- Jan 2 Ross Alexander, American stage and film actor (Captain Blood, Boulder Dam), commits suicide by gunshot at 29
- Jan 5 Marie Booth, child of William and Catherine Booth (b. 1864)
- Jan 6 André Bessette, Canadian Roman Catholic religious figure, dies at 91
- Jan 8 Felix Körling, Swedish sacred and children's music composer, dies at 72
- Jan 13 Walter Brearley, cricketer (17 wkts in 4 Tests for Eng 1905-12), dies
- Jan 13 Martin Elmer Johnson, American adventurer and filmmaker, dies at 52
- Jan 14 Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist, dies at 47
- Jan 21 Marie Prevost, Canadian actress (b. 1898)
- Jan 23 Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (Minister of Education), dies at 60
- Jan 28 Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect (restored Panathinaiko Stadium 1896 Olympics Athens) and shooter (Olympic bronze trap, single shot 1908), dies at 74