- Jan 30 Herb Pennock, American Baseball HOF pitcher (6 × World Series; Philadelphia A's, Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees), dies at 53
- Feb 2 Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (Olympic gold 400m 1920), dies at 53
- Feb 10 Ewart Astill, England cricket all-rounder (9 Tests, Leicestershire), dies at 59
- Feb 14 Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, American Baseball HOF pitcher (World Series 1907, 08; NL wins leader 1909; MLB ERA leader 1906; Chicago Cubs), dies at 71
- Feb 19 Bob Groom, American baseball pitcher (Washington Senators; no-hitter 1917 St. Louis Browns), dies at 63
- Mar 5 Charles Prince, cricketer (5 & 1 in only Test for South Africa), dies
- Apr 17 Percy Sherwell, South African cricket wicketkeeper and captain (13 Tests, 1 x 100, 36 dismissals; Transvaal), dies at 67
- Jun 8 Sammy Carter, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (28 Tests, 65 dismissals; NSWCA), dies at 70
- Jul 1 Achille Varzi, Italian auto racer (14 Grand Prix wins), dies in practise crash at 43
- Jul 3 Quintin McMillan, South African cricket spin bowler (13 Tests, 36 wickets; Transvaal), dies at 44
- Jul 8 Dave Nourse, South African cricket all-rounder (45 Tests, 1 x 100, 41 wickets; Natal, Transvaal, Western Province), dies at 69
- Jul 8 George Mehnert, American wrestler (Olympic gold flyweight 1904, bantamweight 1908), dies at 66
- Jul 26 Charles Mills, South African cricketer (Test v England 1891-92), dies
- Jul 27 Joe Tinker, American Baseball HOF shortstop (World Series 1907, 08 Chicago Orphans/Cubs) and manager (Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs), dies of complications from diabetes at 68
- Jul 27 Woolf Barnato, British financier and racing driver, dies at 52
- Aug 3 Tommy Ryan, American boxer (World Welterweight, Middleweight champion), dies at 78
- Aug 6 Cyril Walker, English golfer (US Open 1924), dies of pleural pneumonia at 55
Babe Ruth (1895-1948)
Aug 16 American Baseball Hall of Fame slugger (MLB All-Star 1933, 34; 7 x World Series champion; 12 × AL home run leader 1918–21, 23-24, 1926–31; Boston RS, NY Yankees), dies of Nasopharynx cancer at 53
Hack Wilson (1900-1948)
Nov 23 American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (MLB single season record 191 RBI 1930; NL HR leader 1926–28, 30; NL RBI leader 1929, 30; Chicago Cubs), dies of internal haemorrhaging at 48
Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948)
Dec 31 British motor racer (world land and water speed record holder), dies of a stroke at 63