2015



2015 was designated as:
 * International Year of Light
 * International Year of Soils

January

 * January 1
 * The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
 * Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes the nineteenth Eurozone country.
 * January 3–7 – A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people.
 * January 7 – Two gunmen belonging to Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch kill 12 people and injure 11 more at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, prompting an anti-terrorism demonstration attended by over a million people and more than 40 world leaders.
 * January 15 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets.
 * January 22 – After Houthi forces seize the presidential palace, Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns after months of unrest.

February

 * February 12
 * Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France reach an agreement on the conflict in eastern Ukraine that includes a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons. However, several days later, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels claim that, within its first day, the ceasefire was broken 139 times, as both sides failed to withdraw their heavy weapons and fighting had continued.
 * The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2199 to combat terrorism.
 * February 16 – The Egyptian military begins conducting airstrikes against a branch of the Islamic militant group ISIL in Libya in retaliation for the group's beheading of over a dozen Egyptian Christians.

March

 * March 5–8 – The ancient city sites of Nimrud, Hatra and Dur-Sharrukin in Iraq are demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
 * March 6 – NASA's Dawn probe enters orbit around Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.
 * March 12 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant becomes allies with fellow jihadist group Boko Haram, effectively annexing the group.
 * March 24 – An Airbus A320-211 operated by Germanwings crashes in the French Alps, killing all 150 on board.
 * March 25 – A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab countries starts a military intervention in Yemen in order to uphold the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis' southern offensive.

April

 * April 2 – 148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
 * April 25 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths in Nepal, 130 in India, 27 in China and 4 in Bangladesh with a total of 9,018 deaths.
 * April 29 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that rubella has been eradicated from the Americas.

May

 * May 1–October 31 – Expo 2015 is held in Milan, Italy.
 * May 11–12 – Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger by Pablo Picasso sells for US$179.3 million at Christie's auction in New York, while the sculpture L'Homme au doigt by Alberto Giacometti sells for US$141.3 million, setting a new world record for a painting and for a sculpture, respectively.
 * May 12 – A second major earthquake in Nepal, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale, results in 153 deaths in Nepal, 62 in India, 1 in China and 2 in Bangladesh with a total of 218 deaths.
 * May 20 – The two constituent republics of Novorossiya, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, announce the suspension of the Novorossiya project, returning to separate (though internationally unrecognised) states.
 * May 23 – Ireland votes to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.

June

 * June 2 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces his intention to resign amidst an FBI-led corruption investigation, and calls for an extraordinary congress to elect a new president as soon as possible.
 * June 6 – The governments of India and Bangladesh officially ratify their 1974 agreement to exchange enclaves along their border.
 * June 7–8 – The 41st G7 summit is held in Schloss Elmau, Bavaria.
 * June 25–26 – ISIL claim responsibility for three attacks around the world during Ramadan:
 * Kobanî massacre: ISIL fighters detonate three car bombs, enter Kobanî, Syria, and open fire at civilians, killing more than 220.
 * Sousse attacks: 22-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui opens fire at a tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia, killing 38 people.
 * Kuwait mosque bombing: A suicide bomber attacks the Shia Mosque Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq at Kuwait City, Kuwait, killing 27 people and injuring 227 others.


 * June 30
 * Cuba becomes the first country in the world to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

July

 * July 1 – Greek government-debt crisis: Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF.
 * July 14
 * NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world.
 * Iran agrees to long-term limits of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
 * July 20 – Cuba and the United States reestablish full diplomatic relations, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations.
 * July 24 – Turkey begins a series of airstrikes against PKK and ISIL targets after the 2015 Suruç bombing.

August

 * August 5 – Debris found on Réunion Island is confirmed to be that of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, missing since March 2014.
 * August 17 – A bombing takes place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125.

September

 * September 10 – Scientists announce the discovery of Homo naledi, a previously unknown species of early human in South Africa.
 * September 14 – First observation of gravitational waves: Gravitational waves are detected for the first time, by LIGO. This is not announced until February 11, 2016.
 * September 18 – Automaker Volkswagen is alleged to have been involved in worldwide rigging of diesel emissions tests, affecting an estimated 11 million vehicles globally.
 * September 24 – A stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 2,200 people and injures more than 900 others, with more than 650 missing.
 * September 28 – NASA announces that liquid water has been found on Mars.
 * September 30 – Russia begins air strikes against ISIL and anti-government forces in Syria in support of the Syrian government.

October

 * October 3 – A United States airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Afghanistan accidentally kills an estimated 20 people.
 * October 10 – A suicide bomb kills at least 100 people at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, and injures more than 400 others.
 * October 23 – Hurricane Patricia becomes the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere and the second strongest worldwide, with winds of 215 mph and a pressure of 872 mbar.
 * October 26 – A magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region and causes 398 deaths, with 279 in Pakistan, 115 in Afghanistan and 4 in India.
 * October 31 – Kogalymavia Flight 9268, an Airbus A321 airliner en route to Saint Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh, crashes near Al-Hasana in Sinai, killing all 217 passengers and 7 crew members on board.

November

 * November 7 – Chinese and Taiwanese presidents, Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, formally meet for the first time.
 * November 12 – Several suicide bombings occur in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 43 and injuring 239. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant claim responsibility.
 * November 13 – Multiple terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Paris, France, result in 130 fatalities.
 * November 24 – Syrian Civil War: Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet in the first case of a NATO member destroying a Russian aircraft since the 1950s.
 * November 30 – The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) is held in Paris, attended by leaders from 147 nations.

December

 * December 12 – A global climate change pact is agreed at the COP 21 summit, committing all countries to reduce carbon emissions for the first time.
 * December 15 – The Islamic Military Alliance is formed.
 * December 22 – SpaceX lands a Falcon 9 rocket, the first reusable rocket to successfully enter orbital space and return.

Births

 * May 2 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
 * June 15 – Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland

January

 * January 1
 * Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (b. 1944)
 * Mario Cuomo, American politician (b. 1932)
 * Omar Karami, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)
 * Boris Morukov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1950)
 * January 3 – Edward Brooke, American politician (b. 1919)
 * January 4 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer, songwriter, and guitarist (b. 1955)
 * January 5 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French race car driver (b. 1937)
 * January 6 – Vlastimil Bubník, Czech ice hockey player and footballer (b. 1931)
 * January 7
 * Tadeusz Konwicki, Polish writer and film director (b. 1926)
 * Rod Taylor, Australian actor (b. 1930)
 * January 8 – Andraé Crouch, American singer, songwriter, and pastor (b. 1942)
 * January 9 – Józef Oleksy, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)
 * January 10 – Francesco Rosi, Italian film director (b. 1922)
 * January 11
 * Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925)
 * Anita Ekberg, Swedish actress (b. 1931)
 * January 12 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian opera singer (b. 1939)
 * January 17 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress (b. 1931)


 * January 20
 * Edgar Froese, German musician (b. 1944)
 * Hitoshi Saito, Japanese judoka (b. 1961)
 * January 21 – Leon Brittan, British politician (b. 1939)
 * January 23 – King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (b. 1924)
 * January 24 – Otto Carius, German WWII tank commander (b. 1922)
 * January 25 – Demis Roussos, Greek singer (b. 1946)
 * January 27 – Charles Hard Townes, American Nobel physicist (b. 1915)


 * January 28 – Yves Chauvin, French Nobel chemist (b. 1930)
 * January 29 – Colleen McCullough, Australian writer (b. 1937)
 * January 30
 * Carl Djerassi, American chemist (b. 1923)
 * Geraldine McEwan, British actress (b. 1932)
 * Zhelyu Zhelev, 1st President of Bulgaria (b. 1935)
 * January 31
 * Lizabeth Scott, American actress (b. 1922)
 * Richard von Weizsäcker, President of Germany (b. 1920)

February

 * February 1


 * Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-born French pianist (b. 1925)
 * Udo Lattek, German footballer and coach (b. 1935)
 * February 3 – Martin Gilbert, English historian (b. 1936)
 * February 5
 * Henri Coppens, Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1930)
 * Val Logsdon Fitch, American Nobel physicist (b. 1923)
 * February 6
 * André Brink, South African writer (b. 1935)
 * Assia Djebar, Algerian writer (b. 1936)
 * February 7 – Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and writer (b. 1934)
 * February 10 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal (b. 1928)
 * February 12 – Movita Castaneda, American actress (b. 1916)
 * February 14
 * Michele Ferrero, Italian businessman (b. 1925)
 * Louis Jourdan, French actor (b. 1921)
 * Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian athlete and coach (b. 1920)
 * Wim Ruska, Dutch wrestler and martial artist (b. 1940)
 * February 16
 * Lesley Gore, American singer (b. 1946)
 * Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress (b. 1971)
 * February 18 – Claude Criquielion, Belgian road bicycle racer (b. 1957)
 * February 21
 * Aleksei Gubarev, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1931)
 * Clark Terry, American jazz trumpeter and fugelhornist (b. 1920)
 * February 27
 * Boris Nemtsov, Russian politician (b. 1959)
 * Leonard Nimoy, American actor (b. 1931)
 * February 28
 * Yaşar Kemal, Turkish author (b. 1923)
 * Anthony Mason, American basketball player (b. 1966)

March

 * March 1
 * Joshua Fishman, American linguist (b. 1926)
 * Wolfram Wuttke, German footballer (b. 1961)
 * March 2 – Dave Mackay, Scottish footballer and coach (b. 1934)
 * March 5 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (b. 1932)
 * March 7 – Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese manga artist (b. 1935)
 * March 8 – Sam Simon, American producer and philanthropist (b. 1955)
 * March 9
 * Camille Muffat, French swimmer (b. 1989)
 * Frei Otto, German architect (b. 1925)
 * Alexis Vastine, French boxer (b. 1986)
 * March 11 – Walter Burkert, German academic and writer (b. 1931)
 * March 12
 * Michael Graves, American architect (b. 1934)
 * Terry Pratchett, English writer (b. 1948)
 * March 13 – Daevid Allen, Australian musician (b. 1938)
 * March 14 – Valentin Rasputin, Russian writer (b. 1937)
 * March 15
 * Xu Caihou, Chinese army general (b. 1943)
 * Mike Porcaro, American bass guitarist (b. 1955)
 * March 16 – Andy Fraser, English songwriter and bass guitarist (b. 1952)
 * March 19 – Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs, Dutch athlete (b. 1923)
 * March 20 – Malcolm Fraser, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1930)
 * March 21
 * Hans Erni, Swiss artist (b. 1909)
 * Jørgen Ingmann, Danish musician (b. 1925)
 * Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (b. 1955)
 * March 23 – Lee Kuan Yew, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1923)
 * March 26
 * Dinkha IV, Iraqi patriarch (b. 1935)
 * Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish Nobel poet and translator (b. 1931)
 * March 27 – Olga Syahputra, Indonesian actor and singer (b. 1983)
 * March 29 – Miroslav Ondříček, Czech cinematographer (b. 1934)
 * March 30 – Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer (b. 1921)

April

 * April 2 – Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese film director and screenwriter (b. 1908)
 * April 4 – Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author (b. 1931)
 * April 6 – James Best, American actor (b. 1926)
 * April 7 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
 * April 8 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (b. 1936)
 * April 10 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
 * April 13
 * Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer (b. 1940)
 * Günter Grass, German Nobel writer (b. 1927)
 * Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player (b. 1918)
 * April 14
 * Percy Sledge, American singer (b. 1940)
 * Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal (b. 1921)
 * April 15 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1928)
 * April 16 – Stanislav Gross, 5th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (b. 1969)
 * April 17 – Francis George, American cardinal (b. 1937)
 * April 24 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish politician and resistance fighter (b. 1922)


 * April 27
 * Verne Gagne, American professional wrestler (b. 1926)
 * Andrew Lesnie, Australian cinematographer (b. 1956)
 * April 29 – Giovanni Canestri, Italian cardinal (b. 1918)
 * April 30
 * Ben E. King, American singer (b. 1938)
 * Patachou, French singer and actress (b. 1918)

May

 * May 1
 * Geoff Duke, British motorcycle racer (b. 1923)
 * Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (b. 1930)
 * May 2
 * Maya Plisetskaya, Russian ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress (b. 1925)
 * Ruth Rendell, British author (b. 1930)
 * May 9 – Kenan Evren, Turkish military officer, seventh President of Turkey (b. 1917)
 * May 10 – Chris Burden, American artist (b. 1946)
 * May 12 – Peter Gay, American psychohistorian (b. 1923)
 * May 14 – B.B. King, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
 * May 15 – Renzo Zorzi, Italian racing driver (b. 1946)
 * May 18
 * Halldór Ásgrímsson, Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1947)
 * Raymond Gosling, British scientist (b. 1926)
 * May 19 – Gerald Götting, German politician (b. 1923)
 * May 21 – Annarita Sidoti, Italian race walker (b. 1969)
 * May 23
 * Anne Meara, American actress and comedian (b. 1929)
 * John Forbes Nash Jr., American Nobel mathematician (b. 1928)
 * May 24 – Tanith Lee, British writer (b. 1947)
 * May 25 – Mary Ellen Mark, American photographer (b. 1940)
 * May 26 – Vicente Aranda, Spanish film director (b. 1926)
 * May 27 – Nils Christie, Norwegian criminologist (b. 1928)
 * May 29
 * Henry Carr, American sprinter (b. 1941)
 * Doris Hart, American tennis player (b. 1925)
 * Betsy Palmer, American actress (b. 1926)

June

 * June 1
 * Charles Kennedy, British politician (b. 1959)
 * Nicholas Liverpool, Dominican politician, sixth President of Dominica (b. 1934)
 * June 2 – Irwin Rose, American Nobel biochemist (b. 1926)
 * June 4 – Hermann Zapf, German typeface designer (b. 1918)
 * June 5 – Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician (b. 1936)
 * June 6 – Pierre Brice, French actor (b. 1929)
 * June 7 – Christopher Lee, English actor (b. 1922)
 * June 9 – James Last, German composer and big band leader (b. 1929)
 * June 11
 * Ornette Coleman, American free jazz saxophonist (b. 1930)
 * Ron Moody, British actor (b. 1924)
 * Dusty Rhodes, American professional wrestler (b. 1945)
 * June 14
 * Qiao Shi, Chinese politician (b. 1924)
 * Zito, Brazilian footballer (b. 1932)
 * June 15
 * Jeanna Friske, Russian singer, model, and actress (b. 1974)
 * Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman (b. 1917)
 * June 16 – Charles Correa, Indian architect (b. 1930)
 * June 17
 * Ron Clarke, Australian runner (b. 1937)
 * Süleyman Demirel, Turkish politician, ninth President of Turkey (b. 1924)
 * Roberto M. Levingston, Argentine general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (b. 1920)
 * June 20 – Esther Brand, South African athlete (b. 1922)
 * June 21
 * Veijo Meri, Finnish writer (b. 1928)
 * Gunther Schuller, American composer, conductor, historian, and jazz musician (b. 1925)
 * June 22
 * Laura Antonelli, Italian actress (b. 1941)
 * James Horner, American film composer (b. 1953)
 * June 23
 * Magali Noël, French actress and singer (b. 1931)
 * Dick Van Patten, American actor (b. 1928)
 * June 25
 * Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia (b. 1940)
 * Patrick Macnee, English actor (b. 1922)
 * June 26 – Yevgeny Primakov, Russian politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999 (b. 1929)
 * June 27 – Chris Squire, English bass guitarist (b. 1948)
 * June 29
 * Josef Masopust, Czech football player and coach (b. 1931)
 * Charles Pasqua, French politician (b. 1927)

July

 * July 1
 * Sergio Sollima, Italian film director (b. 1921)
 * Nicholas Winton, British humanitarian (b. 1909)
 * July 5 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-American Nobel physicist (b. 1921)
 * July 10
 * Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor (b. 1944)
 * Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor (b. 1932)
 * Jon Vickers, Canadian tenor (b. 1926)
 * July 11
 * Giacomo Biffi, Italian cardinal (b. 1928)
 * Patricia Crone, Danish scholar (b. 1945)
 * Satoru Iwata, Japanese businessman and video game programmer (b. 1959)
 * July 12 – Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean poet (b. 1956)
 * July 13 – Martin Litchfield West, British classical scholar (b. 1937)
 * July 14 – Ildikó Schwarczenberger, Hungarian fencer (b. 1951)
 * July 15 – Wan Li, Chinese politician (b. 1916)
 * July 16 – Alcides Ghiggia, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1926)
 * July 17 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989)
 * July 18 – Alex Rocco, American actor (b. 1936)
 * July 19 – Galina Prozumenshchikova, Soviet swimmer (b. 1948)
 * July 21
 * Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American actor (b. 1924)
 * E. L. Doctorow, American author (b. 1931)
 * July 23 – William Wakefield Baum, American Catholic cardinal (b. 1926)


 * July 27 – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Indian scientist and politician, 11th President of India (b. 1931)
 * July 28 – Edward Natapei, 6th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (b. 1954)
 * July 30
 * Lynn Anderson, American country singer (b. 1947)
 * Alena Vrzáňová, Czech figure skater (b. 1931)
 * July 31 – Roddy Piper, Canadian wrestler (b. 1954)

August

 * August 1 – Cilla Black, English singer and entertainer (b. 1943)
 * August 3 – Robert Conquest, British-born American historian (b. 1917)
 * August 7
 * Manuel Contreras, Chilean general (b. 1929)
 * Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian physician (b. 1914)
 * August 9 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist (b. 1929)
 * August 11 – Harald Nielsen, Danish footballer (b. 1941)
 * August 12 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (b. 1929)
 * August 14 – Bob Johnston, American record producer (b. 1932)
 * August 16 – Mile Mrkšić, Serbian military officer (b. 1947)
 * August 17
 * Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican theoretical physicist (b. 1947)
 * Yvonne Craig, American actress (b. 1937)
 * Arsen Dedić, Croatian musician (b. 1938)
 * László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1927)
 * August 20 – Egon Bahr, German politician (b. 1922)
 * August 22
 * Ieng Thirith, Cambodian politician (b. 1932)
 * Eric Thompson, English racing driver (b. 1919)
 * August 23 – Guy Ligier, French racing driver and team owner (b. 1930)
 * August 24 – Justin Wilson, British racing driver (b. 1978)
 * August 29 – Wayne Dyer, American author and motivational speaker (b. 1940)
 * August 30
 * Wes Craven, American film director and writer (b. 1939)
 * Oliver Sacks, British-American neurologist and writer (b. 1933)

September

 * September 1 – Dean Jones, American actor (b. 1931)
 * September 3 – Chandra Bahadur Dangi, Nepalese dwarf, world's shortest man (b. 1939)
 * September 4 – Rico Rodriguez, Cuban-British musician (b. 1934)
 * September 5 – Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (b. 1920)
 * September 7 – Candida Royalle, American actress and director (b. 1950)
 * September 10 – Adrian Frutiger, Swiss typeface designer (b. 1928)
 * September 12 – Ron Springett, British footballer (b. 1935)
 * September 13 – Moses Malone, American basketball player (b. 1955)
 * September 14 – Corneliu Vadim Tudor, Romanian politician (b. 1949)
 * September 17 – Dettmar Cramer, German football coach (b. 1925)
 * September 19 – Jackie Collins, British novelist (b. 1937)
 * September 22 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player (b. 1925)
 * September 23 – Dragan Holcer, Croatian footballer (b. 1945)
 * September 27
 * John Guillermin, British film director and producer (b. 1925)
 * Pietro Ingrao, Italian politician (b. 1915)
 * September 28 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939)
 * September 29 – Phil Woods, American saxophonist (b. 1931)

October

 * October 2
 * Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian politician (b. 1937)
 * Brian Friel, Irish playwright (b. 1929)
 * October 3 – Denis Healey, British politician (b. 1917)
 * October 5
 * Chantal Akerman, Belgian filmmaker (b. 1950)
 * Infante Carlos, Spanish nobleman (b. 1938)
 * Henning Mankell, Swedish author (b. 1948)
 * October 6 – Árpád Göncz, Hungarian politician, President of Hungary (b. 1922)
 * October 7
 * Dominique Dropsy, French footballer (b. 1951)
 * Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (b. 1927)
 * Jurelang Zedkaia, Fifth President of the Marshall Islands (b. 1950)
 * October 9 – Geoffrey Howe, British politician (b. 1926)
 * October 10 – Richard F. Heck, American chemist (b. 1931)
 * October 12 – Joan Leslie, American actress (b. 1925)
 * October 14
 * Nurlan Balgimbayev, Kazakh politician (b. 1947)
 * Mathieu Kérékou, Fifth President of Benin (b. 1933)
 * October 17
 * Danièle Delorme, French actress (b. 1926)
 * Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (b. 1946)
 * October 18 – Gamal El-Ghitani, Egyptian author (b. 1945)
 * October 19 – Ali Treki, Libyan diplomat (b. 1938)
 * October 23 – Paride Tumburus, Italian footballer (b. 1939)
 * October 24
 * Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovakian Jesuit Cardinal (b. 1924)
 * Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress (b. 1920)
 * October 25 – Flip Saunders, American basketball player and coach (b. 1955)
 * October 26 – Leo Kadanoff, American physicist (b. 1937)
 * October 30 – Sinan Şamil Sam, Turkish boxer (b. 1974)
 * October 31 – Ants Antson, Estonian speed skater (b. 1938)

