The following is a list of notable deaths in December 1985.
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.
December 1985
1 Kenshiro Abbe, 69, Japanese judoka. Héctor Cassina, 42, Argentine Olympic cyclist (1968). Agustí Centelles, 75–76, Spanish photographer. Hector Chotteau, 87, Belgian ice hockey player. Dada Dharmadhikari, 86, Indian social activist. Tania Fédor, 80, French actress. Oliver H. Fritz, 80, American politician. Tito Goya, 34, Puerto Rican actor, cirrhosis.Tito Goya, 33; Tough Guy in Films and Real Life. L.A. Times Surya Bikram Gyawali, 87, Nepali historian. M'hamed Issiakhem, 57, Algerian painter. Mohanrao Kallianpurkar, 72, Indian dancer and choreographer. Barney Lepper, 87, American NFL football player. Harry Morris, 88, English footballer. Yvonne Rozille, 85, French actress. Agnes Sandström, 98, Swedish survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. Don Stoker, 62, English footballer. L. P. Vidyarthi, 54, Indian anthropologist. Christy Walsh, 64–65, Irish basketball player and Olympian.
2 Aniello Dellacroce, 71, American mobster (Gambino crime family), cancer.Aniello Dellacroce Dies at 71; Reputed Crime-Group Figure Alexandru Frim, 77, Romanian Olympic bobsledder (1936). Heinz Hoffmann, 75, East German politician. Philip Larkin, 63, English poet (The Whitsun Weddings, The Less Deceived, High Windows), esophageal cancer.Philip Larkin, Poet and Librarian, Dies at 63 Stanley Newnham, 75, English cricketer. Calixte Savoie, 90, Canadian politician. Curly Thirlwell, 80, American sound engineer.
3 Sir Conolly Abel Smith, 86, British naval admiral. Philip Sidney Bernstein, 84, American rabbi and humanitarian, heart failure.Rabbi Philip Bernstein: Helped Displaced Jews Satya Bhakta, 88, Indian politician. Bill Cox, 75, English golfer. Don Crosby, 61, Australian actor, heart attack. Sam Gilman, 70, American actor. Miloslav Kodl, 57, Czechoslovak Olympic basketball player (1952). Dock Mathieson, 71, Scottish musician and music director.
4 Hatsu Ando, 73, Japanese politician. Frederick Boland, 81, Irish diplomat.Frederick Boland, 81; Veteran Irish Diplomat J. Gregory Bruce, 88, American judge. Pearl Corkhill, 98, Australian nurse. Dina De Santis, 53, Italian actress. Ben Douglas, 76, American NFL football player. Ernest Fooks, 79, Austrian-Australian architect. Henry Freulich, 79, American cinematographer.Henry Freulich, Veteran Movie Cameraman, Dies Elmer E. Johnston, 87, American politician, member of the Washington House of Representatives (1947–1966). Roger Leenhardt, 82, French writer and filmmaker. Ethel Robertson, 83, Scottish businesswoman and philanthropist. Forest Sale, 74, American basketball player, heart attack. Bijoy Sarkar, 82, Indian poet and musician.
5 Holmes Alexander, 79, American historian, journalist and politician, member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1931–1935), heart disease.Holmes Alexander Dies Karl Ammitzböll, 70, Danish Olympic equestrian (1956). Mihail Celarianu, 92, Romanian poet. Oreste Capuzzo, 76, Italian Olympic gymnast (1932, 1936). Miguel Cuéllar, 69, Colombian chess player. Loris Fortuna, 61, Italian politician. Fernando Gómez Martínez, 88, Colombian politician. Alexia González-Barros González, 14, Spanish child and canonization candidate, spinal cancer. Jay W. MacKelvie, 95, American general. Sir Philip Margetson, 91, British police officer. James Auburn Pepper, 70, Canadian politician. Alec Roxburgh, 75, English footballer. V. Sivasubramaniam, 77, Sri Lankan judge.
6 Slobodan Anđelković, 72, Yugoslav footballer. Carroll Cole, 47, American convicted serial killer, execution by lethal injection.Confessed Murderer of 13 is Executed in Nevada Denis de Rougemont, 79, Swiss cultural theorist. Walter B. Gibson, 88, American writer and magician.Walter B. Gibson, The Creator of 'The Shadow,' Dead at 88 Burleigh Grimes, 92, American Major League baseball player, cancer.Burleigh Grimes, Ex-Pitcher and Hall of Fame Member Burr Tillstrom, 68, American puppeteer (Kukla, Fran and Ollie).Burr Tillstrom, Puppeteer, Dies John Vassos, 87, Romanian-born American industrial designer.John Vassos Walter K. Wilson Jr., 79, American general. Bud Winter, 76, American track and field coach, heart attack.
7 Dmitri Borgmann, 58, German-American linguist. Gabrièle Buffet-Picabia, 104, French art critic. Wilder W. Crane Jr., 57, American politician. Malcolm Dixon, 86, British biochemist. J. R. Eyerman, 79, American photojournalist. John Fallon, 72, Scottish golfer. Robert Graves, 90, English poet and novelist (I, Claudius), heart failure.Robert Graves, Poet and Scholar, Dies at 90 Des Martin, 72, Australian rules footballer. John C. McQueen, 86, American general.Retired Marine Gen. McQueen Dies Tom Mercer, 75, Australian rules footballer. Melvyn Millington, 74, English footballer. Shlomo Rosen, 80, Austrian-born Israeli politician. Aron Steuer, 87, American judge. Potter Stewart, 70, American judge, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1958–1981), stroke.Potter Stewart is dead at 70; Was on High Court 23 years
8 Andrey Aldan-Semenov, 77, Soviet writer. Lewis H.M. Ayre, 71, Canadian businessman. Clifford W. Beck, 77–78, American politician, member of the Washington House of Representatives (1961–1979). Rex Boggan, 55, American NFL football player, heart attack.Rex Reed Boggan funeral tomorrow Ermenegildo Florit, 84, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. Paul Kelpe, 83, German-born American painter. Clara Lynch, 103, American biologist.Dr. Clara Lynch, 103; Led Cancer Research Ma Jir Bo, 58, Chinese painter. Dave Madison, 64, American Major League baseball player. Bradley Page, 84, American actor. Jack Pye, 82, English professional wrestler. Jimmy Rudd, 66, Irish footballer. Jack H. Skirball, 89, American film producer.Jack H. Skirball Ray Thomas, 67, Canadian politician. Sir Harry Trusted, 97, British judge. Bill Wambsganss, 91, American Major League baseball player, heart failure.Bill Wambsganss Dies at 91; Made a Triple Play in Series Chester A. Weidenburner, 72, American judge.
9 Reginald Bedford, 75, Canadian pianist. Micheál de Búrca, 72, Irish artist. Donald John Dean, 88, English soldier. Anton Dunckern, 80, German Nazi militant. Hugo Gellert, 93, Hungarian-born American artist. Tirso Hernández, 93, Mexican Olympic sports shooter (1924). Calvin Jackson, 66, American jazz musician. Ernest Johnson, 64, American football coach. Kolle Lejserowitz, 62, Danish Olympic wrestler (1948). Jean-Claude Meunier, 35, French Olympic cyclist (1972). François Morren, 86, Belgian Olympic sprinter (1920). Charlie Munro, 68, New Zealand-born Australian jazz musician. Haruyoshi Ōkawa, 75–76, Japanese bear hunter. Federico Riu, 60, Spanish-born Venezuelan philosopher. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling, 81, German composer. Wilhelm Unger, 81, German writer and journalist. Victor Vicas, 67, French filmmaker. Bror With, 85, Norwegian mechanical engineer.
10 Wallace "Mad Bear" Anderson, 58, American Tuscarora activist.Wallace P. Anderson Leslie Bonnet, 83, British duck breeder and writer. Albert Bruckner, 81, Swiss historian. Jadwiga Dzido, 67, Polish resistance worker. Floyd C. Miller, 83, American politician. Pierre Nord, 85, French writer.
11 Charles Armstrong, 88, British soldier. Rupert Kettle, 70, English cricketer. Jean Martineau, 90, Canadian judge. Francis H. McAdams, 69, American transportation official.Francis McAdams, 69, Dead; Ex-U.S. Safety Board Official Bill McConnell, 58, Canadian Olympic rower (1948). Kathleen Ryan, 63, Irish actress, lung disease. Henry C. Schadeberg, 72, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1961–1965, 1967–1971). Maksym Skorupsky, 73, Ukrainian soldier.
12 Anne Baxter, 62, American actress (All About Eve, The Razor's Edge, The Ten Commandments), stroke.Anne Baxter is Dead at 62; Actress Won Oscar in 1946 Priscilla Capps Hill, 85, American philanthropist. Bob England, 50, American racing driver. Josef Hornauer, 77, German footballer. Barry MacKay, 79, English actor. Margaret Pitt Morison, 85, Australian architect. Charles Singleton, 72, American songwriter. Ian Stewart, 47, British keyboardist (The Rolling Stones), heart attack.Ian Stewart, 47, Dies: Helped Found 'Stones'
13 Eduard Burdzhalov, 78–79, Soviet historian. Paul Caraway, 79, American general. Hugh Forbes, 68, British judge. Oscar Krokstedt, 77, Swedish naval admiral. Donald J. Russell, 85, American railroad executive.Donald J. Russell Dies at 85; Led Southern Pacific Railroad William Swinnerton, 86, New Zealand Olympic sailor (1956). Valerian Tevzadze, 91, Georgian-Polish resistance fighter. Ahrne Thorne, 80, Polish-born American newspaper editor. Antonio Tovar, 74, Spanish linguist. Ann Williams, 50, American actress, cancer.
14 Charlie Bachman, 93, American football player and coach, heart attack.Ex-Michigan St. coach dies Catherine Doherty, 89, Russian-born Canadian social activist and spiritual writer.Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Charity Worker, Is Dead at 89 Sardon Jubir, 68, Malaysian politician. Robin Lovejoy, 60, Australian theatre director, liver cancer. Roger Maris, 51, American Major League baseball player, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.Roger Maris dies of cancer at 51 Curley Moore, 41–42, American singer, homicide. Thomas Urwin, 73, British politician, MP (1964–1983). Bruce Weintraub, 33, American set decorator, AIDS. Ruth Wilkinson, 84, New Zealand community leader and historian.
15 Drew Bowers, 99, American politician. Alessandro Passerin d'Entrèves, 83, Italian historian and philosopher. Austin Edwin Dewar, 73, Canadian politician. István Oláh, 58, Hungarian politician. Francesco Pernigo, 67, Italian footballer. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, 85, Mauritian politician, prime minister (1968–1982).Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam of Mauritius is Dead at 85 Carlos P. Romulo, 86, Filipino politician, heart failure.Carlos P. Romulo of Philippines Dies Forrest C. Shaklee, 91, American businessman, heart attack.Dr. Forrest Shaklee; Founded Corporation Frank H. Sobey, 83, Canadian businessman. Jim Stuart, 66, American NFL football player. John Thompson, 82, Australian rules footballer. Jean van den Bosch, 75, Belgian diplomat.
16 Bhima Bhattar, 81, Indian businessman. Thomas Bilotti, 45, American mobster (Gambino crime family), shot. Jan Bull, 58, Norwegian author and theatre director. Paul Castellano, 70, American crime boss, leader of the Gambino crime family (since 1976), shot.Respectability and Crime: Private Life and Violent Death of Paul Castellano Don Coleman, 93, American actor. Red Hamill, 68, Canadian NHL ice hockey player. Tadashi Negishi, 73, Japanese Olympic rower (1936). William H. Pettit, 100, New Zealand evangelist and missionary. Jack Plunkett, 74, Australian rules footballer. Dick Pollard, 73, English cricketer. Dolores Rousse, 84, American actress. Walter Siepmann, 83, German industrialist. Mervyn Waite, 74, Australian cricketer. Claude Wardlaw, 84, British botanist.
17 Elmer Bowman, 88, American Major League baseball player. Albert Cavens, 79, Belgian-born American actor. Victor Cornelins, 87, Danish musician. Otto Gotsche, 81, German political activist. Svend Iversen, 72, Danish Olympic sailor (1948). Alan H. Kempner, 88, American publishing executive and philanthropist.Alan H. Kempner, Publishing Official and a Broker, Dies Harry M. Leonard, 85, American sound mixer. Leo Maguire, 81–82, Irish singer. Dorothy McKibbin, 88, American security guard (Los Alamos Laboratory). Ken O'Dea, 72, American Major League baseball player, lung cancer. Gwyn Richards, 79, Welsh rugby union and rugby league player. Stephan Riess, 86, German-American mineralologist. Hans Weiss, 75, German racing cyclist.
18 Michael Ani, 68, Nigerian civil servant. Paul Baender, 79, German-Bolivian chess player.