Deaths in April 1988

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The following is a list of notable deaths in April 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.

April 1988

1

• Nell Jackson, 58, American sprinter and Olympic track coach.
• Jim Jordan, 91, American actor, stroke resulting from fall.
• April Tinsley, 8, American murder victim.

2

• Jacques André, 69, French fighter pilot in World War II, Olympian. ^[1]
• Pushpaben Mehta, 83, Indian social worker and politician.
• Anthony Pelissier, 75, English actor, screenwriter, producer and director. ^[2]
• Vernon W. Thomson, 82, American politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives, Governor of Wisconsin. ^[3]

3

• Milton Caniff, 81, American cartoonist. ^[4]
• V. S. Wakankar, 68, Indian archeologist.

4

• Gaston Eyskens, 82, Belgian politician and Prime Minister.
• Eric A. Havelock, 84, British classicist. ^[5]

5

• Boyd Brumbaugh, 72, American NFL footballer.
• Dutch Dorman, 85, American minor league baseballer and Major League scout.
• Anthony Emery, 69, English Roman Catholic bishop.
• Swede Halbrook, 55, American NBA basketballer, heart attack.
• Alf Kjellin, 68, Swedish film actor and director, heart attack.
• Alan Shorter, 55, American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, ruptured aorta.

6

• Gunārs Astra, 56, Latvian human rights activist and anti-Soviet dissident, heart disease.
• John Clements, 77, British actor and producer. ^[6]
• Leroy Kirkland, 82–84, American arranger, bandleader, guitarist and songwriter.
• Hamdija Pozderac, 64, Yugoslav communist politician, President of People's Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ^[7]

7

• Cesar Bresgen, 74, Austrian composer.
• Denis Hamilton, 69, English newspaper editor. ^[8]
• Dinanath Nadim, 72, Indian poet.
• Albert S. Rogell, 86, American film director.
• Christopher Rollinson, 59, New Zealand boxer.

8

• Charles Higounet, 77, French historian medievalist. ^[9]

9

• Brook Benton, 56, American singer and songwriter, pneumonia. ^[10]
• John Herman Dent, 80, American politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives.
• Dave Prater, 50, American soul and rhythm & blues singer and musician, car accident. ^[11]
• Willy Schaeffler, 72, German-American skier and coach, ski resort developer. ^[12]

10

• Khaqan Abbasi, Pakistani politician, Federal Minister for Production, car hit by missile.
• Turgut Atakol, 72, Turkish basketballer and international referee.
• Cliff Gladwin, 72, English test cricketer.
• Woody Kling, 62, American television writer, producer, playwright and composer, brain and lung cancer.
• Shigeo Sugiura, 70, Japanese swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.
• Teóphilo, 87, Brazilian international football.

11

• Josef Artimovicz, 79, Austrian footballer.
• Ithell Colquhoun, 81, British painter, poet and author.
• James R. Domengeaux, 81, American lawyer and politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives.
• Jeff Donnell, 66, American film and television actress, heart attack. ^[13]
• Wolfram Fiedler, 36, East German luger and Olympic medalist, cancer.
• Jesse L. Lasky Jr., 77, American screenwriter, novelist, playwright and poet, pancreatic cancer.

12

• Colette Deréal, 60, French actress and singer.
• Sheridan Gibney, 84, American writer and producer in theatre and film.
• Hartmann Lauterbacher, 78, German Nazi, Deputy Reichsjugendführer, Stabsführer of Hitler Youth, unconvicted war criminal.
• Harry McShane, 96, Scottish socialist.
• May Owen, 96, American medical doctor.
• Alan Paton, 85, South African writer and anti-Apartheid activist. ^[14]
• Frank Skaff, 77, American Major League baseballer. ^[15]

13

• Jean Gascon, 67, Canadian opera director and actor, heart attack. ^[16]

14

• Daniel Guérin, 83, French libertarian-communist author.
• Pony Poindexter, 62, American jazz saxophonist.
• Camilla Ravera, 98, Italian politician, first female lifetime senator. ^[17]
• John Stonehouse, 62, British businessman and minister, Member of Parliament, heart attack. ^[18]

15

• Rosemary Ames, 81, American film actress ( Mr. Quincey of Monte Carlo , One More Spring ). ^[19]
• George E. Mylonas, 89, Greek archaeologist, heart attack. ^[20]
• Maria Ulfah Santoso, 76, Indonesian politician and women's rights activist.
• Kenneth Williams, 62, British actor and comedian, overdose of barbiturates. ^[21]

16

• John Anderson, 79, British Army general, Deputy Chief of Imperial General Staff. ^[22]
• José Dolhem, 43, French racing driver, power boat racing accident.
• Youri Egorov, 33, Soviet classical pianist, complications from AIDS. ^[23]
• Doug Mudgway, 63, New Zealand amateur wrestler.
• Francesco Pretti, 84, Italian racewalker and Olympian.
• John Reardon, 58, American baritone and actor, AIDS related pneumonia.
• Clifford Roach, 84, West Indian test cricketer.
• Bobby Thompson, 76, English stand-up comedian and actor, emphysema and cancer.
• Khalil al-Wazir, 52, Palestinian leader, assassinated.

17

• Albert Fennell, 68, British film and television producer.
• Toni Frissell, 81, American photographer, Alzheimer's disease. ^[24]
• Anthony Gaggi, 62, American mobster in the Gambino crime family, heart attack.
• Władysław Lemiszko, 76, Polish international ice hockey player and Olympian.
• Patrick Mphephu, 63–64, South African politician, President of Venda. ^[25]
• Louise Nevelson, 88, Ukrainian-American sculptor. ^[26]
• Eva Novak, 90, American film actress, pneumonia. ^[27]
• Otto Pächt, 85, Austrian art historian.
• Carlos Sotomayor, 76–77, Chilean painter, heart attack.
• Ormond Wilson, 80, New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament, stroke.
• Isaak Yaglom, 67, Soviet mathematician and author.

18

• Pierre Desproges, 48, French humorist, lung cancer. ^[28]
• Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, 73, Turkish writer and playwright.
• Lawrence E. Imhoff, 92, American soldier and lawyer, member of U.S. House of Representatives.
• Antonín Puč, 80, Czechoslovakian international footballer.
• Bess Bolden Walcott, 101, American educator, librarian, museum curator and activist.

19

• Kwon Ki-ok, 87, first Korean female aviator.
• Claude Lister, 76, British tennis player and coach.
• Piotr Nazarov, 66, Soviet painter and art teacher.

20

• Roger Cloud, 78, American politician, Speaker of Ohio House of Representatives.

21

• Gord Barwell, 43, Canadian football player, brain cancer.
• I. A. L. Diamond, 67, Romanian-American screenwriter, multiple myeloma. ^[29]
• Princess Nadejda Petrovna of Russia, 90, Russian-French woman, child of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia.
• Buddy Humphrey, 52, American NFL footballer, brain tumour. ^[30]
• Paul Steinitz, 78, English organist.

22

• Kenneth Haworth, 85, English Dean of Salisbury.
• Peter Helck, 94, American illustrator.
• Melvin Price, 83, American politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives. ^[31]
• Irene Rich, 96, American film and radio actress, heart failure. ^[32]
• Tchicaya U Tam'si, 56, Congolese author.

23

• Axel Grönberg, 69, Swedish wrestler and Olympic gold medalist.
• Karl Leonhard, 84, German psychiatrist.
• Eitaro Ozawa, 79, Japanese film and stage actor and director.
• Michael Ramsey, 83, British Church of England bishop, Archbishop of Canterbury. ^[33]

24

• Gioacchino Colombo, 85, Italian automobile engine designer.
• Mikhail Trufanov, 66, Soviet painter.

25

• René Cardona, 82, Mexican director, actor, producer, screenwriter and film editor.
• Lygia Clark, 67, Brazilian artist, heart attack.
• Carolyn Franklin, 43, American singer-songwriter, breast cancer.
• George Henson, 76, English footballer.
• Ken Jones, 60, British conductor and composer of film and television music.
• Ferenc Pataki, 70, Hungarian gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.
• Edward Chester Plow, 83, Canadian soldier, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, lung cancer.
• Lanny Ross, 82, American singer, pianist and songwriter. ^[34]
• Clifford D. Simak, 83, American science fiction writer.
• Valerie Solanas, 52, American author and feminist, attempted to murder Andy Warhol, pneumonia. ^[35]

26

• Guy Boyd, 64, Australian potter and sculptor, coronary atherosclerosis.
• Guillermo Haro, 75, Mexican astronomer.
• Frederick D. Patterson, 86, American academic administrator.
• M. V. P. Peiris, 89, Sri Lankan orthopaedic surgeon and politician.
• Bennett Stewart, 75, American politician, member of U.S. House of Representatives.

27

• Fred Bear, 86, American bow hunter and manufacturer, heart attack.
• Helene Thomas Bennett, 86, American bacteriologist and businesswoman.
• Valery Legasov, 51, Soviet chemist, chief of Chernobyl disaster investigation commission, suicide by hanging. ^[36]
• David Scarboro, 20, English actor.
• Arnie Shockley, 84, American NFL footballer.
• Tommy Thomas, 88, American Major League baseballer.

28

• Fenner Brockway, 99, British socialist politician and anti-war activist. ^[37]
• William Coleman, 53–54, American historian of science, leukemia.
• Michael Grumley, 45, American writer and artist. ^[38]
• William Potter Gale, 71, American political activist and white supremacist.
• Hagop Hagopian, 36–37, leader of Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, assassinated.
• Broadus Mitchell, 95, American historian, writer and professor. ^[39]
• B. W. Stevenson, 38, American country pop singer and musician, staph infection after heart surgery.

29

• Andrew Cruickshank, 80, Scottish actor.
• Irving Kolodin, 80, American music critic and historian. ^[40]
• James McCracken, 61, American operatic tenor.
• Martin Wyldeck, 74, English actor.
• Bill Zock, 70, Canadian football player.

30

• Tiger Joe Tomasso, 65–66, Canadian professional wrestler.

References

1. Jacques André. olympedia.org. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
2. "Anthony Pelissier, Actor, 75" . The New York Times . April 7, 1988. p. D 21. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
3. "Vernon W. Thomson Dies at 82; Was Governor and Congressman" . The New York Times . April 4, 1988. p. B 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
4. John T. McQuiston (April 4, 1988). "Milton Caniff, 81, Creator of 'Steve Canyon,' Dies" . The New York Times . p. B 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
5. "Eric A. Havelock, 84, Professor of Classics" . The New York Times . April 6, 1988. p. D 30. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
6. "Sir John Clements, Stage Veteran, Dies at 77" . The New York Times . April 10, 1988. p. 1 36. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
7. "Hamdija Pozderac Yugoslav Official, 64" . The New York Times . April 7, 1988. p. D 21. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
8. "Sir Denis Hamilton, 69, British News Executive" . The New York Times . April 8, 1988. p. A 22. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
9. "matchID - Charles Higounet". Fichier des décès (in French). Retrieved April 16, 2024.
10. Howard W. French (April 10, 1988). "BROOK BENTON, SINGER OF HIT TUNES KNOWN FOR HIS BALLADS, DIES AT 56" . The New York Times . p. 1 36. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
11. "Dave Prater, 50, Dies; Soul Singer of the 60's" . The New York Times . April 13, 1988. p. B 8. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
12. "Willy Schaeffler, Skiing Coach, 72" . The New York Times . April 12, 1988. p. D 35. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
13. "Jeff Donnell, 66, Dies; TV and Movie Actress" . The New York Times . April 16, 1988. p. 1 39. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
14. South African Outlook. Outlook Publications. 1988. p. 88.
15. "Frank Skaff, Baseball Manager, 74" . The New York Times . April 15, 1988. p. B 6. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
16. "Jean Gascon, Director, 67" . The New York Times . April 23, 1988. p. 1 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
17. "Camilla Ravera, 98, Italy Communist, Dies" . The New York Times . April 16, 1988. p. 1 39. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
18. "John Stonehouse; Ex-British Aide, 62, Faked Death in '74" . The New York Times . April 15, 1988. p. B 6. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
19. Ames, Rosemary (1906–1988). encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
20. "G. E. Mylonas, 89, Archeologist Who Led Greek Excavations, Dies" . The New York Times . May 2, 1988. p. D 14. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
21. "Kenneth Williams, 62, Of the 'Carry On' Films" . The New York Times . April 16, 1988. p. 1 39. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
22. Anderson, Sir John D'Arcy. DICTIONARY OF IRISH BIOGRAPHY. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
23. John Rockwell (April 20, 1988). "Youri Egorov, 33, a Soviet Pianist Who Defected to Further His Art" . The New York Times . p. B 9. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
24. "Toni Frissell, 81, Dies; A Noted Photographer" . The New York Times . April 20, 1988. p. B 9. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
25. "Patrick Mphephu, Homeland Leader, 63" . The New York Times . April 21, 1988. p. B 10. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
26. John Russell (April 19, 1988). "Louise Nevelson, Sculptor, Is Dead at 88" . The New York Times . p. D 31. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
27. "Eva Novak Dies at 90; Starred With Tom Mix" . The New York Times . April 20, 1988. p. B 9. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
28. Kevin Dero (April 18, 2018). "\"Plus cancéreux que moi, tumeur!\": il y a 30 ans, Desproges nous quittait". rtbf.be (in French). Retrieved June 21, 2021.
29. Leslie Bennetts (April 22, 1988). "I. A. L. Diamond Is Dead at 67; Won Oscar for 'The Apartment'" . The New York Times . p. A 17. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
30. Lucas, Mitch (December 19, 2020). "News Herald to announce Buddy Humphrey POY award". Kilgore News Herald . Retrieved November 14, 2023.
31. Jesus Rangel (April 23, 1988). "Representative Melvin Price, 83, Is Dead of Cancer After 22 Terms" . The New York Times . p. 1 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
32. Irene Rich American actress
33. Advance. Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. 1986. p. 3.
34. Allan Kozinn (April 26, 1988). "Lanny Ross, Star of Radio Series In 1930's and 1940's, Dies at 82" . The New York Times . p. D 30. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
35. Fred Lawrence Guiles (1989). Loner at the Ball: The Life of Andy Warhol. Bantam. p. 309. ISBN   978-0-593-01540-7.
36. Man & Development. Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development. 1992. p. 87.
37. New Perspectives: Journal of the World Peace Council. Information Centre of the WPC. 1988. p. 30.
38. "Michael Grumley; Author, 46" . The New York Times . April 30, 1988. p. 1 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
39. Joan Cook (April 30, 1988). "Broadus Mitchell, 95, Professor, Historian and Hamilton Authority" . The New York Times . p. 1 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
40. "Irving Kolodin, Music Critic, Dies; Historian of Met Opera Was" . The New York Times . April 30, 1988. p. 1 11. Retrieved April 16, 2024.