Musicians Who Died in 2007

Jan 31 (Kirill) "Kirka" Babitzin, Finnish pop-rock singer ("Hetki Lyö" (Beat the Clock)), dies at 56
Feb 1 Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian pianist, librettist, and composer (Amahl & Night Visitors), and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, dies at 95
Feb 1 Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dance choreographer, dies at 70
Feb 1 Whitney Balliett, American jazz critic, dies of cancer at 80
Feb 2 Billy Henderson, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2004 - "The Rubberband Man"), dies from complications of diabetes at 67
Feb 2 Eric von Schmidt, American folk/blues singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
Feb 2 Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of Motown's house band - The Funk Brothers (1959-64), dies at 79
Feb 3 Pedro Knight, Cuban-American trumpeter, husband and manager of legendary singer Celia Cruz, dies from complications of diabetes at 85
Feb 4 Barbara McNair, American singer ("Till There Was You") and actress (They Call Me MR. Tibbs), dies of throat cancer at 72
Feb 4 Colin Romoff, American orchestra leader (Andy Williams Show), dies at 82
Feb 6 Frankie Laine [Francesco Paolo LoVecchio], American singer ("Jezebel"; "Rawhide"; "Blazing Saddles"), songwriter ("We'll Be Together Again"), and actor (Bring Your Smile Along), dies of heart failure at 93
Feb 7 Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz and session drummer, and bandleader, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 82
Feb 9 Louis Ballard [Honganózhe], Native American composer and educator (The Four Moons), dies at 75
Feb 12 Eldee Young, American jazz upright bassist (Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1956-66 'The In Crowd"; Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"), dies of a heart attack at 71
Feb 12 Peggy Gilbert, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)

Feb 14 Gareth Morris, British flautist (b. 1920)
Feb 15 Ray Evans, American lyricist ("To Each His Own"; "Mona Lisa"; "Silver Bells"; "Mister Ed"), dies at 92
Feb 17 Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter (b. 1943)
Feb 19 Celia Franca, Canadian ballet dancer, founder of National Ballet of Canada, dies at 85
Feb 19 Janet Blair [Martha Janet Lafferty], American singer and actress (Leave it to the Girls; Smith Family), dies of pneumonia at 85
Feb 22 Edgar Evans, Welsh tenor (Covent Garden Opera Company), dies at 94
Feb 22 Ian Wallace, British session and touring rock and jazz drummer (King Crimson, 1971-72; Bob Dylan, 1977-78; Crimson Jazz Trio, 2005-07), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
Feb 23 Donnie Brooks, American singer (b. 1936)
Feb 24 Leroy Jenkins, American jazz violinist, avant-garde jazz and contemporary classical composer, dies of lung cancer at 73
Feb 25 Mark Spoelstra, American folk singer and songwriter, dies at 66
Feb 27 Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer and bandleader, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 82
Feb 28 Billy Thorpe, British-Australian musician (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs - "I Told The Brook", "Mashed Potato"; solo - "Children of the Sun"), dies of a heart attack at 60
Mar 1 Joel Brodsky, American photographer, credited with photographing over 400 album covers, dies of a heart attack at 67 [1]
Mar 4 Natalie Bodanya [Bodanskaya], American soprano, dies at 98
Mar 4 Richard Joseph, British computer and video game soundtrack composer, dies of lung cancer at 53

Mar 4 Tadeusz Nalepa, Polish rock and blues composer, guitar player, vocalist and lyricist, dies at 63
Mar 7 Frigyes Hidas, Hungarian composer, and musical director (Hungarian National Theater, 1951-66; Budapest Operetta, 1974-79). dies at 78
Mar 9 Brad Delp, American rock musician (lead singer of Boston and RTZ), commits suicide at 55
Mar 11 Betty Hutton [Elizabeth June Thornburg], American actress, dancer, singer and comedian (Greatest Show on Earth), dies of colon cancer a 86
Mar 17 Roger Bennett, American Southern Gospel performer (b. 1959)
Mar 18 Alec Wyton, English-born American composer, dies at 85
Mar 19 Luther Ingram, American R&B singer-songwriter ("(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"; "I'll Be Your Shelter"), dies of diabetes related heart failure at 69
Apr 3 Zoltan Pongracz, Hungarian composer (Mariphonia), dies at 95
Apr 5 Mark St. John [Norton], American rock guitarist (KISS, April- November, 1984), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 51
Apr 10 Dakota Staton, American jazz singer ("Where Flamingos Fly"; "Sex Is A Misdemeanor"), dies at 76
Apr 14 Don Ho, Hawaiian-American pop and Hawaiian music singer ("Tiny Bubbles"; "Ain't No Big Thing!"), dies of heart failure at 76
Apr 20 Andrew Hill, American jazz pianist, composer and educator, dies at 75
Apr 21 Lobby Loyde [John Lyde], Australian rock guitarist and songwriter (The Purple Heart; Wild Cherries; Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs), dies at 65
Apr 25 Bobby "Boris" Pickett, American singer-songwriter ("Monster Mash"), dies from leukemia at 69

Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007)

Apr 27 Russian cellist and conductor, dies at 80

Apr 28 Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist & bandleader (The Tonight Show), dies at 78
Apr 30 Grégory Lemarchal, French pop singer, dies of health complications while waiting for a lung transplant at 23
Apr 30 Zoletta "Zola" Taylor, American pop singer (The Platters, 1954-62 - "The Great Pretender"; "Only You"; "Twilight Time"), dies at 69
May 3 Ellsworth Milburn, American composer and educator (Menil Antiphons), dies of complications from pneumonia at 69
May 6 Đorđe Novković, Croatian pop singer-songwriter (Pro Arte), and television personality (Hrvatski Idol), dies at 63
May 7 Bianco [Eugene Capobianco], American jazz, easy-listening, and session harpist, dies at 80
May 8 Carson Whitsett, American session keyboard player and songwriter ("Don't Give Up On Me"), dies of brain cancer at 62
May 9 Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer, dies at 87
May 16 (Terry) "Topper" Price, American blues, jazz and rock vocalist and harmonica player (The Upsetters). dies at 54
May 16 Albert Delvaux, Belgian composer (Symphonia Burlesca), dies at 93
May 18 Yoyoy Villame, Philippine novelty singer and movie actor, dies at 74
May 27 Gretchen Wyler, American actress, dancer (Silk Stockings), and animal rights activist, dies at 75
May 27 Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard - "Makenaide (Please Don't Lose)"), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40
Jun 1 Tony Thompson, American singer-songwriter in R&B group Hi-Five, dies at 31
Jun 2 Kentaro Haneda, Japanese pianist, composer and arranger for film, anime, and video games, dies of liver cancer at 58
Jun 4 Freddie Scott, American singer and songwriter ("Cry To Me"), dies at 74
Jun 8 Nellie Lutcher, American jazz and R&B singer, pianist, and songwriter (He's a Real Gone Guy), dies at 94
Jun 13 Oskar Morawetz, Czech-Canadian composer (From the Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 90
Jun 15 Richard Bell, Canadian musician (Full Tilt Boogie Band), dies of multiple myeloma at 61
Jun 16 Patricia Darcy Jones, American session and touring rock vocalist (Cher), and Broadway actress, dies at 54
Jun 16 Pattie D'Arcy, American musical theater, session and touring vocalist (Cher), dies at 54
Jun 17 Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (b. 1933)
Jun 18 Georges Thurston, Canadian R&B and reggae musician and singer (Boule Noire), dies of cancer at 55
Jun 18 Henry "Hank" Medress, American singer (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), and record producer (The Chiffons; Tony Orlando & Dawn), dies of lung cancer at 68
Jun 19 Antonio Aguilar [Barraza], Mexican singer, producer and actor (Emiliano Zapata) who popularized the Mexican equestrian sport la charrería, dies of pneumonia at 88
Jun 19 El Fary, Spanish singer and actor, dies at 69
Jun 22 Derek Simpson, British cellist (Aeolian String Quartet, 1956-81; Beatles - "Strawberry Fields Forever), and teacher, dies at 79
Jun 24 Natasja Saad, Danish hip hop and reggae artist, dies in a Jamaican car crash at 32
Jun 25 Mahasti, Persian singer (b. 1946)
Jun 25 Nina Vyroubova, Russian-French ballerina (Pavlova Prize 1957), dies at 86
Jun 29 George McCorkle, American guitarist (Marshall Tucker Band), dies of cancer at 59
Jul 2 Beverly Sills [Belle Miriam Silverman], American operatic soprano, dies of lung cancer at 78
Jul 2 Git Gay [Birgit Carp], Swedish revue director, actress and singer (Git Gay Show, Ge mig en lektion i kärlek), dies at 85
Jul 3 (Homer) "Boots" Randolph, American session saxophonist ("Yakety Sax"), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 80
Jul 4 Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician ("Gözlerin"/ "Your Eyes"), and actor (My Lying Lover), dies of injuries sustained in a car accident at 28
Jul 4 Bill Pinkney, American bass vocalist (Drifters - "Ruby Baby"), dies of a heart attack at 81
Jul 5 George Melly, British jazz & blues singer, journalist, and art critic, dies of lung cancer and emphysema at 80
Jul 5 Régine Crespin, French operatic mezzo-soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1962-87; Sheherazade, Les Nuits D'ete), dies of liver cancer at 80
Jul 8 Jindřich Feld, Czech composer (Concerto for Flute and Orchestra), dies at 82
Jul 11 Ferhunde Erkin (née Remzi) Turkish concert pianist and pedagogue, dies at 98
Jul 11 Rod Lauren, American rocker ("If I Had a Girl"), commits suicide at 66
Jul 12 Robert Burås, Norwegian rock guitarist (Madrugada; My Midnight Creeps), dies at 31
Jul 13 Ilja Zeljenka, Slovak composer (Oświęcim), dies at 74
Jul 13 Zdeněk Lukáš, Czech composer, dies at 78
Jul 15 Kelly Johnson, English guitarist, dies at 49
Jul 18 Jerry Hadley, American opera singer, dies of an air rifle inflicted brain injury at 55
Jul 20 Ivor Emmanuel, Welsh singer and actor (Zulu, Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate), dies of a stroke at 79
Jul 20 Tammy Faye Bakker (Messner), American Christian singer and former wife of Jim Bakker (The PTL Club), dies at 65
Jul 23 Ron Miller, American songwriter and record producer (b. 1933)
Jul 29 Art Davis, American bassist (A Time Remembered), dies of a heart attack at 72
Aug 1 Tommy Makem, Irish folk singer, dies of lung cancer at 74
Aug 4 Lee Hazlewood, American country singer and songwriter ("Summer Wine"; "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"), dies of renal cancer at 78
Aug 6 Teizo Matsumura, Japanese composer ("Chinmoku / Silence"; "Hymn to Aurora") and haiku poet, dies at 78
Aug 6 Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian rock guitarist (Bikini; Omen; Carpathia Project Tirana Rockers; solo), dies at 38
Aug 10 Tony Wilson, British music personality, record label owner and radio broadcaster, dies of a heart attack at 57
Aug 13 Tudor Jarda, Romanian composer, dies at 85
Aug 14 Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov, Soviet composer and leader of the Union of Soviet Composer, dies at 94
Aug 15 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, dies at 80
Aug 15 Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (Canadian Opera Company, 1989-2007), dies of a heart attack at 63
Aug 16 Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
Aug 27 Douglas "Doug" Riley [Dr Music], Canadian musician and musical director (Famous People Players), dies of a heart attack at 62
Aug 28 Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American Academy Award-winning stage and screen singer and actress (Sayonara; Flower Drum Song; Courtship of Eddie's Father - "Mrs. Livingston"), dies of cancer at 78
Sep 2 David "Fritz" Fryer, British pop guitarist and songwriter (The Four Pennies -"Juliet"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 62
Sep 2 Rajae Belmlih, Moroccan singer, dies of breast cancer at 45
Sep 3 Carter Albrecht, American musician, dies in a gun accident at 34
Sep 3 Janis Martin, American rockabilly and country singer ("Will You Willyum"; "Drugstore Rock 'n Roll"), dies of cancer at 67
Sep 5 Thomas Hansen Norwegian alternative country musician, found dead at 31

Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)

Sep 6 Italian operatic tenor (Oh Giorgio; The Three Tenors), dies at 71

Sep 9 Hughie Thomasson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Outlaws - "Green Grass and High Tides"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1996-2005), dies of a heartt attack at 55
Sep 11 [Josef] Joe Zawinul, Austrian-American jazz keyboardist, composer and musician (Weather Report - "Birdland"), dies from Merkel cell carcinoma at 75
Sep 15 Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist, composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor, dies at 79
Sep 15 Gordon "Specs" Powell, American jazz and studio drummer and percussionist (Red Norvo; Teddy Wilson; CBS Orchestra, 1943-72), dies of kidney disease at 85
Sep 16 Jean Balissat, Swiss composer pedagogue and conductor (Kaleidoscope for trumpet and percussion), dies at 71
Sep 18 Pepsi Tate [Huw Smith], Welsh glam-rock bassist (Tigertailz), dies of pancreatic cancer at 42
Sep 20 Juraj Pospíšil, Czech composer (November Triptych), and pedagogue (Bratislavia Conservatory, 1955-91), dies at 76
Sep 21 Alice Ghostley, American stage and screen actress (Bewitched, 1969-72 - "Esmeralda"; Designing Women, 1986-93 - "Bernice"), and singer dies of colon cancer and stroke complications at 84
Sep 26 Dorothy Schwartz (neé Cohen), American violinist (Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra), dies at 94
Oct 1 Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and TV theme song composer (Are You Being Served?), dies at 79
Oct 2 (Elfriede) "Elfi" von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American opera singer, pianist, vocal coach, and film producer, dies of heart failure at 83
Oct 6 Eric McCredie, Scottish pop bassist (Middle Of The Road - "Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep Cheep"), dies at 62
Oct 6 Laza [Lazar] Ristovski, Serbian keyboardist (Smak and Bijelo Dugme), dies from multiple sclerosis at 51
Oct 11 Werner von Trapp, Austrian singer (Trapp Family Singers), dies at 91
Oct 13 Tom Dawes, American rock musician and composer who wrote music for commercial jingles ("Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” for Alka-Seltzer and “7Up, the Uncola”), dies at 64
Oct 14 Big Moe [Kenneth Doniell Moore], American rapper (Screwed Up Click), dies of a heart attack at 33
Oct 16 Toše Proeski, Macedonian pop music singer-songwriter and musician, dies in a car crash in Croatia at 26
Oct 17 Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer (Put Another Nickel In), dies at 76
Oct 18 Kumiko Ida, Japanese classical pianist, dies of meningitis at 38
Oct 18 Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician, killed by carjackers at 43
Oct 19 Yolanda "LaLa" Brown, American R&B singer, shot and killed by an unknown gunman at a Milwaukee recording studio at 21
Oct 20 Paul Raven, British bass-player (Killing Joke, Ministry), dies of a heart attack at 46
Oct 21 Paul Fox, English musician and singer (The Ruts), dies at 56
Oct 24 Petr Eben, Czech organ composer (b. 1929)
Oct 28 Porter Wagoner, American country singer, discovered Dolly Parton ("Y'All Come"; "A Satisfied Mind"), dies of lung cancer at 80
Oct 30 Linda Stein, Ramones manager and real estate broker, murdered by her personal assistant at 62

Robert Goulet (1933-2007)

Oct 30 American Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, stage and screen actor (Camelot - "If Ever I Would Leave You"), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 73

Nov 2 Witold Kiełtyka, Polish heavy metal drummer (Decapitated), dies in a tour bus crash at 23
Nov 6 Hank Thompson, American country music singer (The Brazos Valley Boys), dies at 82
Nov 11 John Peterson, American drummer (the Beau Brummels), dies at 65
Nov 14 Mauro Bortolotti, Italian composer, dies at 80
Nov 16 Grethe Kausland, Norwegian actress and singer (b. 1947)
Nov 19 Kevin DuBrow, American heavy metal singer (Quiet Riot), dies of an overdose at 53
Nov 27 Cecil Payne, American jazz baritone saxophonist, dies of prostrate cancer at 84
Nov 29 Tom Terrell, American musicologist, NPR reviewer and deejay, dies at 57
Dec 4 Friedrich Zehm, German pianist and composer, dies at 85
Dec 4 Pimp C. [Chad Butler], American rapper (Underground Kingz), dies of overuse of prescription cough syrup and sleep apnea at 33
Dec 5 Andrew Imbrie, American contemporary classical composer, and pianist, dies at 86
Dec 5 Karlheinz Stockhausen, German classical and electronic music composer, dies at 79
Dec 6 András Szőllősy, Hungarian composer, and musicologist (cataloged works of Béla Bartók), dies at 86
Dec 10 Robert Moevs, American composer, dies at 87
Dec 11 Christie Hennessy, Irish singer (b. 1945)
Dec 12 Ike Turner, American musician ("Rocket 88"; Ike and Tina Turner - "A Fool in Love"; "Proud Mary"), dies of cocaine overdose at 76
Dec 13 Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Native American (Dakota Sioux) country music singer-songwriter, actor (Walker, Texas Ranger; Northern Exposure), and political activist, dies from complications of leukemia at 71
Dec 14 Ernő Király, Yugoslavian composer and ethnomusicologist, dies at 88
Dec 16 Dan Fogelberg, American rocker (Same Old Lang Syne), dies at 56
Dec 16 Harald Genzmer, German composer, dies at 98
Dec 22 Joe Ames, American singer and actor (The Ames Brothers Show), dies at 86

Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)

Dec 23 Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), dies of kidney failure at 82

Dec 25 Hans Otte, German composer and pianist (The Book of Sounds, Book of Hours), dies at 81
Dec 25 Mighty King Kong, Kenyan reggae musician. (b. 1973)
Dec 26 Joe Dolan, Irish singer and entertainer (b. 1943)
Dec 28 Jiří Pauer, Czech composer, dies at 88
Dec 31 Markku Peltola, Finnish actor (The Man Without A Past), and art-rock bassist and singer (Motelli Skronkle), dies at 51