List of suicides

See also: deaths by accidental drug overdose, people by cause of death

Alphabetical

A

• Johnny Ace, (1954), singer
• George Washington Adams, (1829), son of John Quincy Adams, jumped off a boat
• Robert Adams Jr., (1906), congressman from Pennsylvania, shot self after heavy losses in stock speculation
• Stuart Adamson, (2001), lead singer of the Scottish bands Big Country and the Skids
• Chris Adkisson a.k.a. Chris von Erich, (1991), professional wrestler
• Kerry Adkisson a.k.a Kerry von Erich, (1993), professional wrestler
• Mike Adkisson a.k.a. Mike von Erich, (1987), professional wrestler, overdosed on the tranquilizer placidyl.
• Neil Aggett, (1982), South African worker's union leader; hanged in prison, murder is suspected by some
• General Sergei Akhromeev, (1991), Soviet military commander who led an unsuccessful coup against Mikhail Gorbachev
• Leandro Alem (1896), Argentine politician, founder of the Radical Civic Union
• Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, (1899), member of the British Royal Family
• Jason Altom, (1998), Ph.D. student
• Jean Améry, (1978), Austrian writer
• Jack Z. Anderson, (1981), U.S. Representative from California
• Fridolin Anderwert, (1880), Swiss Federal Councilor
• Aman Andom, (1974), military ruler of Ethiopia; committed suicide to avoid his execution in an internal purge
• Pier Angeli, (1971) (on the same day that Bella Darvi also took her own life)
• Roger Angleton, (1998), brother of imprisoned Texas extortionist who admitted in his suicide note to killing his sister-in-law, socialite Doris Angleton.
• Mark Antony, (30 BC), Roman politician and general
• Marshall Applewhite, 1997, leader of the Heaven's Gate cult
• Hubert Aquin, (1977), author
• Diane Arbus, (1971), art photographer
• Reinaldo Arenas, (1990), Cuban-American artist and writer
• Edwin Armstrong, (1954), US inventor of FM radio; jumped from a 13th floor window believing FM was a failure.

B

• Andreas Baader, (1977), German criminal, founder of Baader-Meinhof gang
• Mary Bacon, (1991), thoroughbred race horse jockey
• Albert Ballin, (1918)
• José Manuel Balmaceda (1891), President of Chile
• Barney Barnato, (1897), South African diamond entrepreneur, jumped overboard while his ship was south of Madeira
• Isobel Barnett, (1980), British TV personality
• Diana Barrymore, (1960), US actress, writer ('Too Much, Too Soon')
• Uwe Barschel, (1987), German politician
• Carl Barth, (1853)
• Gert Bastian, (1992)
• Gameel Al-Batouti, (1999), pilot who deliberately crashed Egyptair Flight 990 into the Atlantic Ocean
• J. Clifford Baxter, (2002), Enron vice-chairman
• Thomas M. Bayne, (1894), congressman from Pennsylvania
• Scotty Beckett, (1968), child actor, Our Gang films
• Gertrude Bell, (1926), archaeologist, writer, spy and administrator known as the "Uncrowned Queen of Iraq"
• Peter Bellamy, (1991), English folk singer
• Walter Benjamin, (1940), German cultural theorist
• Jill Bennett, (1990), British film actress
• Pierre Bérégovoy, (1993), French Prime Minister, killed himself a month after losing a general election
• Hans Berger, (1941), German physician and inventor of electroencephalography, by hanging
• Mary Kay Bergman (1999), American voice actress
• Paul Bern, (1932), American film producer, director and writer, husband of Jean Harlow, bullet wound to the head, generally believed to be murdered by Dorothy Millette
• Alain Bernardin, (1994), founder/owner of "Le Crazy Horse Saloon" - Paris
• Ricky Berry, (1989), American NBA Basketball player (Sacramento Kings)
• John Berryman, (1972), American poet, jumped from the Washington Avenue Bridge after waving to passers-by
• Bruno Bettelheim, (1990), child psychologist
• Ward Beysen, (2005), Belgian politician
• Blossius of Cumae, Roman philosopher who led a failed revolt
• Robert Bishop, (1991), fetish artist
• Jens Bjørneboe, (1976), Norwegian author
• Clara Blandick, (1962), played Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz
• Barcroft Boake, (1892), Australian poet, hung himself from a tree
• Ludwig Boltzmann, (1906), Austrian physicist
• Jeremy Michael Boorda, (1996), 4-star Admiral, 25th Chief of Naval Operations in the U.S. Navy
• Ricardo Bordallo, (1990), two-time Governor of Guam
• Adrian Borland, (1999), British musician
• Ernest Borneman, (1995), German sexologist
• Francesco Borromini, (1667), architect
• Georges Boulanger, (1891), French politician and general
• Tommy Boyce, (1994), with Bobby Hart, songwriter for The Monkees
• Karin Boye, (1941), Swedish author
• Charles Boyer, (1978), French actor
• Jonathan Brandis, (2003), American actor
• Frank B. Brandegee, (1924), U.S. Senator from Connecticut, died in office
• Eva Braun, (1945), mistress and then wife of Adolf Hitler
• Richard Brautigan, (1984), American writer
• Gaetano Bresci, (1901), Italian anarchist, assassin of King Umberto I (officially suicide, but he was found strangled)
• Herman Brood, (2001), Dutch musician and painter
• Barry Brown, (1978), actor and writer
• Oskar Brüsewitz, (1976)
• Brutus, (42 BC), Roman politician, assassin of Julius Caesar
• Eustace Budgell, (1737), remembered because his death was discussed in a conversation between Samuel Johnson and his friend and biographer Boswell
• Bernard Buffet, (1999), French painter ('The Crucifixion')
• Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916), Italian sculptor
• Dan Burros, (1965), Jewish Neo-Nazi
• Derick House 2005

C

• Andres Caicedo, (1977), Colombian novelist
• Wallace Hume Carothers, World renowned chemist, sufferred chronic depression; killed himself in a hotel in 1937.
• Don Carpenter (1995), American novelist, friend of Richard Brautigan
• Dora Carrington, (1932), artist
• Capucine, (1990), French actress
• Joseph Daniel 'Danny' Casolaro, (1991), journalist
• Adolphe Mouron Cassandre (1968), painter
• Paul Cassirer, (1926)
• Gaius Cassius Longinus, (42 BC), Roman politician, co-assassin of Julius Caesar
• Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, (1822), British politician
• Cato the younger, (46 BC), Roman republican statesman
• Ugo Cavallero, (1943), Italian Field Marshal
• Paul Celan, (1970), Romanian poet
• Valerie Chacon, (1982), wife of Bobby Chacon
• Iris Chang, (2004), Chinese-American author
• Claude Chappe, 1805, French inventor
• Thomas Chatterton, (1770), English poet
• Leslie Cheung, (2003), Hong Kong movie star and singer
• Vere Gordon Childe, (1957), Australian archaeologist and historian, jumped off Govett's Leap in the Blue Mountains
• Vern Christie, (1991), Australian businessman, General Manager of the Commonwealth Bank
• Edwin P Christy, (1862), American entertainer, founder of the Christy Minstrels
• Christine Chubbuck, (1974), US newsreader, shot herself in the head on live TV after reading the news
• Chung Mong-hun, (2003), Korean businessman, chairman of Hyundai Asan
• Diana Churchill, (1963), UK social worker, eldest daughter of Sir Winston Churchill
• Jeremiah Clarke, (1707), composer of Trumpet Voluntary, shot himself
• Cleopatra, (30 BC), Queen of Egypt
• Charmian Clift, (1969), Australian writer, wife of George Johnston; her namesake, Cleopatra's maid Charmian also committed suicide
• Robert Clive, (1774), British conqueror of India and founder of the Empire, cut throat with pen-knife
• Kurt Cobain, (1994), American musician, founder of grunge band Nirvana, shot self in head with shotgun (disputed)
• Billy Collins Jr., (1984), young boxer
• Ray Combs, (1996), former host of popular American game show Family Feud
• Pamela Courson, (1974), long time girlfriend of Jim Morrison
• F. W. S. Craig, (1989), UK election expert
• Hart Crane, (1932), American poet; born on the same date as Ernest Hemingway, another American writer who committed suicide
• Darby Crash, (1980), American songwriter, singer of the Germs
• René Crevel, (1935), French writer, gassed himself
• Harry Crosby, (1929), writer, publisher
• Andrew Cunanan, (1997), killer of Gianni Versace and four others
• Will Cuppy, (1949), American writer, humorist
• Ian Curtis, (1980), English singer and songwritter (Joy Division)
• Adam Czerniakow, (1942), Warsaw Ghetto leader killed himself rather than obey Nazi orders

D

• Dalida, (1987), French singer
• Dorothy Dandridge, (1965), American singer and actress, first black woman nominated for Academy Award as Lead Actress for "Carmen Jones" , death ruled suicide by overdose
• Monika Dannemann, (1996), Girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix
• Bella Darvi, (1971), Polish-US actress (on the same day that Pier Angeli also took her own life)
• Dazai Osamu, (1948), Japanese novelist
• Guy Debord, (1994), French philosopher, member of Situationist International
• Jeanine Deckers, 1985, Belgian religious, known as The Singing Nun
• C J De Garis, (1926), Australian financier
• Delphine Delamare, (1848), French woman, the basis for Flaubert's Madame Bovary
• Gilles Deleuze, (1995), French philosopher
• Patrick Dewaere, (1982), French actor
• Rudolf Diesel, (1913), Inventor of the Diesel engine.
• Dioxippus, (336 BC ?), Greek pankration fighter who nakedly defeated an armored and armed soldier of Alexander the Great's... he was framed for theft and forced into suicide for his victory
• Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, (2001), young King of Nepal, committed suicide after assassinating his father, King Birendra, and other members of the royal family
• Hugo Distler, 1942, German composer, is believed to have committed suicide to avoid conscription into the German army
• Jenny Dolly, (1941), Hungarian/US entertainer, one of the Dolly Sisters
• Desmond Donnelly, (1974), British politician who fitted into none of the parties he tried
• Terence Donovan, (1996), English celebrity photographer
• Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (1983), former president of Cuba
• Nick Drake (1974), British singer-songwriter, overdose (possibly accidental though officially ruled a suicide) of the anti-depressant, tryptizol.
• Pierre Drieu La Rochelle (1945), French novelist
• Dr. Jonathan Drummond-Webb (2004), American heart surgeon
• Pete Duel, (1971), American actor
• K. Sello Duiker, (2005), South African author
• Isaak Dunayevsky, (1955), Soviet composer
• James Dungy, (2005), son of Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy
• Budd Dwyer, (1987), American politician, shot himself on live television

E

• Jeanne Eagels, (1929), American silent film actress
• John P. East, (1986), U.S. Senator from North Carolina
• George Eastman, (1932), inventor
• Ronnie Edwards, (1994), British Great Train robber and flower seller
• Tristan Egolf, (2005), writer, musician and campaigner
• Paul Ehrenfest, (1933), Austrian physicist
• John Ellis (1932), remorseful hangman
• Empedocles, (432 BC), Greek philosopher, threw himself into Mt Etna
• Gudrun Ensslin, German criminal, member of Baader-Meinhof gang
• Peg Entwistle, (1932), US actress, the first person to jump from the letter 'H' of the Hollywood sign; step-mother of Brian Keith who also committed suicide
• Tom Evans, (1983), Guitarist for Badfinger*

F

• Richard Farnsworth, (2000), US actor, Oscar nominee
• Justin Fashanu, (1998), British footballer
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder, (1982), German film director (often listed as a drug overdose)
• René Favaloro, (2000), creator of the coronary artery bypass surgery
• Andrea Feldman, (1972) Actor, Warhol superstar
• Lolo Ferrari, (2000), actress, singer
• George Fiske, (1918), photographer
• Ed Flanders, (1995), US actor
• John Gould Fletcher, (1950), Pulitzer Prize winning poet
• Luca Flores, (1995), Italian pianist
• Bernard Floud, (1967), British politician
• James V Forrestal, (1949), Former U.S. Secretary of Defense who quoted Sophocles in his suicide note
• Vincent Foster, (1993), Deputy White House Counsel
• Wade Frankum, (1991), Spree shooter of Strathfield Massacre
• Sigmund Freud, (1939), founder of psychoanalysis (lethal dose of morphine)
• John Friedrich, (1991), Australian businessman and fraudster
• Mike Furber, (1973), Australian singer

G

• Zviad Gamsakhurdia, (1993), former president of Georgia
• Dave Garroway, (1982), television host
• Romain Gary, (1980), Russian-French novelist, film director and diplomat
• Danny Gatton, (1994), American guitarist
• Michel Gauquelin, (1991), French psychologist and astrology researcher
• Mark Gertler, (1939), British artist
• Henri Giffard, (1882), French aeronautical engineer
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman, (1935), American feminist and author (Herland)
• Gregor Glenn, (2006), Student
• Joseph Goebbels, (1945), German Nazi leader
• Fritha Goodey (2004), British actress
• Adam Lindsay Gordon, (1870), Australian poet ('Life is mostly froth and bubble')
• Kurt Gödel, (1978), German logician and mathematician (refused to eat any food)
• Hermann Göring, (1946), German Nazi leader
• Arshile Gorky, (1948), Armenian painter
• Eddie Graham, (1985), American professional wrestler
• Spalding Gray, (2004), American playwright. Drowned in Atlantic after jumping off Staten Island Ferry
• Richard Greene, (1983), boxing referee
• Robert von Greim, (1945), German Air Marshal
• Anton Gustafsson, (2003), Swedish singer (Anton Maiden)
• Antonio Guzmán Fernández, (1982), serving president of the Dominican Republic

H

• Kenneth Halliwell, (1967), English writer, lover of Joe Orton whom he killed before killing himself
• Mitch Halpern, (2000), boxing referee
• John Hall, (2005), Lead singer of the band Orleans
• Peter Ham, (1975), rock musician (Badfinger)
• Rusty Hamer, (1990), former child actor (The Danny Thomas Show)
• Lois Hamilton, (1943-1999), actress, model, author, aviatrix
• Tony Hancock, (1968), British comedian
• Hannibal, (182 BC), military commander
• Lewis Vernon Harcourt, (1922), British politician who killed himself after knowledge of his attempted seduction of a 12 year old boy became public
• James Harden-Hickey, (1898), US eccentric who wrote a book listing 88 poisons and 51 instruments that could be used for suicide; he chose an overdose of morphine
• Mary Hardy, (1985), Australian TV personality (found dead in the bath and was presumed to have committed suicide)
• Larry James Harper, (2001), member of the Texas 7
• Michael D. Harter , (1896), congressman from Ohio
• Brynn Hartman, (1998), wife of actor Phil Hartman whom she killed before turning the gun on herself
• Elizabeth Hartman, (1987), US actress who emulated a character in her film 'The Group' who jumped from a window
• Donny Hathaway, (1979), singer, best known for his duets with Roberta Flack
• Felix Hausdorff, (1942), mathematician. He committed suicide with his wife and sister-in-law in the concentration camp.
• Phyllis Haver, (1960), American actress of the silent film era
• Benjamin Haydon, (1846), British painter
• Jeanne Hébuterne (1898-1920), painter, partner of Modigliani
• Ernest Hemingway, (1961), American novelist
• Margaux Hemingway, (1996), American actress and model; Ernest Hemingway's granddaughter
• Jimi Hendrix, (1970), American musician; drowned in vomit after overdosing on Vesperax sleeping pills.
• James Leo Herlihy, (1993), US novelist ('Midnight Cowboy')
• Eric Harris, (1999) US Mass Murderer, Famous for the Columbine High School Massacre shootings with Dylan Klebold
• John Heddle, (1989), British politician
• Willard Hershberger, 1940, Baseball player, only major league player to commit suicide during the season.
• Rudolf Hess, (1987) Nazi leader
• Paul Hester, (2005) Australian musician
• Heinrich Himmler, (1945), German SS leader
• Adolf Hitler, (1945), Nazi Germany's leader. Shot/poisoned himself in bunker.
• Abbie Hoffman, (1989), US political activist and political demonstrator
• Frederick Holliday, (1985), Cleveland, OH school board president
• Shannon Hoon, (1995), Lead singer of the band Blind Melon
• Doug Hopkins, (1993), musician, founding member of rock group The Gin Blossoms. Killed himself with a .38 pistol December 5
• Elmyr de Hory, (1976), Hungarian art forger
• Robert E. Howard, (1936), "Pulp" writer of Conan the Barbarian. Shot himself in head on June 11, 1936 after learning his mother was in a permanent coma.
• Hong Xiuquan, (1864), Chinese leader of the Taiping Rebellion
• Chuck Humphrey, (1998), Heaven's Gate cult member
• Michael Hutchence, (1997), Australian lead singer of rock group INXS, hanged himself in hotel room. Speculated to be autoerotic asphyxiation gone bad.
• Phyllis Hyman, (1995), singer

I

• William Inge, (1973), US playwright (Picnic, Come Back, Little Sheba, Bus Stop, Splendor in the Grass)
• Isocrates, (338 BC), Greek rhetorician
• Wafa Idis, (2002), first Palestinian female suicide bomber
• Judas Iscariot, (1st century), according to the Bible, betrayed Jesus

J

• Vittorio Jano, (1965), automobile design engineer
• Randall Jarrell (1965), US writer and poet
• Rick Jason, (2000), US actor best known in 'Combat'
• Jiang Qing, (1991), 3rd wife of Mao Zedong, leader of the Gang of Four
• David Johnson, (1995), Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts
• Jim Jones, (1978), reverend, leader of the "Peoples Temple" cult. Died during mass suicide that cost the lives of more than 900 in Guyana.
• Nafisa Joseph, (2004), Miss India 1997, killed herself four weeks before being married.
• Attila József, (1937), Hungarian poet
• Lee Eun Ju, (2005), South Korean Actress

K

• Frida Kahlo, (1954), Mexican painter, unknown whether she accidentally or purposely overdosed
• Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin, (1918), Cossack leader during the Russian Civil War
• Sarah Kane, (1999), British playwright
• Kostas Karyotakis, (1928), Greek poet, shot himself
• Ivar Kreuger , (1932) Swedish match industrialist, was found dead in a hotel room in Paris.
• Terry Kath, (1978), guitarist, Chicago (Died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. He pointed a gun to his head thinking it wasn't loaded and pulled the trigger.)
• Kawakami Bizan, (1908), Japanese novelist
• Brian Keith, (1997), American actor (Family Affair)
• Dr. David Kelly, (2003), British scientist, source of BBC story about the September Dossier
• Samuel A. Kendall, (1933), congressman from Pennsylvania, self inflicted gunshot wound in the House Office Building
• Douglas Kenney, (1980), Writer, producer, actor of National Lampoon Magazine and Animal House. Fell or was pushed off cliff in Hawaii. Composed note "These are the best days I've chosen to ignore" in hotel room.
• Preston King, (1865), senator from New York, leapt from ferryboat in New York Harbor
• Heinrich von Kleist, (1811), German dramatist and poet
• Jochen Klepper, (1942)
• Günther von Kluge, (1944), German Field Marshal
• Fletcher Knebel, (1993), US novelist ('Seven Days in May')
• William F. Knowland, (1974), former Senate Majority Leader, self inflicted gunshot
• Sándor Kocsis, (1979), Hungarian football (soccer) player, killed himself in Barcelona after diagnosis of cancer
• Arthur Koestler, (1983), journalist, novelist, political activist, and social philosopher
• Hannelore Kohl, (2001), wife of ex-chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl
• Nestor Kombot-Naguemon 2004 diplomat and politician from the Central African Republic, jumped out of a window in Paris while serving as ambassador to France
• Prince Fumimaro Konoe, (1945), Japanese war criminal
• Jerzy Kosinski, (1991), Polish-American author
• Philip Taylor Kramer, (1995), Rock musician and physicist
• Friedrich Wilhelm Krüger , Nazi official during WWII
• Friedrich Alfred Krupp, (1902), German industrialist; committed suicide when his homosexuality was revealed

L

• Alan Ladd, (1964), U.S. film star, overdose of alcohol and pills, highly disputed for many years
• Paul Lafargue, (1911), son-in-law of Karl Marx, communist theorist and author of The Right to Be Lazy
• Robert M. La Follette, Jr., (1953), senator from Wisconsin.
• Karen Lancaume, (2005), French adult film star.
• Carole Landis, (1948), actress
• James H. Lane, (1866), senator from Kansas, general in Civil War, shot himself after being charged with financial irregularities
• Hans Langsdorff, (1939), captain of the Admiral Graf Spee
• Florence Lawrence, (1938), Hollywood's first movie Star
• George P. Lawrence, (1917), representative from Massachusetts, jumped out of building to death due to stress caused by World War I
• Katherine Lawrence, (2004), writer
• Lee Kyung Hae, (2003), South Korean activist
• Victoria Lee, (1888), daughter of Emma Lee French
• Primo Levi, (1987), Italian author and Auschwitz survivor
• Meriwether Lewis, (1809), US explorer with Clark; died in mysterious circumstances, either murder or suicide
• Robert Ley, (1945), Nazi war criminal
• Vachel Lindsay, (1931), US poet
• Peter Llewelyn-Davies, (1960), UK publisher who as a boy was the inspiration for J M Barrie's Peter Pan
• Ross Lockridge, Jr., (1948}, US novelist, author of Raintree County
• Philip Loeb (1955), blacklisted American actor
• Mark Lombardi, (2000), US artist whose art described international white-collar crime networks; hanged himself in his Williamsburg, New York studio
• Jack London, (1916), US novelist (his doctor believed he had committed suicide by overdose of morphine and atropine, but his widow prevailed on a more senior doctor to ascribe the death to uremia, and had the body quickly cremated before an autopsy could be done)
• Terry Long, (2005), Former NFL player
• Hans Loritz (1946), concentration camp commandant at various times - Esterwegen, Dachau, Sachsenhausen
• Noah Lottick, (1991), Scientology follower.
• Malcolm Lowry, (1957), British writer
• Gherasim Luca, (1994), Romanian surrealist
• Lucan, (65), Roman poet
• Ron Luciano, (1995), baseball umpire
• J. Anthony Lukas, (1997), US author and journalist
• Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov, (1918), Russian mathematician, mechanician and physicist
• Roman Lyashenko, (2003), professional hockey player

M

• Richard Manuel, (1986), singer, multi-instrumentalist, member of The Band hung himself while on tour in Fla.
• Kid McCoy, (1940), world champion boxer (real name: Norman Shelby)
• Billy Mackenzie, (1996), lead singer of 1980s pop group The Associates
• Gordon McMaster, (1997), British politician
• Magnentius, (353), Roman usurper
• Sándor Márai, (1989), Hungarian writer and journalist
• Jan Masaryk, (1948), Czech politician and statesman who either jumped, fell, or was pushed out a window
• Hideto Matsumoto, (1998), Japanese rock musician
• Denis Matthews, (1988), UK pianist
• Robert Maxwell, (1991), Czech-born UK newspaper magnate who, some believe, jumped overboard in the Atlantic leaving a financial disaster in his wake - the official inquest ruled it was 'accidental drowning'.
• Vladimir Mayakovsky, (1930), Russian poet; his suicide note said 'I don't recommend it for others'
• Jacques Mayol (2001), French free-diver
• Joe Meek (1967), Record producer
• Niklaus Meienberg, (1993), Swiss author
• Kitty Melrose, (1912), English actress
• Joseph Merrick, (1890), UK celebrity known as the Elephant Man; alleged to have committed suicide by allowing his massive head to obstruct his windpipe
• General Ioannis Metaxas, (1941), Greek military leader and dictator 1936-41
• Charlotte Mew, (1928), English poet
• Noel Mewton-Wood, (1953), Australian pianist; drank prussic acid
• James Miller, fan man, (2003), parachutist
• Walter M. Miller, Jr., (1996), science-fiction writer
• Freddie Mills, (1965), world champion boxer
• Yukio Mishima, (1970), Japanese novelist; committed public ritual seppuku
• Walther Model, (1945), German Field Marshal
• Scott Mody , (2005) , Convicted Felon
• Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, (2001), South African jazz pianist
• Jürgen W. Möllemann, (2003), German politician
• Marilyn Monroe, (1962), American actress (some suspect foul play)
• Henry de Montherlant, (1972), French writer
• Donnie Moore, (1989), relief pitcher for the California Angels
• Florencio Morales Ramos, 1989, Ramito, trova singer
• Ted Moult, (1986), British television personality
• Renate Müller, (1937), German actress
• David Munrow, (1976), UK early music specialist, founder of the Early Music Consort
• James Murray, (1936), U.S. silent film actor, The Crowd, drowned in the Hudson River

