- Jan 5 Nawab of Pataudi, cricket (play polo 3 Tests for Eng 3 for Ind), dies
- Jan 17 Walter O "Spike" Briggs, owner (Det Tigers), dies at 74
- Feb 5 Reginald Allen, cricketer (uncle of Gubby, Test Aust v Eng 1887), dies
- Feb 7 Pete Henry, American NFL tackle (Canton, NY Giants, Pottsville), dies at 54
- Feb 14 Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- May 16 Alec Hearne, cricketer (scored 9 in Test for Eng v South Africa 1892), dies
- Jun 18 Efim D Bogolyubov, Russian chess player, dies at 63
- Jun 20 Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (b. 1898)
- Jul 21 Silvio Cator, Haitian athlete long jumper (Olympic silver 1928), dies at 51
- Jul 27 Roland Pope, cricketer (Test for Australia 1885), dies
- Jul 31 N B F "Tufty" Mann, cricketer (South African slow lefty 1947-51), dies
- Aug 30 Arky Vaughn, infielder (Pirates & Dodgers), drowns
- Sep 29 John Cobb, British racing driver (b. 1899)
- Oct 5 Joe Jagersberger, Austrian-American racing driver, dies at 68
- Oct 8 Joe Adams, American baseball player (b. 1877)
- Nov 8 Claude Carter, South African cricketer (took 28 wkts 10 Tests for South Africa), dies at 71
- Dec 19 Harry Makepeace, English cricketer (4 Tests for England v Australia 1920-21), dies at 71