Musicians Who Died in 1996

Deaths 1 - 200 of 241

Jan 20 Arley "Buster" Benton, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 63
Jan 20 Gerry Mulligan, American jazz baritone saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (Jazz on a Summer Day), dies of complications from a knee infection at 68
Jan 20 Liesbeth Askonas, Austrian concert agent, dies at 82
Jan 20 Peter Stadlen, Austrian pianist and critic, dies at 85
Jan 25 Jonathan Larson, American composer (Rent), dies of an aortic aneurysm at 35
Jan 25 Ruth Berghaus, German choreographer and opera director, dies at 68
Jan 26 Henry Jay Lewis, American double-bassist and conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic 1948-65), dies of a heart attack at 63
Jan 26 Stevie Plunder, Australian musician (b. 1963)
Jan 30 Bob Thiele, American radio broadcaster, and record producer (John Coltrane; B.B. King), dies of kidney failure at 73

Gene Kelly (1912-1996)

Feb 2 American dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and film director (An American in Paris; On The Town; Singin' in the Rain), dies of a stroke at 83

Feb 2 Minao Shibata, Japanese composer and musicologist, dies at 79
Feb 3 Wild Jimmy Spruill, American blues guitarist, dies at 61
Feb 5 Antonio Ruiz Soler, Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer, dies at 74
Feb 5 Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Italian opera conductor, musicologist, pianist and composer, dies at 86
Feb 7 Tiny Winters [Frederick Gittens], English jazz bassist and singer, dies at 87
Feb 7 [Isian Kehinde] I. K. Dairo, Nigerian Jùjú musician and academic, dies at 65
Feb 8 Mercer Kennedy Ellington, American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, dies at 76
Feb 13 Daniel Womack, American Piedmont blues guitarist, singer and harmonica player, dies at 91
Feb 14 Taiguara [Chalar da Silva], Brazilian singer and songwriter, dies at 50
Feb 15 Margaret Courtenay, Welsh actress, singer and entertainer (Royal Flash, Duet for One), dies of cancer at 72
Feb 16 (Walter) "Brownie" McGhee, American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, dies at 80
Feb 17 Evelyn Laye, English actress and singer (Sun Child), dies at 95
Feb 17 Gus Hardin [Carolyn Ann Blankenship], American country singer, dies at 50
Feb 19 Dorothy Maynor, American soprano and founder (Harlem School of Arts), dies at 85
Feb 20 Tōru Takemitsu, Japanese classical music and film score composer (November Steps; Ran), dies of pneumonia while being treated for bladder cancer at 65

Morton Gould (1913-1996)

Feb 21 American pianist, conductor and theatrical, screen and concert composer (Pulitzer Prize, 1956 - Stringmusic), dies at 82

Feb 23 Alan Dawson, American jazz drummer and teacher (Berklee, 1957-75), dies of leukemia at 66
Feb 24 Laurence Richard Deniz, jazz guitarist, dies at 71
Feb 26 Mieczysław Weinberg [Moisey Samuilovich Vaynberg], Polish-Soviet composer, dies from Crohn's disease at 77
Feb 29 Wes Farrell, American songwriter (The Partridge Family), dies of cancer at 56
Mar 1 (Elijah) Doug Quattlebaum, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter (Softee Man Blues), dies at 67
Mar 6 Herb Hall, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 88
Mar 8 Paul Harrhy, actor and opera singer (Intelligence Park), dies at 38
Mar 9 George Burns [Nathan Birnbaum], American actor, comedian and singer (Oh God; Burns and Allen), dies at 100
Mar 11 Vince Edwards, American actor, director, and singer (Ben Casey, The Devil's Brigade, Matt Lincoln, Firehouse), dies of cancer at 67
Mar 15 Olga Rudge, American concert violinist, dies at 100
Mar 16 Joseph Lee Pope, singer, dies at 62
Mar 17 Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
Mar 19 Christopher Headington, English composer, musicologist and pianist, dies at 65
Mar 19 Frank Wigglesworth, American composer (The Willowdale Handcar), dies at 78
Mar 20 Alan Ridout, English composer, dies at 61
Mar 22 (William Famous) Billy Williamson, American steel guitar player (Bill Haley and His Saddlemen; Bill Haley & His Comets), dies at 71
Mar 22 Don Murray, American drummer (The Turtles), dies from post-operative complications at 50
Mar 22 Václav Nelhýbel, Czech-American composer (Everyman), dies at 76
Mar 23 J. D. "Jay" Miller, American record producer, dies at 73
Mar 24 Maria Lucia Beltran Alcayaga, singer, dies at 66
Mar 27 Howie Wyeth, American drummer and pianist (Bob Dylan; Robert Gordon; Christine Lavin), dies of cardiac arrest at 51
Mar 31 Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer and songwriter (The Gun Club), dies at 37
Apr 1 Edwin H. "Buddy" Morris, American music publisher (Edwin H. Morris & Company), dies at 89
Apr 2 Guitar Gabriel [Robert Lewis Jones], American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 70
Apr 3 (Roosevelt) "Booba" Barnes, American blues guitarist, dies at 59
Apr 4 Joy Newton, British ballet dancer, dies at 82
Apr 4 Larry Laprise, American songwriter (The Hokey-Pokey Dance [disputed]), dies at 83
Apr 4 Paul Cooper, American composer, dies at 69
Apr 6 Nadieh [Karin Meis], Dutch singer, guitarist and composer (Haifa Blue), dies from a pulmonary embolism and breast cancer at 37
Apr 8 (Charles) Donald Adams, British bass-baritone opera singer (D'Oyly Carte Opera Company,; Gilbert and Sullivan For All), dies of a brain tumor at 67
Apr 8 Fried Walter [Schmidt], German light music and operetta composer, dies at 86
Apr 9 Luis Sandi, Mexican musician and composer, dies at 95
Apr 14 Gaylord Birch, American drummer (The Pointer Sisters; Herbie Hancock), dies of cancer at 50
Apr 14 Manuel "Manny" Greenhill, American folk music record producer (Folklore Productions). promoter, and artist manager (Joan Baez; Rev. Gary Davis), dies of leukemia at 80
Apr 15 Alexander Tanev, Bulgarian composer, dies at 67
Apr 16 Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (Meet Me in St. Louis; Ziegfeld Follies), dies from a heart attack at 79
Apr 16 Raymond Hill, American tenor saxophonist (Kings of Rhythm), dies at 62
Apr 18 Michael Leander, English songwriter and record producer, dies at 54
Apr 19 Bernard Edwards, American funk and disco bass player (Chic - "Le Freak"; "Good Times"), dies of pneumonia at 44
Apr 21 Alceo Galliera, Italian conductor (Victoria Symphony; La Scala), and composer (The Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins), dies at 85
May 1 Billy Byers, American jazz trombonist and arranger, dies on his 79th birthday
May 3 Patsy Montana [Ruby Rose Blevins], American country singer, songwriter and yodeler ("I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart"), dies at 81
May 5 Salli Terri [Stella Tirri], Canadian-American Grammy Award-winning pop-classical-folk-exotica singer, arranger, composer (Duets with the Spanish Guitar), musicologist, and educator, dies after a series of strokes at 75
May 8 Celedonio Romero, Spanish-American guitarist (The Romero Guitar Quartet), composer (La Catedral de Colonia), and poet, dies of lung cancer at 83
May 8 Jane Cowan, British cello teacher (International Cello Centre), dies at 80
May 10 Ethel Smith [Goldsmith], American pop and Latin style Hammond organist ("Tico Tico", "Monkey on a String"), dies at 93
May 11 Bruce Boyce, Canadian-American baritone singer, and teacher (Royal Academy - London, England), dies at 85
May 11 Walter Hyatt, American singer-songwriter (Uncle Walt's Band), dies in a plane crash in the Florida Everglades at 46
May 15 George Tindley, American soul singer and songwriter, dies at 58
May 17 Johnny "Guitar" Watson, American R&B and funk guitarist ("Space Guitar"; "A Real Mother for Ya"), dies on stage of heart attack in Yokohama, Japan at 61
May 18 Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (Toy Matinee; Tuesday Night Music Club), dies of accidental asphyxiation at 29
May 19 Frank Carlson, American jazz and session drummer (Woody Herman, 1937-42 - "The Golden Wedding"), dies at 82
May 20 Jack Wyngaard, South African dancer (London City Ballet, 1986-96), dies of a heart attack at 37
May 21 Peter Fletcher, British orchestral and choral conductor, music educator and author (Roll Over Rock), dies at 60
May 24 Jacob Druckman, American composer (Animus; Windows), dies at 67
May 25 Barney Wilen, French tenor, composer and saxophonist, dies of cancer at 59
May 25 Bradley Nowell, American ska musician (Sublime), dies of a heroin overdose at 28
May 26 Matima Kinuani Mpiosso, Zairen rock guitarist (Zaika Langa-Langa), dies at 45
May 27 Albert "Pud" Brown, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 79
May 27 Ivan Sutton, British classical music concert promoter (City Music Society), dies at 82
May 28 Jimmy Rowles [Hunter], American jazz pianist and composer (The Peacocks), dies of cardiac arrest at 77
May 28 Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
May 29 Tamara Toumanova, Georgian-American prima ballerina (Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), dies at 77
May 30 Bob Stroup, trombonist, dies at 57
May 30 John Kahn, American acoustic and electric rock bassist (Jerry Garcia), dies of a heart attack at 47
May 31 Elsbeary Hobbs, American rocker (Drifters), dies at 59
May 31 Ton de Leeuw, Dutch composer, dies at 69
Jun 1 Alan Blakley, British guitarist and record producer (The Tremeloes - "Here Comes My Baby"; "Silence Is Golden"), dies of cancer at 54
Jun 1 Don Grolnick, American jazz pianist, composer and session musician (Brecker Brothers; Linda Ronstadt; James Taylor), dies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 48
Jun 2 Pilar Lorengar [Lorenza Pilar García], Aragones soprano, dies of cancer at 68
Jun 9 Walter Pardon, British folk singer and carpenter, dies at 81
Jun 11 Ulysses Dove, American dancer (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), and choreographer (Red Angels), dies of AIDS-related illness at 49
Jun 14 Thomas Edward Montgomery, American jazz drummer and musical director, dies at 73
Jun 15 Clare Grundman, American composer, dies at 83

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)

Jun 15 American jazz, swing, pop, and blues singer, known as "The First Lady of Song" (Verve "Songbook" series), dies from a stroke at 78 [1]

Jun 15 Helen Sinclair Glatz, English composer, dies at 88
Jun 18 Miriam Gideon, American composer, dies at 89
Jun 19 Ande Anderson, English opera director, dies at 78
Jun 19 Vivian Ellis, English composer, dies at 91
Jun 22 Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, American songwriter, brother of Diana, found murdered at 47
Jun 22 George Barati, Hungarian-American cellist, composer, and conductor (Honolulu Symphony, 1950-67), dies at 83
Jun 25 Nicholas John, English National Opera's dramaturge, dies at 43
Jun 28 Willard McMurry, American blues record label executive (Trumpet Records), dies at 89
Jun 30 Jef Maes, Belgian composer and violinist, dies at 91
Jul 3 Pim Jacobs, Dutch jazz pianist, TV host and actor (Gilas), dies at 61
Jul 8 (James Woodie) J.W. Alexander, American gospel and soul music songwriter, singer, and producer (Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Solomon Burke), dies of prostate cancer at 80
Jul 11 Florrie Rodrigo, Dutch dancer, choreography and teacher (Schepelingen), dies at 102
Jul 11 Louis Gottlieb, American musician (The Limeliters), dies at 72
Jul 12 Gottfried von Einem, Austrian composer, mainly of opera (Der Prozeß - The Trial), dies at 78
Jul 12 Jonathan Melvoin, American funk-rock keyboardist (Prince; Smashing Pumpkins, 1995-96), dies of a heroin overdose at 34
Jul 16 John Panozzo, American rock drummer (Styx), dies of cirrhosis of the liver at 47
Jul 17 Amancio D'Silva, Goan-Indian jazz guitarist and composer, dies after several stokes at 60
Jul 17 Chris Komar, American ballet dancer and artistic director (Milwaukee Ballet, 1969-72; Merce Cunningham Dance Company, 1972-93), dies of AIDS at 48
Jul 17 [Bryan] Chas Chandler, English rock bassist (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), and manager of Jimi Hendrix, dies at 57
Jul 19 (Emmanual Tettey) "E.T." Mensah, Ghanaian saxophonist, known as the "King of Highlife" music (Accra Rhythmic Orchestra; The Tempos), dies at 77
Jul 22 Robert Collins, keyboard player, dies at 33
Jul 22 Tamara Danz, German singer (Silly), dies of cancer at 43
Jul 26 Evelyn Levine, American composer ("Scarlet Ribbons"), dies at 94
Jul 28 Harold Fox, American fashion designer (the zoot suit), and big band trumpeter, dies of cancer at 86
Jul 28 Marguerite "Marge" Ganser, American pop singer (The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack"), dies of breast cancer at 48
Jul 29 Jason Thirsk, American punk rock bassist (Pennywise), dies of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot at 28
Jul 31 Paul Crawford, American Dixieland jazz musician, arranger, (Olympic Brass Band), and music historian (Tulane University), dies of lung cancer at 71
Jul 31 Seagram Miller, American rapper killed in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Oakland, California at 26
Aug 1 Frida Boccara, French singer, dies at 55
Aug 1 John Lanigan, Australian operatic tenor (Covent Garden), dies at 75
Aug 8 Åke Hermanson, Swedish composer, dies at 73
Aug 8 Didi Duprat, French guitarist, dies at 69
Aug 11 Mel Taylor, American rock drummer (The Ventures, 1962-73 and 1979-96), dies of cancer at 63
Aug 11 Rafael Kubelik, Czech conductor (Cornelia Farooli), dies at 82
Aug 13 David Tudor, American pianist and composer, dies at 70
Aug 13 Louise Talma, American composer (Summer Sounds), dies at 89
Aug 14 Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1945-57; Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96), and educator, dies at 84
Aug 19 Jurriaan Andriessen, Dutch pianist and composer (Berkshire Symphonies; Les Cloches des Clochards), dies at 70
Aug 20 Rio Reiser, German rock singer ("Ton Steine Scherben"), dies at 46
Aug 22 Mareo Ishiketa, Japanese composer, dies at 79
Aug 25 Sylvia Fisher, Australian operatic soprano (Albert Herring Opera), dies at 86
Aug 29 Tera de Marez Oyens, Dutch composer, dies at 64
Aug 31 Milt Larkin, American jazz trumpeter and bandleader, dies at 85
Sep 1 Vagn Holmboe, Danish neo-classical composer (Sinfonia rustica), dies at 86
Sep 2 Cyril Reuben, Welsh classical and session violinist (London Symphony), dies at 69
Sep 2 Ljuba Welitsch, opera singer, dies at 83
Sep 2 Otto Luening, German American conductor, composer and electronic music pioneer (Sonority Canon), dies at 96
Sep 7 Niccolo Castiglioni, Italian pianist and composer, dies at 64
Sep 9 Bill Monroe, American singer known as the "Father of Bluegrass" ("Blue Moon of Kentucky"), dies at 84
Sep 10 Ray Coleman, British author (biographies of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Brian Epstein, and Phil Collins), and music journalist (Melody Maker), dies at 59
Sep 12 Toma Prošev, Macedonian composer, and pedagogue, dies at 64
Sep 13 Silas Roy Crain, American singer, Founder of Soul Stirrers Gospel Quartet, dies at 85

Tupac Shakur (1971-1996)

Sep 13 American rapper and actor (Juice, Bullet), dies of internal bleeding after a drive-by shooting at 25

Sep 14 Juliet Prowse, English-South African stage and screen actress and dancer (Mona McCluskey), dies of pancreatic cancer. at 59
Sep 15 Joan Perry [Elizabeth Rosiland Miller], American film actress, model, and singer (Hands of a Stranger), dies at 85
Sep 16 Kai Laursen, Danish concert violinist, dies at 74
Sep 17 Jessie Hill, American jazz musician (Ooh Poo Pah Doo), dies at 63
Sep 18 Vera Brodsky Lawrence, American concert pianist (CBS Symphony) and musicologist (Joplin; Gottschalk), dies at 87
Sep 20 Paul Draper, American tap dancer and choreographer, dies at 87
Sep 20 Paul Weston [Wetstein], American pianist, arranger, orchestra leader (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra; The Jim Nabors Show), pop and classical composer ("Day By Day"; "Crescent City Suite"), dies from natural causes at 84
Sep 21 Sulkhan Nasidze, Georgian composer, dies at 69
Sep 22 Dorothy Lamour [Mary Kaumeyer], American actress and singer (Road to Bali; My Favorite Brunette), dies of a heart attack at 81
Sep 22 Ludmilla Chiraeff, Latvian-Canadian ballet dancer, choeographer, and troupe director, dies at 72
Sep 23 Denis Dowling, New Zealand-born British operatic baritone, dies at 86
Sep 23 Kip Tyler [Elwood Smith], American rockabilly singer-songwriter, and bongo player ("Ooh Yeah Baby"), dies at 67
Sep 24 Zeki Müren, Turkish actor, singer, and composer (Game of Silence), dies of a heart attack at 64
Sep 28 Bob Gibson, American folk musician, dies at 64
Oct 2 Frida Knight, English Communist activist and author, dies at 85
Oct 2 Joonas Kokkonen, Finnish composer (The Last Temptations), dies at 74
Oct 8 Watkins Shaw, British musicologist, dies at 85
Oct 11 Johnny Costa [Costanza], American jazz pianist, celeste and accordion player, and musical director (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood), dies at 74
Oct 12 Vernon Elliott, British composer and bassoonist, dies at 84
Oct 16 James Wild, music teacher, dies at 68
Oct 17 Berthold Goldschmidt, German-British opera composer (Beatrice Cenci), dies at 93
Oct 17 Christopher Acland, English drummer (Lush), takes his own life at 30
Oct 22 John Bauldie, British music journalist, dies at 47
Oct 23 Alexander Kelly, British pianist and composer, dies at 67
Oct 24 Eugene Polyakov, Russian balletmaster (Paris Opera Ballet), dies at 53
Oct 24 Sid Pye, drummer, dies at 55
Oct 27 Belinda Quirey, British dance historian and teacher, dies at 84
Oct 27 John Gregory, English ballet dancer, dies at 82
Oct 28 (Moritz) "Morey" Amsterdam, American comedian, cellist, and actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Buddy"), dies at 87
Nov 2 Eva Cassidy, American singer, dies of cancer at 33