- 1716 Benedictus Buns, Dutch Carmelite and composer (b. 1642)
- 1746 Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (b. 1665)
- 1865 Sebastian de Iradier, Spanish composer (Arreglito), dies at 56
- 1867 Giovanni Pacini, Italian opera composer (Saffo), and educator, dies at 71
- 1903 Frederick Grant Gleason, composer, dies at 54
- 1920 Karel Kovařovic, Czech harpist, conductor (Prague National Theatre, 1900-20), and composer (The Dogheads), dies at 57
- 1943 Hermann Löhr, British composer, dies at 72
- 1946 Maximilian Steinberg, Russian composer, dies at 63
Lead Belly (1888-1949)
American blues 12-string guitarist (Rock Island Line), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 64
- 1958 Erwin Bodky, German-American composer, dies at 62
- 1966 Hermann Heiss, German composer, dies at 69
- 1971 Hugo Godron, Dutch composer, dies at 71
- 1973 Justus Hermann Wetzel, German composer, dies at 94
- 1983 Lucienne Boyer, French singer (Parlez-moi d'amour), dies at 82
- 1987 Izler Solomon, American conductor, dies at 77
- 1988 Bill Harris, American guitarist (Clovers-Love Potion No 9), dies at 63
Roy Orbison (1936-1988)
American rock singer-songwriter ("Pretty Woman"; "Only The Lonely"; Traveling Wilburys - "Handle With Care"), dies of a massive heart attack at 52
- 1989 Gabor Jodal, Romanian composer, dies at 76
- 1989 Sammy Fain, American popular music composer, dies at 87
- 1990 Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (Electric Theseus), dies from a heroin overdose at 42
- 1991 Jack Hunter [John Averona], American big band vocalist (Elliot Lawrence Orchestra - "Apple Blossom Time"), dies at 72
- 1992 (Karl) Yngve Sköld, Swedish organist, pianist, and composer, dies at 93
- 1995 Claire Polin (Schaff), American contemporary classical, composer flautist, and musicologist, dies at 69
- 1996 Trevor Key, British photographer and graphic designer, known for his album cover art (Mike Oldfield; Phil Collins; New Order; OMD), dies of a brain tumor at 48 [1]
- 1997 Eliot Daniel, American composer (I Love Lucy theme), dies at 89
- 2003 Hans Hotter, German operatic bass-baritone, dies at 94
- 2005 Danny Williams, South African-born singer (b. 1942)
- 2007 András Szőllősy, Hungarian composer, and musicologist (cataloged works of Béla Bartók), dies at 86
- 2010 Hugues Cuénod, Swiss tenor and musical educator, dies at 108
- 2011 Dobie Gray [Lawrence Brown], American musician and singer (Drift Away), dies of cancer at 71
- 2013 Stan Tracey, British jazz pianist, dies at 86
- 2015 Tony Gomez, British rock keyboardist (The Foundations - "Baby Now That I've Found You"; "Build Me Up Buttercup"), dies at 76
- 2018 Andrew Frierson, pioneering African American opera singer, dies at 94
- 2018 John "Ace" Cannon, American pop, rock and country music saxophonist (Tuff Sax), dies at 84
- 2018 Pete Shelley [Peter McNeish], English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Buzzcocks "Going Steady"), dies at 63
- 2020 Petras Bingelis, Lithuania conductor, founder and artistic director (Kaunas State Choir, 1969-2020), dies of COVID-19 at 77
- 2022 Edino Krieger, Brazilian conductor, avant-garde composer (Canticum Naturale), and record producer, dies at 94
- 2022 Hamish Kilgour, New Zealand drummer (The Clean - "Tally Ho!"), found dead 10 days after being reported missing at 65
- 2022 Jim Stewart, American audio engineer, producer, and record label co-founder (Stax), dies at 92 [1]
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide