- Aug 4 Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), dies at 82
- Aug 6 Bahadır Akkuzu, Turkish rock guitarist and singer (Kurtalan Ekspres), dies of a heart attack at 54
- Aug 6 Willibrordus S. Rendra, Indonesian poet (Ballad orang-orang tertjina), dies at 73
- Aug 6 Willy Deville [William Paul Borsey Jr.], American rock vocalist and guitarist (Mink DeVille; The Princess Bride - "Storybook Love"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 58
- Aug 7 Mike Seeger, American folk musician (b. 1933)
- Aug 12 Les Paul [Polsfuss], American guitarist, (How High The Moon), songwriter and inventor (solid-body electric guitar), dies at 94
- Aug 15 Jim Dickinson, American record producer (Mud Boy), dies at 67
- Aug 20 Larry Knechtel, American session piano and bass player (Simon and Garfunkel; Johnny Rivers), dies of a heart attack at 69
- Aug 21 Dean Turner, Australian rock musician (Magic Dirt), dies of cancer at 37
- Aug 21 Johnny Carter, American doo-wop singer (The Flamingos; The Dells), dies at 75
- Aug 25 Robert Heppener, Dutch composer (Hymns & Conversations for 28 Harps; Memento), dies at 84
- Aug 26 Ellie Greenwich, American singer-songwriter ("Da-Doo Ron Ron"; "Leader of the Pack"), dies of a heart attack at 68
- Aug 27 Virgilio Savona, Italian jazz singer and composer (Quartetto Cetra - "Un bacio a mezzanotte"; "Crapa pelada"), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 89
- Aug 28 DJ AM [Adam Goldstein], American DJ and musician, dies of a drug overdose at 36
- Aug 29 Chris Connor [Mary Jean Loutsenhizer], American jazz singer ("I Wonder What Became of Me"), dies of cancer at 81
- Aug 31 Maria de Lourdes Martins, Portuguese pianist and composer, dies at 83
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