- Dec 1 (Moisés) "Mario" Abramovich, Argentinian tango and classical violinist (Sexteto Major, 1974-2014), dies at 88
- Dec 2 Bobby Keys, American session and touring rock saxophonist (Rolling Stones; Harry Nilsson; John Lennon), dies of liver cancer at 70
- Dec 3 Ian McLagan, English rock keyboardist (Small Face; Faces), dies from a stroke at 69
- Dec 5 Luis Herrera de la Fuente, Mexican pianist, conductor (Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, 1954-72), and composer, dies at 90
- Dec 5 Manuel De Sica, Italian composer, chiefly of film scores, dies of a heart attack at 65
- Dec 8 Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist, choral composer, and conductor, dies at 99
- Dec 9 José Feghali, Brazilian concert pianist (Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, 1985), takes his own life at 53
- Dec 9 Winfred "Blue" Lovett, American singer (Manhattans - "One Life to Live"), dies at 71
- Dec 11 Hans Wallat, German opera conductor, dies at 85
- Dec 13 Raoul Cita, American R&B pianist and songwriter (Harptones), dies at 86
- Dec 15 Ray Steadman-Allen, British choral and brass band composer, dies at 92
- Dec 17 Francis-Paul Demillac [Enyss Djemil], French violinist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 97
- Dec 21 Udo Jürgens [Bockelmann], Austrian-Swiss pop singer-songwriter (Eurovision Song Contest, 1966), dies of heart failure at 80
Joe Cocker (1944-2014)
Dec 22 English rock vocalist ("With A Little Help From My Friends"; "Cry Me A River"; "You Are So Beautiful"), dies of lung cancer at 70
- Dec 23 Jerzy Semkow, Polish-French conductor and educator, dies at 86
- Dec 24 Boniface "Buddy" DeFranco, Italian-American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra), dies at 91
- Dec 29 Claude Frank, German-American concert pianist and pedagogue, dies at 89
- Dec 30 Patrick Gowers, British choral and film score composer (Viri Galilaei; Hamlet; Smiley's People), dies at 78
Kendrick Lamar
Eminem
XXXTentacion
Tupac Shakur
Nicki Minaj
Coolio