- Dec 8 John Mills, Sr., American singer (Mills Brothers) (b. 1889)
- Dec 10 Brasílio Itiberê da Cunha Luz, Brazilian composer, dies at 71
- Dec 10 Carl Cunningham, American drummer (The Bar-kays - "Soul Finger"), killed in Otis Redding plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin crash at 19
- Dec 10 Jimmy King, American guitarist (The Bar-kays - "Soul Finger"), dies in Otis Redding plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin crash at 18
Otis Redding (1941-1967)
Dec 10 American soul singer-songwriter ("(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"; "Respect"), dies in a plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin at 26
- Dec 10 Phalin Jones, American soul and R&B saxophonist (The Bar-kays - "Soul Finger"), dies in Otis Redding plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin at 19
- Dec 10 Ron Caldwell, American soul and R&B keyboardist (The Bar-kays - "Soul Finger"), dies in Otis Redding plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin at 18
- Dec 11 Richard Stöhr, Austrian composer, dies at 93
- Dec 11 Victor De Sabata, Italian conductor and composer (II Macigno), dies at 75
- Dec 23 Richard Flury, Swiss composer, dies at 71
- Dec 24 Karl Ristenpart, German conductor, dies of a heart attack at 67
- Dec 29 Paul Whiteman "The King of Jazz", American orchestra leader (Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue"; Fabulous Dorseys), dies at 77
- Dec 30 Bert Berns, American songwriter ("Twist And Shout"; "Piece Of My Heart"; "Hang On Sloopy") and producer ("Under The Boardwalk"; "Brown-Eyed Girl"), dies of heart failure at 38
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers