- Aug 2 DeLois Barrett Campbell, American gospel singer (Barrett Sisters), dies at 85
- Aug 7 Marshall Grant, American bassist (Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two), dies at 83
- Aug 11 Jani Lane [John Oswald], American heavy metal rock songwriter, and singer (Warrant - "Cherry Pie"), dies of acute alcohol poisoning at 47
- Aug 13 Topi Sorsakoski [Pekka Tammilehto], Finnish blues singer, and guitarist, dies of lung cancer at 58
- Aug 15 Betty Thatcher [Newsinger], English progressive rock lyricist (Renaissance - "Carpet of the Sun"; "Mother Russia"), dies of cancer at 67
- Aug 22 Jean-Charles Capon, French jazz cellist and composer (Confluence; Baroque Jazz Trio), dies at 75
- Aug 22 Jerry Leiber, American songwriter (Leiber & Stoller - "Hound Dog"; "Jailhouse Rock"; "Is That All There Is?"), dies at 78
- Aug 22 Nickolas "Nick" Ashford, American songwriter, record producer ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"; "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"), and singer (Ashford & Simpson - "Solid"), dies of throat cancer at 70
- Aug 28 George Green, American songwriter ("Hurts So Good", "Rain On The Scarecrow"), dies of lung cancer at 59
- Aug 29 David "Honeyboy" Edwards, American delta blues guitarist, dies at 96
Kendrick Lamar
Eminem
XXXTentacion
Tupac Shakur
Nicki Minaj
Coolio