Musicians Who Died on March 5

Thomas Arne (1710-1778)

British composer (Rule Britannia, A-Hunting We Will Go), dies at 67

1795 Josef Reicha, Czech composer, dies at 42
1873 Alexis de Castillon, French composer, dies of a fever at 34
1876 Marie d'Agoult [pen name Daniel Stern], French author and mother of composer Franz Liszt's children, dies at 70
1893 Richard Samuel Hughes, Welsh composer, dies at 37
1919 Jozef Surzynski, composer, dies at 67
1923 (Theodora) "Dora" Pejačević, Croatian countess and composer (Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 41), dies of kidney failure at 37
1947 Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, conductor (Boston Pops, 1927-29), and composer (La Giara; Concerto Romana), dies at 63
1952 Vladimir Shcherbachov, Soviet-Russian composer (Blokovskaya; The Thunderstorm), and professor (Leningrad Conservatory; Tbilisi Conservatory), dies at 63

Russian composer (Peter and the Wolf; Alexander Nevsky), dies at 61

1956 Erich Itor Kahn, German composer of Jewish descent, dies at 50
1962 Otakar Jeremias, composer, dies at 69
1963 Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins, American country singer (Ozark Jubilee; "Lonesome 7-7203"), dies in a plane crash at 41
1963 Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas, American country singer ("Candy Kisses"; "Alabam"), dies in a plane crash at 49

American country singer ("Crazy"; "I Fall To Pieces"; "Walkin' After Midnight"), dies in a plane crash at 30

1971 Winnie Lightner [Winifred Reeves], American vaudeville stage and screen actress, and singer (Gold Diggers of Broadway; Gold Dust Gertie; Sit Tight), dies at 71
1972 Nils Björkander, Swedish composer, dies at 78
1973 Michael Jeffery, British music manager (The Animials; Jimi Hendrix), dies in a mid-air plane collision over France at 39)
1977 Lockrem Johnson, American pianist, composer (A Letter to Emily), educator, and music publisher, dies at 52
1977 Moses Pergament, Finnish-Swedish classical composer (The Jewish Song Choral Symphony) and music critic, dies at 83
1979 Vicente Ascone, Italian composer, dies at 81
1981 (Theodore) "Red" Saunders, American jazz drummer and bandleader, based in Chicago, dies at 69
1981 Yip Harburg [Isidore Hochberg], American lyricist ("Over The Rainbow"; "It's Only A Paper Moon"), dies in a car crash at 84

American comedian (SNL, 1975-80), actor (Animal House), and singer (The Blues Brothers), dies of a drug overdose at 33

1984 Harry Salter, orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at 85
1984 Tito Gobbi, Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca), dies at 70
1994 Joe Daley, American jazz tenor, clarinet and flute player, dies at 75
1995 (Victor) "Vivian" Stanshall, British singer and comic songwriter (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - "I'm The Urban Spaceman"; Magical Mystery Tour), dies in a fire at his home, at 51
1999 Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (Kismet; Man of La Mancha; Endless Love), dies at 76
2000 Lolo Ferrari [Eve Valois], French adult actress and dancer, dies from an overdose of prescription drugs at 37
2003 Gerhard Rosenfeld, German opera and film score composer, dies at 72
2005 Sergiu Comissiona, Romanian-Israeli-American conductor (Haifa Symphony 1959-64), dies at 76
2016 Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Austrian conductor (Early Music Movement), dies at 86
2017 Kurt Moll, German bass opera singer, dies at 78
2018 Kjerstin Dellert, Swedish opera singer, dies at 92
2019 Jacques Loussier, French pianist and composer who created jazz arrangements of Bach and other classical music, dies at 84
2021 Michael Stanley [Gee], American rocker (Michael Stanley Band- "My Town"), dies of lung cancer at 72
2023 Gary Rossington, American rock guitarist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rossington-Collins Band), dies at 71 [1]