- Jul 2 Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 10th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), dies at 95
- Jul 3 Mississippi Fred McDowell, jazz artist, dies at 68
- Jul 6 Brandon De Wilde, actor (Jamie), dies at 30 in a car crash
- Jul 6 Vincent Valentine, West Indian cricket pace bowler (England 1933), dies
- Jul 7 Athenagoras, 268th patriarch of Constantinople, dies
- Jul 7 King Talal of Jordan (b. 1909)
- Jul 8 Lovie [Cora] Austin, American jazz pianist (Down Hearted Blues), dies at 84
- Jul 9 Robert Weede, American baritone (b. 1903)
- Jul 16 Giorgio Nataletti, Italian composer, dies at 65
- Jul 16 Max Zehnder, Swiss composer, dies at 70
- Jul 19 Sally Benson, American writer (Meet me in St. Louis), dies at 74
- Jul 19 Hezekiah M. Washburn, American Presbyterian Congo missionary, dies at 88
- Jul 21 Jigme Dori Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, dies
- Jul 21 Ralph Craig, American athlete (Olympic gold 1912), dies at 83
- Jul 22 Hugo Kauder, Austrian composer, dies at 84
- Jul 22 Pavel Bořkovec, Czech composer, dies at 78
- Jul 24 Bobby Ramirez, drummer (White Trash), killed at 23 in bar brawl
- Jul 28 Helen Traubel, American soprano, dies at 73
- Jul 28 Charu Majumdar, Indian revolutionary leader (b. 1918)
- Jul 31 Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian premier/sect-gen (NATO, 1957-61), dies at 73
- Jul 31 Rollie Hemsley, American baseball catcher (5-time MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 65