Italian writer (b. 1925) January 6 – Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-born American cinematographer (b. 1898) January 7 – Alfred Kastler, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902) January 9 – Sir Deighton Lisle Ward, 4th Governor-General of Barbados (b. 1909) January 11 – Jack La Rue, American actor (b. 1902) January 13 – Ray Moore, American comic writer (b. 1905) January 14 Brooks Atkinson, American theater critic (b. 1894) Saad Haddad, Lebanese military officer and militia leader (b. 1936) Ray Kroc, American entrepreneur (b. 1902) January 17 Kostas Giannidis, Greek composer (b. 1903) George Rigaud, Argentinian actor (b. 1905) January 20 – Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904) January 21 Archduke Gottfried of Austria (b. 1902) Jackie Wilson, American singer (b. 1934) January 22 – Sir Count Michael Gonzi, Maltese Roman Catholic archbishop (b. 1885) January 29 – Frances Goodrich, American screenwriter (b. 1890) January 30 – Luke Kelly, lead singer of Irish band The Dubliners (b. 1940) January 31 – George Harmon Coxe, American writer (b. 1901) February February 5 – El Santo, Mexican professional wrestler and actor (b. 1917) February 6 – Jorge Guillén, Spanish poet (b. 1893) February 8 Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (b. 1903) Philippe Ariès, French medievalist and historian (b. 1914) February 9 – Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (b. 1914) February 10 David Von Erich, American professional wrestler (b. 1958) Claudia Zobel, Filipina actress (b. 1965) February 11 – John Comer, English actor (b. 1924) February 12 Anna Anderson, Pretender to the Russian throne (b. 1896) Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (b. 1914) Tom Keating, English art restorer (b. 1917) February 13 – Naomi Uemura, Japanese adventurer (b. 1941) February 15 – Ethel Merman, American singer and actress (b. 1908) February 20 – Giuseppe Colombo, Italian scientist (b. 1920) February 21 – Mikhail Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905) February 22 Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah, Pakistani religious leader of Allo Mahar Shrif. (b. 1911) Jessamyn West, American writer. (b. 1902) March March 1 – Jackie Coogan, American actor (b. 1914) March 5 Tito Gobbi, Italian operatic baritone (b. 1913) William Powell, American actor (b. 1892) March 6 Martin Niemöller, German theologian and Lutheran pastor (born 1892) Henry Wilcoxon, British actor (b. 1905) March 10 – June Marlowe, American actress (b. 1903) March 14 – Aurelio Peccei, Italian industrialist and philanthropist, co-founder of the Club of