| 100% | BRAIN | 5 | Dennis —, French horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra who died aged 36 in 1957 |
| 80% | BRAIN | 5 | Dennis —, French horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra who died in a car crash in 1957 |
| 77% | BRAIN | 5 | Dennis —, virtuoso French horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra who died in a car crash in 1957 |
| 77% | BRAIN | 5 | Dennis -, virtuoso French horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra who died in a car crash in 1957 |
| 76% | DENNISBRAIN | 11 | French horn player with the Philharmonia Orchestra who died in a car crash in 1957 |
| 32% | ERNIE | 5 | With 35-Across, baseball player who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 and died 1/23/15 |
| 30% | ELI | 3 | Actor Wallach who died in 2014 at the age of 98 |
| 30% | HULL | 4 | Rod —, entertainer who died in 1999, associated with the puppet Emu |
| 29% | LEAR | 4 | TV producer Norman who died in December at the age of 101 |
| 29% | RODHULL | 7 | Entertainer associated with the puppet Emu who died in 1999 |
| 29% | YODA | 4 | Character who died at the age of 900 in "Return of the Jedi" |
| 29% | RULE | 4 | "Starting with the Banker, each player in turn throws the dice," e.g. |
| 28% | STEPH | 5 | With 36-Across, Warriors phenomenon who was the unanimous league MVP in 2016 |
| 28% | JASON | 5 | With 36-Across, Honolulu-born actor who played the title role in "Aquaman" |
| 28% | ANNA | 4 | Tennis player Kournikova who retired in 2007 at the age of 21 |
| 27% | NAOMI | 5 | With 29-Across, Japanese tennis player who lit the Olympic cauldron in Tokyo in 2021 |
| 27% | BEN | 3 | With 36-Down, "Roots" star who portrayed the mayor of Cleveland on "Hot in Cleveland" |
| 27% | ANA | 3 | Tennis player Ivanovic who won the French Open Women's Singles championship in 2008 |
| 27% | IVA | 3 | ___ Majoli, former tennis player who won the French Open Women's singles in 1997 |
| 27% | MARY | 4 | ___ Pierce, former tennis player who won the French Open Women's singles in 2000 |
| 27% | ASHLEIGHBARTY | 13 | #1 tennis player who retired in 2022 at the age of 25: 2 wds. |
| 27% | DOLLYPARTON | 11 | Country music star who sang "Islands in the Stream" with 36-Across (2 wds.) |
| 27% | GEHRIG | 6 | Player with the first retired number in baseball |
| 27% | PETRO | 5 | Johan ___, French former basketball player who has played for the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA |
| 27% | RONNY | 5 | ___ Turiaf, French former basketball player who won an NBA championship with Miami Heat in 2012 |
| 27% | EMMETT | 6 | Dan —, composer credited with the song Dixie who died in 1904 |
| 27% | LAKER | 5 | Freddie —, entrepreneur associated with the Skytrain project who died in 2006 |
| 26% | MARAT | 5 | With 31-Across, Russian tennis player who became the youngest man to be ranked #1, at 20, in 2000 |
| 26% | STACY | 5 | With 36-Across, 2013 Women's British Open winner who received the Best Female Golfer ESPY Award in 2013 |
| 26% | ANTHONY | 7 | With 38-Across, actor who played baseball's Jim Piersall in the 1957 biopic "Fear Strikes Out" |