1999

Events from the year **1999 in the United States**.

* Speaker of the House of Representatives: Newt Gingrich (R-GA) (until January 3), Dennis Hastert (R-IL) (starting January 6)
* Senate Majority Leader: Trent Lott (R-MS)
* Congress: 105th (until January 3), 106th (starting January 3)

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Fob James (Republican) (until January 18), Don Siegelman (Democratic) (starting January 18)
* Governor of Alaska: Tony Knowles (Democratic)
* Governor of Arizona: Jane Dee Hull (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Mike Huckabee (Republican)
* Governor of California: Pete Wilson (Republican) (until January 4), Gray Davis (Democratic) (starting January 4)
* Governor of Colorado: Roy Romer (Democratic) (until January 12), Bill Owens (Republican) (starting January 12)
* Governor of Connecticut: John G. Rowland (Republican)
* Governor of Delaware: Thomas R. Carper (Democratic)
* Governor of Florida: Buddy MacKay (Democratic) (until January 5), Jeb Bush (Republican) (starting January 5)
* Governor of Georgia: Zell Miller (Democratic) (until January 11), Roy Barnes (Democratic) (starting January 11)
* Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic)
* Governor of Idaho: Phil Batt (Republican) (until January 4), Dirk Kempthorne (Republican) (starting January 4)
* Governor of Illinois: Jim Edgar (Republican) (until January 11), George Ryan (Republican) (starting January 11)
* Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic)
* Governor of Iowa: Terry E. Branstad (Republican) (until January 15), Tom Vilsack (Democratic) (starting January 15)
* Governor of Kansas: Bill Graves (Republican)
* Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Murphy J. Foster Jr. (Republican)
* Governor of Maine: Angus King (Independent)
* Governor of Maryland: Parris N. Glendening (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican)
* Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican)
* Governor of Minnesota: Arne H. Carlson (Republican) (until January 4), Jesse Ventura (Independence) (starting January 4)
* Governor of Mississippi: Kirk Fordice (Republican)
* Governor of Missouri: Mel Carnahan (Democratic)
* Governor of Montana: Marc Racicot (Republican)
* Governor of Nebraska: Ben Nelson (Democratic) (until January 7), Mike Johanns (Republican) (starting January 7)
* Governor of Nevada: Bob Miller (Democratic) (until January 4), Kenny Guinn (Republican) (starting January 4)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic)
* Governor of New Jersey: Christine Todd Whitman (Republican)
* Governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson (Republican)
* Governor of New York: George Pataki (Republican)
* Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic)
* Governor of North Dakota: Ed Schafer (Republican)
* Governor of Ohio: Nancy Hollister (Republican) (until January 11), Bob Taft (Republican) (starting January 11)
* Governor of Oklahoma: Frank Keating (Republican)
* Governor of Oregon: John Kitzhaber (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Tom Ridge (Republican)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Lincoln C. Almond (Republican)
* Governor of South Carolina: David Beasley (Republican) (until January 13), Jim Hodges (Democratic) (starting January 13)
* Governor of South Dakota: William J. Janklow (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Don Sundquist (Republican)
* Governor of Texas: George W. Bush (Republican)
* Governor of Utah: Mike Leavitt (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic)
* Governor of Virginia: Jim Gilmore (Republican)
* Governor of Washington: Gary Locke (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Cecil H. Underwood (Republican)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican)
* Governor of Wyoming: Jim Geringer (Republican)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Don Siegelman (Democratic) (until January 18), Steve Windom (Republican) (starting January 18)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Fran Ulmer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Gray Davis (Democratic) (until January 4), Cruz Bustamante (Democratic) (starting January 4)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Gail Schoettler (Democratic) (until January 12), Joe Rogers (Republican) (starting January 12)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: vacant (until January 5), Frank Brogan (Republican) (starting January 5)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Pierre Howard (Democratic) (until January 11), Mark Taylor (Democratic) (starting January 11)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Mazie Hirono (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: vacant (until January 11), Corinne Wood (Republican) (starting January 11)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Joe E. Kernan (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Joy Corning (Republican) (until January 15), Sally Pederson (Democratic) (starting January 15)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Gary Sherrer (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Steve Henry (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Kathleen Blanco (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican) (until January 7), Jane Swift (Republican) (starting January 7)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Connie Binsfeld (Republican) (until January 1), Dick Posthumus (Republican) (starting January 1)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Joanne E. Benson (Republican) (until January 4), Mae Schunk (Independence) (starting January 4)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Roger B. Wilson (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Judy Martz (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Kim M. Robak (Democratic) (until January 7), David I. Maurstad (Republican) (starting January 7)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Lonnie Hammargren (Republican) (until January 4), Lorraine Hunt (Republican) (starting January 4)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Walter Dwight Bradley (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Mary Donohue (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Dennis A. Wicker (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Rosemarie Myrdal (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: vacant (until January 11), Maureen O'Connor (Republican) (starting January 11)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark S. Schweiker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Bernard Jackvony (Republican) (until January 2), Charles J. Fogarty (Democratic) (starting January 2)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Bob Peeler (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Carole Hillard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Bob Bullock (Democratic) (until January 19), Rick Perry (Republican) (starting January 19)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Olene S. Walker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Doug Racine (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: John H. Hager (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Brad Owen (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Scott McCallum (Republican)

## Events

### January

* January 1 – DIY Network, a spinoff of Home and Garden Television, is launched.
* January 2 – A snowstorm leaves 14 inches (36 cm) of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 21 inches (53 cm) in Chicago, Illinois, killing 68.
* January 6 – Dennis Hastert becomes Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
* January 7 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton begins. He had been impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19.
* January 21 – In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg) of cocaine aboard, headed for Houston, Texas.
* January 31 – Super Bowl XXXIII: The Denver Broncos defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34–19 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida.

### February

* February 1 – Disney Channel Preschool Block rebranded as Playhouse Disney.
* February 2 – Noggin is launched.
* February 4
	+ Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race-relations in the city.
	+ The *New Carissa* runs aground near Coos Bay, Oregon.
* February 12 – Impeachment of Bill Clinton: President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the Senate.
* February 15 – Rapper Big L is shot to death.
* February 19 – President Bill Clinton issues a posthumous pardon for U.S. Army Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper.
* February 23 – White supremacist John William King is found guilty of kidnapping and murdering African American James Byrd Jr. by dragging him behind a truck for 2 miles (3 km).
* February 24 – LaGrand case: The state of Arizona executes Karl LaGrand, a German national involved in an armed robbery that led to a death. Karl's brother Walter is executed a week later, in spite of Germany's legal action in the International Court of Justice to attempt to save him.

### March

* March 2 – The brand new Mandalay Bay hotel and casino opens on the Las Vegas Strip.
* March 3 – Walter LaGrand is executed in the gas chamber in Arizona.
* March 4 – In a military court, United States Marine Corps Captain Richard J. Ashby is acquitted of the charge of reckless flying which resulted in the deaths of 20 skiers in the Italian Alps, when his low-flying jet hit a gondola cable.
* March 8 – The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.
* March 11 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
* March 17 – The Roth IRA is introduced by U.S. Senator William V. Roth Jr.
* March 20 – Legoland California, the only Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad, California.
* March 21 – The 71st Academy Awards, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, with John Madden's *Shakespeare in Love* winning seven awards out of 13 nominations, including Best Picture. Steven Spielberg wins his second Best Director award for *Saving Private Ryan*. The telecast garners over 45.5 million viewers.
* March 25 – Enron energy traders allegedly route 2,900 megawatts of electricity destined for California to the town of Silver Peak, Nevada, population 200.
* March 26 – A Michigan jury finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.
* March 27 – Kosovo War: A U.S. F-117 Nighthawk is shot down by Serbian forces.
* March 28 – *Futurama* debuts on Fox.
* March 29 – For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10,000 mark, at 10,006.78.
* March 31 – The Matrix is released in theaters.

### April

* April 1 – Air China Flight 9018, a Boeing 747, taxis onto an active runway at O'Hare International Airport during the takeoff of Korean Air Flight 36, another Boeing 747, nearly resulting in a crash. Flight 36 averted a collision by taking off early and missing the Air China aircraft by 75 feet. There were 8 people on the Air China cargo plane and 379 on the Korean Air flight.
* April 5 – In Laramie, Wyoming, Russell Henderson pleads guilty to kidnapping and felony murder, in order to avoid a possible death penalty conviction for the killing of Matthew Shepard.
* April 7 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
* April 8 – Bill Gates' personal fortune exceeds US$100 billion, due to the increased value of Microsoft stock.
* April 12 – U.S. President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
* April 15 – Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz are exonerated of the rape and murder of Debbie Carter and released from prison. Both had spent 11 years in prison, with Williamson on death row, and having come within five days of execution.
* April 20 – Columbine High School massacre: Two Littleton, Colorado teenagers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, open fire on their teachers and classmates, killing 12 students and one teacher, and then themselves. It would be the deadliest shooting at a high school in U.S. history at the time. The shooting sparks debate on school bullying, gun control and violence in the media.

### May

* May 1
	+ The animated children's TV series *SpongeBob SquarePants* debuts on the cable network Nickelodeon.
	+ Body of English Mountineer *George Mallory* discovered at The North Face, during the summit journey in 1999. Belongings of *George Mallory* claimed.
* May 3
	+ Norman J. Sirnic and Karen Sirnic are murdered by serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz in Weimar, Texas.
	+ The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 11,000 for the first time, at 11,014.70.
* May 3 – 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak spawns 140 tornadoes, including an F5 in Moore, Oklahoma that kills 38 people with the highest wind speeds ever recorded.
* May 5 – Microsoft releases Windows 98 (Second Edition).
* May 8 – Nancy Mace becomes the first female cadet to graduate from The Military College of South Carolina.
* May 19 – *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* is released in theaters. It becomes the highest grossing Star Wars film.
* May 25 – The United States House of Representatives releases the *Cox Report* which details the People's Republic of China's nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prior two decades.
* May 29 – Space Shuttle *Discovery* completes the first docking with the International Space Station.
* May 31 – Sean Elliott of the San Antonio Spurs hits the Memorial Day Miracle against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1999 NBA Playoffs.

### June

* June 1 – American Airlines Flight 1420 overruns the runway in Little Rock, Arkansas, killing 11 people.
* June 8 – The government of Colombia announces it will include the estimated value of the country's illegal drug crops, exceeding half a billion U.S. dollars, in its gross national product.
* June 12 – Texas Governor George W. Bush announces he will seek the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.
* June 16 – Walt Disney Pictures' 37th feature film, *Tarzan*, is released to critical praise and box office success. It is the final film to be released during the Disney Renaissance era, which began ten years prior with 1989's *The Little Mermaid*.
* June 19 – Horror author Stephen King is hit in a car accident on Route 5 in North Lovell, Maine by Bryan Smith.
* June 23 – The Phillips explosion of 1999 kills two and injures three in Pasadena, Texas.

### July

* July 2
	+ Benjamin Nathaniel Smith begins a 3-day killing spree targeting racial and ethnic minorities in Illinois and Indiana.
	+ Lawrence Summers is sworn in as the new Secretary of Treasury, succeeding Robert Rubin.
* July 5 – U.S. Army Pfc. Barry Winchell is bludgeoned in his sleep at Fort Campbell, Kentucky by fellow soldiers; he dies the next day from his injuries.
* July 8 – A major flash flood in Las Vegas swamps hundreds of cars, smashes mobile homes and kills two people.
* July 10 – U.S. soccer player Brandi Chastain scores the game winning penalty kick against China in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
* July 16 – Off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, a plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Jr. crashes, killing him and his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.
* July 20 – Mercury program: Liberty Bell 7 is raised from the Atlantic Ocean.
* July 22 – The first version of MSN Messenger is released by Microsoft.
* July 23 – The Woodstock '99 festival is held in New York.
* July 25 – Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France.
* July 26 – The last Checker taxi cab is retired in New York City and auctioned off for approximately $135,000.
* July 29
	+ Mark O. Barton kills his family. He then went on a murder spree at the trading firm he worked at, killing a total of 12 people in Atlanta, Georgia. He later committed suicide at a gas station when cornered by police.
	+ NASA intentionally crashes the *Lunar Prospector* spacecraft into the Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the lunar surface.

### August

* August 10 – Buford O. Furrow Jr. wounds five and kills one during the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting.

### September

* September 6 – A big day for children's television: On PBS, PTV is completely re-branded as PBS Kids with new IDs, bumpers, and promos, whilst on UPN, a new weekly block called Disney's One Too debuts, a spinoff of ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning.
* September 7 – Viacom and CBS merge.
* September 15 – Larry Gene Ashbrook murders seven people and then commits suicide at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
* September 23 – NASA announces that it has lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter.
* September 27 – The Detroit Tigers host the Kansas City Royals in the final game at Tiger Stadium.

### October

* October 9 – The last flight of the SR-71.
* October 13 – The United States Senate rejects ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
* October 16 – The 7.1 Mw Hector Mine earthquake shook the Mojave Desert region of Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (*Very strong*), causing 4–5 injuries and limited damage.
* October 27 – The New York Yankees sweep the Atlanta Braves to win their 25th world championship.
* October 31 – EgyptAir Flight 990, traveling from New York City to Cairo, crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on board. The NTSB later reports that the co-pilot, Gameel Al-Batouti, deliberately crashed the plane, however, Egyptian authorities dispute this claim.

### November

* November 2 – Byran Uyesugi kills seven people at a Xerox building in Honolulu, Hawaii.
* November 18 – The Aggie Bonfire collapses in College Station, Texas, killing 12.
* November 24 – Disney/Pixar's third feature film, *Toy Story 2*, the sequel to 1995's *Toy Story*, is released in theaters.
* November 28 – *Little Bill* debuts on Nickelodeon.
* November 30 – In Seattle, Washington, protests against the WTO meeting by anti-globalization protesters catch police unprepared and force the cancellation of opening ceremonies.

### December

* December 1 – The unemployment rate drops to 4%, the lowest level since January 1970.
* December 3 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander, moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
* December 7 – The Recording Industry Association of America files a lawsuit against the Napster file-sharing client, alleging copyright infringement.
* December 16 – Walt Disney Pictures' 38th feature film, *Fantasia 2000*, a sequel to 1940's *Fantasia*, premieres at Carnegie Hall, with an IMAX release on New Years Day 2000 and a general theatrical release later in June.
* December 18 – NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform, carrying 5 Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.
* December 31 – The U.S. turns over complete administration of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government, as stipulated in the Torrijos–Carter Treaties of 1977.

## Memoriam

### January

* January 4 – Iron Eyes Cody, Italian-American actor (aged 94; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* January 11 – Brian Moore, novelist and screenwriter from Northern Ireland (aged 77; Malibu, CA, USA)
* January 12 – Betty Lou Gerson, actress (aged 84; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* January 18 – Sarah Louise Delany, author and educator (aged 109; Mount Vernon, NY, USA)
* January 21 – Susan Strasberg, actress (aged 60; New York City, NY, USA)
* January 23 – John Osteen, televangelist (aged 77; Houston, TX, USA)
* January 25 – Robert Shaw, conductor (aged 82; New Haven, CT, USA)
* January 31 – Norm Zauchin, baseball player (aged 69; Birmingham, AL, USA)

### February

* February 1 – Paul Mellon, philanthropist (aged 91; Upperville, VA, USA)
* February 6 – Jimmy Roberts, singer (aged 75; Clearwater, FL, USA)
* February 7 – Bobby Troup, actor, jazz pianist, singer and songwriter (aged 80; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 14
	+ Buddy Knox, singer and songwriter (aged 65; Bremerton, WA, USA)
	+ John Ehrlichman, Watergate scandal figure (aged 73; Atlanta, GA, USA)
* February 15
	+ Big L, rapper (aged 24; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Henry Way Kendall, physicist (aged 72; Wakulla County, WA, USA)
* February 18
	+ Andreas Feininger, French-born photographer (aged 92; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Noam Pitlik, actor and director (aged 66; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 20 – Gene Siskel, film critic (aged 53; Evanston, IL, USA)
* February 21 – Gertrude B. Elion, scientist (aged 81; Chapel Hill, NC, USA)
* February 22 – William Bronk, poet (aged 81; Hudson Falls, NY, USA)
* February 24
	+ Andre Dubus, short-story writer (aged 62; Haverville, MA, USA)
	+ Virginia Foster Durr, civil rights activist (aged 95; Carlisle, PA, USA)
* February 25 – Glenn T. Seaborg, chemist (aged 86; Lafayette, CA, USA)
* February 28 – Bill Talbert, tennis player (aged 80; New York City, NY, USA)

### March

* March 1 – Ann Corio, dancer and actress (aged 89; Englewood, NJ, USA)
* March 3 – Jackson C. Frank, folk musician (aged 56; Great Barrington, MA, USA)
* March 4
	+ Harry Blackmun, judge (aged 90; Arlington County, VA, USA)
	+ Del Close, actor, writer, and teacher (aged 64; Chicago, IL, USA)
* March 5 – Richard Kiley, actor (aged 76; Middletown, NY, USA)
* March 7
	+ Sidney Gottlieb, intelligence official (aged 80; Washington, VA, USA)
	+ Stanley Kubrick, film director, and producer (aged 70; Childwickbury, England, UK)
* March 8
	+ Peggy Cass, actress and comedian (aged 74; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Joe DiMaggio, baseball player, advertising spokesman (aged 84; Hollywood, FL, USA)
* March 12 – Yehudi Menuhin, violinist (aged 82; New York City, NY, USA)
* March 13
	+ Lee Falk, writer, theater director, and producer (aged 87; New York City, NY, USA)
	+ Garson Kanin, playwright and screenwriter (aged 86; New York City, NY, USA)
* March 22 – David Strickland, actor (aged 29; Las Vegas, NV, USA)
* March 26 – David Holliday, actor (aged 61; Miami, FL, USA)
* March 29 – Joe Williams, singer (aged 80; Las Vegas, NV, USA)
* March 30 – Terry Wilson, actor (aged 75; Canoga Park, CA, USA)

### April

* April 4
	+ Faith Domergue, actress (aged 74; Santa Barbara, CA, USA)
	+ Early Wynn, baseball player (aged 79; Venice, FL, USA)
* April 10 – Jean Vander Pyl, television actress (aged 79; Dana Point, CA, USA)
* April 12 – Boxcar Willie, country music singer (aged 67; Branson, MO, USA)
* April 14 – Ellen Corby, actress (aged 87; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* April 15 – Roy Chiao, Chinese actor (aged 72; Seattle, WA, USA)
* April 20
	+ Eric Harris, mass murderer (aged 17; Columbine, CO, USA)
	+ Dylan Klebold, mass murderer (aged 18; Columbine, CO, USA)
	+ Rick Rude, professional wrestler (aged 40; Alpharetta, GA, USA)
* April 21 – Charles "Buddy" Rogers, silent film actor (aged 94; Rancho Mirage, CA, USA)
* April 22 – Bert Remsen, actor (aged 74; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* April 25
	+ Herman Miller, screenwriter and producer (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Roger Troutman, funk musician (aged 47; Dayton, OH, USA)
* April 27 – Al Hirt, trumpeter and bandleader (aged 76; New Orleans, LA, USA)
* April 28
	+ Rory Calhoun, television and film actor (aged 76; Burbank, CA, USA)
	+ Arthur Leonard Schawlow, physicist (aged 77; Palo Alto, CA, USA)

### May

* May 8 – Dana Plato, actress (aged 34; Moore, OK, USA)
* May 10 – Shel Silverstein, poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books (aged 68; Key West, FL, USA)
* May 13 – Gene Sarazen, golfer (aged 97; Naples, FL, USA)
* May 17 – Henry Jones, actor (aged 86; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* May 18 – Betty Robinson, athlete (aged 87; Denver, CO, USA)
* May 19 – Candy Candido, voice actor (aged 85; Burbank, CA, USA)
* May 23 – John T. Hayward, admiral (aged 90; Atlantic Beach, FL, USA)
* May 26 – Waldo Semon, inventor (aged 100; Hudson, OH, USA)

### June

* June 3 – Charlene Pryer, professional baseball player (aged 77; Medford, OR, USA)
* June 5 – Mel Tormé, singer (aged 73; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 9 – Andrew L. Stone, screenwriter, director and producer (aged 96; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 11 – DeForest Kelley, actor (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 19 – Paul Montgomery, entrepreneur and inventor (aged 39; Seattle, WA, USA)
* June 25 – Fred Trump, real estate developer, father of Donald Trump (aged 93; New Hyde Park, NY, USA)
* June 27
	+ Isaac C. Kidd Jr., admiral (aged 79; Alexandria, VA, USA)
	+ Marion Motley, American football player (aged 79; Cleveland, OH, USA)
* June 29 – Allan Carr, producer (aged 62; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)

### July

* July 1
	+ Edward Dmytryk, Canadian-American film director (aged 90; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Guy Mitchell, singer (aged 72; Las Vegas, NV, USA)
	+ Sylvia Sidney, actress (aged 88; New York City, NY, USA)
* July 2 – Mario Puzo, author (aged 78; West Bay Shore, NY, USA)
* July 3 – Mark Sandman, rock musician and artist (aged 46; Palestrina, Italy)
* July 4 – Ronny Graham, actor, theater director, composer, lyricist, and writer (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* July 6
	+ Carl Gunter Jr., farmer and politician (aged 60; Kolin, LA, USA)
	+ Gary M. Heidnik, killer, kidnapper, and rapist (aged 55; Benner Township, PA, USA)
* July 7 – Julie Campbell Tatham, writer (aged 91; Alexandria, VA, USA)
* July 8 – Pete Conrad, astronaut, naval aviator, and aeronautical engineer (aged 69; Ojai, CA, USA)
* July 9 – James Farmer, civil rights leader (aged 79; Fredericksburg, VA, USA)
* July 11 – Helen Forrest, jazz singer (aged 82; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* July 16
	+ John F. Kennedy Jr., journalist and lawyer (aged 38; Martha's Vineyard, MA, USA)
	+ Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, actress and model (aged 33; Martha's Vineyard, MA, USA)
* July 20 – Sandra Gould, actress (aged 82; Burbank, CA, USA)
* July 22 – Gar Samuelson, drummer (aged 41; Orange County, FL, USA)
* July 29 – Anita Carter, singer (aged 66; Hendersonville, TN, USA)

### August

* August 2 – Willie Morris, writer (aged 64; Jackson, MS, USA)
* August 3 – Leroy Vinnegar, musician (aged 71; Portland, OR, USA)
* August 4 – Victor Mature, actor (aged 86; Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA)
* August 10 – Anthony Radziwiłł, television executive and filmmaker (aged 40; New York City, NY, USA)
* August 14
	+ Lane Kirkland, union leader (aged 77; Washington, DC, USA)
	+ Pee Wee Reese, baseball player (aged 81; Louisville, KY, USA)
* August 23 – Norman Wexler, screenwriter (aged 73; Washington, DC, USA)
* August 24 – Mary Jane Croft, radio and television actress (aged 83; Century City, CA, USA)

### September

* September 5 – Allen Funt, television personality (aged 84; Pebble Beach, CA, USA)
* September 7 – Jim Keith, author (aged 49; Reno, NV, USA)
* September 8 – Moondog, musician and composer (aged 83; Münster, Germany)
* September 9
	+ Catfish Hunter, baseball player (aged 53; Hertford, NC, USA)
	+ Ruth Roman, actress (aged 76; Laguna Beach, CA, USA)
* September 12 – Allen Stack, swimmer (aged 71; Honolulu, HI, USA)
* September 22 – George C. Scott, actor (aged 71; Westlake Village, VA, USA)
* September 25 – Marion Zimmer Bradley, writer (aged 69; Berkeley, CA, USA)

### October

* October 2
	+ Lee Lozano, artist (aged 68; Dallas, TX, USA)
	+ Danny Mayo, songwriter (aged 49; Nashville, TN, USA)
* October 3 – Paul Burris, baseball player (aged 76; Charlotte, NC, USA)
* October 4 – Art Farmer, jazz trumpeter (aged 71; New York City, NY, USA)
* October 5 – Alex Lowe, mountaineer (aged 40; Shishapangma, Tibet)
* October 6 – Gorilla Monsoon, professional wrestler and announcer (aged 62; Willingboro Township, NJ, USA)
* October 7
	+ David A. Huffman, computer scientist (aged 74; Santa Cruz, CA, USA)
	+ Helen Vinson, actress (aged 92; Chapel Hill, NC, USA)
* October 8 – John McLendon, basketball coach (aged 84; Cleveland Heights, OH, USA)
* October 9 – Milt Jackson, musician (aged 76; New York City, NY, USA)
* October 10 – George Forrest, writer (aged 84; Miami, FL, USA)
* October 12 – Wilt Chamberlain, basketball player (aged 63; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* October 19 – James C. Murray, politician (aged 82; Oak Lawn, IL, USA)
* October 24 – John Chafee, politician (aged 77; Bethesda, MD, USA)
* October 25 – Payne Stewart, golfer (aged 42; Mina, SD, USA)
* October 26 – Abraham Polonsky, screenwriter and director (aged 88; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* October 27
	+ Frank De Vol, arranger, composer, and actor (aged 88; Lafayette, CA, USA)
	+ Robert Mills, physicist (aged 72; East Charleston, VT, USA)

### November

* November 1
	+ Theodore Hall, physicist and spy (aged 74; Cambridge, England, UK)
	+ Walter Payton, American football player (aged 45; South Barrington, IL, USA)
* November 4 – Daisy Bates, civil rights activist, publisher, journalist, and lecturer (aged 84; Little Rock, AR, USA)
* November 9 – Mabel King, actress and singer (aged 66; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 11 – Mary Kay Bergman, voice actress (aged 38; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 15 – Gene Levitt, television writer, producer, and director (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 16 – Daniel Nathans, microbiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (aged 71; Baltimore, MD, USA)
* November 18
	+ Paul Bowles, novelist (aged 88; Tangier, Morocco)
	+ Horst P. Horst, photographer (aged 93; Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA)
	+ Doug Sahm, musician (aged 58; Taos, NM, USA)
* November 29 – Gene Rayburn, American television personality (aged 81; Gloucester, MA, USA)

### December

* December 2
	+ Joey Adams, comedian (aged 88; Manhattan, NY, USA)
	+ Charlie Byrd, jazz musician and classical guitarist (aged 74; Annapolis, MD, USA)
* December 3
	+ John Archer, actor (aged 84; Redmond, WA, USA)
	+ Scatman John, musician, singer, and songwriter (aged 57; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Madeline Kahn, actress and singer (aged 51; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 4 – Rose Bird, activist and judge (aged 63; Stanford, CA, USA)
* December 12
	+ Paul Cadmus, artist (aged 94; Weston, CT, USA)
	+ Joseph Heller, novelist (aged 76; East Hampton, NY, USA)
* December 17
	+ Rex Allen, actor, singer, and songwriter (aged 78; Tucson, AZ, USA)
	+ Grover Washington Jr., saxophonist (aged 56; Manhattan, NY, USA)
* December 20
	+ Irving Rapper, film director (aged 101; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Hank Snow, Canadian-American country musician (aged 85; Madison, TN, USA)
* December 23 – John Paton Davies Jr., diplomat (aged 91; Asheville, NC, USA)
* December 26 – Curtis Mayfield, musician and composer (aged 57; Roswell, GA, USA)
* December 27 – Leonard Goldenson, television executive (aged 94; Sarasota, FL, USA)
* December 28 – Clayton Moore, actor (aged 85; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* December 30 – Sarah Knauss, supercentenarian, verified oldest person in the world (aged 119; Allentown, PA, USA)
* December 31 – Elliot Richardson, politician and lawyer (aged 79; Boston, MA, USA)