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Unusual Deaths in 1987

* d**k shawn, a comedian who starred in the 1968 movie the producers, died of a heart attack while portraying a politician. just before he died, he announced, "if elected, i will not lay down on the job,".
* R. budd dwyer, a republican politician, committed suicide during a televised press conference. facing a potential 55-year jail sentence for alleged involvement in a conspiracy, dwyer shot himself in the mouth with a revolver.

Natural disasters in 1987

* 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
* Edmonton Tornado
* Great Storm of 1987
* Whittier Narrows earthquake

People who died on January 12 (various years)

* 2007 - Alice Coltrane, American jazz musician
* 2005 - Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist
* 2005 - Amrish Puri, Indian actor
* 2005 - Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation
* 2004 - Randy VanWarmer, American singer and songwriter
* 2004 - Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician
* 2003 - Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees)
* 2003 - Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina
* 2003 - Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director
* 2003 - Dean Amadon, American ornithologist
* 2002 - Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State
* 2002 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian
* 2001 - Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer
* 2001 - William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman
* 2001 - Affirmed, American racehorse
* 2000 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player
* 2000 - Marc Davis, American animator
* 1999 - Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1999 - Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress
* 1997 - Jean-Edern Hallier, French author
* 1997 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* 1996 - Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician
* 1990 - Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator et writer
* 1983 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR
* 1977 - Henri-Georges Clouzot, French film director and screenwriter
* 1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer
* 1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer
* 1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist
* 1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer
* 1956 - Norman Kerry, American actor
* 1944 - Lance C. Wade, American pilot
* 1943 - Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer
* 1940 - Edward Smith, English soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
* 1909 - Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician
* 1899 - Hiram Walker, American distiller
* 1856 - Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician, author of Slovak language,
* 1834 - William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* 1817 - Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit
* 1781 - Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate
* 1777 - Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle)
* 1759 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
* 1735 - John Eccles, English composer
* 1732 - John Horsley, British archaeologist
* 1705 - Luca Giordano, Italian artist
* 1700 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, saint
* 1674 - Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer
* 1665 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer
* 1583 - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
* 1519 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
* 1321 - Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France