- Jan 1 Charles B. Timmer, Dutch writer (Russia Black on White), dies at 83
- Jan 1 Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish author (Gnome Patjoepelke), dies at 81
- Jan 2 Irving Johnson, American sail training pioneer & adventurer, dies at 85
- Jan 4 Poon Lim, Chinese sailor who survived 133 days adrift at sea, dies at 72
- Jan 5 Vasko Popa, Yugoslavia-Serbian poet (Heaven is a Side Issue), dies at 68
- Jan 6 Ada Moore, entertainer, dies of cancer at 64
- Jan 10 Dimitris Myrat, dies of cancer at 62
- Jan 11 Jason Christmas, dies of a gunshot wound during robbery in NY at 49
Carl David Anderson
Jan 11 Carl David Anderson, American physicist, Nobel laureate, dies at 85
Carl David Anderson
- Jan 12 Vasco Pratolini, Italian writer (Ragazze di San Frediano), dies at 77
- Jan 14 Sallah Kharaf [Abu Iyad], co-founder (Al-Fatah), assassinated
- Jan 14 Gordon Bryant, Australian politician (b. 1914)
- Jan 17 Olav V, King of Norway (1957-91), dies at 87
- Jan 18 Hamilton Fish III, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 102
- Jan 19 Marcel Chaput, French Canadian politician, dies at 72
- Jan 22 Robert Choquette, French Canadian novelist, poet and diplomat, dies at 85
- Jan 23 Northrop Frye, Canadian writer and critic (b. 1912)
- Jan 24 John M. Kelly, Irish politician and academic (b. 1931)
- Jan 24 Jack Schaefer, American author (Shane), dies at 83
- Jan 26 Johnny van Doorn, Dutch writer/poet, dies at 46
- Jan 28 Dale Long, hit HRs in 8 consecutive games, dies at 66
- Jan 29 Yasushi Inoue, Japanese historian, dies
John Bardeen
Jan 30 John Bardeen, American physicist, electrical engineer and co-inventor of the transistor (Nobel 1956, 1972), dies of heart disease at 82
John Bardeen
- Jan 30 Clifton C. Edom, American photojournalism educator (b. 1907)
- Feb 1 Annie van Ommeren-Averink [Hanna Jacoba of Ommeren-Averink], Dutch politician (CPN), dies at 77
- Feb 3 Harry Ackerman, American TV executive producer (b. 1912)
- Feb 5 Pedro Arrupe, Spanish priest/Jesuit, dies at 83
- Feb 6 Marten Levendig, Dutch TV correspondent to Moscow, dies
- Feb 6 Salvador Luria, Italian-American microbiologist (Nobel Prize 1969), dies at 78
- Feb 7 Gladys LaVerne, dies of heart problems at 87
- Feb 7 Amos Yarkoni, legendary Israeli soldier (b. 1920)
- Feb 7 Jean-Paul Mousseau, Quebec painter, member of Les Automatistes (b. 1927)
- Feb 7 John Steinbeck IV, American author and journalist
- Feb 11 Oscar Nitzchke, German architect (Alcoa building, Centre Pompidou), dies at 90
- Feb 11 Robert W. Holley, American biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1922)
- Feb 11 Ajla Rachmanova, Russian-Austrian author (Students), dies at 92
- Feb 12 Edward A Blatt, director (Between 2 Worlds), dies at 88
- Feb 12 Robert F. Wagner Jr., Mayor of New York City (Democrat: 1954-65), dies at 80
- Feb 14 Arno Breker, German architect and sculptor (Third Reich), dies at 90
- Feb 14 John A McCone, Head of CIA (1961-65), dies
- Feb 14 Carlo L. Golino, Italian-American scholar, dies at 77
- Feb 16 Enrique B Varela, commandant Nicaragua contra's, dies
- Feb 17 Enrique Bermudez, Nicaraguan commandant, founder of the Nicaraguan Contras, assassinated at 58
- Feb 24 Marcella Markham, dies of breast cancer at 68
- Feb 25 Mhlabunzima Maphumulo, South African Kwazulu politician (first President of Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA)), dies at 41
- Feb 27 Robert-Jan Akkerman, Dutch diplomat (to Tunis), murdered
- Feb 28 Guillermo Ungo, member of El Salvador junta (1979-80), dies
- Feb 28 Wassily Hoeffding, American statistician (b. 1914)
Edwin Land
Mar 1 Edwin Land, American inventor of instant photography & co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, dies at 81
Edwin Land
- Mar 2 Clark Mollenhoff, American journalist (Pulitzer Prize), dies
- Mar 2 Freek Zoetmulder, publisher (Austrian Encyclopedia)/neo-nazi, dies
- Mar 3 Clara Eggink, Dutch poet (Life with J C Bloem), dies at 84
- Mar 5 August de Schryver, Belgian politician/founder (CVP), dies at 92
- Mar 5 Trijntje Jansma-Boskma, oldest person in Netherland, dies at 109
- Mar 7 Greta Schoon, German poet, dies at 81
- Mar 12 Etienne Decroux, French mime (Voyage, Surprise), dies at 92
- Mar 12 Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, (Nobel 1967 - discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye), dies at 90
- Mar 14 Jef Houthuys, Belgian union leader (ACV, 1968-87), dies at 68
- Mar 14 Robert Maroff, dies at 57
- Mar 14 Margery Sharp, children's author (b. 1905)
- Mar 16 7 members of Reba McIntire's band, killed in a plane crash
- Mar 16 Jan H. van Roijen, Dutch ambassador to the U.S. and Netherlands Foreign Minister, dies at 85
- Mar 19 Ron Pagano, dies after lengthy illness at 37
- Mar 20 Conor Clapton, Eric Clapton's son, falls to his death out of 53rd floor window at 5
- Mar 22 Léon Balcer, French Canadian politician (b. 1917)
- Mar 22 Paul Engle, American poet and writer (Worm Earth, American Song), dies at 82
- Mar 23 Dominic Bellissimo, created buffalo chicken wings, dies at 68
- Mar 23 Fons Jansen, Dutch news reader and cabaretier, dies at 65
- Mar 23 Parkash Singh, Indian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1913)
- Mar 23 Elisaveta Bagriana, Bulgarian poet (The Eternal and the Holy), dies at 97
- Mar 24 Sir John Kerr, Australian politician and the Governor General who dismissed the Whitlam Government, dies at 76
- Mar 25 Marcel Lefebvre, French Catholic prelate (b. 1905)
- Mar 26 Frans Dohmen, union leader (Neth Catholic Mine Workers), dies at 81
- Mar 29 Lee Atwater, political strategists (R), dies of brain tumor at 40
- Apr 1 Martha Graham, American choreographer (Appalachian Spring), dies at 96
- Apr 1 Paulo Muwanga, chief of Uganda (1980), dies
- Apr 1 Jaime Guzmán, Chilean politician (President of the Independent Democratic Union), dies at 44
Graham Greene
Apr 3 Graham Greene, British writer (3rd Man, Our man in Havana), dies at 86
Graham Greene
- Apr 4 John Heinz, American businessman and Republican politician (Senator from Pennsylvania, 1977-1991), dies in a plane crash at 52
- Apr 4 Max Frisch, Swiss architect/writer (Stiller, Biedermann), dies at 79
- Apr 5 John Tower, American politician (US Senator (R)-Texas), dies in a plane crash at 65
- Apr 5 Manley Lanier "Sonny" Carter Jr, American chemist and NASA astronaut (STS 33), dies at 43
- Apr 12 James Schuyler, American poet (Pulitzer 1980), dies
- Apr 17 Jack Yellen, American poet (Sons o' Fun), dies at 97
- Apr 20 Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, Mongolian politician (Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Great Khural (President), 1974-84; Prime Minister, 1952-74; General Secretary of the Mongolian People's Party, 1940-54), dies at 74
- Apr 20 Sean O'Faolain [J Whelan], Irish writer (Nest of Simple), dies at 91
- Apr 21 Richard Bolling, American politician (Rep-D-Missouri 1949-83), dies at 74
- Apr 23 Peter Bailey, Graphic designer/calligrapher, dies
- Apr 24 J de Graaf, ethicus/president church & peace, dies
- Apr 26 Richard Hatfield, Canadian politician (26th Premier of New Brunswick), dies at 60
- Apr 27 Marcus Heeresma, Dutch author (Anna, Son of a Whore), dies at 55
- Apr 28 Floyd McKissick, American lawyer & civil rights activist, dies at 69
- Apr 28 Steve Broidy, American motion picture executive, dies at 85
- Apr 29 Claude Gallimard, French publisher, dies
- Apr 30 George Sperti, American inventor (Preparation H), dies at 91
- May 1 Richard Thorpe, American director (Jailhouse Rock, Night Must Fall), dies at 95
- May 2 Hal Bell, dies at 65
- May 2 Leib Lensky, dies at 82
- May 2 Ronald McKie, Australian author (The Mango Tree), dies at 81
- May 3 Gerrit Mik, Dutch psychiatrist and politician (D66), dies
- May 3 Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist (The Painted Bird, Being There), dies at 57
- May 4 Dennis Crosby, son of Bing, commits suicide at 54
- May 4 George Delacorte, American philanthropist and publisher (Dell Books), dies at 96
- May 6 Anthony van Kampen, writer (Ketelbinkie, Geschonden Eldorado), dies
- May 6 Thomas A Carlin, dies at 62
- May 8 Lloyd Ford, stuntman, dies at 79
- May 9 James L. Reinsch, American broadcasting executive & presidential media adviser (Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy) who also advised Winston Churchill on his 1946 "Iron Curtain" speech, dies at 82
- May 10 Armand HF Boni [Armand the Good], Flemish poet/writer, dies
- May 11 Ho Dam, North Korean foreign minister (1970-83), dies at 62
- May 14 Ast Fonteyne, Flemish lecture artist, dies
- May 14 Herman Niels, Flemish radio director, dies
Jiang Qing
May 14 Jiang Qing [Madame Mao], Chinese communist and wife of Mao Zedong, commits suicide at 77
Jiang Qing
Rajiv Gandhi
May 21 Rajiv Gandhi, Indian Prime Minister (1984-89), assassinated at 46 by a suicide bomber from the LTTE
Rajiv Gandhi
- May 23 Jean van Houte, Belgian premier, dies
- May 23 Peter Trevenen Thwaites, British Brigadier General and playwright (Love or money), dies at 74
- May 25 Dorothy Davis Bostwick, entertainer, dies
- May 26 Tom Eyen, playwright (Dreamgirls), dies of cardiac arrest at 50
- May 27 Ed Dodd, cartoonist (Mark Trail), dies at 88
- May 28 Brigitte B Fischer, writer, dies
- May 28 Ethel Lois Payne, American civil rights journalist and "1st Lady of the Black Press", dies at 79
- May 31 Angus Wilson [Johnstone-W], British writer (Wrong Set), dies
- May 31 H N "Swanie" Swanson, literary agent, dies at 91 of a stroke
- Jun 3 Harry Glicken, volcanologist, killed by Mt Unzen Volcano in Japan
- Jun 3 Takeshi Nagata, Japanese geophysicist (b. 1913)
- Jun 6 Sylvia Porter, economist/author (Money Book), dies at 77
- Jun 7 Antoine Blondin, French writer (L'Europe buissonnière), dies at 69
- Jun 9 Charles Loloma, painter/sculptor, dies
- Jun 10 Vercors [Jean Bruller], French writer (Silence of Mer), dies
- Jun 14 Joy Finzi [Joyce A Black], British painter, dies at 84
- Jun 23 Antonio Jacinto, Angolan poet, dies at 66
- Jun 24 Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter, dies at 91
- Jun 24 Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-born American novelist (b. 1917)
- Jun 27 Klas Bruinsma, leader criminal organization, murdered
- Jun 27 Willem J [Molly] Geertsema, liberal/foreign minister), dies
- Jun 28 Klas Bruinsma, clergyman, dies
- Jul 1 Joost Baljeu, painter/founder-editor Structure, dies
- Jul 4 Victor Chang, Australian physician (b. 1936)
- Jul 5 Howard Nemerow, American poet laureate (Pulitzer), dies
- Jul 5 Mildred Dunnock, dies at 87
- Jul 6 Nicholas P. Dallis, American psychiatrist and comic strip writer (Rex Morgan, M.D.), dies at 79
- Jul 11 Hitoshi Igarashi, Japanese interpreter (Satanic Verses), murdered
- Jul 13 Cor Ria Leeman, Flemish (youth)writer, dies
- Jul 14 Nic van Bridges, Flemish poet, dies
- Jul 16 Cornelis Z Forster [Da Kuneisi], Suriname granman/gaanman, dies
- Jul 16 Frank Rizzo, (Mayor-D-Philadelphia, 1972-80), dies of a heart attack at 70
- Jul 16 Robert Motherwell, American painter (Elegies to Spanish Rep), dies at 76
- Jul 18 André Cools, Belgian Minister of Budget, murdered at 63
- Jul 21 Theodore Wilson, dies at 47
- Jul 24 Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-American yiddish writer (Yentl, Nobel Prize for Literature 1978), dies at 87
- Jul 24 Karl Ellis, dies at 41
- Jul 25 Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician and one of the main associates of Joseph Stalin, dies at 97
- Jul 30 Leonardus S van Egerat, travel expert, dies at 68
- Aug 4 Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet (Hodyne), dies at 80
- Aug 5 Soichiro Hondo, CEO & founder (Honda), dies of liver cancer at 84
- Aug 6 Shapour Bakhtiar, premier Iran (1979), dies in Paris
- Aug 6 Roland Michener, 20th Governor General of Canada (1967-74), dies at 91
- Aug 7 Shapur Bahktiar, Prime Minister of Iran (1979), assassinated
- Aug 8 James B Irwin, Col USAF/astronaut (Apollo 15), dies at 61
- Aug 8 John Brasser, Zaans resistance fighter (White Ko), dies
- Aug 8 Magdalena G Schenk, historical (Vorstenhuizen of our time), dies
- Aug 10 Josef Lipski, Polish politician, dies
- Aug 11 Jef Contryn, Flemish pioneer puppet theatre, dies at 89
- Aug 13 Jack Ryan, inventor (Barbie Doll, Hot Wheels), dies at 65
- Aug 15 Marietta Tree, ambassador (UN Comm of Human Rights), dies at 74
- Aug 16 Shamu the Whale, dies of respiratory failure at 16
- Aug 16 Stuart Karl, CEO (Karl Home Video), dies at 38 of skin cancer
- Aug 17 Leo Geerts [Marcel van der Linden], Belgian writer/critic, dies
- Aug 17 Mervyn Nelson, American stage director (Some of My Best Friends Are...), dies at 76
- Aug 18 Vaughn Shoemaker, US cartoonist (John Q Public, Pulitzer), dies
- Aug 20 Lenore Strunsky Gershwin, widow of Ira Gershwin, dies at 90
- Aug 21 Oswald von Nell-Breuning, German theologist and philosopher, dies at 101
- Aug 21 Wolfgang Hildesheimer, German-Swiss architect and writer (Mozart biographer), dies at 74
- Aug 22 Boris Pugo, USSR minister of Interior (1990), commits suicide
- Aug 23 Florence B Seibert, bio-chemist (TB), dies at 93
- Aug 24 Beb [Elizabeth] Vuyk, Neth/Indon writer (Camp Diary), dies at 86
- Aug 24 Bernard Castro, patented convertible couch, dies at 87
- Aug 25 Sergei Ajromeiev, soviet general, commits suicide
- Aug 29 Kathryn Cravens, American early news correspondent, dies at 92
- Aug 29 Libero Grassi, Italian underwear manufacturer/anti mafia, dies
- Aug 30 Hans Koetsier, Dutch sculptor artist (KLM-Schiphol), dies at 61
- Aug 30 Jean Tinguely, Swiss sculptor artist (moving objects), dies at 66
- Aug 31 Leigh Watson, US aviation pioneer/air force general, dies at 93
- Sep 1 Steve Kemp, British light enterpeneur, dies
- Sep 2 Alfonso Garcia Robles, Mexican foreign minister (Nobel 1982), dies
- Sep 3 Henri de Lubac, French theologist and antifascist, dies at 95
- Sep 6 Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins, American serial killer (claimed to have murdered over 100 people), executed in the electric chair at 58
- Sep 7 John Crosby, American columnist/detective writer dies at 79
- Sep 7 John Lawrence, examined effect of neutron radiation on fabric, dies
- Sep 8 Jan J Lipski, chairman (Polish Socialist Party)/writer, dies
- Sep 9 Edwin M. McMillan, American physicist and discoverer of plutonium (Nobel 1951), dies at 83
- Sep 9 John Lawrence, doctor, dies
- Sep 9 Joop Zwart, Dutch political activist and resistance fighter, dies at 78
- Sep 10 Sarah Sally Lawrence, entertainer, dies at 61
- Sep 11 Ernst Herbeck, German Poet (b. 1920)
- Sep 12 Jacques Benoit [JJM Bayer], poet, dies