- Jan 9 Bill Terry, American baseball player, dies at 90
- Jan 15 Wilf Slack, English cricketer, dies while playing cricket in Gambia at 34
- Jan 21 Carl Furillo, American Baseball player (b. 1922)
- Jan 24 George Knudson, Canadian golfer (8 PGA Tour titles; Masters 1969 runner-up), dies of lung cancer at 51
- Jan 29 Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 88
- Feb 2 Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (b. 1951)
- Feb 3 Glenna Collett-Vare, American golfer (6-time US Amateur champion), dies at 85
- Feb 10 Dan Kelly, NHL sportscaster, dies at 52, "He shoots, he scores!"
- Feb 17 Lefty Gomez, pitching great (NY Yankees), dies at 80
- Feb 21 Alex Thépot, French footballer (b. 1906)
- Mar 18 Piet Kruiver, Dutch soccer player, dies at 51
- Apr 6 Elizabeth Becker-Pinkston, American platform diver (Olympic gold 1924 and 1928), dies at 86
Sugar Ray Robinson
Apr 12 Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (world welterweight champion 1946-51; middleweight champion 1951-52, 55, 58), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 67
Sugar Ray Robinson
- Apr 14 Lance Pierre, cricketer (Test WI v Engl 1948, DNB, 7 overs 0-28), dies
- Apr 24 Franz Binder, Austrian soccer striker and manager (19 caps Austria, 9 caps Germany; Rapid Vienna), dies at 77
- May 5 Frank Easton, cricket wicket-keeper (NSW 1933-39), dies
- May 14 Joe Primeau, Canadian NHL center (Toronto Maple Leafs), dies at 83
- May 26 Don Revie, English footballer and soccer manager (Leeds and England), dies at 61
- May 30 Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (Ljublama Opera 1927, NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a stroke at 83
- May 31 C L R James, cricket writer (distinguished Trinidadian), dies
- Jun 2 Ted a'Beckett, cricketer (4 Tests 1928-32), dies
- Jun 2 Dick Mayer, American golfer (US Open 1957), dies from alcoholism complications at 64
- Jun 3 John McCauley, NHL official (b. 1945)
- Jun 7 Percy Stuart, Suriname/Dutch sports journalist, dies
- Jun 7 Chico Landi, Brazilian racing driver, dies at 81
- Jun 11 Jack McMahon, American basketball guard and coach (player Rochester Royal, St. Louis Hawks; coach Cincinnati Royals, San Diego Rockets, Pittsburgh Condors), dies at 60
- Jun 17 John Matuszak, American NFL defensive end (Oak Raider) and actor (The Goonies), dies of an accidental propoxyphene overdose at 38
- Jun 19 Ad van Emmenes, Dutch soccer reporter, dies at 91
- Jun 21 Lee Quencey Calhoun, hurdler (Olympic gold 1956, 60), dies at 56
- Jun 22 Lee Calhoun, hurdler (Olympic gold 1956, 60), dies at 66
- Jul 15 Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (b. 1956)
- Jul 18 Donnie Moore, pitcher (Angels), shoots himself at 35
- Jul 23 Claude Harmon, American golfer (US Masters 1948), dies of heart failure at 73
- Aug 12 Samuel Okwaraji, Nigerian footballer (b. 1964)
- Aug 13 Tim Richmond, American race car driver (won 13 NASCAR races), dies of AIDS at 34
- Aug 30 Joe Collins, American baseball first baseman (World Series 1949–53, 56; New York Yankees), dies at 66
- Sep 1 A. Bartlett Giamatti, American executive (MLB Commissioner 1989; President Yale University 1978-86), dies of heart attack at 51
- Sep 3 Rip Sewell, American baseball player, dies at 82
- Sep 10 Jeff Stollmeyer, Trinidad and Tobago cricketer (32 Tests for WI), murdered at 68
- Sep 14 Eddie McLeod, New Zealand cricketer (one Test for NZ), dies at 88
- Sep 15 Harry Cave, New Zealand cricketer (New Zealand captain 1955-56), dies at 66
- Sep 19 Willie Steele, American Olympic gold medalist (b. 1923)
- Sep 20 Richie Ginther, American racing driver, dies from a heart attack at 59
- Sep 29 August A. "Gussie" Busch, American brewing magnate and baseball owner (St Louis Cards), dies at 90
- Oct 3 Norman Yardley, English cricket batsman and captain (20 Tests; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1948), dies of a stroke at 74
- Oct 4 Secretariat, American thoroughbred race horse (Triple Crown 1973), dies at 19
- Oct 22 Tony Manero, American golfer (US Open 1936), dies at 84
- Oct 26 Andrew Roberts, cricketer (7 Tests for New Zealand 1976), dies
- Oct 28 Darel Dieringer, American auto racer (181 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races for 7 wins and 79 top 10 finishes), dies at 63
- Nov 13 Victor Davis, Canadian swimmer (b. 1964)
- Nov 22 Rajindernath, Indian cricketer wicketkeeper (1 Test), dies
- Nov 25 Ratu Sir George Cakobau, Fiji cricketer/Gov-General, dies
- Nov 29 Sir G O "Gubby" Allen, English cricket all-rounder (25 Tests; refused to bowl 'Bodyline' tactics 1932), dies of complications after stomach surgery at 87
- Dec 3 Fernando Martín, Spanish basketball center (first Spaniard in NBA 1986, Portland Trail Blazers; FIBA Club World Cup 1981, Real Madrid), dies in a car accident at 27
- Dec 16 Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentine racing driver (b. 1913)
Billy Martin
Dec 25 Billy Martin, American baseball 2nd baseman (MLB All Star 1956; World Series 1951, 52, 53, 56; NY Yankees) and manager (World Series 1977 NY Yankees), killed in a car accident at 61
Billy Martin
Doug Harvey
Dec 26 Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey defence player ('100 Greatest NHL Players), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 65
Doug Harvey