- Jan 1 Tony Lane, American art director (Rolling Stone magazine), and Grammy Award-winning album cover art designer (Carly Simon - Boys in the Trees; Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water; Michael Jackson - Bad), dies of brain cancer at 71
- Jan 4 Robert Stigwood, Australian-British music entrepreneur (RSO Records), stage (Jesus Christ Superstar) and film (Saturday Night Fever; Grease; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) producer, dies at 81
- Jan 5 Elizabeth Swados, American theater composer playwright (Runaways), and author, dies from complications after surgery for esophageal cancer at 64
- Jan 5 Nicholas Caldwell, American R&B and soul singer (The Whispers - "And The Baet Goes On"; "It's A Love Thing"), dies of congestive heart failure at 71
- Jan 5 Pierre Boulez, French composer (La Visage Nuptial), conductor (BBC Symphony, 1970-77; New York Philharmonic, 1971-77), and new music advocate (IRCAM, Ensemble intercontemporain)dies at 90
- Jan 6 Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Cuban jazz trumpeter (Orchestra Harlow; Eddie Palmieri), dies of prostate cancer at 87
- Jan 7 (Catherine) "Kitty" Kallen, American big band (Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden) and pop singer ("Little Things Mean A Lot"; "My Coloring Book"), dies at 94 [1]
- Jan 7 Troy Shondell, American singer (This Time (We’re Really Breaking Up)), dies from complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease at 76
David Bowie (1947-2016)
Jan 10 English rock singer-songwriter ("Space Oddity"; "Changes"; "Ziggy Stardust"; "Heroes"), mime, and actor (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence; Labyrinth), dies of cancer at 69
- Jan 11 Gilberto Mendes, Brazilian composer, dies at 93
- Jan 14 René Angélil, Canadian music executive, actor and director (Omertà, L'apparition), and husband of Céline Dion, dies of throat cancer at 73
- Jan 16 Gary Loizzo, American rock guitarist and singer (American Breed - "Bend Me, Shape Me"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 70
- Jan 17 Dale "Buffin" Griffin, English rock drummer (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), and producer (BBC's John Peel sessions), dies from complications of Alzheimer's disease at 67
- Jan 17 Mic Gillette, American trumpet, trombone, and flugelhorn player (Tower of Power, Cold Blood, The Sons of Champlin), dies of a heart attack at 64
Glenn Frey (1948-2016)
Jan 18 American Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer-songwriter (The Eagles - "Take it Easy"; "Heartache Tonight";"Tequila Sunrise"; solo - "Smuggler's Blues"; "The Heat Is On"), and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member, dies from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia at 67
- Jan 24 Yvonne Chouteau, Native American dancer (one of the "five Moons" of Oklahoma), dies at 86
- Jan 25 Denise Duval, French soprano (music of Francis Poulenc), dies at 94
- Jan 25 Frank Collett [Taglieri], American jazz pianist and bandleader, dies of liver failure at 75
- Jan 25 Leif Solberg, Norwegian organist, choral conductor and composer, dies at 101
- Jan 26 Colin Vearncombe, British singer-songwriter (Black - "Wonderful Life"), dies from injuries in a car accident at 53
- Jan 28 Paul Kantner, American rock singer and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane - "Volunteers"), dies following a heart attack at 74
- Jan 28 Signe Toly Anderson, American singer, founding member of Jefferson Airplane, dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 74
- Jan 29 Alden Ashforth, American composer and professor of ethnomusicology, dies at 82
- Jan 29 Aurèle Nicolet, Swiss flautist (Berlin Philharmonic), and educator, dies at 90
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers