- Jan 4 Jake Hess, American singer (b. 1927)
- Jan 5 John Guerin, American session and touring jazz-rock drummer and percussionist (Frank Zappa; L.A. Express; Joni Mitchell: Linda Ronstadt), dies of heart failure at 64
- Jan 12 Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Just When I Needed You Most"), dies of leukemia at 48
- Jan 14 Valfar, Norwegian heavy metal musician (Windir), dies in a snowstorm at 25
- Jan 16 John Siomos, American rock drummer, dies at 56
- Jan 17 Czeslaw Niemen, Polish musician (b. 1939)
- Jan 17 Zenobia Powell Perry, American composer (Tawawa House), educator, and civil rights activist, dies at 94
- Jan 22 Ann Miller [Johnnie Lucille Collier], American actress, dancer, and singer (On the Town), dies at 80
- Jan 22 Billy May, American orchestra leader and composer (The Green Hornet, Mod Squad, Batman), dies at 87
- Jan 28 Melvyn "Mel" Pritchard, British progressive rock drummer (Barclay James Harvest), dies of a heart attack at 56
- Jan 28 Trevor James Hold, British composer, writer, and musicologist (John Clare Songbook), dies at 64 [1]
- Jan 29 Serafim Tulikov, Russian composer (March of the Soviet Youth), dies at 89
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers