- 1617 Hans Christoph Heyden, German composer, organist and poet, dies at 44
- 1691 Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect and composer, dies at 79
- 1709 Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer (Concerti Grossi), dies at 50
- 1797 Johann Friedrich Doles, German composer, pupil of J. S. Bach, dies at 81
- 1801 Johann Chrysostomus Drexel, German composer, dies at 43
- 1821 Paul Anton Wineberger, German musician and composer, dies at 62
- 1849 Francois-Antoine Habeneck, French composer and musician, dies at 68
- 1909 Edouard Silas, Dutch composer, dies at 80
- 1909 Mieczysław Karłowicz, Polish composer and conductor (Rebirth Symphony, Op. 7), dies in an avalanche while on a skiing excursion at 32
- 1947 Ernest Williams, American composer, dies at 65
- 1949 Franco Leoni, Italian composer, dies at 81
- 1949 Leonid Polovinkin, Russian conductor, and composer (Night Dreams), dies at 54
- 1972 Márkos Vamvakaris, Greek musician and rebetiko songwriter, dies at 66
- 1977 Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and ethnomusicologist, dies at 75
- 1980 Nikos Xilouris, Greek folk singer-songwriter, dies of lung and brain cancer at 43
- 1982 Kurt Edelhagen, German jazz pianist and big bandleader, dies at 61
- 1983 Alfred Wallenstein, American cellist and conductor (Chicago Symphony 1922-29), dies at 84
- 1990 Del Shannon [Charles Westover], American rock musician and songwriter ("Runaway"), commits suicide at 55
- 1992 Denny Wright, British jazz guitarist, dies at 67
- 1994 Raymond Scott, American composer (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), dies at 85
- 1996 Mercer Kennedy Ellington, American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, dies at 76
- 1997 Elroy Josephs, British jazz dance teacher, dies at 57
- 2005 Helmut Eder, Austrian composer, dies at 88
- 2005 Jimmy Smith, American jazz musician and organist (Walk On The Wild Side), dies at 79
- 2005 Keith Knudsen, American drummer, vocalist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers; Southern Pacific), dies of pneumonia at 56
- 2006 Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer, best known for his film scores in the Godzilla films, dies at 91
- 2006 Elton Dean, English jazz and progressive rock saxophonist (Soft Machine), dies of heart and liver ailments at 60 (b. 1945)
- 2012 Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian rock musician, dies from lung cancer at 62
- 2013 James DePreist, American conductor (Mitropoulos Prize, 1964, Oregon Symphony, 1980-2003), dies of a heart attack at 76
- 2015 Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
- 2016 Violetta Verdy, French ballerina and teacher, dies at 82
- 2017 Nicolai Gedda, Swedish opera tenor (Opera Two to Six), dies at 91
- 2018 Paul Danblon, Belgian composer, opera director, opera administrator and scientific journalist, dies at 86
- 2021 Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), dies at 76 [1]
Burt Bacharach (1928-2023)
American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"; "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"; "Promises, Promises"), dies at 94 [1]
- 2023 Hilary Tann, Welsh composer (Shakkei), and educator (Union College, 1980-2023), dies at 75
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide