In the year 1985
579 Notable deaths
Forbes Burnham
Guyanese politician (1923-1985).
Born February 20th, 1923 in Georgetown. [ref]
Died August 6th, 1985 at 62 years old in Georgetown. [ref]
Philly Joe Jones
American jazz drummer.
Born July 15th, 1923 in Philadelphia. [ref]
Died August 30th, 1985 at 62 years old in Philadelphia. [ref]
Kent Smith
American actor (1907–1985).
Born March 19th, 1907 in New York City.
Died April 23rd, 1985 at 78 years old in Woodland Hills (cardiovascular disease).
Kay Kyser
American bandleader, actor (1905-1985).
Born June 18th, 1905 in Rocky Mount. [ref]
Died July 23rd, 1985 at 80 years old in Chapel Hill (myocardial infarction). [ref]
Jo Jones
American jazz drummer (1911–1985).
Born October 11th, 1911 in Chicago.
Died September 3rd, 1985 at 73 years old in New York City (pneumonia).
Ricky Wilson
American guitarist (1953–1985).
Born March 19th, 1953 in Athens.
Died October 12th, 1985 at 32 years old in New York City (death from AIDS-related complications).
James Craig
Actor (1912-1985).
Born February 4th, 1912 in Nashville.
Died June 28th, 1985 at 73 years old in Santa Ana (lung cancer).
Efrem Zimbalist
Violinist, composer, teacher, conductor.
Born April 21st, 1889 in Rostov-on-Don. [ref]
Died February 22nd, 1985 at 95 years old in Reno. [ref]
André Kertész
Hungarian photographer (1894–1985).
Born February 7th, 1894 in Budapest. [ref]
Died September 29th, 1985 at 91 years old in New York City. [ref]
Patricia Roberts Harris
American politician and diplomat (1924-1985).
Born May 31st, 1924 in Mattoon.
Died March 23rd, 1985 at 60 years old in Washington, D.C. (cancer, breast cancer).
Deaths 101 to 110 of 579
I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. Gilda Radner