Musicians Who Died in 2015

Deaths 1 - 200 of 204

Jan 28 Louise Lopez, American disco singer (Odyssey -"Native New Yorker"; "Use It Up And Wear It Out"), dies at 81
Jan 28 Robert Ceely, American classical and electro-acoustic composer (The Automobile Graveyard), and educator (New England Conservatory, 1966-2003), dies at 85
Jan 29 Paul Panhuysen, Dutch composer, visual and sound artist, dies at 80
Jan 29 Rodney "Rod" McKuen, American poet, singer-songwriter and actor (Jean, Alone, Beatsville), dies at 81
Jan 30 Ezra Sims, American composer of microtonal music, dies at 88
Jan 31 Don Covay [Donald Randolph], American R & B musician and songwriter (Chain of Fools), dies at 78
Feb 1 Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French concert pianist, dies at 89
Feb 2 Joseph Alfidi, American classical prodigy pianist, composer and conductor, dies at 65
Feb 3 William Thomas McKinley, American composer and jazz pianist, dies at 76
Feb 7 Joe B. Mauldin, American rock double-bass player (The Crickets), songwriter, and recording engineer (Gold Start Studios), dies of cancer at 74
Feb 8 Filipe Pires, Portuguese pianist, composer (Portugaliae Genesis), and educator, dies at 81
Feb 9 Marvin David Levy, American composer (Mourning Becomes Electra), dies at 82
Feb 12 Sam Andrew, American musician (Big Brother and the Holding Company), dies at 73
Feb 12 Steve Strange [Harrington], Welsh pop singer (Visage) and nightclub host, dies of a heart attack at 55
Feb 13 John McCabe, British composer and pianist, dies at 75

Feb 16 Lesley Gore, American pop singer ("It's My Party"; "You Don't Own Me"), dies of lung cancer at 68
Feb 17 Andrzej Koszewski, Polish choral and orchestral composer, and musicologist, dies at 92
Feb 17 Kenneth "Wally" Kelly, American R&B singer (Manhattans - "Kiss And Say Goodbye"), dies at 74
Feb 18 Willie C. Jackson, American doo wop baritone vocalist (The Spaniels- "Goodnite Sweetheart Goodnite"), dies at 79
Feb 19 Ward Swingle, American vocalist, jazz musician, composer, arranger, and conductor (The Swingle Singers - Jazz Sebastian Bach), dies at 87
Feb 21 Clark Terry, American jazz trumpeter, dies at 94
Feb 22 Chris Rainbow [Harley], Scottish rock singer, musician and producer (Alan Parsons Project), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 68
Feb 27 Tod Dockstader, American electronic and musique concrète composer, dies at 82
Feb 28 Ezra Laderman, American composer (Jacob & the Indians), dies at 90 [1]
Mar 1 Orrin Keepnews, American jazz producer and founder of Riverside Records and Milestone Records labels, dies at 91
Mar 8 Lew Soloff, American jazz trumpeter (Blood, Sweat and Tears), dies at 71
Mar 11 Jimmy Greenspoon, American session and touring rock organist (Three Dog Night - "Joy to the World"), dies of metastatic melanoma at 67
Mar 13 Daevid Allen [Christopher David], Australian musician and performance artist (Soft Machine, Gong), dies of cancer at 77
Mar 15 Mike Porcaro, American rock bassist (Toto, 1982-2007 "Stranger In Town"), dies from Lou Gehrig’s disease at 59
Mar 16 Andy Fraser, English bass guitarist (Free), dies at 62

Mar 19 Michael Brown, American rock keyboardist and songwriter (Left Banke - Walk Away Renee; Pretty Ballerina), dies of heart failure at 65
Mar 19 Peter Katin, British concert pianist, dies at 84
Mar 20 A.J. Pero, American drummer (Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It"), dies of a heart attack at 55
Mar 21 Jackie Trent, English singer-songwriter (Neighbours theme) and actress, dies at 74
Mar 21 Jørgen Ingmann, Danish jazz and pop guitarist ("Apache"; "Dansevise"), dies at 89
Mar 22 Norman Scribner, American organist, conductor, choral director (St. Alban's, 1960-2007; Choral Arts Society of Washington, 1965-2012), and composer (Song for St. Cecilia), dies at 79
Mar 23 Lil' Chris [Hardman], British rock singer (Checkin' It Out), takes his own life at 24 [1]
Mar 23 Roy Douglas, English composer and arranger (Tomorrow We Live - At Dawn We Die), dies at 107
Mar 24 Maria Radner, German operatic contralto, specializing in Wagner, dies in a plane crash at 33
Mar 24 Oleg Bryjak, Kazakhstani-German bass-baritone opera singer (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), dies in plane crash at 54
Mar 26 John Renbourn, British jazz and folk guitarist and songwriter (Pentangle), dies of a heart attack at 70
Mar 28 Douglas Leedy, American composer, dies at 77
Mar 28 Ronald Stevenson, Scottish-Welsh composer (9 Haiku; Ben Dorain Symphony), pianist, and educator, dies at 87
Apr 1 Cynthia Lennon (née Powell), first wife of Beatle John Lennon (1962-68), and mother of singer, photographer, activist Julian Lennon, dies of cancer at 75
Apr 1 Dave Ball, British rock guitarist (Procul Harum), dies of cancer at 65
Apr 2 Doug Sax, American mastering engineer (Bob Dylan, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Ray Charles), dies of cancer at 78
Apr 3 Andrew Porter, British organist, opera director, music critic, and librettist, dies at 86
Apr 3 Bob Burns, American drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a car crash at 64
Apr 5 Claudio Prieto, Spanish composer (Solo a Solo; Cantata manriqueña), dies at 80

Apr 6 David Leon Kaplan, American-Canadian music professor (University of Saskatchewan, 1960-82), conductor (Saskatoon Symphony, 1962-72), and composer, dies at 91
Apr 6 Milton Delugg, American pianist, accordion player, composer ("Hoop-Dee-Do"; "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians"), and orchestra leader (The Tonight Show, 1966; The Paul Winchell Show; The Gong Show), dies at 96 [1]
Apr 14 Percy Sledge, American soul singer ("When A Man Loves A Woman"), dies at 73
Apr 16 Martin Quittenton, British rock and blues guitarist (Steamhammer), and songwriter ("Maggie May"; "You Wear It Well"), dies at 69
Apr 19 Richard Anthony [Btesh], Syrian-French pop singer, and songwriter ("Aranjuez mon amour"; "Amoureux de ma femme"), dies at 77
Apr 27 Rolf Smedvig, American classical trumpet player (Boston Symphony, 1971-81; Empire Brass, 1972-2015), and educator (Boston University), dies of a heart attack at 62
Apr 28 Jack Ely, American singer and guitarist (The Kingsmen - "Louie, Louie"), dies at 71
Apr 30 Ben E. King [Nelson], American soul singer (Stand By Me), dies at 76
Apr 30 Ronald Senator, British composer (Holocaust Requiem), and educator (Musicolor), dies in a house fire at 89
May 1 (Alexander) "Bobby" Kok, Boer-British classical and session cellist (BBC Symphony; George Harrison - "When We Was Fab"), dies at 89
May 1 Grace Lee Whitney, American singer and actress (Yeoman Rand-Star Trek), dies at 85
May 2 Guy Carawan, American folk singer and folklorist (We Shall Overcome), dies at 87
May 2 Ma Shui-long, Taiwanese classical composer (The Peacock Flies Southeast), dies at 75
May 2 Maya Plisetskaya, Russian prima ballerina (Bolshoi Ballet), dies at 89
May 5 Craig Gruber, American rock bassist (Rainbow), dies of cancer at 63
May 6 Errol Brown, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter (Hot Chocolate - "You Sexy Thing"), dies at 71
May 8 (Antoni) "Ton" Hartsuiker, Dutch pianist, composer, broadcaster, and educator, dies at 81
May 8 Jaime León, Colombian pianist, composer, and conductor Filarmónica de Bogota, 1971-78), dies at 93
May 12 Mervyn Burtch, Welsh composer (The Raven King) and educator, dies at 85

May 13 Robert Drasnin, American clarinetist, composer, and film and television music supervisor (CBS, 1977-91), dies after a fall at 87

B.B. King (1925-2015)

May 14 American blues guitarist and singer (The Thrill is Gone), dies at 89

May 17 Chinx [Lionel Pickens], American rapper (Coke Boys), dies in a drive-by shooting at 31
May 21 Louis Johnson, American rock bassist and vocalist (Brothers Johnson), dies at 60
May 28 Steven Gerber, American classical composer (Music in Dark Times), dies at 66
May 29 Peter Cropper, British violinist (Lindsay Quartet, 1965-2005), dies of a heart attack at 59
Jun 1 Jean Ritchie, American folk singer, dies at 92
Jun 2 Paul Karolyi, Hungarian composer, dies at 80
Jun 4 Albert West [Albertus Westelaken], Dutch pop singer (The Shuffles - "Cha-La-La, I Need You"; Stars on 45), dies at 65
Jun 6 Ronnie Gilbert, American folk singer (The Weavers - "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine"), dies at 88
Jun 9 James Last, German-born composer and big band bandleader, dies at 86
Jun 11 Jim Ed Brown, American country music singer-songwriter ("Here Today and Gone Tomorrow"; "Pop a Top"), and radio and television host (Nashville on the Road), dies of lung cancer at 81

Ornette Coleman (1930-2015)

Jun 11 American jazz saxophonist and composer (Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation), dies of a heart attack at 85

Jun 11 Ron Moody [Moodnick], British stage and screen actor, singer (Oliver!; The Twelve Chairs), and composer dies at 91
Jun 12 Ernest Tomlinson, English light classical composer, dies at 90
Jun 12 Monica Lewis, American jazz singer and film actress (Box Office, Affair with a Stranger), dies at 93
Jun 13 "Big Time" Sarah [Streeter], American blues singer, dies of heart disease at 62
Jun 13 MC Supreme [Dewayne Lawrence Coleman], rapper (Black in America), dies in a car accident at 47
Jun 15 Mighty Sam McClain, American soul and blues singer-songwriter, dies at 72
Jun 15 Roger Lavern [Jackson], English rock keyboardist (Tornados), dies at 75
Jun 15 Zhanna Friske [Jeanna Kopylova], Russian model, actress, and singer (Blestyashchiy), dies of brain cancer at 40
Jun 21 Gunther Schuller, American horn player, composer, and proponent of jazz-classical "third stream" (Visitation; Of Reminiscences and Reflections - Pulitzer Prize, 1994), dies at 89
Jun 22 James Horner, American Academy Award-winning film composer (Titanic; Apollo 13; Avatar), dies in a plane crash at 61
Jun 22 Joseph de Pasquale, American violist (Boston Symphony, 1949-64: Philadelphia Orchestra, 1964-96), and educator (Curtis Institutu, 1965-2015), dies at 95
Jun 23 Magali Noël [Guiffray], French actress and singer, dies at 83
Jun 27 Chris Squire, British progressive rock bassist, founding and longest serving member of Yes, 1969-2014 ("The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)"), dies of acute erythroid leukemia at 67
Jun 27 Denis Vigay, British cellist (BBC Symphony; Academy of St Martin in the Fields; Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), dies at 89
Jul 1 Val Doonican [Michael Valentine], Irish singer and entertainer, dies at 88
Jul 2 Slavko Avsenik, Slovenian polka and Oberkrain ethnic accordionist, piano player, and composer (Avsenik Brothers Ensemble), dies at 85
Jul 6 Masabumi Kikuchi, Japanese jazz pianist, synthesizer player, and composer, dies of a subdural hematoma at 75
Jul 8 Ernie Maresca, American singer and songwriter ("Runaround Sue"; "The Wanderer"), dies at 76
Jul 10 Jon Vickers, Canadian operatic tenor (Covent Garden, 1957-87; New York Metropolitan Opera, 1960-87), dies at 88
Jul 15 Alan Curtis, American harpsichordist, musicologist and conductor, dies at 80
Jul 15 Howard Rumsey, American jazz musician (Lighthouse Cafe), dies at 97
Jul 18 (Perry) "Buddy" Buie, American rock songwriter, and record producer (Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You"; "Imaginary Lover"), dies of a heart attack at 74
Jul 19 Václav Snítil, Czech violinist (Czech Nonet), and teacher (Prague Academy of Performing Arts, 1964-2015), dies at 87
Jul 19 Van Alexander [Alexander Van Vliet Feldman], American composer, arranger ("A-Tisket, A-Tasket"), and orchestra leader (Dean Martin Show), dies at 100
Jul 21 E. L. Doctorow, American author (Ragtime, Billy Bathgate), dies at 84
Jul 21 Paul Freeman, American conductor and composer (Chicago Sinfonietta, 1987 -2011; Czech National Symphony, 1996-2007), dies at 79
Jul 21 Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American stage and screen singer and actor (The Sound of Music; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; 200 Motels), folk singer (co-founder Newport Folk Festival), and political activist, dies at 91
Jul 30 Lynn Anderson, American country singer (I Never Promised you a Rose Garden), dies of a heart attack at 67
Aug 1 Anatoly Kremer, Russian composer and conductor (Eksperiment), dies at 82
Aug 1 Cilla Black [Priscilla White], British pop singer ("Anyone Who Had a Heart"), and TV personality (Blind Date), dies at 72
Aug 3 Adam Walacinski, Polish composer, dies at 86
Aug 4 Gerd Natschinski, German composer, dies at 86
Aug 12 John Scott, English organist and choirmaster, dies at 59
Aug 12 Per Hjort Albertsen, Norwegian organist, composer, and educator, dies at 96
Aug 14 Gordon "Jazz" Summers, British music manager (Wham; Snow Patrol), dies at 71
Aug 14 [Donald William] Bob Johnston, American music producer (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash), dies at 83
Aug 17 Arsen Dedić, Croatian singer-songwriter and poet, dies at 77
Aug 17 Jan Fotek, Polish composer (Musica Cromatica), dies at 76
Aug 18 Roger Smalley, British-Australian pianist, conductor, and composer (Gloria Tibi Trinitas), dies at 72
Aug 20 Piotr Warzecha, Polish composer, dies at 74
Aug 23 Asher Ben-Yohanan, Israeli composer, dies at 86
Aug 24 Vardo Rumessen, Estonian classical pianist, musicologist, politician, and independence advocate, dies at 73
Aug 27 George Cleve, Austrian-American conductor (Winnipeg Symphony, 1968-70; San Jose Symphony, 1972-92; San Francisco Midsummer Mozart Festival, 1974-2015), dies of liver failure at 79
Sep 2 Donny Conn, American musician (The Playmates), dies at 85
Sep 4 Emmanuel "Rico" Rodriguez, Jamaican ska trombonist (The Specials), dies at 80
Sep 5 (Frederick) "Denny" Greene, American singer (Sha Na Na, 1968-84), dies from cancer at 66
Sep 5 Jacques Israelievitch, French Canadian classical violinist, concertmaster (St. Louis Symphony, 1978-88; Toronto Symphony, 1988-2008), and music director (Koffler Chamber Orchestra, 2005-14), dies of lung cancer at 67
Sep 9 Robin McDonald, Scottish rock guitarist (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas), dies at 72
Sep 12 Bryn Merrick, British musician (The Damned), dies at 56
Sep 13 Gary Richrath, American guitarist and songwriter (REO Speedwagon), dies at 65
Sep 17 David Willcocks, English conductor and composer (Kings College choir), dies at 95
Sep 20 Jack Larson, American actor (The Adventures of Superman -"Jimmy Olsen"), screenwriter, and librettist (Virgil Thomson's "Lord Byron"), dies at 87
Sep 21 Ben Cauley, American R&B trumpeter (The Bar-Kays - "Soul Finger") and Otis Redding plane crash survivor, dies at 67
Sep 26 Manuel Oltra, Spanish secular and sacred music composer, and professor (Barcelona Conservatory, 1959-87), dies at 93
Sep 26 Toshiya Sukegawa, Japanese contemporary classical and electro-acoustic composer (The Eternal Morning 1945.8.6; A Projection), dies at 85
Sep 27 Wilton Felder, American jazz-fusion saxophonist and bassist (The Crusaders), dies from multiple myeloma at 75
Sep 28 Frankie Ford [Frank Guzzo], American rock vocalist (Sea Cruise), dies at 76
Sep 29 Phil Woods, American jazz saxophonist and composer (Steely Dan's "Doctor Wu"; Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are"), dies of emphysema at 83
Oct 2 Coleridge Goode, Jamaican-British jazz double bassist (Joe Harriot Quintet), dies at 100 [1]
Oct 3 Dave Pike, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player, dies at 77
Oct 6 Billy Joe Royal, American country and pop singer ("Down in the Boondocks"), dies at 73
Oct 8 Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter (I Should Have Known Better), dies at 64
Oct 9 N. Ramani, Indian flutist, dies at 80
Oct 10 Saša Britvić, Croatian conductor (Croatian Baroque Ensemble, 1999-2015), and pedagogue, dies at 51
Oct 11 John Berg, American art director, 4-time Grammy Award-winner for album art (Columbia Records, 1961-85), dies of pneumonia at 83
Oct 12 Armin Kircher, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor, dies of heart failure at 48
Oct 16 John Jennings, American guitarist and music producer (Mary Chapin Carpenter; John Gorka). dies of kidney cancer at 61
Oct 20 Cory Wells [Emil Lewandowski], American rock vocalist (3 Dog Night - "Joy to the World"), dies at 74
Oct 20 Don Rendell, English jazz musician and arranger, dies at 89
Oct 23 Bill Keith, American bluegrass, country, and session banjoist, and tuning instrument tuner inventor, dies of cancer at 75

Maureen O'Hara (1920-2015)

Oct 24 Irish-American actress (Miracle on 34th Street; The Quiet Man; Only The Lonely), and singer, dies at 95

Nov 2 David Stock, American composer (Rosewood Reflections), and conductor (Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, 1976-99), dies at 76 [1]
Nov 2 Raul Rekow, American percussionist and conguero (Santana, 1976-2013), dies of cancer at 61
Nov 5 Guido Masanetz, German composer (In Frisco ist der Teufel Los), dies at 101
Nov 8 Andrei Yakoulevich Eshpai, Soviet composer, dies at 90
Nov 9 Andy [Andrew] White, Scottish drummer, drummed on early Beatles records ("Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You"), dies at 85

Allen Toussaint (1938-2015)

Nov 10 American pianist, songwriter and producer ("Mother-In-Law"; "Working In A Coal Mine"; "Southern Nights"), dies of a heart attack at 77

Nov 10 Robert Craft, American conductor and friend of Stravinsky, dies at 92
Nov 11 Philthy Animal [Phil Taylor], English rock drummer (Motörhead), dies from liver failure at 61
Nov 15 P.F. Sloan [Philip Schlein], American songwriter ("Eve of Destruction"; "Secret Agent Man"), session guitarist, and singer, dies of pancreatic cancer at 70
Nov 18 Erik Lotichius, Dutch composer (Anaitalrax), dies at 86
Nov 19 Armand [Herman van Loenhout], Dutch singer (Blommenkinders), dies at 69
Nov 21 Joseph Silverstein, American violinist, concertmaster and conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1955-84), dies of complications after a heart attack at 83 [1]
Nov 24 Oļģerts Grāvītis, Latvian-Soviet composer, dies at 89
Nov 26 Alexander Kholminov, Russian composer, dies at 90
Nov 26 Ronnie Bright, American doo-wop bass vocalist (Johnny Cymbal - "Mr. Bass Man"; The Coasters, 1968-2009), dies at 77
Nov 28 Luc Bondy, Swiss theatre and opera director, dies of cancer at 67
Nov 29 George Hadjinikos, Greek pianist and conductor, dies at 92
Dec 2 John Charles Eaton, American composer, dies at 80
Dec 3 Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson, Jamaican ska and reggae session keyboard player, and bandleader ("The Liquidator"), dies at 81

Scott Weiland (1967-2015)

Dec 3 American rock singer-songwrite (Stone Temple Pilots; Velvet Revolver), dies of an accidental drug overdose at 48

Dec 4 Rodney Milne [Blumer], British opera critic (Opera magazine, 1971-99), musicologist, and libretto translator, dies at 79
Dec 6 Tony Gomez, British rock keyboardist (The Foundations - "Baby Now That I've Found You"; "Build Me Up Buttercup"), dies at 76
Dec 8 Bonnie Lou [Mary Joan Okum] American rockabilly musician ("Tennessee Mambo"), dies at 91
Dec 8 Mattiwilda Dobbs, American soprano, dies at 90
Dec 16 Aafje Heynis, Dutch singer (contralto), dies at 91
Dec 18 Luc Brewaeys, Belgian pianist, conductor, and composer, dies of cancer at 56
Dec 19 Kurt Masur, German conductor (Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, 1970-96; New York Philharmonic, 1991-2002; London Philharmonic, 2000-07), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 88
Dec 22 Carson Van Osten, American power pop-rock bassist (Nazz - "Open My Eyes", "Hello It's Me), and comic strip artist (Disney), dies at 70
Dec 24 William Guest, American singer (Gladys Knight Show), dies at 74
Dec 27 Andy M. Stewart, Scottish musician and composer (Silly Wizard), dies at 63
Dec 27 Stevie Wright, British-born Australian singer with the Easybeats ("Friday On My Mind"), dies at 68
Dec 28 John "Brad" Bradbury, British ska drummer and record producer (The Specials), dies at 62