- 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
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers