Dean Paul Martin death: killed in 1987 plane crash

Dean Paul Martin, Singer-Actor, Dead in 1987 Crash

By Jonathan Miller • March 21, 2026

Dean Paul Martin, singer-actor and son of Dean Martin, died at 35 in a March 21, 1987 California plane crash. He was known for Dino, Desi & Billy and Misfits of Science.

Dean Paul Martin, the singer and actor who was the son of entertainer Dean Martin, died on March 21, 1987, at age 35 when an F-4 jet he was flying in a training mission crashed in California’s San Bernardino Mountains. He was serving as a captain with the California Air National Guard at the time.

Career and early life

Born Dino Paul Crocetti Jr. in November 1951, Dean Paul was the fifth of Dean Martin’s eight children. He began performing as a teenager and at age 13 formed the pop trio Dino, Desi and Billy with Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche. The group charted on Billboard in 1965 with the songs “I’m a Fool” and “Not the Lovin’ Kind.”

Martin pursued acting and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the 1979 film Players. He later starred on the NBC series Misfits of Science from 1985 to 1986. An athlete as well, he competed in qualifying rounds for Wimbledon from 1975 to 1978.

Martin earned his pilot’s license at 16 and joined the California Air National Guard in 1980. At the time of his death he was serving as a captain in the 196th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Crash, aftermath and tributes

On March 21, 1987, Martin was flying an F-4 jet on a training mission when the aircraft struck the side of a mountain in the San Bernardino range. The crash killed Martin and his weapons systems officer, Captain Ramon Ortiz. Reports from the Air National Guard and the Air Force noted the jet impacted the mountain at approximately 400 miles per hour and indicated Martin may have experienced vertigo during a snowstorm and failed to hear air traffic control instructions; those accounts were included in contemporary reporting.

Their bodies were discovered nearly a week after the accident. Dean Paul Martin was interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. He was 35 and was survived by his son, Alexander Martin, from his marriage to actress Olivia Hussey.

The loss deeply affected his family. Dean’s daughter Deana Martin said of her brother’s death, “It was so sad, devastating for all of us. It was tough for him.” Author William Keck later reflected on Dean Martin’s grief, saying, “It was like looking at a candle without a flame.”

Family and legacy

Dean Paul Martin was married to Olivia Hussey from 1971 to 1978 and to Olympian Dorothy Hamill from 1982 to 1984. His varied career as a musician, actor and athlete, and his service in the Air National Guard, were noted in accounts of his life and death. His father, Dean Martin, died in December 1995 at age 78.