Died On This Date

May 2
da Vinci, Leonardo
b. April 5, 1452 d. May 2, 1519
Artist, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance, who was also celebrated as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist. He was born on April 15, 1452, in the small Tuscan town of Vinci, near Florence. He was the son of a Florentine notary and a peasant woman. In the mid-1460s the family settled in Florence, where Leonardo was given the best education in Florence. He rapidly advanced socially and intellectually. He was handsome and a fine musician and improviser.

Reed, Oliver
b. February 13, 1938 d. May 2, 1999
Actor. Most remembered for his role as the brutal Bill Sykes in the award winning 1968 musical "Oliver!", Reed mostly played heavy roles that were suitable to his rough good looks. His off-screen personna was equal to that of his on-screen performances and was a notrorious drinker, carouser, womanizer and brawler. He was also known to have public disputes with the likes of Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson, Richard Harris, and Shelley Winters. Reed had a very humorous view of life and death. Cause of death: Heart attack.

Gallo, Julio
b. March 21, 1910 d. May 2, 1993
Wine Maker. Head of Ernest and Julio Wine. Younger Brother of Ernest Gallo.

Hoover, J. Edgar (John)
b. January 1, 1895 d. May 2, 1972
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Chief, Author. J. Edgar Hoover was the FBI director for over forty eight years until his death by a heart attack at age 77, after being appointed by President Calvin Coolege. He was born on New Year's Day in Washington, D.C. three blocks behind the Capitol in the Seward Square neighborhood. John was the youngest of three children born to Dickerson Naylor and Annie Marie Scheitlin Hoover.

Clampett, Bob
b. May 8, 1913 d. May 2, 1984
Renowned American animator of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Well-known for his innovative and influencial drawing style and animation directing. Worked for Warner Bros. for many years until producing the popular "Beany and Cecil" series of cartoons for television.

Marlowe, Hugh
b. January 30, 1911 d. May 2, 1982
Actor. Appeared on stage, in motion pictures, and on television from the 1930s to the 1960s. He appeared in the 1950 drama classic "All About Eve," as well as several classic TV series such as "Rawhide," "The Twilight Zone," and "Perry Mason." Cause of death: Heart attack.

Parsons, Edwin Charles 'Ted'
b. September 24, 1892 d. May 2, 1968
United States Naval Officer, World War I Flying Ace. A native of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Parsons was an experienced pilot when the war began., He went to France at the end of 1915 and served with the United States Ambulance service before enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. In 1916, he became a pilot in the French Air Service and was assigned to N124 in January 1917. He earned eight air combat victories during the conflict.

Clinton, Larry
b. August 17, 1909 d. May 2, 1985
Jazz Musician. He started out as an arranger and worked for the Dorsey Brothers and others before forming his own orchestra in 1937. With himself on trumpet, clarinet and trombone, along with the excellent vocalist Bea Wain, he had a string of hits. The band broke up in 1941 when he entered the Army and though they reformed after the war, they never achieved their previous success. In the 1950s Clinton opted for a career as a music publishing and record executive.

Pal, George
b. February 1, 1908 d. May 2, 1980
Motion Picture Director. Considered a legend in the motion picture industry as a producer, director, and special-effects pioneer, he produced the 1953 science fiction classic "The War of the Worlds." In 1960, he directed the sci-fi classic "The Time Machine," and later the innovative fantasy "Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964). Cause of death: Heart attack.

Bennett, Edward Andrew
b. February 11, 1920 d. May 2, 1983
Medal of Honor recipient. His citation reads: He was advancing with Company B across open ground to assault Heckhuscheid, Germany, just after dark when vicious enemy machinegun fire from a house on the outskirts of the town pinned down the group and caused several casualties. He began crawling to the edge of the field in an effort to flank the house, persisting in this maneuver even when the hostile machine gunners located him by the light of burning buildings and attempted to cut him down.

Collins, Sidney
b. July 17, 1922 d. May 2, 1977
Sports Announcer. Charismatic radio personality who is best remembered as the "Voice of the 500." He began serving as chief announcer for the broadcasts of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, the year in which full lap-by-lap live coverage of the classic began. He was the man who coined the phase "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and became synonymous with the race itself. It was his responsibility to tell international radio audiences of the crashes, deaths and disasters of his many racing fans.

Martin, Joseph Plumb
b. November 21, 1760 d. May 2, 1850
Revolutionary War Continental Army Soldier, Author. Born in Becket Massachusetts, at age seven he was left in the care of his maternal grandparents in Connecticut. In June of 1776, he signed a short–term enlistment of six months. He returned to his grandparents’ farm that December when his enlistment was up. After a winter at home he re-enlisted in April 1777. He served as a private in the 8th Connecticut Regiment, an element of General James Varnum's Brigade.

Loving, Mildred
b. July 22, 1939 d. May 2, 2008
Civil Rights figure. On June 2, 1958, Mildred Jeter, a black woman married Richard Loving, a white man. Their wedding took place in Washington, DC because their home state, Virginia, had a law prohibiting inter-racial marriages. They returned to Caroline County, VA and were arrested. In 1959 they pled guilty and were given a one year suspended sentence under the condition that they leave Virginia and not return for 25 years.

Hutton, June
b. August 11, 1920 d. May 2, 1973
Actress, Singer. She sang with the Charlie Spivak Band in the 1940s, and later became a member of The Pied Pipers. She was married to composer Axel Stordahl. She is buried with him in the same plot, although only his name is on the marker.

Foster, William A.
b. February 17, 1915 d. May 2, 1945
Was a private in the U.S. Marine Corps during WORLD WAR II who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on the Island of Okinawa. As the sole support of his family during the war, he was exempt from service but chose to enlist in the Marine Corps, in 1944. On May 1 1945, while on active combat duty with Co. K, 3d Battalion, 1st U.S. Marine Div., on Okinawa, Foster dove onto a live Japanese hand grenade that landed in a foxhole he shared with another Marine, and it exploded.

McKinsey, Beverlee
b. August 9, 1940 d. May 2, 2008
Actress. Born in McAlester, Oklahoma, she is best known for her roles in many popular daytime soap operas, among them as Alexandra Spaulding in "The Guiding Light". She began her career during the 1960s and appeared in such programs as, "The Defenders", "The Virginian", "Hawaii-Five-O" and "The Mod Squad". In addition to "The Guiding Light", she had recurring roles in the series "Love is a Many Splendored Thing", "Another World" and "Texas".

Rukeyser, Louis
b. January 30, 1933 d. May 2, 2006
Business columnist, economic commentator, and newscaster. He published two financial newsletters, "Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street" and "Louis Rukeyser's Mutual Funds." He was the son of financial journalist Merryle Rukeyser. Rukeyser had a significant impact in making the often arcane workings of the stock market and the economy better known to the mass public. Rukeyser was well known for his usage of wit and humor and a love of puns.