Musicians Who Died in 1998

Jan 4 John Gary [Strader], American pop and easy listening singer ("Cold"), dies of cancer at 65

Sonny Bono (1935-1998)

Jan 5 American actor, musician, vocalist, (Sonny & Cher) and politician (Rep-R-Ca, 1995-98), dies at Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, California, when he hits a tree at 62

Jan 5 Georgi Sviridov, Soviet neoromantic composer, dies of a heart attack at 82
Jan 5 Ken Forssi, American musician (Love) (b. 1943)
Jan 6 Georgy Sviridov, Soviet Russian neo-romantic composer (The Blizzard; Time; Forward!), dies of a heart attack at 82
Jan 7 Owen Bradley, American pop country music record producer (Patsy Cline; Loretta Lynn; Conway Twitty), dies at 82
Jan 8 Michael Tippett, British conductor and composer (Child of Our Time), dies shortly after suffering a stroke at 93
Jan 11 Klaus Tennstedt, German conductor (Fidelio), dies at 71
Jan 12 Edgar Palm, Curaçaoan pianist and composer (Padu), dies at 92
Jan 12 Peter Jona Korn, German composer, dies at 75
Jan 13 Mihovil Logar, Serbian composer (A Would-be Lady), dies at 95
Jan 15 Junior Wells, American blues singer ("In My Younger Days"), dies at 63
Jan 16 David "Junior" Kimbrough, American blues musician, dies at 67

Carl Perkins (1932-1998)

Jan 19 American rock and rockabilly singer-songwriter ("Blue Suede Shoes"; "Honey Don't"), dies from stroke complications at 65 [1]

Jan 24 Justin Tubb, American country singer (Grand Ole Opry), dies at 62
Jan 24 Walter Bishop, Jr, American bebop jazz pianist, music theorist, and educator, dies of a heart attack at 70
Jan 25 Attila Zoller, Hungarian-American jazz guitarist, educator (Vermont Jazz Center, 1974-98), and inventor (bi-directional pickup), dies at 70
Jan 26 S. P. Leary, Texan blues drummer (Muddy Waters), dies at 67
Jan 26 Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese music teacher (Suzuki Method), dies at 99
Jan 30 Richard Cassilly, American tenor, dies at 70
Feb 2 Roger L. Stevens, American real estate magnate, Broadway theater producer (West Side Story) and fundraiser (John F. Kennedy Center), dies at 87 [1]
Feb 5 Timothy "Tim" Kelly, American guitarist (Slaughter), dies in a car accident at 35
Feb 6 Carl Wilson, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Beach Boys), dies of lung cancer at 51
Feb 6 Falco [Johann Hoelzel], Austrian singer (Rock Me Amadeus), dies at 40
Feb 14 Claude Prey, French composer, dies at 72
Feb 15 Arthur Cohn, American composer and writer on music, dies at 87
Feb 17 Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (People, Mambo Italiano), commits suicide at 72
Feb 19 (Louis) "Grandpa" Jones, American country music singer and banjo wizard (Hee Haw), dies at 84
Feb 20 Martindale Sidwell, English organist and conductor, dies at 82
Feb 24 Henny Youngman, American comedian and violinist (Take my wife ... please), dies at 91
Feb 25 Celestine Tate Harrington, a quadriplegic street musician and writer.
Feb 25 Rockin' Sidney [Simien], American zydeco and R&B singer-songwriter, accordionist, guitarist, organist, and harmonica player ("My Toot-Toot"; "You Ain't Nothing But Fine"), dies of throat cancer at 59
Mar 7 Leopoldine "Leonie" Rysanek, Austrian dramatic soprano (Vienna State Opera 1954-96; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-96), dies of bone cancer at 71
Mar 12 Judge Dread [Alexander Hughes] English reggae musician, dies from a heart attack at 52
Mar 15 (Sebastião) "Tim" Maia, Brazilian rock, soul, sambalanço, and funk singer-songwriter, and musician, dies at 55
Mar 17 Bernarr Rainbow, English historian of music education, organist, and choir master, dies at 83
Mar 20 George Howard, American smooth jazz saxophonist (Dream Ride), dies of colon cancer at 41
Mar 21 Galina Ulanova, Russian ballet dancer considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century (Bolshoi Theatre), dies at 88
Apr 1 Rozz Williams, American musician (Christian Death), dies at 34
Apr 5 Cozy Powell [Colin Flooks] English rock drummer (Jeff Beck Group; Emerson, Lake & Powell), dies in a car crash at 50
Apr 5 John Wilbraham, British classical, baroque, and session trumpeter (Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; English Chamber Orchestra; The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour), and educator, dies at 53

Tammy Wynette (1942-1998)

Apr 6 American country singer ("Stand By Your Man"), dies at 55

Apr 6 Wendy O. Williams, American singer (Plasmatics) (b. 1949)
Apr 7 Broery Marantika [Simon Pesulima], Indonesian blues and jazz singer, and actor, dies at 51
Apr 9 Tom Cora, American cellist and composer, dies at 44
Apr 11 Ivan Tcherepnin, American experimental and postmodern composer, dies at 55
Apr 15 Rose Maddox, American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and fiddle player (Sing a Little Song of Heartache), dies of kidney failure at 72

Linda McCartney (1941-1998)

Apr 17 American photographer, musician (Wings) and wife of Paul McCartney, dies of breast cancer at 56

Apr 19 Liam Sullivan, American singer and actor (Star Trek; The Magic Sword; Monroes), dies of a heart attack at 74
Apr 21 Peter Lind Hayes, American comedian and singer (Peter Lind Hayes Show), dies at 82
Apr 24 Mel Powell [Epstein], American composer (Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra - Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1990), dies from liver cancer at 75
May 2 Hide [Hideto Matsumoto], Japanese rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer (X Japan; Zilch), takes his own life at 33
May 5 Syd Lawrence, British bandleader (Syd Lawrence Orchestra), dies at 74
May 7 Eddie Rabbitt, American songwriter ("Kentucky Rain"), and country singer ("I Love a Rainy Night"), dies of lung cancer at 56
May 9 Alice Faye [Leppert], American actress and singer (Hello Frisco, Hello; Fallen Angel; Stowaway), dies of stomach cancer at 83

Frank Sinatra (1915-1998)

May 14 American singer (Strangers in the Night; My Way; The Summer Wind) and actor (From Here to Eternity; Guys and Dolls), known as the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", dies at 82

May 19 (Edwin) "Ted" Astley, British arranger, bandleader, and film and television composer (The Mouse That Roared; The Saint), dies at 76
May 19 Dorothy Donegan, American boogie-woogie, swing jazz, and classical pianist, and vocalist, dies of cancer at 76
May 20 Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitar pioneer, accordionist, and composer, dies at 81
May 22 Milton Banana [Antônio de Souza], Brazilian bossa nova jazz drummer (João Gilberto and Stan Getz), dies at 63
May 26 Linda Hayes [Bertha Williams], American R&B singer (Yes I Know), dies at 74
May 27 Ghazar Saryan, Armenian composer (Symphonic Panels on motifs by Saryan; Day of Peace), and educator (Komitas State Conservatory, 1960-86), dies at 77
May 30 Klaus Hashagen, German composer (Ars Nova Ensemble Nürnberg), dies at 73
May 31 Aart Verstegen, Dutch ballet dancer and choreographer (Jolly Joker's Last Joke), dies at 77
May 31 Frank Motley, American R&B and jazz double-trumpeter and bandleader (The Motley Crew), dies at 74
May 31 Stanislaw Wislocki, Polish conductor of classical music, dies at 76
Jun 3 Poul Bundgaard, Danish comic actor (Olsen-banden films) and operetta singer (Royal Danish Theatre, 1958-73), dies at 75
Jun 6 Jan Seidel, Czech composer, dies at 89
Jun 6 Svend Simon Schultz, Danish composer, dies at 84
Jun 10 Steve Sanders, American country baritone singer (Oak Ridge Boys, 1987-95), dies of a self-inflicted gunshot at 45
Jun 12 Theresa Merritt [Hines], American singer and actress (The Wiz; That's My Mama), dies of skin cancer at 75
Jun 25 Lounès Matoub, Kabylian singer-songwriter, guitar and mandole player, and Berber rights activist, assassinated by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) at 42
Jun 25 Richard Bales, American composer (National Gallery of Art orchestra), dies at 83
Jun 29 Horst Jankowski, German jazz and easy listening pianist ("A Walk In The Black Forest"), dies of lung cancer at 62
Jul 1 Lucy Reed [Dollinger], American jazz vocalist (Woody Herman; Charlie Ventura), dies at 77
Jul 3 George Lloyd, English composer (The Serf; Pervigilium Veneris (The Vigil of Venus); John Socman), dies at 85
Jul 12 Jimmy Driftwood, American folk songwriter and musician, dies at 91
Jul 14 Beryl Bryden, British jazz and blues singer, and washboard player, dies at 78
Jul 17 Ronald Tremain, New Zealand composer, dies at 74
Jul 19 Antoine Tisne, French composer, dies at 65
Jul 20 Dieter Nowka, German composer, conductor and musicologist, dies at 74
Jul 22 Hermann Prey, German bass-baritone, dies at 69
Jul 25 Tal Farlow, American jazz guitarist, dies at 77
Jul 26 (David Allan) "Chico" Ryan, American rock bassist and singer (Sha Na Na, 1973-98), dies at 50

Jerome Robbins (1918-1998)

Jul 29 American Tony and Academy Award-winning theater and ballet choreographer and director (West Side Story; Peter Pan), dies shortly after suffering a strokeat 79

Jul 31 Barbara Giuranna, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 98
Aug 3 Alfred Schnittke, Russian composer and musicologist, dies after a series strokes at 63
Aug 6 Nat Gonella, British big band jazz trumpeter, mellophonist, singer, and bandleader (The Georgians; Oh, Monah), dies at 90
Aug 11 Benjamin "Benny" Waters, American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, dies at 96
Aug 13 Nino Ferrer, French-Italian singer and composer (Mirza, Cornichons), dies at 63
Aug 20 Raquel Rastenni, Danish singer ("Seven Lonely Days"), dies at 82
Aug 24 Gene Page, American arranger, composer, and record producer (Righteous Brothers; Marvin Gaye; Whitney Houston), dies at 58
Aug 29 Charlie Feathers, American country music and rockabilly singer-songwriter, and musician ("Can't Hardly Stand It"), dies at from stroke complications at 66
Sep 9 Bill Cratty, American modern dancer and choreographer, dies of liver cancer at 47
Sep 9 Lucio Battisti, Italian pop singer and composer, dies of cancer at 55
Sep 10 Vernon Guy, American R&B and gospel singer (Cool Sounds; Sharpees), dies in a car accident at 53
Sep 14 (Laten) Johnny Adams, American blues, jazz and gospel singer (Reconsider Me), dies of prostate cancer at 66
Sep 17 William Hugh Albright, American composer and musician, dies at 53
Sep 21 Dragutin Gostuški, Serbian composer (Concerto Accelerato), musicologist, and educator, dies at 75
Sep 25 Russell Smith, American composer, dies at 71
Sep 26 Betty Carter [Lillie Mae Jones], American jazz singer and scat vocalist, dies of pancreatic cancer at 69
Oct 1 Pauline Julien, Canadian singer-songwriter, social and political activist, takes her own life after a brain disease diagnosis, at 70
Oct 2 Gene Autry, American cowboy singer, songwriter, actor, musician, ("Back In The Saddle Again";"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer") and business tycoon (owner MLB Angels team, 1961-97), dies of lymphoma at 91
Oct 7 Arnold Jacobs, American symphonic tuba player (Chicago Symphony, 1944-83), and pedagogue, dies at 83
Oct 8 Anatol Vieru, Romanian-Jewish composer (Ultimele zile, ultimele ore/The Last Days, the Last Hours), and pedagogue, dies at 72
Oct 12 Oldřich Flosman, Czechoslovakian composer (Visions of Michelangelo; Butterflies Don't Live Here Any Longer), dies at 73
Oct 14 Frankie Yankovic, American accordionist known as 'America's Polka King' and winner of 1st Grammy Award for Best Polka Recording, dies of heart failure at 83
Oct 29 Paul Misraki [Misrachi], French jazz pianist, songwriter, and film score composer (Jean Renoir), dies at 90
Nov 3 Martha O'Driscoll, American film actress, dancer and socialite (Young and Willing, Blonde Alibi), dies at 76
Nov 8 Lonnie Pitchford, American blues musician, dies at 43
Nov 10 Svetlana Beriosova, Lithuanian-British ballerina, dies at 66
Nov 11 Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Irish folk singer, harmonic player, and songwriter (The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem - "Carrickfergus"), dies of lung ccancer at 76
Nov 12 Kenny Kirkland, American jazz pianist (Wynton Marsalis; Branford Marsalis) and funk keyboardist (Buckshot Lefonque), dies of congestive heart failure at 43
Nov 19 Earl Kim, Korean-American composer, dies at 78
Nov 19 Glenn Reeves, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and radio deejay ("Heartbreak Hotel"), dies of cancer at 67
Nov 27 Barbara Acklin, American soul singer ("Love Makes A Woman") and songwriter ("HAve You Seen Her"), dies of pneumonia at 55
Nov 29 George Van Eps, American seven-string jazz and session guitarist, dies of pneumonia at 85
Dec 1 Albert de Klerk, Dutch organist, composer, and conductor, dies at 81
Dec 2 Bob Haggart, American dixieland, swing jazz, and session double bass player, and composer ("What's New?"), dies at 84
Dec 3 Pierre Hétu, French Canadian conductor and pianist, dies at 62
Dec 7 John Addison, British composer (b. 1920)
Dec 7 Rick Frank, American drummer (Elephant's Memory), dies at 56
Dec 11 [James] Lynn Strait, American singer (Snot), dies in a car accident at 30
Dec 15 Jan Meyerowitz, German-American composer, dies at 85
Dec 21 Karl Denver [Angus McKenzie], Scottish pop singer ("Never Say Goodbye"; "Wimoweh"), dies of a brain tumor at 67
Dec 25 Bryan MacLean, American singer, musician and songwriter (Love) (b. 1946)
Dec 30 Johnny Moore, American singer (The Drifters) (b. 1934)