- 1548 Georg Rhau, German cantor, composer, and music publisher, dies at about 50 [exact birthdate uncertain c. 1488]
- 1686 Paul Hainlein, German trumpet maker and composer (Battallia Sonata), dies at 60
- 1775 Heinrich Nikolaus Gerber, German composer, dies at 72
- 1784 Karl Kohaut, Austrian composer and lutenist, dies at 57
- 1799 Joseph Friebert, Austrian composer, dies at 74
- 1816 Karl Frieberth, Austrian composer, dies at 80
- 1820 Antonin Vranicky, Czech composer and violinist, dies at 59
- 1821 Antonio Bartolomeo Bruni, Italian composer and conductor, dies at 64
- 1848 Nicola Vaccai, Italian composer, dies at 58
- 1853 Josif Josifovich Genishta, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor, dies at 57
- 1895 George Frederick Root, American songwriter ("The Battle Cry of Freedom"), dies at 74
- 1904 Eduard Hanslick, German music critic, dies at 78
- 1924 John Henry Roberts, Welsh organist, hymn composer, and pedagogue, dies at 76
- 1928 W. H. Grattan Flood, Irish author and composer, dies at 68
- 1931 (Leon Bismarck) "Bix" Beiderbecke, American jazz cornetist - one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, pianist, and composer (In A Mist), dies of alcoholism exacerbated pneumonia at 28
- 1935 Alexander Winkler, Russian composer, dies at 70
- 1965 Peter Ronnefeld, German pianist, composer and conductor (Die Nachtausgabe), dies at 30
- 1970 Ingolf Dahl [Marcus], German-American pianist and composer (Allegro and Arioso), dies at 56
- 1973 Memphis Minnie [Lizzie Douglas], American blues musician, dies at 76
- 1974 Gene Ammons, American jazz saxophonist ("The Happy Blues"), dies of bone cancer at 49
- 1976 Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist, dies at 73
- 1983 Klaus Nomi [Sperber], German new wave singer, and performance artist, dies of AIDS at 39
- 1994 Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter (Volare), dies at 66
- 1995 André Fleury, French organist and composer, dies at 92
- 1995 Youly Algaroff, Russian-French ballet dancer, dies at 77
- 1998 Nat Gonella, British big band jazz trumpeter, mellophonist, singer, and bandleader (The Georgians; Oh, Monah), dies at 90
- 2001 Larry Adler, American pop and classical harmonica player, and composer, dies of cancer at 87
Rick James (1948-2004)
American funk musician ("Super Freak"), dies of pulmonary failure and cardiac failure at 56
- 2005 (William) "Keter" Betts, American jazz double bassist (Dinah Washington; Charlie Byrd; Ella Fitzgerald), dies of a heart attack at 77
- 2005 Carlo Little, English rock drummer (Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages), dies of lung cancer at 66
- 2005 Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban singer (Los Bocucos, 1959-91; Buena Vista Social Club), dies at 78
- 2005 James Wilson, English-Irish classical composer (Grinning At The Devil), dies at 82
- 2007 Teizo Matsumura, Japanese composer ("Chinmoku / Silence"; "Hymn to Aurora") and haiku poet, dies at 78
- 2007 Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian rock guitarist (Bikini; Omen; Carpathia Project Tirana Rockers; solo), dies at 38
- 2009 Bahadır Akkuzu, Turkish rock guitarist and singer (Kurtalan Ekspres), dies of a heart attack at 54
- 2009 Willibrordus S. Rendra, Indonesian poet (Ballad orang-orang tertjina), dies at 73
- 2009 Willy Deville [William Paul Borsey Jr.], American rock vocalist and guitarist (Mink DeVille; The Princess Bride - "Storybook Love"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 58
- 2012 Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (The Sting; A Chorus Line), dies of respiratory arrest at 68
- 2012 Ruggiero Ricci, American composer and violinist (Paganini), dies from heart failure at 94
- 2016 Pete Fountain [Pierre LaFontaine], American jazz and Dixieland clarinetist (Lawrence Welk, 1957-59), dies at 86
- 2019 Maurice Simon, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 90
- 2020 Wayne Fontana [Glyn Geoffrey Ellis], British rocker (The Mindbenders - "The Game Of Love"), dies at 74
- 2021 Kenneth Nichols, Canadian classical pianist, composer, (Symphonic Celebration; Boy In A Cage), and teacher (Brandon University, 1962-96), dies at 85
- 2023 David LaFlamme, American electric rock violinist (It's A Beautiful Day - "White Bird"), dies at 82
Assassination
Drug Overdose
Gunshot Wound
Murder
Plane Crash
Suicide