- Jan 1 Louis-Maurice de La Pierre, French composer, dies at 55
- Jan 11 Hans Sloane, Irish physician, naturalist and collector (providing the foundation of the British Museum), dies at 92
- Mar 6 Gerhardus Havingha, Dutch organist and composer, dies at 56
- Mar 12 George Berkeley, Irish philosopher and bishop of Cloyne (defended idealism, Berkeley, California named after him), dies on his 68th birthday [1]
- May 26 Willem Maurits, Dutch count of Nassau and governor of Zeeuws-Flanders, dies at 73
- Jul 17 Andre-Joseph Panckoucke, French book publisher/merchant, dies
- Aug 6 Georg Wilhelm Richmann, Russian physicist (struck by lightning) (b. 1711)
- Aug 19 Balthasar Neumann, German Baroque architect (Würzburg Residence), dies at 66
- Sep 16 Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, Prussian architect (Sanssouci) and painter, dies at 54
- Sep 24 Georg Gebel, German musician and composer, dies at 45 [1]
- Oct 23 Columban Praelisauer, German music director and composer, dies at 50
- Dec 15 Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English Palladian architect (Burlington House), dies at 59
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning