The following is a list of notable deaths in October 1986.
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.
October 1986
1 Archie League, 79, American air traffic controller.Meet the American who made flying safe, Archie League, daredevil pilot and first air-traffic controller. FOX News. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. William Manning, 83, Australian politician, member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1956-1974). Seán Moore, 73, Irish politician, member of Dáil Éireann, Lord Mayor of Dublin.Lord Mayor Sean Moore. J.F.K. Library (year of death only). Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Fernand Picard, 69, Canadian politician, member of the National Assembly of Quebec (1966-1976). John Potts, 82, English footballer. Dražen Ričl, 24, Yugoslav rock musician (Crvena jabuka) and comedian, traffic collision.Gravestone: Dražen Ričl 1.10.86. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Frank Samblebe, 71, Australian rules footballer.
2 Ron Rutherford, 80, Australian rules footballer. F. Wayne Valley, 72, American businessman and football executive, owner of Oakland Raiders, cancer.F. Wayne Valley, one of the founders.... L.A. Times. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024.
3 Vince DiMaggio, 74, American Major League baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates), brother of Joe DiMaggio, colon cancer.Vince DiMaggio is Dead at 74. New York Times. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Shunzo Kido, 97, Japanese Olympic equestrian (1928, 1932). Heinie Mueller, 74, American Major League Baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies). Sergey Preminin, 20, Soviet navy sailor, averted meltdown in nuclear submarine K-219, hyperthermia.Seaman’s bravery averted a nuclear disaster. The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Han Xianchu, 73, Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army.Deaths Elsewhere - The Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024.
4 Raymond E. Baldwin, 93, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate and Governor of Connecticut.Ex-Governor Baldwin of Connecticut is dead. New York Times. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Robert Broadbent, 81, Australian Olympic cyclist (1924). Mike Butterworth, 62, British comic book writer (The Trigan Empire), heart attack. Jeff Clements, 54, English rugby union player. Sarala Devi, 82, Indian politician and social activist, member of Odisha Legislative Assembly.Sarala Devi as a Freedom Fighter. Government of Odisha. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Arno von Lenski, 93, Nazi German Wehrmacht general and politician.Lenski, von, Arno Ernst Max. Traces of War. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Raimundo Morales, 88, Spanish Olympic tennis player (1924). Desiderius Orban, 101, Hungarian and Australian painter, kidney disease.Desiderius (Dezso) Orban (1884–1986). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 5 Oct 2024. Valentín Sabate, 64, Spanish Olympic water polo player (1948).
5 George Packer Berry, 87, American physician and medical educator. Mike Burgmann, 39, Australian racing driver, racing crash.Mike Burgmann. Monument Australia. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Timothy Creasey, 63, British army general.Deaths Elsewhere - Sir Timothy Creasey. Washington Post. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Abraham Feinberg, 87, American rabbi, activist and singer, cancer.Rabbi Abraham L. Feinberg. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Rudolf Flesch, 75, Austrian-born American readability expert and author (Why Johnny Can't Read).Dr. Rudolf Flesch, 75, authority on literacy. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. William Karlsen, 76 Norwegian Olympic backstroke swimmer (1932). Zdzisław Kumiszcze, 49, Polish Olympic hurdler (1960). Collette Lyons, 78, American actress, wife of George Randolph Hearst.Collette Lyons. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Héctor Maturano, 65, Argentine Olympic boxer (1952). Mairin Mitchell, 91, British and Irish writer and journalist.Mitchell Mairin Marian. deceasedonline.com (Cremation Register Summary). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Peter Phelps, 77, English cricketer. Emanuel Sayles, 79, American jazz banjoist. Hal B. Wallis, 87, American film producer (Casablanca, True Grit, The Adventures of Robin Hood), diabetes.Hal B. Wallis, film producer, is dead. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. James H. Wilkinson, 67, English mathematician (Wilkinson matrix, Wilkinson's polynomial), heart attack.James H. Wilkinson. Britannica. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
6 Marie-Hélène Arnaud, 52, French model and actress, the "face of Chanel". Yuri Babayev, 58, Soviet physicist, co-designers of the Tsar Bomba.Yuri N. Babayev Dies; Noted Soviet Physicist. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Gokulbhai Bhatt, 88, Indian politician and social worker, Chief Minister of Sirohi State.Gokulbhai Daulatram Bhatt. Constitution of India. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Harold Brooke, 87, Australian Olympic sailor (1960). Robert L. Larson, 88, American jurist. Tom Ledwidge, 75, Australian rules footballer. Guy Prendergast, 81, British army officer and explorer. David Rubinoff, 89, Russian-born American violinist.David Rubinoff, 89, Violinist. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Robert Six, 79, American businessman, CEO of Continental Airlines.Robert F. Six, Founder of airline and aviation pioneer, dies at 79. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Wallace Wade, 94, American football player and sports coach.Wallace Wade, Coach Who Took Rose Bowl East, Dies. L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
7 Allan Macy Butler, 92, American pediatrician. Cheryl Crawford, 84, American theatre producer and director (Group Theatre).Cheryl Crawford, Theatrical Producer. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Irvine Finlay Corbett, 71, Canadian politician, plane crash. Arthur Galsworthy, 70, British diplomat, High Commissioner to New Zealand, ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.Galsworthy, Sir Arthur (Norman). ukwhoswho.com . Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Yōjirō Ishizaka, 86, Japanese novelist and short story writer. Iwan Iwanoff, 67, Bulgarian and Australian architect, pneumonia.Iwan Iwanoff (1919–1986). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Liu Bocheng, 93, Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army.Liu Bocheng, military leader in two Chinese revolutions. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Jerzy Łojek, 54, Polish historian. David D. O'Malley, 73, American politician, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1958-1977). Janina Oszast, 78, Polish biologist and resistance movement member. George Owens, 86, Australian rules footballer. J. G. Phillips, 75, Australian economist, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, suicide.Sir John Grant (Jock) Phillips (1911–1986). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Paul Tournier, 88, Swiss physician and pastoral counselor, cancer.Paul Tournier and ‘Médecine de la Personne’—The man and his vision. International Journal of Integrated Care (year of death only). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
8 Nels Anderson, 97, American sociologist and author (The Hobo).Nels Anderson: A Profile. Le Travail. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Walter Burkemo, 67, American golfer, PGA Championship winner.Walter E. (Wally) Burkemo. Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Gerhard Dietrich, 58, German pedagogue. Ícaro Mello, 72, Brazilian Olympic high jumper (1936). Edna Roper, 73, Australian politician. Shadi Abdel Salam, 56, Egyptian film director and screenwriter (The Night of Counting the Years).Shadi Abd al-Salam. Egyptian State Information Service. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Max Surkont, 64, American Major League baseball player (Boston/Milwaukee Braves).Matthew C. (Max) Surkont, a former Boston.... L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
9 Lajos Balogh, Hungarian Olympic long jumper (1928). Eddie Johnson, 58, American Olympic boxer (1948). Harald Reinl, 78, Austrian film director (Chariots of the Gods), murdered.Harald Reinl. filmportal.de. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. James J. Reynolds, Jr., 79, American civil servant, Under Secretary of Labor. Jo-Jo White, 77, American Major League baseball player (Detroit Tigers).Jo-Jo White. MLB.com. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
10 Lyndall Barbour, 70, Australian actress. Gerold Braunmühl, 51, West German diplomat, assassinated.Senior Bonn Official is Slain by Masked Gunman. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Mary Cholmondeley, 80, British socialite and heiress.Gravestone: Ruth Mary Clarisse Ashley Cholmondeley 10.10.86. (year of death only). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Antonio di Benedetto, 63, Argentinian novelist (Zama). Han Drijver, 59, Dutch Olympic field hockey player. (1948, 1952). Nieves Hernández, 84, Mexican Olympic footballer (1928). Sigfred Jensen, 77, Danish footballer. Rusty Lane, 87, American actor and college professor (Crime with Father). Marie Neurath, 88, German and English designer and illustrator of children's books, co-developer of Isotype.Marie Neurath Collection. University of Reading (year of death only). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Frank O'Neal, 65, American cartoonist. Michele Pellegrino, 83, Italian cardinal. Michael Player, 25–26, American serial killer (Skid Row Slayer), suicide.Dead Man Is Identified as Serial Killer of 10. L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Priaulx Rainier, 83, South African–born British composer.Rainier, Priaulx (1903–1986). Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Russ Van Atta, 80, American Major League baseball player (St. Louis Browns).Russ Van Atta. MLB.com. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Gleb Wataghin, 86, Ukrainian-Italian physicist.Nomination Archive. nobelprize.org (year of death only). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
11 Gregorio Álvarez, 96, Argentinian historian and physician. Bob Brooker, 59, Australian rules footballer. Norm Cash, 52, American Major League baseball player (Detroit Tigers), drowned.Norm Cash, 51, Is Found Dead. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. John Crockett, 68, British television and stage director. Georges Dumézil, 88, French linguist, stroke.Obituary: Georges Dumezil, 1898–1986. Taylor & Francis (Folklore, 98(1), p. 106). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Barker Fairley, 99, British-born Canadian painter and literary scholar.Barker Fairley. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. David Hand, 86, American animator (Walt Disney Productions), stroke.David Hand, Award-Winning Animator for Disney, Dies at 86. L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Gyula Kovács, 69, Hungarian Olympic wrestler (1948, 1952, 1956). Boris Leven, 78, Russian-born American production designer and Academy Award winner (West Side Story).Art Director Boris Leven, 78, Academy Award Winner, Dies. L.A. Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Ed McNamara, 65, Canadian actor (For Gentlemen Only, Bayo).Ed McNamara. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Bronte Clucas Quayle, 66, Australian barrister, civil servant, and solicitor. Al Ullman, 72, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, prostate cancer.Al Ullman, Former Congressman, Dies at 72. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024.
12 Szabolcs Fényes, 74, Hungarian composer. John J. Herrera, 76, American attorney and activist, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.John J. Herrera. Portal to Texas History (Houston Chronicle Obituary). Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. George Mandy, 80, South African cricketer.
13 Maidie Andrews, 93, English actress. Eunice Crowther, 70, British singer, dancer, and choreographer. Ken Earl, 60, English cricketer. Abram Hill, 76, American playwright (On Strivers Row), co-founded American Negro Theatre, emphysema.Abram Hill, 76, The Founder of a Black Theater in Harlem. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Fred K. Mahaffey, 52, American army general, commander in chief U.S. Readiness Command, cancer.Gen. Fred Mahaffey, 52, Dies; Held Top Commands in Army. New York Times. Retrieved 6 Oct 2024. Sir Joseph Napier, 4th Baronet, 91, British baronet and soldier. William Passmore, 71, South African Olympic boxer (1936).