On This Day

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Musicians Who Died on December 23

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  • 1688 Jean-Louis Lully, French composer and son of Jean-Baptiste Lully, dies at 21
  • 1696 Johann David Mayer, German composer, dies at 60
  • 1793 Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer (Antonio e Cleopatra), dies at 74
  • 1812 Michel Delalande, French sacred music composer and maître de musique (Cathedral of Chartres, 1761-85), dies at 73
  • 1891 Holger Simon Paulli, Danish conductor and composer, dies at 81
  • 1908 Eduard Wachmann, Romanian composer, conductor and university professor, dies at 72
  • 1908 Francois A. Gevaert, Belgium Dutch composer (Diable au Moulin), dies at 68
  • 1911 Karl Hoschna, Bohemian born Tin Pan Alley-era composer (Every Little Movement), dies at 34
  • 1950 Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (Le donne de buon umore), dies at 72
  • 1951 Alfrēds Kalniņš, Latvian organist, composer (Baņuta), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 72
  • 1964 Arrigo Pedrollo, Italian composer, dies at 86
  • 1967 Richard Flury, Swiss composer, dies at 71
  • 1970 Mimi Benzell, American operatic soprano (Gilda-Rigoletto), dies at 52
  • 1971 Carlo Jachino, Italian composer, dies at 84
  • 1982 Norman Dinerstein, American composer, dies of a heart attack at 45
  • 1985 James Vance (20) and Raymond Belknap (18) attempt suicide (Belknap dies). Their families later sue rock group Judas Priest for subliminal messages in song "Better By You, Better Than Me".
  • 1989 Josef Alexander, American composer (Of Masks and Men; Incantations), and music professor (Brooklyn College), dies at 82
  • 1992 Eddie Hazel, American pop guitarist (Funkadelic - "Knee Deep"), dies at 42
  • 1994 Charles Shirley, American big band jazz arranger (Stan Kenton; Les Elgart), and alcoholism counselor, dies of a heart attack at 74
  • 1996 Krešimir Fribec, Croatian composer, dies at 88
  • 1996 Rina Ketty [Cesarina Picchetto], Italian singer (J'attendrai), dies at 85
  • 1996 Ronnie Scott [Schatt], British jazz saxophonist and club-owner, dies at 69
  • 1999 Marcel Landowski, French composer (Un enfant appelle), dies at 84
  • 2000 Noor Jehan [Allah Rakhi Wasai], Pakistani singer and actress (Mela; Chann Way), dies at 74

Victor Borge (1909-2000)

Danish-American comedian and pianist, dies at 91

Victor Borge
  • 2001 Leonid Wīgner, Latvian conductor (Latvian Opera and Ballet Theater, 1936-49; LPSR Radio Symphony, 1949-75), composer, and pedagogue, dies at 95
  • 2006 Timothy J. Tobias, American composer and musician, dies at 54

Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)

Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), dies of kidney failure at 82

Oscar Peterson
  • 2013 Ricky Lawson, American musician, dies at 59
  • 2013 Yusef Lateef, American jazz saxophonist and flautist, dies at 93
  • 2014 Jerzy Semkow, Polish-French conductor and educator, dies at 86
  • 2016 Heinrich Schiff, Austrian cellist and conductor, dies at 65
  • 2018 (Ann) "Honey" Lantree, British rock drummer (The Honeycombs), dies at 75
  • 2020 Leslie West [Weinstein], American rock guitarist (Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"; "Theme for an Imaginary Western"), dies of cardiac arrest at 75 [1]
  • 2022 Maxi Jazz [Maxwell Fraser], English DJ, guitarist, rapper, singer-songwriter and hip-hop producer (The Soul Food Café System; Faithless), dies at 65
  • 2023 Murad Kazhlayev, Soviet and Dagestani composer, and conductor, dies at 92


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