Accident events
- Leon Trotsky was attacked in exile in Mexico by Stalin's agent Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río, who struck him with an ice axe. Trotsky died in a Mexican hospital the following day from his brain injuries. His assassination was later commemorated in The Stranglers' song “No More Heroes”.
- Mick Jagger suffered a deep cut to his hand when a prop gun malfunctioned during the filming of the movie Ned Kelly in Australia.
- Melvin Franklin of The Temptations was shot four times in the hand and leg in Los Angeles while attempting to prevent a man from stealing his car. Although he survived the attack, his injuries prevented him from taking part in The Temptations' upcoming tour of Poland.
- The Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone, born John Cummings, got into a fight with Seth Micklaw of Sub Zero Construction after seeing him with his girlfriend Cynthia Whitney. Ramone suffered a serious head injury when he was kicked in the head with steel-toed boots during the fight and was found unconscious on a New York street. He underwent emergency four-hour brain surgery to remove blood clots. Micklaw was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and later spent several months in prison.
- Two fans died during Guns N' Roses' performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England. Singer Axl Rose had previously urged the crowd not to kill one another. Because of the wet surface and a record attendance of 107,000 people, a crowd surge occurred during the performance and two fans were trampled or crushed to death.
- Lou Reed broke his ankle after a soundcheck in Cleveland and had to cancel the rest of his tour.
- At CNE Stadium in Toronto, during the final concert of the Operation Rock & Roll tour, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford’s motorcycle entrance ended disastrously. He crashed into a metal support beam, breaking his nose and suffering a neck sprain. He finished the concert but was taken to hospital immediately afterward.
- Madonna suffered three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken arm in a fall from a horse at her country estate, Ashcombe House. The accident occurred on her 47th birthday.
- During a severe storm, strong winds and heavy rain caused the stage to collapse just as Chicago band Smith Westerns were performing. Four people were killed and more than 70 were injured. Organizers decided to cancel the festival; Eminem, Face to Face and Foo Fighters were also scheduled to perform.
- Brent Hinds was killed after his motorcycle was struck by a BMW SUV in Atlanta, Georgia. Police estimated his speed at 63–68 mph, approximately twice the speed limit. Hinds was best known as the lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of the metal band Mastodon.