- Jan 1 Abdalla Hamdok, Sudanese politician (Prime Minister of Sudan 2021-22), born in Al Dibaibat, Sudan
- Jan 1 Anatoli Borisovich Polonsky, Russian lt-colonel/cosmonaut
- Jan 1 Andy Gill, British guitarist and record producer (Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods"), born in Manchester, England (d. 2020)
Christine Lagarde (67 years old)
Jan 1 French lawyer and politician, 1st female head of the IMF, born in Paris
- Jan 1 John O'Donohue, Irish poet (Anam Cara; Benedictus), philosopher, theologian, and one-time priest, born in Connemara, Ireland (d. 2008)
- Jan 1 Kôji Yakusho [Hashimoto], Japanese actor (Shall We Dance?), born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan
- Jan 1 Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (founder and CEO of Herbalife International), born in La Mirada, California Ltd, d. 2000)
- Jan 1 Martin Plaza [Murphy], Australian new wave singer-songwriter (Mental As Anything - "Live It Up"; solo - "Concrete and Clay"), born in Sydney, Australia
- Jan 1 Mike Mitchell, American basketball small forward (NBA All Star 1981; Italian League top scorer 1998), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2011)
- Jan 1 Sergei Vasiliyevich Avdeyev, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-15, SK:TM-28)
- Jan 1 Sergio Victor Palma, Argentine boxer (WBA Super Bantamweight champion 1980-82), born in La Tigra, Argentina (d. 2021)
- Jan 2 Lynda Barry, American cartoonist
Mel Gibson (67 years old)
Jan 3 American actor (Mad Max, Mrs Soffel, Lethal Weapon) and filmmaker, born in Peekskill, New York
- Jan 3 Willy T. Ribbs, American auto racer (first African-American to drive in Indianapolis 500), born in San Jose, California
- Jan 4 Ann Magnuson, actress (Anything But Love, Hunger), born in Charleston, West Virginia
- Jan 4 Bernard Sumner [Albrecht], English rock guitarist, vocalist (Joy Division and New Order), born in Salford, England
- Jan 4 Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer (Wilco), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 5 Chen Kenichi [Ken'ichi Azuma], Japanese celebrity chef, "The Szechuan Sage" (Iron Chef Chinese), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 5 Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German politician (President of Germany 2017-), born in Detmold, West Germany
- Jan 7 David Caruso, American actor (NYPD Blue, Michael Hayes), born in Forest Hills, New York
- Jan 7 Rosalyn Bryant, American 4x400m runner (Olympic silver 1976), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 8 Archie Roach, Aboriginal Australian blues singer-songwriter (Took The Children Away), born in the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve, Australia (d. 2022)
- Jan 9 David Smith, English cricketer (England lefty batsman in 2 Tests v WI 1986), born in Balham, London
- Jan 9 Imelda Staunton, British actress (Finding Your Feet, Maleficent), born in Archway, London
- Jan 9 Kimberly Beck Hilton, American actress (Kim-Peyton Place), born in Glendale, California
- Jan 9 Mike Walczewski, American public address announcer
- Jan 10 Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish writer (Royal Spanish Academy), born in Úbeda, Jaén, Spain
- Jan 10 Don Letts, British film director & musician (Big Audio Dynamite), born in London, United Kingdom
- Jan 10 Shawn Colvin, American country folk singer-songwriter ("Sunny Came Home"), born in Vermillion, South Dakota
- Jan 11 Big Bank Hank [Henry Lee Jackson] American rapper (The Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"), born in The Bronx, New York City (d. 2014)
- Jan 11 Robert Earl Keen, American singer-songwriter ("What I Really Mean"), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 13 Janet Hubert-Whitten, actress (Vivian Banks-Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
- Jan 13 Malcolm Foster, British rock bassist (Pretenders, 1984-89; Simple Minds, 1989-95), born in Hereford, England
- Jan 14 Ben Heppner, Canadian tenor, and broadcaster, born in Murrayville, British Columbia
- Jan 14 Étienne Daho, French singer-songwriter, born in Oran, Algeria
- Jan 15 Mayawati, Indian politician, born in New Delhi, India
- Jan 15 Paul Parker, English cricketer (one Test England v Australia 1981), born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
- Jan 15 Vera Sosulya, Soviet tobogganist (Olympic gold 1980)
- Jan 16 Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2007)
- Jan 16 Jennifer Dale, Canadian actress, born in Toronto, Canada
- Jan 16 Martin Jol, Dutch football manager, born in The Hague, Netherlands
- Jan 16 Saadeddine Othmani, Moroccan politician and Prime Minister of Morocco (2017-present), born in Inezgane, Morocco
- Jan 16 Wayne Daniel, West Indies cricketer (WI fast bowler 1976-84), born in Saint Philip, Barbados
- Jan 17 Cristina [Monet Zilkha], American dance-pop singer songwriter (Sleep It Off), born in New York City (d. 2020)
- Jan 17 Faouzi Mansouri, Algerian soccer defender (13 caps; Montpellier, FC Mulhouse), born in Djerba, Tunisia (d. 2022)
- Jan 17 Mitch Vogel, American actor (Jamie-Bonanza), born in Alhambra, California
- Jan 17 Paul Young, British rock and blue-eyed soul vocalist ("Every Time You Go Away"; Band-Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?"), born in Luton, England
- Jan 18 George Mark Collie, American country singer ("Another Old Soldier"), born in Waynesboro Tennessee
- Jan 19 Carman Licciardello, American Christian music singer, born in Trenton, New Jersey
- Jan 19 Parthenon Huxley [Richard Miller], American rock guitarist, singer- songwriter and producer (ELO II; The Orchestra; P. Hux), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Jan 20 Adrian Vernon Fish, British classical composer, born in Bristol, England
Bill Maher (67 years old)
Jan 20 American comedian & political commentator (Real Time with Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect), born in NYC, New York
- Jan 20 John Phillips Naber, American swimmer (Olympic-4 gold/silver-76), born in Evanston, Illinois
- Jan 20 Maria Larsson, Swedish politician, born in Långasjö, Sweden
- Jan 21 Bob Brill, American drummer (Berlin - "You Take My Breath Away"), born in NYC, New York
- Jan 21 Geena Davis, American actress (Beetlejuice, Fly), born in Wareham, Massachusetts
- Jan 21 Robby Benson, American actor (One on One, Running Brave, Chosen), born in Dallas, Texas
- Jan 22 Steve Riley, American rock drummer (L.A. Guns; W.A.S.P.), born in Revere, Massachusetts
- Jan 23 Larysa Kuzmenko, Canadian concert pianist, and composer, of Ukrainian heritage (Memoriam for the Victims of Chornobyl; Golden Harvest), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Jan 23 Lazar Ristovski, Serbian keyboardist (Smak and Bijelo Dugme), born in Novi Pazar, Yugoslavia (d. 2007)
- Jan 24 Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer (Bobbysocks), born in Oslo, Norway
- Jan 24 Lounès Matoub, Kabylian singer-songwriter, guitar and mandole player, and Berber rights activist, born in of Taourirt Moussa, Algeria (d. 1998)
- Jan 25 Andy Cox, British guitarist (Fine Young Cannibals - "She Drives Me Crazy"), born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Lisa Boray [Schulte Nordholt], Dutch jazz singer ("Lovers Until the End"), born in Breda, Netherlands
- Jan 27 Mimi Rogers [Miriam Spickler], American actress (The Rapture; Paper Dolls; Weapons of Mass Distraction), and producer, born in Coral Gables, Florida
- Jan 28 [Pierre] "Peter" Schilling, German synthpop musician ("Major Tom (Coming Home)"), born in Stuttgart, Germany
- Jan 30 Jeremy Gittins, English actor, born in Manchester, United Kingdom
- Jan 30 Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver, born in Tomi, Japan
John Lydon (67 years old)
Jan 31 English singer-songwriter & musician (Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen"), born in Holloway, United Kingdom
- Jan 31 Trevor Manuel, South African politician, born in Cape Town, South Africa
About January 1956
How Old? 67 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: Yes
Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep
Star Signs: Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19), Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)