Deaths in January 1983

Contents

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The following is a list of notable deaths in January 1983.

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.

January 1983

2

• Dick Emery, 67, English comedian and comic actor, eponymous star of the long-running television show The Dick Emery Show from 1963 until 1981, cardiorespiratory failure^[1][2][3][4]
• Harriet Parsons, 76, American film producer, director, actress, and magazine writer^[5][6][7]

3

• Clément Duhour, 71, French film director, producer, actor, singer, and Olympic shot putter, death attributed to unspecified "natural causes" ^[8]
• Doug Wright, 65, Canadian cartoonist, eponymous creator of the comic strip Doug Wright's Family^[9]

4

• Donald Bruce Kaufman, 60, American home builder and entrepreneur, co-founder of Kaufman & Broad, plane crash.^[10]

7

• Fred Church, 93, American actor of the silent era^[11][12]

8

• Tom McCall, 69, American politician, journalist, environmentalist, and producer of documentary films,^[13] he served as the governor of Oregon from 1967 until 1975,^[14][15]prostate cancer^{[16][17][18][19]}

9

• Merrill Blosser, 90, American cartoonist, creator of the long-running comic strip Freckles and His Friends^[20][21][22]

10

• Roy DeMeo, 42, American mobster, member of the Gambino crime family and head of his own "DeMeo crew" which was supposedly responsible for up to 200 murders,^[23] killed with multiple shots in the head, possibly by members of his own crew^[24][25][26] His dead body was discovered on January 20.^[27]

11

Garrincha

• Gerhard Barkhorn, 63, German military aviator, wing commander in the Luftwaffe and high-ranking officer in the German Air Force, considered the second most successful fighter pilot in aviation history, one of the only two fighter aces who exceeded the number of 300 claimed victories, ^[28] fatally injured and comatose since January 6, due to a car accident^[29][30]

12

• Tex Antoine, 59, American weatherman and radio announcer^[31][32][33]
• Nikolai Podgorny, 79, Soviet politician, he served as the head of state of the Soviet Union from 1965 until 1977, holding the title of the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet,^[34] he was deposed in 1977 by a unanimous vote taken by the Central Committee, ^[35][36]cancer^[37]

13

• David M. Shoup, 78, general of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1960 until 1963, prominent critic of the Vietnam War and opposed to strategies associated with troop escalation ,^[38] death due to an unspecified long-term "illness"^[39][40]
• Arthur Space, 74, American actor^[41][42]

15

• Meyer Lansky, 80, American organized crime figure, he was instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States, lung cancer^[43][44][45]
• Shepperd Strudwick, 75, American actor, cancer^[46][47]

16

• Doodles Weaver, 71, American character actor, comedian, musician, and television host, suicide by firearm^[48][49]

18

• Arturo Umberto Illia, 82, Argentine politician, he served as the president of Argentina from 1963 until 1966, when he was deposed by the Argentine Revolution^[50][51]

19

• Robert Carson, 73, American screenwriter, novelist, and short story writer, he had won an Academy Award for Best Story for co-writing the screenplay of A Star Is Born (1937)^[52][53]
• Don Costa, 57, American record producer and conductor, heart attack^[54][55] cirrhosis of the liver, died while hospitalised

20

• Garrincha, 49, Brazilian professional footballer, considered one of the greatest dribblers in the sport,^[56][57]cirrhosis of the liver,^[58] died while incapacitated in an alcoholic coma^[59]

24

• Carmen Clemente Travieso, 82, Venezuelan journalist and women's rights activist, one of the early female members of the Communist Party of Venezuela^[60]
• George Cukor, 83, American film director and producer, specialist in comedy films and literary adaptations, heart attack^[61][62]

26

• Bear Bryant, 69, American college football player and coach, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1958 until 1982, heart attack^[63][64][65]

27

• Georges Bidault, 83, French politician and member of the French Resistance, he served as the prime minister of France for a few months in 1946, and again from 1949 until 1950, primarily known for passing important laws for pensions and the compensation of workmen,^[66]stroke^[67]
• Pat Bilon, 35, American actor and district director for the organization Little People of America,^[68] complications from a blood infection^[69]
• Robert Christian, 43, American actor, cancerous complications of AIDS^[70]

28

• Frank Chiaramonte, 40, American comic book artist, he served as an inker for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics from 1972 until 1982, credited with inking several of the early stories featuring Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Iron Fist, and Killraven^{[71][72][73][74]}
• Frank Forde, 92, Australian politician, he briefly served as the prime minister of Australia in July 1945, scheduling the 1945 Australian Labor Party leadership election to choose a new party leader and prime minister^{[75][76][77][78]}
• Billy Fury, 42, English musician and actor, he was an early star of British rock and roll and he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart,^[79]heart attack,^[80] with his heart damaged in the past by rheumatic fever^[81]

