Divorced. Dick Smothers, 30, the curly-haired brother with the mustache and straight lines; by Linda Ann Smothers, 30; on grounds of mental cruelty (said she: "He made it quite obvious he didn't want me around"); after nine years of marriage, three children; in Santa Monica, Calif, (see TELEVISION).

Died. Eduard Strauss, 59, grandnephew of Composer Johann Jr. and last direct descendant of the Strauss musical dynasty; of a lung embolism; in Vienna. Strauss began his career as an instructor at the Vienna City Conser-vatorium, later became a roving guest conductor specializing in the interpretation of his great-uncle's waltz compositions. He often conducted the London Philharmonic's annual Strauss concert, and made several world tours with Vienna's Johann Strauss Orchestra, an ensemble he helped to found.

Died. Harley Earl, 75, General Motors auto designer from 1927 to 1958, who pioneered the splashy styles that have become Detroit's hallmark; of a stroke; in West Palm Beach, Fla. The son of a Los Angeles carriage maker, Earl started custom-designing cars for movie stars in the early 1920s, then went to G.M. as chief of its newly created art and color department. He soon convinced company brass that the U.S. public had a yen for rakish lines and bold color, designed the soaring Cadillac tail fins, eliminated running boards and strapped-on spare tires from G.M. cars, and originated the built-in trunk. "My primary purpose has been to lengthen and lower the American automobile," he once said. "A greyhound is more graceful than a bulldog."

Died. Chang Chih-chung, 78, Chinese soldier-statesman who in 1949 rocked the tottering Nationalist regime by defecting to the Communists; after a long illness; in Peking. After a brilliant career as a Kuomintang official, Chang was named military governor of Sinkiang province in 1946, as well as chief negotiator in the on-and-off truce talks with the Communists. When the talks got nowhere and Communist strength grew steadily, Chang decided to join the winners and switched allegiance to Mao Tsetung, who made him vice chairman of the National Defense Council.

Died. Henry Francis du Pont, 88, great-grandson of E. I. du Pont de Nemours, founder of Du Pont, who became a director in the family's vast chemical firm in 1915, established the Du Pont Winterthur Museum near Wilmington, filled its more than 100 period rooms with a rich collection of Early American furniture and ornaments and, in 1961, was appointed chairman of the Fine Arts Committee for the White House; of cancer; at Winterthur, Del.

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