The following is a list of notable deaths in May 1988 .
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.
Joseph F. Ambrose , 91, American World War I veteran
Claude Demetrius , 71, American songwriter (Hard Headed Woman ).
Ben Lexcen , 52, Australian yachtsman and marine architect, designed winged keel which won America's Cup, heart attack.[ 1]
Tom Pappas , 46, American aide to US Representative Roy Dyson , suicide after allegations of homosexuality with Dyson.[ 2]
Paolo Stoppa , 81, Italian actor, leukemia.[ 3]
Yan Wenliang , 94, Chinese painter.
Jackson Miles Abbott , 68, American officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , environmentalist, cancer.[ 5]
Carl Erhardt , 91, English international ice hockey player and Olympic gold medalist.[ 6]
Julia Butler Hansen , 80, American politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives.[ 7]
Takeshi Kimura , 76, Japanese screenwriter, throat obstruction.
Lim Keng Peng , 35, Singaporean murderer, killed in police ambush.[ 8]
Boy Louw , 82, South African rugby union player (Western Province , South Africa ).
Premendra Mitra , 83, Indian poet, writer and film director.[ 9]
Lev Pontryagin , 79, Soviet mathematician (Pontryagin duality , Pontryagin cohomology operation ).[ 10]
Abraham Seidenberg , 71, American mathematician.[ 11]
Bill Speidel , 76, American newspaper columnist (The Seattle Times ).[ 12]
Paul Vario , 73, American mobster from the Lucchese crime family, respiratory arrest.[ 13]
Ed Bakey , 62, American film and television actor.
Stanley William Hayter , 86, English painter (Atelier 17 studio), cardiac arrest.[ 14]
Carl Jensen , 67, American politician, member of the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives, cancer.[ 15]
Jan Mazurkiewicz , 91, Polish army general and politician.
Oleg Zhakov , 83, Soviet film actor.
Billo Frómeta , 72, Dominican orchestra conductor and composer, stroke.
D.D. Kashyap , 77–78, Indian film director.
Katharine DuPre Lumpkin , 90, American writer.[ 16]
Hamid Mirza , 70, Iranian heir presumptive of former ruling dynasty of Iran, son of last Qajar Crown Prince of Iran.
George Rose , 68, English actor and singer (My Fair Lady , The Mystery of Edwin Drood ), murdered.[ 17]
Michael Shaara , 59, American author (The Killer Angels ), heart attack.[ 18]
R. J. Unstead , 72, British historian and author, heart failure.[ 19]
Richard Caliguiri , 56, American politician, mayor of Pittsburgh, amyloidosis.[ 20]
Costantino Nivola , 76, Italian-American sculptor, heart attack.[ 21]
Hans Popper , 84, Austrian-born American pathologist and hepatologist, pancreatic cancer.[ 22]
Robert A. Heinlein , 80, American science fiction author, emphysema and heart failure.[ 23]
Nappy Lamare , 82, American jazz banjoist, guitarist and vocalist.
Domingo Ortega , 82, Spanish matador.[ 24]
Charles Pollock , 85, American abstract painter, brother of artist Jackson Pollock, stroke.[ 25]
Ruby M. Rouss , 66, American member of the US Army Women's Army Corps and politician, diabetes.
Ciarán Bourke , 53, Irish musician (The Dubliners ).[ 27]
Hugh Laing , 76, Barbados-born American ballet dancer, cancer.[ 28]
Richard B. Ogilvie , 65, American attorney and law enforcement officer, Governor of Illinois, heart attack.[ 29]
John Sterling Rockefeller , 83, American philanthropist, conservationist, and amateur ornithologist.[ 30]
Shen Congwen , 85, Chinese writer, heart attack.[ 31]
Isabella Gordon , 86, Scottish marine biologist (crabs, sea spiders).[ 32]
George Gordon-Lennox , 79, British army general in World War II.[ 33]
Hans Peter Keller , 73, German poet.
Wilhelm Emil Mühlmann , 83, German ethnologist.[ 34]
Kim Philby , 76, British intelligence officer and spy (Cambridge Five ), heart failure.[ 35]
Chet Baker , 58, American jazz trumpeter and vocalist (It Could Happen to You ), fall from building.[ 38]
Paul Genge , 74, American actor (Bullitt ).[ 39]
Sergey Gorshkov , 78, Soviet Admiral of the Fleet.[ 40]
Friedrich Guggenberger , 73, German admiral and Nazi U-boat commander.[ 41]
Caecilia Loots , 84, Dutch resistance member known for saving Jewish children during World War II.[ 42]
Nikolay Makarov , 73, Soviet firearms designer (Makarov pistol ).
Irene Manton , 84, British botanist (ferns and algae), Professor of Botany at University of Leeds.[ 43]
Rebecca Wight , 28, American murder victim.[ 44]
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn , 83, Welsh soldier and landowner.[ 45]
Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld , 73, German-born curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art .[ 46]
Fred Atkins , 77–78, New Zealand-born Canadian professional wrestler (Maple Leaf Wrestling ).[ 47]
Willem Drees , 101, Dutch politician and historian, Prime Minister of the Netherlands.[ 48]
Ernesto Giménez Caballero , 88, Spanish writer, diplomat and pioneer of Fascism.[ 49]
Wayne Jarratt , 31, Australian actor (Prisoner ), brain tumour.[ 50]
Andrew Duggan , 64, American actor (Seven Days in May ), throat cancer.[ 51]
Fulvia Franco , 56, Italian actress and model.
Greta Nissen , 82, Norwegian-American film and stage actress, Parkinson's disease.[ 52]
Sol Polk , 71, American businessman, co-founder of Polk Brothers .[ 53]
Thomas E. Stephens , 84, Irish-American politician.[ 54]
Kay Baxter , 42, American bodybuilder, car crash.[ 55]
Chan Htoon , 82, Attorney General and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Burma .
Charles Keeping , 63, English illustrator (The Highwayman ) and children's book author, brain tumour.[ 56]
Jules Levin , 66, American politician.
Anatoli Maslyonkin , 57, Soviet international footballer (Spartak Moscow , USSR ) and Olympic gold medalist.[ 57]
Peter J. Ortiz , 74, United States Marine Corps colonel, cancer.[ 58]
Bruce Watson , 78, Scottish organic chemist and politician.
Daws Butler , 71, American voice actor (Yogi Bear , Huckleberry Hound , Snagglepuss ), heart attack.[ 60]
Anthony Forwood , 72, English actor (Knights of the Round Table ), liver cancer and Parkinson's disease.[ 61]
Christopher Gore , 43, American screenwriter and playwright (Fame ), AIDS.[ 62]
Daniel Lewis James , 77, American writer (Famous All Over Town ), heart attack.[ 63]
Brandon Rhys-Williams , 60, British politician, Member of Parliament, pneumonia.[ 64]
Michiko Tanaka , 78, Japanese singer and actress.[ 65]
Enzo Tortora , 59, Italian television presenter, cancer.
Ana Aslan , 91, Romanian biologist and physician, specialist in gerontology .[ 68]
Nick Corwin , 8, American murder victim.[ 69]
Dick Jacobs , 70, American musician, arranger and orchestrator.
Anthony C. Perera , 66, Sri Lankan actor.[ 70]
Marion G. Romney , 90, American Mormon leader.[ 71]
Victorio Unamuno , 78, Spanish footballer (Real Betis ).
Harry Babasin , 67, American jazz bassist, emphysema.[ 72]
Richard J. Daronco , 56, American lawyer and judge, assassinated.[ 73]
Sammy Davis Sr. , 87, American dancer (Will Mastin Trio ), father of Sammy Davis Jr. [ 74]
John D. Fitzgerald , 82, American author (The Great Brain ).[ 75]
Bruno Frei , 90, Austrian political writer and journalist.
Dino Grandi , 92, Italian Fascist politician, Ambassador of Italy to the U.K.[ 76]
Barbara Laage , 67, French film actress.[ 77]
Pino Romualdi , 74, Italian right-wing politician, cancer.[ 78]
Aya Kitō , 25, Japanese diarist, spinocerebellar ataxia.
David Schoenbrun , 73, American broadcast journalist (CBS ), heart attack.[ 81]
Roberto Succo , 26, Italian serial killer, suicide.[ 82]
Tony Viramontes , 31, American artist, AIDS.
Tom Adair , 74, American songwriter and composer (Let's Get Away from It All , There's No You ).
Freddie Frith , 79, British Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion.
Jamie Hamilton , 87, British rower and Olympic medalist, publisher (Hamish Hamilton ).[ 83]
Ernest Labrousse , 93, French historian.
Aleksei Losev , 94, Soviet philosopher.[ 84]
Leo Schamroth , 63, South African cardiologist.[ 85]
Monte Kay , 63, American record producer, heart failure.[ 86]
Ruth Malcomson , 82, Miss America 1924.[ 87]
Leon Shimkin , 81, American businessman (Simon & Schuster ).[ 88]
Martin Slavin , 66, British composer for movies and television (Information Received , The Cool Mikado ), road accident.
Karl August Wittfogel , 91, German-American playwright and historian, pneumonia.[ 89]
Bill Bollinger , 48, American artist.
John DiGilio , 55, American mobster with the Genovese crime family , murdered.[ 91]
Florida Friebus , 78, American writer and actress (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis , The Bob Newhart Show ).[ 92]
Hjördis Petterson , 79, Swedish actress.
Ernst Ruska , 81, German physicist, Nobel laureate in Physics (electron optics ).[ 93]
Felix Morrow , 81, American communist political activist and newspaper editor.[ 94]
Sy Oliver , 77, American jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader.[ 95]
Evelyn Page , 89, New Zealand artist.[ 96]
Norman Skelhorn , 78, English barrister, Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales .[ 97]
Alfredo Volpi , 92, Brazilian painter.[ 98]
Charla Doherty , 41, American actress (Days of Our Lives ).[ 99]
Sheridan Dufferin , 49, British patron of the arts, AIDS.
Henry Johansen , 83, Norwegian international footballer (Vålerenga , Norway ).[ 100]
Salem bin Laden , 42, Saudi Arabian investor and businessman, half brother of Osama bin Laden , plane crash.
Vladimír Menšík , 59, Czechoslovakian actor and entertainer, asthma.[ 101]
Siaka Stevens , 82, Sierra Leone politician, Prime Minister and President of Sierra Leone.[ 102]
Elaine Black Yoneda , 81, American labour and civil rights activist, member of Communist Party, heart attack.[ 103]
^ "Ben Lexcen, Designer Of Innovative Yacht" . The New York Times . May 2, 1988. p. D 14. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ The top aide to a Maryland congressman jumped to... . United Press International . Retrieved 11 Jul 2024.
^ Daily News . Newspapers.com (Daily News) . Retrieved 10 Jul 2024.
^ John Weir Foote . Government of Canada website . Retrieved 9 Jun 2024.
^ Jackson Miles Abbott, Eagle Expert, Dies at 68 . Washington Post . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
^ Oxford DNB Article: 'Erhardt, Carl Alfred (1897-1988), British Olympic Ice Hockey Captain . academia.edu . Retrieved 7 Jun 2024.
^ Julia Butler Hansen . WA.gov . Retrieved 12 Jun 2024.
^ Ah Huat believed to have killed Chicken-Eater owner . The Straits Times, 7 May 1988, Page 1 . Retrieved 20 Jun 2024.
^ Biswajit Sinha; Ashok Kumar Choudhury (1996). Encyclopaedia of Indian Writers: Bengali . Eastern Book Linkers. p. 100. ISBN 978-81-86339-31-2 .
^ Yakov Sinai (October 8, 2003). Russian Mathematicians In The 20th Century . World Scientific. p. 345. ISBN 978-981-4492-55-3 .
^ Abraham Seidenberg, Mathematics: Berkeley . University of California: In Memoriam, 1989 . Retrieved 6 Jul 2024.
^ William C. Speidel; Author and Guide, 76 . source . Retrieved 9 Jul 2024.
^ Paul Vario, 73; Called a Leader Of Crime Group . New York Times . Retrieved 14 Jul 2024.
^ Michael Brenson (May 6, 1988). "Stanley William Hayter, 86, Dies; Painter Taught Miro and Pollack" . The New York Times . p. A 32. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Carl A. Jensen Candidate . University of Minnesota Twin Cities . Retrieved 15 Jun 2024.
^ Katharine Du Pre Lumpkin . New Georgia Encyclopedia . Retrieved 21 Jun 2024.
^ Andrew L. Yarrow (May 6, 1988). "George Rose, 68, Broadway Star And Winner of 2 Tonys, Is Dead; A Versatile Perennial" . The New York Times . p. A 32. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ "Michael J. Shaara, 58; Pulitzer Prize Winner" . The New York Times . May 9, 1988. p. D 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ 1988 July - Obituaries . Old Pharosians . Retrieved 13 Jul 2024.
^ Richard S. Caliguiri Dies at 56 In 3d Term as Pittsburgh Mayor . New York Times . Retrieved 30 May 2024.
^ Grace Glueck (May 7, 1988). "Costantino Nivola, 76, A Sculptor Of Public and Small-Scale Works" . The New York Times . p. 1 33. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Dr. Hans Popper, an Authority On Liver Diseases, Is Dead at 84 . New York Times . Retrieved 2 Jul 2024.
^ Robert A. Heinlein Is Dead at 80; Renowned Science-Fiction Writer . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Domingo Ortega . Britannica . Retrieved 30 Jun 2024.
^ Michael Brenson (May 10, 1988). "Charles Pollock, Abstract Painter And Brother of Jackson, Dies at 86" . The New York Times . p. D 26. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Moir, Willie . National Football Teams . Retrieved 25 Jun 2024.
^ Deaths Elsewhere . Washington Post . Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ Hugh Laing, Specialist in Ballets By Antony Tudor, Is Dead at 77 . New York Times . Retrieved 18 Jun 2024.
^ John T. McQuiston (May 11, 1988). "Richard B. Ogilvie Is Dead at 65; Illinois Governor From '68 to '72" . The New York Times . p. D 19. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Gravestone: John Sterling Rockefeller 10.5.88 . Retrieved 19 Sep 2024.
^ "Obituaries: Shen Congwen; Chinese Author Provided Vivid Picture of Rural Life in Chaotic Era" . Los Angeles Times . Times Wire Services. May 14, 1988. Retrieved January 10, 2014 .
^ Remarkable female scientists – Isabella Gordon, Crustacea specialist . Natural History Museum . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Lt.-Gen. Sir George Charles Gordon-Lennox . The Cambridge University Heraldic & Genealogical Society . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Mühlmann, Wilhelm Emil . Deutsche Biographie . Retrieved 26 Jun 2024.
^ Kim Philby, Double Agent, Dies . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Paul Osborn, 86, the Playwright Of 'Morning's at 7,' 'Suzie Wong' . New York Times . Retrieved 30 Jun 2024.
^ Without Chick Parsons, General MacArthur May Never Have Made His Famed Return to the Philippines . Smithsonian Magazine . Retrieved 30 Jun 2024.
^ Chet Baker, Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 59 in a Fall . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Gravestone: Paul Genge 13.5.88 . Retrieved 19 Sep 2024.
^ Sergei Gorshkov Dies at 78; Admiral Built Soviet Navy . New York Times . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Guggenberger, Friedrich ('U-28' 'U-81') . Traces of War . Retrieved 19 Sep 2024.
^ Cilla (Ciel) Loots . Online Begraafplaatsen (gravestone) . Retrieved 21 Jun 2024.
^ Irene Manton. 17 April 1904-13 May 1988 . JSTOR . Retrieved 22 Jun 2024.
^ Appalachian Trail Survivor Describes the Horror She Bares Her Scars to End Crimes Against Gays . Virginia Tech . Retrieved 16 Jul 2024.
^ WYNN family, of Wynnstay Ruabon . Dictionary of Welsh Biography (year of death only) . Retrieved 16 Jul 2024.
^ Obituary: Prinz Ernst Aschwin Georg Carol Heinrich Ignatz zur Lippe-Biesterfeld 14.5.88 . NRC Handelsblad . Retrieved 19 Sep 2024.
^ Fred Atkins . Australian Wrestling . Retrieved 26 May 2024.
^ Willem Drees Dies at 101; Postwar Dutch Leader . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Giménez Caballero, Ernesto 1899-1988 . encyclopedia.com . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Obituary for Wayne Jarratt . Newspapers.com (The Sydney Morning Herald) . Retrieved 14 Jun 2024.
^ Andrew L. Yarrow (May 18, 1988). "Andrew Duggan, an Actor on TV, Stage and the Screen, Dies at 64" . The New York Times . p. B 8. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Greta Nissen; Film Beauty From Norway . L.A. Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Sol Polk, Co-founder of Polk Bros. Stores . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2 Jul 2024.
^ Alfonso A. Narvaez (May 17, 1988). "T. E. Stephens, Eisenhower Aide And G.O.P. Strategist, Dies at 84" . The New York Times . p. D 25. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Woodland Hills Crash Victim Was Pioneering Body Builder . L.A. Times . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ Douglas Martin (1993). Charles Keeping: An Illustrator's Life . Julia MacRae Books. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-85681-062-3 .
^ Anatoly Maslyonkin . Olympedia.com . Retrieved 22 Jun 2024.
^ Alfonso A. Narvaez (May 21, 1988). "Col. Peter J. Ortiz, 75, Legendary Marine Officer" . The New York Times . p. 1 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Frank Gallop obit . Newspapers.com (The Palm Beach Post) . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Charles Butler, 71, Cartoon Voice . New York Times . Retrieved 30 May 2024.
^ Why Dirk Bogarde was a truly dangerous film star . BBC (year of death only) . Retrieved 9 Jun 2024.
^ Christopher Gore, 45, Screenwriter of 'Fame' . New York Times . Retrieved 10 Jun 2024.
^ Daniel Lewis James is Dead at 77; Wrote About Los Andgeles Barrio . New York Times . Retrieved 14 Jun 2024.
^ Sir Brandon Rhys Williams . UK Parliament . Retrieved 3 Jul 2024.
^ Michiko Meinl (1909-1988) . National Film and Sound Archive . Retrieved 11 Jul 2024.
^ Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek (year of death only) . source . Retrieved 13 Jun 2024.
^ Lloyd Vaughan, Longtime Cartoon Animator, Dies . Herald, via likelylooneymostlymerrie . Retrieved 14 Jul 2024.
^ Glenn Fowler (May 29, 1988). "Ana Aslan, Rumanian Specialist On the Aging Process, Dies in 90's" . The New York Times . p. 1 28. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Slain Boy Buried; 'God is Weeping' . New York Times . Retrieved 2 Jun 2024.
^ Anthony C. Perera . Daily Mirror Sri Lanka . Retrieved 1 Jul 2024.
^ Glenn Fowler (May 21, 1988). "Marion G. Romney, 90, President Of the Mormon Council of Twelve" . The New York Times . p. 1 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Babasin, Harry (1921–1988) . Texas State Historical Association . Retrieved 9 Jun 2024.
^ Federal Judge Slain by a Gunman in Westchester . New York Times . Retrieved 4 Jun 2024.
^ "Sammy Davis Sr. Dies; Vaudeville Star Was 87" . The New York Times . May 24, 1988. p. D 24. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ John D. Fitzgerald Papers . University of Minnesota Twin Cities . Retrieved 9 Jun 2024.
^ Glenn Fowler (May 24, 1988). "Count Dino Grandi, 92, Early Ally of Mussolini" . The New York Times . p. D 25. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Laage, Barbara (1920–1988) . encyclopedia.com (year of death only) . Retrieved 18 Jun 2024.
^ Giorgio Almirante, Italian Neo-Fascist, Dies at 73 . New York Times . Retrieved 3 Jul 2024.
^ "Giorgio Almirante, Italian Neo-Fascist, Dies at 73" . The New York Times . May 23, 1988. p. D 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Lionel Edirisinghe . Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) . Retrieved 6 Jun 2024.
^ David Schoenbrun Is Dead at 73; Veteran Journalist for CBS News . New York Times . Retrieved 6 Jul 2024.
^ "Roberto Succo" . data.bnf.fr (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Jamie Hamilton . Olympedia.com . Retrieved 12 Jun 2024.
^ Aleksei Fëdorovich Losev . Encyclopedia.com (year of death only) . Retrieved 21 Jun 2024.
^ Obituary - Leo Schamroth: 1924–1988 . Wiley Online Library . Retrieved 5 Jul 2024.
^ Monte Kay Dies at 63; Founder of Nightclubs . New York Times . Retrieved 16 Jun 2024.
^ Ruth Malcomson Schaubel obit . Newspapers.com (Pottsville Republican) . Retrieved 21 Jun 2024.
^ Leon Shimkin, a Guiding Force At Simon & Schuster, Dies at 81 . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Alfonso A. Narvaez (May 26, 1988). "Karl A. Wittfogel, Social Scientist Who Turned on Communists, 91" . The New York Times . p. B 14. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ "Juan Orol, Film Director, 90" . The New York Times . May 28, 1988. p. 1 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Body of a Reputed Mobster Is Found in a Bag in River . New York Times . Retrieved 5 Jun 2024.
^ Florida Friebus; Played Mother of Dobie Gillis . L.A. Times . Retrieved 9 Jun 2024.
^ Ernst Ruska, a German Nobel Winner, Dies at 81 . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Morrow, Felix (1906-1988) . Encyclopedia.com . Retrieved 26 Jun 2024.
^ Sy Oliver, 77, a Jazz Composer, Arranger and Band Leader, Dies . New York Times . Retrieved 29 Jun 2024.
^ Story: Page, Evelyn Margaret . Te Ara - Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 30 Jun 2024.
^ "Deaths". The Times . May 31, 1988. p. 2.
^ Alfredo Volpi, 1896-1988 . Yale Collections . Retrieved 14 Jul 2024.
^ Charla Doherty, Actress, 41 . New York Times . Retrieved 5 Jun 2024.
^ Henry Johansen . Olympedia.com . Retrieved 15 Jun 2024.
^ Příběhy slavných: Vladimír Menšík. Vzpomínky Lubomíra Kostelky prošpikované Menšíkovými historkami . dvojka.rozhlas.cz (in Czech) . Retrieved 24 Jun 2024.
^ Siaka P. Stevens Is Dead at 82; Sierra Leone Leader for 17 Years . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ Katherine Bishop, Special To the New York Times (May 30, 1988). "Elaine Black Yoneda, 81, Radical Labor Activist" . The New York Times . p. 1 28. Retrieved April 16, 2024 .
^ Ella Raines, a Star of Westerns And Dramas in the 40's, Dies at 67 . New York Times . Retrieved 7 Jul 2024.
^ June Buchanan, College Co-founder, 100 . New York Times . Retrieved 30 May 2024.