References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 June 28.

1984 January 1 Death of Alexis Korner, British blues musician and broadcaster (born 1928). [114] January 7 Death of Alfred Kastler, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902). [114] January 9 Wolfgang Staudte, German director (Ciske de Rat), dies at age 77. [1] January 10 Suvanna Phuma, premier of Laos, dies at age 82. [1] January 11 Fritz Geissler, composer, dies at age 62. [1] Jack La Rue, TV narrator (Lights Out), dies at age 84. [1] January 14 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch sexuologist (Dutch Society for Sexual Reformation-NVSH), dies at age 55. [1] Paul Ben Haim, composer, dies at age 86. [1] Ray Kroc, founder of MacDonalds/owner San Diego Padres, dies at age 82 (born 1902). [1] [114] January 18 Malcolm H Kerr, 9th president of American University of Beirut, shot dead. [1] January 20 Jackie Wilson, rocker, dies at age 49 from a heart attack. [1] Peter John [Johnny] Weissmuller, Austrian-born swimmer and actor (Tarzan, Jungle Jim), dies after a series of strokes in Acapulco, Mexico at age 79. [1] [114] January 21 Death of Jackie Wilson, American singer (born 1934). [114] Jackie Wilson, US singer ("I Get the Sweetest Feeling"), dies at age 49. [1] January 22 Death of Sir Count Michael Gonzi, Archbishop of Malta and past politician (born 1885). [114] January 23 Samuel Gardner, composer, dies at age 92. [1] January 27 Lou Crosby, TV announcer (Mayor of Hollywood), dies at age 72. [1] January 28 John Macvane, newscaster (United or Not), dies at age 71. [1] January 29 Frances Goodrich (Diary of Anne Frank), dies from lung cancer at age 93. [1] January 30 Death of Luke Kelly, Irish folk singer (born 1940). [114] February 3 Ravindara Mhatrem, Indian diplomat, killed in England. [1] Anne Townsend, lacrosse/tennis/field hockey star, dies. [1] February 7 Brooks West, actor (Richard - My Friend Irma), dies at age 67. [1] February 8 Death of Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (born 1903). [114] February 9 Balasaraswathi, Indian classical dancer, dies in Madras. [1] Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party (1982-84), dies at age 69 (born 1914). [1] [114] February 10 Death of David Von Erich, American professional wrestler (born 1958). [114] February 12 Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (Final del Juego), dies at age 69. [1] Death of Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (born 1914). [114] Anna Anderson Manahan [claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia] dies in Virginia. [1] February 15 Avon Long, dancer/actor (Roots: The Next Generation), dies of cancer at age 73. [1] Ethel Merman, American singer/actress (Kid Million), dies in her sleep at age 76 (born 1908). [1] [114] Leamon Hunt, US director-General in Sinai, killed by communists. [1] February 16 Ken Williams, TV announcer (Video Village), dies at age 69. [1] February 17 Lucille Benson, actress (Lilly - Bosom Buddies), dies at age 69. [1] February 19 Ina Ray Hutton, orchestra leader (Ina Ray Hutton Show), dies at age 66. [1] February 20 Fikret Dzhamil Amirov, composer, dies at age 61. [1] February 21 Death of Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905). [1] [114] February 22 David, spent most of his life in a plastic bubble, dies at age 12. [1] Death of Jessamyn West, American writer (born 1902). [114] Death of Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah, a Pakistani religious leader of Allo Mahar Shrif. [114] February 24 Uwe Johnson, writer, dies at age 59. [1] February 25 Death of Sean Marsee, American athlete (born 1965). [114] February 28 Leslie Walcott, cricketer (Test for West Indies vs England 1930), dies. [1] February 29 Roland Culver, actor (Thunderball), dies of heart problems at age 83. [1] March 1 Jackie Coogan, American actor (Uncle Fester - Addams Family), dies at age 69 (born 1914). [1] [114] March 2 Louis Basile, actor (Louie - The Super), dies at age 48. [1] March 4 Shalva Mikhaylovich Mshvelidze, composer, dies at age 79. [1] March 5 Michael Sklar, California, comedian (Laugh-in, Sha Na Na), dies at age 39. [1] Tito Gobbi, Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca), dies at age 68 (born 1915). [1] [114] William Powell, actor (My Man Godfrey), dies at age 91 (born 1892). [1] [114] Harry Salter, orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at age 85. [1] March 6 Pierre Cochereau, composer, dies at age 59. [1] Death of Martin Niemöller in Wiesbaden, Germany; commander of a submarine in World War I, pastor in Berlin, a leader in the resistance against Hitler, recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967 and the German "Grand Cross of Merit" in 1971. [1] [37] Henry Wilcoxon, actor (Cleopatra, Dragnet, Jericho), dies of congessive heart failure at age 78. [1] Ian Cromb, cricketer (5 Tests for New Zealand, 123 runs, 8 wickets), dies. [1] March 10 June Marlowe, actress (Pardon US), dies at age 81. [1] March 11 Nakagawa Soen, Zen teacher/poet, dies in Rytutakuji monastery at age 76. [1] March 12 Death of Arnold Ridley, English playwright and actor at age 88 (born 1896). [1] [114] March 13 Dick Whitington, journalist/cricketer (South Australia and AIF bat), dies. [1] March 14 Aurelio Peccei, Italian businessman/CEO (Club Rome), dies at age 75. [1] March 15 Tommy Cooper, comedian, collapses and dies on stage. [1] March 16 Death of John Hoagland, American photographer (born 1947). [114] March 18 Paul Frances Webster, lyricist, dies of Parkinson's disease at age 76. [1] Death of Charlie Lau, American baseball player/coach (Chiacgo Cubs), at age 50 (born 1933). [1] [114] March 24 Sam Jaffe, American actor (Dr Zorba - Ben Casey), dies of cancer at age 93 (born 1891). [1] [114] March 28 Kenneth Whitty, first Secretary at British Embassy in Athens, is shot dead. [1] March 30 Peter Yarrall, strongest Englishman/weighed 826 pounds (374.7 kg), dies. [1] April 1 American singer Marvin Gaye shot to death by his father Marvin Gaye Sr in Los Angeles, California at age 44 (born 1939). [1] [114] April 4 John Arnold, cricketer (England bat vs New Zealand 1931, scored 34 only Test), dies. [1] April 5 Theo Koomen, Dutch sportscaster, dies in auto-accident at age 54. [1] Arthur Travors "Bomber" Harris, marshal of British Royal Air Force, dies (born 1892). [1] [114] April 6 Jimmy Kenndy, British songwriter ("South of the Border"), dies. [1] Ral Donner, singer/narrator, dies at age 41. [1] April 7 Frank Church (Senator-Democrat-Ohio, 1957-81), dies at age 59. [1] Samuel G Engel, screenwriter/poet, dies of heart failure at age 79. [1] April 8 Death of Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1894). [114] April 9 Basil Henry Blackwell, British publisher, dies. [1] April 10 Nate Nelson, R&B-singer (Flamingos - "I'll Be Home"), dies on 52nd birthday. [1] Ray Middleton dies at age 75. [1] April 11 Death of Edgar V. Saks, Estonian statesman and historian (born 1910). [114] April 12 Ruth Taylor, actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies at age 76. [1] April 13 Christopher Wilder, FBI's "most wanted man", accidentally kills self. [1] April 15 British comedian/magician Tommy Cooper suffers a massive heart attack while live on TV, dying at age 61 (born 1921) [1] [114] Death of Alexander Trocchi, Scottish writer (born 1925). [114] April 17 WPC Yvonne Fletcher is shot and killed by a secluded gunman during a siege outside the Libyan Embassy in London. [1] [114] April 18 John Lee Mahin, screenwriter, dies of emphysema at age 81. [1] April 20 Death of Hristo Prodanov, Bulgarian mountaineer (born 1943). [114] Mabel Mercer, English/US singer (Fly me to the moon), dies at age 84. [1] April 22 Ansel Adams, American photographer, dies at age 82 (born 1902). [1] [5] April 23 August "Guus" Oster, actor/director (Carrie), dies at age 68. [1] April 25 Richard Benedict, actor (Okinawa), dies of a heart attack at age 64. [1] April 26 Henry Rowland, actor (Rogue's Regiment), dies at age 70. [1] May McAvoy, actress (Ben Hur), dies after a heart attack at age 82. [1] William "Count" Basie, American jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday (born 1904). [1] [114] April 27 Piet Kraak, Dutch soccer player, dies at age 63. [1] April 28 Glen H Taylor, US Senator/vice presidential candidate (1948), dies at age 80. [1] Silvia A Warner, writer, dies. [1] April 29 Marvin Gaye rocker (Sexual Healing), shot dead by his father at age 45. [1] April 30 Muddy Waters, blues singer/guitarist (Hoochie Coochie Man), dies at age 68. [1] May 1 Gordon Jenkins, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at age 73. [1] May 2 Piet van Aken, Flemish writer (Failing God, Niggers), dies at age 64. [1] Death of Jack Barry, American television host and producer (Joker's Wild) (born 1918). [1] [114] May 4 Diana Dors, actress (Berserk!), dies at age 52 of cancer. [1] May 6 Death of Mary Cain, Mississippi newspaper editor and politician (born 1904). [114] May 10 Robert Moore, actor (Marshall - Diana), dies at age 56. [1] Joaquin Agostinho, Portuguese cyclist, dies at age 41. [1] May 12 Doris May, actress (Peck's Bad Boy), dies of heart failure at age 81. [1] May 14 Larry Stock, songwriter (Blueberry Hill), dies. [1] May 15 Lionel Charles Robbins, British economist, dies at age 85. [1] May 16 Andy Kaufman, American comedian (Latka - Taxi), dies of cancer at age 35 (born 1949). [1] [114] Irwin Shaw, American writer (Rich Man, Poor Man), dies at age 71 (born 1913). [1] [114] May 19 Death of John Betjeman, English poet (born 1906). [114] May 20 Peter Bull, British actor (Dr Doolittle), dies of a heart attack at age 72. [1] May 21 Andrea Leeds, actress (Stage Door, Earthbound), dies of cancer at age 70. [1] Ann Little, actress (Roaring Road), dies. [1] May 22 John Marley, actor (Cat Ballou), dies following heart surgery at age 77. [1] May 24 Death of Vincent J. McMahon, professional wrestling promoter WWF (born 1914). [114] May 25 Piet Ketting, Dutch pianist/conductor/composer, dies at age 79. [1] May 28 Eric Morecambe, British comedian (Morecambe and Wise), dies at age 58 (born 1926). [1] [114] June 6 Death of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, most well known sikh leader of the 20th century (born 1947). [114] June 7 George Givot, actor (Versatile Vaudeville), dies at age 81. [1] June 15 Meredith Willson, composer (Meredith Willson Show), dies at age 82. [1] Ned Glass, actor, dies at age 78 of heart failure. [1] June 16 Death of Lew Andreas, American basketball coach (born 1895). [114] June 17 Chet Allen, actor (Jerry - Bonino, Slats - Troubleshooter), dies at age 51. [1] Swale, Kentucky Derby winner, collapses and dies. [1] June 20 Estelle Winwood, actress (Miracle on 34th Street), dies at age 99. [1] Sunny Johnson, actress, dies of cerebral hemorrhage at age 30. [1] June 22 Joseph Losey, director, dies at age 75. [1] June 24 William Keighley, actor, dies of a stroke at age 94. [1] June 26 Carl Foreman, producer, dies of cancer at age 69. [1] Death of Michel Foucault, French philosopher (born 1926). [114] June 30 Lillian Hellman, playwright, dies of cardiac arrest at age 79. [1] July 1 Death of Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian founder of the Feldenkrais Method (born 1904). [114] July 4 Death of Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (born 1949). [114] July 7 Flora Robson, actress, dies in her sleep at age 82. [1] July 8 Death of Brassaï, Hungarian-born photographer (born 1899). [114] July 14 Death of Philippe Wynne, American musician (born 1941). [114] Kenny Delmar, comedian (School House), dies at age 74. [1] July 16 Billy Williams, singer (Your Show of Shows), dies at age 73. [1] July 17 J Delos Jewkes, singer/actor, dies of a heart attack at age 89. [1] July 18 In San Ysidro, California, 41-year-old James Oliver Huberty sprays a McDonald's restaurant with gunfire, killing 21 people before being shot and killed by police. [1] [114] July 19 Carol Eberts Veazie, actor, dies at age 89. [1] July 21 James Fixx, runner and author, dies at age 43 of a heart attack. [1] July 23 Lloyd Gouch, actor, dies of aortic aneurism at age 77. [1] July 24 Death of Armando Morales Barillas, Nicaraguan guitarist (born 1936). [114] July 26 Death of George Gallup, American statistician and opinion pollster (born 1901). [114] Death of Ed "Psycho" Gein, American serial killer (born 1906). [1] [114] July 27 James Mason, actor, dies at age 75 of a heart attack. [1] [5] July 28 Bess Flowers, actress, dies at age 85. [1] July 29 Fred Waring, orchestra leader (Fred Waring Show), dies at age 84. [1] Woodrow Parfey, actor (Time Express), dies at age 61 of a heart attack. [1] July 31 Bill Raisch, one armed actor (Fred Johnson - Fugitive), dies at age 79. [1] August 2 Death of Quirino Cristiani, Argentine animated film director (born 1896). [114] August 4 Edmon Ryan, actor, dies at age 79 of a heart attack. [1] Mary Miles Minter, silent screen star, dies at age 82 of heart failure. [1] Walter Burke, actor, dies at age 75 of emphysema. [1] August 5 Howard Culver, actor (Howie - Gunsmoke), dies at age 66. [1] Richard Burton, Welsh actor (Cleopatra), dies at age 58 of cerebral hemorrhage (born 1925). [1] [114] August 8 Richard Deacon, actor (Mel - Dick Van Dyke Show), dies at age 62. [1] August 11 Death of Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (born 1892). [114] Death of Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian-German chess player (born 1916). [114] August 13 Death of Tigran Petrosian, Georgian chess player (born 1929). [114] Clyde Cook, actor, dies in his sleep at age 92. [1] August 14 Death of J. B. Priestley, English novelist and playwright (born 1894). [114] August 25 Death of Waite Hoyt, baseball player (born 1899). [114] Truman Capote, author (In Cold Blood), dies (born 1924). [1] [114] August 27 Billy Sands, actor (Phil Silvers Show, McHale's Navy), dies at age 73. [1] September 1 Howland Chamberlain, actor, dies at age 73. [1] September 3 Arthur Schwartz, actor, dies after a stroke at age 83. [1] Duncan Renaldo, actor (Cisco Kid), dies at age 80. [1] September 6 Ernest Tubb, singer (Grand Ole Opry), dies at age 70. [1] E.J. Andre, actor (Eugene Bullock - Dallas), dies at age 74. [1] September 8 Death of Frank Lowson, English Test Cricketer 1951-1955 (born 1925). [114] September 14 Janet Gaynor, actress, dies at age 77 from a traffic accident. [1] Death of Richard Brautigan, American counter-culture author (suicide) (born 1935). [114] September 17 Richard Basehart, actor, dies at age 70 following several strokes. [1] September 19 June Preisser, dancer/actress, dies at age 61 in an auto accident. [1] September 20 Death of Steve Goodman, a Grammy Award-winning folk music singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois (born 1948). [114] September 24 Neil Hamilton, actor (Commissioner Gordon - Batman), dies of asthma at age 85. [1] September 25 Walter Pidgeon of New Brunswick, Canada, actor (MGM-Mrs Miniver, Madame Curie), dies at age 87 after a series of strokes (born 1897). [1] [114] September 27 John Facenda, sportscaster (NFL Action), dies at age 72. [1] October 5 Death of Leonard Rossiter, British actor, of a heart attack at age 57 (born 1926). [1] [114] October 8 Frederick Brisson, producer, dies at age 71 after a stroke. [1] October 12 Death of Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (bombing) (born 1925). [114] October 14 Death of Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (born 1918). [114] October 16 Ken Carpenter, TV announcer (Lux Video Theater), dies at age 84. [1] Peggy Ann Garner, actress, dies at age 53 of cancer. [1] October 18 Death of Jon-Erik Hexum, American actor (born 1957). [114] Florence Rinard, TV panelist (20 Questions), dies at age 82. [1] Jon-Erik Hexum, actor, dies at age 26 by a gun loaded with blanks. [1] October 20 Death of Paul Dirac, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902). [114] Death of Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1896). [114] October 21 Death of François Truffaut, French film director, at age 52 of brain cancer (born 1932). [1] [114] October 22 Napoleon Whiting, actor (Silas - Big Valley), dies at age 75. [1] October 23 David Gorcey, dead end kid actor, dies at age 63 in a diabetic coma. [1] Oskar Werner, actor, dies of a heart attack at age 61. [1] October 24 Edith Massey, actress, dies at age 66. [1] Walter Woolf King, actor/TV host (Lights Cameras Action), dies at age 85. [1] October 26 Sue Randall, actress (Miss Landers - Leave it to Beaver), dies at age 49. [1] October 30 June Duprez, actress, dies at age 66. [1] Mario Gallo, actor (Delvecchio), dies at age 61. [1] October 31 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her two Sikh security guards. Riots soon break out in New Delhi, and some 2,700 Sikhs are killed. [1] [114] November 1 Norman Krasna, writer/director, dies of a heart attack at age 74. [1] November 4 Merie Earle, actress (Maude - The Waltons), dies of uremic poisoning at age 95. [1] November 6 Death of Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist and dramatist (born 1929). [114] November 7 George Matthews, actor, dies at age 73 of heart disease. [1] November 10 Sudie Bond, actress, dies at age 56 of a respiratory ailment. [1] November 11 Reverend Martin Luther King Sr dies in Atlanta, Georgie, USA at age 84. [1] November 13 Dorothy Arnold, actress, dies at age 66. [1] November 14 Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city (born 1916). [114] George Matthews, of Brooklyn, New York, actor (Chick - Glynis), dies at age 73. [1] November 15 Baby Fae, who received a baboon's heart, dies at California medical center. [1] November 16 Death of Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (born 1906). [114] Death of Leonard Rose, American cellist (leukemia) (born 1918). [114] November 18 Death of Mary Hamman, American writer and editor, modern living editor LIFE and editor-in-chief Bride & Home (born 1907). [114] November 27 Percy Norris, deputy high commissioner of India, shot dead. [1] December 3 Virginia Lacy Jones, US librarian/presidential advisor, dies at age 72. [1] December 4 John Rock, US co-developer of anti-conceptiepil, dies at age 94. [1] December 6 Ruth Cummings, actress (Daybreak, Dream of Love), dies at age 90. [1] December 7 Jeanne Cagney, actress (Quicksand, Kentucky Rifle), dies at age 65. [1] December 8 Luther Adler, American actor (Dr Bernard Altman - The Psychiatrist), dies at age 81 (born 1903). [1] [114] December 11 Death of Oskar Seidlin, Silesian-born Jewish-American literary scholar (born 1911). [114] George Waggner, director/writer, dies at age 90. [1] December 14 Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet (Historia del corazón), Nobel Prize winner, dies at age 86 (born 1898). [1] [114] December 15 Death of Jan Peerce, American tenor (born 1904). [114] Avon Long, actor (Roots: Next Generation), dies at age 74. [1] Jan Peerce [Perelmuth], operatic tenor, dies at age 80 following a stroke. [1] December 16 Death of J. Roderick MacArthur, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1920). [114] December 19 Michel Magne, composer, dies at age 54. [1] December 20 Death of Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (born 1946). [114] December 24 Ian Hendry, actor (Assassin, Get Carter, Repulsion), dies at age 53. [1] Peter Lawford, actor (The Thin Man), dies of cardiac arrest at age 61. [1] December 28 Death of Sam Peckinpah, American film director (born 1925). [114] Sam Peckinpah, director, dies of cardiac arrest at age 59. [1] [5] December 29 Leo Robin, lyricist, dies of heart failure at age 84. [1] December 30 Birth of LeBron James; American basketball player. [114]