- Jan 1 Charles Fambrough, American jazz bassist (Jazz Messengers), dies at 60
- Jan 1 Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor, dies at 85
- Jan 4 Gerry Rafferty, Scottish guitarist and vocalist (Steeler's Wheel - "Stuck In The Niddle"; solo - "Baker Street"), dies at 63
- Jan 4 Miick Karn [Andonis Michaelides], Cypriot-British new wave and art rock fretless bassist, and singer-songwriter (Japan), dies of cancer at 52
- Jan 5 Roland Kayn, German electronic music composer, dies at 77
- Jan 8 Hans Ulrich Engelmann, German composer (Ophelia), dies at 79
- Jan 9 Debbie Friedman, American singer-songwriter and arranger of Jewish religious music ("Mi Shebeirach"), dies of pneumonia at 59
- Jan 10 Bosko Petrovic, Croatian jazz musician, founder of the Zagreb Jazz Quartet, dies at 75
- Jan 10 Liana Alexandra, Romanian pianist and composer, dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 63
- Jan 10 Margaret Whiting, American singer (It Might As Well Be Spring, Time After Time), dies at 86
- Jan 14 Trish Keenan, lead vocalist of English band Broadcast (b. 1968)
- Jan 17 Donald "Don" Kirshner, American rock & roll producer known as "The Man With the Golden Ear" (invented bubblegum music), dies at 76
- Jan 24 Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Indian khayal (romance) and devotional (bhajan and abhangsad) singer, dies at 88
- Jan 26 Charlie Louvin [Loudermilk], American country singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Louvin Brothers - "The Only Way Out (Is to Walk Over Me)"), dies of cancer at 83
- Jan 26 Gladys Horton, American pop singer (The Marvelettes- "Please Mr. Postman"; "Too Many Fish In The Sea"), dies at 65 [or 66]
- Jan 29 Emanuel Vardi, Israeli-American viola virtuoso and conductor (South Dakota Symphony 1978-82), dies at 95 [1]
- Jan 29 Milton Babbitt, American mathematician, composer of serial and electronic music (Correspondences), and teacher (Princeton; Juilliard), dies at 94
- Jan 30 John Barry [Prendergast], English film score composer (James Bond films; Born Free), dies at 77
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers