Musicians Who Died in 2023

Jeff Beck (1944-2023)

Jan 10 English Grammy Award-winning rock guitarist (Yardbirds, 1965-66; Jeff Beck Group, 1967-72), dies of bacterial meningitis at 78 [1] [2]

Jan 11 Yukihiro Takahashi, Japanese pop-rock drummer and singer (Yellow Magic Orchestra), dies from complications of a brain tumor at 70

Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023)

Jan 12 American singer-songwriter ("Lights Out"), and daughter of Elvis, dies of cardiac arrest predicated by a small bowel obstruction at 54 [1]

Jan 12 Robin "Robbie" Bachman, Canadian drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"; "Takin' Care Of Business"), dies at 69 [1]
Jan 17 Renée Geyer, Australian singer ("It's A Man's Man's World"; "Stares and Whispers"), dies at 69 [1]
Jan 18 David Crosby, American rock singer-songwriter (The Byrds, 1964-67 - "Eight Miles High"; Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"; "Wooden Ships"), dies at 81 [1]
Jan 20 Jerry "The Geator" Blavat, American disc jockey and music promoter, dies of complications from myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular disease), at 82 [1]
Jan 20 Stella Chiweshe, Zimbabwean musician and storyteller (Africa’s best-known female mbira player), dies at 76 [1]
Jan 27 Floyd Sneed, Canadian rock drummer (Three Dog Night - "Joy To The World"; Ohio Players), dies at 80
Jan 28 Tom Verlaine [Miller], American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Television - "Marquee Moon"), dies at 73
Jan 29 Barrett Strong, American R&B vocalist ("Money (That's What I Want)"), piano player, and songwriter ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine"; "Just My Imagination";"Papa Was A Rollin' Stone"; "War"), dies at 81 [1]
Jan 31 Charlie Thomas, American pop singer (The Drifters, 1958-67 - "Sweets For My Sweet"; "Save The Last Dance For Me"), dies of liver cancer at 85
Feb 5 Phil Spalding, English new wave and progressive rock bass player (Tovah; GTR; Mike Oldfield), and hepatitis patient support group founder, dies at 65

Burt Bacharach (1928-2023)

Feb 8 American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"; "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"; "Promises, Promises"), dies at 94 [1]

Feb 8 Hilary Tann, Welsh composer (Shakkei), and educator (Union College, 1980-2023), dies at 75
Feb 9 Lewis Spratlan, American classical composer and Pulitzer Prize winner (Life Is A Dream), dies at 82
Feb 12 Trugoy the Dove [David Jolicoeur], American rapper and producer (De La Soul - "Me Myself and I"), dies of heart failure at 54
Feb 13 Huey "Piano" Smith, American R&B pianist ("Rockin' Pneumonia & Boogie Woogie Flu"; "Having a Good Time"), dies at 89 [1]
Feb 14 Friedrich Cerha, Austrian composer (Baal) and conductor (Ensemble Die Reihe), dies at 96

Raquel Welch (1940-2023)

Feb 15 American stage and screen (Myra Breckenridge; One Million Years B.C.; 100 Rifles), and nightclub singer, dies at 82 [1] [2]

Feb 16 Chuck Jackson, American pop and R&B singer ("Any Day Now"; "I Don't Want to Cry"; "I Keep Forgettin'"), dies at 85
Feb 17 (Harry Gilbert) Gil Trythall, American pianist, contemporary classical and electronic music composer (The Pastimes of Lord Chaitanya), and educator, dies at 92
Feb 18 Tom Whitlock, American Academy Award-winning lyricist songwriter (“Take My Breath Away”, “Danger Zone”), dies at 68
Feb 22 Elaine Barkin (née Radoff), American composer, educator, music writer and editor (Perspectives of New Music, 1964-85), dies at 90
Mar 1 Wally Fawkes [pen name Trog], British-Canadian cartoonist and jazz clarinetist, dies at 98
Mar 2 Steve Mackey, British pop bassist, songwriter, and producer (Pulp - "Common People"), dies at 56
Mar 2 Wayne Shorter, American jazz saxophonist and composer (Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; Miles Davis; Weather Report), dies at 89 [1]
Mar 4 Michael Rhodes, American country, rock, and jazz session and touring bass player, dies at 69
Mar 5 Gary Rossington, American rock guitarist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rossington-Collins Band), dies at 71 [1]
Mar 7 Lynn Seymour [Berta Lynn Springbett], Canadian-English ballerina (Royal Ballet, 1959-78), choreographer, and director, dies at 79
Mar 7 Paul Justman, American documentarian (Standing in the Shadows of Motown), music video director and lyricist (J. Geils Band), dies at 74
Mar 8 Jakob Jež, Slovenian composer (Klas pri klasu (Ear by Ear)), and pedagogue, dies at 93
Mar 9 Robin Lumley, English jazz-fusion keyboardist (Brand X), and record producer, dies of heart failure at 75
Mar 12 Marek Kopelent, Czech contemporary classical composer, artistic director (Musica Viva Pragensis, 1965-73), and educator, dies at 90
Mar 13 Jim Gordon, American drummer and studio musician (Derek and the Dominos), dies in prison at 77 [1]
Mar 14 Bobby Caldwell, American jazz and pop singer ("What You Won't Do for Love"), and songwriter ("The Next Time I Fall"), dies from long term adverse reaction to antibiotics at 71
Mar 17 Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, American pop, R&B, and funk singer-songwriter (Parliament-Funkadelic - "Knee Deep"), dies at 81 [1]
Mar 18 (Rodolfo) "Fito" Olivares, Mexican-American Tejano saxophonist and songwriter ("Juana La Cubana; "El Colesterol"), dies of cancer at 75
Mar 23 Keith Reid, British poet and lyricist (Procol Harum - "A Whiter Shade of Pale"), dies of cancer at 76 [1]
Mar 24 Dolores White, American composer, pianist, and pedagogue, dies at 90
Mar 25 Daniel Chorzempa, American classical organist, and composer, dies at 78
Mar 26 Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam [Yewubdar Guèbrou], Ethiopian nun, pianist, and composer ("The Homeless Wanderer"), dies at 99
Mar 27 Howie Kane [Howard Kirshenbaum], American rock singer (Jay and the Americans - "Come a Little Bit Closer"), dies at 81
Mar 27 James Bowman, British concert and operatic countertenor (Benjamin Britten's "Apollo"), dies at 81 [1]
Mar 27 Jocelyn Morlock, Canadian contemporary and post-modern classical composer (My Name is Amanda Todd; Bird in the Tangled Sky), and music educator, dies at 53
Mar 28 Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician (Yellow Magic Orchestra) and Academy Award-winning film composer (The Last Emperor), dies of cancer at 71 [1]
Mar 30 Mark Russell, American political satirist, song parody writer, and pianist (Real People), dies at 90 [1]
Mar 30 Ray Shulman, Scottish progressive rock bassist, songwriter (Gentle Giant), and record producer (The Sugarcubes), dies at 73
Apr 2 Seymour Stein [Steinbigle], American music label executive (Sire Records- signed Madonna, Ramones, Talking Heads), and co-founder of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, dies of cancer at 80 [1]
Apr 4 Vivian Trimble, American alt-rock keyboardist (Luscious Jackson; Dusty Trails), dies of cancer at 59
Apr 7 Ian Bairnson, Scottish session and touring guitarist (Alan Parsons Project; Kate Bush), dies at 69 [1]
Apr 7 John Regan, American session and touring rock bassist (Frehley's Comet; Peter Frampton), dies at 71
Apr 7 Lasse Wellander, Swedish session and touring guitarist (Abba), dies of cancer at 70
Apr 9 Karl Berger, German-American jazz pianist, vibraphone player, and musicologist, dies of post-surgical complications at 88
Apr 14 Mark Sheehan, Irish rock guitarist and songwriter (The Script - "For The First Time"), dies at 46
Apr 16 Ahmad Jamal [Frederick Jones], American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator, dies of prostate cancer at 92 [1]
Apr 17 April Stevens [Caroline LoTempio], American vocalist ("Deep Purple" - the song, not the band), dies at 93
Apr 19 Moonbin [Moon Bin], South Korean K-pop singer and actor, dies in a suspected suicide at 25 [1]

Harry Belafonte (1927-2023)

Apr 25 Jamaican-American Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning calypso singer ("Banana Boat Song"), actor (Buck & the Preacher), and human rights activist, dies of congestive heart failure at 96 [1]

Apr 25 Paul van Vliet, Dutch comedian and singer, dies at 87
Apr 27 (Charles William) "Wee Willie" Harris, English singer known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll", dies at 90 [1]
Apr 29 Don Sebesky, American Grammy and Tony Award-winning arranger, composer, orchestra leader, jazz trombonist, and accordion player (Maynard Ferguson; Wes Montgomery; CTI Records), dies of complications of Parkinson's disease at 85 [1]
Apr 29 Tim Bachman, Canadian rock guitarist and vocalist (Brave Belt; Bachman–Turner Overdrive), dies of brain cancer at 71

Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)

May 1 Canadian folk singer ("Sundown"; "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"), dies at 84 [1]

May 3 Linda Lewis [Fredericks], British pop-rock-soul singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("Rock-a-Doodle-Doo"), dies at 72
May 5 Chris Strachwitz, German-born American folk, roots, and world music record producer and label founder (Arhoolie Records), dies at 91 [1]
May 6 Menahem Pressler, Israeli-American classical pianist (Beaux Arts Trio, 1955-2008), and educator (Indian University, 1955-2023), dies at 99

Grace Bumbry (1937-2023)

May 7 American mezzo-soprano (Venus in Tannhäuser, 1st Black singer to sing at Bayreuth Festival), dies at 86 [1]

May 8 Rita Lee [Jones], Brazilian rock singer, songwriter and musician (Os Mutantes), dies at 75 [1]
May 10 Rolf Harris, Australian-British comedian, actor, painter, singer-songwriter ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"), and convicted sex offender, dies at 93 [1]
May 19 Andy Rourke British rock bassist (The Smiths - "This Charming Man"; "Ask"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 59
May 19 Pete Brown, British musician and lyricist (Cream - "I Feel Free"; "White Room"; "Sunshine of Your Love"), dies at 82 [1]
May 21 Ed Ames [Edmund Dantes Urick], American popular singer (Ames Brothers - "My Cup Runneth Over"), and actor (Daniel Boone - "Mingo"), dies at 95 [1]
May 23 (Isaac) "Redd" Holt, American jazz and soul drummer (Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1956-66 - "The In Crowd"; Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"), dies at 91
May 23 Ingrid Haebler, Austrian pianist (Haydn/Mozart/Schubert), dies at 96
May 23 Sheldon Reynolds, American soul and funk guitarist (Commodores, 1983-87; Earth, Wind & Fire, 1987-2002), dies at 63
May 24 Bill Lee, American session double-bassist, and film score composer (Do The Right Thing; She's Gotta Have It), dies at 94

Tina Turner (1939-2023)

May 24 American singer (Ike & Tina - "Proud Mary"; solo - "What's Love Got To Do With It"), dies at 83 [1]

May 26 Jack Lee, American rock singer and songwriter (Blondie - "Hanging on the Telephone"; Paul Young - "Come Back and Stay"), dies of colon cancer at 71
May 26 Reuben Wilson, American jazz organist ("Got to Get Your Own"), dies of lung cancer at 88
Jun 1 Cynthia Weil, American songwriter ("We Got Get Out Of This Place"; "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"; "On Broadway"; "He's So Shy"), dies at 82 [1]
Jun 2 Kaija Saariaho, Finnish electro-acoustic and contemporary classical composer (L'Amour de loin (Love from Afar); Circle Map), dies of brain cancer at 70 [1]
Jun 4 George Winston, American pop-instrumental-folk pianist and composer (Autumn; December; Winter Into Spring), dies of cancer at 74 [1]
Jun 5 Astrud Gilberto (née Weinert), Brazilian samba singer ("The Girl From Ipanema"), dies at 83
Jun 6 Tony McPhee, British blues-rock guitarist and singer (The Groundhogs), dies from complications of a fall at 79
Jun 10 Giannis Markopoulos, Greek composer (Zavara-Katra-Nemia; 24 Dances), dies of cancer at 84
Jun 18 Teresa Taylor, American rock drummer (Butthole Surfers), and actress (Slackers), dies of lung disease at 60
Jun 19 Max Morath, American ragtime piano revivalist, composer, and musicologist, dies at 96
Jun 22 Peter Brötzmann, German free jazz saxophonist and clarinet player, dies at 82 [1]
Jun 23 Betta St John [Betty Jean Striegler], American-English stage and screen actress, singer and dancer (Dream Wife; Carousel; Corridors of Blood), dies at 93
Jun 23 Jesse McReynolds, American singer and mandolinist (Grand Ole Opry), dies at 93 [1]

Sheldon Harnick (1924-2023)

Jun 23 American musical theater lyricist (Fiorello; Fiddler on the Roof), dies at 99 [1]

Jun 27 Bobby Osborne, American bluegrass mandolin player (The Osborne Brothers - "Rocky Top"), dies at 91
Jul 5 Coco Lee, Chinese-American pop singer ("A Love Before Time"; "Tragic"), takes her own life at 48
Jul 5 George Tickner, American guitarist and songwriter (Journey, 1973-75 - "I'm Gonna Leave You"), dies at 76
Jul 6 Peter Nero [Bernard Nierow], American conductor (Philadelphia POPS, 1979-2013), pianist and composer (Sunday in New York), dies at 89 [1]
Jul 12 André Watts, American-Hungarian concert pianist, and educator, dies of prostate cancer at 77 [1] [2]
Jul 16 Jane Birkin, British-French pop singer ("Je t'aime... moi non plus"), actress (Dust; Death On The Nile), and fashion icon, dies at 76 [1]

Tony Bennett (1926-2023)

Jul 21 American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pop and jazz singer ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"; "Steppin' Out With My Baby"), and painter, dies at 96 [1]

Jul 21 Vince Hill, English pop singer ("Roses of Picardy"; "La Vie en Rose"; "Edelweiss"), dies at 89
Jul 23 Pamela Blair American stage actress, singer, and dancer (A Chorus Line), dies at 73
Jul 24 Leny Andrade, Brazilian samba, bossa nova and jazz singer, dies of Lewy body dementia at 80
Jul 26 Randy Meisner, American rock bassist and vocalist (Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band; Linda Ronstadt; The Eagles, 1971-77 - "Take It To The Limit"), dies of complications from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease at 77

Sinead O'Connor (1966-2023)

Jul 26 Irish singer-songwriter (Nothing Compares 2 U), dies at 56 [1]

Aug 3 Carl Davis, American-British conductor and BAFTA Award-winning film score composer (The French Lieutenant's Woman; restored silent film Napoléon; BBC's Pride and Prejudice), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 86 [1]
Aug 4 John Gosling, British rock keyboardist (The Kinks, 1970-78 - "Lola"; "Celluloid Heroes"), dies at 75
Aug 5 (Russell) "Rusty" Richards, American cowboy singer, yodeler, songwriter (Sons of the Pioneers, 1963-84), actor and film stuntman, dies at 89
Aug 6 David LaFlamme, American electric rock violinist (It's A Beautiful Day - "White Bird"), dies at 82
Aug 7 DJ Casper [William Perry Jr.], American club DJ and songwriter ("Cha Cha Slide"), dies of cancer at 58
Aug 8 [Sixto] Rodríguez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Sugar Man"), dies at 81
Aug 9 (Jaime Royal) "Robbie" Robertson, Canadian-Mohawk singer-songwriter and rock guitarist (The Band - "The Weight"; "Up On Cripple Creek"), and soundtrack composer (Martin Scorsese films), dies of prostate cancer at 80 [1] [2]
Aug 11 Tom Jones, American musical theatre lyricist (The Fantasticks; 110 In the Shade), dies of cancer at 95 [1]
Aug 14 Agustín González Acilu, Spanish composer (Prince of Viana Prize), and educator, dies at 94
Aug 15 Joel Eric Suben, American conductor and composer, dies at 77
Aug 16 Jerry Moss, American music promoter and record label executive (co-founded A&M Records, with Herb Alpert), dies at 88
Aug 16 Renata Scotto, Italian soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1965-87; La Traviata - "Violetta") and opera director, dies at 89 [1]
Aug 17 Bobby Eli [Eli Tatarsky], American session and touring guitarist (Philadelphia International Records; Sigma Sound; Salsoul Orchestra), songwriter, and producer, dies at 77 [1]
Aug 17 Gary Young, American rock drummer (Pavement), dies at 70
Aug 18 Ray Hildebrand, American pop and contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter (Paul & Paula - "Hey Paula; Land and Hildebrand), dies at 82
Aug 19 Gloria Coates, American post-minimalist composer ("Music on Open Strings"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 89
Aug 22 (Salvatore) "Toto" Cutugno, Italian pop singer-songwriter ("L'Italiano"; Eurovision, 1990; "Insieme: 1992"), dies of prostate cancer at 80
Aug 23 Bob Feldman, American pop songwriter and record producer ("My Boyfriend's Back", "I Want Candy"), dies at 83
Aug 24 Bernie Marsden, English rock and blues guitarist and songwriter (Whitesnake - "Fool for Your Loving"; "Here I Go Again"), dies at 72
Aug 26 John Kezdy, American punk-rock guitarist and singer (The Effigies), and later prosecuting attorney, dies from injuries sustained in a bicycle crash at 64
Aug 28 Len Chandler, American folk music singer-songwriter ("Beans in Ears"), and civil rights activist, dies at 88
Aug 30 Jack Sonni, American guitarist (Dire Straits, 1985-88), dies at 68
Aug 31 Curtis Fowlkes, American jazz and session trombonist, singer, and band leader (The Jazz Passengers; Lounge Lizards), dies at 73

Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023)

Sep 1 American country rock singer-songwriter ("Margaritaville") and restaurant entrepreneur (Margaritaville Cafe), dies of Merkel cell carcinoma (a rare form of skin cancer) at 76 [1]

Sep 4 Gary Wright, American rock singer and keyboardist (Spooky Tooth - It's All About; solo - "Dream Weaver"), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 80 [1]
Sep 4 Steve Harwell, American rock singer-songwriter (Smash Mouth, 1994-2021 - "All Star", "I'm A Believer"), dies of liver failure at 56 [1]
Sep 5 Charles Gayle, American jazz saxophonist and composer ("Streets"), dies at 84
Sep 6 Larry Chance [Figueiredo], American doo-wop vocalist (The Earls - "Remember Then"; "I Believe"), dies at 82
Sep 6 Richard Davis, American jazz double bassist described as "the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album" (Van Morrison's Astral Weeks), dies at 93
Sep 10 Brendan Croker, English folk-rock musician and songwriter (The Five O'Clock Shadows: The Notting Hillbillies; Sally Tmms and the Drifting Cowgirls), dies of leukemia at 70
Sep 10 Charlie Robison, American country singer-songwriter ("I Want You Bad"), dies of a heart attack at 59
Sep 13 Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-British country singer ("The Last Farewell"; "Durham Town"), dies at 87 [1]
Sep 14 Michael McGrath, American Tony Award-winning stage actor and singer (Spamalot; Nice Work If You Can Get It), dies at 65
Sep 19 Stephen Gould, American operatic tenor (Bayreuth Festival, 2004-22), dies of bile duct cancer at 61
Sep 20 Katherine Anderson, American singer (The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"; "Don't Mess With Bill"), dies at 79
Sep 22 Mike Henderson, American country, blues, and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist (The Bluebloods; The SteelDrivers), dies at 70
Sep 23 Terry Kirkman, American rock vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist (The Association - "Windy"; "Cherish"), and later substance abuse counselor, dies at 83
Sep 30 Russell Batiste Jr., American drummer The Meters, 1989-2000; The Funky Meters, 2000-15; Vida Blue), dies of a heart attack at 57
Oct 1 Julian Bahula, South African-British jazz and world music drummer, composer, bandleader (Jabula), and anti-apartheid activist, dies at 84
Oct 3 Lena McLin (née Johnson), American music teacher, composer (Oh Freedom), and Baptist pastor, dies at 95
Oct 8 Stewkey [Robert Antoni], American power pop-rock vocalist and keyboard player (Nazz - "Open My Eyes", "Hello It's Me), dies of cancer at 75
Oct 9 Charles "Buck" Trent, American country and bluegrass banjoist, dobro player, and singer (Hee Haw), dies at 85
Oct 12 Rudolph Isley, American rock singer (Isley Brothers - "Shout"; "Twist and Shout"; "It's Your Thing"), and minister, dies at 84 [1]
Oct 15 Carmen Petra-Basacopol, Romanian composer and educator Bucharest Conservatory (1962-2003), dies at 97
Oct 17 Carla Bley [Lovella Borg], American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer (Escalator Over The Hill; Fictitious Sports), dies of brain cancer at 87 [1]
Oct 18 Dwight Twilley, American power pop singer-songwriter ("I'm On Fire"; "Girls"), dies of complications from a stroke at 72 [1]
Oct 19 Atsushi Sakurai, Japanese rock vocalist and songwriter (Buck-Tick), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 57
Oct 23 Chronis Aidonidis, Greek folk and traditional music singer, dies at 95
Oct 23 István Láng, Hungarian composer (Impulsioni), and pedagogue, dies at 90
Oct 23 Mervin Shiner, American honky-tonk country and hillbilly singer, and guitarist, dies at 102
Oct 25 Zdeněk Mácal, Czech conductor (Milwaukee Symphony, 1986-95; New Jersey Symphony, 1992-2003; Czech Philharmonic, 2003-07), dies at 87 [1]
Oct 29 Heath [Hiroshi Morie], Japanese rock bassist, singer and songwriter (X Japan), dies of colorectal cancer at 55
Nov 2 Yuri Temirkanov, Russian conductor (Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, 1976-88; Baltimore Symphony, 2000-06), dies at 84 [1]
Nov 5 Ryland Davies, Welsh operatic tenor, dies at 80
Nov 13 Joel Spiegelman, American pianist, harpsichord player, composer, music educator (Sarah Lawrence), and poet, dies at 90
Nov 16 George Brown, American R&B and funk drummer (Kool & the Gang - "Celebration"), dies of lung cancer at 74 [1]
Nov 17 Abe Stoklasa, American country music songwriter and musician, dies at 36
Nov 17 Seóirse Bodley, Irish composer and professor of music (University College Dublin), dies at 90 [1]
Nov 18 David Del Tredici, American pianist, Neo-Romantic composer, and 1980 Pulitzer Prize winner (In Memory of a Summer Day), dies of Parkinson's disease at 86 [1]
Nov 20 Mars Williams, American jazz and rock saxophonist (The Waitresses; Psychedelic Furs), dies of cancer at 68
Nov 21 Chad Allan [Allan Kowbel], Canadian pop-rock singer and musician (The Expressions/The Guess Who, 1962-65; Brave Belt), and television personality, dies at 80 [1]
Nov 22 Jean Knight [Caliste], American soul, funk, and R&B singer ("Mr. Big Stuff"), and nurse, dies at 80 [1]
Nov 29 Mildred Miller (Posvar, née Müller), American mezzo-soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1951-74; The Marriage of Figaro - "Cherubino"), and artistic director (Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, 1978-99), dies at 98
Nov 30 Shane MacGowan, British-Irish punk rock musician (Pogues - "Fairytale of New York", "Red Roses For Me"), dies at 65 [1]
Dec 2 Mike Maxfield, British rock guitarist and songwriter (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas - "The Cruel Sea"), dies at 79
Dec 3 Myles Goodwyn, Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (April Wine - "You Could Have Been a Lady"), and record producer, dies at 75 [1]
Dec 5 Denny Laine [Brian Hines], British rock guitarist (The Moody Blues, 1964-66 - "Go Now"; Wings - "Mull of Kintyre"), dies of lung disease at 79 [1]
Dec 11 Essra Mohawk [Sandra Hurvitz], American singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 75 [1]
Dec 11 Jeffrey Foskett, American session and touring singer and guitarist (The Beach Boys; Brian Wilson; Wondermints), dies of thyroid cancer at 67
Dec 11 Zahara [Bulelwa Mkutukana], South African singer-songwriter and guitarist (Loliwe), dies of an illness at 36 [1]
Dec 16 Carlos Lyra, Brazilian bossa nova guitarist and singer-songwriter, dies of sepsis at 90 [1]
Dec 20 Torben Ulrich, Danish tennis player, musician, writer, filmmaker, and father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, dies at 95
Dec 22 Laura Lynch, American bluegrass and country musician and songwriter (Dixie Chicks, 1989-95), killed in a car crash at 65 [1]
Dec 23 Murad Kazhlayev, Soviet and Dagestani composer, and conductor, dies at 92
Dec 24 Ron Nelson, American composer, and pedagogue (Brown University, 1973-93), dies at 94
Dec 26 Tommy Smothers, American comedian and folk singer (The Smothers Brothers Show; Serial), dies of lung cancer at 86 [1]
Dec 27 Mbongeni Ngema, South African playwright, lyricist, composer, and theatre producer (Sarafina!), dies in a car crash at 68 [1]
Dec 29 Les McCann, American jazz pianist, soul singer ("Compared to What"), painter, and photographer, dies of pneumonia at 88 [1]