Musicians Who Died in 1994

Deaths 1 - 200 of 223

Harry Nilsson (1941-1994)

Jan 15 American pop and rock singer-songwriter ("Everybody's Talkin'"; "One"; "Without You"), dies of a heart attack at 52

Jan 15 Philippe Brun, French jazz trumpeter, dies at 85
Jan 17 Grady "Fats" Jackson, tenor Sax Player, dies at 66
Jan 17 Noël Chiboust, French jazz trumpeter, saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader, dies at 84
Jan 18 Arthur Altman, American songwriter ("All Or Nothing At All"), dies at 83
Jan 18 Torbjörn Hultcrantzn, Swedish jazz double bass player, dies at 56
Jan 22 (Aristotelis) "Telly" Savalas, American actor (Kojak; On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and singer ("If"), dies of prostate cancer at 72
Jan 22 Rhett Forrester, American singer (Riot) (b. 1956)
Jan 27 Eddie Calhoun, American jazz bassist, dies at 72
Jan 27 Stanley Adams, American lyricist and songwriter ("What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"), dies from cancer at 86
Jan 30 Byron "Wild Child" Gipson, American blues singer ("Sittin' Here Cryin'"), dies at 64
Jan 30 Ernestine "Tiny" Davis, American jazz vocalist and trumpeter (International Sweethearts of Rhythm), dies at 86
Jan 30 Finn Arnestad, Norwegian contemporary classical composer (Ritagliata), dies at 78
Feb 1 John Littlejohn [Funchess], American electric blues slide guitarist ("So-Called Friends"), dies of renal failure at 62
Feb 2 John Littlejohn, American blues guitarist and singer, dies at 62
Feb 2 Willie Mae "Mother" Smith (née Ford), American gospel singer, evangelist, and folk artist, dies at 89
Feb 2 Zilner Randolph, American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and music educator, dies at 95
Feb 5 Kenneth "Buddy" Scott, American blues guitarist/Singer, dies at 59
Feb 6 Ignace Strasfogel, Polish-American pianist, conductor, composer, dies at 84
Feb 6 Norman Del Mar, British conductor and writer (Conducting Brahms), dies at 74
Feb 7 Witold Lutosławski, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor (Musique funèbre; Trois poèmes d'Henri Michaux), dies of cancer at 81
Feb 8 Raymond Scott, American composer (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), dies at 85
Feb 9 Jarmila Novotná, Czech-American soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1940-56), and actress (The Search), dies at 86
Feb 9 Louis Kaufman, American violinist and conductor (Gone With The Wind), dies at 88
Feb 14 Gary "BB" Coleman, American blues singer, guitarist and producer, dies at 47
Feb 15 George "Tiger" Haynes, American jazz guitarist (The Three Flames), and stage and screen actor (The Wiz; In the Heat of the Night), dies at 79
Feb 19 Vittorio Rieti, Jewish Italian-American composer, dies at 96
Feb 22 "Papa" John Creach, American blues violinist (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane), dies of heart failure at 76

Dinah Shore (1917-1994)

Feb 24 American singer (See the USA in a Chevrolet), actress and TV personality (Dinah Shore Show; Nabisco DS Championship), dies of ovarian cancer at 76

