- Jan 3 Eddie Heywood, American jazz pianist and composer ("Canadian Sunset", "Soft Summer Breeze"), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 73 [1]
- Jan 5 Philip Herschkowitz, Romanian composer, dies at 82
- Jan 8 Johnny Jordaan [Johannes van Musscher], Dutch pop and levenslied singer, dies at 64
- Jan 10 Donald Voorhees, American conductor (Bell Telephone Hour), dies at 85
- Jan 17 Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguayan folk and milonga singer-songwriter ("Recordándote"), poet, and journalist, dies at 52
- Jan 20 Halsey Stevens, American composer (Triskelion), dies at 80
- Jan 21 Billy Tipton [Dorothy Tipton], American jazz pianist, saxophone player, and bandleader, dies from an untreated hemorrhaging peptic ulcer at 74 [1] [2]
- Jan 27 Bayani Casimiro, Filipino dancer and actor [Okey Ka Fairy Ko!], dies at 70
- Jan 30 Ruth Shaw Wylie, American composer (Spring Madness; Psychogram; Nova), and educator (Wayne State University, 1949-69), dies at 72
- Jan 31 Yasushi Akutagawa, Japanese composer (Orpheus of Hiroshima, Ellora Symphony), dies at 63
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers