- Oct 3 Robert Kirby, British music arranger (Nick Drake), dies at 61
- Oct 4 Mercedes Sosa, Argentinian singer (exponent of nueva canción), dies at 74
- Oct 10 Stephen Gately, Irish pop singer (Boyzone - "A Different Beat"; "No Matter What"), dies of a congenital heart defect at 33
- Oct 12 Dickie Peterson American heavy metal bassist (Blue Cheer), dies of liver cancer at 63
- Oct 12 Ian Wallace, British buffo bass-baritone opera and concert singer ("Gendarmes' Duet"), and broadcaster (BBC's My Music, 1964-97), dies at 90
- Oct 13 Al Martino [Jasper Cini], American pop singer ("Here in My Heart"), and actor (The Godfather), dies of a heart attack at 82
- Oct 13 Roger Nixon, American composer, dies at 88
- Oct 17 Vic Mizzy, American composer (Green Acres and The Addams Family themes), and bandleader, dies at 93
- Oct 26 George Na'ope, Hawaiian-American musician, dancer and heritage preservationist, dies of cancer at 81
- Oct 30 Norton Buffalo [Phillip Jackson], American singer-songwriter and country and blues harmonica player, dies of cancer at 58
- Oct 31 Ron Gowans, Australian jazz saxophonist, dies of cancer at 83
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