- Apr 1 Henk Gortzak [Hendricus Gortzak], Dutch carpenter and politician (CPN/PSP), dies at 57
- Apr 3 Norman Wooland, German actor (Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, Hamlet), dies at 79
- Apr 5 María Cristina Gómez, Salvadoran teacher, literacy and civil rights activist, murdered at 46
- Apr 5 William Hibbard, American composer, musician and conductor, dies of an AIDS related illness at 49
- Apr 6 Elizabeth Becker-Pinkston, American platform diver (Olympic gold 1924 and 1928), dies at 86
- Apr 7 Alberto Morin, Puerto Rican actor (Two Mules for Sister Sara; Rio Grande), dies at 86
- Apr 8 John Wyer, English sports car racing team manager, dies at 79
- Apr 10 Joan Barry, dies at 85
- Apr 11 Henk van Galen Last, Dutch journalist, dies at 68
- Apr 12 Abbie Hoffman, yippie peace activist of the 60's, dies at 52
- Apr 12 Gerald Flood, British actor (Doctor Who, Patton), dies of a heart attack at 61
- Apr 12 Herbert Mills, American pop singer (The Mills Brothers - "Paper Doll"; "Lazy River"), dies at 77
Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-1989)
Apr 12 American boxer (world welterweight champion 1946-51; middleweight champion 1951-52, 55, 58), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 67
Hu Yaobang (1915-1989)
Apr 15 Chinese communist official and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1982-87), dies of a heart attack at 73
- Apr 15 Nesuhi Ertegün, Turkish–American jazz record producer and label executive (Atlantic Records; Warner Music), dies from complications of cancer surgery at 71
- Apr 16 John "Jocko" Conlan, American Baseball HOF umpire (National League 1941-65), dies after heart surgery at 89
- Apr 16 Tawfieq Yusuf Awwaad, Lebanese writer, dies
- Apr 17 Charles Lampkin, American character actor (Frank’s Place - "Tiger Shepin"; Roots: The Next Generation), spoken word artist, musician, and educator, dies at 76 [1]
- Apr 18 Julia Smith, American composer (Prairie Kaleidoscope; Cynthia Parker), pianist (Orchestrette Classique), teacher, and musicologist (Aaron Copland: His Work and Contribution to American Music), dies at 84
- Apr 19 Daphne Du Maurier, English writer (Rebecca, Jamaica Inn), dies at 82
- Apr 20 H.B. "Toby" Halicki, American filmmaker, stunt driver, and actor (Gone In 60 Seconds), killed by felled telephone pole while filming a stunt at 48
- Apr 21 James Kirkwood, American actor, author and playwright (A Chorus Line, P. S. Your Cat Is Dead!), dies of cancer at 64
- Apr 21 Princess Deokhye of Korea, last princess of the Korean Empire, dies at 76
- Apr 22 Benjamin "Bull Moose" Jackson, American R&B saxophone player and singer ("Hurry, Hurry"), dies at 70
Emilio G. Segrè (1905-1989)
Apr 22 Italian physicist and Nobel laureate (discovered the elements technetium, astatine and the sub-atomic antiparticle antiproton), dies at 84 of a heart attack
Lucille Ball (1911-1989)
Apr 26 American comedienne and actress (I Love Lucy; Mame), dies of a heart attack at 77
- Apr 27 Kōnosuke Matsushita, Japanese industrialist (founded Panasonic), dies at 94
- Apr 28 Olaf J. de Landell, Dutch writer, dies at 77
- Apr 30 Guy Williams [Armando Joseph Catalano], American actor (Zorro, Lost in Space), dies of a brain aneurysm at 65
- Apr 30 Sergio Leone, Italian director who invented spaghetti westerns (The Man with No Name trilogy), dies of a heart attack at 60
- Apr 30 Yi Bangja, Crown Prince Euimin of Korea (1926-70), dies at 87
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide