Musicians Who Died in 2021

Deaths 1 - 200 of 241

Phil Spector (1939-2021)

Jan 16 American record producer (Wall of Sound), and convicted murderer, dies of COVID-19 complications at 81 [1]

Jan 17 Julian "Junior" Mance, American jazz pianist (Dinah Washington; Dizzy Gillespie), dies of a brain hemorrhage after a fall at 92
Jan 18 (James Frederick) "Jimmie" Rodgers, American pop singer and guitarist ("Honey Comb" ; “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again”), dies of kidney disease at 87 [1]
Jan 18 Josep Mestres-Quadreny, Spanish composer, dies at 91
Jan 18 Perry Botkin Jr, American arranger, composer ("Nadia's Theme"), and producer (Incredible Bongo Band), dies at 87
Jan 22 James Purify, American R&B singer ("I'm Your Puppet"), dies of COVID-19 complications at 76
Jan 23 Trisha Noble (aka Patsy Ann), Australian pop singer ("Good Looking Boy"), and actress, dies of mesothelioma at 76
Jan 29 Grady Gaines, American jazz, blues, and R&B tenor saxophonist (Little Richard; Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson), dies at 86
Jan 29 Hilton Valentine, British rock guitarist (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), dies at 77
Jan 29 Jeremy Lubbock, British Grammy Award-winning pianist, arranger, and music producer (Joni Mitchell; Minnie Riperton; Chicago, Celine Dion), dies at 89
Jan 29 Peter Klatzow, South African pianist, composer (Inyanga; Still-life with Moonbeams), and educator, dies at 76
Feb 2 Danny Ray, American MC, stage manager, valet and "cape man" for soul singer James Brown, dies at 85
Feb 3 Jim Weatherly, American pop and country songwriter ("Midnight Train To Georgia"), dies at 77
Feb 4 Gil Saunders, American soul singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), dies of lung cancer at 68
Feb 4 Jessie Smith, American session and touring vocalist (Ike & Tina Turner Revue; The Mirettes; Dr. John), dies at 79
Feb 4 Nolan Porter, American R&B singer-songwriter ("Keep On Keeping On"), dies at 71
Feb 5 Alan Scott, American lyricist (Candid Camera theme), writer, TV host (Spin the Picture), and actor, dies at 98
Feb 7 Elliot Mazer, American audio engineer and record producer (Chubby Checker; Neil Young), dies of a heart attack at 71
Feb 8 Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), dies at 76 [1]
Feb 9 Armando "Chick" Corea, American jazz-fusion pianist and composer; 27 time Grammy winner (Return To Forever; Delhpi I; Toy Dance), dies of cancer at 79 [1]
Feb 12 Milford Graves, American avant-garde and free jazz drummer, percussionist (New York Art Quartet), and educator (Bennington College, Vermont, 1973-2012), dies of heart failure at 79 [1]
Feb 14 Peter Martinček van Grob, Slovakian contemporary classical composer and conductor, dies at 58
Feb 15 (Juan) "Johnny" Pacheco, Dominican-American salsa flutist, bandleader, composer, record producer and label executive (Fania Records), dies at 85 [1]
Feb 17 Doug Grisby, American soul music bassist, composer and producer (Patti LaBelle; Teena Marie), dies after suffering a stroke at 57
Feb 18 Carman Licciardello, American Christian music singer-songwriter ("The Champion"; "Radically Saved"), dies of post-surgical complications at 65
Feb 18 Prince Markie Dee [Mark Anthony Morales], American rapper and songwriter (Fat Boys - "Jail House Rap"; "Wipe-Out"), and actor (Disorderlies), dies at 52 [1]
