Musicians Who Died on April 24

  • 1758 Florian Wrastill, Austrian composer of sacred music, choir master, and Benedictine monk, dies at 41
  • 1776 Giuseppe Paolucci, Italian composer, dies at 49
  • 1827 Pierre-Joseph Candeille, French composer, dies at 82
  • 1848 Francois van Campenhout, Belgian composer (Brabanconne), dies at 69
  • 1850 Louis Alexandre Piccinni, Italian-French composer, dies at 70
  • 1855 Walenty Karol Kratzer, composer, dies at 75
  • 1875 Jose Maria de la Purificacion Ventura, Spanish composer (Father of the modern Sardana), dies at 58
  • 1922 Richard Batka, Austrian music critic and composer, dies at 53
  • 1928 Ferdinand Hummel, German composer, dies at 72
  • 1935 Paul Klengel, German pianist, violinist, composer and educator, dies at 80
  • 1936 Alphons Diepenbrock, Dutch composer, conductor, and essayist, dies at 73
  • 1936 Bernard van Dieren, Dutch composer, and music critic, dies at 51
  • 1945 Hubert Bath, British film composer and music director, dies at 61
  • 1948 Jāzeps Vītols, Latvian composer, dies at 84
  • 1948 Manuel Ponce, Mexican composer (Ferial), dies at 65
  • 1959 Jef van Hoof, Flemish composer, dies at 72
  • 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