Feb 24 Donald Phillips, pianist and composer, dies at 80
Feb 24 Jean Sablon, French pop singer-songwriter, dies at 87
Feb 27 Roosevelt Holts, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 89
Feb 28 (Elbert) "Skippy" Williams, American jazz tenor saxophonist and musical arranger, dies at 77
Mar 1 Alexei Haieff, Russian-American composer (Princess Zondilda), dies at 79
Mar 1 Sandro Fuga, Italian composer and pianist, dies at 87
Mar 1 Timothy Andrew James Souster, British composer, dies at 51
Mar 1 Walter Kent, American composer (I'll Be Home for Christmas), dies at 82
Mar 3 Karel Kryl, Czechoslovak folk singer, dies at 49
Mar 3 Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Polish-Israeli composer and music editor, dies at 75
Mar 5 Joe Daley, American jazz tenor, clarinet and flute player, dies at 75
Mar 6 Leighton Noble [Faye Leighton Jepson], American big band singer, bandleader, and TV host, dies at 81
Mar 6 Moses Rascoe, American blues singer, dies at 77
Mar 9 Louis Freeman, Scottish bandleader, dies at 100
Mar 9 Maurice "Moe" Purtill, American jazz drummer, dies at 77
Mar 13 Danny Barker, American jazz musician (wrote Bourbon Street Black), dies at 85
Mar 14 Jadwiga Szajna-Lewandowska, Polish pianist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 82
Mar 15 Gundaris Poné, Latvian-American violinist, composer, and educator (NYU-New Paltz, 1964-94), dies of cancer at 61
Mar 16 (Charles) Russell Woolen, American classical keyboardist and composer (In Martyrum Memoriam), dies at 71
Mar 16 Nicolas Flagello, American composer (The Judgement of St. Francis; The Passion of Martin Luther King), and conductor (Orchestra da Camera di Roma), dies at 66
Mar 22 Dan Hartman, American musician, singer-songwriter, and producer (Edgar Winter Group - "Free Ride; solo- "I Can Dream About You"; James Brown -"Living In America"), dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at 43
Mar 24 David Van Vactor, American classical composer (Chaconne), dies at 87
Mar 24 Tommy Benford, American jazz drummer, dies at 88
Mar 26 Jan Bor, Dutch violinist and painter, dies at 83
Mar 30 Sid Weiss, American jazz bassist, dies at 79
Apr 4 (Virginia) "Ginny" Simms, American singer (Kay Kyser Band), actress (Night and Day), and radio star, dies of a heart attack at 80 [1]

Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)

Apr 5 American grunge rocker (Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), commits suicide at 27 by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun

Apr 5 Roy Smeck, American musician (guitar and banjo), dies at 94
Apr 6 Dick Cary, American jazz musician, dies at 77
Apr 7 Ken Carson, American western singer (Garry Moore Show), dies at 79
Apr 7 Lee Brilleaux, British R&B singer, harmonica player, and guitarist (Dr. Feelgood), dies of lymphoma at 41
Apr 10 James L. Lyons, American jazz promoter (Monterey Jazz Festival, 1958-92), dies of a heart attack at 77
Apr 12 Q. T. Macon, American blues singer and guitarist ("Blow Wind"), dies at 60
Apr 19 Frederick Ferrari, English tenor and variety performer (Love Descended Like An Angel), dies at 81
Apr 19 Larry Davis, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 57
Apr 22 Jack Bently, English trombonist, dies at 80
Apr 26 Manuel Enríquez, Mexican composer, dies at 67
May 3 Milford Dolliole, American pioneer jazz drummer, dies at 90
May 6 Haskell Sadler, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 59
May 11 Danny Overbea, American rock singer and guitarist ("Forty Cups of Coffee"), dies at 68
May 11 Leonard Friedman, British-Lithuanian violinist (Scottish Baroque Ensemble), dies at 63
May 15 Frederik von Pallandt, Danish-Dutch pop singer and guitarist (Nina & Frederik), murdered in the Philippines at 60
May 15 Ronnie Potsdammer, Dutch singer, songwriter and programmer, dies at 71
May 17 Keith Falkner, British bass-baritone singer (Director of the Royal College of Music), dies at 94
May 23 Joe Pass [Passalaqua], American jazz guitarist ("The Trio" with Oscar Peterson; Ella Fitzgerald) and composer, dies from liver cancer at 65
May 24 Sándor Lakatos, Hungarian violinist, bandleader, and actor (mostly as a gypsy violinist), dies at 69
May 25 Eric Gale, American jazz, R&B, session and touring guitarist (Negril; Stuff; Paul Simon's One-Trick Pony; Bob James; Grover Washington, Jr.), dies of lung cancer at 55
May 26 Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock, American jazz guitarist (Last Exit), dies of a heart attack at 53
May 27 Red Rodney [Robert Chudnick], American jazz trumpeter (Charlie Parker Quintet), dies from lung cancer at 66
May 29 Oliver "Bops Junior" Jackson, American jazz drummer, dies at 61
May 31 Herva Nelli, Italian-born American soprano, dies at 85
May 31 [Emmanuel] "Mannie" Klein, American swing jazz and session trumpeter (Frank Trumbauer; NBC Orchestra), dies at 86
Jun 3 Hub Matthijsen, Dutch violinist and bandmaster, dies at 52
Jun 4 Derek "Lek" Leckenby, English rock guitarist (Herman's Hermits), dies of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at 48
Jun 4 Earle Warren, American jazz alto sax player, dies at 79
Jun 5 Ish Kabbible [Merwyn A Bogue], American comedian and cornetist (Kay Kyser), dies at 86
Jun 6 Johnny Downs, American stage and screen actor, dancer, singer, and TV host, (Our Gang; Swing, Sister, Swing!; The Mad Monster), dies of cancer at 80
Jun 6 Willie Humphrey, American jazz clarinetist, dies at 93
Jun 8 William Marshall, American singer, bandleader and actor (State Fair, Pennsylvanians), dies at 76
Jun 9 Lloyd Lindroth, American harpist known as 'The Liberace of the Harp', dies at 63
Jun 13 Igor Youskevitch, Russian-Ukrainian ballet dancer, dies at 82

Henry Mancini (1924-1994)

Jun 14 American Grammy and Academy Award-winning film and television composer (Breakfast at Tiffany's; Peter Gunn; Pink Panther films), arranger, and conductor, dies of pancreatic cancer at 70 [1]

Jun 14 Lionel Grigson, British jazz musician, dies at 52
Jun 15 Manos Hatzidakis, Greek pianist, violinist, accordionist, conductor, and Academy Award-winning composer ("Never On Sunday"), dies at 68
Jun 16 Boris Alexandrov, Russian conductor (Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble), dies at 88
Jun 16 Kristen Pfaff, American rock bassist (Hole, 1993-94), dies of heroin overdose at 27
Jun 20 Louis Benjamin, British showman, organized Royal Variety performances, dies at 71
Jun 23 Alan Frank, English composer and music publisher, dies at 83
Jun 26 Thomas Henry Wait Armstrong, English organist (Christ College, Oxford), dies at 96
Jun 29 Kurt Eichhorn, German conductor, dies at 85
Jun 29 Ray Crane, English trumpeter, dies at 63
Jul 2 Marion Williams, American gospel singer (Stars of Faith), dies of diabetes at 66
Jul 8 Dominic Lucero, American dancer and singer, dies of lymphatic cancer at 26
Jul 9 Cornelius Boyson, American blues bassist, dies at 57
Jul 9 Sabby Lewis, American jazz pianist and arranger, dies at 79
Jul 10 Henrik Blichmann, Danish swing jazz pianist, composer (92 Minutes of Yesterday), and orchestra leader, dies at 79
Jul 11 Charles "Lefty" Edwards, saxophonist, dies at 67
Jul 11 Lex Humphries, American jazz drummer (Sun Ra Arkestra), dies at 57
Jul 13 Eddie Boyd, American blues piano player, singer, and songwriter ("Five Long Years"), dies at 79
Jul 14 Patrick Crommelynck, Belgian pianist (Duo Crommelynck), commits suicide at about 49
Jul 14 Taeko Kuwata, Japanese Belgian pianist (Duo Crommelynck), commits suicide at about 47
Jul 14 William D. Revelli, American bandleader, dies at 92
Jul 19 Rudolf Firkušný, Moravian-American pianist (Julliard), dies at 82
Jul 21 Dorothy Collins [Marjorie Chandler], Canadian-American singer and actress (Your Hit Parade), dies at 67
Jul 23 Hans J. Salter, Austrian-American film composer (The Wolf Man; Christmas Holiday; This Love Of Ours), dies at 98
Jul 25 John M Dengler, American jazz multi-instrumentalist - bass sax/trumpet/trombone (The Intensely Vigorous Jazz Band), dies from cancer at 67 [1]
Jul 27 Tatiana Tauer, Russian classical harpist, dies of cancer at 48
Jul 28 Ralph Herman, American Emmy Award-winning composer (From the Scriptures; Circus Time), orchestra leader, and music director (ABC-TV, 1952-71), dies after a stroke at 80
Jul 31 Anne Shelton, British singer (Glenn Miller Band), dies at 66
Aug 1 George Dixon, American jazz trumpeter, dies at 85
Aug 6 Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter (Volare), dies at 66
Aug 9 Clarence Ford, American sax player, dies at 64
Aug 10 Bill Baker, American doo-wop singer The Five Satins - "In The Still Of The Night"), dies at 58
Aug 12 Gene Cherico, American jazz bassist, dies at 59
Aug 13 Raymond Gallois-Montbrun, French violinist and composer, dies at 75
Aug 18 Gottlob Frick, German opera singer, dies at 88
Aug 27 Roberto Goyeneche [El Polaco], Argentine tango singer (Maria), dies at 68
Aug 28 Alfonso Letelier (-Llona), Chilean composer and educator (El Hombre ante la Ciencia - (Man Before Science)), dies at 88
Aug 28 Pieter de Cort, Belgian rock guitarist (Betty Goes Green), dies of cancer at 25
Aug 29 Michael Peters, American choreographer and dancer (Dreamgirls; Michael Jackson), dies of complications from AIDS at 46
Aug 31 Artur Balsam, Polish-American pianist, dies at 88
Aug 31 Norman "Doc" Jones, American jazz bass player (Jo Jo Parnell Trio), dies at 68
Sep 2 Roy Castle, English dancer, actor and tv presenter (Dr Who & the Daleks), dies of lung cancer at 62
Sep 3 Major Lance, American soul singer ("The Monkey Time"; "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"), dies between 52 and 55 [year of birth disputed]
Sep 4 Ladislav Holoubek, Slovak conductor (Košice Opera, 1966-81), and composer (Rodina), dies at 81
Sep 4 Louis Myers, American blues guitarist and harmonica player, dies at 64
Sep 5 Billy Usselton, American big band jazz saxophonist (Les Brown and His Band of Renown), dies at 68
Sep 6 Max Kaminsky, American jazz trumpeter and bandleader (Max Kaminsky Orchestra), dies at 85

Sep 6 British rock session pianist (Rolling Stones (1967-75); The Who - "Getting In Tune"; The Kinks - "Sunny Afternoon"; Beatles - "Revolution"; John Lennon - "Jealous Guy"; Quicksilver Messenger Service), dies after surgical complications at 50

Sep 7 Eric Crozier, British theater producer and librettist (worked with Benjamin Britten), dies at 79
Sep 8 Edna Manilow, mother of singer Barry Manilow, dies of lung cancer at 70
Sep 12 Major Bill Smith, American record producer, dies at 72
Sep 13 John Stevens, British jazz drummer (Spontaneous Music Ensemble), dies of a heart attack at 54
Sep 13 Kaleria Fadicheva, Russian ballerina (Kirov) and choreographer, dies at 58 [1]
Sep 13 Pieter Zaanen, Dutch architect (Musical Trade scholarship, Amsterdam), dies at 63
Sep 15 (Frank) Haywood Henry, American jazz and session baritone saxophone player, dies at 81
Sep 15 Earl George, American composer and pedagogue, dies at 70
Sep 16 Bernie Lazaroff Leighton, pianist, dies at 73
Sep 17 John DeLaFose, American French speaking zydeco musician, dies at 55
Sep 19 Frankie Kennedy, Irish folk flute player (Altan), dies of Ewing's Sarcoma at 38
Sep 20 Jimmy Hamilton, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 77
Sep 20 Jule Styne [Julius Stein], British-American Academy and Tony Award-winning songwriter ("Three Coins In The Fountain"; "Time After Time"), and Broadway composer (Funny Girl; Hallelujah, Baby!; Gypsy), dies at 88
Sep 22 (John Edward) "Teddy" Buckner, American Dixieland jazz trumpeter, dies at 85
Sep 22 Leonard Feather, British jazz critic and musician, dies at 80
Sep 22 Mattie Moss Clark, American gospel singer, and music minister, dies of diabetes complications at 69
Sep 23 Dalton Reed, American soul singer, dies of heart failure at 42
Sep 24 Guido Santórsola, Brazilian-Uruguayan composer and violinist, dies at 89
Sep 28 Urmas Alender, Estonian rock singer-songwriter and musician (Ruja), died in ferry sinking in the Baltic Sea at 40
Sep 29 Cheb Hasni, Algerian singer, murdered at 26
Sep 29 John Heddle Nash, English operatic singer, dies at 68
Oct 1 Scott Dunbar, American blues vocalist and guitarist, dies at 90
Oct 2 Harriet (Hilliard) Nelson [Peggy Lou Snyder], American singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; Follow the Fleet), dies of heart failure at 85 [1]
Oct 3 Virginia Dale, American actress and dancer (Holiday Inn), dies at about 77
Oct 4 Bill Challis, American jazz arranger and pianist, dies at 90
Oct 4 Daniel Wood "Danny" Gatton, American guitarist (88 Elmira St.), commits suicide at 48
Oct 4 Scoville "Toby" Browne, American jazz saxophone and clarinet player, dies at 84
Oct 9 Joan Dickson, British cellist and teacher, dies at 72
Oct 10 Nikolai Nikolayevich Karetnikov, Russian composer, dies at 64
Oct 14 Gioconda de Vito, Italian-British violinist, dies at 87
Oct 18 Lee Allen, American tenor sax player ("Walkin' With Mr Lee"), dies of cancer at 68
Oct 20 Robert Medley, English artist and theater designer, dies at 88
Oct 22 David Buchan, Scottish ethnomusicologist, dies at 55
Oct 22 James "Jimmy" Miller, American record producer and musician (The Rolling Stones), dies of liver failure at 52
Oct 26 Wilbert Harrison, American R&B singer ("Kansas City"), dies at 65
Oct 27 Robert White, American guitarist (The Funk Brothers), dies of complications from open heart surgery at 57
Oct 29 Evelyn Anderson, American dancer (Josephine Baker review), dies at 87 [1]
Oct 29 Pearl Primus, Trinidad-born American dancer (poplularized African dance), dies at 74
Oct 31 Lester Sill, American pioneer music publisher (Leiber and Stoller; Lee Hazlewood), and record label executive (Philles Records; Colpix; Colgems), dies at 76
Nov 2 Egbert George "Pete" Pitterson, trumpeter, dies at 73
Nov 4 Fred "Sonic" Smith, American guitarist (MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"), dies of heart failure at 46
Nov 5 McHenry Boatwright, American operatic singer (Clarence Cameron White's "Ouanga"; Dave Brubeck's "The Gates of Justice"), dies of cancerat 66
Nov 7 Shorty Rogers [Milton Rajonsky], American jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player, arranger, and composer, dies of melanoma at 70
Nov 10 Carmen McRae, American jazz singer and pianist ("Dream of Life"), dies from complications of a stroke at 74
Nov 11 Elizabeth Maconchy (LeFanu), Irish-English composer, notably of string quartets, and contemporary music promoter, dies at 87
Nov 16 Dan J. Smith, British harmonica player and gospel singer-songwriter, dies at 83
Nov 16 Dino Valenti [Chester Powers, Jr], American rock guitarist and singer (Quicksilver Messenger Service - "Fresh Air"), dies at 57
Nov 16 Harvey Watkin, Sr, American gospel singer (The Canton Spitituals), dies at 64

Cab Calloway (1907-1994)

Nov 18 American singer, bandleader ("Minnie the Moocher"; "The Jumpin' Jive"), writer, radio host, and actor (The Blues Brothers), dies at 86

Nov 18 Michael [George] Somes, English dancer (Royal Ballet), dies at 77
Nov 22 L V Johnson, American session soul and R&B guitarist and Chicago blues singer-songwriter ("Don't Cha Mess with My Money, My Honey or My Woman"), dies at 47
Nov 22 Norma Donaldson, American singer and actress (Poetic Justice; 5 Heartbeats), dies at 68
Nov 23 (Frederick) "Erick" Hawkins, American modern ballet dancer, and choreographer (Martha Graham Dance Company, 1939-51; Erick Hawkins Dance Company, 1951-94), dies at 85
Nov 23 Eldero L D Williams, tenor saxophonist, dies at 70