Feb 20 Paolo Castaldi, Italian composer and essay writer, dies at 90
Feb 23 Sergiu Natra [Nadler], Romanian-Israeli composer (Symphony in Red, Blue, Yellow and Green), and music professor (Tel Aviv University, 1975-85), dies at 96
Feb 24 Peter Ostroushko, American fiddler, mandolin player, and composer (A Prairie Home Companion), dies of heart failure at 67
Mar 1 Ralph Peterson Jr., American jazz drummer (Jazz Messengers; Fo'tet), and educator (Berklee), dies of cancer at 58
Mar 2 Bunny Wailer [Neville O'Riley Livingston], Jamaican vocalist and percussionist (The Wailers with Bob Marley), dies of stroke complications at 73
Mar 2 Chris Barber, English jazz trombonist ("Petite Fleur"), dies at 90
Mar 5 Michael Stanley [Gee], American rocker (Michael Stanley Band- "My Town"), dies of lung cancer at 72
Mar 6 Martin Boykan, American composer (Elegy; Usurpations; Soliloquies of an Insomniac), dies at 89
Mar 8 Julien-François Zbinden, Swiss jazz pianist, and jazz and classical composer (Monophrases), dies at 103
Mar 8 Trevor Peacock, British stage and screen actor (The Vicar of Dibley - "Jim Trott"), screenwriter, and songwriter ("Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"), dies at 89
Mar 9 (Leonard) "Len" Skeat, British jazz double-bassist, dies at 84
Mar 9 James Levine, American conductor (director of the Metropolitan Opera, 1976-2017), dies at 77
Mar 10 Stephen Scott, American composer (Bowed Piano Ensemble; Vikings of Sunrise), and educator (Colorado College), dies from complications of dementia at 76
Mar 11 Gerald Hartley, American composer, choral director, and educator, dies at 99
Mar 13 Janine Dacosta, French classical pianist, dies at 97
Mar 13 Kenneth Cooper, American harpsichordist, pianist, musicologist, and professor (Barnard College, Brooklyn, NYC), dies shortly after a stroke at 79
Mar 15 Doug Parkinson, Australian pop and rock singer (Focus - "Dear Prudence"), dies at 74
Mar 17 Freddie Redd, American hard-bop jazz pianist, organist, and composer, dies at 92
Mar 20 William "Buddy" Deppenschmidt, American jazz drummer (Charlie Byrd Trio - "Jazz Samba"), dies of COVID-19 at 85 [1]
Mar 21 Trisutji Kamal, Indonesian classical pianist and composer (Prayer of Redemption), dies at 84
Mar 23 Don Heffington, American touring and session drummer, singer, songwriter and producer (Lone Justice; Watkins Family Hour; Emmylou Harris), dies of leukemia at 70
Mar 23 Ethel Gabriel (nee Nagy), American record producer and label executive (RCA, 1943-84), dies at 99
Mar 23 George Segal, American actor (Carbon Copy; Fun With Dick & Jane; Just Shoot Me!), and banjo player, dies at 87
Mar 24 Rudolf Kelterborn, Swiss composer, conductor (Swiss German RSO, 1974-80), and educator (Basel Music Academy, 1983-94), dies at 79
Mar 28 Malcolm Cecil, British jazz bassist, record producer, audio engineer and electronic musician (Ronnie Scott; Blues Incorporated; TONTO's Expanding Head Band), dies at 84
Mar 31 Jane Manning, British concert and operatic soprano, educator, and promoter of contemporary classical music, dies at 82
Apr 2 Morris "B. B." Dickerson, American bassist (War - "Why Can't We Be Friends?"; "Low Rider"), dies at 71
Apr 3 Jill Corey [Norma Jean Speranza], American pop singer (Your Hit Parade), dies at 85

DMX (1970-2021)

Apr 9 American rapper (..And Then There Was X), and actor (Romeo Must Die), dies of a heart attack at 50 [1] [2]

Apr 14 Michel Louvain, French Canadian singer ("Buenas Noches Mi Amor"), dies at 83
Apr 14 Norman "Rusty" Young, American pedal-steel guitarist, singer and songwriter (Poco - "Rose of Cimarron"; "Crazy Love"), dies of a heart attack at 75
Apr 16 Mike Mitchell, American rock guitarist (The Kingsmen -"Louie, Louie"), dies on his 77th birthday

Jim Steinman (1947-2021)

Apr 19 American Grammy Award-winning songwriter and record producer (Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell; Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart), dies of kidney failure at 73 [1]

Apr 20 Atli Heimir Sveinsson, Icelandic composer (Time and Water), dies at 80
Apr 20 Leslie McKeown, Scottish pop vocalist (Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night"), dies at 65
Apr 23 Charlie Black, American country music songwriter (Anne Murray - "Shadows in the Moonlight"; K.T. Oslin - "Come Next Monday"), dies at 71
Apr 24 Christa Ludwig, German soprano (Vienna State Opera, 1955-94; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-93), dies at 93
Apr 25 Rajan Mishra, Indian classical music vocalist, dies of COVID-19 complications at 69
Apr 26 Albert "Al" Schmitt, American Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and record producer (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), dies at 91 [1] [2]
Apr 28 Anita Lane, Australian rock singer-songwriter (The Bad Seeds - "From Her To Eternity"), dies at 61
Apr 29 Johnny Crawford, American actor (The Mickey Mouse Club; The Rifleman - "Mark"), singer ("Sandy"), and bandleader (JCO), dies at 75
Apr 29 Pierce Fulton, American electronic dance music DJ and record producer ("Runaway"; "Better Places"), dies at 28
Apr 30 Anthony Payne, British composer (Phoenix Mass; Visions and Journeys), critic, and musicologist, dies at 84
May 2 Jacques d'Amboise, American ballet dancer, and choreographer (NYC Ballet Company, 1949-84), actor (Seven Brides For Seven Brothers), and educator (founded National Dance Institute, 1976), dies from stroke complications at 86 [1]
May 2 Joel Chadabe, American electronic music composer, dies at 82
May 2 Ram Da-Oz [Abraham Daus], Israeli composer, dies at 91
May 2 Tommy West [Picardo], American record producer (Jim Croce; Anne Murray), and singer-songwriter, dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 78
May 3 Lloyd Price, American R&B singer ("Lawdy Miss Clawdy"; "Stagger Lee"; "Personality"), dies at 88
May 5 (Ivor) "Nick" Kamen, British pop singer-songwriter (Each Time You Break My Heart; I Promised Myself), and model (Levi's), dies of bone marrow cancer at 59
May 6 Pervis Staples, American gospel vocalist (The Staple Singers -"Uncloudy Day"), dies at 85
May 8 Curtis Fuller, American jazz trombonist (Yusef Lateef; John Coltrane; Farmer/Golson Jazztet), dies at 88
May 14 Ester Mägi, Estonian composer 'First Lady of Estonian music', dies at 99
May 14 Sándor Balassa, Hungarian composer (Requiem for Lajos Kassák; The Third Planet), and educator (Liszt Ferenc Academy, 1981-95), dies at 86
May 18 Franco Battiato, Italian pop, rock, and new wave singer, songwriter (“La Voce del Padrone” (“The Master’s Voice”), and filmmaker ("Lost Love"), dies at 76
May 19 Alix Dobkin, American folk and feminist singer-songwriter (Lavender Jane Loves Women), dies of a brain aneurysm and stroke at 80
May 19 Joey Cathcart, American rock guitarist (Nelson - "Love & Affection"), dies of brain cancer at 53
May 20 Florian Pilkington-Miksa, English rock drummer (Curved Air), and sculptor, dies of pneumonia at 70
May 20 Freddy Marks, English actor, singer and entertainer (Rod, Jane and Freddy), dies of cancer at 71
May 20 Roger Hawkins, American session drummer (the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin), dies at 75
May 21 Carla Fracci, Italian ballerina (La Scala Theatre Ballet), dies at 84
May 21 Juraj Hatrík, Slovak composer (Monumento malinconico; Dispute Over a Plastered Dwarf), and educator, dies at 80
May 23 Cristóbal Halffter, Spanish conductor, and composer (Yes, speak out, yes; Lazarus), dies at 91
May 24 Samuel E. Wright, American stage and screen actor and singer (Jesus Christ Superstar; Ball Four; The Little Mermaid; The Lion King), dies of prostate cancer at 74
May 26 Patrick Sky [Lynch], American musician, folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and uilleann bagpiper (Songs That Made America Famous), dies of cancer at 80
May 27 William Jay Sydeman, American avant-garde composer, dies at 93
May 29 B.J. Thomas, American singer ("Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"; "Hooked On A Feeling"; "Growing Pains Theme"), dies of lung cancer at 78
May 31 Phil Johnstone, British songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer (Robert Plant), dies at 63
Jun 1 Alexander Maykapar, Russian harpsichordist, organist, and musicologist, dies at 74
Jun 11 John Gabriel [Jack Monkarsh], American stage and screen actor (Ryan's Hope), singer, lyricist, and producer, dies at 90
Jun 21 Pat Lupo, American rock bassist (Beaver Brown Band, 1972-94 - "On The Dark Side"; "Tough All Over"), dies at 66
Jun 23 Ellen McIlwaine, American blues singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist ("Honky Tonky Angel"; “In My Time of Dying"), dies of esophageal cancer at 75
Jun 24 Richard Hoffmann, Austrian violinist, composer, and pedagogue (Oberlin, 1954-2004), dies at 96
Jun 26 Frederic Rzewski, American concert pianist, and composer (Spacecraft), dies of a heart attack at 83
Jun 26 Johnny Solinger, American rock singer-songwriter (Skid Row, 1999 to 2015), dies of liver failure at 55
Jun 26 Jon Hassell, American composer and trumpet player (Dream Theory In Malaya), dies at 84
Jun 27 Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill, Cuban Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz composer, arranger, and conductor, dies of pneumonia at 79
Jun 29 John Lawton, British rock singer (Lucifer's Friend, 1970-76, 1981-82, 2014–21; Uriah Heep, 1977-79), dies at 74
Jun 30 Vic Briggs, British guitarist (The Animals, 1966-68), and producer; later known as Antion Vikram Singh, he created Sikhi devotional and Hawaiian music, dies at 76
Jul 1 Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (Reconstruction), dies at 82
Jul 2 Elliot Lawrence [Broza], American jazz pianist, film score composer (Network), arranger, and orchestra leader (Tony and Emmy Award broadcasts; As The World Turns, 1981-93), dies at 96
Jul 4 Rick Laird, Irish jazz-fusion bassist (Mahavishnu Orchestra, 1971-73; Gerry Niewood & Timepiece), and photographer, dies of lung cancer at 80
Jul 4 Sanford Clark, American country-rockabilly singer and guitarist ("The Fool"; "Son Of A Gun"), dies of COVID-19 while undergoing cancer treatment at 85
Jul 8 Sam Reed, American jazz and session saxophonist, and musical director (Uptown Theater (Philadelphia); Teddy Pendergrass), dies at 85
Jul 10 Barbara "Bibs" Allbut, American rock vocalist (Angels - "My Boyfriend's Back"), dies at 80
Jul 10 Byron Berline, American world champion bluegrass fiddle player, dies of stroke complications at 77 [1]
Jul 10 Esther Bejarano, German accordionist, singer (Coincidence; Microphone Mafia), anti-fascism activist, and Holocaust survivor, dies at 96
Jul 11 William Albert Penn, American composer (Living in the Next Great Ice Age; Garland Songs), educator, and record producer, dies at 78
Jul 14 Jeff Labar, American glam rock guitarist (Cinderella, 1985-2014 - "Nobody's Fool"; "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)"), dies at 58
Jul 16 Biz Markie [Marcel Hall], American rapper, DJ and record producer ("Just A Friend"), dies at 57 [1]
Jul 16 Thomas Rajna, British-Hungarian pianist, and composer (Amarantha; Stop All The Clocks), dies at 92
Jul 17 Graham Vick, British opera director (Birmingham Opera Company, 1987-2020), dies of COVID-19 complications at 67
Jul 20 Chuck E. Weiss, American blues and rock songwriter, vocalist, and muse (Rickie Lee Jones; Tom Waits), dies of cancer at 76 [1]
Jul 20 Françoise Arnoul, French actress and composer (French Cancan; Jacko & Lise), dies at 90
Jul 20 Jerry Granelli, American-Canadian jazz drummer (Vince Guaraldi Trio; Mose Allison), dies at 80
Jul 26 Colin Southgate, English businessman (Thorn EMI, Chairman of the Royal Opera House), dies at 83
Jul 26 Joey Jordison, American drummer (Slipknot, 1995-2013 - "All Hope Is Gone"), dies at 46
Jul 27 Saginaw Grant, Native American character actor, hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, musician, and U.S. Marine, dies at 85
Jul 27 Willie Winfield, American doo-wop singer (Harptones - "Life Is But A Dream"; “A Sunday Kind of Love”), dies of a heart attack at 91

Johnny Ventura (1940-2021)

Jul 28 merengue and salsa bandleader (“Patacon Pisao”), and politician (Mayor of Santiago, 1998-2002), dies of heart failure at 81 [1]

Jul 28 Joseph "Dusty" Hill, American rock bassist and songwriter (ZZ Top - "Cheap Sunglasses"; "Legs"), dies at 72 [1]
Jul 28 Ruben Radica, Croatian classical and electronic music composer (Towards A), and educator, dies at 90
Jul 30 Jacob Desvarieux, French zouk singer, and guitarist (Kassav'), dies of COVID-19 at 65
Jul 31 Alvin Ing, American stage and screen singer and actor (Flower Drum Song), dies of COVID-19 complications at 89
Jul 31 Paul Cotton, American country-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Poco - "Heart of the Night"), dies at 78 [1]
Aug 6 Kenneth Nichols, Canadian classical pianist, composer, (Symphonic Celebration; Boy In A Cage), and teacher (Brandon University, 1962-96), dies at 85
Aug 7 Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, American funk saxophonist (Kool & The Gang - "Who's Gonna Take The Weight"), dies at 70 [1]
Aug 11 Roy Gaines, American electric and Texas blues and session guitarist, singer, and songwriter ("A Hell of a Night"), dies at 83
Aug 13 Nanci Griffith, American singer ("From A Distance"), and songwriter ("Once in a Very Blue Moon"; "Love at the Five and Dime"), dies at 68
Aug 14 Igor Oistrakh, Soviet-Russian concert violinist (Wieniawski Competition, 1952), and educator (Moscow Conservatory, Brussels Royal Conservatory), dies at 90
Aug 14 R. Murray Schafer, Canadian composer (Patria), music educator, and environmentalist, dies of complications Alzheimer's disease at 88
Aug 20 Peter Ind, British jazz double bassist, dies at 93
Aug 20 Tom T. Hall, American country singer, songwriter ("Harper Valley PTA"), and author, dies of a self-inflicted gun wound at 85
Aug 21 (Isaac) Don Everly, American rock and roll singer-guitarist (The Everly Brothers - "Bye, Bye Love"; "Wake Up Little Susie"; "When WIll I Be Loved"), dies at 84
Aug 22 Brian Travers, British rock saxophonist (UB40 - "Red, Red Wine"), dies of cancer at 62
Aug 22 Micki Grant [Minnie Perkins], American theater singer, actress, and composer (Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope; Your Arms Are Too Short To Box With God), dies at 92

Charlie Watts (1941-2021)

Aug 24 British rock and jazz drummer (Rolling Stones), dies at 80

Aug 26 Kenny Malone, American Nashville-based session drummer (Dolly Parton; Dobie Gray: Waylon Jennings), dies of COVID-19 at 83
Aug 27 Siegfried Matthus, German composer, and opera director (Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, 1991-2018), dies at 87
Aug 29 Lee "Scratch" Perry, [Rainford Hugh Perry] Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter and producer (The Upset;ers), dies at 85
Aug 29 Ron Bushy, American rock drummer (Iron Butterfly - “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”), dies of esophageal cancer at 79
Sep 2 Michel Corboz, Swiss conductor (founded L’Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, 1961), dies at 87
Sep 2 Mikis Theodorakis, Greek classical and film music composer (Zorba the Greek; Mauthausen Trilogy; Serpico), dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 96
Sep 3 Ruth Olay, American jazz and cabaret singer, dies at 97
Sep 5 Rickie Lee Reynolds, American southern rock guitarist (Black Oak Arkansas - "Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)"), dies of COVID-19 complications, including kidney failure and heart attack at 72
Sep 5 Sarah Harding, British pop singer (Girls Aloud - “Sound of the Underground,” “Love Machine), dies of breast cancer at 39
Sep 7 Phil Schaap, American Grammy Award-winning jazz historian, DJ, author and educator, dies of cancer at 70
Sep 10 Michael Chapman, British progressive folk-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Looking for Eleven; Fully Qualified Survivor), dies at 80
Sep 13 George Wein, American music promoter (Newport Jazz Festival; Newport Folk Festival; New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival), dies at 95
Sep 15 Norman Bailey, British operatic bass-baritone (Flying Dutchman), dies at 88
Sep 16 Jane Powell [Suzanne Burce], American singer and actress (Royal Wedding; Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), dies at 92
Sep 19 Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer, filmmaker and novelist, dies at 89
Sep 20 Sarah Dash, American pop, R&B, and disco singer (Patti LaBelle & Bluebirds; Labelle - "Lady Marmalade"), dies at 76

Melvin Van Peebles (1932-2021)

Sep 21 American stage and screen actor, director (Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song; Sophisticated Gent), composer, and novelist, dies at 89

Sep 22 Bob Moore, American session double bassist (Patsy Cline; Elvis Presley; Roger Miller), and orchestra leader ("Mexico"), dies at 88
Sep 23 Sue Thompson [Eva Sue McKee], American pop and country music singer ("Sad Movies (Make Me Cry")), dies at 96
Sep 23 [Alfred] "Pee Wee" Ellis, American jazz, funk, and rock saxophonist, arranger (James Brown; Van Morrison; Maceo Parker), and songwriter ("The Chicken"; "Cold Sweat"), dies of heart failure at 80
Sep 26 Alan Lancaster, British rock bassist (Status Quo, 1967-85 - "Pictures of Matchstick Men"), dies from multiple sclerosis complications at 72
Sep 26 Commander Cody [George Frayne], American singer and pianist (Commander Cody & Lost Planet Airmen - "Hot Rod Lincoln"), dies of esophageal cancer at 77
Sep 28 "Dr." Lonnie Smith, American jazz Hammond B3 organist (George Benson Quartet; Lou Donaldson), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 79 [1]
Sep 28 Carlisle Floyd, American opera composer (Susanna; Prince of Players), dies at 95
Sep 29 Bronius Kutavičius, Lithuanian composer (The Gates of Jerusalem; Lokys) and teacher (Čiurlionis School of Art, 1975-2000), dies at 89
Sep 30 Koichi Sugiyama, Japanese television and video game composer (Dragon Quest), and Nanjing Massacre denialist, dies at 90
Oct 6 Pat Fish [Huntrods], British guitarist (The Jazz Butcher), dies at 63
Oct 7 (Frederick) "Rick" Jones, Canadian-British children's television presenter (Play School; Fingerbobs), and folk musician (Meal Ticket - "Better Believe It Babe"), dies of esophageal cancer at 84
Oct 8 Everett Morton, Nevisian-born English drummer and percussionist (English Beat), dies at 71
Oct 10 Luis de Pablo, Spanish composer, and musicologist, dies at 91
Oct 12 Paddy Moloney, Irish uilleann pipe and tin whistle player, composer, and producer (The Chieftains), dies at 83
Oct 16 Ron Tutt, American session and touring drummer (Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris; Jerry Garcia; Neil Diamond), dies at 83
Oct 18 Edita Gruberová, Slovak operatic soprano, dies at 74
Oct 19 Leslie Bricusse, British stage and film composer and lyricist (Doctor Dolittle; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; "Goldfinger"; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - "The Candy Man"; "Pure Imagination"), dies at 90
Oct 20 Hans Haselböck, Austrian organist and composer, dies at 93
Oct 21 Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor (Concertgebouw, 1961-88; London Philharmonic, 1967-79; Royal Opera Covent Garden, 1987-2002), dies at 92 [1]
Oct 21 Nils Einár Grönberg, Swedish rapper ("Första klass"; "Katten i trakten"), shot to death in suspected gang-related incident at 19
Oct 21 Wilfred Gibson, British session and pop violinist (Electric Light Orchestra, 1972-73; ELO II, 1991-94; Berkeley Square Society Band), dies at 72
Oct 22 Jay Black [David Blatt], American pop singer (Jay and the Americans - “Come A Little Bit Closer”; “This Magic Moment”), dies of pneumonia and complications from dementia at 82
Oct 24 Sonny Osborne, American bluegrass banjo player (The Osborne Brothers - "Rocky Top"), dies of a stroke at 83
Oct 28 David C. Johnson, American composer, flautist, educator, and electronic music performer (Stockhausen), dies at 81
Oct 31 Joan Carlyle, Welsh operatic soprano (Covent Garden, 1955-76), dies at 90
Nov 1 Nelson Freire, Brazilian classical pianist, dies at 77
Nov 1 Pat Martino [Azzara], American jazz guitarist (DownBeat Guitar Player of the Year, 2004), dies of chronic respiratory disorder at 77
Nov 2 Ronnie Wilson, American R&B keyboardist (Gap Band - "Burn Rubber On Me"), dies at 73
Nov 4 Mario Lavista, Mexican composer and writer, dies at 78
Nov 5 Marília Mendonça, Brazilian Sertaneja singer-songwriter, dies in a plane crash at 26
Nov 6 Astro [Terence Wilson], British reggae-rock vocalist (UB40 - "Red Red Wine"), dies at 64