- Aug 1 Hugh Hood, Canadian author (White Figure, White Ground), dies at 72
- Aug 3 Michael Meyer, English novelist and translator, dies at 79
Alec Guinness
Aug 5 Alec Guinness, British actor (The Ladykillers, The Bridge on the River Kwai), dies of liver cancer at 86
Alec Guinness
- Aug 5 Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian writer and ecological activist, dies at 80
- Aug 5 Dudley Randall, African-American poet who founded the pioneering publishing house "Broadside Press", dies at 84
- Aug 9 Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician and leader of Egypt's Wafd Party, dies at 88
- Aug 9 John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1920)
- Aug 9 Nicholas Markowitz-kidnapped and murdered by Jesse James Hollywood (b. 1984)
- Aug 10 Gilbert Parkhouse, Welsh cricketer (England batsman in 7 Tests 1950-59), dies at 74
- Aug 11 Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer (b. 1916)
Loretta Young
Aug 12 Loretta Young, American actress (Farmer's Daughter, Stranger), dies of ovarian cancer at 87
Loretta Young
- Aug 12 Patrick Peter Sacco, American composer, dies at 71
- Aug 13 Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist known as "Queen of Pop" in South Asia, dies of lung cancer at 35
- Aug 13 Antony Duff, British diplomat, Head of MI5, advocate for the homeless, dies at 80
- Aug 14 Alain Fournier, French-born computer graphics researcher (b. 1943)
- Aug 14 Cuan McCarthy, South African cricketer (b. 1929)
- Aug 14 John Milford, American actor (Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Homefront), dies at 72
- Aug 16 Alan Caddy, English musician (The Tornados), dies at 60
- Aug 18 Maurice Evans, English soccer wing half (Reading, 407 games) and manager (Shrewsbury Town, Reading, Oxford United), dies from a heart attack at 63
- Aug 19 Antonio Pugliese, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1941)
- Aug 19 Bineshwar Brahma, Bodo littérateur and religious figure (birth date unknown)
- Aug 20 Henry Austin, British tennis player (3-time Grand Slam runner-up), dies of complications from a fall at 94
- Aug 21 Daniel Lisulo, Prime Minister of Zambia (b. 1930)
- Aug 23 John Anthony Kaiser, Roman Catholic priest (b. 1932)
- Aug 25 Carl Barks, American cartoonist (creator of Scrooge McDuck), dies at 99
- Aug 25 Jack Nitzsche, American composer and songwriter (An Officer & a Gentleman), dies at 63
- Aug 26 Akbar Adibi, Iranian scientist (b. 1939)
- Aug 26 [Douglas] Allen Woody, American bassist (The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule), dies at 44
- Aug 29 Willie Maddren, English footballer (b. 1951)
- Aug 31 Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (b. 1925)