- 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)
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