Musicians Who Died in 2017

Jan 22 Pete Overend Watts, English bass guitar player (Mott the Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), dies from throat cancer at 69
Jan 23 Bobby Freeman, American singer (Do You Want to Dance), dies at 76
Jan 24 Butch Trucks, American rock drummer (The Allman Brothers Band), dies at 69
Jan 27 Benny Barth, American session and touring jazz drummer, dies at 86
Jan 28 Geoff Nicholls, British rock keyboardist (Black Sabbath, 1980-2013), dies from lung cancer at 72
Jan 31 Deke [Roger] Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), dies at 72
Jan 31 John Wetton, British rock vocalist and bassist (Asia, King Crimson), dies of cancer at 67
Feb 1 Desmond Carrington, British radio host (The Music Goes Round), dies at 90
Feb 4 Gervase de Peyer, British clarinetist, dies at 89
Feb 4 Steve Lang, Canadian rock bassist (April Wine, 1976-84 - "Just Between You And Me"), dies at 67
Feb 7 Svend Asmussen, Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking" (The Swe-Danes), dies at 100
Feb 8 Nicolai Gedda, Swedish opera tenor (Opera Two to Six), dies at 91
Feb 11 Harvey Lichtenstein, American head of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, dies at 87
Feb 12 Al Jarreau, American jazz singer (Moonlighting), dies at 76
Feb 13 Michael Naura, German jazz pianist, radio broadcaster, editor and anti-nuclear proliferation activist, dies at 82

Feb 17 Alan Aldridge, British artist, graphic designer and illustrator whose artwork was used in record covers for The Beatles and The Who, dies at 78
Feb 19 Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (11th House), dies at 73
Feb 21 Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Polish-American conductor (Minnesota Orchestra, 1960-79) and composer (Passacaglia Immaginaria), dies at 93
Feb 26 Dimiter Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 83
Feb 26 James E. Sellars, American composer, dies at 76
Feb 26 Robert Allworth, Australian composer (A Different Time, A Different Place), dies at 74
Feb 27 Jórunn Viðar, Icelandic pianist and composer, dies at 98
Feb 28 Claude Rene Georges Pascal, French composer, dies at 96
Feb 28 Leoncjusz Ciuciura, Polish classical composer (Spirals), dies at 86 [1] [2]
Mar 3 Jim Fuller, American 'Godfather of Surf Guitar' and songwriter (The Safaris - "Wipe Out"), dies at 69
Mar 3 Lyle Ritz, American jazz ukulele and session bassist, dies at 87
Mar 3 Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist and composer (Reconstruction), dies at 81
Mar 3 Tommy Page, American pop singer ("I'll Be Your Everything"), found dead of apparent suicide at 46
Mar 4 Valerie Carter, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, and session vocalist, dies of a heart attack at 64
Mar 5 Kurt Moll, German bass opera singer, dies at 78

Mar 6 Alberto Zedda, Italian opera conductor and musicologist, dies at79
Mar 7 Francis Thorne, American composer (Fortuna; Elegy), dies at 94
Mar 10 (Joan) "Joni" Sledge, American vocalist (Sister Sledge "We Are Family"), dies at 60
Mar 10 Gido Kokars, Latvian choral conductor, dies at 95
Mar 13 Tommy LiPuma, American Grammy Award-winning jazz record producer (George Benson; Natalie Cole; Diana Krall), and record label executive (A&M, Verve, GRP), dies at 80
Mar 16 James Cotton, American blues vocalist and harmonica player, dies at 81

Chuck Berry (1926-2017)

Mar 18 American rock n' roll guitarist and singer-songwriter ("Roll Over Beethoven"; "Sweet Little Sixteen"), dies at 90

Mar 18 Don Hunstein, American photographer of musicians, dies at 88
Mar 18 Trisha Brown, American choreographer and dancer, dies at 80
Mar 23 Lola Albright, American singer and actress (Delta Country, Kid Galahad, A Cold Wind in August), dies at 92
Mar 23 Louis Frémaux, French conductor (Monte-Carlo Philharmonic, 1956-65; City of Birmingham Symphony, 1969-78; Sydney Symphony, 1979-82), dies at 95
Mar 26 Alain Gagnon, Canadian composer (Chansons d'Orient), and music educator (Université Laval, 1967-2008), dies at 78
Mar 27 Arthur Blythe, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 76
Mar 30 Rosalie “Rosie” Hamlin, American singer-songwriter (Rosie and The Originals – “Angel Baby”), dies at 71
Apr 3 Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical Hindustani singer, dies at 84
Apr 5 María Luisa Ozaita, Spanish pianist, harpsichordist, musicologist, conductor, and composer (Pelleas y Melisanda), dies at 77
Apr 9 Alan Henderson, Irish rock bassist (Them), dies at 72
Apr 9 Bob Wootton, American country and rockabilly guitarist (Johnny Cash, 1968-97), dies of complications from dementia at 75
Apr 10 Banner Thomas, American rock bassist (Molly Hatchet), dies of a heart attack at 63
Apr 11 J. Geils [John Warren Geils Jr], American rock guitarist (J. Geils Band - Centerfold), dies at 71
Apr 11 Toby Smith [Grafftey-Smith], British keyboardist and songwriter, dies of cancer at 46
Apr 12 Barry “Frosty” Smith, American rock, country and blues touring and session drummer (Lee Michaels; Roky Erikson; Doug Sahm), dies at 71
Apr 14 Bruce Langhorne, American session and touring folk guitarist and tambourine man, dies of kidney failure at 78
Apr 14 Manfred Jung, German operatic tenor (Wagner's heldentenor roles), dies at 76
Apr 15 Allan Holdsworth, British progressive rock guitarist, dies at 70
Apr 15 Sylvia Moy, American songwriter ("My Cherie Amour"; "This Old Heart Of Mine"; "It Takes Two"), dies of pneumonia at 79
Apr 18 Gordon Langford [Colman], British composer and arranger of brass, choral, and orchestral music (Facets of Glass; Rhapsody for Trombone), dies at 86
Apr 20 Cuba Gooding, Sr., American pop and soul singer (The Main Ingredient - "Everybody Plays the Fool"), dies at 72
Apr 22 Václav Kučera, Czech composer (Concierto imaginativo; Homenaje a Salvador Dalí), dies at 87
May 2 (Mary) Norma Procter, British contralto singer, dies of Parkinson's Disease at 89
May 2 Grigori Zhislin, Russian concert violinist, and viola player, dies at 71
May 3 Daliah Lavi [Levinbuck], Israeli actress (Casino Royale: Lord Jim), and singer, dies at 74
May 7 David Pell, American big band jazz saxophonist, bandleader (Dave Pell Octet), and record producer, dies at 92
May 8 Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), dies at 78
May 9 Robert Miles [Roberto Concina], Swiss musician, record producer, and composer of trance and ambient music ("Children"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 47
May 12 Bill Dowdy, American jazz drummer (The Three Sounds), dies at 84
May 18 Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave), commits suicide at 52
May 18 Frankie Paul [Paul Blake], Jamaican reggae musician, dies of kidney disease at 51
May 18 Jimmy "Bro" Hayes, American doo-wop bass singer (Persuasions - "Under the Boardwalk"), dies at 74
May 20 Jimmy Dale, British-Canadian pianist and orchestra leader (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), dies at 81
May 22 (Granville) "Mickey" Roker, American jazz drummer (Art Farmer; Milt Jackson; Dizzy Gillespie), dies suffering from diabetes and lung cancer at 84
May 22 Barbara Smith Conrad, American operatic mezzo-soprano singer, and educator (Wagner Theater), dies at 79

Gregg Allman (1947-2017)

May 27 American Hammond organist, guitarist and vocalist (The Allman Brothers Band - "Whipping Post"), dies of cancer at 69

May 28 Elisabeth Chojnacka, Polish harpsichordist, with works dedicated to her by over 80 composers, dies at 79
May 31 Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech conductor (Czech Philharmonic, 1990-92 & 2012-17; Prague Philharmonia, 1993-2005; BBC Symphony, 2006-12), dies of cancer at 71
Jun 6 Paul Zukofsky, American violinist and conductor (Cappricio), dies from non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 73
Jun 6 Sandra Reemer, Indo-Dutch pop singer ("As Love Goes"), and television presenter, dies of breast cancer at 66
Jun 11 Rosalie Sorrels, American traditional folk singer-songwriter ("Up Is A Nice Place To Be"; "Nevada Moon"), dies at 83
Jun 12 Felice Taylor, American R&B singer (I Feel Love Comin' On), dies at 73
Jun 13 Anita Pallenberg, Italian model and actress credited as the muse of the Rolling Stones, dies of complications of hepatitis C. at 75
Jun 15 Jacques Charpentier, French organist and composer (72 études karnatiques), dies at 83
Jun 20 Prodigy [Albert Johnson], American rapper (Mobb Deep), dies at 42
Jun 21 Ludger Rémy, German harpsichordist, conductor (Les Amis de Philippe), and musicologist, dies at 68
Jun 22 Jimmy Nalls, American session and touring rock-jazz-fusion guitarist (Sea Level), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 66
Jun 22 Norman Ayrton, English actor and opera director (Royal Shakespearean Acad - UK), dies at 92
Jun 27 Geri Allen, American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and educator, dies of cancer at 60 [1]
Jul 5 Pierre Henry, French composer (considered pioneer of musique concrète), dies at 89
Jul 7 Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), dies at 89
Jul 12 Ray Phiri, South African jazz and mbaqanga guitarist (Paul Simon; Stimela), dies of cancer at 70
Jul 20 Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (Linkin Park), commits suicide at 41
Jul 22 Bobby Taylor, American singer and producer who discovered "The Jackson 5" (Motown Records), dies of cancer at 83
Jul 25 Ivana Loudová, Czech composer (Vocal Symphony), dies at 76
Jul 26 Paul Angerer, Austrian violist, violinist, conductor (Concilium Musicum Wien), harpsichordist, composer and radio host, dies at 90
Jul 27 Gilles Tremblay, Canadian composer, ondes Martenot player, and educator, dies at 85 [1]
Aug 1 Goldy McJohn, [John Goadsby] Canadian rock organist (Steppenwolf - "Born To Be Wild"; "Magic Carpet Ride"), dies at 72
Aug 7 David Maslanka, American composer (Angel Of Mercy; Sea Dreams), and educator, dies of colon cancer at 73
Aug 7 Janet Seidel, Australian jazz pianist, vocalist, arranger, and educator, dies of ovarian cancer at 62
Aug 8 Barbara Cook, American stage singer and actress (The Music Man), dies at 89

Aug 8 American Grammy Award-winning country-pop singer ("By The Time I Get to Phoenix"; "Wichita Lineman"; "Rhinestone Cowboy"), session guitarist (The Beach Boys; Elvis Presley; The Monkees; Phil Specter), television personality (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour), and actor (True Grit), dies at 81

Aug 9 Marián Varga, Slovak musician (Prúdy), dies at 70
Aug 10 Xavier Benguerel, Catalan composer (Llibre Vermell; Jo, Dalí), dies at 86
Aug 19 Bea Wain, American pop singer ("Deep Purple" (the song, not the group); "Heart and Soul"), and radio host, dies at 100
Aug 20 Fredell Lack, American concert violinist, and teacher (University of Houston, 1959-2009), dies at 95
Aug 20 Wilhelm Killmayer, German composer, dies at 89
Aug 22 John Abercrombie, American jazz guitarist, dies of heart failure at 72
Aug 25 Enzo Dara, Italian operatic basso buffo (The Barber of Seville - "Don Bartolo"), and author, dies at 78
Aug 29 Dmitri Kogan, Russian concert violinist (Five Great Violins), dies of cancer at 38
Aug 29 Janine Charrat, French ballerina and choreographer, dies at 93
Aug 29 Larry Elgart, American big band jazz alto saxophonist, and bandleader ("Bandstand Boogie"; "Hooked On Swing"), dies at 95
Sep 2 Dave Hlubek, American rock guitarist (Molly Hatchet), dies at 66
Sep 2 Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-American pianist, darabukha drummer, and composer (Martha Graham ballet scores), dies at 96

Walter Becker (1950-2017)

Sep 3 American rock bassist, guitarist, songwriter and record producer (Steely Dan - "Deacon Blues"; "Peg"), dies of esophageal cancer at 67

Sep 5 Holger Czukay [Holger Schüring], German musician (Can), dies at 79
Sep 6 Derek David Bourgeois, British composer, conductor and educator (National Youth Chamber Orchestra), dies of cancer at 75
Sep 7 John Maxwell Geddes, Scottish composer and pedagogue, dies at 76
Sep 8 Donald "Don" Williams, American country singer ("I Believe in You"), dies from emphysema at 78
Sep 11 Peter Hall, English stage, film and opera director (Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre director), dies at 86
Sep 12 Riem de Wolff, Indonesian-Dutch singer and guitarist (Blue Diamonds), dies at 74
Sep 12 Siegfried Köhler, German conductor, music director, and composer, dies at 94
Sep 13 Grant Hart, American punk rock drummer and songwriter (Hüsker Dü), dies of liver cancer at 56

Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017)

Sep 15 American actor (Lucky; Alien; Cool Hand Luke; The Godfather Part II), musician, and singer, dies at 91

Sep 17 Laudir de Oliveira, Brazilian percussionist (Sérgio Mendes; Chicago, 1973-81), dies on stage in Rio de Janeiro, of a heart attack at 77
Sep 19 Billy Hatton, English rock bassist (The Fourmost - A Little Loving), dies at 76
Sep 23 Charles Bradley, American R&B and funk singer, known as 'The Screaming Eagle of Soul', dies of stomach cancer at 68
Sep 23 Tsisana Tatishvili, Georgian lyric-dramatic soprano, dies at 79
Sep 25 Folke Rabe, Swedish avant-garde composer (What??), dies at 81
Sep 27 Anne Jeffreys [Annie Carmichael], American singer and actress (Dick Tracy; Topper; General Hospital), dies at 94
Sep 27 Zuzana Ruzickova, Czech harpsichordist and Holocaust survivor, dies of pneumonia at 90
Sep 29 Dmitry Smolsky, Belarusian orchestral, choral, theater and pop music composer, and teacher (Belarusian State Academy of Music, 1962-2014), dies at 80
Sep 30 Alam Thomas "Tom" Paley, American folk musician (New Lost City Ramblers), dies at 89
Oct 2 Klaus Huber, Swiss composer (Tenebrae) and academic, dies at 92

Tom Petty (1950-2017)

Oct 2 American classic rock singer and songwriter (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "American Girl"; Traveling Wilburys - "Last Night"; solo -"I Won't Back Down"), dies of an accidental overdose at 66

Oct 8 Grady Tate, American jazz drummer (Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith), and singer, dies of complications from Alzheimer disease at 85 [1]
Oct 9 Vincent La Selva, American conductor (New York Grand Opera Company, 1973-2012), dies at 88 [1]
Oct 17 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock musician (The Tragically Hip), dies of glioblastoma at 53
Oct 17 Ingvar Lidholm, Swedish composer (Toccata e Canto), dies at 95
Oct 22 George Young, Scottish-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer (the Easybeats, Flash and the Pan), dies at 70

Fats Domino (1928-2017)

Oct 24 American rhythm & blues piano player, singer, and star of the early rock ’n’ roll era ("Blueberry Hill"; "Blue Monday"; "Walkin' To New Orleans", dies from natural causes at 89

Oct 25 John Manduell, British-based South African composer and educator (Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, 1973-96), dies at 89
Oct 27 Ladislav Kubík, Czech-American composer (Aulos; Subterranean River) and educator (Florida State University, 1990-2017), dies at 71
Oct 29 Muhal Richard Abrams, American educator and composer, dies at 87
Nov 1 Katie Lee, American folk singer, environmentalist and author (Colorado River Songs), dies at 98
Nov 5 Robert Knight, American pop singer ("Everlasting Love"), dies at 79
Nov 7 Paul Buckmaster, British Grammy Award-winning artist, arranger, conductor and composer, dies at 71
Nov 7 Pentti "Whitey" Glan, Finnish-Canadian touring and session drummer (Lou Reed; Alice Cooper - "Welcome To My Nightmare"), dies of cancer at 71
Nov 7 Robert De Cormier, American conductor and musical director (The Belafonte Folk Singers), dies at 95
Nov 9 Hans Vermeulen, Dutch singer and guitarist (Sandy Coast), dies at 70
Nov 11 Bobby Matos, American session percussionist, Latin jazz timbalero, and bandleader, dies at 76
Nov 11 Francesco "Frank" Corsaro, American opera director (The Night of the Iguana, Play of the Week), dies at 92
Nov 12 Eric Salzman, American composer (New Musical Theater), dies at 84
Nov 12 Michel Chapuis, French classical organist and pedagogue, dies at 87
Nov 15 Lil Peep [Gustav Åhr], American rapper, dies of a drug overdose at 21
Nov 17 William Mayer, American composer (A Death in the Family; Brief Candle; Octagon), dies from heart failure at 91
Nov 18 Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist and songwriter (founding member of AC/DC), dies at 64
Nov 19 Della Reese [Delloreese Patricia Early], American singer and actress (Della Reese Show; Royal Family), dies at 86
Nov 19 Mel Tillis [Lonnie Melvin Tillis], American country singer (Who's Julie, M-M-Mel), dies of respiratory failure at 85
Nov 21 David Cassidy, American singer and actor (Keith-Partridge Family), dies at 67
Nov 22 Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Russian operatic baritone, dies of brain cancer at 55
Nov 22 John Hendricks, American lyricist and singer (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross), dies at 96
Nov 23 Carol Neblett, American operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1979-93), dies at 71
Nov 24 Carol Neblett, American soprano (New York City and Metropolitan Operas, 1969-83), dies at 71
Nov 24 Mitch Margo, American rocker (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), dies of natural causes at 70
Nov 27 Bob Seidemann, American photographer and album cover artist (Blind Faith; Jerry Garcia), dies at 75
Nov 27 Robert Lee "Pops" Popwell, American jazz-funk bass guitarist, dies at 66
Nov 28 Shadia [Fatmah Ahmed Kamal Shaker], Egyptian actress ("Al Maraa Al Maghoula" (The Unknown Woman)), and singer ("Ya Habibti Ya Masr" (Oh Egypt, My Love)), dies from respiratory failure at 86
Nov 30 Jim Nabors, American comedian, actor (The Andy Griffith Show; Gomer Pyle, USMC), and singer ("Back Home Again in Indiana"), dies from health complications at 87
Dec 3 Mike D. Stone, American recording engineer (Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh, Bee Gees, America), dies of lymphoma at 68
Dec 5 Johnny Hallyday [Jean-Philippe Smet], French singer and actor known as the "Elvis Presley of France," dies from lung cancer at 74
Dec 7 James "Sunny" Murray, American jazz musician and drummer, dies at 81
Dec 12 Pat DiNizio, American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Smithereens - "Only A Memory"; "Blue Period"), dies from ill health at 62
Dec 13 Warrel Dane, American singer (Nevermore -"Enemies of Reality"), dies of a heart attack at 56
Dec 16 Keely Smith [Dorothy Keely], American jazz and pop singer (w/ husband Louis Prima -"That Old Black Magic"; "I Wish You Love"), dies from heart failure at 89 [1]
Dec 17 Kevin Mahogany, American jazz vocalist ("Double Rainbow"; "Pride And Joy"), dies of diabetes complications at 59 [1] [2]
Dec 18 Jonghyun [Kim Jong-hyun], South Korean singer-songwriter, radio host, and author (SHINee), commits suicide at 27
Dec 19 Leo "Bud" Welch, American gospel and Delta blues singer-songwriter and guitarist ("You Can't Hurry God"; "Cadillac Baby"), dies at 85
Dec 21 Roswell Rudd, American free-jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp) and avant-garde composer (New York Art Quartet), dies of prostate cancer at 82
Dec 21 Wolfgang Ludewig, German composer, dies at 91
Dec 25 Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer, dies at 92
Dec 28 Rose Marie [Mazzetta], American actress, comedienne and singer (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Sally"; The Doris Day Show), dies at 94
Dec 31 Maurice Peress, American conductor (Kansas City Philharmonic, 1974-80), dies at 87