- Jan 1 Bruno Söderström, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver pole vault & bronze javelin 1906; bronze pole vault 1908; popularized bowling in Sweden), dies at 87
- Jan 3 Buzz Borries, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Navy 1932–34), dies at 57
- Jan 4 Julian Myrick, American tennis promoter (West Side Tennis Club & Forest Hills Stadium), dies at 88
- Jan 8 Albert Hill, British athlete (b. 1889)
- Jan 13 Fred Price, English cricket wicket-keeper (1 Test, 2 dismissals; Middlesex CCC), dies at 66
- Feb 9 Manuel Plaza Reyes, Chilean marathoner (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 68
- Feb 21 Jose de Capriles, Mexican-born US Olympic fencer, dies at 57
- Mar 3 Fred Alexander, American tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1908, 5-time US Indoor winner), dies at 88
- Mar 14 Heinie Zimmerman, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs, NY Giants,1912-batted .372 with 14 HRs), dies at 82
- Mar 25 Norman Gallichan, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (1 Test, HS 30, 3 wickets; Manawatu, Wellington), dies at 62
- Mar 30 Lucien Bianchi, Italian-Belgian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1968), dies during Le Mans testing accident at 34
- May 14 Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m freestyle, 200m obstacle 1900), dies at 89
Joe Malone (1890-1969)
May 15 Canadian Hockey HOF center (only player in NHL history to score 7 goals in a single game 1920; Stanley Cup 1912, 13 Quebec Bulldogs; 1924 Montreal Canadiens), dies at 79
- May 17 Clarence "Pants" Rowland, American baseball manager (World Series 1917; Chicago White Sox 1915-18) and MLB umpire (American League 1923-27), dies at 91
- May 26 Paul Hawkins, Australian racing driver (b. 1937)
- Jun 1 Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (Olympic gold 5,000m 1928; 500m, 5,000m 10,000m 1936), dies at 65
- Jun 4 Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1963), dies in an airline crash at 30
Maureen Connolly (1934-1969)
Jun 21 American tennis player (1st women's Grand Slam 1953; 9 x Grand Slam singles titles), dies of ovarian cancer at 34
- Jun 23 Chuck Taylor, American Basketball Hall of Fame promoter (Converse All Star shoes), dies of a heart attack at 67
- Jun 23 Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 3,000m steeplechase 1936), dies at 62
- Jul 2 Michael DiBiase, wrestler (b. 1923)
- Jul 4 Georges Ronsse, Belgian road cyclist (UCI Road World C'ship 1928, 29), dies at 63
- Jul 22 Hammy Love, cricketer (NSW wicket-keeper, played for Australia), dies
- Aug 9 George Preston Marshall, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Washington Redskins 1933-69), dies at 72
Rocky Marciano (1923-1969)
Aug 31 American boxer (undefeated world heavyweight champion 1952-56), dies in a plane crash at 45
- Sep 2 Willy Mairesse, Belgian auto racer (13 F1 GP; Nürburgring 1000km 1963; GT Spa GP 1965; Targa Florio 1966), dies from suicide at 40
- Sep 3 John Lester, American cricket all-rounder (Gentlemen of Philadelphia CC), dies at 98
- Sep 6 Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian football player, dies at 77
- Sep 9 Cec Dixon, South African cricket fast-medium bowler (1 Test; 3 wickets; Transvaal), dies at 78
- Oct 4 Vibart Wight, West Indian cricket batsman (2 Tests; v/c WI first touring team v England 1928), dies at 67
Walter Hagen (1892-1969)
Oct 6 American golfer (11 major titles, US Open 1914, 19), dies of throat cancer at 76
- Oct 7 Léon Scieur, Belgian cyclist (b. 1888)
Sonja Henie (1912-1969)
Oct 12 Norwegian figure skater (Olympic gold 1928, 32, 36), and actress (My Lucky Star), dies from leukemia at 57
- Oct 14 Arnie Herber, American Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL C'ship 1930, 31, 36, 39; First-team All-Pro 1932, 35, 36; Green Bay Packers, NY Giants), dies at 59
- Oct 29 Vic Richardson, Australian cricket batsman and captain who played 19 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 138; South Australia; and SANFL player Magarey Medal 1920 Sturt FC, dies at 75
- Nov 3 Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish soccer striker (16 caps; Fenerbahçe), dies at 71
- Nov 5 Lloyd Corrigan, American actor (Papa Dodger, The Manchurian Candidate), dies at 69
- Nov 9 Clifford Gray, American bobsledder (Olympic gold 5-man 1928, 4-man 1932), dies at 76
- Nov 15 Billy Southworth, American Baseball HOF manager (World Series 1942, 44 St. Louis Cardinals; Boston Braves) and outfielder (World Series 1926 NY Giants), dies of emphysema at 76
- Dec 7 Lefty O'Doul, American Baseball HOF left fielder (MLB All-Star, World Series 1933; NL batting champion 1929, 32 NY Yankees), dies at 72
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions