Famous People Who Died at 23

The list of famous people who died at 23 includes River Phoenix, Bhagat Singh, Selena, Ernie Davis, Charles IX of France. Famous personalities featured on this list, include emperors & kings, soldiers, political leaders and actors and from other domains of life. This list of celebrities who died at 23 includes people from United States, France, Italy & India and many more countries.

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Selena

(American Singer Popularly Known as the 'Queen of Tejano Music')

Birthdate: April 16, 1971

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Lake Jackson, Texas, United States

Died: March 31, 1995

Known as the queen of Tejano music, Selena became the most famous Mexican-American entertainers during the late 20th century, thanks to her contributions to fashion and music. She is one of the most influential Latin artists ever. Her rags-to-riches story, which includes struggle, fame, and finally death at the age of 23, was showcased in the 1997 film, Selena.

River Phoenix

(Actor, Musician and Eldest Brother of the Phoenix Siblings Who Accidentally Died by Combined Drug Intoxication)

Birthdate: August 23, 1970

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Madras, Oregon, United States

Died: October 31, 1993

Actor, musician, and activist, River Phoenix. was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor, Joaquin Phoenix. The child of “hippyish” parents, he had an unconventional upbringing. He began acting as a young boy and enjoyed a successful career. The promising young man died of a drug overdose when he was just 23.

Ernie Davis

(American Football Player Who Was the First African American to Win the Heisman Trophy)

Birthdate: December 14, 1939

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: New Salem-Buffington, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: May 18, 1963

Footballer Ernie Davis was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. The Syracuse University player was later drafted by the NFL team Cleveland Browns. However, he died of leukemia at 23, without playing a single professional game. His story inspired the movie The Express: The Ernie Davis Story.

Bhagat Singh

(Revolutionary Hero of the Indian Independence Movement)

Birthdate: September 28, 1907

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Banga, Punjab, British India

Died: March 23, 1931

Bhagat Singh is one of the most revered freedom fighters of Indian Independence movement. His execution by the British rulers at a young age of 23 inspired many young people to join the freedom struggle. His life’s mission was to free India from colonial rule and his legacy as a symbol of bravery and patriotism continues to live on.

Ian Curtis

(English Singer, Songwriter and Musician)

Birthdate: July 15, 1956

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Stretford, Lancashire, England

Died: May 18, 1980

Birthdate: July 25, 1894

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Obljaj

Died: April 28, 1918

Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb member of the Young Bosnia movement who wished to end the Austro-Hungarian reign in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He thus assassinated Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, at age 19. This eventually contributed to the start of World War I.

Birthdate: June 27, 1550

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

Died: May 30, 1574

Becoming the King of France at the age 10, Charles IX presided over a kingdom which was torn apart by the Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. The infamous massacre of Huguenot leaders in Paris, instigated by his mother Catherine, left a traumatic effect on the mind of the ruler who succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 23.

Hank Gathers

(Basketball player)

Birthdate: February 11, 1967

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: March 4, 1990

Height: 6'7" (201 cm)

Geli Raubal

(Austrian Woman Who Was the Half-Niece of Adolf Hitler)

Birthdate: July 4, 1908

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Linz, Austria

Died: September 18, 1931

Geli Raubal was the half-niece of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and the daughter of Hitler’s half-sister, Angela Raubal. She spent her childhood in Hitler’s home, where her mother worked as a housekeeper. She is said to have committed suicide after Hitler forbade her to pursue singing lessons in Vienna.

Birthdate: August 23, 1740

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: July 16, 1764

The eldest child of Duke Anthony Ulrich and Duchess Anna Leopoldovna, Ivan VI of Russia, took over the throne as a 2-month-old baby, with his mother as the regent. His first cousin Elizabeth’s coup later resulted in his imprisonment for 20 years and his eventual assassination.

Bobby Fuller

(Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist)

Birthdate: October 22, 1942

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Baytown

Died: July 18, 1966

August Ames

(Actress)

Birthdate: August 23, 1994

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Nova Scotia, Canada

Died: December 5, 2017

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

Elisabeth of Valois

(Wife of King Philip II of Spain and Former Queen Consort of Spain (1559 - 1568))

Birthdate: April 2, 1545

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Fontainebleau, France

Died: October 3, 1568

The eldest daughter of French king Henry II, Elisabeth of Valois later became the queen consort of Spain by her marriage to Philip II of Spain. Known for her tall stature and grace, she died in childbirth at the tender age of 23 and was mourned in Spain.

Caroline Matilda of Great Britain

(Princess)

Birthdate: July 22, 1751

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: London, England

Died: May 10, 1775

Violette Szabo

(British-French Special Operations Executive Agent During the Second World War)

Birthdate: June 26, 1921

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: February 5, 1945

Violette Szabo was a British-French spy who worked as a Special Operations Executive agent during World War II. During her second mission in occupied France, Violette Szabo was captured by the Germans. She was tortured, interrogated, and deported to Ravensbrück, where she was executed on 5 February 1945 at the age of 23.

Kwon Ri-se

(Singer & Model)

Birthdate: August 16, 1991

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Fukushima, Japan

Died: September 7, 2014

Bruno Mussolini

(Aviator)

Birthdate: April 22, 1918

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Milan

Died: August 7, 1941

Rachel Corrie

(American Activist and Diarist)

Birthdate: April 10, 1979

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Olympia, Washington, United States

Died: March 16, 2003

Crushed to death in Gaza by an Israeli armored bulldozer, peace activist Rachel Corrie was also a member of pro-Palestine International Solidarity Movement. Born and raised in USA, she had gone there as part of her college assignment and met her death while trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian houses by Israeli forces, causing international furore.

Hannah Szenes

(Writer, Poet)

Birthdate: July 17, 1921

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Budapest

Died: November 7, 1944

Hungarian Jewish poet and SOE member Hannah Szenes went down in history for voluntarily parachuting into occupied Europe during World War II to assist the Allied forces and the armed resistance against the Nazis. Captured at the Hungarian border, she was eventually tortured and executed by a firing squad.

Lautaro

(Mapuche War Leader Who Led the Indigenous Chile Resistance Against the Spanish)

Birthdate: 1534 AD

Birthplace: Treguaco, Chile

Died: April 29, 1557

Lautaro was a Mapuche war leader best remembered for spearheading the indigenous resistance against the conquest of Chile by the Spanish. He led the warriors of Mapuche to a series of triumphs against the Spanish. He was killed at the Battle of Mataquito in his early 20s. Lautaro is credited with developing tactics that were used even after his death.

Otto Weininger

(Philosopher, Writer, Psychologist)

Birthdate: April 3, 1880

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Vienna

Died: October 4, 1903

Austrian thinker Otto Weininger, whose main areas of interests included philosophy of religion, logic, gender and psychology, lived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His book Geschlecht und Charakter (Sex and Character), which gained popularity following his suicide by gunshot, became a sourcebook for anti-Semitic propagandists. Some of his writings were used by Nazi propaganda.

Michel Trudeau

(Younger Brother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)

Birthdate: October 2, 1975

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Ottawa, Canada

Died: November 13, 1998

Michel Trudeau was a Canadian amateur skier and the younger brother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On November 13, 1998, Michel died in an avalanche while skiing with his friends in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. In the 2010 World Rose Festival, a varietal of rose named Michel Trudeau Memorial Rosebush was presented by his Aunt Betsy Dening.

Ecaterina Teodoroiu

(Soldier)

Birthdate: January 14, 1894

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Târgu Jiu, Romania

Died: September 3, 1917

Shields Green

(Activist, Sailor)

Birthdate: 1836 AD

Birthplace: South Carolina, United States

Died: December 16, 1859

Anneliese Michel

(Supposed demonic possession)

Birthdate: September 21, 1952

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Leiblfing, Germany

Died: July 1, 1976

Height: 5'5" (165 cm)

Michael Rockefeller

(Explorer)

Birthdate: May 18, 1938

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: New York City, United States

Died: November 19, 1961

The youngest child of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, Michael Rockefeller shunned his family’s legacy and decided to become an explorer. He went missing while on an expedition to the Asmat region of southwestern Dutch New Guinea and was declared dead 3 years later, raising speculations of cannibalism.

Magnus I Olafsson

(Norway)

Birthdate: 1024 AD

Birthplace: Norway

Died: October 25, 1047

Tony Stein

Birthdate: September 30, 1921

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Dayton

Died: March 1, 1945

Napoleon, Prince Imperial

(Prince)

Birthdate: March 16, 1856

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Paris, French Empire

Died: June 1, 1879

Salvador Sánchez

(Mexican Professional Boxer)

Birthdate: January 26, 1959

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico

Died: August 12, 1982

Mexican boxer Salvador Sánchez, known by nicknames such as The Invincible Eagle, was a young WBC and lineal featherweight champion. An untimely death at age 23, due to a car crash, cut his career short. He had also appeared in the movie The Last Fight, released posthumously.

Grégory Lemarchal

(French Singer)

Birthdate: May 13, 1983

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: La Tronche, France

Died: April 30, 2007

Georg Büchner

(German Dramatist and Writer of Prose and Poetry)

Birthdate: October 17, 1813

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Riedstadt, Germany

Died: February 19, 1837

Part of the Young Germany movement, German dramatist and author Georg Büchner was a revolutionary and a master of Expressionist plays. Born to an army doctor, he studied medicine but also simultaneously participated in pamphleteering for social issues. He is remembered for works such as Danton’s Death and Woyzeck.

Gaius Caesar

(Roman officer)

Birthdate: 0020 BC

Birthplace: Rome

Died: February 21, 0004

Sukhdev Thapar

(Indian Revolutionary Who Was Involved in the Assassination of Assistant Superintendent of Police, J. P. Saunders)

Birthdate: May 15, 1907

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Punjab, India

Died: March 23, 1931

Kurt Knispel

(Soldier)

Birthdate: September 20, 1921

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Zlaté Hory

Died: April 28, 1945

Remembered as one of the most successful tank commanders of World War II, Kurt Knispel demolished at least 168 tanks. The German Tiger commander, who died of a shrapnel injury, is often compared to fellow commander Otto Carius. He was honored with a German Cross in Gold.

Booker Little

(Trumpeter)

Birthdate: April 2, 1938

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Died: October 5, 1961

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński

(Poet)

Birthdate: January 22, 1921

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland

Died: August 4, 1944

Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński was a Polish poet and soldier. Baczyński was one of the most famous poets of the Generation of Columbuses. Like many other poles from his era, Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński suffered during the German occupation of his country and was killed in action at age 23. His life inspired several films including the 1984 film The Fourth Day.

Simonetta Vespucci

(Model)

Birthdate: 1453 AD

Birthplace: Genoa, Italy

Died: April 26, 1476

David Herold

(Accomplice of John Wilkes Booth, the Man Who Killed Abraham Lincoln)

Birthdate: June 16, 1842

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Maryland, United States

Died: July 7, 1865

David Herold was an American pharmacist's assistant. He is best remembered as the accomplice of John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln in 1865. David Herold was arrested and sentenced to death. He was hanged alongside three other conspirators on 7 July 1865 at the age of 23.

Joseph T. White

(Soldier)