Musicians Who Died on February 11

  • 1622 Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (Ferrara School), dies at 64
  • 1762 Johann Tobias Krebs, German organist and composer, dies at 71
  • 1797 Antoine Dauvergne, French composer, dies at 83
  • 1806 Vicente Martín y Soler, Valencian composer, dies at 51
  • 1870 Leopold Eugen Mechura, Czech composer, dies at 66
  • 1882 Gustav Schmidt, German composer and conductor, dies at 65
  • 1892 Erik Anthon Valdemar Siboni, Danish organist and composer, dies at 63
  • 1894 Emilio Arrieta, Spanish opera and zarzuela composer (Maria), dies at 70
  • 1903 Henryk Szulc, Polish violinist and composer, dies at 67
  • 1927 Joel Engel, Russian musicologist (Jewish Folksongs), composer ("Numi, Numi"), and music publisher, dies at 58
  • 1939 Franz Schmidt, Austro-Hungarian cellist, pianist, and composer, dies at 64
  • 1944 Ivan Sollertinski, friend of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies
  • 1945 Al Dubin, Swiss-American song lyricist ("Tiptoe Through The Tulips"; "I Only Have Eyes For You"), dies at 53 [1]
  • 1967 Edmond Hall, American jazz clarinetist (Red Allen; Teddy Wilson), bandleader (Café Society Band), and composer (Profoundly Blue), dies at 65
  • 1970 Emil Abranyi, Hungarian composer, conductor, and opera director, dies at 87
  • 1985 Heinz Roemheld, American film composer (Yankee Doodle Dandy; Ruby Gentry), dies of pneumonia at 83
  • 1999 Jaki Byard, American jazz pianist (Charlie Mingus), saxophonist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator, dies from an unsolved gunshot at 76
  • 2006 Jockey Shabalala, South African singer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), dies at 62
  • 2009 Estelle Bennett, American pop singer (The Ronettes - "Be My Baby"), dies at 67
  • 2009 Marina Svetlova, American ballerina and choreographer (Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), dies at 86

Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

American singer ("I Will Always Love You"; "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"), actress (The Bodyguard), and film producer (The Princess Diaries), dies from an accidental bathtub drowning at 48

  • 2013 Rick Huxley, British rock guitarist (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), dies from emphysema at 72
  • 2014 Alice Babs [Nilson], Swedish jazz singer (The Swe-Danes; Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts), and actress (Swing It, Teacher!), dies of Alzheimer's disease complications at 90
  • 2017 Harvey Lichtenstein, American head of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, dies at 87
  • 2018 Vic Damone [Vito Farinola], American singer ("On the Street Where You Live"), entertainer, actor and TV presenter (Vic Damone Show), dies at 89
  • 2020 (Bhekizizwe) Joseph Shabalala, South African singer, songwriter, founder and musical director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, dies at 79
  • 2024 Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and impresario (New Christy Minstrels), dies at 90