Welcome! Check out today's deaths, recent deaths, or our deaths stats.
Feeling experimental? Head on over to our newest (and darkest) feature: Next-2-Die™ predictions
In the year 1985
631 Notable deaths
Helen Rose
American costume designer (1904-1985).
Born February 2nd, 1904 in Chicago.
Died November 9th, 1985 at 81 years old in Palm Springs.
George Murdock
American anthropologist (1897–1985).
Born May 11th, 1897 in Meriden.
Died March 29th, 1985 at 87 years old in Devon.
Hedley Bull
Australian academic (1932-1985).
Born June 10th, 1932 in Sydney.
Died May 18th, 1985 at 52 years old in Oxford (cancer).
Paul Flory
American chemist (1910-1985).
Born June 19th, 1910 in Sterling.
Died September 9th, 1985 at 75 years old in Big Sur (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Kirill Moskalenko
Soviet marshal (1902–1985).
Born May 11th, 1902 in Hryshyne.
Died June 17th, 1985 at 83 years old in Moscow.
Max Zaslofsky
American basketball player and coach (1925–1985).
Born December 7th, 1925 in Brooklyn.
Died October 15th, 1985 at 59 years old in Long Island (leukemia).
Anagarika Govinda
Founder of a buddhist order (1898–1985).
Born May 17th, 1898 in Waldheim.
Died January 14th, 1985 at 86 years old in Mill Valley.
Vasyl Stus
Ukrainian poet, publicist and dissident (1938–1985).
Born January 6th, 1938 in Rakhnivka. [ref]
Died September 4th, 1985 at 47 years old in Perm-36. [ref]
C. B. van Niel
Dutch-american microbiologist (1897–1985).
Born November 4th, 1897 in Haarlem.
Died March 10th, 1985 at 87 years old in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Lester Cole
American screenwriter (1904-1985).
Born June 19th, 1904 in New York City.
Died August 15th, 1985 at 81 years old in San Francisco.
Ronnie Rooke
English association footballer and manager (1911-1985).
Born December 7th, 1911 in Guildford.
Died June 9th, 1985 at 73 years old in Bedford (lung cancer).
Saunders Lewis
Welsh writer and politician (1893-1985).
Born October 15th, 1893 in Wallasey.
Died September 1st, 1985 at 91 years old in Cardiff. [ref]
Marion Martin
American actress (1909-1985).
Born June 7th, 1909 in Philadelphia.
Died August 13th, 1985 at 76 years old in Santa Monica.
Dane Rudhyar
French-born american author, composer, and humanistic astrologer (1895–1985).
Born March 23rd, 1895 in 11th arrondissement of Paris. [ref]
Died September 13th, 1985 at 90 years old in San Francisco.
Phil Karlson
American film director (1908–1982).
Born July 2nd, 1908 in Chicago.
Died December 12th, 1985 at 77 years old in Los Angeles.
Cootie Williams
American jazz trumpeter (1911–1985).
Born July 10th, 1911 in Mobile.
Died September 15th, 1985 at 74 years old in New York City (disease).
Helen MacInnes
20th-century scottish-american author.
Born October 7th, 1907 in Glasgow.
Died September 30th, 1985 at 77 years old in New York City. [ref]
Karl Menger
Austrian mathematician (1902-1985).
Born January 13th, 1902 in Vienna.
Died October 5th, 1985 at 83 years old in Highland Park.
Frank Macfarlane Burnet
Australian virologist (1899-1985).
Born September 3rd, 1899 in Traralgon.
Died August 31st, 1985 at 85 years old in Melbourne (cancer).
Fredy Perlman
Czech-born american author and activist (1934–1985).
Born August 20th, 1934 in Brno. [ref]
Died July 26th, 1985 at 50 years old in Henry Ford Hospital (perioperative mortality).
Hermann Prieß
German general (1901-1985).
Born May 24th, 1901 in Marnitz.
Died February 2nd, 1985 at 83 years old in Ahrensburg.
Roger Sessions
American composer, critic, and teacher of music (1896-1985).
Born December 28th, 1896 in Brooklyn.
Died March 16th, 1985 at 88 years old in Princeton.
John B. Kelly Jr.
American rower and businessman; elder brother of actress grace kelly (1927–1985).
Born May 24th, 1927 in Philadelphia.
Died March 2nd, 1985 at 57 years old in Philadelphia (myocardial infarction).
Stephen Knight
British author (1951–1985).
Born September 26th, 1951 in Hainault.
Died July 25th, 1985 at 33 years old in Carradale (brain cancer).
Deaths 201 to 225 of 631
The fear of death is the beginning of slavery. Robert Anton Wilson