- Dec 1 Dianne Lennon, American singer (Lennon Sisters), born in Los Angeles, California
- Dec 5 Frédéric van Rossum, Belgian pianist, composer (Waves; In memoriam Glenn Gould), and pedagogue, born in Ixelles, Belgium
- Dec 6 Steve Alaimo, American pop singer ("Mashed Potatoes"; "Every Day I Have To Cry"), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Dec 6 Tomés Svoboda, Czech composer (Etude), born in Paris, France
- Dec 8 James Galway, Irish classical flutist known as "The Man With the Golden Flute", born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Dec 8 Jerry Butler, American soul vocalist (The Impressions; "Never Give You Up"), born in Sunflower, Mississippi
- Dec 11 David Gates, American rock vocalist (Bread - "Baby I'm A Want You"; "If"), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Dec 15 Cindy Birdsong, American rock vocalist (Patti LaBelle & Blue Belles, 1963-67; The Supremes, 1967-76), born in Camden, New Jersey
- Dec 15 Dave Clark, British rock drummer, singer-songwriter, and producer (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), born in Tottenham, Middlesex, England [1]
- Dec 15 Nicolaus A. Huber, German composer, born in Passau, Germany
- Dec 17 Eddie Kendricks, American singer-songwriter (The Temptations - "The Way You Do the Things You Do"; "Just My Imagination"), born in Union Springs, Alabama (d. 1992)
- Dec 17 James Booker, American R&B musician (Gonzo), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Dec 18 Wiesje Backer, Dutch ballet dancer, actress. and playwright, born in Ammerzoden, Netherlands (d. 2018)
- Dec 20 Bill Keith, American bluegrass, country, and session banjoist, and tuning instrument tuner inventor, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
- Dec 20 Kim Weston, American soul singer (with Marvin Gaye - "It Takes Two"), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Dec 20 Klaus Schweizer, German composer, born in Albstadt, Germany
- Dec 22 James Gurley, American rock lead guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company - "Piece Of My Heart"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2009)
- Dec 25 Bob James, American smooth jazz keyboardist and composer ("Angela"; "Tappen Zee"), born in Marshall, Missouri
Phil Spector (1939-2021)
Dec 26 American record producer (Wall of Sound), and convicted murderer, born in The Bronx, New York
- Dec 28 Charles Neville, American vocalist and saxophonist (Neville Brothers), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2018)
- Dec 29 (William Edwin) "Ed" Bruce, American country singer ("Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"), born in Keiser, Arkansas (d. 2021)
- Dec 30 Felix Pappalardi, American rock music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist (Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1983)
- Dec 30 Viola Mae Wilkerson, American pop singer ("Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now"), born in Watts, Los Angeles, California (d. 2009)
About December 1939
How Old? 84 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: No
Chinese Zodiac: Rabbit
Star Signs: Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21), Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19)
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers