- Oct 1 Arthur "Art" Janov, American psychologist and psychotherapist notable for creating primal therapy (The Primal Scream), dies of natural causes at 93
- Oct 1 Peter Horak, Czech stuntman (Star Trek: Voyager: Throw Momma from the Train), dies at 74
- Oct 1 Robert D. Hales, American LDS Church apostle, dies at 85
- Oct 1 Samuel I Newhouse Jr., American magazine publisher (Parade, Vogue, Vanity Fair), dies at 89
- Oct 2 Klaus Huber, Swiss composer (Tenebrae) and academic, dies at 92
- Oct 2 Robert Yates, American auto racing team owner and engine builder (Yates Racing, NASCAR), dies from cancer at 74
Tom Petty (1950-2017)
Oct 2 American classic rock singer and songwriter (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "American Girl"; Traveling Wilburys - "Last Night"; solo -"I Won't Back Down"), dies of an accidental overdose at 66
- Oct 3 Isabella Karle, American scientist who was instrumental in developing techniques to extract plutonium chloride, dies from a brain tumor at 95
Jalal Talabani (1933-2017)
Oct 3 Iraqi-Kurdish politician and President of Iraq (2005-2014), dies at 83
- Oct 3 Michel Jouvet, French neuroscientist and medical researcher who discovered the region of the brain that controls rapid eye movement (REM sleep), dies at 91
- Oct 3 Solly Hemus, American baseball infielder (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1959–61), dies at 94
- Oct 4 John Miller, American politician (Rep-R-WA, 1985-93), dies at 79
- Oct 4 Liam Cosgrave, Irish politician (Fine Gael Party; President of Ireland, 1973-77), dies at 97
- Oct 6 Connie Hawkins, American professional basketball player, 1961-76 ABA MVP-1968 (Harlem Globetrotters, 1963-66; Phoenix Suns, L.A. Lakers), dies of cancer at 75
- Oct 6 Terry Downes, British middleweight boxing champion (1961-62), dies at 81
- Oct 7 Jim Landis, American MLB outfielder, 1957-67, 5X Gold Glove, 2X All-Star(Chicago White Sox, and 5 other teams), dies of lung cancer at 83
- Oct 8 Grady Tate, American jazz drummer (Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith), and singer, dies of complications from Alzheimer disease at 85 [1]
- Oct 8 Jerry Kleczka, American politician (Rep-D-WI, 1984-2005), dies at 73
- Oct 8 Y. A. Tittle, American NFL quarterback (Baltimore, San Francisco, NY Giants, MVP 1963), dies at 90
- Oct 9 Hervé Leroux, French fashion designer and founder of Hervé Léger fashion house, dies from a ruptured aneurysm at 60
- Oct 9 Jean Rochefort, French actor (Man on the Train, The Artist and the Model), dies at 87
- Oct 9 Vincent La Selva, American conductor (New York Grand Opera Company, 1973-2012), dies at 88 [1]
- Oct 12 Grape-kun, a Humbolt penguin from Tobu Zoo, who gained fame from the anime series "Kemono Friends", dies aged 21 (Miyashiro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan).
- Oct 14 Richard Wilbur, 2nd US Poet Laureate (Ceremony, Walking to Sleep), dies at 96
- Oct 16 Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist (Panama Papers), killed by a car bomb at 53
- Oct 16 Roy Dotrice, British actor (A Moon for the Misbegotten, Amadeus) and narrator (A Song of Ice and Fire), dies at 94
- Oct 16 Sean Hughes, Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor, dies at 51
- Oct 17 Danielle Darrieux, French stage and screen actress (Alexander the Great; Mayerling; 8 Women), dies due to injuries from a fall at 100
- Oct 17 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), dies of glioblastoma at 53
- Oct 17 Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95
- Oct 17 Julian May, American sci-fi author (Golden Torc, Magnificat), dies at 86
- Oct 20 Dick Noel, American vocalist, jingle singer, radio and television performer, dies at 90
- Oct 22 George Young, Scottish-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer (the Easybeats, Flash and the Pan), dies at 70
- Oct 22 Paul J. Weitz, American test pilot and NASA astronaut (Skylab 2, STS-6), dies at 85
Fats Domino (1928-2017)
Oct 24 American rhythm & blues piano player, singer, and star of the early rock ’n’ roll era ("Blueberry Hill"; "Blue Monday"; "Walkin' To New Orleans", dies from natural causes at 89
- Oct 24 Robert Guillaume [Williams], American actor (Rafiki- The Lion King, Sports Night, Benson, Soap), dies at 89
- Oct 25 Jack Bannon, American actor (Art in Lou Grant, Trauma Center), dies at 77
- Oct 25 John Manduell, British-based South African composer and educator (Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, 1973-96), dies at 89
- Oct 27 Jack Levy, English mechanical engineer, dies at 91
- Oct 27 Ladislav Kubík, Czech-American composer (Aulos; Subterranean River) and educator (Florida State University, 1990-2017), dies at 71
- Oct 29 Dennis Banks, American activist (leader of the American Indian Movement), dies at 80
- Oct 29 Muhal Richard Abrams, American educator and composer, dies at 87
- Oct 30 M V Sridhar, Indian cricketer (scored 366 for Hyderabad v Andhra Pradesh 1994), dies of a heart attack at 51
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide