2003 Notable Deaths April 17

Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934)

Name: Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934)
Start: 2003

On April 17, in the year 2003, Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of April 17, one of 401 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including Earl King. Learn more below.

Earl Silas Johnson IV, known as Earl King, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, most active in blues music. A composer of blues standards such as "Come On" and "Big Chief", he was an important figure in New Orleans R&B.

Key Facts

This event took place on April 17, 2003 (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 10 March 2026.

On This Date in History 401

Type	Year	Date	Event
Notable Deaths	2022	Apr 17	Radu Lupu, Romanian pianist (born 1945)
Historical Events	2021	Apr 17	The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Notable Deaths	2019	Apr 17	Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, twice President of Peru (born 1949)
Notable Deaths	2019	Apr 17	Gwen Marston, American quilter and writer (born 1936)
Notable Deaths	2018	Apr 17	Barbara Bush, American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Secon
Notable Deaths	2018	Apr 17	Carl Kasell, American radio personality (born 1934)
Notable Deaths	2016	Apr 17	Chyna, American wrestler (born 1969)
Notable Deaths	2016	Apr 17	Doris Roberts, American actress (born 1925)
Notable Deaths	2015	Apr 17	Robert P
Notable Deaths	2015	Apr 17	Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths	2015	Apr 17	Jeremiah J
Notable Deaths	2015	Apr 17	A
Historical Events	2014	Apr 17	NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another sta
Notable Deaths	2014	Apr 17	Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927)
Notable Deaths	2014	Apr 17	Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (born 1922)
Notable Deaths	2014	Apr 17	Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (born 1938)
Notable Deaths	2014	Apr 17	Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (born 1940)
Selected Events	2014	Apr 17	NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first exoplanet with a radius similar to Earth's discovered in the habi
Historical Events	2013	Apr 17	An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others
Notable Deaths	2013	Apr 17	Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (born 1931)
Notable Deaths	2013	Apr 17	Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (born ≈1910)
Notable Deaths	2013	Apr 17	Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (born 1957)
Notable Deaths	2013	Apr 17	V
Selected Events	2013	Apr 17	An ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at a fertilizer company facility in West, Texas, U
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	Leila Berg, English journalist and author (born 1917)
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	J
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (born 1948)
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (born 1912)
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	Jonathan V
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 17	Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (born 1917)
Notable Deaths	2011	Apr 17	Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (born 1926)
Notable Deaths	2011	Apr 17	Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (born 1940)
Notable Deaths	2011	Apr 17	Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (born 1926)
Notable Deaths	2008	Apr 17	Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (born 1913)
Notable Deaths	2008	Apr 17	Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (born 1950)
Notable Deaths	2007	Apr 17	Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (born 1910)
Historical Events	2006	Apr 17	A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70
Notable Deaths	2006	Apr 17	Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (born 1907)
Notable Deaths	2006	Apr 17	Scott Brazil, American director and producer (born 1955)
Notable Deaths	2006	Apr 17	Henderson Forsythe, American actor (born 1917)
Selected Events	2006	Apr 17	A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives in a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 11 people and injuring 70
Notable Births	2005	Apr 17	Antonio Nusa, Norwegian footballer
Notable Deaths	2004	Apr 17	Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (born 1908)
Historical Events	2003	Apr 17	Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland
Notable Deaths	2003	Apr 17	Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (born 1930)
Notable Deaths	2003	Apr 17	H
Notable Deaths	2003	Apr 17	John Paul Getty Jr
Notable Deaths	2003	Apr 17	Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (born 1910)
Notable Births	2001	Apr 17	Shin Ryujin, South Korean rapper, singer and dancer
Notable Births	2001	Apr 17	Violette Dorange, French Professional Round the World Sailor