2012 Event Jon Lord, an English composer and pianist and co-founder of the heavy rock group, Deep Purple, dies after suffering a pulmonary embolism 2012 Event In the Philippines, four new species of freshwater crab are discovered; the crab are bright purple in color 2003 Death Sheb Wooley, singer/actor, ", One-eyed, One-horn Flying Purple People Eater, ", dies at 82 1996 Death Gene Nelson, actor/dancer (SOB, Purple Hills, Starlift), dies at 76 1987 Death Benson Fong, actress (Charlie Chan, Purple Heart), dies at 70 1986 Event 43th Golden Globes: Whoopi Goldberg, Color Purple win 1984 Event Prince's "Purple Rain," album goes to #1 and stays #1 for 24 weeks 1983 Event Alice Walker wins Pulitzer Prize for "The Color Purple" 1983 Event Pulitzer prize awarded to Alice Walker for "Color Purple" 1980 Death Sam Levene, actor (Purple Heart, Designing Women), dies at 75 1979 Birthday Zhang Ziyi, born in Beijing, China, actress, internationally successful film star, appeared in 'Hero', 'Purple Butterfly', 'House of Flying Daggars', 'The Horsemen', 'Memoirs of a Geisha' 1976 Death Tommy Bolin, rock guitarist (Deep Purple), dies of heroin overdose 1976 Event Rock group Deep Purple disbands 1975 Event Ritchie Blackmore quits Deep Purple, forms Rainbow 1973 Event "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple goes gold 1970 Death Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist (Purple Hayes), dies of an overdose at 27 1967 Event "Purple Haze" recorded by Jimi Hendrix 1960 Birthday Apollonia, Patricia Kotero, born in Santa Monica, California, actress, Purple Rain 1958 Event "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley hits #1 1958 Birthday O+>, Prince, Rogers Nelson, Minnesota, rocker/actor, 1999, Purple Rain 1956 Birthday Joe Satriani, born in Westbury, New York, instrumentalist, guitarist, Grammy-Award nominee, recruited by Mick Jagger to play lead guitar for The Rolling Stones' tour, in 1988, lead guitarist for Deep Purple in 1994, performed in annual G3 Jam Concerts, influenced by Eric Clapton 1954 Birthday Steve Morse, born in Hamilton, Ohio, rocker, guitarist, founder of the Dixie Dregs, guitar player in Deep Purple 1954 Birthday Oprah Winfrey, born in Mississippi, actress/TV host, Color Purple, Oprah 1952 Birthday Glenn Hughes, born in Cannock, England, bassist, vocalist, member of Black Sabbath, also played with Trapeze, Deep Purple 1951 Birthday Carmen R "Tata" Vega, U.S. soul singer, Color Purple soundtrack 1951 Birthday Cheryl Ladd, born in Huron, South Dakota, actress, Charlie's Angels, Purple Hearts 1950 Event Leroy Deans awarded 1st Order of Purple Heart in Korea 1949 Birthday Whoopi Goldberg, Caryn Johnson, New York City, actress, Color Purple, Burglar 1949 Birthday David Coverdale, England, rock vocalist, Whitesnake, Deep Purple 1949 Birthday Ronnie James Dio, rocker, Dio-Holy Diver, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath 1948 Birthday Ian Paice, British hard rock drummer, White Snake, Deep Purple 1946 Birthday Doug Simper, rocker, Deep Purple 1945 Birthday Roger Glover, British hard rock bassist, Episode Six-Deep Purple 1945 Birthday Ritchie Blackmore, born in England, guitarist, Rainbow-Stone Cold, Deep Purple 1944 Birthday Alice Walker, U.S., novelist, Color Purple, Meridian 1942 Birthday Jimi Hendrix, born in Seattle, Washington rock guitarist, Purple Haze 1941 Birthday Chris Curtis, Chris Crummy, rock drummer/vocalist, Deep Purple 1939 Birthday Clarence Williams III, New York City, actor, Mod Squad, 52 Pick Up, Purple Rain 1936 Birthday April Stevens, born in Niagara Falls, New York, rock vocalist, Deep Purple 1935 Death William Watson, British poet (Purple East), dies 1935 Birthday Nino Tempo, Niagara Falls, New York, rock vocalist, Deep Purple 1933 Death Wilson Mizner, playwright, entrepreneur, raconteur, wrote, 'The Deep Purple', 'The Greyhound', opium addict, boxing manager, hotel manager, managed restaurant The Brown Derby, with brother, Addison Mizner, dies 1932 Event Purple Heart award reinstituted 1921 Birthday Sheb Wooley, born in Erick, Oklahoma, vocalist, Purple People Eater, Hee Haw 1917 Birthday Ram Gopal, Indies/English dancer, Blue Peter, Purple Plain 1916 Birthday Benson Fong, Sacramento California, actress, Charlie Chan, Purple Heart 1876 Birthday Wilson Mizner, born in Benicia, California, playwright, entrepreneur, raconteur, wrote, 'The Deep Purple', 'The Greyhound', opium addict, boxing manager, hotel manager, managed restaurant The Brown Derby, with brother, Addison Mizner 1872 Birthday Zane Grey, American West novelist, Riders of the Purple Sage 1866 Birthday Gelett Burgess, author, Purple Cow 1782 Event George Washington creates Order of Purple Heart
