Famous people and celebrities who died in March 1986

This page is dedicated to commemorating the celebrities and famous people who passed away in March 1986. This month marked the loss of influential and beloved figures whose contributions spanned various fields and touched many lives. Explore our detailed list to remember and celebrate their enduring legacies and the remarkable impact they had on the world

• March 4 Richard Manuel

  Richard Manuel was a Canadian musician, best known as a member of The Band, a highly influential rock group of the 1960s and 1970s.

• March 4 Ding Ling

  Prominent Chinese feminist writer and socialist realist author who played a crucial role in 20th-century Chinese literature.

• March 4 Henri Knap

  Henri Knap was a Dutch journalist and writer known for his column in the Amsterdam Diary focusing on social pages.

• March 4 Albert L. Lehninger

  American biochemist and academic (b. 1917).

• March 4 Elizabeth Smart

  American kidnapping victim, activist, and journalist.

• March 5 George Nelson
• March 6 Georgia O'Keeffe

  Georgia O'Keeffe was an influential American modernist painter, renowned for her bold and innovative paintings of enlarged flowers, New Mexico landscapes, skyscrapers, and abstract forms. She is often called the 'Mother of American Modernism.' [bio]

• March 7 Jacob K. Javits

  Prominent American politician who served as the 58th New York State Attorney General and was a long-serving U.S.

• March 10 Ray Milland

  Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and film director, best known for his Oscar-winning performance in 'The Lost Weekend' (1945). His career spanned decades, making him one of classic Hollywood's most respected leading men and a memorable figure in the Golden Age of cinema. [bio]

• March 11 Sonny Terry

  Renowned blues harmonica player and singer who significantly influenced American folk and blues music during the mid-20th century.

• March 13 Angelo Litrico
• March 18 Bernard Malamud

  Renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist known for masterpieces like 'The Natural' and 'The Fixer', who significantly contributed...

• March 22 Olive Deering

  American actress (b. 1918).

• March 22 Charles Starrett
• March 22 Mark Dinning
• March 23 Moshe Feinstein

  American orthodox rabbi and posek (b. 1895).

• March 25 Gloria Blondell

  Gloria Blondell was an American actress best known for her work in film and television during the mid-20th century, as well as for voicing Daisy Duck in several Walt Disney cartoons. [bio]

• March 25 Andre Morell

  British actor known for his notable role in 'The Hounds of the Baskervilles', a classic Sherlock Holmes adaptation.

• March 28 Virginia Gilmore. American actress (b. 1919)
• March 30 James Cagney

  James Cagney was a renowned American actor and dancer best known for his dynamic performances in Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s, particularly in gangster movies. He remains one of the most iconic tough-guy actors of the classic Hollywood era, yet was equally adept at musicals. [bio]

• March 30 John Ciardi

  Renowned American poet, translator, and academic best known for his interpretations of Dante's works.

• March 31 Jerry Paris

  Accomplished actor and director best known for his work on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', who passed away at the age of 60.