- 1653 Johannes Schultz, German composer, dies at 70
- 1803 Giovanni Punto [Jan Václav Stich], Bohemian horn player and composer, dies at 56
- 1823 Johann Gottfried Schict, German composer, dies at 69
- 1825 Georg Gerson, Danish composer, dies at 34
- 1829 François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian-French composer (Les Pêcheurs; Mirza), dies at 95
- 1844 Heinrich David Stölzel, German horn player who developed the first valve for brass instruments, dies at 66
- 1864 Vaclav Jindrich Veit, Czech composer, dies at 58
- 1910 Albert Heinrich Zabel, German-Russian harpist and composer (Russian Imperial Ballet), dies at 75
- 1928 Eddie Foy Sr. [Edwin Fitzgerald], Irish-American actor, singer and dancer (A Favorite Fool), dies at 71
- 1944 Bob Zurke [Boguslaw Zukowski], American jazz pianist, arranger, (Bob Crosby Orchestra), and composer ("Old Tom-Cat On The Keys"), dies of complications of pneumonia aggravated by acute alcohol poisoning at 32
- 1944 Edmund von Borck, German composer, dies fighting in Italy in WWII at 37
- 1951 Hisatada Otaka, Japanese conductor (Japan Symphony Orchestra, 1942-51), and composer, dies at 39
- 1957 Józef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist, composer, educator (Curtis Institute, 1924-38), and inventor, (pneumatic shock absorbers), dies of pneumonia at 81
- 1963 László Lajtha, Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist and conductor, dies at 70
- 1967 (Lester) "Smiley" Burnette [Burnett], American country music performer, singer-songwriter ("Ridin' Down the Canyon (To Watch the Sun Go Down)"), and actor (Petticoat Junction - "Charlie"), dies of leukemia at 55
- 1968 (James) Healey Willan, British-Canadian organist, composer, and educator, dies at 87
- 1975 (Adanelle) "Norman" Treigle, American operatic bass-baritone, dies of an accidental sleeping pill overdose at 47
- 1987 Dmitri Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (In the Fire), dies at 82
- 1988 Charles Delaunay, French writer, magazine publisher (Le Jazz Hot), jazz musiclogist (Hot Discography), record label founder, and music promoter, dies at 77
- 1996 (Walter) "Brownie" McGhee, American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, dies at 80
- 1999 Betty Roché [Mary Elizabeth Roach], American jazz singer (Duke Ellington - "Take The 'A' Train"), dies at 81
- 1999 Björn Afzelius, Swedish rock and progg singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hoola Bandoola Band), dies of cancer at 52
- 1999 Johan Kvandal, Norwegian composer, organist, and music critic, dies at 79
- 1999 Necil Kazım Akses, Turkish classical composer, dies at 90
- 2002 Billy Ward, American singer and songwriter (Billy Ward and his Dominoes), dies at 80
- 2004 Doris Troy [Higginsen], American R&B singer and songwriter ("Just One Look"), dies from emphysema at 67
Tony Sheridan (1940-2013)
British singer-songwriter and guitarist who collaborated with the pre-fame Beatles ("My Bonnie"), dies at 72
- 2014 Raymond Louis "Ray" Kennedy, American songwriter ("Sail On, Sailor"), session and touring singer, musician, and record producer, dies at 67
- 2015 Lesley Gore, American pop singer ("It's My Party"; "You Don't Own Me"), dies of lung cancer at 68
- 2016 Gwyneth George, Welsh cellist and teacher, dies at 95
- 2019 Ken Nordine, American voice-over and recording artist (World Jazz), dies at 98
- 2023 Chuck Jackson, American pop and R&B singer ("Any Day Now"; "I Don't Want to Cry"; "I Keep Forgettin'"), dies at 85
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide