- Jan 11 Eva Tanguay, Canadian-born vaudeville and film singer and entertainer dies at 68
- Jan 16 Fate Marable, American jazz pianist, riverboat calliope player, and bandleader, dies of pneumonia at 56
- Jan 26 Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (One Night of Love), dies at 48
- Jan 27 Anna von Mildenburg, Austrian Wagnerian soprano, dies at 74
- Jan 28 Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French singer, composer, conductor, and music critic, dies at 72
- Feb 6 Luigi Russolo, Italian Futurist composer (The Art of Noises), dies at 61
- Feb 8 Ernest Williams, American composer, dies at 65
- Mar 5 Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, conductor (Boston Pops, 1927-29), and composer (La Giara; Concerto Romana), dies at 63
- Mar 11 Victor Hely-Hutchinson, British composer (Carol Symphony), dies of pneumonia at 45
- Mar 19 Willem Pijper, Dutch composer and music critic, dies at 52
- Mar 28 Rudolph Simonsen, Danish composer (Olympic Arts bronze, 1928 - Symphony No. 2 (Hellas)), and educator (Royal Danish Academy, 1916-47), dies at 57
- Apr 6 Václav Kaprál, Czech composer, pianist, and pedagogue, dies at 58
- Apr 9 Konrad Friedrich Noetel, German composer, dies at 43
- May 11 Ture Rangström, Swedish composer, dies at 62
- May 30 Sidney Nicholson, English composer, dies at 72
- May 31 Henri Casadesus, French violist and composer (Preludes for Viola d'amour), dies at 67
- Jun 2 Herman Darewski, Polish-British stage and light music composer (The Better 'Ole), and conductor, dies at 64
- Jun 12 Jazeps Medins, Latvian composer, dies at 70
- Jul 1 Clarence Lucas, Canadian composer, dies at 80
- Jul 12 Jimmie Lunceford, American swing jazz saxophonist and bandleader (Rhythm Is Our Business; For Dancers Only), dies of a heart attack at 45 [1] [2]
- Jul 15 Walter Donaldson, American pianist and popular song composer ("Makin' Whoopee"; "My Blue Heaven"; "My Buddy"), dies at 54
- Jul 24 Ernest Austin, English composer, dies at 72
- Aug 13 Tobias Norlind, Swedish musicologist, dies at 68
- Sep 12 Harry Rowe Shelley, American hymn composer, dies at 89
- Sep 28 Francisco Santiago, Filipino pianist, composer (Taga-ilog Symphony), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 58
- Oct 6 Leevi Antti Madetoya, composer, dies at 60
- Oct 29 Theodore Holland, British composer, dies at 69
- Nov 14 Joseph Allard, French Canadian fiddler and composer, dies at 74
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers