This is a list of people (real or fictional) appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in the 1980s. This list is for the regular biweekly issues of the magazine, including variant covers, and does not include special issues. Issue numbers that include a slash (XXX/YYY) are combined double issues.
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 309 | January 24, 1980 | Walter Adams Jr., Peter Bowes, Connie Burns, Jacqueline Eckerle, David Heck, Teva Ladd, Karen Morrison, Stephan Preston, Phillip Snyder, Bryan Wagner, James Warmoth | The Who concert disaster cover story |
| 310 | February 7, 1980 | Fleetwood Mac (Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks) | |
| 311 | February 21, 1980 | Tom Petty | |
| 312 | March 6, 1980 | Richard Gere | |
| 313 | March 20, 1980 | Bob Hope | |
| 314 | April 3, 1980 | Linda Ronstadt | |
| 315 | April 17, 1980 | The Clash (Mick Jones, Joe Strummer) | |
| 316 | May 1, 1980 | Bob Seger | |
| 317 | May 15, 1980 | Heart (Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson) | |
| 318 | May 29, 1980 | The Pretenders (Martin Chambers, Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott, Chrissie Hynde) | |
| 319 | June 12, 1980 | Ted Kennedy | |
| 320 | June 26, 1980 | Pete Townshend | |
| 321 | July 10, 1980 | John Travolta | |
| 322 | July 24, 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back cast (Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams) | |
| 323 | August 7, 1980 | Jackson Browne | |
| 324 | August 21, 1980 | The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) | |
| 325 | September 4, 1980 | Billy Joel | |
| 326 | September 18, 1980 | Rodney Dangerfield | Dangerfield appears with unidentified baby |
| 327 | October 2, 1980 | Robert Redford | |
| 328 | October 16, 1980 | Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo | |
| 329 | October 30, 1980 | The Cars (Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, David Robinson) | |
| 330 | November 13, 1980 | Mary Tyler Moore | |
| 331 | November 27, 1980 | It's My Turn cast (Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas) | |
| 332 | December 11, 1980 | Dolly Parton | |
| 333/334 | December 25, 1980 – January 8, 1981 | None | 1980 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 335 | January 22, 1981 | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | Cover was ranked as the greatest magazine cover of the last 40 years by the American Society of Magazine Editors in 2005[1] |
| 336 | February 5, 1981 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 337 | February 19, 1981 | The Police (Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers) | |
| 338 | March 5, 1981 | Goldie Hawn | |
| 339 | March 19, 1981 | Warren Zevon | Cover includes unidentified hands grabbing Zevon's arms and legs |
| 340 | April 2, 1981 | Roman Polanski | Cover includes illustration of Tess Durbeyfield |
| 341 | April 16, 1981 | Jack Nicholson | |
| 342 | April 30, 1981 | Ringo Starr | |
| 343 | May 14, 1981 | John Lennon | "Inside the Gun Lobby" cover story |
| 344 | May 28, 1981 | Susan Sarandon | |
| 345 | June 11, 1981 | James Taylor | |
| 346 | June 25, 1981 | Harrison Ford | |
| 347 | July 9, 1981 | Margot Kidder | A picture of Christopher Reeve appears in the lower right corner |
| 348 | July 23, 1981 | Tom Petty | |
| 349 | August 6, 1981 | Rickie Lee Jones | |
| 350 | August 20, 1981 | Bill Murray | John Irving appears in the banner in the lower right corner |
| 351 | September 3, 1981 | Stevie Nicks | Nicks appears with her brother Chris' cockatoo, Maxwellington[2] |
| 352 | September 17, 1981 | Jim Morrison | |
| 353 | October 1, 1981 | Yoko Ono | |
| 354 | October 15, 1981 | Meryl Streep | |
| 355 | October 29, 1981 | Elvis Presley | Presley appears with unidentified fan |
| 356 | November 12, 1981 | Keith Richards | |
| 357 | November 26, 1981 | William Hurt | |
| 358 | December 10, 1981 | Carly Simon | Simon appears with her children, Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor |
| 359/360 | December 24, 1981 – January 7, 1982 | The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart, Ron Wood, Bill Wyman) | Cover includes unidentified concertgoers |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 361 | January 21, 1982 | John Belushi | |
| 362 | February 4, 1982 | Timothy Hutton | |
| 363 | February 18, 1982 | Steve Martin | |
| 364 | March 4, 1982 | Peter Wolf | |
| 365 | March 18, 1982 | Simon and Garfunkel (Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon) | |
| 366 | April 1, 1982 | Warren Beatty | |
| 367 | April 15, 1982 | Mariel Hemingway | |
| 368 | April 29, 1982 | John Belushi | |
| 369 | May 13, 1982 | Sissy Spacek | |
| 370 | May 27, 1982 | Nastassja Kinski | |
| 371 | June 10, 1982 | David Letterman | |
| 372 | June 24, 1982 | Pete Townshend | |
| 373 | July 8, 1982 | Sylvester Stallone | |
| 374 | July 22, 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | |
| 375 | August 5, 1982 | The Go-Go's (Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin) | |
| 376 | August 19, 1982 | Jeff Bridges | |
| 377 | September 2, 1982 | Elvis Costello | |
| 378 | September 16, 1982 | Robin Williams | |
| 379 | September 30, 1982 | Richard Gere | |
| 380 | October 14, 1982 | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | |
| 381 | October 28, 1982 | Billy Joel | |
| 382 | November 11, 1982 | The Who (Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, Pete Townshend) | |
| 383 | November 25, 1982 | Matt Dillon | |
| 384 | December 9, 1982 | Bette Midler | |
| 385/386 | December 23, 1982 – January 6, 1983 | People from covers of issues 361-385/386 | 1982 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 387 | January 20, 1983 | Paul Newman | |
| 388 | February 3, 1983 | Dustin Hoffman | |
| 389 | February 17, 1983 | Michael Jackson | |
| 390 | March 3, 1983 | The Stray Cats (Slim Jim Phantom, Lee Rocker, Brian Setzer) | |
| 391 | March 17, 1983 | Jessica Lange | |
| 392 | March 31, 1983 | Dudley Moore | |
| 393 | April 14, 1983 | Joan Baez | |
| 394 | April 28, 1983 | Prince, Vanity | |
| 395 | May 12, 1983 | David Bowie | |
| 396 | May 26, 1983 | Sean Penn | |
| 397 | June 9, 1983 | Christie Brinkley, Michael Ives | Cover story on health clubs |
| 398 | June 23, 1983 | Men at Work (Greg Ham, Colin Hay) | |
| 399 | July 7, 1983 | Eddie Murphy | |
| 400/401 | July 21 – August 4, 1983 | Return of the Jedi cast (Carrie Fisher, Darth Vader) | Cover includes unidentified Ewok and Gamorrean |
| 402 | August 18, 1983 | John Travolta | |
| 403 | September 1, 1983 | Sting | |
| 404 | September 15, 1983 | Jackson Browne | |
| 405 | September 29, 1983 | Annie Lennox | |
| 406 | October 13, 1983 | Chevy Chase | |
| 407 | October 27, 1983 | Sean Connery | |
| 408 | November 10, 1983 | Boy George | |
| 409 | November 24, 1983 | Mick Jagger | |
| 410 | December 8, 1983 | Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney | |
| 411/412 | December 22, 1983 – January 5, 1984 | People from covers of issues 385/386-411/412 | 1983 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 413 | January 19, 1984 | Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Kenney Jones, Ronnie Lane, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman | ARMS Charity Concerts cover story |
| 414 | February 2, 1984 | Duran Duran (Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Roger Taylor) | |
| 415 | February 16, 1984 | The Beatles (George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr) | |
| 416 | March 1, 1984 | The Police (Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers) | |
| 417 | March 15, 1984 | Michael Jackson | |
| 418 | March 29, 1984 | Jack Nicholson | |
| 419 | April 12, 1984 | Eddie Murphy | |
| 420 | April 26, 1984 | Daryl Hannah | |
| The Pretenders (Martin Chambers, Malcolm Foster, Chrissie Hynde, Robbie McIntosh) |
| 421 | May 10, 1984 | Marvin Gaye | |
| 422 | May 24, 1984 | Cyndi Lauper | |
| 423 | June 7, 1984 | Culture Club (Boy George, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay, Jon Moss) | |
| 424 | June 21, 1984 | Bob Dylan | |
| 425 | July 5, 1984 | The Go-Go's (Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin) | |
| 426/427 | July 19 – August 2, 1984 | Little Richard, Steven Spielberg, Tom Wolfe | Various cover stories |
| 428 | August 16, 1984 | Bill Murray | |
| 429 | August 30, 1984 | Prince | |
| 430 | September 13, 1984 | Huey Lewis | |
| 431 | September 27, 1984 | John Belushi | |
| 432 | October 11, 1984 | Tina Turner | |
| 433 | October 25, 1984 | David Bowie | |
| 434 | November 8, 1984 | Steve Martin | |
| 435 | November 22, 1984 | Madonna | |
| 436 | December 6, 1984 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 437/438 | December 20, 1984 – January 3, 1985 | People from covers of issues 413-437/438 | 1984 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 439 | January 17, 1985 | Hall & Oates (Daryl Hall, John Oates) | |
| 440 | January 31, 1985 | Billy Idol | |
| 441 | February 14, 1985 | Mick Jagger | |
| 442 | February 28, 1985 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 443 | March 14, 1985 | U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) | |
| 444 | March 28, 1985 | Miami Vice cast (Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas) | |
| 445 | April 11, 1985 | David Lee Roth | |
| 446 | April 25, 1985 | Richard Gere | |
| 447 | May 9, 1985 | Desperately Seeking Susan cast (Rosanna Arquette, Madonna) | |
| 448 | May 23, 1985 | Phil Collins | |
| 449 | June 6, 1985 | Julian Lennon | |
| 450 | June 20, 1985 | David Letterman | |
| 451 | July 4, 1985 | Clint Eastwood | |
| 452/453 | July 18 – August 1, 1985 | Perfect cast (Jamie Lee Curtis, John Travolta) | |
| 454 | August 15, 1985 | Bryan Adams, Bono, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Bob Geldof, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jagger, Mark Knopfler, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Ric Ocasek, Robert Plant, Sade, Sting, John Taylor, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner | Live Aid cover story |
| 455 | August 29, 1985 | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome cast (Mel Gibson, Tina Turner) | |
| 456 | September 12, 1985 | Prince | |
| 457 | September 26, 1985 | Sting | |
| 458 | October 10, 1985 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 459 | October 24, 1985 | Steven Spielberg | |
| 460 | November 7, 1985 | Don Johnson | |
| 461 | November 21, 1985 | Mark Knopfler | |
| 462 | December 5, 1985 | Bob Geldof | |
| 463/464 | December 19, 1985 – January 2, 1986 | People from covers of issues 437/438-463/464 | 1985 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 465 | January 16, 1986 | Michael Douglas | |
| 466 | January 30, 1986 | John Mellencamp | |
| 467 | February 13, 1986 | Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers (Don Everly, Phil Everly), Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis Presley | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cover story |
| 468 | February 27, 1986 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 469 | March 13, 1986 | Jim McMahon | |
| 470 | March 27, 1986 | Bruce Willis | |
| 471 | April 10, 1986 | Stevie Wonder | |
| 472 | April 24, 1986 | Prince, Wendy & Lisa (Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin) | |
| 473 | May 8, 1986 | Whoopi Goldberg | |
| 474 | May 22, 1986 | Michael J. Fox | The Hot List 1986 |
| 475 | June 5, 1986 | Madonna | |
| 476 | June 19, 1986 | Tom Cruise | |
| 477 | July 3, 1986 | Van Halen (Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen) | |
| 478/479 | July 17–31, 1986 | Bob Dylan, Tom Petty | |
| 480 | August 14, 1986 | Jack Nicholson | |
| 481 | August 28, 1986 | Boy George | |
| 482 | September 11, 1986 | Paul McCartney | |
| 483 | September 25, 1986 | Don Johnson | |
| 484 | October 9, 1986 | Cybill Shepherd | |
| 485 | October 23, 1986 | Tina Turner | |
| 486 | November 6, 1986 | Billy Joel | |
| 487 | November 20, 1986 | Huey Lewis | |
| 488 | December 4, 1986 | Run-D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizell, Joseph Simmons) | |
| 489/490 | December 18, 1986 – January 1, 1987 | People from covers of issues 463/464-489/490 | 1986 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 491 | January 15, 1987 | Talking Heads (David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth) | |
| 492 | January 29, 1987 | Peter Gabriel | |
| 493 | February 12, 1987 | Paul Reubens | |
| 494 | February 26, 1987 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 495 | March 12, 1987 | Michael J. Fox | |
| 496 | March 26, 1987 | The Bangles (Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, Vicki Peterson, Michael Steele) | |
| 497 | April 9, 1987 | Woody Allen | |
| 498 | April 23, 1987 | David Bowie | |
| 499 | May 7, 1987 | U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) | |
| 500 | May 21, 1987 | Jon Bon Jovi | The Hot List 1987 |
| 501 | June 4, 1987 | Jimi Hendrix | |
| 502 | June 18, 1987 | Robert Cray | |
| 503 | July 2, 1987 | Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Jabulani Dubazana, Abednego Mazibuko, Albert Mazibuko, Geophrey Mdletshe, Russel Mthembu, Inos Phungula, Ben Shabalala, Headman Shabalala, Jockey Shabalala, Joseph Shabalala), Paul Simon | |
| 504/505 | July 16–30, 1987 | The Grateful Dead (Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, Bob Weir) | |
| 506 | August 13, 1987 | Mötley Crüe (Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx) | |
| 507 | August 27, 1987 | None | "The 100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years" cover story |
| 508 | September 10, 1987 | Madonna | |
| 509 | September 24, 1987 | Michael Jackson | |
| 510 | October 8, 1987 | Bono | |
| 511 | October 22, 1987 | George Harrison | |
| 512 | November 5 – December 10, 1987 | None | 20th anniversary issue |
| 513 | November 19, 1987 | Pink Floyd | Cover did not show the band members, only an illustration of various icons associated with the band and its music |
| 514 | December 3, 1987 | R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe) | |
| 515/516 | December 17–31, 1987 | People from covers of issues 491-503, 504/505 (minus Hart, Lesh, and Mydland), 506-511, 513, 514 | 1987 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 517 | January 14, 1988 | Michael Douglas | |
| 518 | January 28, 1988 | George Michael | |
| 519 | February 11, 1988 | Sting | |
| 520 | February 25, 1988 | Robin Williams | |
| 521 | March 10, 1988 | U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) | |
| 522 | March 24, 1988 | Robert Plant | |
| 523 | April 7, 1988 | Martin Luther King Jr. | |
| 524 | April 21, 1988 | David Byrne | |
| 525 | May 5, 1988 | Bruce Springsteen | |
| 526 | May 19, 1988 | Lisa Bonet | The Hot List 1988 |
| 527 | June 2, 1988 | Neil Young | |
| 528 | June 16, 1988 | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 529 | June 30, 1988 | Tom Hanks | |
| 530/531 | July 14–28, 1988 | Van Halen (Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen) | |
| 532 | August 11, 1988 | Tom Cruise | |
| 533 | August 25, 1988 | Eric Clapton | |
| 534 | September 8, 1988 | None | "The 100 Best Singles of the Last Twenty-Five Years" cover story |
| 535 | September 22, 1988 | Tracy Chapman | |
| 536 | October 6, 1988 | Keith Richards | |
| 537 | October 20, 1988 | John Lennon | |
| 538 | November 3, 1988 | Johnny Carson, David Letterman | Comedy issue |
| 539 | November 17, 1988 | Guns N' Roses (Steven Adler, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin) | |
| 540 | December 1, 1988 | Steve Winwood | |
| 541/542 | December 15–29, 1988 | People from covers of issues 517-522, 524-540 | 1988 year-end issue |
| Issue number | Cover date | People on cover | Notes |
| 543 | January 12, 1989 | Mel Gibson | |
| 544 | January 26, 1989 | Roy Orbison | |
| 545 | February 9, 1989 | Jon Bon Jovi | |
| 546 | February 23, 1989 | Sam Kinison | |
| 547 | March 9, 1989 | Bono | |
| 548 | March 23, 1989 | Madonna | |
| 549 | April 6, 1989 | James Brown | |
| 550 | April 20, 1989 | R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe) | |
| 551 | May 4, 1989 | Lou Reed | |
| 552 | May 18, 1989 | Uma Thurman | The Hot List 1989 |
| 553 | June 1, 1989 | Ghostbusters II cast (Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver) | |
| 554 | June 15, 1989 | Paul McCartney | |
| 555 | June 29, 1989 | Michael Keaton | |
| 556/557 | July 13–27, 1989 | The Who (Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Pete Townshend) | |
| 558 | August 10, 1989 | Axl Rose | |
| 559 | August 24, 1989 | Eddie Murphy | |
| 560 | September 7, 1989 | The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) | |
| 561 | September 21, 1989 | Madonna | |
| 562 | October 5, 1989 | Roland Gift | |
| 563 | October 19, 1989 | Andie MacDowell | |
| 564 | November 2, 1989 | Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno | 1989 comedy issue |
| 565 | November 16, 1989 | None | "The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s" cover story |
| 566 | November 30, 1989 | Jerry Garcia | |
| 567/568 | December 14–28, 1989 | People from covers of issues 543, 544, 546-566 | 1989 year-end issue |
References[edit]
Sources[edit]
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