- 1580 Antonio Scandello, Italian composer (Passion of St. John), dies at 63
- 1659 Benedikt Lechler, German composer, dies at 64
- 1760 Claudio Casciolini, Italian composer, dies at 62
- 1875 Joseph Philbrick Webster, American composer and songwriter (Lorena), dies at 55
- 1902 Filippo Marchetti, Italian opera composer, dies at 70
- 1918 Bohuslav Jeremiáš, Czech composer, dies at 58
- 1946 Feliks Nowowiejski, Polish organist and composer, dies at 68
- 1960 Gladys Bentley, American blues singer, performer and drag king pioneer during the Harlem Renaissance, dies of pneumonia at 52 [1]
- 1962 Raymond Moulaert, Belgian pianist and composer, dies at 86
- 1972 Rudolf Wittelsbach, Swiss pianist and composer, dies at 69
- 1977 Paul Nordoff, American composer (Every Soul Is a Circus), and music therapist (Nordoff-Robbins method), dies at 67
- 1977 Yvonne Printemps, French singer and actress (Paris Waltz, Voyage to America), dies at 81
- 1978 Ivan Ivonovich Dzerzhinsky, Russian composer, dies at 68
- 1979 Cyril Mockridge, British composer for film and television (Miracle On 34th Street; The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), dies at 82
- 1982 Burnet Corwin Tuthill, American composer (Laurentia), dies at 93
- 1983 Cedric Thorpe Davie, British composer of film scores (The Green Man; St. Andrews University), and pedagogue, dies at 69
- 1984 Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer, rebetiko and laïkó songwriter, and bouzouki player, dies on his 69th birthday
- 1987 George Thalben-Ball, Australian-English organist (Birmingham City Organist, 1949-83), and composer (Elegy), dies at 90
- 1990 Melanie Appleby, English singer (Mel & Kim), dies of liver cancer at 23
- 1992 John Remme, American stage and screen actor and singer, dies of AIDS at 56
- 1994 Arthur Altman, American songwriter ("All Or Nothing At All"), dies at 83
- 1994 Torbjörn Hultcrantzn, Swedish jazz double bass player, dies at 56
- 1995 Charles Baskerville, American pop vocalist (Shep and the Limelites - "Daddy's Home"), dies at 54
- 1996 Jos Kunst, Dutch composer, dies at 60
- 1997 Myfanwy Piper, British librettist and art critic, dies at 85
- 2006 Vera Van [Webster], American radio and dance band singer, dies at 97
- 2007 Brent Liles, American rock bassist (Agent Orange, 1981-84; Social Distortion, 1988-92), dies after being hit by a truck while cycling at 43
- 2008 Frank Lewin, German-American composer and music theorist (Yale, 1971-92), dies at 82
- 2010 Kate McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer-songwriter (Kate & Anna McGarrigle - "Heartbeats Accelerating"), dies of clear-cell sarcoma at 63
- 2014 Dennis Frederiksen, American rock singer, dies from liver cancer at 62
- 2015 Dallas Taylor, American session drummer (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Clear Light), dies of complications from pneumonia and kidney disease at 66
Glenn Frey (1948-2016)
American Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer-songwriter (The Eagles - "Take it Easy"; "Heartache Tonight";"Tequila Sunrise"; solo - "Smuggler's Blues"; "The Heat Is On"), and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member, dies from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia at 67
- 2017 Mike Kellie, British session and touring rock drummer (Spooky Tooth; The Only Ones), dies at 69
- 2017 Roberta Peters [Peterman], American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1950-85), dies of Parkinson's disease at 86
- 2021 (James Frederick) "Jimmie" Rodgers, American pop singer and guitarist ("Honey Comb" ; “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again”), dies of kidney disease at 87 [1]
- 2021 Josep Mestres-Quadreny, Spanish composer, dies at 91
- 2021 Perry Botkin Jr, American arranger, composer ("Nadia's Theme"), and producer (Incredible Bongo Band), dies at 87
- 2022 Dick Halligan, American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger (Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1967-72 - "Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie"), dies at 78
- 2022 Paavo Heininen, Finnish pianist, contemporary classical composer (Tritopos; Veitsi - The Knife), and pedagogue, dies at 84 [1]
- 2023 David Crosby, American rock singer-songwriter (The Byrds, 1964-67 - "Eight Miles High"; Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"; "Wooden Ships"), dies at 81 [1]
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide