- January 18
- Malcolm H Kerr, 9th president of American University of Beirut, shot dead. [1]
- January 20
- Jackie Wilson, rocker, dies at age 49 from a heart attack. [1]
- Peter John [Johnny] Weissmuller, Austrian-born swimmer and actor (Tarzan, Jungle Jim), dies after a series of strokes in Acapulco, Mexico at age 79. [1] [114]
- January 21
- Death of Jackie Wilson, American singer (born 1934). [114]
- Jackie Wilson, US singer ("I Get the Sweetest Feeling"), dies at age 49. [1]
- January 22
- Death of Sir Count Michael Gonzi, Archbishop of Malta and past politician (born 1885). [114]
- January 27
- Lou Crosby, TV announcer (Mayor of Hollywood), dies at age 72. [1]
- January 28
- John Macvane, newscaster (United or Not), dies at age 71. [1]
- January 29
- Frances Goodrich (Diary of Anne Frank), dies from lung cancer at age 93. [1]
- January 30
- Death of Luke Kelly, Irish folk singer (born 1940). [114]
- February 3
- Ravindara Mhatrem, Indian diplomat, killed in England. [1]
- Anne Townsend, lacrosse/tennis/field hockey star, dies. [1]
- February 7
- Brooks West, actor (Richard - My Friend Irma), dies at age 67. [1]
- February 8
- Death of Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (born 1903). [114]
- February 9
- Balasaraswathi, Indian classical dancer, dies in Madras. [1]
- Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party (1982-84), dies at age 69 (born 1914). [1] [114]
- February 10
- Death of David Von Erich, American professional wrestler (born 1958). [114]
- February 12
- Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (Final del Juego), dies at age 69. [1] [114]
- Anna Anderson Manahan [claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia] dies in Virginia. [1]
- February 13
- Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountain climber, dies on Mount McKinley. [1]
- February 15
- Avon Long, dancer/actor (Roots: The Next Generation), dies of cancer at age 73. [1]
- Ethel Merman, American singer/actress (Kid Million), dies in her sleep at age 76 (born 1908). [1] [114]
- Leamon Hunt, US director-General in Sinai, killed by communists. [1]
- February 16
- Ken Williams, TV announcer (Video Village), dies at age 69. [1]
- February 17
- Lucille Benson, actress (Lilly - Bosom Buddies), dies at age 69. [1]
- February 19
- Ina Ray Hutton, orchestra leader (Ina Ray Hutton Show), dies at age 66. [1]
- February 21
- Death of Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905). [1] [114]
- February 22
- David, spent most of his life in a plastic bubble, dies at age 12. [1]
- Death of Jessamyn West, American writer (born 1902). [114]
- Death of Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah, a Pakistani religious leader of Allo Mahar Shrif. [114]
- February 25
- Death of Sean Marsee, American athlete (born 1965). [114]
- February 28
- Leslie Walcott, cricket player (Test for West Indies versus England 1930), dies. [1]
- February 29
- Roland Culver, actor (Thunderball), dies of heart problems at age 83. [1]
- March 1
- Jackie Coogan, American actor (Uncle Fester - Addams Family), dies at age 69 (born 1914). [1] [114]
- March 2
- Louis Basile, actor (Louie - The Super), dies at age 48. [1]
- March 5
- Michael Sklar, California, comedian (Laugh-in, Sha Na Na), dies at age 39. [1]
- Tito Gobbi, Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca), dies at age 68 (born 1915). [1] [114]
- William Powell, American actor (My Man Godfrey), dies at age 91 (born 1892). [1] [114]
- Harry Salter, orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at age 85. [1]
- March 6
- Death of Martin Niemöller in Wiesbaden, Germany; commander of a submarine in World War I, pastor in Berlin, a leader in the resistance against Adolf Hitler, recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967 and the German "Grand Cross of Merit" in 1971. [1] [37]
- Henry Wilcoxon, actor (Cleopatra, Dragnet, Jericho), dies of congessive heart failure at age 78. [1]
- Ian Cromb, cricket player (5 Tests for New Zealand, 123 runs, 8 wickets), dies. [1]
- March 10
- June Marlowe, actress (Pardon US), dies at age 81. [1]
- March 11
- Nakagawa Soen, Zen teacher/poet, dies in Rytutakuji monastery at age 76. [1]
- March 12
- Death of Arnold Ridley, English playwright and actor at age 88 (born 1896). [1] [114]
- Death of Uwe Johnson in Kent, England (born in Germany); German novelist. [37]
- March 13
- Dick Whitington, journalist/cricket player (South Australia and AIF bat), dies. [1]
- March 14
- Aurelio Peccei, Italian businessman/CEO (Club Rome), dies at age 75. [1]
- March 15
- Tommy Cooper, comedian, collapses and dies on stage. [1]
- March 16
- Death of John Hoagland, American photographer (born 1947). [114]
- March 18
- Paul Frances Webster, lyricist, dies of Parkinson's disease at age 76. [1]
- Death of Charlie Lau, American baseball player/coach (Chiacgo Cubs), at age 50 (born 1933). [1] [114]
- March 24
- Sam Jaffe, American actor (Dr Zorba - Ben Casey), dies of cancer at age 93 (born 1891). [1] [114]
- March 28
- Kenneth Whitty, first Secretary at British Embassy in Athens, is shot dead. [1]
- March 30
- Death of Karl Rahner in Innsbruck, Austria (born in Freiburg, Germany); Jesuit priest, writer, professor of theology at the universities of Innsbruck, Munich and Münster. [37]
- Peter Yarrall, strongest Englishman/weighed 826 pounds (374.7kg), dies. [1]
- April 1
- American singer Marvin Gaye shot to death by his father Marvin Gaye Sr in Los Angeles, California at age 44 (born 1939). [1] [114]
- April 4
- John Arnold, cricket player (England bat versus New Zealand 1931, scored 34 only Test), dies. [1]
- April 5
- Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at age 54. [1]
- Arthur Travors "Bomber" Harris, marshal of British Royal Air Force, dies (born 1892). [1] [114]
- April 6
- Jimmy Kenndy, British songwriter ("South of the Border"), dies. [1]
- Ral Donner, singer/narrator, dies at age 41. [1]
- April 7
- Frank Church, American politician (Senator-Democrat-Ohio, 1957-81), dies at age 59. [1]
- Samuel G Engel, screenwriter/poet, dies of heart failure at age 79. [1]
- April 8
- Death of Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1894). [114]
- April 9
- Basil Henry Blackwell, British publisher, dies. [1]
- April 10
- Nate Nelson, R&B-singer (Flamingos - "I'll Be Home"), dies on 52nd birthday. [1]
- April 11
- Death of Edgar V. Saks, Estonian statesman and historian (born 1910). [114]
- April 12
- Ruth Taylor, actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies at age 76. [1]
- April 13
- Christopher Wilder, FBI's "most wanted man", accidentally kills self. [1]
- April 15
- British comedian/magician Tommy Cooper suffers a massive heart attack while live on TV, dying at age 61 (born 1921). [1] [114]
- Death of Alexander Trocchi, Scottish writer (born 1925). [114]
- April 17
- WPC Yvonne Fletcher is shot and killed by a secluded gunman during a siege outside the Libyan Embassy in London. [1] [114]
- April 18
- John Lee Mahin, screenwriter, dies of emphysema at age 81. [1]
- April 20
- Death of Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian mountaineer (born 1943). [114]
- Mabel Mercer, English/US singer ("Fly Me to the Moon"), dies at age 84. [1]
- April 22
- Ansel Adams, American photographer, dies at age 82 (born 1902). [1] [5]
- April 23
- August "Guus" Oster, actor/director (Carrie), dies at age 68. [1]
- April 25
- Richard Benedict, actor (Okinawa), dies of a heart attack at age 64. [1]
- April 26
- Henry Rowland, actor (Rogue's Regiment), dies at age 70. [1]
- May McAvoy, actress (Ben Hur), dies after a heart attack at age 82. [1]
- William "Count" Basie, American jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday (born 1904). [1] [114]
- April 27
- Piet Kraak, Dutch soccer player, dies at age 63. [1]
- April 28
- Glen H Taylor, US Senator/vice presidential candidate (1948), dies at age 80. [1]
- April 30
- Muddy Waters, blues singer/guitarist (Hoochie Coochie Man), dies at age 68. [1]
- May 1
- Gordon Jenkins, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at age 73. [1]
- May 2
- Piet van Aken, Flemish writer (Failing God, Niggers), dies at age 64. [1]
- Death of Jack Barry, American television host and producer (Joker's Wild) (born 1918). [1] [114]
- May 4
- Diana Dors, actress (Berserk!), dies at age 52 of cancer. [1]
- May 6
- Death of Mary Cain, Mississippi newspaper editor and politician (born 1904). [114]
- May 10
- Robert Moore, actor (Marshall - Diana), dies at age 56. [1]
- Joaquin Agostinho, Portuguese cyclist, dies at age 41. [1]
- May 12
- Doris May, actress (Peck's Bad Boy), dies of heart failure at age 81. [1]
- May 14
- Larry Stock, songwriter ("Blueberry Hill"), dies. [1]
- May 15
- Lionel Charles Robbins, British economist, dies at age 85. [1]
- May 16
- Andy Kaufman, American comedian (Latka - Taxi), dies of cancer at age 35 (born 1949). [1] [114]
- Irwin Shaw, American writer (Rich Man, Poor Man), dies at age 71 (born 1913). [1] [114]
- May 19
- Death of John Betjeman, English poet (born 1906). [114]
- May 20
- Peter Bull, British actor (Dr Doolittle), dies of a heart attack at age 72. [1]
- May 21
- Andrea Leeds, actress (Stage Door, Earthbound), dies of cancer at age 70. [1]
- Ann Little, actress (Roaring Road), dies. [1]
- May 22
- John Marley, actor (Cat Ballou), dies following heart surgery at age 77. [1]
- May 24
- Death of Vincent J. McMahon, professional wrestling promoter WWF (born 1914). [114]
- May 25
- Piet Ketting, Dutch pianist/conductor/composer, dies at age 79. [1]
- May 29
- Eric Morecambe, British comedian (Morecambe and Wise), suffers a heart attack during a performance in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire and dies in hospital at age 58. [1] [114] 429]
- June 6
- Death of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, most well known sikh leader of the 20th century (born 1947). [114]
- June 7
- George Givot, actor (Versatile Vaudeville), dies at age 81. [1]
- June 15
- Meredith Willson, composer (Meredith Willson Show), dies at age 82. [1]
- June 16
- Death of Lew Andreas, American basketball coach (born 1895). [114]
- June 17
- Chet Allen, actor (Jerry - Bonino, Slats - Troubleshooter), dies at age 51. [1]
- Swale, Kentucky Derby winner, collapses and dies. [1]
- June 20
- Estelle Winwood, actress (Miracle on 34th Street), dies at age 99. [1]
- June 26
- Death of Michel Foucault, French philosopher (born 1926). [114]
- June 30
- Lillian Hellman, playwright, dies of cardiac arrest at age 79. [1]
- July 1
- Death of Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian founder of the Feldenkrais Method (born 1904). [114]
- July 4
- Death of Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (born 1949). [114]
- July 8
- Death of Brassaï, Hungarian-born photographer (born 1899). [114]
- July 14
- Death of Philippe Wynne, American musician (born 1941). [114]
- Kenny Delmar, comedian (School House), dies at age 74. [1]
- July 16
- Billy Williams, singer (Your Show of Shows), dies at age 73. [1]
- July 17
- J Delos Jewkes, singer/actor, dies of a heart attack at age 89. [1]
- July 18
- In San Ysidro, California, 41-year-old James Oliver Huberty sprays a McDonald's restaurant with gunfire, killing 21 people before being shot and killed by police. [1] [114]
- July 21
- James Fixx, runner and author, dies at age 43 of a heart attack. [1]
- July 24
- Death of Armando Morales Barillas, Nicaraguan guitarist (born 1936). [114]
- July 26
- Death of George Gallup, American statistician and opinion pollster (born 1901). [114]
- Death of Ed "Psycho" Gein, American serial killer (born 1906). [1] [114]
- July 29
- Fred Waring, orchestra leader (Fred Waring Show), dies at age 84. [1]
- Woodrow Parfey, actor (Time Express), dies at age 61 of a heart attack. [1]
- July 31
- Bill Raisch, one armed actor (Fred Johnson - Fugitive), dies at age 79. [1]
- August 2
- Death of Quirino Cristiani, Argentine animated film director (born 1896). [114]
- August 4
- Mary Miles Minter, silent screen star, dies at age 82 of heart failure. [1]
- August 5
- Howard Culver, actor (Howie - Gunsmoke), dies at age 66. [1]
- Richard Burton, Welsh actor (Cleopatra), dies at age 58 of cerebral hemorrhage (born 1925). [1] [5] [114]
- August 8
- Richard Deacon, actor (Mel - Dick Van Dyke Show), dies at age 62. [1]
- August 11
- Death of Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (born 1892). [114]
- Death of Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian-German chess player (born 1916). [114]
- August 13
- Death of Tigran Petrosian, Georgian chess player (born 1929). [114]
- August 14
- Death of J. B. Priestley, English novelist and playwright (born 1894). [114]
- August 25
- Death of Waite Hoyt, baseball player (born 1899). [114]
- Truman Capote, author (In Cold Blood), dies (born 1924). [1] [114]
- Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren dies of stomach cancer at age 68. Suhren was a German WWII submarine commander, one of five to receive the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Crossed Swords. [152.16]
- August 27
- Billy Sands, actor (Phil Silvers Show, McHale's Navy), dies at age 73. [1]
- September 3
- Duncan Renaldo, actor (Cisco Kid), dies at age 80. [1]
- September 6
- Ernest Tubb, singer (Grand Ole Opry), dies at age 70. [1]
- E.J. Andre, actor (Eugene Bullock - Dallas), dies at age 74. [1]
- September 8
- Death of Frank Lowson, English Test Cricketer 1951-1955 (born 1925). [114]
- September 14
- Death of Richard Brautigan, American counter-culture author (suicide) (born 1935). [114]
- September 19
- June Preisser, dancer/actress, dies at age 61 in an auto accident. [1]
- September 20
- Death of Steve Goodman, a Grammy Award-winning folk music singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois (born 1948). [114]
- September 24
- Neil Hamilton, actor (Commissioner Gordon - Batman), dies of asthma at age 85. [1]
- September 25
- Walter Pidgeon of New Brunswick, Canada, actor (MGM-Mrs Miniver, Madame Curie), dies at age 87 after a series of strokes (born 1897). [1] [114]
- September 27
- John Facenda, sportscaster (NFL Action), dies at age 72. [1]
- October 5
- Death of Leonard Rossiter, British actor, of a heart attack at age 57 (born 1926). [1] [114]
- October 12
- Death of Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (bombing) (born 1925). [114]
- Jon-Erik Hexum, TV actor (Cover-Up), dies of accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound from a blank cartridge. [467]
- October 14
- Death of Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (born 1918). [114]
- October 16
- Ken Carpenter, TV announcer (Lux Video Theater), dies at age 84. [1]
- October 18
- Death of Jon-Erik Hexum, American actor (born 1957). [114]
- Florence Rinard, TV panelist (20 Questions), dies at age 82. [1]
- October 20
- Death of Paul Dirac, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902). [114]
- Death of Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1896). [114]
- October 21
- Death of François Truffaut, French film director, at age 52 of brain cancer (born 1932). [1] [5] [114]
- October 22
- Napoleon Whiting, actor (Silas - Big Valley), dies at age 75. [1]
- October 23
- David Gorcey, dead end kid actor, dies at age 63 in a diabetic coma. [1]
- October 24
- Walter Woolf King, actor/TV host (Lights Cameras Action), dies at age 85. [1]
- October 26
- Sue Randall, actress (Miss Landers - Leave it to Beaver), dies at age 49. [1]
- October 30
- Mario Gallo, actor (Delvecchio), dies at age 61. [1]
- October 31
- Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her two Sikh security guards. Riots soon break out in New Delhi, and some 2,700 Sikhs are killed. [1] [114]
- November 1
- Norman Krasna, writer/director, dies of a heart attack at age 74. [1]
- November 2
- Velma Barfield is executed, in Raleigh, North Carolina. [114]
- November 4
- Merie Earle, actress (Maude - The Waltons), dies of uremic poisoning at age 95. [1]
- November 6
- Death of Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist and dramatist (born 1929). [114]
- November 11
- Reverend Martin Luther King Sr dies in Atlanta, Georgie, USA at age 84. [1]
- November 14
- Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city (born 1916). [114]
- George Matthews, of Brooklyn, New York, actor (Chick - Glynis), dies at age 73. [1]
- November 15
- Baby Fae, who received a baboon's heart, dies at California medical center. [1]
- November 16
- Death of Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (born 1906). [114]
- Death of Leonard Rose, American cellist (leukemia) (born 1918). [114]
- November 18
- Death of Mary Hamman, American writer and editor, modern living editor LIFE and editor-in-chief Bride & Home (born 1907). [114]
- November 27
- Percy Norris, deputy high commissioner of India, shot dead. [1]
- December 3
- Virginia Lacy Jones, US librarian/presidential advisor, dies at age 72. [1]
- December 4
- John Rock, US co-developer of anti-conceptiepil, dies at age 94. [1]
- December 6
- Ruth Cummings, actress (Daybreak, Dream of Love), dies at age 90. [1]
- December 7
- Jeanne Cagney, actress (Quicksand, Kentucky Rifle), dies at age 65. [1]
- December 8
- Luther Adler, American actor (Dr Bernard Altman - The Psychiatrist), dies at age 81 (born 1903). [1] [114]
- December 11
- Death of Oskar Seidlin, Silesian-born Jewish-American literary scholar (born 1911). [114]
- George Waggner, director/writer, dies at age 90. [1]
- December 14
- Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet (Historia del corazón), Nobel Prize winner, dies at age 86 (born 1898). [1] [114]
- December 15
- Death of Jan Peerce, American tenor (born 1904). [114]
- Avon Long, actor (Roots: The Next Generation), dies at age 74. [1]
- Jan Peerce [Perelmuth], operatic tenor, dies at age 80 following a stroke. [1]
- December 16
- Death of J. Roderick MacArthur, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1920). [114]
- December 20
- Death of Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (born 1946). [114]
- December 24
- Ian Hendry, actor (Assassin, Get Carter, Repulsion), dies at age 53. [1]
- Peter Lawford, actor (The Thin Man), dies of cardiac arrest at age 61. [1]
- December 28
- Death of Sam Peckinpah, American film director (born 1925). [114]
- December 29
- Leo Robin, lyricist, dies of heart failure at age 84. [1]
- December 30
- Birth of LeBron James; American basketball player. [114]
|
