Died On This Date

July 29

Van Gogh, Vincent
b. March 30, 1853 d. July 29, 1890
Artist. He was born in the Netherlands. In 1869 he began working for art dealers, but in 1877 he studied religion and from 1878 to 1880 he was an evangelist in Belgium. Later he decided to become an artist. He admired the work of Millet and Daumier and his early subjects were peasants. He lived in Brussels and in Netherlands and in February 1886 he moved to Paris where he lived together with his brother, Theo, and encountered Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. Cause of death: Suicide by gunshot.

Kanka, Megan
b. December 7, 1986 d. July 29, 1994
Young murder victim. She was murdered by a neighbor and it was later discovered that he had been released from prison after having served time for child molestation. Megan's Law, the sex offender's law that now requires convicted sex offenders to register with the local authorities when they move into an area, was named for her. It was made into a Federal Law and is now enforced in all 50 states. Megan's killer was sentenced to death and is currently sitting on death row.

Niven, David (James David Graham)
b. March 1, 1910 d. July 29, 1983
Actor, Producer. Most remembered for his dapper English roles in such films as the Pink Panther series, "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956), and numerous other films. He won an Oscar for his role in "Separate Tables" (1958). Born in London, England, the son of a British Army Captain who was killed at Gallipoli in 1915. He attended Stowe School and Sandhurst Military Academy, where he was commissioned and served two years with the Highland Light Infantry.

Elliot, Cass
b. September 19, 1941 d. July 29, 1974
Rock Singer. She was a singer for the folk-rock group "Mamas and the Papas," during the 1960s and early 1970s. Born Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore, Maryland, she grew up in the Washington DC area. During her senior year in high school she performed in a summer stock of "The Boyfriend" at the Owings Mills Playhouse; a performance that compelled her to forego college in pursuit of an acting career. Cause of death: Heart attack.