1981 45 years ago Notable Deaths May 28

Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (born 1910)

On May 28, in the year 1981, Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (born 1910). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of May 28, one of 374 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including Mary Lou Williams. Learn more below.

Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records. Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 28, 1981 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 4 April 2026.

On This Date in History 374

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2023 May 28 David Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 28 Patricia Brake, English actress (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2021 May 28 Mark Eaton, American basketball player (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 28 Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (born 1963)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 28 Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 28 Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (born 1941)
Historical Events 2017 May 28 Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so
Historical Events 2016 May 28 Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Bota
Notable Deaths 2016 May 28 Harambe, Cincinnati Zoo western lowland gorilla (born 1999)
Selected Events 2016 May 28 Harambe was shot and killed after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gar
Notable Deaths 2015 May 28 Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 28 Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 28 Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Stan Crowther, English footballer (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Oscar Dystel, American publisher (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 28 Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (born 1971)
Historical Events 2013 May 28 Start of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey
Notable Deaths 2013 May 28 Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 28 Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter, and National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 28 Gerd Schmückle, German general (born 1917)
Historical Events 2012 May 28 The Arkankergen massacre in Kazakhstan's Alakol District kills 15 people
Notable Deaths 2012 May 28 Bob Edwards, English journalist (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 28 Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (born 1958)
Historical Events 2011 May 28 Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divo
Notable Deaths 2011 May 28 Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (born 1920)
Historical Events 2010 May 28 In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers
Notable Deaths 2010 May 28 Gary Coleman, American actor (born 1968)
Selected Events 2010 May 28 A train derailment and collision in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 148
Historical Events 2008 May 28 The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of
Notable Deaths 2008 May 28 Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 28 Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 28 Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 28 Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (born 1920)
Historical Events 2004 May 28 The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's inter
Notable Deaths 2004 May 28 Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (born 1979)
Notable Deaths 2004 May 28 John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (born 1930)
Historical Events 2003 May 28 Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse al
Notable Deaths 2003 May 28 Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2003 May 28 Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2003 May 28 Martha Scott, American actress (born 1912)
Historical Events 2002 May 28 The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site
Notable Deaths 2002 May 28 Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2002 May 28 Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (born 1905)
Selected Events 2002 May 28 An independent commission appointed by the Football Association voted two-to-one to allow Wimbledon F
Notable Deaths 2001 May 28 Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2001 May 28 Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (born 1946)
Notable Births 2000 May 28 Phil Foden, English footballer

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

People Involved

Mary Lou Williams

American jazz pianist and composer (1910–1981)

death

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