Born 1938

Fay Vincent (1938–2025), former MLB commissioner

Fay Vincent was a former Major League Baseball commissioner who helped guide it through the 1989 earthquake, a 1993 expansion of the National League, and other key milestones in the sport.

Peter Yarrow (1938–2025), Peter, Paul and Mary singer

Peter Yarrow was a singer-songwriter and guitarist with the legendary folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, known for their song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

Paul Morrissey (1938–2024), Andy Warhol collaborator

Paul Morrissey was a filmmaker best known for his collaborations with artist Andy Warhol and for briefly managing the Velvet Underground.

Jeri Taylor (1938–2024), Star Trek writer and producer

Jeri Taylor was a television writer and producer best known for her work with “Star Trek,” including writing for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and co-creating “Star Trek: Voyager.” 

Jack Jones (1938–2024), The Love Boat theme singer

Jack Jones was a singer and actor best known for such songs as “Wives and Lovers” and the theme song to the TV show “The Love Boat.” 

Ron Ely (1938–2024), Tarzan of the 1960s

Ron Ely was an actor best known for starring in the 1960s television show “Tarzan” and hosting the Miss America pageant.

Lilly Ledbetter (1938–2024), activist who fought for equal pay

Lilly Ledbetter was a Goodyear area manager turnedactivist whose Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. lawsuit resulted in landmark equal pay legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

Billy Shaw (1938–2024), eight-time AFL All-Star football player

Billy Shaw was a star guard for the Buffalo Bills who made the AFL All-Star squad eight times and won back-to-back AFL championships with the team.

Nick Gravenites (1938–2024), bluesman who wrote for Janis Joplin

Nick Gravenites was a blues singer and guitarist who sang with the Electric Flag and wrote music for . 

Mary McFadden (1938–2024), fashion designer known for pleated gowns

Mary McFadden was a fashion designer known for her pleated goddess gowns and the special fabric she created to achieve a draped effect. 

Herbie Flowers (1938–2024), Walk on the Wild Side bassist

Herbie Flowers was an English bassist who played on legendary tracks like “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Space Oddity.”

Don Wert (1938–2024), World Series-winning Detroit Tiger

Don Wert was a third baseman for the Detroit Tigers throughout the 1960s, going to the All-Star Game and winning the World Series in 1968.

Steve Symms (1938–2024), conservative U.S. senator

Steve Symms was a staunch conservative and longtime Republican elected official, serving four terms in Congress and two as a United States senator for Idaho.

Maurice Williams (1938–2024), singer of Stay from Dirty Dancing

Maurice Williams was a singer and bandleader who fronted the group Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, best known for their song “Stay,” featured in the film “Dirty Dancing.”

Jerry Fuller (1938–2024), Travelin’ Man songwriter

Jerry Fuller was a singer and songwriter best known for his compositions for other artists, including Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man” and “Young Girl” for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Lynn Conway (1938–2024), microchip pioneer and transgender activist

Lynn Conway was a microchip design pioneer and transgender activist who helped shape how modern semiconductors are made, literally writing the book on the topic.

Jerry West (1938–2024), three-time NBA Hall of Famer

Jerry West was a three-time NBA Hall of Famer widely considered one of the best to ever play, as well as a successful executive who helped launch the career of iconic pro ballers like . 

Frank Carroll (1938–2024), figure skating coach to Olympic medalists

Frank Carroll was a figure skating coach who guided world-renowned skaters like Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek.

Tom Bower (1938–2024), The Waltons, Die Hard 2 actor

Tom Bower was a character actor best known for his roles in “The Waltons” and “Die Hard 2.” 

John Koerner (1938–2024), blues guitarist who mentored Bob Dylan

“Spider” John Koerner was a blues guitarist, singer and songwriter who enjoyed a six-decade career and ably mentored a young Bob Dylan.

Jim Otto (1938–2024), Hall of Fame center with the Raiders

Jim Otto was an NFL Hall of Fame center who played for 15 years and 210 straight games with the Oakland Raiders. 

Jim Simons (1938–2024), groundbreaking investor and philanthropist

Jim Simons was a groundbreaking investor who used complex statistical models to become wealthy, then later turned towards philanthropy and gave away billions.

Jimmy Johnson (1938–2024), Hall of Fame 49ers cornerback

Jimmy Johnson was a cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1960s and ‘70s and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dick Rutan (1938–2024), first pilot to fly non-stop around the world

Dick Rutan was a pilot who, in 1986, became one of the first two pilots to circumnavigate the globe in a non-stop flight without refueling.

Duane Eddy (1938–2024), early rock and roll guitar hero 

Duane Eddy was an early rock and roll guitar hero known for his influential twangy sound, heard on songs like “Peter Gunn” and “Rebel Rouser.” 

Marla Adams (1938–2024), longtime Young and the Restless star

Marla Adams was an actress best known for her Emmy winning-portrayal of the manipulative Dina Abbott Mergeron on daytime soap the “Young and the Restless,” a role she played on and off for five decades. 

Trina Robbins (1938–2024), pioneering cartoonist and comics historian

Trina Robbins was a pioneering cartoonist who was among the first female artists of the underground comix movement, who later became a noted comics historian.

Barbara Baldavin (1938–2024), Star Trek, Medical Center actress

Barbara Baldavin was an actress best known for appearing in the “Star Trek” episodes0“Balance of Terror” and c8cShore Leave,c9d as well as 52 episodes of the drama c8cMedical Center.c9d

Richard Serra (1938–2024), large-scale sculptor 

Richard Serra was a sculptor known for his massive steel artworks, sometimes called the “poet of iron.” 

Michael Culver (1938–2024), Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back

Michael Culver was a British actor best known for playing the ill-fated Captain Needa in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and as a racist police inspector in 1984’s “A Passage to India.” 

Anne Whitfield (1938–2024), actress in White Christmas

Anne Whitfield was an actress best known for playing Susan Waverly in the classic Hollywood musical, “White Christmas.”

Roni Stoneman (1938–2024), banjo player on Hee Haw

Veronica “Roni” Stoneman was a regular cast member and banjo player on “Hee Haw” and performed with the Country Music Association Award-winning Stoneman Family.

Don Catlin (1938–2024), leader of anti-doping sports research 

Don Catlin was a researcher of sports doping and steroids who pioneered methods to identify new and previously undetected steroid use in athletes. 

Henry Fambrough (1938–2024), last original member of the Spinners

Henry Fambrough was an R&B singer best known as one of the original members of the Motown group the Spinners.

Herbert “Cowboy” Coward (1938–2024), Toothless Man in Deliverance

Herbert “Cowboy” Coward was an actor best known for his role as “Toothless Man” in the hit 1970s thriller, “Deliverance,” where he delivered the infamous “purty mouth” line.

Lara Parker (1938–2023), Dark Shadows star 

Lara Parker was an actress best known for her starring role on the gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” as the witch Angelique.

Buck Trent (1938–2023), Hee Haw cast member and country musician

Buck Trent was a country music guitarist and banjoist who played on Dolly Parton’s hit song “Jolene” and had a regular role on “Hee Haw.” 

Maxie Baughan (1938–2023), Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer 

Maxie Baughan was an NFL linebacker who made the Pro Bowl nine times and was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame.

Anita Wood Brewer (1938–2023), singer and Elvis Presley’s girlfriend 

Anita Wood Brewer was a singer and TV performer who dated before his marriage.

James G. Watt (1938–2023), secretary of the interior under Reagan 

James G. Watt was the secretary of the interior from 1981 to 1983, appointed by President .

Norma Hunt (1938–2023), Kansas City Chiefs matriarch 

Norma Hunt was the longtime wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder and a matriarch to the team. 

Joe Kapp (1938–2023), Minnesota Vikings quarterback 

Joe Kapp was a quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings and in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Gordon Lightfoot (1938–2023), Canadian folk-rock legend

Gordon Lightfoot was the Canadian folk-rock legend whose international hit songs included “Sundown,” “Rainy Day People,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Anne Perry (1938–2023), Thomas Pitt and William Monk crime novelist 

Anne Perry was a bestselling author of British crime novels whose own crime, committed when she was a teen, was dramatized in the movie “Heavenly Creatures.” 

Judy Farrell (1938–2023), M*A*S*H actress

Judy Farrell was an actress best known for her recurring role as Nurse Able on “M*A*S*H.” 

Napoleon XIV (1938–2023), sang They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!

Jerry Samuels was a singer and songwriter better known as Napoleon XIV, who had a novelty hit with “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!”

Leiji Matsumoto (1938–2023), Manga legend 

Leiji Matsumoto was a Japanese manga and anime creator best known for “Space Battleship Yamato” (a.k.a. “Star Blazers”) and “Galaxy Express 999.” 

Stella Stevens (1938–2023), Nutty Professor & Poseidon Adventure star

Stella Stevens was a popular Hollywood actress of the 1960s and '70s who starred in such hit movies as the Jerry Lewis comedy "The Nutty Professor" and the disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure."

Johnny Powers (1938–2023), early rock and roller

Johnny Powers was an early Detroit rock and roll musician known for songs including “Long Blond Hair.”