- Aug 1 Robert Wolfgang Schnell, German writer, dies at 70
- Aug 1 Willem Klein, variety artist, dies at about 73
- Aug 2 Roy Cohn, American lawyer ("grand inquisitor" for US Senator Joseph McCarthy; George Steinbrenner; Aristotle Onassis; Donald Trump; Mafia figures: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York), dies of complications of AIDS at 59
- Aug 2 Roy Marcus Cohn, American lawyer (Joseph McCarthy), dies of AIDS at 59
- Aug 3 Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck), British-Kenyan; racehorse trainer, aviator, and memoirist, dies at 83
- Aug 3 Joe Thomas, American jazz tenor saxophonist, vocalist (Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra), bandleader, and undertaker, dies at 77
- Aug 3 Paul de Groot, Dutch communist politician (CPN) and editor (The Truth), dies at 87
- Aug 3 Rupert de Smidt, South African cricketer (Western Province 1911-13), dies at 102
- Aug 3 Willem Ruis, Dutch TV host (Willem Ruis Show), dies at 41
- Aug 3 William B. Williams, American DJ (WNEW - Make Believe Ballroom), and TV announcer/second banana (Sammy and Company), dies of acute anemia and respiratory failure at 62
- Aug 6 Emilio Fernandez, Mexican director (La Choca, Flor Silvestre), dies at 82
- Aug 6 Manfred Hausmann, writer, dies at 87
- Aug 6 William J Schroeder, (longest-survivor with permanent artificial) heart, dies at 54, after 620 days with Jarvik VII man-made pump)
- Aug 9 Jef Scherens, Belgian track cyclist (World C'ships gold sprint 1932-37, 47), dies at 77
- Aug 10 Don McRae, New Zealand cricket medium pace bowler (1 Test; Canterbury CA) and soccer goalkeeper (1 cap; Nomads United FC), dies at 71
Chuck McKinley (1941-1986)
Aug 11 American tennis player (1963 Wimbledon), dies of a brain tumor at 45
- Aug 13 Caterina Jarboro, African-American opera singer and 1st black female performer to sing on opera stage in US, dies at 88
- Aug 13 Helen Mack, American actress (Son of Kong, Milky Way), dies of cancer at 72
- Aug 15 Richard E. Holz, American composer for brass band (Salvation Army), dies at 74
- Aug 16 Jaime Saenz, Bolivian poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1921)
- Aug 16 John Hurley, American songwriter ("Son of a Preacher Man"), dies from liver failure and a brain hemorrhage at 45
- Aug 16 Werner Fussan, German composer (Heiteres Aquarium) and educator, dies at 73
- Aug 19 Hermione Baddeley, British actress (Camp Runamuck; Maude), dies at 79
- Aug 19 Jaap [Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus] Burger, Dutch politician and chairman (PvdA), dies at 81
- Aug 19 Lorenzo Tucker 'the Black Valentino', American actor (Black King), dies at 79
- Aug 20 Donn Bennett, TV host (The Big Idea), dies at 76
- Aug 20 Milton Acorn, Canadian poet (b. 1923)
- Aug 20 Thad Jones, American jazz saxophonist, flugelhorn player, arranger, bandleader, and composer (Count Basie; Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra), dies of cancer at 63
- Aug 20 Walter Brooke, actor (DA Scanlon-Green Hornet), dies at 71
- Aug 23 Charles Janssens, Belgian actor (Mira, Malpertuis), dies at 80
- Aug 25 Allen Case, actor (Deputy, Legend of Jesse James), dies at 51
- Aug 26 Jennifer Levin, American murder victim, strangled by Robert Chambers in New York City's Central Park aged 18
- Aug 26 Ted Knight [Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka], American actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Ted Baxter"; Too Close for Comfort), dies of colorectal cancer at 62
- Aug 30 Ellis Achong, West Indian cricket spin bowler (6 Tests, 8 wickets; Trinidad; 1st of Chinese descent to play a Test match), dies at 82
- Aug 30 Otto Mortensen, Danish composer and musicologist, dies at 79
- Aug 31 Goffredo Parise, Italian writer (Il padrone), dies at 56
- Aug 31 Henry Moore, English artist and sculptor (known for Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae), dies at 88
- Aug 31 Urho Kekkonen, Finnish politician (8th President of Finland 1956-81), dies at 85
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide