• President – Roman Herzog
• Chancellor – Helmut Kohl

Michael Jackson edit

Michael Jackson performed on July 4 and 6, 1997, as a part of the HIStory World Tour. He also performed in 1992 as a part of the Dangerous World Tour

• 7 January – Sophie Scheder, artistic gymnast^[1]
• 23 May – Alina Reh, long-distance runner

• February 1 – Heiner Carow, film director and screenwriter (born 1929)
• March 1 – Hans Robert Jauss, academic (born 1921)
• May 22 – Klaus von Bismarck, journalist (born 1912)
• May 26 – Manfred von Ardenne, research and applied physicist and inventor (born 1907).
• 26 June – Adolf Weidmann, athlete and sports official (born 1901)
• 27 September – Walter Trampler, German violist (b. 1915)
• 29 October 29 – Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten, German Junker, soldier, and author (b. 1899)