Musicians Who Died in 1986

Feb 28 William Dollar, American ballet dancer and choreographer, dies at 79
Mar 4 Howard Greenfield, American song lyricist ("Calendar Girl"; "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"; "Love Will Keep Us Together"; theme to "Bewitched"), dies of a brain tumor at 50
Mar 4 Richard Manuel, Canadian rock vocalist and pianist (The Band - "The Shape I'm In"; "Tears Of Rage"), commits suicide at 42
Mar 11 Sonny Terry, American bind Piedmont blues musician, dies at 74
Mar 14 Benno Ammann, Swiss composer (Missa Defensor Pacis) and conductor, dies at 81
Mar 14 Jozef Kresanek, Slovak composer, dies at 73
Mar 22 Mark Dinning, American singer ("Teen Angel"), dies of a heart attack at 52
Mar 31 O'Kelly Isley, American rock singer (Isley Brothers. 1954-86 - "Shout"; "Twist and Shout"; "It's Your Thing"), dies of a heart attack at 48
Apr 1 Erik Bruhn, Danish dancer (National Ballet of Canada), dies at 57
Apr 3 Peter Pears, English tenor (Death in Venice), dies at 75
Apr 8 Yukiko Okada, Japanese idol singer, dies at 18
Apr 10 Linda Creed, American singer and songwriter ("The Greatest Love Of All"), dies of breast cancer at 37 [1]
Apr 13 Dorothy Ashby (née Thompson), American jazz harpist, singer, and composer, dies of cancer at 53
Apr 13 Johnny Dollar, American country and rockabilly singer, commits suicide at 53
Apr 15 Tim McIntire, American actor (Brubaker; Stand By Your Man), singer-songwriter, and musician (Funzone), dies of congestive heart failure at 41

Apr 17 Teddy Kotick, American jazz double bassist (Phil Woods; Charlie Parker; Bill Evans), dies of a brain tumor at 57
Apr 19 Dag Wirén, Swedish composer, dies at 80

Harold Arlen (1905-1986)

Apr 23 American popular song composer ("Over the Rainbow"; "It's Only A Paper Moon"; "Stormy Weather"), dies of cancer at 81

May 1 Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer, dies at 69
May 5 John William Haussermann Jr., American composer, dies at 76
May 5 Rui Coelho, Portuguese composer, dies at 94
May 7 Jeffrey Mylett, American actor and songwriter (Godspell), dies from complications of HIV/AIDS at 36
May 17 Jack Waldman, American jazz and rock keyboardist and avant garde composer dies of HIV related illness at 33
May 18 John Bubbles Sublett, American tap dancer (Black & Bubbles), dies at 84
May 19 Jimmy Lyons, American jazz saxophonist and composer (Cecil Taylor), dies of lung cancer at 54
May 20 Bernard Naylor, English-Canadian organist, conductor, and composer, dies at 78
May 30 Hank Mobley, American hard bop and soul jazz saxophonist, dies of pneumonia at 55
Jun 2 Daniel Sternefeld, Belgian conductor and composer (Elegie), dies at 80
Jun 3 Arthur Charles Ernest Hoérée, Belgian-French composer, dies at 89

Benny Goodman (1909-1986)

Jun 13 American clarinetist and bandleader (King of Swing), dies at 77

Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986)

Jun 14 American Tony and Academy Award-winning lyricist (with Frederick Loewe - My Fair Lady; Gigi; Camelot), and screenwriter, dies of lung cancer at 67

Jun 16 Maurice Duruflé, French organist (St. Etienne-du-Mond, 1929-75), composer (Requiem, Op. 9), and teacher (Paris Conservatory, 1943-70), dies at 84
Jun 17 Kate Smith, American singer ("God Bless America"; "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain"), radio star, and NHL Philadelphia Flyers good luck charm, dies of respiratory arrest at 78
Jun 21 Assi Rahbani, Lebanese composer, with his lyricist brother, Mansour (Biya el-Khawatim - The Ring Seller), dies at 63
Jun 22 Matti Rautio, Finnish classical composer (The Blue Heron), dies at 64
Jun 27 (Otis W.) "Joe" Maphis, American session and country music guitarist ("Dim Lights"), dies of lung cancer at 75
Jun 27 Zoltán Gárdonyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 80
Jun 29 Dusolina Giannini, Italian-American dramatic soprano (New York Metropolitan Opera, 1935-42), and teacher, dies at 83

Rudy Vallee (1901-1986)

Jul 3 American singer and one of the earliest crooners ("Vagabond Dreams"; "My Time Is Your Time"), dies at 84

Jul 4 Flor Peeters, Flemish organist and composer (Lied Symphony), dies at 83
Jul 13 Joseph "Coke" Escovedo, Mexican-American percussionist (Santana; Malo; Azteca), dies from cirrhosis at 45
Jul 23 Jouko Paavo Kalervo Tolonen, Finnish composer, dies at 73
Jul 27 Leroy Holmes, American orchestra leader (The Tonight Show, 1956-57), dies at 72
Jul 29 Gordon Mills, British songwriter (Tom Jones - "It's Not Unusual"), dies of cancer at 51
Jul 31 Teddy Wilson, American jazz pianist and arranger (Billie Holiday; Benny Goodman), dies of stomach cancer at 73 [1]
Aug 3 Joe Thomas, American jazz tenor saxophonist, vocalist (Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra), bandleader, and undertaker, dies at 77
Aug 13 Caterina Jarboro, African-American opera singer and 1st black female performer to sing on opera stage in US, dies at 88
Aug 15 Richard E. Holz, American composer for brass band (Salvation Army), dies at 74
Aug 16 John Hurley, American songwriter ("Son of a Preacher Man"), dies from liver failure and a brain hemorrhage at 45
Aug 16 Werner Fussan, German composer (Heiteres Aquarium) and educator, dies at 73
Aug 20 Thad Jones, American jazz saxophonist, flugelhorn player, arranger, bandleader, and composer (Count Basie; Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra), dies of cancer at 63
Aug 30 Otto Mortensen, Danish composer and musicologist, dies at 79
Sep 2 Benny Payne, American jazz pianist (Cab Calloway; Billy Daniels Show), dies at 78 or 79 [some sources cite date as January 2]
Sep 2 Philip Radcliffe, English composer, dies at 81
Sep 7 Vladimir Alexandrovich Vlasov, Russian-Soviet conductor and composer, dies at 83
Sep 15 Virginia Gregg, American radio and screen actress, singer and double bassist, dies of lung cancer at 70
Sep 22 Bernie Cummins, American jazz drummer and big band bandleader ("Dark Eyes"), dies at 86
Sep 27 Cliff Burton, American rock bassist (Metallica), dies in bus crash at 24
Sep 28 Robert Helpmann, Australian actor, choreographer and dancer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Don Quixote), dies at 77
Oct 5 Emanuel Sayles, American jazz banjo player (Preservation Hall Jazz Band), dies at 79
Oct 10 (Ivy) Priaulx Rainier, South African-British composer (Ploërmel), dies at 83
Oct 16 Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian concert violinist, dies of a stroke at 65
Oct 19 Moses Asch, Polish-American recording engineer (founder of Folkways Records), dies at 81 [1]
Oct 22 Jane Dornacker, American stand-up comic, songwriter, rock vocalist (The Tubes), and ill-fated traffic reporter, dies in a helicopter crash at 39
Oct 27 Alan Branscombe, British jazz and session pianist, vibraphonist, and saxophonist (Tubby Hayes; Beatles - "Got To Get You Into My Life"), dies at 50
Oct 29 Abel Meeropol, American songwriter ("Strange Fruit"; "The House I Live In'), and librettist ("The Good Soldier Schweick"), dies at 83
Oct 29 Osamu Shimizu, Japanese composer, dies at 74
Oct 30 Andrzej Markowski, Polish composer, dies at 62
Nov 1 Serge Garant, Canadian composer and conductor (Anerca), dies at 57
Nov 1 Sippie Wallace [Beulah Belle Thomas], American blues singer ("Women Be Wise"), dies on her 88th birthday
Nov 3 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American jazz saxophonist (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band), dies of cancer at 65
Nov 4 Zlatan Vauda, Slovene composer and conductor (RTB Children's Choir, 1953-86), dies at 86
Nov 5 (Ulysses) Bobby Nunn, American singer (The Robins; The Coasters - "Charlie Brown"; "Youngblood"), dies of a heart attack at 61
Nov 6 Elisabeth Grümmer, German-Alsatian soprano, dies at 75
Nov 6 Lili Kraus, Czech-Hungarian-British concert pianist and educator, dies at 81
Nov 7 Tracy Pew, Australian musician (The Birthday Party) (b. 1957)
Nov 8 Beatrice Kay, American singer and actress (Sister Sue-Calvin & the Col), dies at 78
Nov 13 Rudolf Schock, German opera tenor, dies at 71
Nov 15 Alexandre Tansman, Polish composer (Dyptique), dies at 89
Nov 18 Lajos Bárdos, Hungarian conductor, composer, musicologist and professor, dies at 87
Nov 22 (Benjamin) "Scatman" Crothers, American singer, musician ("I'd Rather Be a Hummingbird"), and actor (Chico and the Man - "Louie"; The Shining), dies of lung cancerat 76
Nov 22 Robert Whitney, American conductor (Louisville Orchestra, 1937-67), educator (University of Louisville, 1956-71), and composer, dies at 82
Dec 1 Horace Heidt, American orchestra leader (Swift Show Wagon), dies at 85
Dec 1 [Irving] Lee Dorsey, American pop and R&B singer (Working in the Coal Mine), dies at 61

Desi Arnaz (1917-1986)

Dec 2 Cuban-American singer ("Babalú"), bandleader, actor (I Love Lucy - "Ricky Riccardo"), and television producer (The Untouchables),r, dies of lung cancer at 69

Dec 3 Bob Howard [Joyner], American swing jazz singer and pianist (Sing it Again), dies at 80
Dec 5 Carmol Taylor, country songwriter, dies at 53 of cancer
Dec 10 Kate Wolf [Allen], American folk singer-songwriter ("Love Still Remains"; "Across the Great Divide"), dies of leukemia at 44
Dec 15 Serge Lifar, Russian-French dancer, choreographer (Paris Opera Ballet), dies at 81
Dec 16 Marcel Quinet, Belgian pianist and composer (Vague et Sillon), dies at 71
Dec 22 Celius Dougherty, American pianist and composer, dies at 84
Dec 27 Lars-Erik Larsson, Swedish composer (God in Disguise (Förklädd gud, Op. 24); Linden), and pedagogue (Stockholm Conservatory; Uppsala University), dies of complications from diabetes at 78
Dec 29 John Antill, Australian composer (Corroboree; New Guinea Patrol), dies at 82
Dec 30 Jiri Jaroch, Czech composer, dies at 66
Dec 31 Lester Trimble, American composer, music critic and educator, dies at 63