* William S. Burroughs: American novelist, known for his Beat Generation works, died in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1997 but was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent some of his childhood in Buffalo.
* Buffalo Bill Cody: American scout, soldier, and showman, died in 1917 in Denver, Colorado, but was born in Iowa and spent a significant part of his life in the region, including time as a buffalo hunter in the Buffalo area.
* Jay Silverheels: Canadian actor best known for playing Tonto in the "Lone Ranger" TV series, was born in 1912 on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, and is believed to have died in 1980 in Buffalo.
Please note that it's possible other celebrities have died in or near Buffalo, but their deaths may not have been as widely reported or publicized.