Musicians Who Died on July 12

  • 1742 Evaristo Felice dall'Abaco, Italian cellist and composer, dies on 67th birthday
  • 1773 Johann Joachim Quantz, German royal flautist and composer, dies at 76
  • 1882 Alfred Pease, American composer, dies at 44
  • 1883 Hermann Zopff, German composer, dies at 57
  • 1897 Félix Godefroid, Belgian harpist and composer, dies at 78
  • 1906 Henrique Alves de Mesquita, Brazilian composer, conductor and educator, dies at 70
  • 1926 Charles Wood, Irish composer, dies at 40
  • 1947 Jimmie Lunceford, American swing jazz saxophonist and bandleader (Rhythm Is Our Business; For Dancers Only), dies of a heart attack at 45 [1] [2]
  • 1953 Joseph Jongen, Belgian organist and composer (Symphonie concertante, Op. 81), dies at 79 [1]
  • 1962 Roger Wolfe Kahn, American bandleader ("I'm Sitting On Top Of The World"), and aviator, dies of a heart attack at 54
  • 1977 Frantisek Suchy, Czech oboist and composer (Moravian Wind Quintet), dies at 75
  • 1979 Kalervo Tuukkanen, Finnish composer, dies at 69
  • 1979 Minnie Ripperton [Andrea Davis], American pop, R&B, and disco singer-songwriter ("Lovin' You"), dies of breast cancer at 31
  • 1981 Merrill Ellis, American classical and experimental music composer, and performer (Kaleidoscope; Mutations), dies at 64
  • 1983 Chris Wood, British rock saxophone and flute player (Traffic; Ginger Baker's Air Force, Jimi Hendrix), dies of pneumonia at 39
  • 1983 Edwin Denby, American dance critic and poet (Snoring in N, Horse Eats Hat), dies at 80
  • 1992 Carla van Neste, Belgian classical violinist (Trio Reine Elisabeth), dies at 78
  • 1995 Alan David Marks, American concert pianist, dies of cancer at 49
  • 1995 Earl Coleman, American jazz singer, dies of cardiac arrest at 69
  • 1995 Ernie Furtado, American jazz double-bassist, dies at 72
  • 1996 Gottfried von Einem, Austrian composer, mainly of opera (Der Prozeß - The Trial), dies at 78
  • 1996 Jonathan Melvoin, American funk-rock keyboardist (Prince; Smashing Pumpkins, 1995-96), dies of a heroin overdose at 34
  • 1998 Jimmy Driftwood, American folk songwriter and musician, dies at 91
  • 2000 Merrill Bradshaw, American composer, and music professor (Brigham Young, 1957-94), dies at 71
  • 2003 (Bennett) "Benny" Carter, American Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, arranger, composer ("Harlem Renaissance Suite"), and bandleader, dies at 93
  • 2007 Robert Burås, Norwegian rock guitarist (Madrugada; My Midnight Creeps), dies at 31
  • 2010 Paulo Moura, Brazilian jazz and swing clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 77
  • 2011 David Carr, British rock keyboardist (The Fortunes, 1963-68 - "You've Got Your Troubles"; "Here It Comes Again"), dies at 67
  • 2013 Amar Bose, American electrical engineer, academic (M.I.T.), sound engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur (Bose Corporation), dies at 83
  • 2016 Gregg Smith, American choral conductor and composer, dies at 84
  • 2017 Ray Phiri, South African jazz and mbaqanga guitarist (Paul Simon; Stimela), dies of cancer at 70
  • 2019 Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and bandleader, dies at 91
  • 2020 Judy Dyble, British folk singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention), dies of lung cancer at 71
  • 2020 Rod Bernard, American "swamp pop" singer ("Allons Danser Colinda"), dies at 79 [1]
  • 2022 Bramwell Tovey, British conductor (Vancouver Symphony, 2000-18; NY Philharmonic Summer Series, 2004-14), and composer (Stream of Limelight), dies of sarcoma at 69
  • 2022 Jan Wijn, Dutch classical pianist and pedagogue, dies at 88
  • 2023 André Watts, American-Hungarian concert pianist, and educator, dies of prostate cancer at 77 [1] [2]