- Aug 1 Sam Wooding, American jazz pianist, and bandleader, one of the 1st to tour Europe (Chocolate Kiddies), dies at 90
- Aug 4 Zbynek Vostrak, composer, dies at 65
- Aug 12 Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer (Sukiyaki), and actor, dies in JAL 123 crash at 43
- Aug 12 Marcel Mihalovici, French composer, dies at 86
- Aug 15 Richard Yardumian, American composer (Creator Spirit), dies at 68
- Aug 24 Paul Creston [Giuseppe Guttoveggio], Italian-American composer (Zanoni), educator, and music theorist (Creative Harmony), dies at 78
- Aug 29 Alexander Abramsky, Soviet composer, dies at 87
- Aug 30 "Philly" Joe Jones, American jazz drummer (Miles Davis Quintet), dies of a heart attack at 62
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers