Musicians Who Died in 1970

Mar 1 Lucille Hegamin, American blues singer ("Jazz Me Blues", "Arkansas Blues"), and entertainer, dies at 75
Mar 13 Rick Besoyan, American singer, actor, playwright, composer and director (Little Mary Sunshine), dies of internal hemorrhages at 45
Mar 15 Mary Ann Ganser, American pop singer (The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack"), dies of a drug overdose at 22
Mar 16 Tammi Terrell, American soul singer (You're All I Need; with Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough), dies of a brain tumor at 24
Mar 21 Manolis Chiotis, Greek bouzouki virtuoso and Greek rebetiko and laiko songwriter, dies of heart problems on his 49th birthday
Apr 5 Jacob H "Jaap" Stotijn, Dutch oboist, and conductor (Residence Orchestra), dies at 78
Apr 20 Shakeel Badayuni, Indian poet and lyricist, dies at 53
Apr 21 Earl Hooker, American blues slide guitar player ("Blue Guitar"), dies of tuberculosis at 40
Apr 24 Otis Spann, American blues pianist and singer (The Blues Never Die!), dies of liver cancer at 40 [or perhaps, 46; birth date disputed]
Apr 30 Hall Johnson, American composer (Hall Johnson Choir), dies at 82
May 3 Candelario Huízar, Mexican violist, horn player, and classical and canción composer ("Surco"), dies at 82
May 7 Carlos Estrada, Uruguayan composer and conductor, dies at 60
May 9 Percy Brier, Australian composer, dies at 84
May 11 Johnny Hodges, American saxophonist, dies at 62
Jun 10 Earl Grant, American pop pianist, organist, and singer ("Ebb Tide"; "Winter Wonderland"), dies in a car crash in New Mexico at 39

Jun 16 Heino Eller, Estonian composer (Koit (Dawn); Videvik (Twilight)), pedagogue (Tallinn Conservatory, 1940 -70), and teacher of Arvo Pärt, dies at 83
Jul 7 Louise Harrison, mother of Beatle George, dies at 59
Jul 19 Barry Wood [Louis Rappaport], American singer (Your Hit Parade), and television producer, dies at 61
Jul 23 Leith Stevens, American pianist, composer and conductor of scores for radio (Suspense), film (The Wild Ones; War of the Worlds), and television (Climax!), dies of a heart attack (upon learning his wife was killed in a car accident) at 60
Jul 29 (Giovanni) "John" Barbirolli, British cellist, and conductor (New York Philharmonic, 1936-43; Hallé Orchestra, 1943-1970; Houston Symphony, 1961-67), dies of a heart attackat 70
Jul 29 Jonel Perlea, Romanian opera conductor, dies at 69
Jul 30 George Szell, Hungarian-born American conductor (Cleveland Orchestra, 1946-70), dies at 73
Jul 31 Booker Ervin [Booker Telleferro Ervin II], American saxophonist (Charles Mingus), dies of kidney disease at 39
Aug 5 Otto "Toby" Hardwicke, American jazz alto saxophone player (The Washingtonians, 1923-28; Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1932-46 - "Sophisticated Lady"; "In A Sentimental Mood"), dies at 66
Aug 6 Ingolf Dahl [Marcus], German-American pianist and composer (Allegro and Arioso), dies at 56
Aug 10 Bernd-Alois Zimmermann, German composer (The Soldiers Requiem), commits suicide at 52
Aug 13 Viktor Trambitsky, Russian composer, dies at 75
Aug 14 Vano Muradeli, Soviet Georgian composer (The Great Friendship; Our Leader), and pedagogue, dies at 62
Aug 15 Karl August Andersen, Norwegian cellist and composer, dies at 66
Aug 21 Timothy Mather Spelman, American composer, dies at 79

Aug 22 Richard Frank Donovan, American organist, teacher, and composer (Smoek and Steel; Wood-Notes), dies at 78
Aug 23 Nel Roos, Dutch ballerina and dance teacher, dies of a heart attack at 55
Sep 2 Kees van Baaren, Dutch composer (Hollow Men), dies at 63
Sep 3 Alan Wilson, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Canned Heat), dies at 27

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

Sep 18 American rock guitarist ("Purple Haze"; "Vvoodoo Chile"; "The Wind Cries Mary"), dies from asphyxiation at 27

Sep 23 Bourvil [André Robert Raimbourg], French actor and singer (Le Corniaud, La Grande Vadrouille), dies of Kahler's syndrome at 53
Sep 25 Efim Golishev, Ukrainian painter and composer, dies at 73
Oct 1 Hans Poser, German composer, dies at 52
Oct 1 Petar Konjović, Serbian composer, dies at 87
Oct 2 Alfred Swan, Russian composer, dies at 79
Oct 2 Bo Linde, Swedish neo-classical composer, dies at 37
Oct 4 George Frederick McKay, American composer, dies at 71

Janis Joplin (1943-1970)

Oct 4 American rock and blues singer-songwriter ("Piece of My Heart"; "Me and Bobby McGee"; "Mercedes Benz"), dies of a heroin overdose at 27

Oct 11 Anis Fuleihan, Lebanese-American classical pianist, composer (Theremin Concerto), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 70
Oct 13 Julia Culp, Dutch mezzo-soprano, dies at 90
Oct 28 Baby Huey [James Ramey], American rock and soul singer (Baby Huey & Babysitters), dies of a drug-related heart attack at 26
Oct 28 Eduardo López-Chávarri y Marco, Spanish composer, music critic and lawyer, dies at 99
Nov 6 Agustín Lara, Mexican composer and singer-songwriter of popular ballads and boleros (Granada; Solamente Una Vez), dies at 73
Nov 12 Gene Gifford American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and arranger (Jean Goldkette; Casa Loma Orchestra), dies at 62
Nov 18 Hal Dickinson, American singer (Modernaires), dies at 56
Nov 24 Evgeny Karlovich Tikotsky, composer, dies at 76
Nov 29 Karl Ottó Runólfsson, Icelandic composer, dies at 70
Nov 29 Robert Ruthenfranz, German composer, dies at 65
Dec 14 Elmer Schoebel, American jazz pianist, arranger (New Orleans Rhythm Kings; Isham Jones), and composer ("Farewell Blues"; "Prince Of Wails"), dies at 73
Dec 23 Mimi Benzell, American operatic soprano (Gilda-Rigoletto), dies at 52
Dec 24 Gideon Nxumalo, South African jazz pianist, marimba player, and composer (Jazz Fantasia), dies at 41
Dec 29 John de Mol Sr, Dutch accordionist, and orchestra leader, dies at 58
Dec 31 Cyril Scott, English composer and author (Alchemist), dies at 91

On This Day

Musicians Who Died in 1970

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

Janis Joplin (1943-1970)

Famous Singers

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