| 147421 | December 31 | Death | 1950 – Charles Koechlin, French composer and educator (b. 1867) |
| 147422 | December 31 | Death | 1953 – Albert Plesman, Dutch businessman, founded KLM (b. 1889) |
| 147423 | December 31 | Death | 1964 – Bobby Byrne, American baseball and soccer player (b. 1884) |
| 147424 | December 31 | Death | 1964 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic politician, 8th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1892) |
| 147425 | December 31 | Death | 1964 – Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, English field marshal (b. 1881) |
| 147426 | December 31 | Death | 1968 – George Lewis, American clarinet player and composer (b. 1900) |
| 147427 | December 31 | Death | 1971 – Pete Duel American actor (b. 1940) |
| 147428 | December 31 | Death | 1971 – Marin Sais, American actress (b. 1890) |
| 147429 | December 31 | Death | 1972 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1934) |
| 147430 | December 31 | Death | 1972 – Henry Gerber, German-American activist, founded the Society for Human Rights (b. 1892) |
| 147431 | December 31 | Death | 1977 – Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1924) |
| 147432 | December 31 | Death | 1978 – Basil Wolverton, American illustrator (b. 1909) |
| 147433 | December 31 | Death | 1980 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian philosopher and theorist (b. 1911) |
| 147434 | December 31 | Death | 1980 – Raoul Walsh, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1887) |
| 147435 | December 31 | Death | 1985 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1940) |
| 147436 | December 31 | Death | 1987 – Jerry Turner, American journalist (b. 1929) |
| 147437 | December 31 | Death | 1988 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (b. 1907) |
| 147438 | December 31 | Death | 1990 – George Allen, American football player and coach (b. 1918) |
| 147439 | December 31 | Death | 1990 – Vasily Lazarev, Russian physician, colonel, and astronaut (b. 1928) |
| 147440 | December 31 | Death | 1990 – Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (b. 1891) |
| 147441 | December 31 | Death | 1993 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (b. 1939) |
| 147442 | December 31 | Death | 1993 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (b. 1972) |
| 147443 | December 31 | Death | 1994 – Leigh Bowery, Australian-English singer and actor (b. 1961) |
| 147444 | December 31 | Death | 1994 – Woody Strode, American football player, wrestler, and actor (b. 1914) |
| 147445 | December 31 | Death | 1997 – Floyd Cramer, American pianist (Million Dollar Band) (b. 1933) |
| 147446 | December 31 | Death | 1997 – Billie Dove, American actress (b. 1903) |
| 147447 | December 31 | Death | 1997 – Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, American son of Robert F. Kennedy (b. 1958) |
| 147448 | December 31 | Death | 1999 – Elliot Richardson, American lawyer and politician, 69th United States Attorney General (b. 1920) |
| 147449 | December 31 | Death | 2000 – Alan Cranston, American journalist and politician (b. 1914) |
| 147450 | December 31 | Death | 2000 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (b. 1918) |