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 1988
528 Notable deaths
Roy Kinnear
British actor (1934–1988).
Born January 8th, 1934 in Wigan.
Died September 20th, 1988 at 54 years old in Madrid (myocardial infarction, horse fall).
Charles Addams
American cartoonist (1912–1988).
Born January 7th, 1912 in Westfield. [ref]
Died September 29th, 1988 at 76 years old in St. Clare's Hospital (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Anne Ramsey
American actress (1929-1988).
Born March 27th, 1929 in Omaha.
Died August 11th, 1988 at 59 years old in Hollywood (esophageal cancer).
John N. Mitchell
Former us attorney general, watergate felon (1913-1988).
Born September 15th, 1913 in Detroit.
Died November 9th, 1988 at 75 years old in Washington, D.C. (myocardial infarction).
Sylvester
American singer-songwriter.
Born September 6th, 1947 in Los Angeles.
Died December 16th, 1988 at 41 years old in San Francisco (death from AIDS-related complications).
Trevor Howard
English film, stage and television actor (1913–1988).
Born September 29th, 1913 in Cliftonville.
Died January 7th, 1988 at 74 years old in Bushey (liver cirrhosis, liver failure).
Raymond Carver
American author and poet (1938-1988).
Born May 25th, 1938 in Clatskanie. [ref]
Died August 2nd, 1988 at 50 years old in Port Angeles (lung cancer). [ref]
Kurt Georg Kiesinger
Chancellor of west germany (1966–1969).
Born April 6th, 1904 in Albstadt.
Died March 9th, 1988 at 83 years old in Tübingen.
Joan Pujol García
Catalan spy, double agent for the british in world war ii.
Born February 14th, 1914 in Barcelona.
Died October 10th, 1988 at 74 years old in Caracas.
John Houseman
Romanian-born british–american actor and film producer (1902–1988).
Born September 22nd, 1902 in Bucharest.
Died October 31st, 1988 at 86 years old in Malibu (cancer).
Pappy Boyington
United states marine corps aviator and medal of honor recipient (1912-1988).
Born December 4th, 1912 in Coeur d'Alene.
Died January 11th, 1988 at 75 years old in Fresno (cancer).
Joe Besser
American actor (1907-1988).
Born August 12th, 1907 in St. Louis.
Died March 1st, 1988 at 80 years old in North Hollywood (heart failure).
Louis L'Amour
American novelist and short story writer (1908–1988).
Born March 22nd, 1908 in Jamestown. [ref]
Died June 10th, 1988 at 80 years old in Los Angeles (lung cancer).
Gert Fröbe
German actor (1913-1988).
Born February 25th, 1913 in Oberplanitz. [ref]
Died September 5th, 1988 at 75 years old in Munich (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Isamu Noguchi
Japanese-american artist and landscape architect (1904–1988).
Born November 17th, 1904 in Los Angeles.
Died December 30th, 1988 at 84 years old in New York City (heart failure).
Henry Murray
American psychologist & academic.
Born May 13th, 1893 in New York City.
Died June 23rd, 1988 at 95 years old in Cambridge.
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Pashtun independence activist against british rule in india.
Born February 6th, 1890 in Hashtnagar.
Died January 20th, 1988 at 97 years old in Peshawar.
Mildred Gillars
American nazi propagandist (1900–1988).
Born November 29th, 1900 in Portland.
Died June 25th, 1988 at 87 years old in Columbus (colorectal cancer).
Richard S. Castellano
American actor (1933-1988).
Born September 4th, 1933 in The Bronx.
Died December 10th, 1988 at 55 years old in North Bergen (myocardial infarction).
Charles Hawtrey
English film actor (1914-1988).
Born November 30th, 1914 in Hounslow.
Died October 27th, 1988 at 73 years old in Deal.
Chiang Ching-kuo
President of the republic of china (taiwan) (1910-1988).
Born April 27th, 1910 in Fenghua District.
Died January 13th, 1988 at 77 years old in Taipei Veterans General Hospital (cardiovascular disease).
Isidor Isaac Rabi
American physicist.
Born July 29th, 1898 in Rymanów.
Died January 11th, 1988 at 89 years old in Manhattan. [ref]
Karen Steele
American actress and model (1931-1988).
Born March 20th, 1931 in Honolulu.
Died March 12th, 1988 at 56 years old in Kingman (cancer).
Ramón Valdés
Mexican actor (1923–1988).
Born September 2nd, 1923 in Mexico City.
Died August 9th, 1988 at 64 years old in Mexico City (stomach cancer).
Luis Walter Alvarez
American experimental physicist, inventor, and professor (1911-1988).
Born June 13th, 1911 in San Francisco. [ref]
Died September 1st, 1988 at 77 years old in Berkeley (cancer). [ref]
Deaths 26 to 50 of 528
Death is beautiful when seen to be a law, and not an accident. Henry David Thoreau