Musicians Who Died on January 15

  • 1744 Charles-Hubert Gervais, French baroque composer, dies at 72
  • 1755 Azzolino Bernardino Della Ciaia, Italian organist, harpsichordist, composer (Six Sonatas for Harpsichord), and organ builder, dies at 83
  • 1765 Carlmann Kolb, German composer and priest, dies at 61
  • 1775 Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian composer, musician, and choirmaster, dies at about 74 (born c. 1700)
  • 1788 Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer, dies at 77
  • 1812 Johannes Herbst, German composer, dies at 76
  • 1816 Henry Harington, British physician, composer, and writer, dies at 88
  • 1844 Joseph Mazzinghi, English composer, dies at 78
  • 1864 Isaac Nathan, British-Australian composer, dies at about 73 [exact birthdate undocumented]
  • 1904 Eduard Lassen, Belgian-Danish composer, dies at 73
  • 1909 Ernest Reyer, composer, dies at 85
  • 1911 Wilhelm Berger, German composer, pianist and conductor, dies at 49
  • 1915 Guillaume Couture, Canadian choir conductor, composer, and teacher, dies at 63
  • 1924 Géza Zichy, Hungarian composer and one-armed pianist, dies at 74
  • 1926 Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 42
  • 1934 Hermann Bahr, Austrian writer (Concert), dies at 70
  • 1953 Patrick Vretblad, Swedish composer, dies at 76
  • 1961 Francesco Maria Saraceni, Italian composer, dies at 49
  • 1964 (Weldon Leo) "Jack" Teagarden, American jazz trombonist (Paul Whiteman, 1933-38; Louis Armstrong's All-Stars, 1946-51), singer ("Basin Street Blues"), and bandleader, dies from bronchial pneumonia at 58
  • 1967 Albert Szirmai, Hungarian operetta composer, dies at 86
  • 1970 Vytautas Bacevičius [Bacewicz], Lithuanian avant garde composer (Della Guerra Symphony), dies at 64
  • 1973 Jef Alpaerts, Flemish pianist, educator, and conductor (Collegium Musicum Antverpiense), dies at 68
  • 1974 Karel Salmon [Karl Salomon], Israeli operatic bass-baritone singer, composer, and conductor, dies at 76
  • 1978 Jack Jackson, British trumpeter, dance band bandleader, and influential BBC disc jockey, dies at 71
  • 1979 Euphemia Giannini Gregory, Italian-American opera singer and educator (Curtis Institute), dies at 83
  • 1987 Dolores Hawkins, American R&B singer ("Rocks in My Bed"; "A Kiss Before Dying"), dies at 58
  • 1987 Ray Bolger, American dancer, actor, and singer (Wizard of Oz - "Scarecrow"; Partridge Family - "Grandpa Renfrew"), dies of bladder cancer at 83
  • 1992 (David) Dee Murray [Oates], British bassist (Elton John backing band), dies after a stroke at 45
  • 1993 Sammy Cahn [Cohen], American lyricist ("Three Coins in a Fountain"; "High Hopes"; "Call Me Irresponsible"), dies of heart failure at 79
  • 1994 György Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist (Chopin, Liszt), dies at 72

Harry Nilsson (1941-1994)

American pop and rock singer-songwriter ("Everybody's Talkin'"; "One"; "Without You"), dies of a heart attack at 52

  • 1994 Philippe Brun, French jazz trumpeter, dies at 85
  • 1995 Sollie McElroy, American R&B singer (The Flamingos. 1953-54 - "Golden Teardrops"), dies at 61
  • 1996 Les Baxter, American exotica musician, orchestra leader and composer (Ritual Of The Savage, Born Again), dies at 73
  • 1998 Junior Wells, American blues singer ("In My Younger Days"), dies at 63
  • 2003 Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter ("Tutti Frutti"; You Always Hurt the One You Love": "Tampico"), dies at 87
  • 2005 Ruth Warrick, American actress (Citizen Kane; All My Children), and singer, dies of complications from pneumonia at 88
  • 2005 Victoria de los Ángeles, Catalan operatic lyric soprano, dies at 81
  • 2013 Daphne Anderson, British actress (Beggar's Opera; Hobson's Choice), dies at 90
  • 2013 Mario Kuri-Aldana, Mexican composer, and teacher, dies at 81
  • 2013 Yuli Turovsky, Russian-Canadian cellist (Borodin Trio, 1976-91), conductor (I Musici de Montreal Chamber Orchestra, 1983-2011), and teacher, dies at 73 [1]
  • 2015 Kim Fowley, American record producer (the Runaways), dies at 75

Dolores O’Riordan (1971-2018)

Irish musician and singer-songwriter (The Cranberries - "Zombie"; ,"Linger"), drowns in the bath at 46

  • 2018 Edwin Hawkins, American gospel musician, choir master and composer ("Oh Happy Day"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 74
  • 2019 Carol Channing, American comic actress, and singer (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Hello Dolly), dies at 97
  • 2019 Steve Madaio, American session and touring trumpet player (Paul Butterfield; Stevie Wonder; Rolling Stones), dies of a heart attack at 70
  • 2020 Chris Darrow, American country-rock pioneer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, bassist, and banjo plucker (Kaleidoscope; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 1967-70), dies from complications following a stroke at 75
  • 2022 Ralph Emery, American country music DJ and television host (Nashville Now), dies at 88