The following is a list of notable deaths in June 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.
Dharmasena Attygalle , 64, Sri Lankan politician.
Niels Bertelsen , 63, Danish Olympic boxer (1952 ).
Clay Campbell , 88, American film makeup artist.
Robert L. Chidlaw-Roberts , 93, Welsh WWI flying ace.
Bernard Fauqueux , 50, French Olympic gymnast (1960 , 1964 ).
Emery Hawkins , 77, American animator.
Aurelio Lampredi , 71, Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer.
Alexis Lichine , 75, Russian wine writer and entrepreneur.[ 1]
Edward J. McShane , 85, American mathematician, congestive heart failure.
Mark Petteway , 27, American basketball player.
Charles Vanden Wouwer , 72, English-Belgian international footballer.
Martin Zoborosky , 72, Canadian NHL player (Chicago Black Hawks ).
Guido Agosti , 87, Italian pianist and piano teacher.
Smith Barrier , 72, American sports journalist.
Ted à Beckett , 81, Australian test cricketer.
Juan Inostroza , 46, Chilean Olympic fencer (1976 ).
Dick Mayer , 64, American professional golfer.
Frederic Prokosch , 83, American writer.[ 2]
Anthony 'Scooter' Teague , 49, American actor and dancer.
Takeo Watanabe , 56, Japanese musician and composer.
Shirley Burden , 80, American writer and photographer.[ 3]
Omer De Bruycker , 83, Belgian racing cyclist.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini , 86 or 89, Iranian religious leader, Supreme Leader of Iran, heart attack.
Frank Laming , 80, Scottish Anglican priest.
Wynne Samuel , 77, Welsh politician.
Dik Browne , 71, American cartoonist, cancer.[ 4] [ 5]
Cecil Collins , 81, English painter and printmaker.
Bernard Considine , 64, Australian rules footballer and cricketer.
Vernon Cracknell , 77, New Zealand politician.
Franca Helg , 69, Italian designer and architect.
Charles Henry , 77, Canadian politician, member of the House of Commons of Canada (1949-1957).
Thio Ging Hwie , 65, Indonesian Olympic weightlifter (1952 ).
Ernie Barber , 75, American NFL player (Washington Redskins ).
Baby Huwae , 49, Dutch-Indonesian actress, model and singer.
André Michel , 81, French film director and screenwriter.
Fritz Nagy , 65, American basketball player.
Maurice Philippe , 57, British aircraft and Formula One car designer.
Barry Sullivan , 61, Canadian NHL player (Detroit Red Wings ).
Whitey Glazner , 95, American MLB player (Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies ).
Richard P. Graves , 82, American director of the League of California Cities.
Richard Kahn, Baron Kahn , 83, British economist.
Michael O'Farrell , 40, American vice-president of Oakland Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, murdered.
Ernest John Primeau , 79, American Roman Catholic bishop.
Laxman Singh , 81, Indian last ruling Maharawal (Maharaja) of the state of Dungarpur.
Bohumil Steigenhöfer , 84, Czechoslovakian Olympic ice hockey player (1928 ).
Steffen Zacharias , 62, German-born Greek-American actor.
Evan Peter Aurand , 71, American naval officer.
Donn Beach , 82, American adventurer, businessman and World War II veteran, liver cancer.[ 6]
Jorge Córdova , 76, Chilean international footballer.
Jim Cristy , 76, American swimmer and Olympic medalist (1932 , 1936 ), financial manager for the Updike Company.
William McLean Hamilton , 70, Canadian politician.
Chico Landi , 81, Brazilian Formula One racing driver.
Nara Leão , 47, Brazilian singer, brain tumour.[ 7]
Paulo Leminski , 74, Brazilian writer, poet and journalist, liver cirrhosis.
David Peregrine , 34, Canadian dancer and actor, plane crash.[ 8]
George Roughton , 79, English footballer.
Jane Weiller , 77, American golfer.
Notable Dutch-Surinamese football players killed in Surinam Airways Flight 764 :[ 9]
Ruud Degenaar , 25, Heracles Almelo
Lloyd Doesburg , 29, AFC Ajax
Steve van Dorpel , 23, FC Volendam
Wendel Fräser , 22, RBC Roosendaal
Frits Goodings , 25, FC Wageningen
Jerry Haatrecht , 28, Neerlandia
Virgall Joemankhan , 20, Cercle Brugge
Andro Knel , 21, NAC Breda
Ruben Kogeldans , 22, Willem II Tilburg
Fred Patrick , 23, PEC Zwolle
Andy Scharmin , 21, FC Twente
Nick Stienstra , 34, RC Heemstede
Elfried Veldman , 23, De Graafschap
Florian Vijent , 27, Telstar
Bibb Falk , 90, American Major League baseballer.[ 10]
Glenn McQuillen , 74, American MLB player (St. Louis Browns ).
Erik Østrand , 71, Danish Olympic wrestler (1952 ).
Albert Spaggiari , 56, French criminal.[ 11]
Emil Verban , 73, American Major League baseballer.[ 12]
Paul Zanolini , 90, American Olympic wrestler (1920 ).
George Beadle , 85, American geneticist, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine.[ 13]
Rashid Behbudov , 73, Azerbaijani singer and actor.[ 14]
Norman Brearley , 98, Australian commercial and military pilot, pioneer of Australian airline industry.
James Horstead , 91, Anglican bishop of Sierra Leone and Archbishop of West Africa.
Vladimir Kasatonov , 78, Soviet military leader and fleet admiral.
Huang Yan , 76, Chinese politician.
José López Rega , 72, Argentine politician, Minister of Social Welfare, diabetes.[ 15] [ 16]
Wolfdietrich Schnurre , 68, German writer, heart failure.
Bill Tymms , 85, Australian rules footballer.
Piotr Vasiliev , 80, Soviet realist painter.
Eric Clavering , 88, British-Canadian actor.
Basil Gray , 84–85, English art historian, Islamicist and author, head of the British Museum's Oriental department .[ 17]
James Greenway , 86, American ornithologist.
Vladimir Kocharyan , 39, Soviet Armenian film actor.
Martin Kottler , 79, American NFL footballer (Pittsburgh Pirates ).
Ortwin Linger , 21, Dutch-Surinamese football player (HFC Haarlem ), injuries from plane crash .
Juan Bustillo Oro , 85, Mexican film director, screenwriter and producer.
Richard Quine , 68, American actor, director and singer, suicide by shooting.[ 18]
Suleyman Rustam , 83, Soviet poet, playwright and translator.
John Ryan , 79, Australian rules footballer.
Joe Stripp , 86, American Major League baseballer.
Ronald Eric Bishop , 86, British engineer, chief designer of the de Havilland Mosquito.[ 19]
Lloyd Cheatham , 70, American football player (Chicago Cardinals , New York Yankees ).
Jan Lapidoth , 73, Swedish Olympic bobsledder (1952 , 1956 ).
Jack McMahon , 60, American NBA basketballer and coach.
Charles Smith Rutherford , 97, Canadian soldier, last surviving WW1 VC recipient.
Jim Williams , 60, American college football coach.
Guy Crossman , 73, Canadian politician, member of the House of Commons of Canada (1962-1972).
Eduardo Dualde , 55, Spanish hockey player and Olympic medalist (1960 , 1964 ).
Nilufer Hanımsultan , 73, Ottoman princess.
Joe Knott , 82, Australian rules footballer.
Lou Monte , 72, Italian-American singer.
Fran Allison , 81, American television and radio personality, myelodysplasia.[ 20]
William Grasso , Italian-American mobster, murdered.
Ray Sherry , 64, Australian politician, member of the Australian Parliament.
Howard Simons , 60, American editor of Washington Post at time of the Watergate scandal, pancreatic cancer.[ 21]
Dame Zara Bate , 80, Australian fashion entrepreneur, wife of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt.
Louis-Philippe-Antoine Bélanger , 82, Canadian politician, member of the House of Commons of Canada (1962-1965).
Christopher Bernau , 49, American actor.
Pat Capri , 70, American MLB player (Boston Braves ).
Pete de Freitas , 27, English musician and producer, motorcycle accident.
Wei Guoqing , 75, Chinese government official, military officer and political commissar.
Heber Austin Ladner , 86, American politician, Secretary of State of Mississippi, heart disease.
Joseph Malula , 71, Congolese archbishop and cardinal.[ 22]
Richard Moran , 56, American Olympic sprint canoeist (1956 , 1960 ).
David O'Brien , 51, American actor (The Doctors ).
Thomas A. Pope , 94, American soldier, WW1 Medal of Honor recipient.
Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss , 87, Israeli rabbi, heart attack.
Albert Wolff , 82, French-born American Olympic fencer (1948 , 1952 ).
Geoffrey Alexander , 68, British television actor.
Maurice Bellemare , 77, Canadian politician, diabetes.
Roberto Camardiel , 71, Spanish theatre director and actor, bone disease.
Victor French , 54, American actor and director, lung cancer.[ 23]
Judy Johnson , 89, American Negro League baseballer.[ 24]
Ray McAnally , 63, Irish actor, heart attack.[ 25]
Edmund Louis Palmieri , 82, American district judge (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ).
Luis Ricceri , 88, Italian Roman Catholic priest.
Miloslav Bednařík , 24, Czechoslovakian Olympic sports shooter (1988 ).
Helga Haase , 55, East German speed skater and Olympic gold medalist (1960 , 1964 ).
Arthur Häggblad , 80, Swedish Olympic cross-country skier (1936 ).
William Colbert Keady , 76, American district judge (United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi ).
Celia Lynch , 81, Irish politician.
Mino Maccari , 90, Italian painter.
Jock McKenzie , 77, Australian rules footballer.
Antonio Román , 77, Spanish film director, screenwriter and film producer.
John Westbrook , 66, English actor.
Ennio Balbo , 67, Italian film, television and voice actor.
Paulo Cavalheiro , 55, Brazilian Olympic boxer (1952 ).
Bobby Cross , 57, American NFL footballer.
George C. Pimentel , 67, American chemist and researcher, intestinal cancer.[ 27]
Celestino Pinto , 57, Brazilian Olympic boxer (1952 , 1956 ).
Walter Ryan , 85, Canadian Olympic cross-country skier (1932 ).
Steve Senteney , 33, American MLB player (Toronto Blue Jays ).
I. F. Stone , 81, American investigative journalist, writer and author, heart attack.[ 28]
Kató Bárczy , 68, Hungarian actress.
Phyllis Barrington , 85, American actress.
Dona Drake , 74, American singer, dancer and film actress, pneumonia.
Veikko Lommi , 71, Finnish Olympic rower (1948 , 1952 ).
Conway Olmstead , 81, American Olympic sailor (1928 ).
José María Querejeta , 70, Spanish footballer
Henri Rivière , 67, French Olympic bobsledder (1952 ).
Ron Bailey , 75, Australian international rugby league footballer.
Lee Calhoun , 56, American hurdler, dual Olympic gold medalist (1956 , 1960 ).[ 29]
Vernon Grimshaw , 73, English cricketer.
Aleksandr Safronov , 36, Soviet speed skater and Olympian (1976 ).
Bjørn Skaare , 30, Norwegian NHL player (Detroit Red Wings ).
Edmond Sollberger , 68, Turkish-Swiss–British museum curator, scholar of the Sumerian language.
Anton Dermota , 79, Slovene lyric tenor.[ 30]
William Fletcher-Vane , 80, British politician, member of the House of Lords.
Robert Körner , 64, Austrian international footballer.
Halina Mikołajska , 64, Polish actress, director, and activist.
Dick Moje , 62, American NFL player (Green Bay Packers ).
Henri Sauguet , 88, French composer.[ 31]
Isaac Starr , 94, American physician, heart disease specialist and clinical epidemiologist.[ 32]
Reynolds Webb , 89, Australian rules footballer.
Michel Aflaq , 79, Syrian philosopher and Arab nationalist, complications from heart surgery.[ 33]
Rick Anderson , 35, American MLB player (New York Yankees , Seattle Mariners ).
Werner Best , 85, German Nazi Party leader, organiser of the SS-Einsatzgruppen paramilitary death squads.[ 34]
Timothy Manning , 79, Irish-American Roman Catholic archbishop.[ 35]
Lina Marín , 44, Mexican actress (A Man Called Horse , El bueno para nada ).
Arne Tuft , 78, Norwegian Olympic cross-country skier (1936 ).
Geoffrey Cradock-Watson , 80, English cricketer and aviator.
Svend Aage Eriksen , 80, Danish footballer.
Russell Meiggs , 86, British ancient historian.
Hibari Misora , 52, Japanese singer and actress.[ 36]
Ghulam Raziq , 56, Pakistani hurdler and Olympian (1956 , 1960 , 1964 ).
Clarrie Tolson , 77, Australian rules footballer.
Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia , 81, Russian-American nephew of Tsar Nicholas II.[ 37]
Howard Charles Green , 93, Canadian federal politician.
Jack Kenny , 74, Australian rules footballer.
Walter Ralston Martin , 60, American Baptist Christian minister and author.
Frank Roberts , 77, Australian rules footballer.
Inger Stender , 76, Danish actress of stage, film and television.
Jack Tregoning , 70, Australian cricketer.
Sir Alfred Ayer , 78, English philosopher.[ 38]
Fritz Bleiweiß , 77, German Olympic racewalker (1936 ).
Jack Buetel , 73, American film and television actor.[ 39]
Dorothy Bullitt , 97, American businesswoman and philanthropist.
János Kulcsár , 62, Hungarian Olympic sprint canoeist (1952 ).
Michele Lupo , 56, Italian film director.[ 40]
Gregory McMahon , 74, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1947-1949).
Stevan Vilotić , 63, Yugoslav footballer and manager.
Karl Bendetsen , 81, American politician and military officer, U.S. Under Secretary of the Army.
Alan Duff , 51, English cricketer.
Joris Ivens , 90, Dutch documentary filmmaker.[ 41]
Alfredo Sadel , 59, Venezuelan singer and actor.
Mike Sebastian , 79, American NFL footballer.
John Wentworth , 81, British television actor.
Keith Chapman , 43, American concert organist (Wanamaker Organ ), plane crash.[ 42]
Kazuo Mori , 78, Japanese film director
Oskar Nowak , 76, Austrian field and ice hockey player (1936 , 1948 Winter , 1948 Summer ).
Antti Peippo , 54, Finnish cinematographer and director.
Hilmar Baunsgaard , 69, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark.[ 43]
John Bloomfield , 87, Australian politician.
Jim Dewar , 67, American footballer.
George Perrett , 66, Australian rules footballer.
Rostislav Plyatt , 80, Russian stage and film actor.
^ Frank J. Prial (June 2, 1989). "Alexis Lichine, 76, an Author and Expert on Wine" . The New York Times . p. D 15. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Frederic Prokosch Is Dead at 81; Novelist and Portrayer of Literati" . The New York Times . June 3, 1989. p. 1 11. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Shirley Burden, 80, a Writer-Photographer" . The New York Times . June 5, 1989. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved May 23, 2025 .
^ "Dik Browne; Cartoonist Drew 'Hagar,' 'Hi and Lois' " . Los Angeles Times . June 6, 1989. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ Knudde, Kjell (August 6, 2021). "Dik Browne" . Lambiek Comiclopedia . Lambiek . Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ "Donn Beach, Restaurateur, 81" . The New York Times . June 9, 1989. p. D 17. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Cronologia Nara Leão" [Nara Leão Chronology] (in Portuguese). Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ "Ballet dancers die in plane crash" . UPI . June 15, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2025 .
^ "25 jaar na drama Kleurrijk Elftal" . Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). Retrieved January 12, 2022 .
^ "Bibb Falk, Ballplayer, Dies at 90" . The New York Times . June 10, 1989. p. 1 12. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ Constance L. Hays (June 12, 1989). "Albert Spaggiari, 57, Mastermind Of Notorious Riviera Bank Heist" . The New York Times . p. D 13. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Emil Verban, 73; All-Star Infielder" . The New York Times . June 14, 1989. p. D 24. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "George Beadle – Facts" . NobelPrize.org . Nobel Prize Outreach AB. 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ Sharifov, Azad (Winter 1997). "With a Song in His Heart: Rashid Behbudov (1915–1989)" . Azerbaijan International . Vol. 5, no. 4. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ "Jose Lopez Rega" . historiadelpais.com.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (October 13, 2021). "José López Rega | Argentine leader" . Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ Basil Gray (1904–1989) . Proceedings of the British Academy . Retrieved 14 Oct 2024.
^ "Richard Quine, 68, Actor Who Directed 'Murder Your Wife' " . The New York Times . June 14, 1989. p. D 24. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Ronald Bishop, Plane Designer, 86" . The New York Times . June 14, 1989. p. D 25. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ Anderson, Susan Heller (June 14, 1989). "Fran Allison, 81, the Human Side Of 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' Show" . The New York Times . p. D24. Retrieved November 6, 2021 .
^ Alex S. Jones (June 14, 1989). "Howard Simons, Dies at Age 60, An Ex-Editor at Washington Post" . The New York Times . p. D 25. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Joseph-Albert Cardinal Malula" . Catholic-Hierarchy . David M. Cheney. July 11, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021 .
^ "Victor French, 54, Actor on TV" . The New York Times . June 16, 1989. p. A 28. Retrieved November 6, 2021 .
^ Al Harvin (June 17, 1989). "Judy Johnson, a Star 3d Baseman In the Negro Leagues, Dies at 89" . The New York Times . p. 1 29. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Ray McAnally, Irish Character Actor" . The Washington Post . June 17, 1989. Retrieved November 6, 2021 .
^ "John Matuszak, 38, A Former Lineman For N.F.L. Raiders" . The New York Times . June 19, 1989. p. D 13. Retrieved July 4, 2023 .
^ Glenn Fowler (June 21, 1989). "George C. Pimentel; Chemist Who Led Mars Study Was 67" . The New York Times . p. D 25. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ Peter B. Flint (June 19, 1989). "I. F. Stone, Iconoclast of Journalism, Is Dead at 81" . The New York Times . p. D 13. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Lee Calhoun" . Olympedia . OlyMADMen. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ "Anton Dermota, Tenor In Mozart, Dead at 79" . The New York Times . June 27, 1989. p. B 5. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ Bernard Holland (June 23, 1989). "Henri Sauguet, French Composer On the Satie Model, Is Dead at 88" . The New York Times . p. A 11. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Dr. Isaac Starr, 94, Heart Researcher, Dies" . The New York Times . June 28, 1989. p. D 21. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Michel Aflaq Dies in Paris at 79; Founder of Iraq's Baathist Party" . The New York Times . June 25, 1989. p. 1 26. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Werner Best" . Holocaust Historical Society. 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ "Timothy Cardinal Manning, 79; Guided Los Angeles Archdiocese" . The New York Times . June 24, 1989. p. 1 29. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Popular Singer's Funeral Held Amid Nationwide Mourning" . AP News . July 22, 1989. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ "Vasili Romanov, 81, Nephew of Last Czar" . The New York Times . AP. June 28, 1989. p. D21. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ Macdonald, Graham; Krishna, Nakul (May 7, 2005). "Alfred Jules Ayer" . In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2018 ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University . ISSN 1095-5054 . Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ "Jack Buetel" . Films, TV and people. British Film Institute . Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ "Michele Lupo" . Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .
^ Peter B. Flint (June 30, 1989). "Joris Ivens, 90, Dutch Documentary Film Maker" . The New York Times . p. A 14. Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "Acclaimed organist dies in plane crash" . UPI . July 4, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2025 .
^ "Hilmar Baunsgaard" (in Danish). www.gravsted.dk. Retrieved November 7, 2021 .