- Jan 1 Bruce Norris, American Hockey Hall of Fame executive (owner Detroit Red Wings 1952-82), dies at 61
- Jan 1 Marty Friedman, American Basketball Hall of Fame guard and coach (tied World C'ship series, New York Whirlwinds 1921), dies at 96
Bill Veeck (1914-1986)
Jan 2 American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), dies of lung cancer at 71
- Jan 5 Ilmari Salminen, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 10,000m 1936), dies at 83
- Jan 15 James H "Jim" Crowley, US football player (Notre Dame), dies at 83
- Jan 20 Franz Kemser, German 4 man bobsled (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 75
- Jan 25 Dennis Smith, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (1 Test; lone wicket off first ball; Otago, Canterbury), dies at 73
Red Ruffing (1904-1986)
Feb 17 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1932, 36–39, 41; NY Yankees), dies from stroke related problems at 80
Jacques Plante (1929-1986)
Feb 27 Canadian Ice Hockey goalie who was the first to wear a goaltender mask, dies of stomach cancer at 57
- Mar 5 Teddy Hoad, West Indies cricket batsman, captain (4 Tests, Barbados), dies at 90
- Mar 6 István Pelle, Hungarian gymnast (Olympic gold pommel horse & floor exercise 1932), dies at 78
- Apr 5 Colin McCool, Australian cricket all-rounder (14 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 104no, 36 wickets, BB 5/41; NSW, Queensland, Somerset CCC), dies at 69
- Apr 6 Raimundo Orsi, Argentine-born Italian soccer winger (13 caps Argentina, 35 Italy; Independiente, Juventus), dies at 84
- Apr 17 Paul Costello, American rower (Olympic gold double sculls 1920, 24, 28), dies at 86
- Apr 23 Jim Laker, English cricket spin bowler (46 Tests; 193 wickets; world best 19-90 4th Test v Australia 1956), dies from complications of gall bladder surgery at 64
- Apr 24 Bill Edrich, English cricket all-rounder (39 Tests, 6 x 100, HS 219no, 41 wickets; MCC, Middlesex CCC), dies following a fall at 70
- May 2 Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver (3 x World Rally C'ship round wins for Talbot, Opel, Porsche, Lancia), dies in a rally accident at 29
Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986)
May 9 Tibetan climber who was the 1st to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953 with Edmund Hillary, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 71
- May 11 Fritz Pollard, early African American NFL star and coach, dies at 92
- May 15 Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958)
- May 17 Lyudmila Pakhomova, Russian ice dancer (World C'ship gold x 6; Olympic gold USSR 1976; with Alexandr Gorshkov), dies from leukemia at 39
- Jun 2 Aurel Joliat, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 84 (b. 1901)
- Jun 13 Jim Ferrier, Australian golfer (PGA C'ship 1947), dies at 71
- Jun 15 Keki Tarapore, Indian cricketer (Test for India 1948), killed by motor-scooter at 75
- Jun 17 Kate Smith, American singer ("God Bless America"; "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain"), radio star, and NHL Philadelphia Flyers good luck charm, dies of respiratory arrest at 78
- Jun 19 Len Bias, American basketball player (Boston Celtics pick for 1986 draft), dies of a cocaine-induced seizure at 22
- Jun 26 Laurie Fishlock, cricketer (4 Tests for England), dies
- Jun 27 Don Rogers, of Cleveland Browns, dies of cocaine poisoning
- Jun 27 George Nepia, New Zealand rugby player, dies at 81
- Jun 29 Jack Christiansen, American NFL football player. 1951-58 (Detroit Lions - 3 x Champion, 5 X Pro Bowl), NFL and college coach (San Francisco 49ers, Stanford University), dies after surgical complications at 57
- Jul 2 Peanuts Lowrey, American baseball player, dies at 68
- Jul 15 Billy Haughton, American harness driver and trainer (Hambletonian x 4; Little Brown Jug x 5; Messenger Stakes x 7), dies from head injuries in fall at Yonkers Raceway at 62
- Jul 18 Stanley Rous, British soccer official (6th President FIFA 1961-74), dies at 91
- Jul 24 Laurie Nash, Australian cricket fast-bowler (2 Tests, 10 wickets) and VFL player and coach (South Melbourne), dies at 76
- Jul 25 Ted Lyons, American Baseball HOF pitcher (MLB All-Star 1939; AL wins leader 1925, 27; AL ERA leader 1942; no-hitter 1926; Chicago White Sox) and manager (Chicago WS 1926-28), dies at 85
- Jul 28 Cliff Melton, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1942; NL saves leader 1937; NY Giants), dies at 74
- Jul 28 Syd Curnow, South African cricket batsman (7 Tests, HS 47; Transvaal), dies at 78
- Aug 3 Rupert de Smidt, South African cricketer (Western Province 1911-13), dies at 102
- 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 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
Hank Greenberg (1911-1986)
Sep 4 American Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman (5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1935, 45; AL MVP 1935, 40; Detroit Tigers), dies of cancer at 75
- Oct 3 Vince DiMaggio, American baseball center fielder (MLB All Star 1943-44; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 74
- Oct 5 Mike Burgmann, Australian racing driver (b. 1947)
- Oct 8 Walter Burkemo, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1953), dies at 67
- Oct 11 Norm Cash, American baseball 1st baseman (5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1968; AL batting champion 1961; Detroit Tigers), dies from drowning at 51
- Oct 26 Jackson Scholz, American athlete (Olympic gold 4 x 100m 1920, 200m 1924), dies at 89
- Nov 10 Francis "King" Clancy, Canadian NHL ice hockey defenseman, 1921-36, 3X Stanley Cup (Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs), referee (1938-49), coach, 1953-56 (Toronto), executive, and trophy namesake, dies of septic shock at 84
- Nov 10 Gordon Richards, British jockey (26 x British flat racing Champion Jockey; 4,870 race wins), dies of a heart attack at 82
- Nov 22 Dinny Pails, Australian tennis player (Australian C'ship 1947), dies at 65
- Dec 1 Bobby Layne, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (NFL champion 1952-53, 57; 6 x Pro Bowl; Detroit Lions), dies of cardiac arrest at 59
- Dec 20 Joe DeSa, American baseball player (b. 1959)