- Dec 1 (Moisés) "Mario" Abramovich, Argentinian tango and classical violinist (Sexteto Major, 1974-2014), dies at 88
- Dec 2 Bobby Keys, American session and touring rock saxophonist (Rolling Stones; Harry Nilsson; John Lennon), dies of liver cancer at 70
- Dec 2 Don Laws, American figure skater and coach (Scott Hamilton, Patrick Chan, Tiffany Chin), dies from heart failure at 85
Jean Béliveau (1931-2014)
Dec 2 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Hart Trophy 1956, 64; Art Ross Trophy 1956; Conn Smythe Trophy 1965; record 17 Stanley Cups), dies at 83
- Dec 2 Josie Cichockyj, British wheelchair athlete (wheelchair racing [WR 5,000m], basketball, tennis, table tennis), dies from cancer at 49
- Dec 3 Ian McLagan, English rock keyboardist (Small Face; Faces), dies from a stroke at 69
- Dec 3 Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist, dies at 84
- Dec 5 Luis Herrera de la Fuente, Mexican pianist, conductor (Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, 1954-72), and composer, dies at 90
- Dec 5 Manuel De Sica, Italian composer, chiefly of film scores, dies of a heart attack at 65
- Dec 5 Queen Fabiola of Belgium [Doña Fabiola de Mora], Spanish wife of King Baudouin, Queen consort of the Belgians (1960-93), dies at 86
- Dec 6 Fred Hawkins, American golfer (US Masters 1958 runner-up), dies at 91
- Dec 6 Ralph Baer, German-American engineer, creator of the first video game console (Magnavox Odyssey Home Video Game System), dies at 88 [1]
- Dec 7 John Bartholomew Tucker, American TV host (Candid Camera, Treasure Island), dies at 84
- Dec 7 Ken Weatherwax, American actor, dies from a heart attack at 59
- Dec 8 Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist, choral composer, and conductor, dies at 99
- Dec 9 José Feghali, Brazilian concert pianist (Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, 1985), takes his own life at 53
- Dec 9 Mary Ann Mobley, American model/actress, dies from breast cancer at 77
- Dec 9 Winfred "Blue" Lovett, American singer (Manhattans - "One Life to Live"), dies at 71
- Dec 10 Catherine Hughes [Pestell], British principal (Somerville College Oxford), dies at 81
- Dec 10 Donald Moffitt, American sci-fi author (The Jupiter Theft; The Genesis Quest), dies at 83 [1]
- Dec 10 Ziad Abu Ein, Palestinian government minister, killed in confrontation with Israeli troops at protest on West Bank
- Dec 11 Hans Wallat, German opera conductor, dies at 85
- Dec 12 Norman Bridwell, American author and cartoonist (Clifford the Big Red Dog), dies at 86
- Dec 13 Raoul Cita, American R&B pianist and songwriter (Harptones), dies at 86
- Dec 14 Bess Myerson, 1st Jewish Miss America (1945), dies at 90
- Dec 15 Ray Steadman-Allen, British choral and brass band composer, dies at 92
- Dec 16 Ernie Terrell, American boxer (WBA heavyweight champion 1965-7), dies from dementia at 75
- Dec 17 Francis-Paul Demillac [Enyss Djemil], French violinist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 97
- Dec 17 Fritz Rudolf Fries, German writer and informant, dies at 79
- Dec 18 Virna Lisi, Italian actress (Assault on a Queen, Bluebeard), dies at 78
- Dec 20 Hubert Booi, Bonairian-Aruban poet (Golgotha, Muchila), dies at 95
- Dec 20 John Freeman, British politician (Labour), ambassador, TV host and executive (London Weekend Television, dies at 99
- Dec 21 Billie Whitelaw, British actress (Omen, Adding Machine), dies at 82
- Dec 21 Sonia d’Artois, British Canadian WWII resistance agent, dies at 90
- Dec 21 Udo Jürgens [Bockelmann], Austrian-Swiss pop singer-songwriter (Eurovision Song Contest, 1966), dies of heart failure at 80
Joe Cocker (1944-2014)
Dec 22 English rock vocalist ("With A Little Help From My Friends"; "Cry Me A River"; "You Are So Beautiful"), dies of lung cancer at 70
- Dec 23 Jerzy Semkow, Polish-French conductor and educator, dies at 86
- Dec 24 Boniface "Buddy" DeFranco, Italian-American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra), dies at 91
- Dec 25 Geoff Pullar, English cricket batsman (28 Tests, 4 x 100s, HS 175; Lancashire CCC, Gloucestershire CCC), dies at 79
- Dec 25 Gleb Yakunin, Russian priest and dissident, dies at 80
- Dec 25 Mary Lyon, English geneticist (X-chromosome inactivation), dies at 89
- Dec 26 Leo Tindemans, Belgian statesman, Prime Minister of Belgium (1974-78), dies at 92
- Dec 29 Claude Frank, German-American concert pianist and pedagogue, dies at 89
- Dec 29 Ivor Richardson, New Zealand judge (NZ Court of Appeals), dies at 84
- Dec 29 Leslie Silver, English paint manufacturer and Chairman of Leeds United, dies at 89
- Dec 30 Deborah Bone, English mental health nurse who was the inspiration for the song "Disco 2000" by Jarvis Cocker, dies of multiple myeloma cancer at 51
- Dec 30 Erik Hansen, Danish canoeist (Olympic gold K-1 1000m 1960; World C'ship gold 1963), dies at 74
Luise Rainer (1910-2014)
Dec 30 German-American actress and 1st actor to win multiple Academy Awards (The Great Ziegfeld 1936, The Good Earth 1937), dies at 104
- Dec 30 Patrick Gowers, British choral and film score composer (Viri Galilaei; Hamlet; Smiley's People), dies at 78
- Dec 30 Yolande Donlan, British-American actress (Jigsaw, Expresso Bongo, Penny Princess), dies at 94
- Dec 31 Charles Kelly, British police (Chief Constable of Staffordshire, 1976-96), dies of cancer at 84
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide