- Oct 1 Kurt Hiller, German writer, dies at 87
Louis Leakey
Oct 1 Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist (Olduvai Gorge), dies at 68

Louis Leakey
- Oct 4 Colin Gordon, British actor (The Pink Panther, Casino Royale), dies at 61
- Oct 5 Ivan Yefremov, Russian paleontologist (originator of the concept of taphonomy) and author (Andromeda Nebula), dies at 64
- Oct 6 Cliff Hall [Robert Clifford Hall], American actor (At This Moment, Dutch Treat, Crime Photographer), dies at 78
- Oct 9 Giuseppe Capogrossi, Italian painter, dies at 72
- Oct 9 Miriam Hopkins, actress (Carrie, Barbary Coast), dies at 69
- Oct 14 Joseph Kaminski, composer, dies at 68
- Oct 16 Leo G. Carroll, British actor (Topper; Strangers On A Train; Man From U.N.C.L.E.), dies at 85
- Oct 16 Hale Boggs, U.S. Congressman from Louisiana (b. 1914)
- Oct 17 Walter "Turk" Broda, Canadian ice hockey goaltender, 5x Stanley Cup, 2x Vezina Trophy (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1935-51), dies of a heart attack at 58
- Oct 17 George, Crown Prince of Serbia, eldest son of King Peter I, dies at 85
- Oct 17 Billy Williams, American singer (b. 1910)
- Oct 18 Ken Wishart, cricketer (WI opening batsman in one Test 1935), dies
- Oct 18 Esma Cannon, Australian-born actress (Sailor Beware!), dies at 66
- Oct 20 Harlow Shapley, American astronomer (Sun's position in galaxy), dies at 86
- Oct 22 Kurt Edzard, German sculptor (nudist/portraits), dies at 82
Jackie Robinson
Oct 24 Jackie Robinson, 1st African American baseball player (Bkln Dodgers), dies at 53

Jackie Robinson
- Oct 25 Norman Norell [Levinson], US fashion designer, dies at 72
Igor Sikorsky
Oct 26 Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American aviation pioneer and helicopter builder, dies at 83

Igor Sikorsky
- Oct 27 Lew Parker [Austin Lewis Jacobs], American actor (Are You with It?, That Girl), dies from cancer at 64
- Oct 30 Alan Roth, orchestra leader (Milton Berle Show), dies at 68
- Oct 30 Philip H. Frohman, American architect (Washington National Cathedral), dies at 84
- Oct 31 Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1916)