- Jan 4 Bernhard Lewkovitch, Danish organist and composer (Tre Madrigali di Torquato Tasso), dies at 96
- Jan 4 David Soul [Solberg], American-British actor (Starsky & Hutch; Here Come s the Brides), and singer ("Don't Give Up On Us"), dies at 80 [1]
- Jan 4 Glynis Johns, British stage and screen Tony Award-winning actress and singer (Mary Poppins; A Little Night Music - "Send In The Clowns"; The Sundowners), dies at 100 [1]
- Jan 4 John White, English-German experimental composer and musical performer (systems music), dies at 87
- Jan 5 (Derek) "Del" Palmer, English session and touring bassist, and sound engineer (Kate Bush), dies at 71
- Jan 8 Leon Wildes, American immigration attorney (successfully defended John Lennon against US government deportation efforts), dies at 90 [1]
- Jan 8 Tuomas Haapanen, Finnish violinist, conductor, and teacher, dies at 99
- Jan 9 James Kottak, American rock drummer (Scorpions, 1996-2016), dies at 61
- Jan 16 Laurence "Laurie" Johnson, British film and television score composer (Dr. Strangelove; The Avengers), dies at 96 [1]
- Jan 16 Peter Schickele (aka P.D.Q. Bach), American bassoonist, Grammy Award-winning composer, classical music parodist (No-No Nonette; Concerto for Horn & Hardart; Silent Running), and broadcaster, dies at 88 [1]
- Jan 17 Toni Stern, American poet (The Wet Clay of My Heart), and lyricist (Carole King - "It's Too Late", "Where You Lead"), dies at 79 [1]
- Jan 19 Marlena Shaw [Marlina Burgess], American jazz, R&B, and disco singer ("California Soul"; "Touch Me In the Morning"), dies at 81
- Jan 19 Mary Weiss, American pop singer (The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack"), dies at 75
- Jan 23 Melanie [Safka], American singer-songwriter ("Brand New Key"; "What Have They Done to My Song Ma"; "Candles in Rain"), dies at 76 [1] [2]
- Jan 30 Chita Rivera, American Tony Award-winning dancer, singer, and actress (West Side Story; Bye Bye Birdie; Sweet Charity; Chicago), dies at 91 [1] [2]
- Jan 31 Ed Reed, American jazz vocalist, dies of liver cancer at 94 [1] [2]
- Feb 2 Wayne Kramer [Kambes], American guitarist (MC5 - "Kick Out The Jams"), and record producer, dies of pancreatic cancer at 75 [1]
- Feb 2 Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, American operatic soprano, and actress (Diva), dies of cancer at 75 [1]
- Feb 3 Aston Barrett, Jamaican reggae bassist (Bob Marley & the Wailers - "I Shot the Sheriff"; Burning Spear), sound engineer, and producer, dies of heart failure after a series of strokes at 77 [1]
Toby Keith (1961-2024)
Feb 5 American country singer ("Should've Been A Cowboy"; "She Never Cried In Front Of Me"), and actor (Broken Bridges), dies of stomach cancer at 62 [1]
- Feb 6 Seiji Ozawa, Japanese conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1973-2002, Vienna State Opera, 2002-10), dies of heart failure at 88 [1] [2]
- Feb 7 Henry Fambrough, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2023 - "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?"; "The Rubberband Man"), dies at 85 [1]
- Feb 7 Mojo Nixon [Neill McMillan, Jr.], American musician ("Elvis Is Everywhere") and actor, dies of cardiac event at 66 [1]
- Feb 9 (Kemji) "Damo" Suzuki, Japanese rock singer (Can; Damo Suzuki's Network), dies of colon cancer at 74
- Feb 11 Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and impresario (New Christy Minstrels), dies at 90
- Feb 22 (Veronica) "Roni" Stoneman, American banjo player, singer, and comedienne (The Stoneman Family; Hee Haw), dies at 85
- Mar 2 Jim Beard, American session and touring jazz-fusion keyboardist and composer (Pat Metheny, Steely Dan, The Brecker Brothers), dies at 63 [1]
- Mar 3 Eleanor Collins [Elnora Proctor], Canadian jazz and standards singer, and television personality, regarded as Canada’s “first lady of jazz”, dies at 104
- Mar 7 Margaret Tynes, American child prodigy and international opera singer, dies at 104
- Mar 7 Steve Lawrence [Sidney Leibowitz], American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pop singer ("Go Away Little Girl"; Steve and Eydie), and actor (The Lonely Guy; The Blues Brothers), dies of complications of Alzheimer's disease at 88
- Mar 10 Karl Wallinger, Welsh rocker and songwriter (The Waterboys, 1983-85; World Party - "Give It All Away"; "Ship Of Fools"), dies of a stroke at 66
- Mar 14 Byron Janis [né Yanks], American concert pianist (debut with NBC Symphony Orchestra at age 15), dies at 95 [1]
- Mar 17 Steve Harley, British pop and glam-rock singer-songwriter (Cockney Rebel - "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"), dies of cancer at 73
- Mar 22 Jean-Paul Vignon, French actor and singer, dies of liver cancer at 89
- Mar 23 Maurizio Pollini, Italian classical pianist, dies at 82 [1]
- Mar 24 Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer ("Chinese Opera"), conductor, contemporary music advocate, and teacher, dies at 80
- Mar 30 Casey Benjamin, American R&B and hip-hop saxophonist, vocoder wizard, and songwriter (The Robert Glasper Experiment), dies at 45 [1]
- Apr 1 Michael Ward, American rock guitarist (John Hiatt, 1993-94; The Wallflowers, 1996-2001 - "One Headlight"; Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, 2007-16), dies at 57
- Apr 3 Albert "Tootie" Heath, American jazz hard bop drummer (John Coltrane; Art Farmer; Jimmy Heath; Tete Montoliu, Yusef Lateef), dies of leukemia at 88 [1]
- Apr 5 C. J. Snare, American rock vocalist (Firehouse - "Love of a Lifetime"), dies of cardiac arrest at 64
- Apr 7 Clarence "Frogman" Henry, American R&B pianist and singer ("Ain't Got No Home"; "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do"), dies at 87 [1]
- Apr 14 Calvin Keys, American jazz guitarist, dies at 82
- Apr 18 Dickey Betts, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and singer (The Allman Brothers Band - "Ramblin' Man"; "Jessica"), dies of cancer at 80 [1]
- Apr 18 Mandisa [Hundley] American Grammy Award-winning gospel and contemporary Christian singer (Overcomer), dies at 47
- Apr 20 Andrew Davis, British conductor (Toronto Symphony, 1975-88; BBC Symphony, 1989-2000; Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2000-21), dies of leukemia at 80 [1]
- Apr 25 Mike Pinder, British keyboard player and Mellotron pioneer (Moody Blues,1964-78 - "Nights in White Satin"), dies at 82 [1] [2]
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