* Charles "Honi" Coles, 81, a Broadway tap dancer so graceful he was once said to make butterflies look clumsy, died in his sleep yesterday of lung cancer at his home in Queens, N.Y. His career on Broadway spanned 50 years and dozens of musicals, but the tall, lean dancer was best known for an effervescent grace and fluidity in his footwork. Mr. Coles had leading roles in the original Broadway versions of "Hello, Dolly" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." He also appeared in the movie "Cotton Club." He received his only Tony Award in 1983 for a supporting role in Tommy Tune's "My One and Only." President Bush awarded Mr. Coles the National Medal of Arts in 1991 for contributions in musical theater and he received a Dance Magazine Award in 1985.
* Giulio Carlo Argan, 83, an eminent art historian who served as the first Marxist mayor of Rome, died after a heart attack Wednesday night.