- Jan 3 Joie Chitwood, American racedriver & Daredevil (b. 1912)
Pete Maravich (1947-1988)
Jan 5 American Basketball HOF guard (5 × NBA All-Star; All-NBA First Team 1976, 77; NBA scoring champion 1977 NO/Utah Jazz; Atlanta Hawks), dies of heart failure at 40
- Jan 20 Philippe de Rothschild, French race-car driver and manager (Bordeaux Vineyard), dies at 86
- Feb 6 Barclay Plager, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (NHL All-Star 1970, 71, 73, 74 St. Louis Blues) and coach (St. Louis Blues 1977-83), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 46
- Feb 20 Bob O'Farrell, American baseball catcher (World Series, NL MVP 1926, St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (St.L Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 91
- Feb 28 Harvey Kuenn, American baseball utility (AL batting champion 1959; 10 × All-Star 1953–1960²; Detroit Tigers), dies from heart disease and diabetes at 57
- Mar 6 Dick Ricketts Jr., American basketball center (# 1 overall pick 1955 NBA draft St. Louis Hawks) and baseball pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals), dies from leukemia at 54
- Mar 8 Ken Colyer, British New Orleans jazz devotee trumpeter, cornetist, and bandleader, dies at 79
- Mar 8 Lala Abdul Rashid, Pakistani field hockey goalkeeper (Olympic gold 1960), dies at 65
- Mar 21 Edd Roush, American Baseball HOF outfielder (World Series 1919; NL batting champion 1917, 19; Cincinnati Reds), dies at 94
- Mar 29 Ted Kluszewski, American baseball 1st baseman (MLB All Star 1953-56; NL HR & RBI leader 1954; Cincinnati Reds), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Apr 10 Cliff Gladwin, cricketer (8 Tests for England 1947-49), dies
- Apr 16 Clifford Roach, cricketer (16 Tests early in West Indian cricket history), dies
- Apr 24 Bob Newson, South African cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 4 wickets; Transvaal; Rhodesia), dies at 87
- May 1 Ben Lexcen, Australian yacht designer (Australia II 1983 America's Cup), dies of heart disease at 52
- May 24 Tom Burtt, New Zealand cricketer (NZ slow left-arm bowler in 11 Tests 1947-53), dies at 73
- Jun 7 Joe Partridge, cricketer (South African pace bowler 1963-65), commits suicide
- Jun 14 Johnny Farrell, American golfer (US Open 1928), dies of a stroke at 87
- Jul 8 Ray Barbuti, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 400m relay 1928), dies at 83
- Jul 14 Whitey Witt, American baseball player (NY Yankees, 1922-25), dies at 92
- Jul 23 Jahangir Khan, Indian cricket fast bowler (4 Tests India; Pakistan selector), dies at 78
- Jul 24 Ilona Elek, Hungarian fencer (Olympic gold 1936, 48), dies at 81
- Jul 25 David Tobey, American Basketball Hall of Fame referee (1918-45; first game with a 3-man officiating crew), dies at 90
- Aug 8 Alan Ameche, American College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Heisman Trophy 1954, U of Wisconsin; Pro Bowl 1955–1958, NFL C'ship 1958, 59; Baltimore Colts), dies of a heart attack at 55
- Aug 13 Edward Bennett Williams, American lawyer, team owner (Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles), dies of colon cancer at 68
Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988)
Aug 14 Italian racing car driver and founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team and sportscar manufacturer Ferrari, dies at 90
- Aug 25 Art Rooney, NFL Pittsburgh Steelers [Pirates] team founder,owner, and chairman, 1933-88, dies at 87
- Aug 28 Paul Whitelaw, New Zealand cricket batsman (2 Tests; Auckland), dies at 78
- Sep 2 Bill Northam, Australian yachtsman (Olympic gold 5.5m class 1964; Sport Australia HOF), dies at 82
- Sep 3 Riccardo Torriani, Swiss ice hockey player, luger (Olympic bronze 1928, 48; took the Olympic oath 1948), dies at 76
- Oct 9 Jackie Milburn, English soccer striker (13 caps; Newcastle United 353 games), dies from lung cancer at 64
- Oct 13 Mike Venezia, jockey, dies in 5th-race fall at Belmont Race Track, NY
- Oct 14 Vic Raschi, American baseball pitcher (4 × MLB All-Star; 6 × World Series; AL strikeout leader 1951; NY Yankees), dies of a heart attack at 69
- Oct 24 Henry Armstrong, American boxer (world featherweight, lightweight, welterweight [19 x title defences] champion), dies at 75
- Oct 24 Sumner White, American sailor (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 58
- Nov 9 David Bauer, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame player and builder (priest, school coach; National Team manager), dies at 64
Carl Hubbell (1903-1988)
Nov 21 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (9 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1933; NL MVP 1933, 36; NY Giants), dies at 85
- Nov 26 Bent Peter Rasch, Danish canoeist (Olympic gold C-2 1000m 1952), dies at 54
- Nov 27 Jan Hein Donner, Dutch chess grand master, dies at 61
- Dec 16 Hunter "Stork" Hendry, Australian cricket all-rounder (11 Tests, 1 x 100, 16 wickets; NSW CA, Victoria CA), dies at 93
- Dec 29 Mike Beuttler, British racing driver, dies at 48
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