Musicians Who Died on February 4

Louis Jordan (1908-1975)

American musician, songwriter and bandleader ("Caldonia"; "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"; "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"), dies of a heart attack at 66

1982 Alex Harvey, Scottish rock and blues singer (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), dies of a heart attack at 46
1983 Karen Carpenter, American pop vocalist and drummer ("We've Only Just Begun"; "Rainy Days And Mondays"; "Top Of The World"), dies of anorexia nervosa at 32

Liberace (1919-1987)

American Emmy Award-winning pianist, showman (The Liberace Show), and actor (Batman -"Evil Chandell"), dies of AIDS-related pneumonia at 67

1989 (Kenneth) "Jethro" Burns, American country singer, and mandolin player (Homer & Jethro -"The Battle of Kookamonga"), dies from prostate cancer at 69
1989 Trevor Lucas, Australian folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Fairport Convention), dies of a heart attack at 45
1992 Andries Antonie Rieu, Dutch conductor (Maastricht Symphony Orchestra, 1949-80), dies at 75
1995 Betty Davis, British dance teacher of Dame Margot Fonteyn, dies
1997 Ross Lee Finney, American composer (Landscapes Remembered), dies at 90
2000 Doris Coley, American pop singer (The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"; "Baby It's You"), dies of breast cancer at 58
2001 Iannis Xenakis, Romanian-born, Greek-French composer, music theorist, and architect who helped revolutionize 20th century classical music (Metastaseis), dies after several years of serious illness at 78
2001 J. J. Johnson, American jazz trombonist and composer, dies at 77
2001 Raimo Kangro, Estonian composer (Butterflies in the Stone), dies at 51
2003 Jerome Hines [Heinz], American operatic bass (I am The Way), dies at 81
2007 Barbara McNair, American singer ("Till There Was You") and actress (They Call Me MR. Tibbs), dies of throat cancer at 72
2007 Colin Romoff, American orchestra leader (Andy Williams Show), dies at 82
2008 Chris Anderson, American jazz pianist (Charlie Parker; Dinah Washington; Charlie Haden), dies of a stroke at 81
2009 Lux Interior [Erick Lee Purkhiser], American punk rock singer (The Cramps), dies of a heart attack at 62
2009 Steve Dullaghan, British bass guitarist (The Primitives - "Crash"), dies of cannabis intoxication at 45
2010 Allan Wicks, British cathedral organist and choral conductor (Canterbury, 1961-88), dies at 86
2013 Donald Byrd, American jazz trumpeter (Black Byrd), dies at 80
2013 Pat Halcox, British trumpeter, dies at 82
2013 Reg Presley [Reginald Ball], English rock vocalist (Troggs - "Wild Thing"; "Love Is All Around"), and songwriter, dies from lung cancer at 71
2016 Jimmie Haskell [Sheridan Pearlman], American arranger (Ricky Nelson; Chicago; Sheryl Crow), and film and television score composer, dies at 89
2016 Leslie Bassett, American classical composer (Variations for Orchestra - Pulitzer Prize, 1966), and educator (University of Michigan, 1952-92), dies at 93
2016 Maurice White, American singer-songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire - "Shining Star"), dies at 74
2016 Ulf Söderblom, Finnish conductor (Finnish National Opera, 1973-93), and teacher, dies at 85
2017 Gervase de Peyer, British clarinetist, dies at 89
2017 Steve Lang, Canadian rock bassist (April Wine, 1976-84 - "Just Between You And Me"), dies at 67
2019 Zbigniew Penherski, Polish composer (Little Music for the End of Century), dies at 84
2020 Willy Giefer, German composer (Everything That Breathes), dies at 89
2021 Gil Saunders, American soul singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), dies of lung cancer at 68
2021 Jessie Smith, American session and touring vocalist (Ike & Tina Turner Revue; The Mirettes; Dr. John), dies at 79
2021 Nolan Porter, American R&B singer-songwriter ("Keep On Keeping On"), dies at 71
2022 Kerry Chater, Canadian musician (Gary Puckett & Union Gap - "Young Girl") and Nashville songwriter, dies at 76

On This Day

Musicians Who Died on February 4

Louis Jordan (1908-1975)

Liberace (1919-1987)

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