Musicians Who Died in 2008

Feb 9 Scott Halpin, American drummer plucked out of the audience to fill in for incapacitated Keith Moon of The Who, dies of a brain tumor at 53
Feb 13 Henri Salvador, French-Caribbean pop singer, guitarist, and cabaret, dies of an aneurysm at 90
Feb 13 Roger Voisin, American classical trumpet player (Boston Symphony, 1935-83), dies at 89
Feb 19 (Attilio) "Teo" Macero, American jazz saxophonist, composer and record producer (Miles Davis - "Bitches Brew"; Dave Brubeck - "Time Out"), dies at 82
Feb 19 Natalia Bessmertnova, Soviet ballerina (Bolshoi, Lenin Prize 1970), dies at 66
Feb 19 Yegor Letov, Russian rock poet, songwriter, and singer (Grazhdanskaya Oborona), dies of heart failure at 43
Feb 24 Larry Norman, American musician and pioneer of Christian rock music ("Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?"), dies at 60
Feb 24 Philip Bodner, American jazz clarinetist and studio musician (also played flute, oboe, saxophone, piccolo, and English horn), dies at 90
Feb 25 Static Major, American singer (b. 1974)
Feb 26 (George) "Buddy" Miles, American rock drummer (The Electric Flag; Band of Gypsies), dies of congestive heart disease at 60
Feb 28 Mike Smith, British rock singer and keyboardist (Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"), dies of pneumonia at 64
Mar 2 Jeff Healey, Canadian blues singer and lap-steel guitarist ("Angel Eyes"), dies of sarcoma at 41
Mar 3 Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian operatic tenor, dies at 86
Mar 3 Norman "Hurricane" Smith, British sound engineer (The Beatles, 1962-65), producer (Pink Floyd; The Pretty Things), and musician ("Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?"; "Don't Let It Die"), dies at 85
Mar 4 Leonard Rosenman, American Academy and Emmy Award-winning film and television composer (Rebel Without A Cause; Star Trek IV; Bound for Glory; Sybill), dies of a heart attack at 83

Mar 10 Charles "Chuck" and "Bing" Day, American session guitarist, bassist and blues performer dies at 65
Mar 12 Alun Hoddinott, Welsh composer (Floriture), dies at 78
Mar 15 Mikey Dread [Michael Campbell], Jamaican reggae singer, producer ("Rocker's Delight"), and broadcaster (BBC), dies of a brain tumor at 53
Mar 15 Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian pop-rock-folk singer-songwriter, and poet, dies of stomach cancer at 56
Mar 16 Ola Brunkert, Swedish pop, rock and jazz drummer (ABBA), dies from injuries after a fall at 61
Mar 20 Klaus Dinger, German electronic rock musician (Neu!; Kraftwerk; La Düsseldorf), dies of heart failure at 61
Mar 21 Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), dies at 77
Mar 22 Cachao [Israel López], Cuban double-bassist, and composer (co-inventor of 'mambo' with his brother, Orestes López), dies at 89
Mar 24 Chalmers "Spanky" Alford‎, American gospel, neo-soul, and session guitarist (Mighty Clouds of Joy; Raphael Saadiq; D'Angelo), dies of complications from diabetes at 52 [1]
Mar 24 Neil Aspinall, British music executive (The Beatles), dies of lung cancer at 66
Apr 2 Jacques Bondon, French composer, dies at 80
Apr 12 Danny Davis [George Nowlan], American country musician (Nashville Brass), dies at 83
Apr 14 Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz pianist (Seven Days Of Falling), dies in scuba diving accident at 44
Apr 15 Brian "Blinky" Davison, British rocker (The Nice), dies at 65
Apr 15 Sean Costello, American blues guitarist and singer, dies of multiple drug intoxication at 28

Apr 17 Danny Federici, American rock organist, accordionist, and glockenspieler (E Street Band), dies of melanoma at 58
Apr 19 Richard de Bois, Dutch songwriter ("Ik Hou Van Jou"), record producer (Dollly Dots); Ivy Green), and drummer (Roek's Family; Ginger Ale), dies of cancer at 59
Apr 20 Frank Michael Beyer, German composer, organist, and educator, dies at 80
Apr 20 VL Mike [Michael Allen], American rapper, shot to death by unknown assailant at 32
Apr 21 Al Wilson, American soul singer ("Show and Tell"; "The Snake"), dies of kidney failure at 68
Apr 22 Paul Davis, American country-rock-pop singer-songwriter and piano player ("I Go Crazy"; "65 Love Affair"), dies of a heart attack at 60
Apr 25 Humphrey Lyttelton, British jazz trumpeter and bandleader ("Bad Penny Blues"), and broadcaster (BBC2 - Best Of Jazz, 1967-2007; BBC4 - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, 1972-2008), dies at 86
Apr 26 Henry Brant, American composer (Great American Goot), dies at 94
Apr 29 Michael "Micky" Waller, British blues and rock drummer (Long John Baldry; Jeff Beck Group), dies of liver failure at 66
May 3 Uroš Krek, Slovenian composer, dies at 85
May 5 Jerry Wallace, American country and pop singer ("Primrose Lane"; "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry"), dies of heart failure at 79
May 5 Thomas Boggs, American rock drummer (Box Tops), dies at 63
May 8 Eddy Arnold, American country music singer ("Make The World Go Away"; "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"), dies at 89
May 8 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), dies of emphysema on his 80th birthday
May 10 Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (b. 1928)
May 11 Dottie Rambo [Joyce Luttrell], American gospel singer, dies when her tour bus crashes at 74
May 11 John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (Rush, 1968-1974), dies from a heart attack at 55
May 15 Alexander Courage, American composer of original Star Trek theme, dies at 88
May 15 Walt Dickerson, American jazz vibraphone player, and composer ("To My Queen"), dies of cardiac arrest at 80 [1]

May 16 Wilfrid Howard Mellers, English musicologist and composer (François Couperin and the French Classical Tradition), dies at 94
May 23 (Bruce) "Utah" Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter ("Green Rolling Hills"; "The Goodnight-Loving Trail") storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, dies of heart disease at 73
May 25 David Gahr, American photographer noted for his work with folk, jazz and rock musicians (Time Magazine; Folkways albums), dies at 85 [1]
May 26 Earle Hagen, American big band trombonist (Isham Jones; Tommy Dorsey; Benny Goodman), and Emmy Award-winning television composer (The Dick Van Dyke Show; The Andy Griffith Show; I Spy; The Mod Squad; "Harlem Nocturne"), dies at 88
May 28 Dennis Moss, British jazz tenor saxophonist, dies at 80
May 28 Jerry Cole [Jerald Kolbrak], American session guitarist and arranger (Wrecking Crew), dies of a heart attack at 58
Jun 1 Alton Kelley, American graphic artist, known for concert posters and album cover art (Grateful Dead -"Workingman's Dead"; Steve Miller Band - "Book of Dreams"), dies at 67

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

Jun 2 American rock `n' roll pioneer guitarist (Bo Diddley), dies of heart failure at 79

Jun 4 Bill Finegan, American pianist and big band arranger (Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey), composer and bandleader (Sauter-Finegan Orchestra), dies of pneumonia at 91
Jun 7 Bill Coday, American musician and singer ("You’re Gonna Want Me"), dies of a stroke at 66
Jun 8 Šaban Bajramović, Serbian Romani singer-songwriter, dies from a heart attack at 72
Jun 12 Pam Henning [Cornelia Catharina Pamela Ingenegeren], Indonesian-Dutch cabaret dancer and actress, dies at 90
Jun 14 Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz pianist (b. 1964)
Jun 14 Jamelão, Brazilian samba singer (b. 1913)
Jun 17 Cyd Charisse [Tula Finklea], American dancer and actress (Singin' in the Rain), dies at 86
Jun 20 Antonio Bibalo, Italian-Norwegian pianist, contemporary classical and opera composer (The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder; Ghosts), dies at 86
Jun 27 Leonard Pennario, American concert pianist (Rózsa's Piano Concerto with L.A. Philharmonic), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 83
Jul 1 Mel Galley, English guitarist (Whitesnake; Phenomena), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
Jul 2 Natasha Shneider, Russian musician (Eleven), dies at 52
Jul 3 Colin Cooper, British vocalist and harmonica player (Climax Blues Band - "Couldn't Get It Right"), dies of cancer at 69 [1]
Jul 3 Oliver Schroer, Canadian fiddler and composer, dies of leukemia at 52
Jul 6 Bobby Durham, American jazz drummer (b. 1937)
Jul 7 Hugh Mendl, British record label executive (Decca/Deram Records), dies at 88 [1]
Jul 16 Jo Stafford, American pop singer (The Pied Pipers - "I'll Never Smile Again"; Tommy Dorsey - "Let's Just Pretend"; solo - "You Belong to Me"), dies of heart failure at 90
Jul 18 Tauno Marttinen, Finnish composer (Dalai Lama Concerto; Elegia), dies at 95
Jul 20 Artie Traum, American folk guitarist, songwriter, producer, and filmmaker, dies of ocular cancer at 65
Jul 22 Joe Beck, American session and jazz guitarist (Don Sebesky; Gil Evans; Gato Barbieri; Esther Phillips), and bandleader, dies of lung cancer at 62
Jul 24 Norman Dello Joio [Nicodemo DeGioio], American classical composer (Choreography: Three Dances for Strings), dies at 95
Jul 25 Hiram Bullock, American jazz, funk, and fusion guitarist (The World's Most Dangerous Band), dies of cancer at 52
Jul 25 Johnny Griffin III, American jazz saxophonist (A Blowin' Session), dies of a heart attack at 80
Jul 27 Horst Stein, German conductor (Hamburg State Opera, 1963-77), dies at 80
Jul 28 Susan Tamim, Lebanese singer and actress (Studio El Fan), murdered in her apartment in Dubai at 30
Jul 29 Ishmeet Singh [Sodhi], Indian playback singer (Voice of India, 2007), drowns in a Maldives hotel swimming pool at 19
Aug 3 Erik Darling, American folk musician (Rooftop Singers), dies at 74
Aug 5 Reg Lindsay, Australian country and western singer-songwriter ("Armstrong"; "Close The Door Lightly"), dies of pneumonia, at 79
Aug 5 Robert Hazard [Rimato], American singer-songwriter ("Escalator Of Life"; "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), dies after surgery at 59
Aug 8 Joseph Gelineau, French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, dies at 87

Aug 10 American Southern soul musician, singer-songwriter, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("Theme from Shaft"), and actor (The Rockford Files - "Gandolf Fitch"; South Park -"Chef"), dies of a likely stroke at 65

Aug 11 Don Helms, American steel guitarist (Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys), dies at 81
Aug 11 Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist and radio host, dies at 84
Aug 12 (June) "Christie" Allen, British-Australian pop singer (Goosebumps), dies of pancreatic cancer at 54
Aug 12 Donald Erb, American composer known for large orchestral works, dies at 81
Aug 14 Lita Roza, British singer ("How Much is That Doggie in the Window"), dies at 82
Aug 15 Jerry Wexler, American music producer who coined the term "rhythm and blues" (Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan), dies from congestive heart failure at 91
Aug 16 Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer and songwriter, dies at 94 [1]
Aug 16 Lucrecia Roces Kasilag, Filipina composer (Filiasiana), concert pianist, and educator (Bayanihan Dance Company), dies of pneumonia 89
Aug 16 Ronnie Drew, Irish singer (The Dubliners), dies at 73
Aug 18 Pervis Jackson, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2008 - "Games People Play"), dies of brain and liver cancer at 70
Aug 19 Clea Bradford, American jazz singer, dies of breast cancer at 67
Aug 19 LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band - "Too Much"), dies from injuries sustained in a farm vehicle accident at 46
Aug 21 "Huckle" Jerry Finn, American sound engineer and record producer (Blink-182), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage and heart attack at 39
Aug 21 Buddy Harman, American country music drummer (Grand Ole Opry, Elvis Presley), dies at 79
Aug 24 Tristram Ogilvie Cary, British-Australian composer, electronic music pioneer, and educator, dies at 82
Aug 25 Josef Tal, Israel composer (Israeli art music), dies at 97
Aug 25 Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), dies at 64
Aug 31 Jerry Reed, American country music singer ("When You're Hot, You're Hot") and actor (Bat 21; Smokey and the Bandit), dies of complications from emphysema at 71
Sep 3 Matthew Peaceman, American oboist, conductor, composer (Abyss/Scorched Earth), and teacher, dies of cancer at 56
Sep 7 Miljenko "Dino" Dvornik, Croatian singer known as "the Croatian King of Funk", dies of an overdose at 44
Sep 7 Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, American R&B and soul pianist, bandleader, songwriter, and record producer, dies of congestive heart failure at 69
Sep 15 Richard Wright, British progressive rock keyboardist, arranger, composer, and occasional vocalist (Pink Floyd - "Time"; "Echoes"; "The Art Of Conversation"), dies of cancer at 65
Sep 16 Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer for Motown ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine"), dies at 68
Sep 19 Alois Pinos, Czech composer, dies at 82
Sep 19 Earl Palmer, American session drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (The Wrecking Crew), dies at 83
Sep 22 Connie Haines [Yvonne Jasme], American pop and big-band singer (Harry James; Abbott and Costello Show; Tommy Dorsey), dies of myasthenia gravis at 87 [1]
Sep 24 Vinko "Vice" Vukov, Croatian singer (Eurovision Song Contest 1963 & 1965), dies from head injury at 72
Sep 25 (Gerrit Cornelis) "Kees" Otten, Dutch flautist and recorder player, dies at 83
Sep 26 Marc Moulin, Belgian jazz and rock pianist (Placebo), and journalist, dies of throat cancer at 66
Sep 27 Mahendra Kapoor, Indian playback singer, dies at 74
Oct 1 Nick Reynolds, American folk singer, tenor guitarist, and bongo player (The Kingston Trio, 1957-67 - "Tom Dooley"; "M.T.A."), dies from respiratory disease at 75
Oct 3 Aurel Stroe, Romanian composer, dies at 76
Oct 6 Nadia Nerina [Nadine Judd], South African-British ballerina (Sadler's/Royal Ballet, 1949-68), dies at 80
Oct 8 Gidget Gein [Bradley Stewart], American hard rock bassist (Marilyn Manson), dies of a suspected drug overdose at 39
Oct 11 Neal Hefti, American jazz trumpeter, arranger (Woody Herman; Count Basie); bandleader (Kate Smith Show) and composer ("Li'l Darlin"; The Odd Couple; Batman theme), dies at 85
Oct 12 Cliff Nobles American soul singer ("The Horse"), dies at 67
Oct 15 Edie Adams [Edith Enke], American businesswoman, singer, actress and comedian (Murial Cigar), dies at 81
Oct 17 Levi Stubbs [Stubbles], American baritone singer (The Four Tops - "It's the Same Old Song"; "Standing In The Shadows of Love"), dies at 72
Oct 18 (Deliah) "Dee Dee" Warwick, American soul singer, dies of complications from diabetes at 66
Oct 20 Pierre Sancan, French composer (Sonatine for flute and piano; La Légende de Icare), pianist, conductor, and teacher (Conservatoire de Paris, 1956-85), dies at 92
Oct 24 Merl Saunders, American Hammond B-3 organ player and pianist (Jerry Garcia Band; Saunders/Garcia), and composer, dies at 74
Oct 24 Moshe Cotel, American composer and pianist (b. 1943)
Oct 28 George Sopkin, American cellist (Fine Arts Quartet, 1941-79), and teacher, dies at 94
Oct 29 Mike Baker, American heavy metal singer and bass player (Shadow Gallery), dies of a heart attack at 45
Nov 1 Jimmy Carl Black [Inkanish], American rock drummer (Mothers Of Invention, 1965-69; Muffin Men, 1993-2008), dies of lung cancer at 70
Nov 1 Nathaniel Mayer, American R&B singer ("Village of Love"; "Leave Me Alone"), dies after multiple strokes at 64
Nov 1 Shakir Stewart, American record executive (Def Jam), dies of a self-inflicted gun wound at 34
Nov 1 Yma Sumac [Chavarri], Peruvian-American 5 octave soprano and exotica singer (Omar Khayyam), dies at 85
Nov 3 Jean Fournet, French conductor (Rotterdam Philharmonic, 1968-73; Orchestre National de l’Île, 1973-82; Tokyo Metropolitan, 1983-86), dies at 95
Nov 10 Miriam Makeba, South African singer and civil rights activist (Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording, 1965), dies of a heart attack at 76
Nov 12 (John) "Mitch" Mitchell, British drummer (Jimi Hendrix Experience), dies at 62
Nov 12 Serge Nigg, French composer (Timor; Jérôme Bosch Symphony), and administrator (French Ministry of Culture, 1967-82), dies at 84
Nov 16 Ralph "Rusty" Gill, American singer (Polka Time), dies at 89
Nov 17 George Stephen Morrison, American admiral and father of The Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison
Nov 17 Guy Peellaert, Belgian graphic artist, photographer (Rock Dreams), movie poster and album cover designer (David Bowie -"Diamond Dogs'; Rolling Stones - "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll"), dies of cancer at 74
Nov 23 Richard Hickox, British organist, musical director, and conductor (City of London Sinfonia, 1971-2008; London Symphony Chorus from 1976-91), dies of a heart attack at 60
Nov 24 Kenny MacLean, Scottish-Canadian musician (Platinum Blonde -"Crying Over You"), dies of heart failure at 51
Nov 24 Ryōhei Hirose, Japanese composer who incorporated both traditional and western instrumentation, dies at 78
Nov 27 Pekka Pohjola, Finnish rock and jazz-fusion bassist, and composer, dies of a seizure at 56
Nov 29 Jørn Utzon, Danish architect (Sydney Opera House), dies at 90
Nov 30 Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer (Loudness) (b. 1958)
Dec 1 Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (b. 1934)
Dec 2 Odetta [Odetta Holmes], American folk singer (Sanctuary), actress and civil rights activist, dies of heart disease at 77
Dec 2 Renato de Grandis, Italian composer, dies at 81
Dec 5 Anca Parghel, Romanian jazz singer and composer (b. 1957)
Dec 7 Dennis Yost, American vocalist, dies at 65
Dec 7 Marky Cielo, Filipino and Igorot dancer and actor (b. 1988)
Dec 10 Didith Reyes [Maria Avenila], Filipino pop singer, dies of a heart attack at 59
Dec 10 Dorothy Porter, Australian poet (The Monkey's Mask), librettist, (The Eternity Man), and lyricist (The Fiery Maze), dies of breast cancer at 54
Dec 10 Henning Christiansen, Danish experimental composer, dies at 76
Dec 14 Ramon Barce, Spanish composer, dies at 80
Dec 17 Freddy Breck, German schlager singer, composer, record producer and news anchor, dies of cancer at 66
Dec 19 Kenny Cox, American jazz pianist dies of lung cancer at 68
Dec 20 Dorothy Sarnoff, American operatic soprano, Broadway actress (Rosalinda), author and pioneer of the self-help movement (Speech Can Change Your Life, Speech Dynamics), dies at 94
Dec 25 Eartha Kitt, American singer (Santa Baby), dancer, comedian, actress and activist (Catwoman-Batman), dies at 81
Dec 27 Delaney Bramlett, American rocker (Shindogs; Delaney & Bonnie), dies at 69
Dec 29 Daniel Nagrin, American modern dancer and choreographer, dies at 91
Dec 29 Freddie Hubbard, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1938)
Dec 30 Derek Wadsworth, British jazz composer and arranger, dies at 69

On This Day

Musicians Who Died in 2008

Bo Diddley (1928-2008)

Isaac Hayes (1942-2008)

Famous Rappers

Search the largest, most accurate site for today in music history.