That would be Peter Sarstedt, rather than Donovan. Some of the French names (no guarantees on spelling) are Zizi Jeanmaire, Belmond, and also a mention for the Aga Khan.
And if we allow Vincent (which is most definitely about Vincent van Gogh rather than referring to him, see the OP), there is also:
Biko - Peter Gabriel
Mandela - Sinnead O’Connor
Rene Margritte and his wife before the war - Paul Simon (not 100% sure about the title)
Free Nelson Mandela - ?
I shot John Lennon - Cranberries
The ballad of John and Yoko - Beatles
and many many more…
Quite all right. 
“OW” came to mind first, but I thought some of the other mentions, especially Seal’s, were better. Funnier, at least.
Third Eye Blind:
“Horror Show”-- Lou Reed
(Various Artists):
“On And On”-- Bob Marley
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd not only mentions Neil Young, but it makes reference to Young’s song “Southern Man”: “I hope Neil Young will remember/A southern man don’t need him around anyhow.”
-Syko
“My cat’s breath smells like cat food.” - Ralph Wiggum
Savage Garden’s “Santa Monica”–Norman Mailer
Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”–Nabakov
Better Than Ezra:
“Under You”–Leonard Cohen
“Extraordinary”–Bobby Fischer, Madonna, the Barenaked Ladies, AC/DC
“Lifetime”–REM
Was Russians by Sting alreday mentioned? Khruschov, Reagan, Oppenheimer.
The Tractor’s “Baby Likes To Rock It” includes the line “Got Brother Jimmy on the TV – Killer on the stereo”, which was a reference to TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and his cousin, singer Jerry “The Killer” Lee Lewis.
After rereading this thread, I can’t believe no one mentioned “Buddy Holly” by Weezer.
“I look just like Buddy Holly
And you’re Mary Tyler Moore”
Sorry Blur, they mention Jerry Brown, not Pete Wilson
Also Mojo Nixon has a song about Martha Quinn, of early MTV fame called “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin”. I know I dreamt about doing that, too.
Then, of course, there is “Don Henley must die!” and “Bring Me the Head of David Geffen”. Apparently Mojo has a dislike for the Eagles. (Apparently, Geffen was involved in resurrecting the Eagles in the early '90s)
Then there is the classic by Thelonious Monster entitled “Sammy Hagar Weekend”
Sheryl Crow’s Run Baby Run - Aldous Huxley
10,000 Maniacs’ Hey Jack Kerouac - Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg
Indigo Girls’ Virginia Woolf
The Smiths’ Cemetry Gates - John Keats, William Yeats, Oscar Wilde
The Cranberries’ Yeats Grave - William Yeats
Crash Test Dummies:
“Afternoons and Coffeespoons”–Sartre, T. S. Eliot
“When I Go Out with Artists”–David Byrne
Van Morrison:
“Summertime in England”–Coleridge, Wordsworth, William Blake, T. S. Eliot, Mahalia Jackson, Yeats, Lady Gregory, James Joyce
“Cleaning Windows”–Kerouac, Jimmie Rodgers, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, Christmas Humphreys
“Jackie Wilson Said”–Jackie Wilson
“Saint Dominic’s Preview”–Edith Piaf, Hank Williams
“Fair Play”–Oscar Wilde, Thoreau
“The Eternal Kansas City”–Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Young, Witherspoon, Jay McShann, Billie Holliday
“Foreign Window”–Rimbaud, Lord Byron
Ray Davies was great at dropping historical celebrities into his songwriting. To whit: (Damn! Got to use whit in a sentence!)
Queen Victoria: Victoria
Anthony Eden: A Hat Like Princess Marina’s
Winston Churchill: Can’t recall the title, but it was a recitation of the Prime Minister’s "We shall fight them…"speech
Quasi
Martin Sexton has a line in his song Diggin’ Me:
“You be who you want, I’ll be who you want
I’ll be your Ray Liotta”
British pop singer Dickie Pride, in his 1960 song “Betty, Betty, Go Steady with Me”, sings about the object of his affections… “She wears her hair like…Brigitte Bardot”
There are lots of songs of that era that mention Elvis, or the Beatles in some way, where the singer’s girl is besotted with them, and he doesn’t know what to do. Or, if a girl singer or group, she’s a huge huge fan.
I just wish I could go through my collection and try to do this justice, esp. since this is my VERY FIRST POST!
Legomancer mentioned M. Sweet’s “Winona”; Mojo Nixon [with Skid Roper?] did one about her also. And another tasteless masterpiece about Debbie Gibson. Legomancer also caught a TMBG reference to Kurtis Blow; so did Tom Tom Club so long ago…
XTC has cited the now-dead Brit political crank, Screaming Lord Sutch. And in their “Then She Appeared,” Andy P. references Fox Talbot [photography pioneer], Edward Leer, and the doomed crew of the Marie Celeste [a recent SD question!].
Dead Milkmen hissed, “You’ll dance to anything, by Book of Love/Depeche Mode.”
Joe Strummer mentions Cannonball Adderly and Perry Como in “Sikorski Parts,” the title referencing the helicopter pioneer.
Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” remains a classic; King Missile’s “Martin Scorsese” is just creepy.
The Mekons did “John Barry,” but I don’t think that’s about the soundtrack composer. They’ve also referenced John Wayne and Sir Isaac Newton.
And, tossing all this street cred away, [Bob Seger?] sang about “Bogie and Bacall” in “Key Largo”.
Bertie Higgins, actually, but let me be among the first to welcome you to the Society! This is a fun part of the SDMB if you like the arts, and I hope you’ll enjoy yourself here!
Quasi
John Cale’s Cordova mentions “a William Burroughs playing for lost time”.
The Velvet Underground’s live version of New Age has the great couplet:
“… it would be my fancy
To make it with Frank and Nancy”
(presumably about the Sinatras)
Simon Bonney’s White Suit In Memphis is about Johnny Cash, although it doesn’t mention his surname (only first name). There’s also the reverse of the OP - the Blackeyed Susans have a song called Smoking Johnny Cash where the great man’s name is rhyming slang for hash.
There’s lots more, but these are all I can think of at the moment.
I’m ashamed to mention that bubblegum thing by O-Town that names Destiny’s Child and Janet Jackson, amongst others, women they want their girl to be like or something
Sheryl Crow’s “Do What You Can” mentions jazz great Stan Kenton
Elton John’s "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) is about John Lennon and his duet “Wrap Her Up” with George Michael names about twenty women from the Mona Lisa to Doris Day to Joan Collins to Kiki Dee
The Commodores’ “Nightshift” is about Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson and mentions both
Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” mentions W.C. Handy and Elvis
Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” mentions Britney Spears, Carson Daly, Fred Durst, Tom Green and, notoriously, Christina Aguilera
Duran Duran’s “Friends of Mine” mentions Georgie Davis, a noted prisoner in the UK in the 70s who did something or other really stupid
I get this feeling that I’m ignoring some other really obvious examples, and that’s without even delving into the world of hip-hop/rap. Blah.
Talking about Eminem, “The Way I Am” mentions Marilyn Manson.
Neil Young mentions Nixon on “Ohio”, and “Campaigner”.
He also mentions Marlon Brando in Pocohantus. “maybe Marlon Brando will be there by the fire, singing songs about Hollywood and the good things there for hire”