November

 * November 1
 * Günter Schabowski, German politician (b. 1929)
 * Fred Thompson, American politician and actor (b. 1942)
 * November 3 – Ahmed Chalabi, Iraqi politician (b. 1944)
 * November 4
 * René Girard, French-American historian (b. 1923)
 * Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (b. 1950)
 * November 5
 * Nora Brockstedt, Norwegian singer (b. 1923)
 * Czesław Kiszczak, Polish soldier and politician (b. 1925)
 * November 7
 * Gunnar Hansen, Icelandic-American actor and author (b. 1947)
 * Yitzhak Navon, Israeli politician, President of Israel (b. 1921)
 * November 8 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist (b. 1925)
 * November 9
 * Ernst Fuchs, Austrian painter (b. 1930)
 * Allen Toussaint, American musician (b. 1938)
 * Andy White, Scottish drummer (b. 1930)
 * November 10
 * André Glucksmann, French philosopher (b. 1937)
 * Klaus Roth, British mathematician (b. 1925)
 * Helmut Schmidt, German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (b. 1918)
 * November 11 – Phil Taylor, English rock drummer (b. 1954)
 * November 12
 * Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (b. 1983)
 * Jihadi John, Kuwaiti member of ISIS (b. 1988)
 * November 15 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-British actor (b. 1929)
 * November 18
 * Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby union player (b. 1975)
 * Mal Whitfield, American middle-distance runner (b. 1924)
 * November 20 – Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1953)
 * November 21
 * Bob Foster, American boxer (b. 1938)
 * Linda Haglund, Swedish sprinter (b. 1956)
 * November 22 – Kim Young-sam, South Korean politician, President of South Korea (b. 1927)
 * November 23 – Douglass North, American economist (b. 1920)
 * November 28
 * Gerry Byrne, English footballer (b. 1938)
 * Barbro Hiort af Ornäs, Swedish actress (b. 1921)
 * November 30
 * Fatema Mernissi, Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist (b. 1940)
 * Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese manga artist (b. 1922)
 * Eldar Ryazanov, Russian film director (b. 1927)

December

 * December 1 – Jim Loscutoff, American basketball player (b. 1930)
 * December 2
 * Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (b. 1925)
 * Ferenc Juhász, Hungarian poet (b. 1928)
 * December 3 – Scott Weiland, American singer and musician (b. 1967)
 * December 4
 * Erik De Vlaeminck, Belgian professional cyclist (b. 1945)
 * Robert Loggia, American actor (b. 1930)
 * Yossi Sarid, Israeli politician (b. 1940)
 * December 5 – Dimitar Iliev Popov, 41st Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1927)
 * December 6 – Franzl Lang, German Yodeler (b. 1930)
 * December 8 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer (b. 1936)
 * December 9
 * Carlo Furno, Italian cardinal (b. 1921)
 * Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Bolivian cardinal (b. 1936)
 * December 10
 * Arnold Peralta, Honduran footballer (b. 1989)
 * Dolph Schayes, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
 * December 13 – Benedict Anderson, American academic (b. 1936)
 * December 15 – Licio Gelli, Italian financier (b. 1919)
 * December 19
 * Jimmy Hill, English footballer and television presenter (b. 1928)
 * Kurt Masur, German conductor (b. 1927)
 * December 23
 * Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist (b. 1941)
 * Don Howe, English footballer (b. 1935)
 * Bülent Ulusu, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1923)
 * December 27
 * Stein Eriksen, Norwegian alpine skier, Olympic champion (b. 1927)
 * Ellsworth Kelly, American artist (b. 1923)
 * Haskell Wexler, American cinematographer and film director (b. 1922)
 * December 28
 * Eloy Inos, American politician, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (b. 1949)
 * Guru Josh, British musician (b. 1964)
 * Lemmy, British singer and bass guitarist (b. 1945)
 * Ian Murdock, German-American software programmer (b. 1973)
 * December 29
 * Elżbieta Krzesińska, Polish athlete (b. 1934)
 * Pavel Srníček, Czech footballer (b. 1968)
 * December 31
 * Natalie Cole, American singer (b. 1950)
 * Wayne Rogers, American actor (b. 1933)

Nobel Prizes

 * Chemistry – Paul L. Modrich; Aziz Sancar and Tomas Lindahl
 * Economics – Angus Deaton
 * Literature – Svetlana Alexievich
 * Peace – Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet
 * Physics – Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald
 * Physiology or Medicine – William C. Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura and Tu Youyou