This is a list of famous people who are known to have committed suicide. Year of their deaths are given in parenthesis.

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

Contents

1 Alphabetical 1.1 A 1.2 B 1.3 C 1.4 D 1.5 E 1.6 F 1.7 G 1.8 H 1.9 I 1.10 J 1.11 K 1.12 L 1.13 M 1.14 N 1.15 O 1.16 P 1.17 Q 1.18 R 1.19 S 1.20 T 1.21 U 1.22 V 1.23 W 1.24 X 1.25 Y 1.26 Z 2 Monarchs 3 By Seppuku 4 Known afterwards

Alphabetical

A

• Johnny Ace, (1954), singer
• George Washington Adams , (1829), son of John Quincy Adams, jumped off a boat
• Nick Adams, (1968), actor; died of drug overdose
• Robert Adams Jr., (1906), congressman from Pennsylvania, shot self after heavy losses in stock speculation
• 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
• Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, (1899), grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Tsar Alexander II of Russia
• Salvador Allende, (1973), president of Chile whose left-wing government was overthrown by Augusto Pinochet, possibly murdered in that coup
• Louis Althusser, (1990), French philosopher
• 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 a 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
• Hubert Aquin, (1977), author
• Diane Arbus, (1971), art photographer
• Edwin Armstrong, (1954), US inventor of FM radio; jumped from a 13th floor window believing FM was a failure.

B

• Mary Bacon , (1991), thoroughbred race horse jockey
• Albert Ballin, (1918)
• 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)
• Cliff Baxter , (2002), Enron vice-chairman
• Thomas M. Bayne , (1894), congressman from Pennsylvania
• Gertrude Bell, (1926), archaeologist, writer, spy and administrator known as the "Uncrowned Queen of Iraq"
• Walter Benjamin, (1940), German cultural theorist
• 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, shot herself.
• Paul Bern , (1932), slashed his wrists after finding himself unable to consummate his marriage to Jean Harlow
• Alain Bernardin , (1994), founder/owner of "Le Crazy Horse Saloon" - Paris
• Ricky Berry , (1989), American NBA Basketball player (Sacramento Kings)
• Bruno Bettelheim, (1990), child psychologist
• Blossius of Cumae, Roman philosopher who led a failed revolt
• Robert Bishop, (1991), fetish artist
• Clara Blandick, (1962), played Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz
• Barcroft Boake, (1892), Australian poet, hanged himself from a tree
• Ludwig Boltzmann, (1906), Austrian physicist
• Ricardo Bordallo, (1990), two-time Governor of Guam
• Ernest Borneman, (1995), German sexologist
• Francesco Borromini, (1667), architect
• Georges Boulanger, (1891), French politician and general
• 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
• 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
• Michael Buonauro, (2004), Web Cartoonist, Web author, "Marvelous Bob "
• Daniel Burros, (1965), Jewish Neo-Nazi

C

• Capucine, (1990), French actress
• Dora Carrington, (1932), artist
• 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 ; jumped from a window
• 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, daughter of Sir Winston Churchill
• Jeremiah Clarke, (1707), composer of Trumpet Voluntary , shot himself
• 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 and singer (Nirvana)
• Billy Collins Jr. , (1984), young boxer
• Ray Combs, (1996), former host of popular American game show Family Feud
• 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, (1981), lead singer of the LA punk band the Germs
• René Crevel , (1935), French painter, 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
• C J De Garis , (1926), Australian financier
• Delphine Delamare , (1848), French woman, the basis for Flaubert's Madame Bovary
• Gilles Deleuze, (1995), French philosopher
• 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 Deva, (2001), young King of Nepal, committed suicide after assassinating his father, King Birendra, and other members of the royal family
• Jenny Dolly , (1941), Hungarian/US entertainer, one of the Dolly Sisters
• Terence Donovan, (1996), English celebrity photographer
• Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (1983), former president of Cuba
• Nick Drake (1974), British singer-songwriter, possibly an accident
• 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 (Katyusha)
• Budd Dwyer, (1987), American politician

E

• John P. East, (1986), U.S. Senator from North Carolina
• George Eastman, (1932), inventor
• Ronald 'Buster' Edwards , (1994), British Great Train robber and flower seller
• John Ellis (1931), remorseful hangman
• Empedocles, (432 BC), Greek philosopher, threw himself into Mt Etna
• 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)
• 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
• James V Forrestal, (1949), Former U.S. Secratary of Defense who quoted Sophocles in his suicide note
• Vincent Foster, (1993), Deputy White House Counsel
• John Friedrich , (1991), Australian businessman and fraudster
• Mike Furber , (1973), Australian singer

G

• Zviad Gamsakhurdia, (1993), former president of Georgia
• Romain Gary, (1980), Russian-French novelist, film director and diplomat
• Danny Gatton, (1994), American guitarist
• Michel Gauquelin, (1991), French psychologist and astrology researcher
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman, (1935), American feminist and author (Herland )
• Henri Giffard, (1882), French aeronautical engineer
• Joseph Goebbels, (1945), German Nazi leader
• Adam Lindsay Gordon, (1870), Australian poet ('Life is mostly froth and bubble')
• Hermann Göring, (1946), German Nazi leader
• Arshile Gorky, (1948), Armenian painter
• 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 then killed himself
• Mitch Halpern, (2000), boxing referee
• Peter Ham, (1975), rock musician (Badfinger)
• 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.
• 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's granddaughter
• James Leo Herlihy, (1993), US novelist ('Midnight Cowboy')
• 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
• 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
• Michael Hutchence, (1997), Australian lead singer of rock group INXS

• 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), Palestian. The first female suicide bomber and known as the modern Joan of Arc to her peers. She started a deadly new trend: female suicide bombers.

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 "People's 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.
• Judas Iscariot, (1st century), according to the Bible, betrayed Jesus

K

• Frida Kahlo, (1954), Mexican painter
• Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin, (1918), Cossack leader during the Russian Civil War
• Sarah Kane, (1999), British playwright
• Kostas Karyotakis, (1928), Greek poet, shot himself
• Terry Kath, (1978), guitarist, Chicago (died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound)
• 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
• Preston King, (1865), senator from New York, lept 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 gun shot
• Arthur Koestler, (1983), Hungarian novelist, political activist and social philosopher; committed suicide with his wife
• 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
• Ivar Kreuger, (1932), Swedish 'match-king'
• Friedrich Krupp , (1902), German industrialist; committed suicide when his homosexuality was revealed

L

• Paul Lafargue, (1911), son-in-law of Karl Marx, communist theorist and author of The Right to Be Lazy
• 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
• Héctor Lavoe, (1993), salsa music singer
• 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 Llewellyn-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
• 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)
• Hans Loritz (date unknown ), concentration camp commandant at various times - Esterwegen, Dachau, Sachsenhausen
• Malcolm Lowry, (1957), British writer
• Gherasim Luca, (1994), Romanian surrealist
• Lucan, (65), Roman poet
• Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov, (1918), Russian mathematician, mechanician and physicist

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
• Magnentius, (353), Roman usurper
• 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 jumped overboard in the Atlantic leaving a financial disaster in his wake
• Vladimir Mayakovsky, (1930), Russian poet; his suicide note said 'I don't recommend it for others'
• Jacques Mayol (2001), Chinese 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, (1940), 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
• 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

N

• Oscar Nedbal , (1930), Czech composer ('The Tale of the Simply Johnny'); jumped out a window on Christmas Eve
• Gérard de Nerval, (1855), French writer
• 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
• John O'Brien, (1994), author of Leaving Las Vegas (on which the film was based)
• 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.
• H. Beam Piper, (1964), American science fiction writer
• Sylvia Plath, (1963), American poetess, author and essayist
• Dana Plato, (1999), American actress
• Stevie Plunder , (1995), Australian guitarist, The Whitlams
• Jan Potocki, (1815), Polish aristocrat, traveler, writer; shot himself with a silver bullet
• 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 and the Voidoids

R

• David Rappaport, (1990), actor
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Thomas Jefferson Rusk, (1857) U.S. senator from Texas
• Jakub Jan Ryba, (1815), Czech composer and teacher
• Akutagawa Ryunosuke, (1927), Japanese novelist

S

• Albert Salmi , (1990), American actor
• Alexander Samsonov, (1914), Russian military commander
• George Sanders, (1972), English actor
• Alberto Santos-Dumont, (1932), aviation pioneer
• Savannah, (1994), pornographic actress
• Romy Schneider, (1982), Austrian actress (officially cardiac arrest, but may have been self-induced)
• Margie Schoedinger, (2003), Filed lawsuit against George W. Bush claiming she had been raped
• Conrad Schumann, (1998), GDR refugee
• William Seabrook (1886-1945), 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), British doctor, serial killer
• Arthur Shrewsbury, (1903), former captain of the England cricket team
• Elizabeth Siddal, (1862), Pre-Raphaelite icon
• The Singing Nun, (1985), Belgian singer
• Walter Slezak, (1983), US actor
• Socrates, (399 BC), philosopher
• John Hanning Speke, (1864), UK explorer of Africa
• Sir Bernard Spilsbury, (1947), UK leading forensic pathologist; his evidence helped convict Dr. Crippen; gassed himself in an oven
• Serge Stavisky , (1934), Russian-French swindler
• Gary Stewart, (2003), country singer
• 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), UK eccentric singer

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
• 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
• Wolfe Tone, (1798), Irish independence leader
• John Kennedy Toole, (1969), American novelist
• Marina Tsvetaeva, (1941), Russian poetess and writer
• Kurt Tucholsky, (1935), German journalist and satirist
• Alan Turing, (1954), British mathematician and computer scientist
• Randy Turpin, (1966), British world champion boxer

U

• Ernst Udet, (1941), German air ace and Luftwaffe inspector general
• 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
• 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
• Lupe Vélez, (1944), actress
• Baroness Maria Vetsera , (1889), mistress of Crown Prince Rudolph - see Mayerling
• Sid Vicious, (1979) bass player of the Sex Pistols, not long after allegedly killing his girlfriend
• Hervé Villechaize, (1993), French actor
• Pierre-Charles Villeneuve (1806), French admiral who lost the Battle of Trafalgar

W

• 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
• 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

• 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

Monarchs

• 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
• Boudicca, (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

• Oda Nobunaga, (1582)
• Akou-Roushi (47 ronins), (1703)
• Yoshida Shoin, (1859)
• Takechi Hanpeita , (1865)
• Saigo Takamori, (1876), Japanese politician
• General Nogi, (1912)
• Kimitake Hiraoka, better known as Yukio Mishima, (1970)

Known afterwards

• Eric Harris, (1999), Columbine High shooter
• Dylan Klebold, (1999), Columbine High shooter
• Elizabeth Shin, (2000), MIT student