- Oct 3 Adrian Ratiu, Romanian composer, dies at 77
- Oct 4 Mike Gibbins, Welsh musician and drummer (Badfinger - "Come and Get It": No Matter What"), dies of a brain aneurysm at 56
- Oct 6 Warren Frank Benson, American composer (The Leaves Are Falling), and educator (Eastman School, 1967-1993), dies at 81
- Oct 16 "Len" Dresslar, American singer and voice actor (b. 1925)
- Oct 16 David Reilly, American singer ("God Lives Underwater"), dies at 34
- Oct 19 Dallas Cook, American ska-funk trombonist (Suburban Legends), killed in a motorcycle accident at 23
- Oct 20 Shirley Horn, American jazz pianist and vocalist (Embers and Ashes), dies from complications of diabetes at 71
- Oct 22 Franky Gee [Francisco Gutierrez], American-German rapper and pop singer ("Captain Jack"), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 43
- Oct 23 Pete Nelson [Lipscomb], British pop singer (The Flower Pot Men - "Let's Go To San Francisco"), dies at 60
- Oct 28 Fernando Quejas, Cape Verdean singer and musician (b. 1922)
- Oct 31 John "Beatz" Holohan, American drummer (Bayside), dies in an auto accident at 31
Kendrick Lamar
Eminem
XXXTentacion
Tupac Shakur
Nicki Minaj
Coolio