Corbett was born to parents Alexander and Elizabeth Corbett in Yakima, Washington, on March 23, 1926, and had two brothers. He was married to F. Irene Lienkaemper from 1948 until her death in 1996. The couple raised three children. Corbett died on September 2, 2013, at the age of 87, following a stroke. The John D. Corbett Professorship was established in 2007, within Iowa State University's Department of Chemistry.