N

• Joachim Nielsen, 2000, Norwegian singer in the band Jokke Og Valentinerne, overdosed on heroin.
• Oskar Nedbal, (1930), Czech composer ('The Tale of the Simply Johnny'); jumped out a window on Christmas Eve
• Gérard de Nerval, (1855), French writer
• Robert Leon Nichols, (1997), Roadie with the Grateful Dead in an apparent copy of the Heaven's Gate cult suicides.
• Frank Nitti, (1943), US gangster, who shot himself rather than go to jail. Some believe Nitti was murdered.

O

• Luis Ocaña, (1994), Spanish cyclist, Tour de France winner
• Phil Ochs, (1976), American singer, hanged himself in sister's apartment, Far Rockaway, New York.
• John O'Brien, (1994), author of Leaving Las Vegas (on which the film was based)
• Per Yngve Ohlin, (1991), vocalist for Mayhem, shot himself with a shotgun after having slashed his wrist and cut his throat
• Christina Onassis, (1988), Greek tycoon,
• Hugh O'Connor, (1995), actor
• Johnny O'Keefe, (1978), Australian rock legend known as The Wild One; drug overdose

P

• Jan Palach, (1969), protesting Soviet crushing of the Prague Spring
• Billy Papke, (1936), world champion boxer
• Violeta Parra (1967), famous Chilean folk singer
• Jules Pascin, (1930), French-American painter
• John Patrick, (1995), US playwright and screenwriter; placed a plastic bag over his head
• Cesare Pavese, (1950), Italian poet, novelist
• Petronius Arbiter, (66), Roman satirist; opened his own veins
• Richard Piggott, (1890), author of the Piggott Forgeries.
• Pontius Pilate, (36), Roman governor and alleged judge of Jesus of Nazareth
• H. Beam Piper, (1964), American science fiction writer
• Sylvia Plath, (1963), American poet, author and essayist
• Dana Plato, (1999), American actress
• Stevie Plunder, (1995), Australian guitarist, The Whitlams
• Ben Pollack, (1971), Drummer and big-band leader from the mid 20s to the Swing era
• Jan Potocki, (1815), Polish aristocrat, traveler, writer; shot himself with a silver bullet
• Nicos Poulantzas,(1979),Greco-French Marxist political sociologist
• Felix Powell, (1942), UK song writer best known for 'Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile', once described as 'the most optimistic song ever written'
• Lucien Anatole Prevost-Paradol (1870), French journalist and diplomat
• George R. Price American population geneticist.
• Freddie Prinze, (1977), Puerto Rican American comedian and actor, best known for television show Chico and the Man, died of self inflicted gunshot wound.
• Carlos Prío Socarrás, (1977), former president of Cuba.
• Boris Pugo, (1991), serving minister of the Interior of the USSR
• Jack Purvis, (1962), American jazz trumpeter

Q

• Richard Quine, (1989), US film director
• Robert Quine, (2004), guitar player of Richard Hell & the Voidoids
• Glenn Quinn, (2002), Actor, famous for his role in the TV Shows Beverly Hills, 90210 and Angel (created by Joss Whedon). Drug overdose.

R

• Dalia Rabikovich, (2005), Israeli poet
• Danny Rapp, (1983), frontman for Danny & the Juniors
• David Rappaport, (1990), actor
• Matt Rasberry, (2005),
• Jan-Carl Raspe, (1977), German criminal in Baader-Meinhof gang
• Geli Raubal, (1931), niece and possibly lover of Adolf Hitler; officially committed suicide but may have been murdered
• Alfred Redl, (1913), Austrian army officer, spied for Russia
• George Reeves, (1959), US actor, played Superman on television
• David Reimer, (2004), Canadian advocate/the "John/Joan" case
• René Rivkin, (2005), Australian stockbroker and entrepreneur
• Carlos Roberto Reina, (2003), former president of Honduras
• John Robarts, (1982) former Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario, 1961 - 1971; committed suicide with shotgun
• Rachel Roberts, (1980)), Welsh-born British actress
• Bill Robinzine, (1982), American basketball player
• Charles Rocket, (2005), American comedian
• Samuel Romilly, (1818), British prison reformer
• Erwin Rommel, (1944), German Field Marshal
• Iris von Roten-Meyer, (1990), artist and jurist
• Mark Rothko, (1970), Russian-American painter
• Ruan Lingyu, (1935), Chinese actress
• Irv Rubin, (2002), leader of the Jewish Defense League
• Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, (1889), heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne
• Thomas Jefferson Rusk, (1857) U.S. senator from Texas
• Michael Ryan, (1987), mass murderer at Hungerford; shot himself as police closed in on him
• Jakub Jan Ryba, (1815), Czech composer and teacher
• Akutagawa Ryunosuke, (1927), Japanese novelist
• Johnathan Rubis, (1892), American Columnist

S

• Emilio Salgari, (1911), Italian writer
• Albert Salmi, (1990), American actor
• Alexander Samsonov, (1914), Russian military commander
• George Sanders, (1972), English actor
• Alberto Santos-Dumont, (1932), aviation pioneer
• Richard Sarver, (2005), NHRA driver
• Savannah, (1994), pornographic actress
• Gia Scala, (1972), actress
• Romy Schneider, (1982), Austrian actress (officially cardiac arrest, but may have been self-induced)
• Eugen Schauman ,(1904), Finnish nationalist, assassin of the Governor-General Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov.
• Margie Schoedinger, (2003), Filed lawsuit against George W. Bush claiming she had been raped
• Conrad Schumann, (1998), GDR refugee
• 'Screaming Lord Sutch', (1999), UK eccentric singer and politician
• William Seabrook (1945), adventurer, travel writer
• Jean Seberg, (1979), American actress
• Seneca the Younger, (65), was ordered to commit suicide by the emperor Nero
• Anne Sexton, (1974), American poet
• Del Shannon, (1990), American singer
• H.A. Shanu, (1905), Congo reformer
• Harold Shipman, (2004), imprisoned British doctor found to have killed 250+ of his patients
• Arthur Shrewsbury, (1903), former captain of the England cricket team
• Elizabeth Siddal, (1862), Pre-Raphaelite icon
• Eli Siegel, (1978), founded Aesthetic Realism
• Varnado Simpson, (1997), Pfc jointly responsible for the My Lai Massacre
• The Singing Nun - see Jeanine Deckers
• Walter Slezak, (1983), U.S. actor
• Everett Sloane, (1965)U.S. actor, part of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater
• Elliott Smith, (2003), American musician (reported as suicide but still under investigation)
• James Leonard Brierley Smith, 1968, South African paleoanatomist
• Soga no Emishi, (645), stateman
• John Hanning Speke, (1864), UK explorer of Africa
• Sir Bernard Spilsbury, (1947), UK forensic pathologist who helped convict Dr. Crippen; gassed himself in an oven at his laboratory
• Layne Staley, (2002), singer of Alice in Chains
• Serge Stavisky, (1934), Russian-French swindler
• Gary Stewart, (2003), country singer
• Adalbert Stifter (1868), Austrian writer
• Rory Storm, (1972), singer of the Hurricanes (the band Ringo Starr was in before he joined the Beatles), in a pact with his mother
• David Strickland, (1999), actor
• Screaming Lord Sutch, (1999), British musician and loony politician

T

• Yutaka Taniyama, (1958), Japanese mathematician
• Tawfik Abu al-Huda Baja, (1956), former prime minister of Jordan
• Sara Teasdale, (1933), American poet
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky, (1893), Russian composer (possible suicide)
• Count Paul Teleki, (1941), Hungarian statesman
• Lou Tellegen, (1934), Dutch-born American film actor
• Luigi Tenco, (1967), Italian singer-songwriter
• Jason Thirsk, (1996), Bassist for Pennywise
• Jesse B. Thomas, (1853), U.S. Senator from Illinios
• Hunter S. Thompson, (2005), American author
• Ric Throssell, (1999), Australian diplomat, writer
• Georg Tintner, (1999), Austrian-born conductor active in Canada and Australia; jumped 11 stories when he was no longer able to conduct due to illness
• Ernst Toller, (1939), German writer
• Mikhail Tomsky, (1936), Russian Revolutionary
• Wolfe Tone, (1798), Irish independence leader
• John Kennedy Toole, (1969), American novelist
• Silvanus Trevail (1903) Cornish architect shot himself in the lavatory of a train.
• Marina Tsvetaeva, (1941), Russian poetess and writer
• Kurt Tucholsky, (1935), German journalist and satirist
• Alan Turing, (1954), British mathematician and computer scientist
• John Walker Turnbull, (1999), British Soldier
• Randy Turpin, (1966), British world champion boxer

U

• Ernst Udet, (1941), German air ace and Luftwaffe inspector general
• Urmuz (1923), Romanian writer
• Gen Ushijima, (1945), Japanese military commander who lost the Battle of Okinawa

V

• Amy Vanderbilt, (1974), etiquette writer
• Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke, (1941), American film director
• George Washington Vanderbilt III, (1961), American yachtsman and a scientific explorer
• Peter Van Eyck, (1969), Dutch-UK film actor
• Vincent van Gogh, (1890), Dutch painter
• Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, (1954), President of Brazil. Killed himself during impeachment trial.
• Publius Quinctilius Varus, (9), at the end of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
• Minnie Vautrin, (1941), American missionary who helped the Chinese during the Nanking Massacre in 1937
• Lupe Vélez, (1944), actress
• Baroness Mary Vetsera, (1889), mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph - see Mayerling
• Tudor Vianu, (1964), Romanian writer
• Sid Vicious, (1979), bass player of the Sex Pistols. Drug overdose.
• Hervé Villechaize, (1993), French actor
• Pierre-Charles Villeneuve (1806), French admiral who lost the Battle of Trafalgar

W

• Petri Walli, (1995), Finnish rock musician
• Jeremy Michael Ward, (2003), musician in The Mars Volta
• Stephen Ward, (1963), UK osteopath who was caught up in the Profumo affair
• Peter Warlock, (1930), UK composer (also known as Philip Heseltine)
• Doodles Weaver, (1983), US comedian, member of Spike Jones' City Slickers
• Gary Webb, (2004), US investigative reporter; death ruled as suicide from two gunshots
• Otto Weininger, (1903), Austrian philosopher
• Ernst Weiß, (1940), German author
• George Weldon, (1963), UK conductor, died in South Africa
• Fred West, (1995), husband of convicted British killer Rosemary West. Hanged himself in prison whilst awaiting trial on the same crimes.
• James Whale, (1957), UK film director
• Samuel Whitbread, (1815), Whig politician
• Charles White Whittlesey, (1921) Medal of Honor Recipient. Famed commander of WWI's Lost Battalion
• Kenneth Williams (1988), camp comedian, UK TV personality and diarist
• Paul Williams, (1973), singer (Temptations)
• Percy Williams (1982), athlete
• Rozz Williams, (1998), Musician, "Christian Death"
• Wendy O. Williams, (1998), musician, The Plasmatics
• Greg Wilton, (2000), the only Australian Federal politician who has ever successfully attempted suicide
• Eduard Wirths (1945), military surgeon conducted research work at Auschwitz concentration camp
• Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, (1939), Polish author, novelist, painter, philosopher
• Wally Wood, (1981), cartoonist
• Virginia Woolf, (1941), British novelist

X

• Xiang Yu, (202 BC) the powerful warlord during Chu-Han contention in China

Y

• Paula Yates, (2000), British television personality
• Alfredo Yabrán, (1998), Argentine businessman
• Sergei Yesenin, (1925), poet, husband of Isadora Duncan
• Haile Yimenu, (1991), former prime minister of Ethiopia
• Gig Young, (1978), US actor

Z

• Bernd Alois Zimmermann, (1970)
• Marion Anthony Zioncheck, (1936), congressman from Washington, jumped out of office building
• Mahmoud Zuabi, (2000), Syrian prime minister shot himself on May 21, two months after resigning over corruption charges
• Stefan and Lotte Zweig, (1942), Austrian novelist and his wife
• Szmul Zygielbojm (1943), committed suicide to protest the indifference of Allied governments in the face of the Holocaust.

Monarchs

• Saul King of Israel (1 Sam. 31:4)
• Shang Zhou, (1046 BC), the last king of the Shang Dynasty of China
• Fusu, (210 BC), son of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, and brother of the Second Emperor, Qin Er Shi, forced to commit suicide by a fake decree
• Qin Er Shi, (207 BC), the Second Emperor of Qin dynasty China
• Cleopatra VII of Egypt, (30 BC), last Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt
• Ludwig II of Bavaria, (1886), drowning
• Nero, (68), emperor of Rome (under duress)
• Otho, (69), Roman emperor
• Boudica, (1st century), Celtic chieftainess
• Decebal, (106), Dacian king
• Clodius Albinus, (197), Roman emperor
• Gordian I, (238), Roman emperor
• Quintillus, (270), Roman emperor
• Maximian, (310), Roman emperor
• Eugenius, (394), Roman emperor
• Chongzhen, (1644), the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China
• Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva, (2001), young King of Nepal, committed suicide after assassinating his father, King Birendra, and other members of the royal family

By Seppuku

• Minamoto no Yorimasa, (1180)
• Oda Nobunaga, (1582)
• Hojo Ujimasa, (1590)
• Akou-Roushi (47 ronins), (1703)
• Yoshida Shoin, (1859)
• Takechi Hanpeita, (1865)
• Saigo Takamori, (1876), Japanese politician
• General Nogi, (1912)
• Korechika Anami, War Minister, (1945)
• Kimitake Hiraoka, better known as Yukio Mishima, (1970)

Known afterwards

• Marshall Applewhite, (1997), Heaven's Gate cult leader who convinced his followers to kill themselves so they could board a UFO and follow Comet Hale-Bopp. They were all found dead in a San Diego area mansion.
• Eric Harris, (1999), Columbine High shooter
• Dylan Klebold, (1999), Columbine High shooter
• Elizabeth Shin, (2000), MIT student
• Brandon Vedas, 2003, overdosed while conversing with people on IRC and on webcam.
• Joel Henry Hinrichs III, (2005), detonated suicide bomb at the University of Oklahoma.