- Jan 7 Ludovicus Blosius [Louis de Blois "Dacrianus"], wrtier, dies
- Feb 3 George Cassander, Flemish theologian (b. 1513)
- Mar 9 David Rizzio, Italian secretary of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered by Protestant nobles
- Mar 26 Antonio de Cabezon, composer, dies
- Mar 28 Siegmund Freiherr von Herberstein, Austrian diplomat, dies at 79
- Apr 25 Diane de Poitiers, French mistress of French King Henry II, dies at 66
- Apr 25 Louise Labé, French poet
- May 4 Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
- May 10 Leonhard Fuchs, German physician and botanist (Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants) for which the flowering plants and color Fuchsia is named after, dies at 65
Nostradamus
Jul 2 Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam], French astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), dies at 62

Nostradamus
Suleiman the Magnificent
Sep 5 Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan and the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1530-1566), dies at 71 [or Sep 6]

Suleiman the Magnificent