- 1768 Jose Melchior de Nebra Blascu, Spanish composer, dies at 66
- 1781 Adolph Carl Kunzen, composer, dies at 60
- 1826 Karl Bernhard Wessely, German composer (Sulamith und Eusebia), dies at 57
- 1856 Josef Kajetán Tyl, Czech playwright, writer and author of the Czech national anthem (Kde domov můj), dies of an unknown illness at 48
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
American composer (An American in Paris, Porgy And Bess, Summertime), dies from a brain tumor at 38
- 1950 Timotei Popovici, Romanian priest, choral director, and composer, dies at 79
- 1959 (Rossiere) "Shadow" Wilson, American jazz drummer (Thelonious Monk), dies of meningitis at 39
- 1961 Erskine Butterfield, American swing and boogie-woogie jazz pianist, singer, and composer, dies at 48
- 1973 Alexander Vasilyevich Mosolov, Russian composer (Zavod), dies at 72
- 1980 Bolesław Woytowicz, Polish pianist and composer, dies at 80
- 1984 Karel Mengelberg, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 81
- 1991 Roger Christian, American radio personality and lyricist ("Don’t Worry Baby"; "Little Deuce Coupe"; "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"), dies from kidney and liver failure at 57
- 1993 Mario Bauza, Cubans/US jazz musician, dies at 82
- 1994 Charles "Lefty" Edwards, saxophonist, dies at 67
- 1994 Lex Humphries, American jazz drummer (Sun Ra Arkestra), dies at 57
- 1996 Florrie Rodrigo, Dutch dancer, choreography and teacher (Schepelingen), dies at 102
- 1996 Louis Gottlieb, American musician (The Limeliters), dies at 72
- 1999 Helen Forrest [Fogel], American big band, pop, and swing jazz singer (Artie Shaw; Benny Goodman; Harry James), dies of heart failure at 82 [1]
- 2001 Herman Brood, Dutch painter and pianist (Sleepin' Bird), dies at 54
- 2002 Rosco Gordon, American R&B pianist, singer, and songwriter ("Booted"; "No More Doggin'"), dies of a heart attack at 74
- 2005 Frances Langford, American singer (I'm In The Mood For Love), entertainer (Armed Forces Hour; USO tours), actress (All-American Co-Ed; Born To Dance), and philanthropist, dies of congestive heart failure at 92
- 2006 Bill Miller, American jazz pianist and arranger (Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Jr.), dies of a heart attack while on tour at 91
- 2007 Ferhunde Erkin (née Remzi) Turkish concert pianist and pedagogue, dies at 98
- 2007 Rod Lauren, American rocker ("If I Had a Girl"), commits suicide at 66
- 2009 Valentinas Bagdonas, Lithuanian composer (Symphony of Peace), dies at 79
- 2010 Bishop Walter Hawkins, American gospel music singer (Edwin Hawkins Singers; Love Center Choir), dies of pancreatic cancer at 61
- 2011 George Lascelles, English Earl of Harewood, Director of the Royal Opera House, dies at 88
- 2014 Charlie Haden, American jazz double-bassist (Liberation Music Orchestra; Quartet West), dies at 76
- 2014 Tommy Ramone [Tamás Erdélyi], Hungarian-American rock drummer and bassist (Ramones), dies of bile duct cancer at 65
- 2021 William Albert Penn, American composer (Living in the Next Great Ice Age; Garland Songs), educator, and record producer, dies at 78
- 2022 Monty Norman [Noserovitch], British big band singer, songwriter (False Hearted Lover), and film composer (James Bond Theme), dies at 94