry Miller was a 20th century American writer, who created a new sort of novel—later characterized as a fictionalized autobiography.

Mohammed was the founder of the religion of Islam, accepted by Muslims throughout the world as the last of the prophets of God.

Japanese-American actor Pat Morita became a beloved pop culture figure with his turn as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid movies.

Prime Minister of Hungary Imre Nagy withdrew Hungary from the Warsaw Pact and led Hungarians against the Soviets in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.

As Roman emperor, Nero’s reign was lavish and tyrannical. He killed his mother, persecuted Christians and is said to have "fiddled while Rome burned."

A.C. Nielsen was an American market-research engineer and business executive, best known for creating Nielsen ratings, a national rating of television viewing.

Pat Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States. As first lady, she traveled extensively and championed volunteerism.