Deaths in April 1989
The following is a list of notable deaths in April 1989 .
Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:
Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.
April 1989
1
Roy Francis , 70, Welsh rugby league footballer and coach (Hull FC , Barrow , Wales ).
Nedda Harrigan , 89, American actress, cancer.
Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi , 85, Indian politician and independence activist, Member of Parliament.
Erich Lüth , 87, German writer and film director.
Jan A. Rajchman , 77, Polish-American electrical engineer (Magnetic-core memory ).
George Robledo , 62, Chilean international footballer (Newcastle United , Chile ), heart attack.
2
3
Mustafa Çağatay , 51, Turkish-Cypriot politician, Prime Minister of Turkish Cyprus, traffic accident.
Friedrich-Jobst Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach , 94, Nazi German army general.
Edward Martell , 80, British politician, member of the London County Council.
Pinchas Hacohen Peli , 58, Israeli Orthodox rabbi, poet and scholar of Jewish philosophy.
Vishnu Sahay , 87, Indian politician, Governor of Assam .
Norman Wooland , 79, English actor (Hamlet ).
4
Gerard Casey , appr. 29, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, shot.
Woody Crumbo , 77, American artist, flute player and dancer.
John Gretton , 48, English peer, owner of Stapleford Park .
Madeline Hurlock , 91, American silent-screen actress.
Harvey Jablonsky , 80, American general in the U.S. Army, vice president of the Northrop Corporation , congestive heart failure.[ 1]
Narayanan Nambudiripad , Indian Sanskrit scholar.
Roberto Nicolosi , 74, Italian jazz double-bassist.
Baruch Harold Wood , 79, English chess player, founded the magazine CHESS .
5
Geoffrey Binnie , 80, British civil engineer and writer (Jubilee Dam , Eye Brook Reservoir ).
Frank Foss , 93, American pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist.
María Cristina Gómez , 56, El Salvadoran murder victim.
Bill Gunn , 54, American playwright, actor and director (Ganja and Hess ), encephalitis.[ 2]
Harold Hayes , 62, American journalist and writer (Esquire magazine).[ 3]
Marjorie Hoshelle , 71, American actress.
Kurt Lischka , 79, Nazi German SS official, Gestapo chief and commandant of the Security police.
Bill Mehlhorn , 90, American professional golfer.
Karel Zeman , 78, Czech film director and animator (Cesta do pravěku , Na kometě ).
6
Zofia Batycka , 81, Polish model and actress.
Tufton Beamish , 72, British Army officer and politician, Member of Parliament.
Torsten Billman , 79, Swedish artist.
Sylvia Cassedy , 59, American novelist and poet (Behind the Attic Wall ).
Marion Holland , 80, American children's book writer and illustrator, cancer.
Pannalal Patel , 76, Indian author (Malela Jeev , Manvini Bhavai ), brain haemorrhage.
John Paul Riddle , 87, American pilot, co-founded Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University .[ 4]
7
Hassan al-Amri , 68–69, Yemeni lieutenant general and Prime Minister of the Yemen Arab Republic.
Amena Begum , 63–64, Bangladeshi politician, Member of Parliament.
Efraín Morote Best , 67, Peruvian lawyer, chief administrator of San Cristóbal of Huamanga University .
Clyde Moody , 73, American Bluegrass musician.
Evelyn Finley , 73, American B-movie actress and stuntwoman (Ghost Guns ), heart failure.
Cheng Nan-jung , 41, Taiwanese publisher and pro-democracy activist, suicide by immolation.
André Reybaz , 59, French actor.
Jack Ruby , 45–46, Jamaican record producer.
Basawon Singh , 80, Indian independence activist, co-founder of the Congress Socialist Party .
Elizabeth Sudmeier , 76, American spy, founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency .
8
Albert Bormann , 86, German Nazi Gruppenführer , adjutant to Adolf Hitler, brother of Martin Bormann .
Lloyd Francis MacMahon , 76, American judge of the U.S. District Court, cerebral hemorrhage.
A. M. Rajah , 59, Indian playback singer and music director, train accident.
John Wyer , 79, English car racing engineer and team manager.
9
10
Joan Barry , 85, British actress (Rome Express ).
George Genereux , 54, Canadian trap shooter and Olympic gold medalist.
Bessie Griffin , 66, American gospel singer, breast cancer.[ 5]
Nikolai Grinko , 68, Ukrainian actor (Ivan's Childhood , Stalker ).
Jacob Horton , American vice-president of Southern Company 's Gulf Power Unit, allegedly murdered.
Takehiro Irokawa , 60, Japanese writer, heart attack.
Sandy Sandberg , 78, American NFL footballer (Pittsburgh Pirates ).
11
Noel Carrington , 93–94, English author and publisher, founder of Puffin Books .
Emil Grosswald , 76, Romanian-American mathematician (number theory ).
Hiram Sherman , 81, American actor (Two's Company ; How Now, Dow Jones ), stroke.[ 6]
Sarban , 78, British writer and diplomat, British Ambassador to Paraguay.
12
Ekkirala Bharadwaja , 50, Indian spiritual advisor.
Gerald Flood , 61, British actor of stage and television (Crane ), heart attack.
Bill Harper , 92, Scottish footballer (Hibernian , Scotland ).
Abbie Hoffman , 52, American political and social activist, co-founded the Youth International Party , suicide by overdose.[ 7]
Willie McNaught , 66, Scottish international footballer (Raith Rovers , Scotland ).
Antonio Porta , 53, Italian author and poet.
Sugar Ray Robinson , 67, American professional boxer, welterweight and middleweight world champion, heart disease.[ 8]
Georges Sébastian , 85, Hungarian-born French conductor.
Tilda Thamar , 67, Argentinian actress, car accident.
13
Paul II Cheikho , 82, Iraqi patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church .
António Ferreira Gomes , 83, Portuguese Roman Catholic bishop.
Terry Miller , 46, American businessman and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Alaska , bone cancer.
Bill Putnam , 69, American audio engineer, songwriter and producer.
14
15
Ray Agee , 68, American blues and R&B singer and songwriter.
William Attwood , 69, American diplomat, U.S. Ambassador to Guinea and Kenya, congestive heart failure.[ 10]
Edward M. Brecher , 77, American science writer and author (Licit and Illicit Drugs ).[ 11]
David Cuthbertson , 88, Scottish physician and biochemist, director of the Rowett Research Institute .
Hu Yaobang , 73, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party , heart attack.[ 12]
Bernard-Marie Koltès , 41, French playwright and theatre director, AIDS.
Freda Lingstrom , 95, British BBC Television producer (Flower Pot Men , Andy Pandy ).
Alita Román , 76, Argentine film actress (Mujeres que trabajan , Concierto de almas ).
Connie Simmons , 64, American NBA basketballer (New York Knicks ).
Frances Steloff , 101, American founder of the Gotham Book Mart .[ 13]
Charles Vanel , 96, French actor and director (The Wages of Fear , The Woman Who Dared ).[ 14]
Philip de Zulueta , 64, British diplomat, Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister .
16
T. Coleman Andrews Jr. , 64, American politician, member of the Virginia House of Delegates , heart attack.[ 15]
Tawfiq Yusuf 'Awwad , 77, Lebanese writer (Tawahin Beirut ) and diplomat, Lebanese ambassador to five countries, rocket attack.
Hugh Barton , 78, British Hong Kong businessman, chairman and managing director of Jardine Matheson .
Brynjólfur Bjarnason , 90, Icelandic politician, chairman of the Communist Party of Iceland .
Jocko Conlan , 89, American baseball umpire (National League ).
John Dighton , 79, British playwright and screenwriter (The Happiest Days of Your Life , The Man in the White Suit , Roman Holiday ).
Harald Edelstam , 76, Swedish diplomat, Ambassador to Algeria, cancer.
Kaoru Ishikawa , 73, Japanese engineer and professor (Ishikawa diagram ).
John Holmes Jenkins , 48–49, American historian and champion poker player, shot.
Bob Jones , 59, American white supremacist political activist (Ku Klux Klan ).
Dominic Olejniczak , 80, American politician (mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin ) and football executive (Green Bay Packers ), stroke.[ 16]
Saroj Pathak , 59, Indian novelist.
Thierry Paulin , 25, French serial killer, AIDS.
Hakkı Yeten , 78, Turkish footballer and club president (Beşiktaş , Turkey ).
17
Inji Aflatoun , 65, Egyptian painter and women's activist.
Psyche Cattell , 95, American psychologist.
Ken Gee , 72, English international rugby league footballer (Wigan , England ).
Charles Lampkin , 76, American actor (Roots: The Next Generations ) and musician.
Cecil Leeson , 86, American saxophonist.[ 17]
Villano II , 39, Mexican Luchador enmascarado (masked professional wrestler), suicide.
18
19
Ferdinand aus der Fünten , 79, Nazi German SS-Hauptsturmführer , head of the Amsterdam Central Office for Jewish Emigration .
Dame Daphne du Maurier , 81, English novelist and playwright (Rebecca , The Birds , My Cousin Rachel ), heart failure.[ 18]
George Paxton , 75, American saxophonist and big band leader (Coed Records ), apparent suicide.
George Whitmore , 43, American playwright, novelist and poet, AIDS.[ 19]
20
Harold Barlow , 89, British engineer (Royal Medal ).
Doru Davidovici , 43, Romanian aviator and writer, training crash.
Edward DeSaulnier , 68, American politician and judge, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives , suicide.
Kenneth Harrison , 50, American serial killer, suicide.
Maurice Nyagumbo , 64, Zimbabwean politician, suicide.
Martin Ragaway , 66, American comedy writer.
Lydia Sherwood , 82, British film and stage actress.
21
Princess Deokhye of Korea , 76, last princess of the Korean royal family.
James Kirkwood Jr. , 64, American playwright, author and actor (A Chorus Line , P.S. Your Cat Is Dead ), AIDS.[ 20]
Paul Mitchell , 53, Scottish-American co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems , pancreatic cancer.
James N. Rowe , 51, American officer in the U.S. Army, assassinated.
22
Jan Baars , 85, Dutch fascist.
Paul Beard , 87, English violinist (London Philharmonic Orchestra , BBC Symphony Orchestra ).
Kenny McBain , 42, Scottish TV director and producer (Inspector Morse , Grange Hill ).
Siegfried Ruff , 82, Nazi German physician, acquitted of war crimes.
Emilio Segrè , 84, Italian-American physicist, discovered technetium and astatine , Nobel laureate in Physics, heart attack.
Dmitry Selivanov , 25, Soviet rock singer (Grazhdanskaya Oborona ), suicide.
Tommy Thompson , 70, American NFL and CFL footballer (Philadelphia Eagles ), brain cancer.
Tony Tursi , 88, Italian-American mobster in Puerto Rico.
23
K. Suryanarayana Adiga , 74, Indian lawyer and politician, member of Mysore Legislative Council , chairman of Karnataka Bank .
Norm Baker , 66, Canadian professional basketball and lacrosse player.
Marc Daniels , 77, American television director (I Love Lucy , Star Trek ), congestive heart failure.[ 21]
Hamani Diori , 72, Nigerien politician, president of Republic of Niger.[ 22]
Hu Die , 81, Chinese actress (The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple ), stroke.
Stefan Korboński , 88, Polish-American politician, lawyer and journalist, aneurysm.
Harry Bolton Seed , 66, British-American geotechnical earthquake engineer, cancer.[ 23]
24
Franz Binder , 77, Austrian international footballer and coach (Rapid Wien , Austria ).
Clyde Geronimi , 87, American animation director (Walt Disney Productions ).[ 24]
Li Jingquan , 79, Chinese politician and governor of Sichuan.
Henry G. Parks Jr. , 72, American businessman, complications from Parkinson's disease.
Lee Roberts , 75, American actor.
Edgar Sanabria , 77, Venezuelan diplomat and politician, interim President of Venezuela , stroke.
Santana , 53, Portuguese international footballer (Benfica , Portugal )).
Johnny Stark , 66, French impresario, heart attack.
25
Kenneth Cockrel Sr. , 50, American politician, member of the Detroit Common Council , heart attack.
George Coulouris , 85, English film and stage actor (Citizen Kane ).[ 25]
Sam Fletcher , 55, American singer (I Believe in You ).
Yap Thiam Hien , 75, Indonesian human rights lawyer, internal bleeding.
Norma Klein , 50, American young adults' book author.[ 26]
Alan Robertson , 69, English population geneticist .
John Barton Wolgamot , 86, American poet.
26
Lucille Ball , 77, American actress and comedienne (I Love Lucy ), ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.[ 27]
Robert Gysae , 78, Nazi German U-boat commander.
Robert S. Kennemore , 68, American officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Carl Monroe , 29, American NFL footballer (San Francisco 49ers ), accidental overdose.
27
Howard Brookner , 34, American film director (Burroughs , Bloodhounds of Broadway ), AIDS.[ 28]
Leopold Buczkowski , 83, Polish writer.
Marcel J. E. Golay , 86, Swiss-born American mathematician and physicist (Golay Detector , Golay cell ).[ 29]
Harold Gurden , 85, British politician, Member of Parliament.
Konosuke Matsushita , 94, Japanese founder of Panasonic , pneumonia.[ 30]
Frank O'Rourke , 72, American writer (A Mule for the Marquesa ), suicide.
T. Amrutha Rao , 68, Indian politician, member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly .
William Arthur Smith , 71, American artist.
28
Stanley Roy Badmin , 83, English painter and etcher.
Jack Cummings , 84, American film producer and director.[ 31]
Géza von Cziffra , 88, Hungarian and Austrian film director and screenwriter (Kiss Me Kate , Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ).
Pinchoo Kapoor , 61–62, Indian actor (Don , Roti , Avtaar ).
Esa Pakarinen , 78, Finnish actor, singer and comedian (Pekka and Pätkä ), cancer.
Raúl Sendic , 63, Uruguayan lawyer and trade unionist, founder of the Tupamaros National Liberation Movement, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Roy Lee Williams , 74, American labor leader, president of the Teamsters , cardiac disease and emphysema.
29
30
Yi Bangja , 87, wife of Crown Prince Euimin , last Crown Prince of the Korean Empire, cancer.
Birge Clark , 96, American architect (Lou Henry Hoover House , Norris House ).
Nelson Dalzell , 68, New Zealand rugby union player (Canterbury , All Blacks ).
Edwin F. Kalmus , 95, Austrian-American music publisher.
Gottfried Köthe , 83, Austrian mathematician (Köthe conjecture , topological vector spaces ).
Sergio Leone , 60, Italian film director and producer (Dollars Trilogy ), heart attack.[ 33]
Stumpy Thomason , 83, American NFL footballer (Brooklyn Dodgers ).
Taiji Tonoyama , 73, Japanese actor.
Guy Williams , 65, American actor (Zorro , Lost in Space ), brain aneurysm.
Unknown date
Hassan Djamous , Chadian military commander, Commander-in-Chief of the Chadian National Army .
Josef Papp , appr. 55, American engineer, likely hoaxer.
Doug Smith , 71, English jockey and trainer, suicide.
Harry White , 72–73, Irish republican paramilitary.
References
^ "Harvey Jablonsky, 80, A Northrop Executive" . The New York Times . April 8, 1989. p. 1 10. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ C. Gerald Fraser (April 7, 1989). "Bill Gunn, Playwright and Actor, Dies at 54 on Eve of Play Premiere" . The New York Times . p. D 20. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Service for Harold Hayes" . The New York Times . May 2, 1989. p. B 6. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Joan Cook (April 11, 1989). "John Paul Riddle, 87, Aviation Education Leader" . The New York Times . p. B 12. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ "Bessie Griffin Is Dead; Gospel Singer Was 67" . The New York Times . April 11, 1989. p. B 12. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ C. Gerald Fraser (April 13, 1989). "Hiram Sherman, Actor, Was 81" . The New York Times . p. B 13. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ John T. McQuiston (April 14, 1989). "Abbie Hoffman, 60's Icon, Dies; Yippie Movement Founder Was 52" . The New York Times . p. D 17. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Dave Anderson (April 13, 1989). "Sugar Ray Robinson, Boxing's 'Best,' Is Dead" . The New York Times . p. A 1. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Chiang Hsiao-wen, Ex-Business Executive, 54" . The New York Times . April 15, 1989. p. 1 10. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Susan Heller Anderson (April 16, 1989). "W. Attwood, Ex-Publisher, Is Dead at 69" . The New York Times . p. 1 36. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Glenn Fowler (April 18, 1989). "Edward M. Brecher, 77, Is Dead; A Writer on Scientific Subjects" . The New York Times . p. B 7. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Nicholas D. Kristof, Special To the New York Times (April 15, 1989). "Hu Yaobang, 73, Dies in China; Led Communist Party in 1980's" . The New York Times . p. 1 10. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Herbert Mitgang (May 23, 1989). "Frances Steloff Is Fondly Recalled By Patrons of Gotham Book Mart" . The New York Times . p. A 27. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ "Charles Vanel, Stage And Screen Actor, 96" . The New York Times . April 16, 1989. p. 1 36. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "T. C. Andrews Jr., 64, Political Organizer" . The New York Times . April 20, 1989. p. B 13. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ "Dominic Olejniczak, Sports Executive, 80" . The New York Times . April 17, 1989. p. D 15. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Cecil Leeson, Musician, 86" . The New York Times . April 20, 1989. p. B 13. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Herbert Mitgang (April 20, 1989). "Daphne du Maurier, 81, Author Of Many Gothic Romances, Dies" . The New York Times . p. B 13. Retrieved July 4, 2023 .
^ Susan Heller Anderson (April 20, 1989). "George Whitmore, 43, an Author Who Wrote on the Impact of AIDS" . The New York Times . p. B 13. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Constance L. Hays (April 22, 1989). "James Kirkwood, Author of Book For Musical 'Chorus Line,' Dies" . The New York Times . p. 1 33. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Marc Daniels, 77, Dies; Directed 'I Love Lucy' " . The New York Times . April 29, 1989. p. 1 10. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Hamani Diori, 72, the Founder Of an Independent Niger, Is Dead" . The New York Times . April 25, 1989. p. B 10. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "H. Bolton Seed, 66, Expert on Earthquakes" . The New York Times . April 26, 1989. p. B 5. Retrieved July 4, 2023 .
^ "Clyde Geronimi, 87, An Animator at Disney" . The New York Times . April 30, 1989. p. 1 40. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Glenn Collins (April 27, 1989). "George Coulouris, 85, Is Dead; Actor Relished Villainous Roles" . The New York Times . p. B 16. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Norma Klein, 50, a Young-Adult Novelist" . The New York Times . April 27, 1989. p. B 16. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Peter B. Flint (April 27, 1989). "Lucille Ball, Spirited Doyenne Of TV Comedies, Dies at 77" . The New York Times . p. A 1. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Stephen Holden (April 29, 1989). "Howard Brookner, 34, Director" . The New York Times . p. 1 10. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ "Dr. Marcel Golay, 86; Invented Science Tools" . The New York Times . April 30, 1989. p. 1 40. Retrieved May 26, 2024 .
^ Steve Lohr (April 27, 1989). "Konosuke Matsushita, Industrialist, Is Dead at 94" . The New York Times . p. B 16. Retrieved July 4, 2023 .
^ "Jack Cummings, 84, a Producer at M-G-M" . The New York Times . April 30, 1989. p. 1 40. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Suzanne Slesin (April 30, 1989). "DONALD DESKEY, INNOVATIVE DESIGNER, DIES A 94" . The New York Times . p. 1 40. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ Peter B. Flint (May 1, 1989). "Sergio Leone, 67, Italian Director Who Revitalized Westerns, Dies" . The New York Times . p. B 8. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .