- Aug 3 Matt Higgins Doran, American composer (Roland the Minstrel Pig; Faculty Meeting), pedagogue (St. Mary's College), and magician, dies at 94
- Aug 4 Patrice Munsel [Munsil], American operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1943-58; Patrice Munsel Show), dies at 91
- Aug 6 Pete Fountain [Pierre LaFontaine], American jazz and Dixieland clarinetist (Lawrence Welk, 1957-59), dies at 86
- Aug 15 Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player ("Little B's Poem"; SFJAZZ Collective), dies of emphysema at 75
- Aug 20 Irving Fields [Yitzhak Schwartz], American lounge pianist and composer (Ilona Massey Show; Bagels & Bongos), dies at 101
- Aug 20 Matt Roberts, American rock guitarist (3 Doors Down - "When I'm Gone"), dies of prescription drug overdose at 38
- Aug 22 (Jean-Baptiste) "Toots" Thielemans, Belgian-American jazz harmonica player, guitarist, whistler, and composer, dies at 94
- Aug 22 Roberto Cassan, Italian-American jazz and folk accordionist, dies of a heart attack at 53
- Aug 25 Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), dies at 91
- Aug 28 Juan Gabriel [Alberto Aguilera Valadez], Mexican singer,-songwriter dies of a heart attack at 66
- Aug 31 Jacques Leduc, Belgian composer, dies at 84
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