29

• Stuart H. Ingersoll, 84, vice admiral of the United States Navy, commander-in-chief of the United States Seventh Fleet, President of the Naval War College, and Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy^[82]

References

1. "BFI Emery, Dick (1917-83)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
2. GRO Register of Deaths: MAR 1983 14 0006 LAMBETH – Richard Gilbert Emery, DoB = 19 February 1915
3. "Dick Emery: the neglected superstar of TV comedy". Telegraph.co.uk. January 25, 2014.
4. "The Dick Emery Show". BBC Comedy Guide. December 2, 2003. Archived from the original on April 26, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
5. "Obituaries". Daily Variety. January 4, 1983. p. 8.
6. Upi (January 4, 1983). "Harriet Parsons, Film Maker; Daughter of Louella Parsons". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
7. Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (1999). Women in world history: a biographical encyclopedia. Yorkin Publications. ISBN 9781414412672.
8. Édouard Duhour. sports-reference.com
9. "Doug Wright". lambiek.net. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
10. Aviation Investigation Final Report
11. California Death Index, 1940-1997, Riverside County; Date: January 7, 1983; Social Security: 565149978
12. Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 60. ISBN 9781476609058. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
13. "People, Politics, and the Environment Since 1945: Pollution in Paradise". Oregon History Project. Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
14. Sobel 1978, pp. 1288–1289.
15. "Thomas Lawson McCall". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
16. Yocum, Douglas; Stimmel, Tom (January 9, 1983). "Cancer claims Tom McCall at age 69". Sunday Oregonian. Portland. p. A1.
17. MacLeod, Andrew (January 9, 1983). "Cancer claims Tom McCall". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. p. A-1.
18. "Former Oregon governor McCall dies of cancer". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. January 9, 1983. p. 1A.
19. "Oregon's ex-Gov. McCall dies". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 9, 1983. p. B8.
20. IHB (December 7, 2020). "Nappanee Cartoonists". IHB. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
21. Syracuse University Special Collections: Merrill Blosser
22. "Merrill Blosser". lambiek.net. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
23. My dad, the family man, who murdered 200 for the Mafia Charles Laurence, Irish Independent (October 21, 2002) Archived April 25, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
24. Mustain & Capeci 1992, p. 348.
25. Mustain, Gene and Capeci, Jerry (2012). Murder Machine. Ebury Press. pp. 348–351. ISBN 978-0091941123.
26. Kilgannon, Corey (September 29, 2002). "Growing Up in Massapequa, and in the Mafia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011.
27. Mustain, Gene and Capeci, Jerry (2012). Murder Machine. Ebury Press. pp. 347–350. ISBN 978-0091941123.
28. Zabecki 2014, pp. 19, 479.
29. Barbas 2014, p. 202.
30. Scherzer 2007, p. 202.
31. "Tex Antoine, 59, Dies; TV Weather Forecaster". New York Times. January 13, 1983. Retrieved June 6, 2007. Tex Antoine, a weather forecaster for New York television stations for more than 25 years, died yesterday in his Park Avenue apartment. He was 59 years old. Mr. Antoine, who had no formal meteorological training, became a television weatherman in 1949 with WNBC-TV, where he had worked as a ...
32. Social Security Death Index Name: H. Jon Antoine; SSN: 449-28-9777 ; Last Residence: 10028 New York, New York, New York, United States of America; Born: 21 Apr 1923; Died: Jan 1983; State (Year) SSN issued: Texas
33. "TV Weatherman Suspended for Telling Rape Joke". The Miami News. November 25, 1976. p. 3. Retrieved September 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
34. Ploss, Sidney (2010). The Roots of Perestroika: the Soviet Breakdown in Historical Context. McFarland & Company. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-7864-4486-1.
35. Daniels 1998, p. 36.
36. Daniels 1998, p. 37.
37. Подгорный Николай Викторович (in Russian). War Heroes. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
38. Anderson 2000, p. 166.
39. Tucker 2011, p. 1037.
40. Alexander 1993, p. 33.
41. "Arthur Space, TV Actor, Dies; Was Veterinarian on 'Lassie'". The New York Times. January 17, 1983. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
42. "Arthur Space, an actor who appeared as a regular..." UPI Archives. United Press International. January 16, 1983. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
43. "Meyer Lansky | Biography, Criminal Activities, Net Worth, Cause of Death, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. June 30, 2023.
44. "Meyer Lansky is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 16, 1983. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
45. Lacey, Robert. Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. ISBN 0-316-51168-4
46. Gaiter, Dorothy J. (January 16, 1983). "Shepperd Strudwick, 75, Actor Who Portrayed Over 200 Roles". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
47. "Shepperd Strudwick". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
48. Associated, Press (January 18, 1983). "DOODLES WEAVER, 71, TV COMEDIAN, DIES; APPARENTLY A SUICIDE". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
49. "Comedian Weaver Dead at 71; Apparent Suicide". Schenectady Gazette (New York). UPI. January 17, 1983. p. 6. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
50. Mendelevich, p. 196-214
51. "ARTURO ILLIA, EX-PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA, DIES AT 82". The New York Times. January 19, 1983. pp. Section B, Page 6. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
52. New York Times obituary, Jan 22, 1983
53. "The 10th Academy Awards (1938) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
54. "Bandleader Don Costa dead at 57". UPI. January 20, 1983. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
55. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1st ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 565. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
56. "Garrincha - arguably the greatest winger of all time". The Hindu. April 27, 2018. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
57. "International Football Hall of Fame – Garrincha". Ifhof.com. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
58. "Classic Football – Garrincha". Fifa.com. September 18, 1955. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
59. Jonathan Stevenson (January 20, 2008). "Remembering the genius of Garrincha". BBC. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
60. Prensa Inamujer 2015.
61. Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 10585-10586). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
62. "Obituary". Variety. January 26, 1983.
63. Day, Dre (January 26, 2022). "On This Day We Said Goodbye to A Legend: Rest Easy Paul "Bear" Bryant". 105.1 The Block. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
64. "Timeline: Alabama football legend Paul 'Bear' Bryant's life, 40 years after his death". The Tuscaloosa News. January 26, 2023. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
65. Harris, Mark (January 27, 1983). "Bear Bryant dies of heart attack". UPI. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
66. Hicks, Alexander (1999). Social Democracy and Welfare Capitalism: A Century of Income Security Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801485568.
67. "Georges Bidault, Resistance Hero Who Later Led a Revolt, Is Dead". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 28, 1983. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
68. "2-foot-10 actor who played E.T. dead at 35". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. January 28, 1983. p. B-16.
69. "Man who played E.T. dead at 35". UPI. January 27, 1983. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
70. "ROBERT CHRISTIAN, 42; ACTOR WON AN OBIE IN 'BLOOD KNOT' ROLE". The New York Times. January 29, 1983. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
71. "Francisco Chiaramonte". United States Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Additional archive on December 4, 2017. No address of record at time of death is listed; state where certificate issued is New York.
72. "Francisco Chiaramonte, Social Security Number 097-36-2475". United States Social Security Death Index via GenealogyBank.com.
73. "Biographical Summaries of Notable People: Frank Chiaramonte". MyHeritage. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
74. Frank Chiaramonte and misspelling "Frank Chiarmonte" at the Grand Comics Database
75. Lloyd, Neil; Saunders, Malcolm, "Forde, Francis Michael (Frank) (1890–1983)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved September 1, 2022
76. CAUCUS MEETS TOMORROW TO ELECT PRIME MINISTER, The Canberra Times, 11 July 1945.
77. "Family Notices". The Canberra Times. January 31, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
78. "Frank Forde, After office". Australia's Prime Ministers. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
79. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 217. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
80. "Billy Fury, 42, British Singer; Is Called Heart Attack Victim". The New York Times. January 29, 1983.
81. "Biography by Bruce Eder". AllMusic. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
82. Whitaker, Joseph D., "Stuart Ingersoll, 84," washingtonpost.com, February 3, 1983 Accessed January 7, 2020

Sources

• Alexander, Joseph H. (1993), Across the Reef: The Marine Assault of Tarawa, Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library, ISBN 978-1-4819-9936-6
• Anderson, David L. (2000), The Human Tradition in the Vietnam Era, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 978-0-8420-2763-2
• Barbas, Bernd (2014). Das vergessene As — Der Jagdflieger Gerhard Barkhorn [The Forgotten Ace — The Fighter Pilot Gerhard Barkhorn] (in German and English). Bad Zwischenahn, Germany: Luftfahrtverlag-Start. ISBN 978-3-941437-22-7.
• Daniels, Robert Vincent (1998). Russia's Transformation: Snapshots of a Crumbling System. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-8476-8709-0.
• Law, David A. (1975). Russian Civilization. Ardent Media. ISBN 0-8422-0529-2.
• Mendelevich, Pablo (2010). El Final (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Ediciones B. ISBN 978-987-627-166-0.
• Mustain, Gene; Capeci, Jerry (1992). Murder Machine: A True Story of Murder, Madness, and the Mafia. New York: Onyx. ISBN 9780091941116.
• "Carmen Clemente Travieso". Prensa Inamujer (in Spanish). Caracas, Venezuela: Government of Venezuela. July 24, 2015. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. III. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
• Tucker, Spencer (2011), The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-85109-960-3
• Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-980-6.

External links

• List of January 1983 deaths at IMDb