- 1738 Jean-Joseph Mouret, French composer, dies at 56
- 1745 Jan Dismas Zelenka, Bohemian composer, dies at 66
- 1797 Giovanni Marco Rutini, Italian composer, dies at 74
- 1832 Ishmail Spicer, American composer, dies at 72
- 1874 Johann Peter Pixis, German pianist and composer, dies at 86
- 1875 Nikolai Titov, Russian Major General, violinist, and composer, dies at 75
- 1893 Benedikt Randhartinger, Austrian composer, dies at 91
- 1923 Arthur H. Bird, American composer, dies at 67
- 1939 Ma Rainey [Gertrude Pridgett], American singer "Mother of the Blues", dies at 53
- 1941 Leopoldo Mugnone, Italian opera composer and conductor, dies at 83
- 1950 Julius Weismann, German pianist, conductor, and composer (Schwanenweiß), dies at 70
- 1950 Walter Damrosch, German-American conductor (New York Symphony, 1885-1928; commissioned Gershwin's Piano Concerto), and composer (The Man Without A Country), dies at 88
- 1951 Powell Weaver, American composer, dies at 61
- 1964 Bonifacio Gil Garcia, Spanish composer and folklorist, dies at 66
- 1971 Fred Guy, American jazz banjo player and guitarist (Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra; Duke Ellington's Washingtonians), dies at 74
- 1973 Domingo Julio Gomez Garcia, composer, dies at 87
- 1977 Johann Nepomuk David, Austrian-German composer, dies at 82
- 1984 Viola Wells [Evans], American jazz, blues, and gospel singer, dies at 82
- 1985 (Dennes) D. Boon, American punk rock singer and guitarist (The Minutemen), dies in a van accident at 27
- 1986 Celius Dougherty, American pianist and composer, dies at 84
- 1987 Leonidas Zoras, Greek conductor and composer, dies at 82
- 1988 (Thomas) "Tucker" Smith, American stage and screen dancer, singer and actor (West Side Story - "Ice"), dies of cancer at 52
- 1990 Cecil Effinger, American oboist, composer, and inventor of a music typewriter, dies at 76
- 1991 Ernst Krenek, Austrian-American concert, opera, and electronic music composer (Johnny Spielt Auf: Orpheus and Eurydike; Fibonacci-Mobile), dies at 91
- 1992 Harry Bluestone, British-American jazz and session violinist, bandleader, and music publisher, dies from Parkinson's disease at 85
- 1997 Johnny Coles, trumpeter, dies at 71
- 2002 Joe Strummer, British lead singer of the punk band "The Clash" (Rock the Casbah), dies at age 50
- 2003 Dave Dudley, American country singer (Six Days on the Road), dies at 75
- 2003 Rose Hill, British actress and operatic soprano ('Allo 'Allo!, Nicholas Nickleby, Shot in the Dark), dies at 89
- 2006 Dennis Linde, American songwriter ("Burning Love"; "Goodbye Earl"), dies of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at 63
- 2006 Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer, dies at 87
- 2007 Joe Ames, American singer and actor (The Ames Brothers Show), dies at 86
Joe Cocker (1944-2014)
English rock vocalist ("With A Little Help From My Friends"; "Cry Me A River"; "You Are So Beautiful"), dies of lung cancer at 70
- 2015 Carson Van Osten, American power pop-rock bassist (Nazz - "Open My Eyes", "Hello It's Me), and comic strip artist (Disney), dies at 70
- 2016 Bill Price, British audio engineer (Tom Jones; Wings: Sparks; Elton John), and record producer (The Clash; Sex Pistols; Waterboys), dies of cancer at 72
- 2021 Jürg Wyttenbach, Swiss pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 86
- 2021 Robin Le Mesurier [Halliley], British session and touring guitarist (The Wombles; Rod Stewart; Johnny Hallyday), dies of cancer at 68
- 2022 Thom Bell, American session musician, arranger and Grammy Award-winning "Philadelphia soul" producer (Delfonics; Stylistics; The Spinners), dies at 79
- 2022 Walter "Wolfman" Washington, American funk, R&B, and blues guitarist (Johnny Adams; The Roadmasters), dies of tonsil cancer at 79 [1]
- 2023 Laura Lynch, American bluegrass and country musician and songwriter (Dixie Chicks, 1989-95), killed in a car crash at 65 [1]
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide