- Feb 1 Alexander Nikoleyevich Serov, Russian composer, dies at 51
- Feb 7 Henry Steinway [Heinrich Steinweg], German American piano manufacturer (Steinway & Sons), dies at 73
- Mar 20 Antonio Buzzolla, Italian composer, dies at 56
- Apr 5 Andreas Henkel, German organist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 66
- Apr 8 Charles-Louis Hanssens, Belgian composer, dies at 68
- Apr 27 Sigismond Fortune Francois Thalberg, Austrian composer, dies at 59
- May 12 Daniel François Esprit Auber, French opera composer (Fra Diavolo), dies at 89
- May 24 Francisco Salvador Daniel, French composer, and ethnomusicologist, dies at 40
- May 26 Aimé Maillart, French opera composer (Les Dragons de Villars), dies at 54
- Jul 17 Carl Tausig, Polish pianist, student and protégé of Liszt, and composer noted for his transcriptions, dies of typhoid at 29
- Sep 3 Václav Emanuel Horák, Czech composer, chiefly of liturgical music, organist, and kapellmeister, dies at 71
- Sep 8 Etienne-Joseph Soubre, Belgian composer, dies at 57
- Sep 12 Karl Collan, Finnish composer, dies at 43
- Sep 26 Cipriani Potter, English pianist and composer, dies at 78
- Dec 29 Ferdinand Marcucci, Italian harpist and composer, dies at 71
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers