Musician Deaths by Year
- Jan 2 Eric Jupp, British-born musician, dies at 80
- Jan 4 Yfrah Neaman, Israeli-British concert violinist, and pedagogue, dies of cancer at 79
- Jan 5 Doreen Carwithen, British composer, widow of William Alwyn (b. 1922)
Maurice Gibb(1949-2003)
Jan 12 English rock-pop-disco singer-songwriter and bassist (Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever), dies ofcardiac arrest at 53
- Jan 15 Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter ("Tutti Frutti"; You Always Hurt the One You Love": "Tampico"), dies at 87
- Jan 16 Henryk Czyz, Polish composer and musician, dies at 79
- Jan 17 Balint Vazsonyi, Hingarian pianist (b. 1936)
- Jan 26 John Browning, American pianist (Leventritt Award-1956), dies at 69
- Jan 30 Joan Franks Williams, American contemporary classical composer, and promoter (founder of New Dimensions in Music (NDM)), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 72
- Feb 1 Mongo Santamaria, Cuban Latin jazz percussionist and bandleader, dies at 85
- Feb 1 Nancy Whiskey [Anne Wilson], Scottish folk singer and guitarist ("Freight Train"), dies at 67
- Feb 2 Lou Harrison, American composer (La Koro Sutro), dies of a heart attack at 85
- Feb 4 Jerome Hines [Heinz], American operatic bass (I am The Way), dies at 81
- Feb 5 Charlie Biddle, American-Canadian jazz double bassist, and music promoter, dies at 76
- Feb 9 (Reuben) "Ruby" Braff, American jazz trumpeter and cornetist, dies of heart failure while suffering from emphysema at 73
- Feb 19 Johnny Paycheck [Donald Lytle], American country singer ("ake This Job and Shove It"), dies after contracting emphysema and asthma at 64
- Feb 20 Ty Longley, American guitarist (Great White), dies in The Station nightclub fire at 31
- Feb 23 Howard "Howie" Epstein, American bass guitarist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1982-2002), dies from an overdose at 47
- Feb 24 Walter Scharf, American film composer (Jerry Lewis movies; The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau), dies of heart failure at 92
- Feb 26 Ivan Marinov, Bulgarian orchestral and opera conductor, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 74
- Feb 27 John Lanchbery, British-Australian composer and conductor (Royal Ballet, 1959-72; Australian Ballet, 1972-77; American Ballet Theatre, 1978-80), dies at 79
- Mar 2 Hank Ballard [John Henry Kendricks], American rocker (The Midnighters - "The Twist" - pre-Chubber Checker), dies at 75
- Mar 2 Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer, dies at 71
- Mar 3 Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer (Beatitudines), dies at 98
- Mar 5 Gerhard Rosenfeld, German opera and film score composer, dies at 72
- Mar 8 Adam Faith [Terence Wright], English pop and rock singer ("What Do You Want?"; "Poor Me"), actor (Budgie; Love Hurts), and financial journalist, dies of a heart attack at 62
- Mar 13 Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), dies at 78
- Mar 13 Ian Samwell, British songwriter and record producer (Cliff Richard; Small Faces; America), dies at 66
- Mar 23 Fritz Spiegl, Austrian-British classical flautist, broadcaster, composer, and wit, dies at 77
- Mar 24 Dave Dallwitz, South Australian jazz and classical pianist, bandleader, composer, and visual artist, dies at 88
- Mar 27 Edwin Carr, New Zealand classical composer, dies at 76
- Mar 28 (Farrell) "Rusty" Draper, American country and pop singer ("The Shifting, Whispering Sands"; "Are You Satisfied?"), dies of pneumonia at 80
- Mar 31 Emmanuel Ghent, Canadian-American electronic music composer (Phosphones), dies at 77
- Mar 31 Tommy Seebach, Danish rock keyboardist, singer (Sir Henry and His Butlers), and songwriter (Eurovision), dies at 53
- Apr 1 Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong actor, singer and composer (Farewell My Concubine), commits suicide at 46
- Apr 2 Edwin Starr [Hatcher], American soul and R&B singer ("War"; "Twenty Five Miles"), dies of a heart attack at 61
- Apr 3 Homer Banks, American singer and songwriter ("Be What You Are"), dies at 61
- Apr 6 Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian percussionist (Drums of Passion), educator, and social activist, dies at 75
- Apr 7 Jutta Hipp, German-American jazz pianist and composer, dies at 78
Little Eva(1943-2003)
Apr 10 Americanpop singer ("The Loco-motion"; "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"), dies of cervicalcancer at 59
Nina Simone(1933-2003)
Apr 21 American jazz pianist,singer, songwriter, arranger, andcivil rights activist (“Mississippi Goddam”; “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”, “Feeling Good”; “Wild Is The Wind”), dies ofbreast cancer at 70
- Apr 22 Felice Bryant [Matilda Scaduto], American songwriter, with husband Boudleaux ("Bye Bye Love"; "Wake Up Little Susie"), dies of cancer at 77
- May 2 George Wyle [Bernard Weissman], American composer ("The Ballad of Gilligan's Island"; "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"), and orchestra leader (The Flip Wilson Show), dies at 87
- May 5 David Lewin, American composer, dies at 69
- May 11 Noel Redding, English bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Purple Haze"), dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 57
June Carter Cash(1929-2003)
May 15 American Grammy Award-winningcountry singer (The Carter Family; Johnny Cash Show), songwriter ("Ring of Fire"), and actress, dies from complications after heart valve replacement surgery at 73
- May 23 Csaba Szabo. Hungarian composer, dies at 67
- May 23 Edward Boguslawski, Polish composer, dies at 62
- May 25 Jeremy Michael Ward, American musician (The Mars Volta), dies of a heroin overdose at 27
- May 27 Luciano Berio, Italian composer (Chemins), dies at 77
- May 28 Janet Collins, American ballerina, choreographer, and teacher, dies at 86
- May 30 Mickie Most [Michael Hayes], British record producer (Herman's Hermits; The Nashville Teens; Donovan; Lulu), dies of stomach cancer at 64
- Jun 2 Július Kowalski, Slovak composer, dies at 91
- Jun 5 Manuel Rosenthal, French composer and conductor, dies at 98
- Jun 6 Dave Rowberry, English rocker (The Animals -"House of the Rising Sun"), dies at 62
- Jun 11 William Marshall, American stage and screen actor, director, and operatic singer (Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman; Blacula; Scream Blacula Scream), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 78
- Jun 13 Harold Ashby, American jazz tenor saxophonist (Willie Dixon; Duke Ellington, 1968-75), dies at 78
- Jun 15 Momo "Wandel" Soumah, Guinean jazz and world music saxophonist and singer (Matchowé; Circus Baobob), dies at about 77 [b. 1926, exact birthday undocumented]
- Jun 19 Michael "Peanuts" Hucko, American big band jazz and session clarinetist (Glenn Miller's Army-Air Force Band; Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 85
- Jul 1 Herbie Mann, American jazz flutist ("Hijack"; Push Push; Memphis Underground), dies at 73
- Jul 4 André Claveau, French pop singer (Eurovision, 1958 - "Dors, mon amour"), and actor, dies at 87
Barry White(1944-2003)
Jul 4 Americansinger ("Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe"; "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"), dies at 58
- Jul 6 (Clyde) "Skip" Battin, American bassist and singer-songwriter (The Byrds, 1970-73; The Flying Burrito Brothers, 1976-80 & 1984-86), dies of complications from Alzheimer's disease at 69
- Jul 7 Izhak Graziani, Bulgarian-born conductor (b. 1924)
- Jul 8 Kunio Toda, Japanese composer, dies at 87
- Jul 12 (Bennett) "Benny" Carter, American Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, arranger, composer ("Harlem Renaissance Suite"), and bandleader, dies at 93
- Jul 13 Compay Segundo [Máximo Muñoz-Telles], Cuban trova guitarist, singer, and composer (Buena Vista Social Club), dies at 95
- Jul 15 Elisabeth Welch, American born British-based singer ("Stormy Weather", "Over the Moon"), and actress, dies at 99
- Jul 16 Celia Cruz, Cuban-American Grammy Award-winning guaracha, salsa, and bolero singer (La Sonora Matancera, 1950-65), known as 'the Queen of Salsa', dies of cancer at 77
- Jul 17 Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist (Bach & Rock), dies at 88
- Jul 25 Erik Brann [Braunn], American violin prodigy and rock guitarist (Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"), dies of congenital heart disease at 52
- Jul 27 Artie Anton, American jazz drummer, conguero, and timbalero (Stan Kenton, Jimmy Guiffre), dies at 79
- Jul 30 Sam Phillips, American record producer and founder of Sun Records and Sun Studios, dies at 80
- Aug 2 Don Estelle [Ronald Edwards], British actor and singer ("It Ain't Half Hot Mum"), dies at 70
- Aug 3 (John) Roger Voudouris, American singer and songwriter (Get Used To It), dies of liver disease at 48
- Aug 8 Maki Ishii, Japanese composer, dies at 66
- Aug 9 Chester Ludgin, American operatic baritone (New York City Opera, 1957-91; San Francisco Opera, 1962-85), dies of cancer at 78[1]
- Aug 9 Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (White Nights; Taps), dies of liver cancer at 57
- Aug 10 Bill Perkins, American cool jazz tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Stan Kenton; Bud Shank; The Tonight Show Band, 1970-82), and recording engineer, dies of cancer at 79
- Aug 10 Carmita Jiménez, Puerto Rican singer (Tierra Rica"; "La Vida En Rosa"), dies of cancer at 64
- Aug 13 Ed Townsend, American doo-wop singer, songwriter, and producer ("For Your Love"; Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On"), dies at 73
- Aug 15 Gösta Sundqvist, Finnish songwriter and singer (Leevi and the Leavings), dies of a heart attack at 43
- Aug 16 Andrew Pryce Jackman, British progressive rock keyboardist, arranger and composer, dies of a heart attack at 67
- Aug 18 Tony Jackson, British bass player (The Searchers, 1962-64 - "Sugar And Spice"), dies from a combination of diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver at 65
- Aug 21 Wesley Willis, American underground singer-songwriter, and visual artist, dies of leukemia at 40
- Aug 22 Imperio Argentina [María Magdalena Nile], Argentinian-Spanish singer and actress, dies at 92
- Aug 26 Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, dies at 72
- Aug 26 Wilma Burgess, American country-pop singer (Baby; Misty Blue), dies of a heart attack at 64
- Aug 31 Jaap Geraedts, Dutch composer, dies at 79
- Sep 2 Bruce Waibel, American touring and session rock bassist (Gregg Allman; Firehouse), takes his own life at 45
- Sep 3 (Rebert) R. H. Harris, American gospel singer (The Soul Stirrers), dies at 84
- Sep 4 Lola Bobesco, Romanian-born violinist (b. 1921)
- Sep 4 Susan Chilcott, English operatic soprano, dies of breast cancer at 40
- Sep 4 Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and orchestra leader (Ripley's Game), dies at 82
- Sep 5 Gisele MacKenzie [LaFlèche], Canadian singer and actress (Your Hit Parade), dies at 76
- Sep 5 Ian Hunter, British impresario of classical music, dies at 84
- Sep 7 Warren Zevon, American rock singer-songwriter and musician ("Werewolves of London"; "Lawyers, Guns and Money"; "Excitable Boy"), dies of pleural mesothelioma at 56
Johnny Cash(1932-2003)
Sep 12 Americancountry singer ("I Walk the Line"; "Ring of Fire"; "A Boy Named Sue"), dies at 71
- Sep 14 John Serry, Sr., American classical, jazz, and bolero accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator, dies at 88
- Sep 15 Jack Brymer, British classical clarinetist (Royal Philharmonic; BBC Symphony; London Symphony), and teacher, dies at 88
- Sep 16 Sheb Wooley, American vocalist (Purple People Eater, Hee Haw), dies at 82
- Sep 17 Ljubica Marić, Serbian composer (Songs Of Space; Octoïcha), pianist, and pedagogue, dies at 94
- Sep 19 Anatoly Bogatyrev, Belarusian composer, dies at 90
- Sep 19 Johnny Best, American big band jazz and session trumpeter (Artie Shaw; Glenn Miller), dies at 89
- Sep 19 Slim Dusty [David Kirkpatrick], Australian country music singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 76
- Sep 21 Tom Glazer, American folk singer and songwriter (Because All Men Are Brothers; A Dollar Ain't A Dollar Anymore), dies at 88
- Sep 24 Rosalie Allen, American country singer, yodeler, and disc jockey, dies of congestive heart failure at 79
- Sep 26 Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter, Austrian organist and composer, dies at 67
- Sep 26 Robert Palmer, English rock singer-songwriter ("Addicted To Love"; The Power Station), dies of a heart attack at 54
- Sep 26 Shawn Lane, American session rock, jazz, and world fusion guitarist, dies of lung issues at 40
- Sep 27 Donald O'Connor, American dancer and actor (Singin' in the Rain), dies at 78
- Sep 27 Paul Burlison, American rockabilly musician (The Rock N Roll Trio), dies at 74
- Sep 30 Ronnie Dawson, American rockabilly guitarist (Rockabilly Hall of Fame, 1998), dies of cancer at 64[1]
- Oct 1 (Greig) "Chubby" Jackson, American big band jazz double-bassist, bandleader, and TV host, dies at 84
- Oct 7 Arthur Berger, American composer (Ideas of Order), music critic, and educator (Brandeis, 1953-80; New England Conservatory of Music, 1980-99), dies at 91
- Oct 10 Eugene Istomin, American concert pianist (Leventritt Award, 1943; Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio), dies of liver cancer at 77
- Oct 12 Ram Gopal, Indian-English dancer (Blue Peter, Purple Plain), dies at 90
- Oct 21 (Steven) Elliott Smith, American Academy Award nominated singer-songwriter (Good Will Hunting - "Miss Misery"), dies of suspected self-inflicted stab wounds at 34[1]
- Oct 23 Tony Capstick, English actor, comedian, and musician. dies of an aneurysm at 59
- Oct 25 Robert Strassburg, American composer, conductor and educator (Leaves of Grass: A Choral Symphony), dies at 88
- Oct 26 Roberto Garcia Morillo, Argentine composer and music critic, dies at 92
- Oct 29 Franco Corelli, Italian tenor, dies after suffering a stroke at 82
- Oct 30 Abel Ehrlich, Israeli composer, dies at 88
- Oct 31 Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian Carnatic vocalist, dies at 95
- Nov 1 Joji "George" Kawaguchi Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, dies at 76
- Nov 1 Kent Kennan, American composer, dies at 90
- Nov 5 Bobby Hatfield, American singer (Righteous Brothers - "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), dies of acute cocaine toxicity at 63
- Nov 6 Hallvard Johnsen, Norwegian flautist, and composer, dies at 87
- Nov 8 Guy Speranza, American heavy metal singer (Riot, 1975-81), dies of pancreatic cancer at 47
- Nov 12 Tony Thompson, American session and touring drummer (Chic; LaBelle; The Power Station), dies of renal cancer at 48
- Nov 14 Gene Anthony Ray, American dancer and actor (Fame - "Leroy"), dies from complications of a stroke at 41
- Nov 15 (Wesley) "Speedy" West, American, Country Music Hall of Fame steel guitar player, and record producer, dies at 79
- Nov 15 Dorothy Loudon, American actress and singer (Annie), dies of cancer at 78
- Nov 17 Arthur Conley, American singer ("Sweet Soul Music"), dies of intestinal cancer at 57
- Nov 17 Don Gibson, American country musician ("Sweet Dreams"), dies at 75
- Nov 17 Surjit Bindrakhia [Bains], Punjabi Bhangra singer ("Lakk Tunoo Tunoo"; "Dupatta Tera Satrang Da"), dies of cardiac arrest at 41
- Nov 18 Michael Kamen, American composer and arranger (film scores to Brazil and Mr. Holland's Opus; Pink Floyd), dies from a heart attack at 55
- Nov 19 Greg Ridley, British rock bassist (Spooky Tooth; Humble Pie), dies of pneumonia at 56
- Nov 21 Teddy Randazzo, American pop singer-songwriter (I'm on the Outside Looking In), dies at 68
- Nov 26 Meyer Kupferman, American composer (Infinites), clarinetist, and educator (Sarah Lawrence College, 1951-94), dies of heart failure at 76[1]
- Nov 26 Soulja Slim [James Adarryl Tapp Jr.], American rapper (Slow Motion), shot to death by an assailant at 26
- Nov 27 Riccardo Malipiero, Italian pianist, composer, critic, and educator, dies at 89
- Dec 5 Yehoshua Lakner, Israeli pianist, composer (Circles and Signals; Cornerstones), and teacher, dies at 79
- Dec 6 Hans Hotter, German operatic bass-baritone, dies at 94
- Dec 8 Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1919)
- Dec 16 Gary Stewart, American country singer (She's Actin' Single), commits suicide by shooting himself in the neck at 59
- Dec 22 Dave Dudley, American country singer (Six Days on the Road), dies at 75
- Dec 22 Rose Hill, British actress and operatic soprano ('Allo 'Allo!, Nicholas Nickleby, Shot in the Dark), dies at 89
- Dec 26 Ivan Petrov [Krauze], Russian-Soviet operatic bass (Bolshoi Theatre, 1942-70), and educator, dies at 83
- Dec 30 Anita Mui, Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress, "Madonna of the East", dies of cancer at 40
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