Musicians Who Died on June 2

  • 1750 Johann Valentin Rathgeber, German organist, Benedictine priest, choirmaster, and composer (Augsburger Tafel-Confect), dies of gout at 68
  • 1832 Manuel del Popolo García, Spanish composer and tenor, dies at 57
  • 1873 François George-Hainl, French cellist and composer, dies at 65
  • 1919 Ernest Ford, English composer, dies at 61
  • 1927 Friedrich Hegar, Swiss composer, dies at 85
  • 1937 Louis Vierne, French organist (Notre-Dame, 1900-37), and composer (Messe solennelle), dies at the console at 66
  • 1942 (Roland) "Bunny" Berigan, American session and big band jazz trumpeter (Paul Whiteman; Benny Goodman - "King Porter Stomp"; Tommy Dorsey - "Marie"), vocalist, and bandleader ("I Can't Get Started"), dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 33
  • 1947 Herman Darewsky, British composer, dies at 64
  • 1949 Dynam-Victor Fumet, French composer, dies at 82
  • 1968 André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (Concerto de Québec), dies at 39
  • 1972 Franz Philipp, German composer, dies at 81
  • 1977 Henri D Gagnebin, Belgian-Swiss organist and composer, dies at 91
  • 1983 Donald Gramm, American concert and opera bass-baritone, dies of a heart attack at 56
  • 1983 Stan Rogers, Canadian folk musician and songwriter, dies in aircraft fire at 33
  • 1984 Georgios Kasassoglou, Greek violinist, composer (Four Preludes on The Return from The Front; Clouds), educator and arts advocate, dies at 75
  • 1986 Daniel Sternefeld, Belgian conductor and composer (Elegie), dies at 80
  • 1987 Andres Segovia, Spanish classical guitarist and composer, dies at 94
  • 1987 Sammy Kaye, American orchestra leader (Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye)), dies of cancer at 77
  • 1990 Walter Davis Jr., American hard bop pianist (Davis Cup, Illumination), dies of liver and kidney disease at 57
  • 1995 Harper MacKay, American orchestra leader (NBC Follies), dies at 73
  • 1996 Pilar Lorengar [Lorenza Pilar García], Aragones soprano, dies of cancer at 68
  • 1997 Aldophus "Doc" Cheatham, American jazz trumpeter, dies of stroke at 91
  • 1997 Charles Jones, Canadian contemporary classical composer and music educator, dies at 86
  • 1999 Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican musician (The Wailers) (b. 1949)
  • 2003 Július Kowalski, Slovak composer, dies at 91
  • 2004 Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor ("Sig Alert" for traffic and emergency notices), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 95
  • 2004 Nicolai Ghiaurov, Bulgarian operatic basso singer, dies of a heart attack at 74
  • 2006 Vince Welnick, American rock keyboardist (The Tubes - "Tak To Ya Later"; Grateful Dead, 1990-95), commits suicide at 55
  • 2007 Kentaro Haneda, Japanese pianist, composer and arranger for film, anime, and video games, dies of liver cancer at 58

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

American rock `n' roll pioneer guitarist (Bo Diddley), dies of heart failure at 79

  • 2011 Erapheael “Ray” Bryant, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger ("Madison Time"), dies at 79
  • 2011 Willem Duys, Dutch TV presenter, commentator and music producer, dies at 82
  • 2013 Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor, dies at 82
  • 2015 Paul Karolyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 80
  • 2016 Freddie Wadling, Swedish actor and musician (The Leather Nun, Fleshquartet), dies at 64
  • 2023 Kaija Saariaho, Finnish electro-acoustic and contemporary classical composer (L'Amour de loin (Love from Afar); Circle Map), dies of brain cancer at 70 [1]