- Jan 1 Alexis Korner, British blues revivalist, guitar player (Blues Incorporated - "Please Please Please Please"), and radio broadcaster, dies of lung cancer at 55
- Jan 1 Ken Sitzberger, American diver & broadcaster (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1964), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 38
- Jan 6 Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-U.S. cinematographer (b. 1898)
- Jan 7 Alfred Kastler, French physicist (Nobel 1966 - Hertzian resonances within atoms), dies at 81
- Jan 9 Wolfgang Staudte, German director (Ciske de Rat), dies at 77
- Jan 10 Souvanna Phouma, Prince and Prime Minister of Laos (1951–54, 1956–58, 1960 and 1962–75), dies at 82
- Jan 11 Fritz Geissler, German composer, dies at 62
- Jan 11 Jack La Rue, American actor and TV narrator (Lights Out, Mouthpiece, My Favorite Brunette), dies at 81
Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984)
Jan 14 American drama critic (The New York Times), dies at 89
- Jan 14 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch sexuologist (NVSH), dies at 55
- Jan 14 Paul Ben Haim [Frankenburger], Israeli composer, dies at 86
Ray Kroc (1902-1984)
Jan 14 American fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) and owner of baseball's San Diego Padres, dies of heart failure at 81
- Jan 17 Kostas Giannidis [Yannis Constantinidis], Greek composer and pianist, dies at 80
- Jan 18 Malcolm H. Kerr, 9th President of American University of Beirut, shot dead at 52
- Jan 18 Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer, rebetiko and laïkó songwriter, and bouzouki player, dies on his 69th birthday
- Jan 19 Max Bentley, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Hart Trophy 1946; Chicago Blackhawks), dies at 63
Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984)
Jan 20 Romanian-American actor (Tarzan) and swimmer (5 Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies of pulmonary edema at 79
- Jan 21 Giannis Skaribas, Greek writer, dramatist, and poet (b. 1893)
Jackie Wilson (1934-1984)
Jan 21 American soul singer-songwriter and performer ("Lonely Teardrops"; "Higher And Higher": "I Get the Sweetest Feeling"), dies from stroke complications at 49
- Jan 22 Mikiel Gonzi, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta (1944-76), dies at 98
- Jan 23 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
- Jan 23 Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
- Jan 23 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
- Jan 27 Lou Crosby, American actor, and radio and TV announcer (Lum and Abner; The Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 69
- Jan 28 Al Dexter [Poindexter], American honky-tonk country musician, and singer-songwriter ("Pistol Packin' Mama"), dies at 78
- Jan 28 John Macvane, American war correspondent and newscaster (United or Not), dies at 71
- Jan 29 Edzard Schaper, German author (Der Henker 'The Hangman'; The Fourth King) who wrote about Estonia and Christianity and was sentenced to death by both the Soviet Union and Germany, dies at 76
- Jan 29 Frances Goodrich, American actress and dramatist (Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 93 of lung cancer
- Jan 30 Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (The Dubliners), dies at 43
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning