- Jan 3 Conrad Hilton, American hotel mogul (Hilton Hotels, world's 1st international hotel chain), dies at 91
- Jan 5 Charles Mingus, American jazz bassist (Pithecanthropus Erectus), dies from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 56
- Jan 7 Zbigniew Turski, Polish composer, dies at 70
- Jan 8 Sara Carter, American country musician, songwriter and vocalist (Carter Family), dies at 81
- Jan 9 Avery Claflin, American banker and composer ("Lament for April 15" - income tax form instructions set to music), dies at 80 [1]
- Jan 9 Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect (Nuove Struttura), dies at 87
- Jan 11 Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, German-French art dealer and publisher, dies at 94
- Jan 11 Jack Soo [Goro Suzuki], Japanese-American actor (Flower Drum Song, Barney Miller), dies of esophageal cancer at 61
- Jan 13 Donny Hathaway, American gospel and soul singer-songwriter, and keyboardist ("The Ghetto"; "Where is the Love?"), commits suicide at 33
- Jan 13 Marjorie Lawrence, Australian operatic soprano who specialized in Wagnerian roles, dies of heart failure at 71
- Jan 14 Thomas DeSimone, American gangster associate of the Lucchese crime family, missing thought murdered (b. 1950)
- Jan 15 Euphemia Giannini Gregory, Italian-American opera singer and educator (Curtis Institute), dies at 83
- Jan 16 August Heissmeyer, German SS officer, dies at 82
- Jan 16 Fred Elizalde, Spanish Filipino composer, dies at 71
- Jan 16 Peter Butterworth, British actor and comedian (Carry On), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Jan 18 Cyril Mockridge, British composer for film and television (Miracle On 34th Street; The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), dies at 82
- Jan 19 Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans, American NFL fullback (NY Giants), dies of a heart attack at 66
- Jan 19 Paul Meurisse, actor (Diabolique, Truth, Suspects, Monocle), dies
- Jan 20 Gustav Winckler, Danish pop singer ("Skibet skal sejle i nat"- "The Ship Is Leaving Tonight"), dies in a car crash at 53
- Jan 21 Aleksei Leontiev, Soviet developmental psychologist and philosopher (activity theory), dies at 75
- Jan 22 Ali Hassan Salameh [Abu Hassan], killed by car bomb; believed to have helped mastermind massacre of 1972 Munich Olympics athletes
- Jan 22 Helma Wolf-Catz, Dutch author (Undercurrent, Coral Reef), dies at 78
- Jan 24 Jerry Damon, comedian (That Was The Week That Was), dies at 51
- Jan 24 Mabel Taliaferro, actress (My Love Come Back), dies at 91
- Jan 25 Robertson Hare, English actor (All Gas and Gaiters. Our Girl Friday, Banana Ridge), dies at 87
Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979)
Jan 26 American politician (Vice President: 1974-1977; Governor of New York (R), 1959-73), dies of a heart attack at 70
- Jan 27 Qalander Baba Auliya, Indian Sufi master (Azeemiyya order), dies at about 81
- Jan 27 Victoria Ocampo, Argentine writer and publisher (Sur magazine), dies at 88
- Jan 28 Eileen Shanahan, Irish poet (The Three Children (Near Clonmel), dies at 77
- Jan 28 Hans Scherfig, Danish artist and communist writer (Idealists, Stolen Spring), dies at 73
- Jan 31 Grant Green, American jazz, blues and funk guitarist, and songwriter, dies of a heart attack at 43
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning