- 1629 Sigismondo d'India, Italian composer, dies at about 47 [details are sketchy]
- 1645 William Smith, British composer of Anglican sacred choral works, dies at 42
- 1770 Esprit Antoine Blanchard, French composer, dies at 74
- 1772 Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer, dies at 66
- 1773 Florian Johann Deller, Austrian composer, dies at 43
- 1799 Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch violinist, organist (Pembroke College & Chapel of Peterhouse, both in Cambridge, England), teacher, and composer (Glees), dies at 78
- 1870 Camille Marie Stamaty, French pianist, composer, and teacher of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Camille Saint-Saëns, dies at 59
- 1870 William Henry Havergal, composer, dies at 77
- 1876 Samuel Sebastian Wesley, English organist and composer, dies at 65
- 1923 Thomas Payne Westendorf, American songwriter ("I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"), dies at 75
- 1932 Władysław Rzepko, Polish composer, dies at 77
- 1941 Johanna Muller-Hermann, composer, dies at 63
- 1943 Gustave Doret, Swiss composer, dies at 76
- 1950 Lord Berners [Gerald Tyrwhitt], English composer (1st Childhood), dies at 66
- 1981 Ernst Levy, Swiss composer, dies at 85
- 1986 Dag Wirén, Swedish composer, dies at 80
- 1987 Hugh Brannum, American actor and singer (Captain Kangaroo - "Mr. Green Jeans"; The Fred Waring Show - "Lumpy"), dies of cancer at 77
- 1992 Rob Clayton, American alternative rock drummer (The Jody Grind), dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 22
- 1992 Robert Hayes, American alternative rock bassist (The Jody Grind), dies in car crash with a drunk driver at 24
- 1993 Blas Galindo, Mexican composer (A la Patria), dies at 83
- 1993 Steve Douglas [Kreisman], American session and touring saxophonist and flautist (Phil Spector; Duane Eddy; Beach Boys), dies of a heart attack at 54
- 1994 Frederick Ferrari, English tenor and variety performer (Love Descended Like An Angel), dies at 81
- 1994 Larry Davis, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 57
- 1995 "King" Herbert Whitaker, American R&B tenor saxophonist, dies at 66
- 1996 Bernard Edwards, American funk and disco bass player (Chic - "Le Freak"; "Good Times"), dies of pneumonia at 44
- 1997 El Duce [Eldon Wayne Hoke], American singer and drummer (The Mentors), dies from a "misadventure" on a train-track at 39
- 1998 Liam Sullivan, American singer and actor (Star Trek; The Magic Sword; Monroes), dies of a heart attack at 74
- 2000 Louis Applebaum, Canadian conductor and composer, dies at 82
- 2003 Conrad Leonard, British composer and pianist, dies at 104
- 2005 Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish jazz bassist (b. 1946)
- 2005 Rick Lewis, American doo-wop tenor (The Silhouettes - "Get A Job"), dies at 71
- 2008 Richard de Bois, Dutch songwriter ("Ik Hou Van Jou"), record producer (Dollly Dots); Ivy Green), and drummer (Roek's Family; Ginger Ale), dies of cancer at 59
- 2010 Keith "Guru" Elam, American rapper (b. 1966)
- 2011 Jaroslav Smolka, Czech composer (Metamorfosi), music director, dramaturge, pedagogue, and musicologist, dies at 78
- 2012 Greg Ham, Australian rock saxophonist and flutist (Men At Work - "Who Can It Be Now"), dies under mysterious circumstances at 58
- 2012 Levon Helm, American drummer and singer (The Band - "Up On Cripple Creek"; "The Weight"), and actor (Coal Miner's Daughter; The Right Stuff), dies from throat cancer at 71
- 2015 Richard Anthony [Btesh], Syrian-French pop singer, and songwriter ("Aranjuez mon amour"; "Amoureux de ma femme"), dies at 77
- 2018 Graciela Agudelo, Mexican pianist and avant garde composer (Celebration of Wine), dies at 72
- 2019 Bob Efford, British jazz and session baritone saxophonist and reed player, dies at 91
- 2019 Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor, dies at 91
- 2020 Ian Whitcomb, English rocker ("You Turn Me On"), dies at 78
Jim Steinman (1947-2021)
American Grammy Award-winning songwriter and record producer (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell; Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart), dies of kidney failure at 73 [1]
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning