- Oct 1 Roy Harris, American composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home: An American Overture), dies at 81
- Oct 4 Christina Spierenburg, Dutch singer, dies at 56
- Oct 10 Paul Paray, French organist, conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1951-62), and composer, dies at 93
- Oct 13 Rebecca Clarke, British-American violist and classical composer (Morpheus), dies at 93
- Oct 17 Karel Reiner, Czech pianist, composer, and Theresienstadt concentration camp survivor, dies at 69
- Oct 22 Nadia Boulanger, French composer and conductor (1st woman to conduct Boston Symphony), dies at 92
- Oct 29 Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood, American funk drummer (Parliament-Funkadelic; Miles Davis), dies of stomach cancer at 35
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