- Jan 4 Leo Wright, American jazz saxophone and flute player (Dizzy Gillespie; "Blues Shout"; "I Left My Heart In San Francisco"), dies of a heart attack at 57
- Jan 6 Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Turkish composer, dies at 83
- Jan 8 Steve Clark, English rock guitarist (Def Leppard), dies at 30
- Jan 16 Cladys "Jabbo" Smith, American jazz trumpet pioneer, dies at 82
- Jan 24 Harold "Shot" Jackson, American country dobro player, and pedal steel guitarist (Roy Acuff), and guitar designer and builder (Sho-Bud), dies after his second stroke at 70
- Jan 26 Karen Young, American disco singer ("Hot Shot"), dies at 39
- Jan 26 Orestes López, Cuban band leader and composer (co-inventor of 'mambo' with his brother, Cachao), dies at 82
Danny Thomas (1912-1991)
Feb 6 American actor, comedian and TV host (Danny Thomas Show), dies of a heart attack at 79
- Feb 9 James Cleveland, American gospel singer, dies at 59
- Feb 10 Walter Klien, Austrian pianist, dies of cancer at 62
- Feb 12 Roger Patterson, American death metal bass player, dies in a car crash at 22
- Feb 14 Roy Lanham, American western swing and jazz guitarist (The Whippoorwills; Sons of the Pioneers, 1961-86), dies at 68
- Feb 21 Margot Fonteyn, English ballerina considered the 1st lady of British Ballet (Giselle), dies at 71
- Feb 24 Webb Pierce, American honky-tonk country singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("In The Jailhouse Now"; "Wondering"; "There Stands The Glass"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 64
- Feb 26 (Bulee) "Slim" Galliard, American jazz singer, musician, songwriter ("Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)"), and actor, dies of cancer at 75
- Feb 27 Hein van Royen, Dutch director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1974-91), dies at 52
- Mar 1 Frank Esler-Smith, English-Australian rock keyboardist (Air Supply), dies at 42
- Mar 1 Louis Saguer, German born French composer (Lili Merveille), dies at 83
- Mar 1 Scott Huston, American composer, dies at 74
- Mar 2 Serge Gainsbourg [Lucien Ginsburg], French singer-songwriter, record producer ("Je t'aime... moi non plus"; "Requiem pour un twister"), and actor, dies of a heart attack at 62 [1]
- Mar 3 Arthur Murray [Moses Teichman], American ballroom dancer and businessman (Arthur Murray Dance Party), dies at 95 of pneumonia
- Mar 9 Tomojirō Ikenouchi, Japanese composer and educator, dies at 84
- Mar 13 James "Jimmy" McPartland, American cornetist and musician (Magic Horn), dies of cancer at 83 [1]
- Mar 14 Doc Pomus [Jerome Solon Felder], American blues singer and songwriter ("Save the Last Dance For Me"; "His Latest Flame"; "Viva Las Vegas"), dies of ling cancer at 65
- Mar 14 Howard Ashman, American playwright and lyricist (Little Shop of Horrors; The Little Mermaid), dies of AIDS-related complications at 40
- Mar 21 Leo Fender, American inventor, and electric guitar designer (Telecaster; Stratocaster; Precision Bass), dies from Parkinson's disease complications at 81
- Mar 22 Dave Guard, American singer, songwriter and arranger (Kingston Trio - "Tom Dooley"), dies of cancer at 56
- Mar 25 Eileen Joyce, pianist, dies at 78
- Mar 25 Lee Donn, pianist, dies of stroke at 96
- Mar 27 Elinor Remick Warren, American concert pianist and composer, dies at 91
- Mar 31 John Carter, American jazz clarinetist (Roots & Folklore), dies at 61
- Apr 7 Ruth Page, American ballet dancer and choreographer (Diaghilev's Ballets Russes - Pygmalion), dies at 92
- Apr 8 Dead [Pelle Ohlin], Swedish heavy metal singer (Mayhem), commits suicide at 22
- Apr 18 Barry Rogers, American jazz, salsa, and session trombonist (Eddie Palmiere; Fania All-Stars; Chaka Khan; Todd Rundgren), dies at 55
- Apr 18 Heino Jurisalu, Estonian composer (Kvintett puhkpillidele), dies at 60
- Apr 18 Martin Hannett, British record producer (Joy Division; OMD), dies of heart failure at 42
- Apr 20 Steve Marriott, British rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Small Faces, 1965-68, 75-78); Humble Pie, 1969-75, 79-83 - Eat It), dies in a house fire at 44
- Apr 21 Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (Vienna New Year's Concert, 1955-79), dies at 81
- Apr 23 Johnny Thunders [Genzale], American punk rock guitarist (New York Dolls), dies from a combination of leukemia and drug abuse at 38
- Apr 26 Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (The Godfather Part II), and father of Francis Ford Coppola, dies at 80
- Apr 26 Hans Holewa, Austrian-born Swedish composer, dies at 85
- Apr 26 Leo Arnaud, French-American composer (Bugler's Dream), dies at 86
- May 3 Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer and composer (b. 1907)
- May 8 Jean Langlais, French organist, and composer (Missa Salve Regina), dies at 84
- May 9 Rudolf Serkin, Bohemian-American concert pianist (noted for Beethoven interpretations), and pedagogue (Curtis Institute; Marlboro School of Music), dies of cancer at 88
- May 15 Lawrence "Bud" Freeman, American jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and composer ("The Eel"; "Zen Is When"), dies of cancer at 84
- May 20 Julian Orbon De Soto, Cuban composer, dies at 65
- May 23 Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist and composer (Unter dem Zimbelstern), dies at 95
- May 23 William Sinnot, Scottish pop musician (Shamen), dies at 30
- May 24 (Harold Eugene) Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter (The Byrds - "Eight Miles High"), dies from natural causes brought on by bleeding ulcer at 46
- May 27 Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist (International Bruckner Society; Mozart's Requiem), and educator (Vienna University, 1932-73), dies at 86
- Jun 1 David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations (My Girl; Ain't Too Proud to Beg), dies of a drug overdose at 50
- Jun 6 Larry Kert, American actor (West Side Story - "Tony"), dies of AIDS at 60
- Jun 6 Stan Getz [Stanley Gayetski], American big band, bebop, cool jazz, and bossa nova tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Getz/Gilberto), dies of liver cancer at 64
- Jun 8 Bertice Reading, American stage and screen actress and singer (The Jazz Train; Requiem For A Nun; Moon In The Gutter), dies at 57
- Jun 9 Claudio Arrau, Chilean pianist (Boston Symphony Orchestra), dies following surgery at 88
- Jun 10 Max van Praag, Dutch popular music singer (Glück Auf!), dies at 77
- Jun 16 Vicki Brown, British pop, rock session vocalist, and contemporary classical singer, dies of breast cancer at 51
- Jun 20 Malcolm Frager, American concert pianist, dies at 56
- Jun 23 Bill Buysman, Dutch guitarist/singer (Kilima Hawaiians), dies
- Jun 29 Richard "Groove" Holmes, American jazz organist (Misty), dies of cancer at 60
- Jul 3 Irina Nijinska, Russian American dancer, dies at 77
- Jul 10 Gerome Ragni, American playwright and songwriter (Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical), dies of cancer at 55
- Jul 11 Roger Christian, American radio personality and lyricist ("Don’t Worry Baby"; "Little Deuce Coupe"; "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"), dies from kidney and liver failure at 57
- Jul 19 Gino Negri, Italian composer, songwriter, and actor, dies at 72
- Jul 20 Earl Robinson, American composer, dies in a car accident at 81
- Jul 24 Jørn Elniff, Danish bebop jazz drummer (Music for Mice and Men; Bud Powell), dies at 53
- Jul 28 Luis Aravena Munoz, Chilean singer exiled to Netherlands, dies at 45
- Aug 3 Jackie Verdell, American gospel singer (The Davis Sisters, 1955-66), pop singer-songwriter ("Why Not Give Me A Chance") and session vocalist (Wilson Picket; Van Morrison), dies at 53
- Aug 4 Jeri Southern [Genevieve Hering], American jazz singer ("You Better Go Now"; "Joey"), dies of a heart attack at 64
- Aug 5 Gaston Litaize, French organist (St François-Xavier, Paris, 1946-91), composer, broadcaster, and pedagogue, dies at 81
- Aug 7 Billy T. James, New Zealand comedian and singer (Billy T. James Show), dies of heart failure at 42
- Aug 9 Corrie Hartong, Dutch dance pioneer, dies at 85
- Aug 10 (Henry) "Buster" Smith, American jazz alto saxophonist, arranger, and bandleader (Blue Devils; Count Basie), dies of a heart attack at 86
- Aug 11 Helmut Walcha, a blind German organist (church music), dies at 83
- Aug 11 Rodolfo Cornejo, Filipino classical pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 82
- Aug 12 Irene Campbell, British actress/dancer (Wicker Man, St Justice), dies
- Aug 18 Clarence Hutchenrider, American jazz clarinetist (Casa Loma Orchestra), dies at 83
- Aug 18 Rick Griffin, American artist and a leading designer of psychedelic posters in the 1960s (Grateful Dead), dies in a motorcycle accident on his Harley at 47
- Aug 19 Richard Maltby Sr., American musician and orchestra leader ("(Themes from) The Man with the Golden Arm"; Vaughn Monroe Show), dies at 77
- Aug 20 Betty Bowden, British dancer and actress (Vote for Nigel), dies at 86
- Aug 24 Mark Lawrence, American pianist (Alice Pearce), and songwriter, and theatrical producer, dies at 70
- Aug 27 Vince Taylor [Brian Holden], British rock and roll singer (Brand New Cadillac), dies of lung cancer at 52
- Aug 29 Dixie Dunbar [Charlotte King], American singer and actress, dies of a heart attack at 72
- Sep 4 Charlie Barnet, saxophonist (Cherokee), dies of pneumonia at 77
- Sep 4 Dottie West [Dorothy Marsh], American country singer ("Here Comes My Baby"; with Kenny Rogers - "What Are We Doin' in Love"), dies from internal injuries sustained in a car crash at 58
- Sep 4 Margaret Ramsay, vocalist, dies
- Sep 7 Archie Menzies, English playwright and composer (Under Your Hat), dies at 87
- Sep 8 Alex North [Isadore Soifer], American composer (Spartacus, Viva Zapata), dies of cancer at 80 [1]
- Sep 13 Ferry Barendse, Dutch trumpeter, composer, and singer (Ramblers), dies at 80
- Sep 15 Sulkhan Tsintsadze, Georgian composer, dies at 66
- Sep 17 René-Charles "Zino" Francescatti, French concert violinist (NY Philharmonic-1939), dies at 89
- Sep 18 Rob Tyner [Robert Derminer], American hard rock singer (MC5 - Kick Out The Jams), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Sep 24 Peter Bellamy, English folk singer, commits suicide at 47
- Sep 26 Billy Vaughn, American singer, saxophonist, and bandleader ("Sail Along Sil'vry Moon"), dies of stomach cancer at 72
Miles Davis (1926-1991)
Sep 28 American jazz musician, trumpeter and composer (Kinda Blue; Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet; Sketches of Spain), dies of pneumonia at 65
- Sep 29 Zapata Jaw [Nelson Renfrum], Surinamese jazz musician, dies
- Oct 9 Roy Black, German schlager singer and actor (Kinderarzt Dr Froehlich), dies of heart failure at 43
- Oct 16 Boris Papandopulo, Croatian composer, dies at 78
- Oct 16 Tonny Huurdeman, singer/actress (Frills), dies
- Oct 17 "Tennessee" Ernie Ford, American country music singer ("Sixteen Tons"), and actor (I Love Lucy; The Ford Show), dies of liver disease at 72
- Oct 18 Gunnar Sønstevold, Norwegian jazz pianist, and orchestral and film score composer (Litany In Atlanta; The Dorian Cage), dies at 78
- Oct 25 Bill Graham, [Wulf Grajonca], German-American impresario and rock concert promoter (Fillmore; Winterland Ballroom; Live-Aid), dies in a helicopter crash in California at 60
- Oct 25 Margo J. Sylvia (née Lopez), American pop singer (Tune Weavers - "Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby"), dies of heart attack and stroke at 55
- Oct 27 Andrzej Panufnik, Polish-British conductor and composer (Arbor Cosmica; Sinfonia Sacra), dies at 77
- Oct 28 Sylvia Fine Kaye, US lyricist and composer, dies at 78
- Oct 31 Willem Pelemans, Flemish composer, and music critic, dies at 90
- Nov 2 Fran Stevens, singer, dies of cancer in Bronx NY at 72
- Nov 2 Mort Shuman, American singer, and songwriter, with Doc Pomus ("Viva Las Vegas"; "Save The Last Dance For Me"), dies of cancer at 54
- Nov 6 André Vandernoot, Flemish flautist and conductor (Royal Flemish Opera, 1959-73), dies at 64
- Nov 8 Frances Faye, American cabernet singer and actress (Pretty Baby), dies after a stroke ay 79
- Nov 8 John Kirkpatrick, American pianist (Concord Sonata) and musicologist (Charles Ives Archives), dies at 86
- Nov 9 Yves Montand [Ivo Livi], Italian-French actor (Z; Napoleon; Grand Prix), and singer, dies of a heart attack at 70
- Nov 10 Tutte Lemkow, dancer and director (Capt Paradise; I Am A Camera), dies at 73
- Nov 16 Wallace Berry, American-Canadian composer, educator, and music theorist, dies at 63
- Nov 17 Rudolf Petzold, German educator and composer, dies at 83
- Nov 24 Eric Carr [Paul Charles Caravello], American drummer (Kiss, 1980-91), dies of heart cancer at 41
Freddie Mercury (1946-1991)
Nov 24 British singer-songwriter (Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"), dies of AIDS at 45
- Dec 6 Jack Hunter [John Averona], American big band vocalist (Elliot Lawrence Orchestra - "Apple Blossom Time"), dies at 72
- Dec 8 (Wilbur) "Buck" Clayton, American jazz trumpet player (Count Basie; Billie Holiday; Lester Young), and bandleader, dies at 80
- Dec 10 Headman Tshabalala, South African singer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), shot and killed at 44
- Dec 12 (Albert Ronald) "Ronnie" Ross, Scottish jazz and session baritone saxophonist, dies of cancer at 58
- Dec 12 Lex Karsemeijer, Dutch tenor and choral director (Sweet 16, Pro Musica), dies
- Dec 16 Fred Scott, American actor and singing cowboy, known as "The Silvery-Voiced Buckaroo" (Melody of the Plains), dies at 89
- Dec 22 Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American concert, opera, and electronic music composer (Johnny Spielt Auf: Orpheus and Eurydike; Fibonacci-Mobile), dies at 91
- Dec 27 Edward M Love, American Broadaway dancer and choreographer, dies of AIDS at 43
- Dec 29 Harry Brannon, American popular radio singer of the 1940s (WOR- New York), and later clergyman, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 71
- Dec 31 Felicja Blumental, Polish-Brazilian concert pianist (Villa-Lobos' Piano Concerto No. 5; Penderecki's Partita for Harpsichord), dies at 83
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers