FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Who died first Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Who died first Quizzes, Trivia

Who Died First? Trivia

Who Died First? Trivia Quizzes

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. People Trivia
  6. »
  7. Death Becomes Them

Fun Trivia
7 quizzes and 75 trivia questions.
1.
  Which of the Four Died First?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I give you four very famous people, one of whom died at least a decade before the other three. Identify the one who died earliest. With each question, we move further back in time...
Very Difficult, 10 Qns, EnglishJedi, Oct 08 12
Very Difficult
EnglishJedi gold member
809 plays
2.
  Who Died First? Quiz Challenge    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The concept is simple, you need to choose the first person to die out of the four listed here. Easy as pie ... or is it?
Tough, 15 Qns, bolan, Dec 16 15
Tough
bolan
3264 plays
3.
  Who Died First? Part Three    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
So many dead people, so little time. Each of the following ten questions presents the names of four famous people--associated with each other--and you have to tell me which one went to that great history blog in the sky FIRST.
Difficult, 10 Qns, DonTozzi, Jan 06 16
Difficult
DonTozzi
370 plays
4.
  Sinatra Didn't Die Alone-10 deaths on May 14   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is my second "Didn't Die Alone" quiz. "The King"/Elvis was first and now, "The Chairman of the Board". Francis Albert Sinatra passed away on May 14, 1998. Here are 10 folks who passed away on the same day in different years.
Difficult, 10 Qns, paulmallon, May 30 12
Difficult
paulmallon gold member
356 plays
5.
  Who Died First?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Well, this may be morbid but we all have to go some time. Each of the following ten questions present the names of four famous people--associated with each other--and you have to tell me which one went to that great celebrity column in the sky FIRST.
Difficult, 10 Qns, DonTozzi, Nov 11 15
Difficult
DonTozzi
514 plays
6.
  More Corresponding Births and Deaths    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Thank you for the positive response to my first quiz in this category and hope that this follow-up will also be informative.
Tough, 10 Qns, muffin1708, May 03 14
Tough
muffin1708
342 plays
7.
  Who Died First? Part Two    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Back for more, are you? Okay. Just remember, each of the following ten questions present the names of four famous people--loosely associated with each other--and you have to tell me which one went to that great celebrity column in the sky FIRST.
Difficult, 10 Qns, DonTozzi, Nov 30 15
Difficult
DonTozzi
368 plays

Who Died First? Trivia Questions
1. Damned commies! You know they're trying to take over the world! Right? Karl Marx, Freddie Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, all those Reds. But which one went to that big collective farm first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Three

Answer: Marx

Comrades! Tovarishchi! Karl Marx died in 1883. Friedrich Engels died in 1895. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov--aka Lenin--died in 1924. Trotsky was assassinated in 1940. Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your lives!

2. Booze, cigarettes, singing, kibbitzing... It must be The Rat Pack! Now, they're all worm food. But who died first, baby?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Two

Answer: Peter Lawford

Peter Lawford, the only member of The Rat Pack not born in the United States, died in 1984. Throat cancer took Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1990. Dean Martin sang "That's Amore" for the last time, metaphorically speaking, in 1995. And Ol' Blue Eyes scobby-doo-bee-doo-bee'd outta here in 1998.

3. Hey, ho! We croaked! The Ramones, in spite of themselves, arguably and probably accidentally, spawned the punk rock movement. Which member of this quartet died first?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Joey Ramone

Joey Ramone, the band's lead singer, died in 2001. Dee Dee, hot on Joey's heels, died in 2002 of an overdose. Johnny waited until 2004 before putting his guitar down forever. Tommy just passed away in 2014.

4. The Declaration of Indepedence may have immortalized these guys but, biologically speaking, they were still mortal. Who died first?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

Good old Ben was the first to become free of this mortal coil in 1790. John Hancock, who had the largest signature, died in 1793. Coincidentally, friends, then enemies, then friends again, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died hours apart on the 50th anniversary of the signing of The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1826.

5. Moving back further into the middle of the 20th century -- these four all died after 1940. Which one went first, though?

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: Babe Ruth

Born in Baltimore MD in 1895, George Herman Ruth jr aka 'The Babe', 'The Bambino' and 'The Sultan of Swat' began his professional baseball career as a pitcher. After 22 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Boston Red Sox (1914-19), the New York Yankees (1920-34) and the Boston Braves (1935) he finished holding just about every hitting record going including most home runs (714). He died in New York City in 1948 aged 53. Born in Ashfield MA in 1881, Cecil Blount DeMille directed such classic films as 'Cleopatra' (in 1934), 'Samson and Delilah' (1949), 'The Greatest Show on Earth' (1952) and 'The Ten Commandments' (in 1956). He died in Hollywood CA in 1959 aged 77. Born in Richland Center WI in 1869, Frank Lincoln Wright designed more than 1,000 structures in his lifetime. The 'American Institute of Architects' named him as "the greatest American architect of all time" in 1991. He died in Phoenix AZ in 1959 aged 91. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia in 1909, Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn was Hollywood's first playboy superstar. He is best remembered for for swashbuckling performances in films such as 'Captain Blood' (in 1935), 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (1936), 'The Prince and the Pauper' (1937) and in the title role in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (in 1938). He died of a heart attack in Vancouver BC, Canada in 1959 aged just 50.

6. Which was your favorite Odd Couple? Randall and Klugman or Lemmon and Matthau? Everyone has their own strong opinion on the matter. It didn't matter to The Reaper, though--he took them all. Which one did he take first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Two

Answer: Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau, the only New Yorker in the bunch, died on July 1, 2000. His co-star, Jack Lemmon, died just under a year later, on June 27, 2001. TV's Felix Unger, Tony Randall, died on May 17, 2004. His partner, cigar-chomping, Jack Klugman, whom I'd seen many times at Belmont Racetrack, died on Christmas Eve 2012. Oscar, Oscar, Oscar...

7. Need another reason to quit? These famous people died within a decade of each other from smoking too many cigarettes. But which one went to that Big Ashtray first?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Yul Brynner

Yul Brenner died in 1985. Desi Arnaz died just a year later in 1986. John Huston stubbed out his life in 1987. Vincent Price puffed himself away in 1993.

8. Moses Horwitz, Jerome Horwitz, Samuel Horwitz and Louis Feinberg--better remembered as Moe, Curly and Shemp Howard, and Larry Fine--were, of course, members of The Three Stooges. Which one went to that great pie-fight in the sky first?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Curly

The youngest of the brothers, Jerome (Curly), died in 1952. The eldest, Samuel (Shemp) died in 1955. Moses (Moe) and Louis (Larry) died months apart in 1975. This question is close to my heart, not only because I loved the Stooges (and still do), but also because they grew up in the same neighborhood I did: Bath Beach, Brooklyn, NY.

9. Right back to the beginning of the 20th century now -- these four all died since 1900. Who died more than a decade before the other three?

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: Anton Chekhov

Born in Taganrog, Russia in 1860, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is widely regarded as one of the greatest short story writers of all time. Today he is probably best remembered for his plays which include 'The Seagull' (1896) and 'The Cherry Orchard' (1904). He died of TB in Badenweiler, Germany in 1904 aged just 44. Born near Bristol, England in 1848, William Gilbert Grace is considered one of the greatest English cricketers ever. Both a batsman and bowler, Grace dominated the sport throughout his era. He died in Kent, England in 1915 aged 67. Born near Le Claire IA in 1846, William Frederick Cody aka 'Buffalo Bill' was one of the most significant figures in the American Wild West. In later years, he became known as a showman as his cowboy-themed shows toured the world. He died in Denver CO in 1917 aged 70. Born in Paris, France in 1834, Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas was one of the founders of the Impressionism art movement. Most of his paintings depict either horse-racing or ballet -- more than half of his works depict dancers. He died in Paris in 1917 aged 83.

10. Famous Comedians time... The grand comics of old, from George Burns to Moe Howard, they're all here. Which of them was there to greet the rest as the first to enter the beyond?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Fred Allen

Fred Allen, noted radio and film comedian, was there to greet all his friends and competition into the great beyond, as he went first in March of 1956.

11. Green Acres is the place to be! Greenlawn is the place to be buried. These four stars of the mildly amusing series "Green Acres" have gone on to greener pastures. But who went first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Three

Answer: Pat Buttram (who played Mr. Haney)

Mr. Haney! (I can almost hear Eddie Albert growl.) Pat Buttram passed away in 1994. The stunning Eva Gabor died in 1995, dah-ling. Eddie Albert, the oldest of the group, died at 99 years old in 2005, and Frank Cady died in 2012. He was 96. Next stop, Petticoat Junction? Nah.

12. Going back into the 19th century now -- all these four died after 1865. This time, though, the odd one out died at least TWO decades before the other three -- who died first?

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: David Livingstone

Born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1813, David Livingstone was one of the most important of the early explorers of Africa. His was the first statue erected on the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls. He died from malaria in what is now Zambia in 1873 aged 60. Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1833, Johannes Brahms was both a virtuoso pianist as well as one of the most significant composers of the Romantic era. He died of cancer in 1897 aged 63. Born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Daresbury, Cheshire, England in 1832, Lewis Carroll is best remembered for his writings in the 'literary nonsense' genre including the fantasy novels 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass' and the poem 'Jabberwocky'. He died of pneumonia following influenza in Guildford, England in 1898 aged 65. Born in Liverpool, England in 1809, William Ewart Gladstone served four times (more than anyone else in history) as British Prime Minister. He is also Britain's oldest PM -- he was 84 when he left office for the last time. He died (officially of 'senility' -- old age) in Flintshire, Wales in 1898 aged 88.

13. Which legendary leader was the first to step down from the throne the hard way?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Alexander

Alexander, better known as Alexander the Great, had come to dominate Macedonia in the fourth century BC. He died shortly after his return from India, in 323BC.

14. "I want to be alone." These recluses were so adept at staying out of public view that sightings of them made the news. But they couldn't hide from our friend, the Reaper. Whom did he find first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Three

Answer: Howard Hughes

Multimillionaire, inventor, industrialist, and OCD victim, Howard Hughes, was flushed out first in 1976. Swedish beauty and actress, Greta Garbo, who could have given Howard Hughes a run for his money, literally, died in 1990. At the time of her death, her estate was estimated to be worth over $30 million--in 1990 dollars! Eccentric chess master, Bobby Fischer, was checkmated in 2008. "Catcher in the Rye" author, J.D. Salinger, was caught by Mr. Death in 2010.

15. World War II took its toll on the lives of millions upon millions of people. It also took its toll on those leaders of that war. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Emperor Hirohito, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were those leaders. Which one died first?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

April 1945 witnessed the deaths of three of the four leading participants of that terrible conflict: FDR died on April 12, 1945 of natural causes; Il Duce Mussolini was executed on April 28, 1945; and Adolf Hitler followed just two days later on April 30, 1945 by suicide. Emperor Hirohito lived well into his 80s, and died of natural causes in 1989. (All right, so the war didn't take a physical toll on Hirohito all that much).

16. Back to the middle of the 19th century now -- these four all died after 1830, but which one perished more than two decades before the other three?

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: Davy Crockett

Born in Greene County TN (then in the state of Franklin) in 1766, David Crockett was a soldier and a politician, but he is best remembered as an American folk hero -- 'The King of the Wild Frontier'. He died in the Battle of The Alamo in San Antonio TX in 1836 aged 49. Born in Weybridge, England in 1806, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an engineer who revolutionized the English transport system. He not only built bridges, tunnels and dockyards, but also developed the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, 'The Great Eastern' and the Great Western Railway. In a 2002 BBC poll, Brunel was voted second in the list of '100 Greatest Britons'. He died following a stroke in 1859 aged just 53. Born in Kelloe, Durham, England in 1806, Elizabeth Barrett was the leading female poet of the Victorian age. She died in Florence, Italy in 1861 aged 55. Her last word: 'Beautiful'. Born in what is now the London borough of Southwark in 1791, Michael Faraday was one of the most influential scientists ever. Experts acknowledge him as the best 'experimentalist' in the history of science. He died in London in 1867 aged 75.

17. Ten-hut! About face! Forward, die! These great American generals bravely and fearlessly sent thousands of other soldiers to their deaths. However, sooner or later, they, too, would meet their maker. But Taps was played for whom first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Three

Answer: George Patton

Old Blood 'n' Guts Patton became just old bones in 1945, immediately after the end of WWII. Douglas MacArthur just faded away after 1964. General and then President Eisenhower was next in 1969. Omar Bradley was last to go, in 1981. Old soldiers never die, they just... Oh, no, wait. They do just die.

18. Sometimes Mr. Death reaps his own form of justice. These four serial killers were taken by him at relatively young ages. Which one went first?

From Quiz Who Died First? Part Two

Answer: Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler)

Albert DeSalvo was stabbed to death in prison in 1973. He was 42. (It is interesting to note that he was never convicted of the murders--he plea bargained. Some believe the real killer got away and may still be at large.) Ted Bundy, who confessed to 30 murders, was sent to the electric chair in 1989. He was 43. John Wayne Gacy, convicted of 33 murders, was executed on May 10, 1994. He was 52. The last and oldest to go was Richard Ramirez, who murdered 14 people. He died of lymphoma and liver disease complications in 2013, at 53 years old. Now if only The Reaper would have visited these guys BEFORE they murdered...

19. Back to the start of the 19th century now, and getting tougher perhaps. These four all died after 1800, but which one departed more than two decades before the other three?

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: Immanuel Kant

Born in Königsberg, Prussia (modern day Kaliningrad in Russia) in 1724, Immanuel Kant was one of the most important philosophers of the Enlightenment era at the end of the 17th Century. He died in Konigsburg in 1804 aged 79. Born in Shadwell VA in 1743, Thomas Jefferson was instrumental as a Founding Father of the United States of America. The principal author of the 'Declaration of Independence' in 1776 and he later became the 3rd U.S. President, serving from 1801-1809. His legacy includes such significant events such as the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the Louisiana Purchase, West Point Military Academy and the University of Virginia. He died in Charlottesville VA in 1826 aged 83. Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven remains to this day one of the most important composers of classical music. A virtuoso pianist, he composed 32 32 piano sonatas in addition to nine complete symphonies. He died, probably of lead poisoning, in Vienna, Austria in 1827 aged 56. Born in Fuendetodos, Aragón, Spain in 1746, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was the quintessential Romantic painter. He is considered the last of the 'Old Masters' and the first of the 'Moderns'. He died of a stroke in Bordeaux, France in 1828 aged 82.

20. Finally, we move back to four people who all died before 1700. This one should be relatively easy, though, as the one you need to identify died more than a *century* before any of the other three.

From Quiz Which of the Four Died First?

Answer: Ferdinand Magellan

Born in Sabrosa, Portugal in about 1480, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European explorer to cross the Pacific Ocean. His expedition of 1519-22 was the first to circumnavigate the Earth, although he did not manage to complete the voyage. He was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521 aged 40-41. Born in Florence, Italy in 1564, writer, astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei has been dubbed as the 'father' of observational astronomy, physics and moder science. His support for Copernicus's theory of heliocentrism landed Galileo in serious hot water with the religious authorities of the time. He died in Tuscany, Italy in 1642 aged 77. Born in Huntingdon, England in 1599, Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the Roundheads in the English Civil War. He signed the death warrant of King Charles I and Cromwell became the 1st Lord Protector. He died of a malarial infection in London in 1658 aged 59. Cromwell was buried in Westminster Abbey but, when the Royalists returned to power in 1560, his body was exhumed and he was 'executed' posthumously by beheading. Born in Leiden, Netherlands in 1606, Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of all time. Many of his best known works are portraits, a large number of them self-portraits, although his most famous painting is 'The Night Watch'. He died in Amsterdam in 1669 aged 63.

21. And for our final question, we go to the infamous Chicago 'Black Sox' team of 1919. Which one of players in the game listed here was the first to go to the ball diamond in the sky?

From Quiz Who Died First?

Answer: Shoeless Joe Jackson

The 1919 Black Sox scandal was one of the lowest points in American Sports History. It sullied the integrity of the game and disappointed millions. Eight players were banned from the game, with Shoeless Joe Jackson being the first to escape from the shame, dying of a heart attack in 1951. In their defense, however, these players had been treated shabbily for several years by greedy owner Charles Comiskey and did what they did because they needed money that Comiskey refused to give up.

This is category 24780
play trivia = Top 5% Rated Quiz, take trivia quiz Top 10% Rated Quiz, test trivia quiz Top 20% Rated Quiz, popular trivia A Well Rated Quiz
new quizzes = added recently, editor pick = Editor's Pick editor = FunTrivia Editor gold = Gold Member

Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.