- Oct 1 Lena Zavaroni, Scottish singer and child star ("Ma! (He's Making Eyes At Me)"), dies of bronchial pneumonia at 35
- Oct 4 Art Farmer, American trumpet player (Farmer's Market, The Jazztet), dies of a heart attack at 71
- Oct 4 Grim [Erik Brødreskift], Norwegian black metal drummer commits suicide at 29
- Oct 6 Amália Rodrigues, Portuguese fado singer, dies at 79
- Oct 9 Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist (Modern Jazz Quartet), pianist, and composer ("Bags Groove"), dies of cancer at 76
- Oct 11 Zbigniew Wiszniewski, Polish composer, dies at 77
- Oct 18 Tony Crombie, English jazz drummer and bandleader, dies at 74
- Oct 26 Hoyt Axton, American songwriter, singer ("No No Song"; "Joy To The World"; "I've Never Been To Spain"), and actor (McCloud; Gremlins; The Rousters), dies of a heart attack at 61
- Oct 27 Frank De Vol, American pop arranger, composer (theme songs to My Three Sons, The Brady Bunch, Family Affair; Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte ), orchestra leader, and actor (Fernwood 2 Night - "Happy Kyne"; The Big Mouth), dies of congestive heart failure at 88
- Oct 28 Robert Linn, American classical composer and educator, dies at 74
- Oct 31 Howard Ferguson, British-Irish pianist, composer, teacher and musicologist, dies at 91
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