- Oct 1 David Vickerman Bedford, British composer and educator, dies at 74
- Oct 5 Bert Jansch, Scottish folk musician (Pentangle), dies of lung cancer at 67
- Oct 6 Brad Felt, American jazz tuba and euphonium player, composer, and bandleader, dies of pancreatic cancer at 55
- Oct 8 Antonio Iglesias Álvares, Spanish pianist, composer, educator and critic, dies at 93
- Oct 8 Mikey Welsh, American bass player (Weezer, 1998-2001 - "Island In The Sun"), dies of a drug overdose at 40
- Oct 8 Roger Williams [Louis Jacob Weertz], American popular music pianist ("Born Free"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 87
- Oct 10 Jagjit Singh, Indian Musician, Ghazal Maestro, Padma Bhusan awardee (b. 1941)
- Oct 12 Joel "Taz" DiGregorio, American country-rock keyboardist (Charlie Daniels Band), killed in a car accident at 67 [1]
- Oct 14 Chuck Ruff, American rock drummer (Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein"), dies after a long illness at 60
- Oct 15 Elizabeth "Betty" Driver, British singer and actress (Coronation Street; Pardon the Expression), dies from pneumonia at 91
- Oct 16 Pete Rugolo, American bandleader and arranger (Fugitive), dies at 95
- Oct 20 Barry Feinstein, American portrait photographer and album cover designer (Bob Dylan; Peter, Paul & Mary; Janis Joplin; George Harrison), dies at 80
- Oct 21 Edmundo Ros, Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician and arranger, dies at 100
- Oct 22 Karl-Heinz Köper, German conductor, and composer (Tuba-Tabu; Pop Corn Concerto), dies at 84
- Oct 28 Beryl Davis, British-American cabaret and big band singer (Quintette du Hot Club de France, Glenn Miller's US Army Air Force Orchestra), dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at 87
- Oct 31 Liz Anderson, American country music singer-songwriter (Mama Spank, The Game of Triangles), dies of heart and lung disease at 81
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