- Oct 1 Robert Allen, American pianist and songwriter "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays"; "Chances Are"), dies of colon cancer at 73
- Oct 3 Benjamin Orr [Orzechowski], American rock bassist and singer (The Cars - "Just What I Needed", "Drive"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 53
- Oct 10 Ferenc Farkas, Hungarian composer, dies at 94
- Oct 13 Britt Woodman, American jazz trombonist (Duke Ellington; Charles Mingus; Lionel Hampton), dies of respiratory issues at 80
- Oct 18 Gwyneth “Gwen” Verdon, American actress, singer and dancer (Cotton Club; Sweet Charity), dies at 75
- Oct 18 Julie London, American singer ("Cry Me A River") and actress (Emergency - "Nurse McCall"), dies at 74
- Oct 19 Hortense Ellis, Jamaican reggae singer ("Right On the Tip of My Tongue"), dies from a stomach infection at 59
- Oct 25 Don Frank Brooks, American session and touring blues harmonica player (Waylon Jennings; Ken Burns' "The Civil War"), dies of leukemia at 53
- Oct 27 Walter Berry, Austrian lyric bass-baritone singer, dies of a heart attack at 71
- Oct 28 Carlos Guastavino, Argentine composer (b. 1912)
Steve Allen (1921-2000)
Oct 30 American comedian, composer, actor and TV host (Tonight Show; Steve Allen Show), dies of injuries from a car accident at 78
- Oct 31 Watanabe Kazuki Japanese progressive rock guitarist and songwriter (Raphael), dies of an accidental sedative overdose at 19
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