- Jan 5 (Catherine) "Kitty" Cheatham, American folk singer and children's music singer-songwriter, dies at 81
- Jan 7 Adamo Didur, Polish operatic bass singer (New York Metropolitan Opera, 1908-32), dies at 71
- Jan 17 Gottfried Rudinger, German composer, dies at 59
- Jan 18 Feliks Nowowiejski, Polish organist and composer, dies at 68
- Jan 29 Sidney Jones, British conductor and composer (The Geisha, A Gaiety Girl), dies at 84
- Feb 15 Louis "Putney" Dandridge American jazz pianist and singer (Heatin' Up Harlem), dies at 44
- Feb 20 Hugh Allen, British organist, conductor (Bach Choir; Leeds Festival), and educator (Oxford, 1918-46-; Royal College of Music, 1918-37), dies from injuries after being run down by a motorcycle at 76
- Mar 13 Thomas Frederick Dunhill, composer, dies at 69
- Mar 24 Gustaf Heintze, Swedish composer, dies at 66
- Mar 26 Alexandru Zirra, Romanian composer, dies at 62
- Apr 5 Vincent Youmans, American composer and songwriter (Tea for Two), dies at 47
- Apr 13 Valery Zhelobinsky, Russian pianist and composer, dies at 33
- Apr 13 William Henry Bell, English composer, dies at 72
- Apr 23 Jesús Castillo, Guatemalan composer (Quiché Vinak), dies at 68
- May 1 Edward Bairstow, English composer, dies at 71
- May 1 Percy Whitlock, English composer and organist, dies at 42
- May 25 Patty Smith Hill, American composer, teacher and songwriter ("Happy Birthday To You"), dies at 78
- Jun 1 Leo Slezak, Moravian dramatic tenor and actor (Othello; Zirkus Saran; Husaren heraus), dies from a heart attack at 72
- Jun 16 Miloje Milojević, Serbian composer, dies at 61
- Jun 21 Heinrich Kaminski, German composer, dies at 59
- Jun 30 Michael Zadora, American composer and pianist, dies at 64
- Jul 8 Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, Russian composer (Alexnadrov Ensemble), dies at 63
- Jul 20 Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, American trombonist and plunger mute pioneer (Duke Ellington Orchestra), dies of a stroke at 42
- Aug 13 Valery Zhelobinsky, Russian composer, dies at 33
- Aug 29 Milan Harašta, Czech composer, dies at 26
- Aug 31 Paul August von Klenau, Danish opera composer, and conductor, dies at 63
- Sep 3 Paul Lincke, German composer and theater conductor considered the "father" of the Berlin operetta (Frau Luna, Lysistrata), dies at 79
- Sep 16 Mamie Smith, American vaudeville singer, dancer and actress (Crazy Blues), dies at 63
- Oct 16 Granville Bantock, English composer and conductor (Hebridean Symphony), dies at 78
- Nov 5 Zygmunt Stojowski, Polish-American concert pianist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 76
- Nov 14 Manuel de Falla, Spanish pianist and composer (Atlántida), dies of cardiac arrest at 69
- Nov 24 Alfonso Broqua, Uruguayan composer, dies at 70
- Dec 6 Maximilian Steinberg, Russian composer, dies at 63
- Dec 15 Frederic Norton, British composer (Chu Chin Chow), dies at 77
- Dec 28 Carrie Jacobs-Bond, American singer, pianist, songwriter (I Love You Truly; A Perfect Day), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 85
- Dec 30 Charles Wakefield Cadman, American composer (Shanewis (or The Robin Woman); The Sky Hawk), dies at 65
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