"On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks on American soil took the lives of nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The victims came from all walks of life, from more than 90 countries around the world, and included hundreds of rescue workers killed while evacuating the towers. Today we remember the lives of the 9/11 victims as well as the lives of other notable people who died this day in history.
Visit our special site, Remember 9/11, to view profiles and Guest Books for each victim.
Click to discover notable people who were born this day in history including character actor Herbert Lom.
2016: Alexis Arquette, U.S. transgender actress who appeared in the movie "The Wedding Singer," dies at 47.
2014: Bob Crewe, U.S. songwriter who wrote hits for other artists including "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Lady Marmalade," dies at 83.
Crewe co-wrote a number of memorable but minor hits, including Freddy Cannon's "Tallahassee Lassie," before helping put together the Four Seasons and meeting future collaborator Bob Gaudio. Songs written by the two helped the Four Seasons define an era in music with radio hits like "Sherry," "Walk Like a Man," "Rag Doll," and "Ronnie" that not only resonated at the time, but also continue to pop up in film, on television, and as historic markers for the baby-boom generation. Read more
2010: Kevin McCarthy, U.S. actor known for his starring role in the science fiction classic movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," dies at 96.
2010: Harold Gould, U.S. actor remembered for his regular role as Rhoda's father, Miles, on the sitcom "Rhoda," dies of prostate cancer at 86.
Gould had a prolific career both on the big and small screens, according to his obituary by The Associated Press. He appeared in such films as "Harper," "Love and Death," "Freaky Friday," and "Patch Adams." On television, he played Betty White's boyfriend on "The Golden Girls" and made guest appearances on "Soap," "Perry Mason," and most recently "Nip/Tuck." Read more
2009: Larry Gelbart, U.S. television writer, screenwriter, and playwright who created the television series "M*A*S*H" and wrote the movie "Oh, God!", dies of cancer at 81.
M*A*S*H debuted on CBS in 1972, when the nation was still embroiled in the Vietnam War, and some viewers were initially puzzled or offended by its depiction of the cynical, wisecracking physicians who worked frantically to save the lives of soldiers. By its second season it had caught on, however, and it remained one of television's top-10 rated shows for a decade, until its final episode in 1983. Along the way, it won numerous awards including the Emmy for best comedy series, according to his obituary by The Associated Press. Read more
2007: Joe Zawinul, Austrian keyboardist and composer who played with Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis and co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report, dies of skin cancer at 75.
Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping Davis albums such as "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," and was a leading force behind the so-called "Electric Jazz" movement. In 1970, Zawinul founded the band Weather Report and produced a series of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market," and "I Sing the Body Electric." After that band's breakup, he founded the Zawinul Syndicate in 1987, according to his obituary by The Associated Press. Zawinul, who was born in the Austrian capital, Vienna, and immigrated to the United States in 1959, is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer into the jazz mainstream. Read more
2006: Pat Corley, U.S. actor known best for his recurring role as the bar owner Phil on the sitcom "Murphy Brown," dies of congestive heart failure at 76.
He appeared on "Murphy Brown," the CBS sitcom starring Candice Bergen as a hard-driving TV newswoman, from 1988-96. Among his other TV roles was as coroner Wally Nydorf on "Hill Street Blues." The latter role was his favorite by far, his son said, according to the actor's obituary by The Associated Press. "It was meaty," Jerry Corley said. "He got to really do work, and on television it's usually just small pieces." His performance drew praise from one highly valued source. Laurence Olivier called him up and said, 'That's the finest television acting I have ever witnessed,'" Jerry Corley recounted. "My dad's not star-struck, but he was, 'Oh, man.'" Read more
2005: Chris Schenkel, U.S. sportscaster who broadcast for many sporting events for ABC, including the Olympics, dies at 82.
2005: Al Casey, U.S. jazz guitarist who played with Fats Waller on some of his most famous recordings, dies of colon cancer at 89.
2004: Fred Ebb, U.S. songwriter who wrote the lyrics for the popular musical "Cabaret," dies of a heart attack at 76.
2003: John Ritter, U.S. actor known best for playing Jack Tripper on the hit sitcom "Three's Company," dies of an aortic dissection at 54.
Ritter's last role was in a new TV sitcom – "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Though the show lasted three seasons, Ritter graced it with his great talent for only a little more than one. During filming of "8 Simple Rules'" second season, Ritter died after suffering an aortic dissection. The show went on without him, incorporating his death into the story … but it wasn't the show it had set out to be. Read more
2002: Johnny Unitas, known as "Johnny U," U.S. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Baltimore Colts who led them to two NFL championship wins and one Super Bowl win and threw for more than 40,000 yards in his career, dies of a heart attack at 69.
Unitas completed 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. He completed at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games, a record that no one has come close to matching since it was set from 1956-60, according to his obituary by The Associated Press. Unitas was MVP three times and played in 10 Pro Bowls. He led Baltimore to the NFL championship in 1958 and 1959 and the Super Bowl in 1970. He was inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 1979. On the NFL's 50th anniversary in 1969, Unitas was voted the greatest quarterback of all time. He also was selected at quarterback for the NFL's All-Time team in 2000 by the 36 Pro Football Hall of Fame voters. Read more
2002: Kim Hunter, U.S. actress who won an Academy Award for her performance as Stella Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire," dies of a heart attack at 79.
For most blacklisted actors, there was no magical return to their previous career trajectory once tensions wound down. The same held true for Kim Hunter. Though she worked again, there's no telling what heights she could have reached without the smirch on her name. As it was, her greatest post-McCarthy role was one that's well-known, but not so recognizable. Hunter played chimpanzee Dr. Zira in "Planet of the Apes" and two of its sequels. Read more
2001: The September 11 terrorist attacks result in 2,977 deaths in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
1998: Dane Clark, U.S. actor who starred in the movie "Pride of the Marines" and on the television series "Justice," dies at 86.
1994: Jessica Tandy, U.S. actress who became the oldest actress to win an Academy Award in 1989 when she won for her role in the movie "Driving Miss Daisy," dies of ovarian cancer at 85.
Skills deteriorating through age and disuse certainly didn't pose a problem for Tandy. She enjoyed an astounding late-career resurgence beginning at age 76 with Ron Howard's surprise hit "Cocoon," where she played opposite her husband, Hume Cronyn, in an ensemble cast. Decades of perfecting her craft finally paid off when she was given the lead in "Driving Miss Daisy," a 1989 film adapted from an off-Broadway play by Alfred Uhry. "Driving Miss Daisy" was a smash hit critically and commercially, winning a slew of awards including the Oscar for best picture; it would be the last PG-rated movie to date to do so. Read more
1988: John Sylvester White, U.S. actor known best for his role as Mr. Woodman on the sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter," dies at 68.
1987: Peter Tosh, Jamaican reggae musician who founded the group the Wailers with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer and went on to a successful solo career, is killed during a robbery at 42.
1987: Lorne Greene, Canadian actor known for starring as Ben Cartwright on the popular Western TV series "Bonanza," dies of a respiratory illness at 72.
1981: Frank McHugh, U.S. actor who was good friends with James Cagney, appearing in movies with him more times than any other actor, dies after a brief illness at 83.
1972: Max Fleischer, U.S. animator, inventor, director, and producer who brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman to the movie screen and invented the Rotoscope for animation, dies at 89.
1971: Percy Helton, U.S. character actor known for his raspy voice who played the drunk Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street" and appeared in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," dies at 77.
1971: Nikita Khrushchev, Russian premier of Russia from 1958 until 1964 during the height of the Cold War, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, dies at 77.
1971: Bella Darvi, Polish actress who starred in the movie "The Egyptian" with Victor Mature, dies by suicide at 42.
1970: Chester Morris, U.S. actor who starred in the "Boston Blackie" detective serials in the 1940s, dies at 69.
1959: Paul Douglas, U.S. actor who starred in 1951's "Angels in the Outfield" and 1950's "Panic in the Streets," dies of a heart attack at 52.
Click to discover notable people who were born this day in history including character actor Herbert Lom.
