Deaths in December 1987
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
The following is a list of notable deaths in December 1987.
Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:
- Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.
December 1987[edit]
1[edit]
- James Baldwin, 63, African-American novelist, essayist, playwright and poet, stomach cancer.[1]
- Donn F. Eisele, 57, American Air Force officer and NASA astronaut, heart attack.[2]
- Buddy Fogelson, 87, American lawyer, Army colonel, businessman, horse and cattle breeder and philanthropist.
- Punch Imlach, 69, Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager, heart attack.
2[edit]
- Edward Barnsley, 87, English designer and maker of furniture.
- Juan Alberto Melgar Castro, 57, Honduran military officer, president of Honduras, heart attack.[3]
- Robert Filliou, 61, French artist.
- Trygve Henrik Hoff, 49, Norwegian singer, composer, songwriter and writer.
- Luis Federico Leloir, 81, French-Argentine physician and biochemist, Nobel laureate in Chemistry, heart attack.[4]
- Hubert Noël, 63, French film actor.
- Myrta Silva, 60, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and television producer.
- Ernst Steinhoff, 79, Nazi German rocket scientist.
- Princess Red Wing, 91, American tribal elder.
- Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich, 73, Soviet physicist.[5]
3[edit]
- Andrew Foster, 62, American pioneer of deaf education in African countries, air crash.
- Robert Haskell, 84, American politician, Governor of Maine.
- George Seawright, appr. 36, Scottish-Northern Irish unionist politician, loyalist paramilitary in the Ulster Volunteer Force.
- Yevgeny Tolstikov, 74, Soviet polar explorer, Hero of the Soviet Union.[6]
- Dorin Liviu Zaharia, 43, Romanian musician, composer, poet, essayist and philosopher.
4[edit]
- Pericle Fazzini, 74, Italian painter and sculptor.[7]
- Bryan Fowler, 89, British polo player and Olympian.
- Meinrad von Lauchert, 82, Nazi German Wehrmacht general.
- Arnold Lobel, 54, American author of children's books.[8]
- Rouben Mamoulian, 90, Georgian-American film director.[9]
- Constantin Noica, 78, Romanian philosopher, essayist and poet.
- Giorgio Prodi, 59, Italian medical scientist and oncologist.
5[edit]
- Pappy Daily, 85, American country music record producer, co-founded record label Starday Records.
- Leonid Dimov, 61, Romanian postmodernist poet and translator, heart attack.
- Bobby Garrett, 55, American NFL footballer.
- Daud Kamal, 52, Pakistani poet.
- Rudolf Mentzel, 87, German chemist and Nazi policy-maker.
- Molly O'Day, 64, American country music vocalist, cancer.
- Conny Plank, 47, German record producer and musician, laryngeal cancer.
- Eugene Siler, 87, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
6[edit]
- James Dobson, 67, American film and television actor, heart attack.
- Peter Lorenz, 64, German politician.[10]
- David J. Schwartz, 60, American motivational writer and coach.
- Izler Solomon, 77, American orchestra conductor.[11]
- Ba Swe, 72, Prime Minister of Burma.
7[edit]
- Gareth Bennett, 58, British Anglican priest, suicide.
- Michael Crossley, 75, British World War II Royal Air Force flying ace.
- Michael Hornby, 88, British vice chairman of WHSmith.
- Jane Mouton, 57, American management theorist.
- Jaime Ongpin, 49, Filipino businessman, Minister of Finance, suicide.
- Helen Porter, 88, British botanist from Imperial College London.
- Denis Rogers, 70, New Zealand doctor and local politician, heart attack.
8[edit]
- Fay Baker, 70, American stage, film and television actress and writer, breast cancer.
- Marcos Calderón, 59, Peruvian football coach and player, air crash.
- Luis Antonio Escobar, 18, Peruvian international footballer, air crash.
- José González Ganoza, 33, Peruvian international footballer, air crash.
- Sigrid Helliesen Lund, 95, Norwegian peace activist, notably in World War II.
- Alfredo Tomassini, 23, Peruvian footballer, air crash.
- Yolanda Vadiz, 28, Puerto Rican soprano, carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Johnny Watson, 24, Peruvian footballer, air crash.
- Ulfert Wilke, 80, German-American painter, museum director and art collector.
9[edit]
- Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, 73, German prince, head of the House of Hanover.
- Diana Forbes-Robertson, 72, British writer, stroke.
- François Gall, 75, Hungarian-French modern impressionist painter, heart attack.
10[edit]
- Giovanni Arpino, 60, Italian writer and journalist.
- Jascha Heifetz, 86, Lithuanian-American violinist, complications from a fall.[12]
- Carlota Jaramillo, 83, Ecuadorian pasillo singer, complications from a fall.
- Stylianos Kyriakides, 77, Greek Cypriot marathon runner.
- Denis Sanders, 58, American film director, screenwriter and producer, heart attack.[13]
- Slam Stewart, 73, American jazz double bass player, congestive heart failure.[14]
11[edit]
- G. A. Kulkarni, 64, Indian writer of short stories.
- Emil Mazuw, 87, German governor of the Province of Pomerania.
- William Thornton Mustard, 73, Canadian physician and cardiac surgeon, heart attack.
- Rosi Wolfstein, 99, German socialist politician.
12[edit]
- Bodil Begtrup, 84, Danish women's rights activist and diplomat, chairman of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
- Clifton Chenier, 62, American musician, kidney disease.[15]
- Enrique Jorrín, 60, Cuban charanga violinist, composer and music director.
- Nolan Leary, 98, American actor and playwright.
- Pinky Tomlin, 80, American singer, songwriter, bandleader and actor.
13[edit]
- Julien Darui, 71, French international footballer.
- Bil Dwyer, 80, American cartoonist and humourist.
- Bernard Epton, 66, American politician, member of the Illinois House of Representatives, coronary.
- Na. Parthasarathy, 54, Indian writer.
- Elias Porter, 73, American psychologist.
- Stanisław Radkiewicz, 84, Polish communist activist, minister of Public Security.
- Claude T. Smith, 55, American band conductor, composer and music educator.
- George Wunder, 75, American cartoonist and comic illustrator (Terry and the Pirates), heart attack.[16]
14[edit]
- Copi, 48, Argentine writer, cartoonist and playwright, AIDS-related illness.
- Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen, 53, American officer of the U.S. Air Force.
- Tim Dinsdale, 63, British cryptozoologist, attempted to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, heart attack.
- Siegfried Haß, 89, Nazi German Wehrmacht general, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- Milt Josefsberg, 76, American screenwriter.
- Georg Knöpfle, 83, German international footballer and coach.
- Valentina Kulagina, 85, Russian painter and designer of books, posters and exhibitions.
- Mogens Lassen, 86, Danish architect and designer.
- Nikos Stavridis, 77, Greek film and theatre actor.
- J. P. Strom, 69, American law enforcement officer, Chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.[17]
- John Winterton, 89, British Army officer, Military Governor and Commander of the Free Territory of Trieste.
15[edit]
- Seitnebi Abduramanov, 73, Soviet junior platoon commander in the Red Army, recipient of the Order of Glory.
- Septima Poinsette Clark, 89, African American educator and civil rights activist.
- George Fulford, 85, Canadian businessman and politician, member of the Canadian House of Commons.
- Ángel Infante, 73, Mexican actor and singer.
- Ivo Lapenna, 78, Italian law professor.
- Ray Malavasi, 57, American NFL football coach, heart attack.[18]
- Pierre Massé, 89, French economist, engineer, applied mathematician and high official in the French government.
- Tiny Moore, 67, American Western swing musician.
- P. Ramamurthi, 79, Indian politician, member of the Communist Party of India.
- Elisabeth Zaisser, 89, German politician and teacher, East German Secretary of State.
- Alfred Zerbel, 83, Nazi German Wehrmacht general.
16[edit]
- Leonard Beecher, 81, English-Anglican Archbishop of East Africa.
- Hob Broun, 37, American author, asphyxiation.[19]
- Minnie Evans, 95, American artist.[20]
- Albert P. Morano, 79, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[21]
- John Russell, 66, British politician, member of the House of Lords.
17[edit]
- Bernardus Johannes Alfrink, 87, Dutch cardinal, Archbishop of Utrecht.
- Irving Allen, 82, Austro-Hungarian–born American theatrical and cinematic producer and director.
- Georges Burou, 77, French gynecologist, drowned
- Arkady Raikin, 76, Soviet stand-up comedian, stage and film actor, theatre director, screenwriter and satirist.[22]
- Lucy Walker, 80, Australian romance novelist.
- Linda Wong, 36, American pornographic actress, drug overdose.
- Marguerite Yourcenar, 84, Belgian-French-American novelist and essayist.[23]
18[edit]
- Dimitrije Bašičević, 66, Yugoslavian artist, curator and art critic.
- Chaudhary Rahim Khan, 64, Indian politician, Member of Parliament.
- Warne Marsh, 60, American tenor saxophonist, heart attack.[24]
19[edit]
- Murat Aitkhozhin, 48, Soviet molecular biologist.
- Ralph Waldo Christie, 94, American admiral in the U.S. Navy.
- Hermann Claasen, 87, German photographer.
- Leo Jung, 95, American architect of Orthodox Judaism.[25]
- John F. O'Leary, 61, American government official and business executive, cancer.
- C. Donald Peterson, 69, American jurist and politician, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, cancer.
- Esther Shiner, 63, Canadian municipal politician.
- André de la Varre, 83, American filmmaker of travel documentaries.
20[edit]
- Ruben Ecleo Sr., 53, Filipino cult leader, founded the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association.
- Jake Eisenhart, 65, American Major League baseballer.
- Dan Sikes, 58, American professional golfer.
21[edit]
- Fred R. Feitshans Jr., 78, American film editor.
- Carl E. McGowan, 76, American lawyer and U.S. circuit judge.
- Ralph Nelson, 71, American film and television director, producer, writer and actor.[26]
- Robert Paige, 76, American actor and TV newscaster and political correspondent, Universal Pictures leading man, aortic aneurysm.[27]
- Henry Strater, 91, American painter and illustrator.
22[edit]
- A. N. Alcaff, 62, Indonesian actor and film director.
- Henry Cotton, 80, English professional golfer.[28]
- Roderick Firth, 70, American philosopher.[29]
- Gustav Fröhlich, 85, German actor and film director, complications after surgery.
- Mimí Langer, 77, Austrian-Latin American psychoanalyst and human rights activist, cancer.
- Paule Marrot, 85, French textile designer.
- John McMichael, 39, Northern Irish loyalist, car bomb.
- Dudley Meredith, 52, American AFL footballer.
- Dorothy M. Needham, 91, English biochemist.
- Geoffrey Parsons, 77, English lyricist.
- José do Patrocínio Oliveira, 83, Brazilian musician and voice actor.
- Luca Prodan, 34, Italian-Scottish musician based in Argentina.
- T. Ranganathan, 62, Indian American Carnatic musician.
- Alice Terry, 88, American screen actress and director, Alzheimer's disease.
23[edit]
- Paschoal Silva, 87, Brazilian football player.
24[edit]
- Roy M. Davenport, 78, American rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
- Nino Espinosa, 34, Dominican Major League baseballer, heart attack.
- Eugen Kogon, 84, German historian and Nazi concentration camp survivor.
- John Wesley Hanes II, 95, American investment banker, Under Secretary of the Treasury.[30]
- Betty Noyes, 75, American singer and actress.
- Josef Myrow, 77, Russian Empire-composer.
- M. G. Ramachandran, 70, Indian actor and politician, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, heart attack and strokee.
- Manoug Parikian, 67, British concert violinist.
- Sara Scuderi, 81, Italian opera singer.
- Joop den Uyl, 68, Dutch politician and journalist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, brain tumor.[31]
- Kulwant Singh Virk, 66, Indian-author, stroke.
25[edit]
- Alexander Gregory Barmine, 88, Soviet Army defector to the U.S.A.
- Ruth Bonner, 87, Soviet Communist activist.
- John H. Humphrey, 72, British bacteriologist and immunologist.
- Vadim Knizhnik, 25, Soviet physicist, heart attack.
- Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, 54, American trumpeter and band leader.
- Zita Moulton, 104, American model and actress of theatre and film.
- Nat Tarnopol, 56, American record producer, congestive heart failure.
- Victor Whitsey, 71, British Church of England Bishop of Hertford and Chester.
26[edit]
- J. A. Baker, 61, English author, cancer.
- S. M. Banerjee, 68, Indian politician, trade unionist and communist sympathiser.
- Dorothy Bliss, 71, American carcinologist, cancer.
- Neil Colville, 73, Canadian NHL ice hockey player.
- Melford Stevenson, 85, English barrister and High Court judge.[32]
- Leslie Thompson, 86, Jamaican-English jazz trumpeter and trombonist.
- Luis E. Valcárcel, 96, Peruvian historian, anthropologist, writer and activist, Peruvian Minister of Education.
27[edit]
- Rewi Alley, 90, New Zealand-writer and political activist, member of the Chinese Communist Party.[33]
- John Astor, 64, British politician, Member of Parliament.
- Manoj Basu, 86, Indian writer of Bengali novels and short stories.
- Shanti Devi, 61, Indian woman who claimed to remember her previous life.
- Priscilla Dean, 91, American theatre and silent-screen actress, complications from a fall.
- Josef Grohé, 85, German Nazi Party official, Gauleiter of Gau Cologne-Aachen.
- Bernard Hailstone, 77, English painter.
- Theodore Pike, 83, Irish colonial administrator and rugby union international.
- Stepan Popel, 78, Ukrainian chess champion.
- Wilbur Schramm, 80, American scholar and authority on \"mass communications\".[34]
- Anthony West, 73, English author and literary critic, stroke.[35]
28[edit]
- Happy Akhand, 27, Bangladeshi rock singer and songwriter.
- George I. Forsythe, 69, American general of the U.S. Army.
- John Hunt, 82, British general practitioner, co-founded the Royal College of General Practitioners.
- Edward Kleban, 48, American musical theatre composer and lyricist, complications from throat cancer.[36]
- Charles Malik, 81, Lebanese academic, diplomat, philosopher and politician, Lebanese representative to the U.N., kidney failure.[37]
- Joseph Sittler, 83, American Lutheran minister and theologian.[38]
29[edit]
- John F. Aiso, 78, American nisei military leader, lawyer and judge, head injury sustained in a mugging.
- Sheldon Andelson, 56, American higher education administrator and a political fund-raiser, complications of AIDS.[39]
- Patrick Bissell, 30, American ballet dancer, overdose.[40]
- Brigitte Heinrich, 46, German journalist and politician, heart attack.
- Jun Ishikawa, 88, Japanese author, translator and literary critic, lung cancer.
- Wilbert E. Moore, 73, American sociologist.
- Ulysses Kae Williams, 73, American DJ, record label owner and producer.
- Yanina Zhejmo, 78, Soviet actress.
30[edit]
- Leslie Arliss, 86, English screenwriter and director.
- Datta Naik, 60, Indian film music director.
- Manolo Urquiza, 67, Cuban-media personality.
- Theodore Zichy, 79, British actor, photographer, film director and producer, suicide.
31[edit]
- George Doherty, 67, American NFL footballer, college coach and athletics administrator, heart attack.
- Merle Evans, 96, American cornet player and circus band conductor.[41]
- Randall Garrett, 60, American science fiction and fantasy author.
- Gene Leggett, 52, American Methodist minister, defrocked for being homosexual, hepatitis.
- Leo Steiner, 47–48, American restaurateur, co-owner of Carnegie Deli, brain tumour.[42]
- Jerry Turner, 58, American television news anchorman, esophageal cancer.
Unknown date[edit]
- Malcolm Butler, 75, Northern Irish international footballer.
- Manbir Singh Chaheru, 27–28, Indian founder and first leader of the militant Khalistan Commando Force.
- Michael Clemente, 79, New York mobster in the Genovese crime family.
- Dorothy K. Haynes, 68–69, Scottish horror and supernatural writer, breast cancer.
- Kurt Frederick Ludwig, 83–84, Nazi German spy.
- Birendra Nath Mazumdar, 82, Indian medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps.
- Marcus Owen, 52, Welsh professional snooker player.
- Ian Wilson, 86, English actor.
References[edit]
- ^ Lee A. Daniels (December 2, 1987). "James Baldwin, Eloquent Writer In Behalf of Civil Rights, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. A 1. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ John T. McQuiston (December 3, 1987). "Donn F. Eisele, 57; One of 3 Crewmen On Apollo 7 Mission". The New York Times. p. B 22. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Juan Alberto Melgar Castro, General, 52". The New York Times. December 4, 1987. p. B 24. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Luis Federico Leloir, Chemist, 81". The New York Times. December 4, 1987. p. B 24. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Yakov Zeldovich Dies; A Top Soviet Physicist". The New York Times. December 5, 1987. p. 1 33. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Soviet Explorer Yevgeny Tolstikov, 74, Dies". The New York Times. December 7, 1987. p. D 11. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Pericle Fazzini, 74, a Sculptor for Vatican". The New York Times. December 5, 1987. p. 1 33. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Hilary Stout (December 6, 1987). "Arnold Lobel, Author-Illustrator". The New York Times. p. 1 61. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Peter B. Flint (December 6, 1987). "Rouben Mamoulian, Broadway Director, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 1 60. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Peter Lorenz, Politician, 64". The New York Times. December 7, 1987. p. D 11. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Will Crutchfield (December 22, 1987). "Izler Solomon, 77, an Orchestra Conductor". The New York Times. p. D 22. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Harold Schonberg (December 12, 1987). "Jascha Heifetz Is Dead at 86; A Virtuoso Since Childhood". The New York Times. p. 1 1. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ C. Gerald Fraser (December 15, 1987). "Denis Sanders Dies; Film Director Won 2 Academy Awards". The New York Times. p. D 31. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Robert Palmer (December 11, 1987). "Slam Stewart, 73, a Jazz Bassist Known for Singing With His Solos". The New York Times. p. D 18. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Robert Palmer (December 14, 1987). "Clifton Chenier, 'King of Zydeco,' Popularized Spirited Cajun Sound". The New York Times. p. D 13. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "George S. Wunder, 75; Drew 'Terry' Comics". The New York Times. December 15, 1987. p. D 31. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "J. P. Strom, Law-Enforcement Chief, 69". The New York Times. December 17, 1987. p. B 26. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Ray Malavasi Is Dead; Former Coach of Rams". The New York Times. December 16, 1987. p. B 28. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Hob Broun, a Novelist, Dies as Respirator Fails". The New York Times. December 24, 1987. p. B 8. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Douglas C. McGill (December 19, 1987). "Minnie Evans, 95, Folk Painter Noted For Visionary Work". The New York Times. p. 1 34. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Ex-Rep. Albert Morano, 79, Dies". The New York Times. December 18, 1987. p. D 18. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Bill Keller, Special To the New York Times (December 22, 1987). "Arkady I. Raikin, 76, a Comedian Who Lampooned Soviet Life, Dies". The New York Times. p. D 22. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Eric Pace (December 19, 1987). "MARGUERITE YOURCENAR, WRITER AND SCHOLAR, DIES". The New York Times. p. 1 34. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Warne Marsh, Jazz Saxophonist". The New York Times. December 20, 1987. p. 1 46. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Wolfgang Saxon (December 21, 1987). "Rabbi Leo Jung, Spiritual Leader Of New York Jewish Center, Dies". The New York Times. p. D 14. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Ronald Sullivan (December 25, 1987). "Ralph Nelson, Early TV Director; Made 'Requiem for Heavyweight'". The New York Times. p. B 8. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Robert Paige Is Dead; Appeared in 65 Films". The New York Times. December 24, 1987. p. B 8. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Henry Cotton, Former Golfer, 80". The New York Times. December 25, 1987. p. B 8. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Roderick Firth, Philosophy Professor, 70". The New York Times. December 27, 1987. p. 1 36. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ George James (December 31, 1987). "John Wesley Hanes Sr., 95, Aide To Roosevelt and Corporate Chief". The New York Times. p. A 24. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Uhlig, Mark A. (December 25, 1987). "Joop den Uyl of Netherlands Dies; Was Labor Prime Minister in 70's". The New York Times. p. B8. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Sir Melford Stevenson, A Judge and Barrister". The New York Times. December 30, 1987. p. B 10. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Rewi Alley, Expatriate in China". The New York Times. December 28, 1987. p. D 13. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Wilbur Schramm; Wrote Many Works On Communications". The New York Times. January 1, 1988. p. 1 64. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Wolfgang Saxon (December 28, 1987). "Anthony West, Critic and Author; Wrote Essays for The New Yorker". The New York Times. p. D 13. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Edward Kleban, 48, 'Chorus Line' Lyricist". The New York Times. December 30, 1987. p. B 10. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Ihsan A. Hijazi, Special To the New York Times (December 29, 1987). "Charles H. Malik of Lebanon, 81; Was President of U.N. Assembly". The New York Times. p. D 19. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Joseph Sittler, 83, Dies; Was Lutheran Scholar". The New York Times. January 4, 1988. p. A 16. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Sheldon Andelson, Political Fund-Raiser, 56". The New York Times. January 1, 1988. p. 1 64. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Jennifer Dunning (December 30, 1987). "Patrick Bissell, Dancer, Is Dead; A Principal With Ballet Theater". The New York Times. p. B 10. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Wolfgang Saxon (January 3, 1988). "Merle Evans Is Dead; Former Band Leader At Ringling Brothers". The New York Times. p. 1 26. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Bryan Miller (January 1, 1988). "Leo Steiner, 48, Owner of a Deli; Known for Wit". The New York Times. p. 1 64. Retrieved April 26, 2024.