- Jan 4 Georges Prêtre, French classical and opera conductor known for interpretation of Poulenc, dies at 92
- Jan 4 Vlastimir Trajković, Serbian avant-garde composer, and educator, dies at 79
- Jan 5 Géori Boué, French soprano, dies at 98
- Jan 8 Buddy Bregman, American orchestra leader and arranger (Eddie Fisher Show; Ella Fitzgerald's Cole Porter Songbook), dies of Alzheimer's disease complications at 86 [1]
- Jan 8 Peter Sarstedt, British pop-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Where Do You Go To (My Lovely?"; "I Am A Cathedral"), dies at 75
- Jan 10 (Armando) "Buddy" Greco, American jazz and pop singer ("Ooh! Look-A There, Ain't She Pretty"; "The Lady Is A Tramp"), pianist, and television personality (Away We Go), dies at 90
- Jan 11 José Vicente Asuar, Chilean electronic music composer, dies at 83
- Jan 13 Alexis Mardas, Greek electronics engineer, entrepreneur, and Beatles hanger-on also known as "Magic Alex", dies of pneumonia at 74
- Jan 16 Cuthbert Johnson, English musician and Benedictine abbot, dies at 70
- Jan 17 Tibor Fátyol, Hungarian composer, dies at 81
- Jan 18 Mike Kellie, British session and touring rock drummer (Spooky Tooth; The Only Ones), dies at 69
- Jan 18 Roberta Peters [Peterman], American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1950-85), dies of Parkinson's disease at 86
- Jan 20 Ronald Mundy, American doo-wop tenor vocalist (The Marcels -"Blue Moon"), dies of pneumonia at 73
- Jan 21 Maggie Roche, American singer-songwriter (The Roches - "Hammond Song"), dies of cancer at 65
- Jan 21 Veljo Tormis, Estonian composer, specializing in choral music (Curse Upon Iron (Raua needmine)), dies at 86
- Jan 22 Jaki Liebesit, German rock drummer (Can), dies at 78
- Jan 22 Pete Overend Watts, English bass guitar player (Mott the Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), dies from throat cancer at 69
- Jan 23 Bobby Freeman, American singer (Do You Want to Dance), dies at 76
- Jan 24 Butch Trucks, American rock drummer (The Allman Brothers Band), dies at 69
- Jan 27 Benny Barth, American session and touring jazz drummer, dies at 86
- Jan 28 Geoff Nicholls, British rock keyboardist (Black Sabbath, 1980-2013), dies from lung cancer at 72
- Jan 31 Deke [Roger] Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), dies at 72
- Jan 31 John Wetton, British rock vocalist and bassist (Asia, King Crimson), dies of cancer at 67
- Feb 1 Desmond Carrington, British radio host (The Music Goes Round), dies at 90
- Feb 4 Gervase de Peyer, British clarinetist, dies at 89
- Feb 4 Steve Lang, Canadian rock bassist (April Wine, 1976-84 - "Just Between You And Me"), dies at 67
- Feb 7 Svend Asmussen, Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking" (The Swe-Danes), dies at 100
- Feb 8 Nicolai Gedda, Swedish opera tenor (Opera Two to Six), dies at 91
- Feb 11 Harvey Lichtenstein, American head of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, dies at 87
- Feb 12 Al Jarreau, American jazz singer (Moonlighting), dies at 76
- Feb 13 Michael Naura, German jazz pianist, radio broadcaster, editor and anti-nuclear proliferation activist, dies at 82
- Feb 17 Alan Aldridge, British artist, graphic designer and illustrator whose artwork was used in record covers for The Beatles and The Who, dies at 78
- Feb 19 Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (11th House), dies at 73
- Feb 21 Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Polish-American conductor (Minnesota Orchestra, 1960-79) and composer (Passacaglia Immaginaria), dies at 93
- Feb 26 Dimiter Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 83
- Feb 26 James E. Sellars, American composer, dies at 76
- Feb 26 Robert Allworth, Australian composer (A Different Time, A Different Place), dies at 74
- Feb 27 Jórunn Viðar, Icelandic pianist and composer, dies at 98
- Feb 28 Claude Rene Georges Pascal, French composer, dies at 96
- Feb 28 Leoncjusz Ciuciura, Polish classical composer (Spirals), dies at 86 [1] [2]
- Mar 3 Jim Fuller, American 'Godfather of Surf Guitar' and songwriter (The Safaris - "Wipe Out"), dies at 69
- Mar 3 Lyle Ritz, American jazz ukulele and session bassist, dies at 87
- Mar 3 Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist and composer (Reconstruction), dies at 81
- Mar 3 Tommy Page, American pop singer ("I'll Be Your Everything"), found dead of apparent suicide at 46
- Mar 4 Valerie Carter, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, and session vocalist, dies of a heart attack at 64
- Mar 5 Kurt Moll, German bass opera singer, dies at 78
- Mar 6 Alberto Zedda, Italian opera conductor and musicologist, dies at79
- Mar 7 Francis Thorne, American composer (Fortuna; Elegy), dies at 94
- Mar 10 (Joan) "Joni" Sledge, American vocalist (Sister Sledge "We Are Family"), dies at 60
- Mar 10 Gido Kokars, Latvian choral conductor, dies at 95
- Mar 13 Tommy LiPuma, American Grammy Award-winning jazz record producer (George Benson; Natalie Cole; Diana Krall), and record label executive (A&M, Verve, GRP), dies at 80
- Mar 16 James Cotton, American blues vocalist and harmonica player, dies at 81
Chuck Berry (1926-2017)
Mar 18 American rock n' roll guitarist and singer-songwriter ("Roll Over Beethoven"; "Sweet Little Sixteen"), dies at 90
- Mar 18 Don Hunstein, American photographer of musicians, dies at 88
- Mar 18 Trisha Brown, American choreographer and dancer, dies at 80
- Mar 23 Lola Albright, American singer and actress (Delta Country, Kid Galahad, A Cold Wind in August), dies at 92
- Mar 23 Louis Frémaux, French conductor (Monte-Carlo Philharmonic, 1956-65; City of Birmingham Symphony, 1969-78; Sydney Symphony, 1979-82), dies at 95
- Mar 26 Alain Gagnon, Canadian composer (Chansons d'Orient), and music educator (Université Laval, 1967-2008), dies at 78
- Mar 27 Arthur Blythe, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 76
- Mar 30 Rosalie “Rosie” Hamlin, American singer-songwriter (Rosie and The Originals – “Angel Baby”), dies at 71
- Apr 3 Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical Hindustani singer, dies at 84
- Apr 5 María Luisa Ozaita, Spanish pianist, harpsichordist, musicologist, conductor, and composer (Pelleas y Melisanda), dies at 77
- Apr 9 Alan Henderson, Irish rock bassist (Them), dies at 72
- Apr 9 Bob Wootton, American country and rockabilly guitarist (Johnny Cash, 1968-97), dies of complications from dementia at 75
- Apr 10 Banner Thomas, American rock bassist (Molly Hatchet), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Apr 11 J. Geils [John Warren Geils Jr], American rock guitarist (J. Geils Band - Centerfold), dies at 71
- Apr 11 Toby Smith [Grafftey-Smith], British keyboardist and songwriter, dies of cancer at 46
- Apr 12 Barry “Frosty” Smith, American rock, country and blues touring and session drummer (Lee Michaels; Roky Erikson; Doug Sahm), dies at 71
- Apr 14 Bruce Langhorne, American session and touring folk guitarist and tambourine man, dies of kidney failure at 78
- Apr 14 Manfred Jung, German operatic tenor (Wagner's heldentenor roles), dies at 76
- Apr 15 Allan Holdsworth, British progressive rock guitarist, dies at 70
- Apr 15 Sylvia Moy, American songwriter ("My Cherie Amour"; "This Old Heart Of Mine"; "It Takes Two"), dies of pneumonia at 79
- Apr 18 Gordon Langford [Colman], British composer and arranger of brass, choral, and orchestral music (Facets of Glass; Rhapsody for Trombone), dies at 86
- Apr 20 Cuba Gooding, Sr., American pop and soul singer (The Main Ingredient - "Everybody Plays the Fool"), dies at 72
- Apr 22 Václav Kučera, Czech composer (Concierto imaginativo; Homenaje a Salvador Dalí), dies at 87
- May 2 (Mary) Norma Procter, British contralto singer, dies of Parkinson's Disease at 89
- May 2 Grigori Zhislin, Russian concert violinist, and viola player, dies at 71
- May 3 Daliah Lavi [Levinbuck], Israeli actress (Casino Royale: Lord Jim), and singer, dies at 74
- May 7 David Pell, American big band jazz saxophonist, bandleader (Dave Pell Octet), and record producer, dies at 92
- May 8 Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), dies at 78
- May 9 Robert Miles [Roberto Concina], Swiss musician, record producer, and composer of trance and ambient music ("Children"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 47
- May 12 Bill Dowdy, American jazz drummer (The Three Sounds), dies at 84
- May 18 Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave), commits suicide at 52
- May 18 Frankie Paul [Paul Blake], Jamaican reggae musician, dies of kidney disease at 51
- May 18 Jimmy "Bro" Hayes, American doo-wop bass singer (Persuasions - "Under the Boardwalk"), dies at 74
- May 20 Jimmy Dale, British-Canadian pianist and orchestra leader (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), dies at 81
- May 22 (Granville) "Mickey" Roker, American jazz drummer (Art Farmer; Milt Jackson; Dizzy Gillespie), dies suffering from diabetes and lung cancer at 84
- May 22 Barbara Smith Conrad, American operatic mezzo-soprano singer, and educator (Wagner Theater), dies at 79
Gregg Allman (1947-2017)
May 27 American Hammond organist, guitarist and vocalist (The Allman Brothers Band - "Whipping Post"), dies of cancer at 69
- May 28 Elisabeth Chojnacka, Polish harpsichordist, with works dedicated to her by over 80 composers, dies at 79
- May 31 Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech conductor (Czech Philharmonic, 1990-92 & 2012-17; Prague Philharmonia, 1993-2005; BBC Symphony, 2006-12), dies of cancer at 71
- Jun 6 Paul Zukofsky, American violinist and conductor (Cappricio), dies from non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 73
- Jun 6 Sandra Reemer, Indo-Dutch pop singer ("As Love Goes"), and television presenter, dies of breast cancer at 66
- Jun 11 Rosalie Sorrels, American traditional folk singer-songwriter ("Up Is A Nice Place To Be"; "Nevada Moon"), dies at 83
- Jun 12 Felice Taylor, American R&B singer (I Feel Love Comin' On), dies at 73
- Jun 13 Anita Pallenberg, Italian model and actress credited as the muse of the Rolling Stones, dies of complications of hepatitis C. at 75
- Jun 15 Jacques Charpentier, French organist and composer (72 études karnatiques), dies at 83
- Jun 20 Prodigy [Albert Johnson], American rapper (Mobb Deep), dies at 42
- Jun 21 Ludger Rémy, German harpsichordist, conductor (Les Amis de Philippe), and musicologist, dies at 68
- Jun 22 Jimmy Nalls, American session and touring rock-jazz-fusion guitarist (Sea Level), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 66
- Jun 22 Norman Ayrton, English actor and opera director (Royal Shakespearean Acad - UK), dies at 92
- Jun 27 Geri Allen, American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and educator, dies of cancer at 60 [1]
- Jul 5 Pierre Henry, French composer (considered pioneer of musique concrète), dies at 89
- Jul 7 Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), dies at 89
- Jul 12 Ray Phiri, South African jazz and mbaqanga guitarist (Paul Simon; Stimela), dies of cancer at 70
- Jul 20 Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (Linkin Park), commits suicide at 41
- Jul 22 Bobby Taylor, American singer and producer who discovered "The Jackson 5" (Motown Records), dies of cancer at 83
- Jul 25 Ivana Loudová, Czech composer (Vocal Symphony), dies at 76
- Jul 26 Paul Angerer, Austrian violist, violinist, conductor (Concilium Musicum Wien), harpsichordist, composer and radio host, dies at 90
- Jul 27 Gilles Tremblay, Canadian composer, ondes Martenot player, and educator, dies at 85 [1]
- Aug 1 Goldy McJohn, [John Goadsby] Canadian rock organist (Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"; "Magic Carpet Ride"), dies at 72
- Aug 7 David Maslanka, American composer (Angel Of Mercy; Sea Dreams), and educator, dies of colon cancer at 73
- Aug 7 Janet Seidel, Australian jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, and educator, dies of ovarian cancer at 62
- Aug 8 Barbara Cook, American stage singer and actress (The Music Man), dies at 89
Glen Campbell (1936-2017)
Aug 8 American Grammy Award-winning country-pop singer ("By The Time I Get to Phoenix"; "Wichita Lineman"; "Rhinestone Cowboy"), session guitarist (The Beach Boys; Elvis Presley; The Monkees; Phil Specter), television personality (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour), and actor (True Grit), dies at 81
- Aug 9 Marián Varga, Slovak musician (Prúdy), dies at 70
- Aug 10 Xavier Benguerel, Catalan composer (Llibre Vermell; Jo, Dalí), dies at 86
- Aug 19 Bea Wain, American pop singer ("Deep Purple" (the song, not the group); "Heart and Soul"), and radio host, dies at 100
- Aug 20 Fredell Lack, American concert violinist, and teacher (University of Houston, 1959-2009), dies at 95
- Aug 20 Wilhelm Killmayer, German composer, dies at 89
- Aug 22 John Abercrombie, American jazz guitarist, dies of heart failure at 72
- Aug 25 Enzo Dara, Italian operatic basso buffo (The Barber of Seville - "Don Bartolo"), and author, dies at 78
