1961 (Joseph) Rosario Bourdon, French Canadian-American cellist, violinist, conductor, arranger and musical director (Victor Talking Machine Company, 1905-31; Symphonique de Montréal, 1935-44), dies at 76
1970 Otis Spann, American blues pianist and singer (The Blues Never Die!), dies of liver cancer at 40 [or perhaps, 46; birth date disputed]
1971 Lennie Hayton, American pianist, composer, conductor and arranger (Paul Whiteman; Bing Crosby; MGM), dies at of heart attack at 63
1975 Pete Ham, Welsh rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Badfinger - "Without You"; "No Matter What"; Day After Day"), takes his own life at 27
1997 Robert Erickson, American composer, dies at 80
1998 Mel Powell [Epstein], American composer (Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra - Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1990), dies from liver cancer at 75
2001 Al Hibbler, American singer ("Unchained Melody"), dies at 85
2009 Rev. Timothy Wright, American gospel singer (Been There Done That), and pastor, dies from injuries sustained in a car crash at 61
2014 Konstantin Orbelyan, Armenian pianist, jazz and classical composer, and orchestra leader (State Estrada (Pops) Orchestra), dies at 85
2016 Billy Paul [Paul Williams], American soul singer ("Me & Mrs Jones"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 81
2016 Jan Henrik Kayser, Norwegian concert pianist (Grieg Prize, 1978), dies at 83
2016 Papa Wemba [Wembadio Kikumba], Congolese singer, known as the "King of Rumba Rock", dies after collapsing on stage at 66
2019 Dick Rivers [Hervé Forneri], French rock and roll singer and actor, dies from cancer on his 74th birthday
2020 (Hamilton) Bohannon, American R&B and disco percussionist, bandleader, songwriter, and record producer ("Save Their Souls"), dies at 78
2020 Harold Reid, American country bass vocalist (Statler Brothers - "Bed Of Rose's"), dies of kidney failure at 80 [1]
2021 Christa Ludwig, German soprano (Vienna State Opera, 1955-94; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-93), dies at 93
2022 (Wilhelm) "Willi" Resetarits, Austrian singer and human rights activist, dies at 73