Musicians Who Died in 2020

Deaths 1 - 200 of 228

Feb 1 Andy Gill, British guitarist and record producer (Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods"), dies from multiple organ failure and pneumonia at 64
Feb 1 Peter Serkin, American concert pianist (TASHI quartet), and pedagogue (Juilliard; Curtis Institute; Yale; Bard College), dies from pancreatic cancer at 72
Feb 2 Ivan Král, Czech-American bass player, songwriter, record producer (Patti Smith; Iggy Pop; John Waite), dies of cancer at 71
Feb 3 Eric Parkin, British classical pianist and champion of British composers, dies at 95
Feb 4 Willy Giefer, German composer (Everything That Breathes), dies at 89
Feb 5 Buddy Cage, American pedal steel guitarist (New Riders of the Purple Sage, Great Speckled Bird), dies from multiple myeloma at 73
Feb 6 Lynn Evans [Carolyn Hargate], American pop vocalist (The Chordettes - "Mr. Sandman"; "Lollipop"), dies of a stroke at 95
Feb 6 Nello Santi, Italian opera conductor (Opernhaus Zürich; NY Metropolitan Opera), dies of a blood infection at 80
Feb 7 Nexhmije Pagarusha, Albanian singer ‘the Nightingale of Kosovo’ and actress, dies at 86
Feb 7 Steve Weber, American psychedelic folk guitarist, (The Holy Modal Rounders - "Bird Song"; "You've Got the Right String but the Wrong Yo-Yo"),dies at 76
Feb 9 (Doris) "Sorrel" Hays, American pianist and composer (The Glass Woman), dies of cancer at 78
Feb 9 Mirella Freni, Italian lyric soprano (Madame Butterfly), dies at 84
Feb 9 Sergei Slonimsky, Russian composer and pianist, dies at 87
Feb 11 (Bhekizizwe) Joseph Shabalala, South African singer, songwriter, founder and musical director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, dies at 79
Feb 19 Pop Smoke [Bashar Barakah Jackson], American rapper and singer-songwriter (Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon), shot and killed in a home invasion at 20

Feb 24 David Roback, American alternative rock guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Opal; Mazzy Star), dies of cancer at 61
Feb 24 Jahn Teigen, Norwegian pop-rock singer (Popol Ace; Eurovison Song Contest, 1978, 1982 & 1983), dies at 70
Feb 29 William O. Smith [Bill Smith], American classical and jazz composer and clarinetist (played with Dave Brubeck), dies at 93
Mar 4 Alan Cartwright, British rock bass player (Procol Harum, 1972-77), dies at 75
Mar 6 McCoy Tyner, American jazz pianist (John Coltrane Quartet), dies at 81
Mar 9 Keith Olsen, American rock record producer and sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac; Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station; Joe Walsh - The Confessor), dies of cardiac arrest at 74
Mar 11 Charles Wuorinen, American contemporary classical pianist, conductor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Time's Encomium; Marimba Variations; Brokeback Mountain), dies at 81
Mar 12 Don Burrows, Australian jazz musician, dies at 91
Mar 14 Genesis P-Orridge [Neil Megson], British avant-garde rock singer-songwriter, and performance artist (Throbbing Gristle; Psychic TV), dies of leukemia at 70
Mar 14 Phil Phillips [Baptiste], American singer-songwriter (Sea of Love), dies at 94
Mar 15 Suzy Delair, French actress and singer (The Murderer Lives at Number 21, Utopia, White Paws), dies at 102

Kenny Rogers (1938-2020)

Mar 20 American pop and country singer-songwriter ("The Gambler"; "Through the Years") and entrepreneur (Kenny Rogers Roasters), dies of natural causes at 81

Mar 22 Eric Weissberg, American singer and musician (Duelling Banjos), dies of Alzheimer’s at 80
Mar 22 Julie Felix, American-born British-based folk-rock singer-songwriter, and BBC presenter (The Frost Report; Once More With Felix), dies at 81
Mar 22 Stan Bronstein, American rock saxophonist (Elephant's Memory), dies at 81
Mar 24 Bill Rieflin, American rock drummer (Nine Inch Nails; R.E.M.; King Crimson. 2013-20), dies of cancer at 59
Mar 24 Gerard Schurmann, Dutch-British conductor, and composer of classical music (The Double Heart), and film scores, (The Bedford Incident), dies at 96
Mar 24 Manu Dibango, Cameroonian musician (Soul Makossa), dies of COVID-19 at 86
Mar 27 Bob Andy [Keith Anderson], Jamaican reggae songwriter, and vocalist ("Feel the Feeling"; "Fire Burning"), dies of cancer at 75
Mar 28 Jan Howard [Lula Grace Johnson], American country music singer and songwriter (For Loving You), dies at 91
Mar 29 Alan Merrill [Allan Sachs], American vocalist and songwriter (The Arrows -"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"), dies from COVID-19 complications at 69
Mar 29 Jamary Oliveira, Brazilian composer (Sanctus; Piano Pièce), and music professor, dies at 76
Mar 29 Joe Diffie, American country singer and guitarist (Home), dies of COVID-19 complications at 61

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)

Mar 29 Polish composer ("Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima"), dies at 86

Bill Withers (1938-2020)

Mar 30 American singer-songwriter and rhythm & blues musician ("Ain't No Sunshine"; "Lean on Me"; "Just The Two Of Us"), dies of heart complications at 81

Mar 31 Cristina [Monet Zilkha], American dance-pop singer songwriter (Sleep It Off), dies at 64
Mar 31 Wallace Roney, American post-bop jazz trumpeter, dies of COVID-19 complications at 59 [1]
Mar 31 Zoltán Peskó, Hungarian opera conductor and composer, dies at 83
Apr 1 Adam Schlesinger, American rock musician (Fountains Of Wayne) and songwriter (That Thing You Do), dies of COVID-19 complications at 52
Apr 1 Ellis Marsalis Jr., American jazz pianist, and educator, dies of COVID-19 complications at 85 [1] [2]
Apr 1 John "Bucky" Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, dies of COVID-19 at 94
Apr 2 Claudio Spies, Chilean American composer, dies at 95
Apr 7 Hal Willner, American music producer (Lost In The Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill; Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films; The Carl Stalling Project), dies with symptoms of COVID-19 at 64
Apr 7 John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter ("Hello In There"; "Angel From Montgomery"; "Paradise"), dies of COVID-19 complications at 73
Apr 9 Dmitri Smirnov, Russian-British classical composer (Solo for Harp; Thel; Red Bells), and teacher, dies of COVID-19 at 71
Apr 13 Ryo Kawasaki, Japanese jazz fusion guitarist, composer, bandleader, and synthesizer software programmer, dies at 73
Apr 15 (Leon) "Lee" Konitz, American jazz saxophonist (Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool), dies of COVID-19 complications at 92
Apr 15 Dries Holten, Dutch pop singer (Sandra & Andres), dies of cancer at 84
Apr 16 Kenneth Gilbert, Canadian harpsichordist, organist, musicologist, and educator, dies at 88
Apr 17 Arlene Saunders [Soszynski], American soprano, 1961-85 (Hamburg Opera; New York Metropolitan Opera), dies of COVID-19 complications at 89
Apr 17 Matthew Seligman, British studio and touring new wave rock bassist (Robyn Hitchcock; Thompson Twins; Thomas Dolby), dies from COVID-19 complications at 64
Apr 19 Ian Whitcomb, English rocker ("You Turn Me On"), dies at 78
Apr 21 Florian Schneider, German musician (Kraftwerk), dies of cancer at 73
Apr 22 Robert "Bootsie" Barnes, American jazz tenor saxophonist, dies of CovidCOVID-19 at 82 [1]
Apr 24 (Hamilton) Bohannon, American R&B and disco percussionist, bandleader, songwriter, and record producer ("Save Their Souls"), dies at 78
Apr 24 Harold Reid, American country bass vocalist (Statler Brothers - "Bed Of Rose's"), dies of kidney failure at 80 [1]
Apr 27 Lynn Harrell, American classical cellist, educator, and Grammy Award-winner, dies of a stroke at 76
Apr 28 Bobby Lewis, American rock and roll singer ("Tossin' and Turnin'"), dies at 95
Apr 30 Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer who pioneered Afrobeat sound, dies of an aortic aneurysm at 79
May 3 Dave Greenfield, British rock keyboardist, and songwriter (The Stranglers - "Golden Brown"), dies of complications from COVID-19 at 71
May 3 Frederick Charles Tillis, American composer (In the Spirt and the Flesh; Secrets of the African Baobob), jazz saxophonist, music educator (University of Massachusetts, 1970-97), and poet, dies at 90
May 3 Rosalind Elias, American mezzo-soprano (Wagner's Die Walküre - "Grimgerde"; Barber's Vanessa - "Erika"), and opera director, dies of congestive heart failure at 90
May 5 Hillard "Sweet Pea" Atkinson, American R&B singer (Was (Not Was)), dies of a heart attack at 74 [1]
May 5 Millie Small, Jamaican ska singer, and songwriter ("My Boy Lollipop"), dies of a stroke at 72
May 6 Brian Howe, British rock singer (Bad Company, 1986-93 - "This Love"; "Holy Water"), dies of a heart attack at 66
May 7 John Macurdy, American operatic bass (Met Opera), dies at 91

Little Richard (1932-2020)

May 9 American singer-songwriter and rock 'n' roll pioneer (Tutti Frutti), dies at 87

May 10 Betty Wright [Bessie Norris], American R&B singer-songwriter ("Clean Up Woman"), dies at 66
May 11 John "Moon" Martin, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Bad Case Of Loving You"), dies at 74
May 12 Astrid Kirchherr, German photographer, helped establish The Beatles image, dies at 81
May 14 (Guillermo) "Jorge" Santana, Mexican rock guitarist (Malo- "Suavecito"), dies at 68
May 14 Ezio Bosso, Italian pianist, composer (Rain, In Your Black Eyes; Domes of Freedom), and conductor, dies from complications of a neurodegenerative syndrome at 48
May 15 Phil May, English rocker (Pretty Things), dies at 75
May 16 Donn Trenner, American jazz pianist, arranger, and orchestra leader (Steve Allen's Westinghouse Show), dies at 93
May 17 (Judge) "Lucky" Peterson, American contemporary blues, soul, and R&B musician ("The Son of A Bluesman"), dies from ahead injury after a fall at 55
May 22 Mory Kanté, Guinean singer and kora harp player (Yé ké yé ké), dies at 70
May 24 Al Rex [Piccirilli], American rock upright bass player (Bill Haley & His Comets - "Rock Around The Clock"), dies at 91
May 24 [Wilbur James] Jimmy Cobb, American jazz drummer (Miles Davis' First Great Sextet), dies of lung cancer at 91
May 25 Joel Revzen, American opera conductor and pianist, dies of COVID-19 at 74
May 28 Lennie Niehaus, American jazz saxophonist and film composer (Clint Eastwood films), dies at 90
Jun 1 Myroslav Skoryk, Ukrainian contemporary classical composer (Carpathian Rhapsody), and pedagogue, dies at 81
Jun 4 Marcello Abbado, Italian pianist, composer, conductor, and teacher, dies at 93
Jun 4 Steve Priest, English rock bassist and vocalist (Sweet - "Ballroom Blitz"), dies at 72
Jun 7 Frank Bey [Bass], American blues singer-songwriter ("All My Dues Are Paid"), dies at 74
Jun 8 Bonnie Pointer, American pop and R&B singer (The Pointer Sisters - "Jump"; "I'm So Excited"), dies at 69
Jun 18 Lynford "Hux" Brown, Jamaican session and touring guitarist (Jimmy Cliff; Paul Simon; Toots and the Maytals), dies at 75
Jun 18 Vera Lynn, British popular music singer, known as 'the Forces' Sweetheart' ("We'll Meet Again"; "The White Cliffs of Dover"), dies at 103
Jun 23 Margarita Pracatan [Figueroa], Cuban-American novelty singer (BBC's Saturday Night Clive), dies at 89
Jun 23 Ryan Anthony, American trumpet player (Canadian Brass, 2000-03; Dallas Symphony, 2006-20), dies of cancer at 51
Jun 25 Marga Richter, American classical pianist and composer (Landscapes of the Mind; Out of Shadows and Solitude), dies at 93
Jun 26 Tami Lynn [Gloria Brown], American soul singer ("I'm Gonna Run Away From You"), and session vocalist (Dr. John; Rolling Stones), dies at 81
Jun 27 (Jesse) "Pete" Carr, American session guitarist (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section), dies at 70
Jun 27 (Lionel) Frederick "Freddy" Cole, American jazz singer and pianist, dies at 88 [1]
Jun 27 Johnny Mandel, American composer, arranger and musician (M*A*S*H theme), dies at 94
Jun 29 Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopian singer songwriter (Waa'ee Keenyaa), shot and killed at 34
Jul 1 Ida Haendel, Polish-British-Canadian child prodigy violinist, teacher, and author (Woman with Violin), dies of kidney cancer at 91
Jul 2 Nikolai Kapustin, Russian jazz pianist and composer, dies at 82
Jul 6 Charlie Daniels, American singer (Devil Went Down to Georgia), dies at 83
Jul 6 Ennio Morricone, Italian trumpeter, and composer of classical music and film scores ("The Mission"; "Cinema Paradiso"; "The Hateful Eight"), dies at 91 [1]
Jul 6 Joe Porcaro, American jazz and session drummer and percussionist (Lalo Schifrin; Rosemary Clooney; Toto), and educator (Los Angeles College of Music), dies at 90
Jul 8 Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (Glee; Step Up: High Water), drowns while swimming at Lake Piru, near Santa Clarita, California, at 33
Jul 12 Judy Dyble, British folk singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention), dies of lung cancer at 71
Jul 12 Rod Bernard, American "swamp pop" singer ("Allons Danser Colinda"), dies at 79 [1]
Jul 16 Jamie Oldaker, American session and touring drummer (Bob Seger; Leon Russell; Eric Clapton; Peter Frampton), dies at 68
Jul 17 Zizi Jeanmaire, French dancer, singer and actress (Carmen), dies at 96
Jul 19 Emitt Rhodes, American rock singer-songwriter, musician (Merry-Go-Round), sound engineer, and record producer, dies at 70
Jul 20 Mickey McGee, American session and touring drummer (Linda Ronstadt; Jackson Browne; Flying Burrito Brothers; Juice Newton), and songwriter ("I'll Never Love Again"), dies of COVID-19 complications at 72
Jul 21 Annie Ross, British-American jazz singer (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - "Twisted") and actress, dies from emphysema and heart disease, at 89 [1]
Jul 24 Eric Sweeney, Irish contemporary composer (The Green One), dies at 72
Jul 25 Helen Jones Woods, American jazz and swing trombone player (International Sweethearts of Rhythm), dies of COVID-19 at 96
Jul 25 Peter Green [Greenbaum], English guitarist (Fleetwood Mac -"Albatross"), dies at 73 [1] [2]
Jul 27 Denise Johnson, British rock and soul singer (Primal Scream - "Don’t Fight It, Feel It"), and songwriter ("Where Does It Go"), dies at 56
Jul 28 Bent Fabric [Fabricius-Bjerre], Danish pianist and composer (Alley Cat), dies at 95 [1]
Aug 2 Leon Fleisher, American pianist and conductor (Annapolis Symphony 1970-82), dies of cancer at 92 [1]
Aug 6 Wayne Fontana [Glyn Geoffrey Ellis], British rocker (The Mindbenders - "The Game Of Love"), dies at 74
Aug 7 Constance Weldon, American symphonic tuba player (Boston Pops; Concertgebouw) and educator, dies at 88
Aug 7 Mark Wirtz, French pop music record producer, and composer ("Excerpt From A Teenage Opera"), dies from Pick's disease at 76
Aug 9 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), dies at 71 [1]
Aug 11 Patrick Fairley, Scottish pop rock guitarist (Marmalade, 1961-72 - "Ob La Di, Ob La Da"), and music publisher, dies of throat cancer at 77
Aug 11 Trinidad "Trini" Lopez, American singer and guitarist ("If I Had A Hammer"; "Lemon Tree"), and actor (The Dirty Dozen), dies of COVID-19 at 83 [1]
Aug 14 Julian Bream, English classical guitarist and lutenist, dies at 87
Aug 18 Hal Singer, American jazz and R&B saxophonist ("Corn Bread"), dies at 100 [1]
Aug 20 Frankie Banali, American heavy metal drummer (Quiet Riot - "Cum on Feel the Noize"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 68
Aug 22 Peder Holm, Danish composer, dies at 93
Aug 23 Charlie Persip, American jazz drummer (Dizzy Gillespie; The Jazz Statesmen; Billy Eckstine), dies at 91
Aug 24 Tony Colton [Chalk], British singer-songwriter, and record producer (Head, Hands, and Feet), dies of kidney failure at 68
Aug 25 Cora de Man-Canne Meyer, Dutch mezzo-soprano (Figaro, Carmen), dies at 91
Sep 2 Ian Mitchell, Irish rocker (Bay City Rollers), dies at 62
Sep 4 Gary Peacock, American jazz bassist (Keith Jarrett Trio), dies at 85 [1]
Sep 8 Simeon Coxe, American songwriter, singer and psychedelic synthesizer player (Silver Apples), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 82 [1]
Sep 9 Ronald Bell, American rock saxophonist and composer (Kool & The Gang), dies at 68
Sep 11 (Frederick) "Toots" Hibbert, Jamaican singer-songwriter (The Maytals - "Pressure Drop"), dies with COVID-19 symptoms at 77 [1]
Sep 11 Charles Patrick, American do-wop singer and songwriter (The Monotones - "The Book of Love"). dies on his 82nd birthday
Sep 12 Edna Wright, American pop singer (Honey Cone - "Want Ads"), dies of a heart attack while suffering from COPD at 75
Sep 15 Caroline Kaart (neé Raitt), Scottish-Dutch alto singer, TV and radio presenter, dies at 88
Sep 15 Jan Krenz, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 94 [1]
Sep 19 Lee Kerslake, British drummer (Uriah Heep; Ozzy Osbourne), dies of prostate cancer at 73 [1]
Sep 21 Jacques-Louis Monod, French pianist, conductor, and composer (Cantus Contra Cantum), dies at 93
Sep 21 Tommy Devito, American rock baritone vocalist and guitarist (Four Seasons - "Sherry"), dies of COVID-19 at 93
Sep 23 Juliette Gréco, French singer (Sous le ciel de Paris) and actress, dies at 93 [1]
Sep 23 W. S. "Fluke" Holland, American rockabilly session and touring drummer (Sun Records; Carl Perkins; Johnny Cash), dies at 85
Sep 25 S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Telegu playback singer (The Jewel of Shiva), dies of COVID-19 at 74
Sep 28 Frédéric Devreese, Belgian conductor, and composer of classical music (Gemini Suite; Valse Sacrée), and film scores (The Cruel Embrace), dies of cancer at 91
Sep 29 (Francis) Rocco Prestia, American funk-rock bassist (Tower of Power),dies at 69
Sep 29 Helen Reddy, Australian-American rock vocalist ("I Am Woman"; "You And Me Against The World"), dies at 78 [1]
Sep 29 Isidora Žebeljan, Serbian classical, opera, and film composer, dies at 53
Sep 29 Justin Connolly [D'Arcy-Dawson], British classical and electro-acoustic composer (Diaphony; The Garden of Forking Paths), dies at 87
Sep 29 Mac Davis, American country music singer-songwriter ("Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me"; "In The Ghetto"; "I Believe In Music") and actor (North Dallas Forty), dies following heart surgery at 78 [1]

Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)

Oct 6 Dutch-American rock guitarist (Van Halen - "You Really Got Me"; "Jump"), dies of throat cancer at 65 [1]

Oct 6 Johnny Nash, American pop-reggae-soul singer-songwriter and record producer (I Can See Clearly Now), dies at 80 [1]
Oct 8 Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Iranian classical singer, dies at 80 [1]
Oct 9 Pierre Kezdy, American punk-rock bass player (Naked Raygun), dies of cancer at 58
Oct 10 Leon Biriotti, Uruguayan composer and oboist, dies at 90
Oct 11 Jon Gibson, American flute and saxophone player (Philip Glass Ensemble, 1968-2019), and composer (The Voyage of The Beagle), dies at 80 [1]
Oct 14 Herbert Kretzmer, South African-British lyricist of Lithuanian heritage (Les Misérables), dies at 95 [1]
Oct 14 Rhonda Fleming [Marilyn Louis], American actress and singer nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" (Spellbound), dies at 97
Oct 14 Steve York, British session and touring rock bassist (Vinegar Joe; Marianne Faithful; Dr. John), dies of cancer at 72
Oct 15 Gordon Haskell, British pop, rock and blues musician (Fleur De Lys; King Crimson, 1970; Harry's Bar), dies of cancer at 74
Oct 16 Johnny Bush, American country singer, dies at 85
Oct 18 Juliusz Łuciuk, Polish composer (Hymnus de Caritate; Dzikie wino/ Virgin Ivy), dies at 93
Oct 19 Spencer Davis [Davies], English guitarist (Spencer Davis Group - "Gimme Some Lovin'"), dies of pneumonia at 81 [1] [2]
Oct 19 Tony Lewis, British rock singer-songwriter and bass player (The Outfield - "Your Love"), dies at 62
Oct 21 Viola Smith, American drummer and bandleader (one of the first professional female drummers), dies at 107 [1]
Oct 22 Derek Quinn, British guitarist (Freddie and the Dreamers - "I'm Telling You Now"), dies at 68
Oct 23 Jerry Jeff Walker [Ronald Clyde Crosby], American country music singer and songwriter ("Mr. Bojangles"), dies of throat cancer at 78
Oct 26 Stan Kesler, American session musician (Sun Studio), songwriter ("I Forgot to Remember to Forget"), and record producer (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs -"Wooly Bully"), dies of bone cancer at 92
Oct 28 Billy Joe Shaver, American country singer-songwriter ("When I Get My Wings"), dies of a stroke at 81
Oct 28 Bobby Ball [Harper], British comic, actor, singer and television host (Cannon and Ball; The Last of Summer Wine), dies at 76
Oct 30 Arthur Wills, British organist and composer ("God and Music"), and educator, dies at 94
Oct 31 MF Doom [Daniel Dumile], American rapper and hip hop artist, dies at 49 [1]
Oct 31 Rance Allen, American gospel singer and musician (Rance Allen Group - Miracle Worker), dies at 71
Nov 2 Baron Wolman, American photographer, founding chief photographer for Rolling Stone, dies of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) at 83
Nov 4 Ken Hensley, British rock songwriter, keyboardist, and singer (Uriah Heep, 1970-80 - "Easy Livin'"; Blackfoot, 1982-84), dies at 75
Nov 5 Len Barry [Leonard Borisoff], American singer, songwriter and producer (The Dovells - "Bristol Stomp"; solo - "1-2-3"), dies of bone marrow cancer at 78
Nov 6 Barbara York, Canadian composer (A Butterfly in Time), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 71
Nov 6 King Von [Dayvon Bennett], American rapper and songwriter ("Crazy Story"), dies in a nightclub gunfight at 26
Nov 7 Cándido Camero, Cuban American percussionist (congo drum) and bandleader, dies at 99 [1]
Nov 8 Oscar Benton, Dutch blues singer and guitarist (Ze is Zoals Jij), dies at 71
Nov 10 Norbert Linke, German composer, music educator, and musicologist, dies at 87