- Aug 29 Dmitri Kogan, Russian concert violinist (Five Great Violins), dies of cancer at 38
- Aug 29 Janine Charrat, French ballerina and choreographer, dies at 93
- Aug 29 Larry Elgart, American big band jazz alto saxophonist, and bandleader ("Bandstand Boogie"; "Hooked On Swing"), dies at 95
- Sep 2 Dave Hlubek, American rock guitarist (Molly Hatchet), dies at 66
- Sep 2 Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-American pianist, darabukha drummer, and composer (Martha Graham ballet scores), dies at 96
Walter Becker (1950-2017)
Sep 3 American rock bassist, guitarist, songwriter and record producer (Steely Dan - "Deacon Blues"; "Peg"), dies of esophageal cancer at 67
- Sep 5 Holger Czukay [Holger Schüring], German musician (Can), dies at 79
- Sep 6 Derek David Bourgeois, British composer, conductor and educator (National Youth Chamber Orchestra), dies of cancer at 75
- Sep 7 John Maxwell Geddes, Scottish composer and pedagogue, dies at 76
- Sep 8 Donald "Don" Williams, American country singer ("I Believe in You"), dies from emphysema at 78
- Sep 11 Peter Hall, English stage, film and opera director (Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre director), dies at 86
- Sep 12 Riem de Wolff, Indonesian-Dutch singer and guitarist (Blue Diamonds), dies at 74
- Sep 12 Siegfried Köhler, German conductor, music director, and composer, dies at 94
- Sep 13 Grant Hart, American punk rock drummer and songwriter (Hüsker Dü), dies of liver cancer at 56
Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017)
Sep 15 American actor (Lucky; Alien; Cool Hand Luke; The Godfather Part II), musician, and singer, dies at 91
- Sep 17 Laudir de Oliveira, Brazilian percussionist (Sérgio Mendes; Chicago, 1973-81), dies on stage in Rio de Janeiro, of a heart attack at 77
- Sep 19 Billy Hatton, English rock bassist (The Fourmost - A Little Loving), dies at 76
- Sep 23 Charles Bradley, American R&B and funk singer, known as 'The Screaming Eagle of Soul', dies of stomach cancer at 68
- Sep 23 Tsisana Tatishvili, Georgian lyric-dramatic soprano, dies at 79
- Sep 25 Folke Rabe, Swedish avant-garde composer (What??), dies at 81
- Sep 27 Anne Jeffreys [Annie Carmichael], American singer and actress (Dick Tracy; Topper; General Hospital), dies at 94
- Sep 27 Zuzana Ruzickova, Czech harpsichordist and Holocaust survivor, dies of pneumonia at 90
- Sep 29 Dmitry Smolsky, Belarusian orchestral, choral, theater and pop music composer, and teacher (Belarusian State Academy of Music, 1962-2014), dies at 80
- Sep 30 Alam Thomas "Tom" Paley, American folk musician (New Lost City Ramblers), dies at 89
- Oct 2 Klaus Huber, Swiss composer (Tenebrae) and academic, dies at 92
Tom Petty (1950-2017)
Oct 2 American classic rock singer and songwriter (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "American Girl"; Traveling Wilburys - "Last Night"; solo -"I Won't Back Down"), dies of an accidental overdose at 66
- Oct 8 Grady Tate, American jazz drummer (Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith), and singer, dies of complications from Alzheimer disease at 85 [1]
- Oct 9 Vincent La Selva, American conductor (New York Grand Opera Company, 1973-2012), dies at 88 [1]
- Oct 17 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), dies of glioblastoma at 53
- Oct 17 Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95
- Oct 22 George Young, Scottish-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer (the Easybeats, Flash and the Pan), dies at 70
Fats Domino (1928-2017)
Oct 24 American rhythm & blues piano player, singer, and star of the early rock ’n’ roll era ("Blueberry Hill"; "Blue Monday"; "Walkin' To New Orleans", dies from natural causes at 89
- Oct 25 John Manduell, British-based South African composer and educator (Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, 1973-96), dies at 89
- Oct 27 Ladislav Kubík, Czech-American composer (Aulos; Subterranean River) and educator (Florida State University, 1990-2017), dies at 71
- Oct 29 Muhal Richard Abrams, American educator and composer, dies at 87
- Nov 1 Katie Lee, American folk singer, environmentalist and author (Colorado River Songs), dies at 98
- Nov 5 Robert Knight, American pop singer ("Everlasting Love"), dies at 79
- Nov 7 Paul Buckmaster, British Grammy Award-winning artist, arranger, conductor and composer, dies at 71
- Nov 7 Pentti "Whitey" Glan, Finnish-Canadian touring and session drummer (Lou Reed; Alice Cooper - "Welcome To My Nightmare"), dies of cancer at 71
- Nov 7 Robert De Cormier, American conductor and musical director (The Belafonte Folk Singers), dies at 95
- Nov 9 Hans Vermeulen, Dutch singer and guitarist (Sandy Coast), dies at 70
- Nov 11 Bobby Matos, American session percussionist, Latin jazz timbalero, and bandleader, dies at 76
- Nov 11 Francesco "Frank" Corsaro, American opera director (The Night of the Iguana, Play of the Week), dies at 92
- Nov 12 Eric Salzman, American composer (New Musical Theater), dies at 84
- Nov 12 Michel Chapuis, French classical organist and pedagogue, dies at 87
- Nov 15 Lil Peep [Gustav Åhr], American rapper, dies of a drug overdose at 21
- Nov 17 William Mayer, American composer (A Death in the Family; Brief Candle; Octagon), dies from heart failure at 91
- Nov 18 Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist and songwriter (founding member of AC/DC), dies at 64
- Nov 19 Della Reese [Delloreese Patricia Early], American singer and actress (Della Reese Show; Royal Family), dies at 86
- Nov 19 Mel Tillis [Lonnie Melvin Tillis], American country singer (Who's Julie, M-M-Mel), dies of respiratory failure at 85
- Nov 21 David Cassidy, American singer and actor (Keith-Partridge Family), dies at 67
- Nov 22 Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Russian operatic baritone, dies of brain cancer at 55
- Nov 22 John Hendricks, American lyricist and singer (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross), dies at 96
- Nov 23 Carol Neblett, American operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1979-93), dies at 71
- Nov 24 Carol Neblett, American soprano (New York City and Metropolitan Operas, 1969-83), dies at 71
- Nov 24 Mitch Margo, American rocker (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), dies of natural causes at 70
- Nov 27 Bob Seidemann, American photographer and album cover artist (Blind Faith; Jerry Garcia), dies at 75
- Nov 27 Robert Lee "Pops" Popwell, American jazz-funk bass guitarist, dies at 66
- Nov 28 Shadia [Fatmah Ahmed Kamal Shaker], Egyptian actress ("Al Maraa Al Maghoula" (The Unknown Woman)), and singer ("Ya Habibti Ya Masr" (Oh Egypt, My Love)), dies from respiratory failure at 86
- Nov 30 Jim Nabors, American comedian, actor (The Andy Griffith Show; Gomer Pyle, USMC), and singer ("Back Home Again in Indiana"), dies from health complications at 87
- Dec 3 Mike D. Stone, American recording engineer (Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh, Bee Gees, America), dies of lymphoma at 68
- Dec 5 Johnny Hallyday [Jean-Philippe Smet], French singer and actor known as the "Elvis Presley of France," dies from lung cancer at 74
- Dec 7 James "Sunny" Murray, American jazz musician and drummer, dies at 81
- Dec 12 Pat DiNizio, American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Smithereens - "Only A Memory"; "Blue Period"), dies from ill health at 62
- Dec 13 Warrel Dane, American singer (Nevermore -"Enemies of Reality"), dies of a heart attack at 56
- Dec 16 Keely Smith [Dorothy Keely], American jazz and pop singer (w/ husband Louis Prima -"That Old Black Magic"; "I Wish You Love"), dies from heart failure at 89 [1]
- Dec 17 Kevin Mahogany, American jazz vocalist ("Double Rainbow"; "Pride And Joy"), dies of diabetes complications at 59 [1] [2]
- Dec 18 Jonghyun [Kim Jong-hyun], South Korean singer-songwriter, radio host, and author (SHINee), commits suicide at 27
- Dec 19 Leo "Bud" Welch, American gospel and Delta blues singer-songwriter and guitarist ("You Can't Hurry God"; "Cadillac Baby"), dies at 85
- Dec 21 Roswell Rudd, American free-jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp) and avant-garde composer (New York Art Quartet), dies of prostate cancer at 82
- Dec 21 Wolfgang Ludewig, German composer, dies at 91
- Dec 25 Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer, dies at 92
- Dec 28 Rose Marie [Mazzetta], American actress, comedienne and singer (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Sally"; The Doris Day Show), dies at 94
- Dec 31 Maurice Peress, American conductor (Kansas City Philharmonic, 1974-80), dies at 87