Today's Deaths in Music
- 1786 Henri-Jacques de Croes, Flemish composer and violinist, dies at 80
- 1799 Vincenzo Manfredini, Italian harpsichordist, composer, and music theorist, dies at 61
- 1831 Eduard Brendler, Swedish composer, dies at 30
- 1870 Edmund Passy, Swedish composer, dies at 80
- 1910 Charles Lenepveu, French composer, dies at 69
- 1911 Karl Munzinger, composer, dies at 68
- 1929 Frank Valentine der Stucken, American-Belgian composer, dies at 70
Robert Johnson
1938 Robert Johnson, US Delta-blues singer/guitarist, poisoned at 27
- 1944 Roman Padlewski, Polish violinist and composer, dies at 28
- 1945 Nico Richter, Dutch composer, dies at 29
- 1959 Pedro Humberto Allende Saron, Chilean composer (Tonados), dies at 74
- 1959 Wanda Landowska, Polish-French harpsichordist (Musique Ancienne), dies at 80
- 1965 Vasily Petrovich Shirinsky, composer, dies at 64
- 1968 Luis Gianneo, Argentine pianist, organist, conductor, composer, and teacher, dies at 71
- 1968 (Robert) "Cutty" Cutshall, American jazz trombonist (Benny Goodman Orchestra; Eddie Condon), dies at 66
- 1972 John Barnes Chance, American composer, dies at 39
Elvis Presley
1977 Elvis Presley, American musician, dies at Graceland at 42, with the official cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia
- 1984 György Kósa, Hungarian composer, dies at 87
- 1986 John Hurley, songwriter (Son of a Preacher Man), dies at 45
- 1986 Werner Fussan, German composer (Heiteres Aquarium) and educator, dies at 73
- 1988 Milton Adolphus, composer, dies at 75
- 1992 Mark Heard, Christian musician, dies at 41 of a heart attack
- 1995 Robert "Robby" Debarge, R&B Musician, dies at 36
- 1997 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani qawwal (Sufi devotional music) vocalist, and composer, dies of cardiac arrest at 48
- 2000 Alan Caddy, English musician (The Tornados), dies at 60
- 2003 Andrew Pryce Jackman, British progressive rock keyboardist, arranger and composer, dies of a heart attack at 67
- 2005 Vassar Clements, American musician (b. 1928)
- 2005 Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (b. 1943)
- 2006 Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish musician (Dissection), dies at 31
- 2007 Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
- 2008 Ronnie Drew, Irish singer (The Dubliners), dies at 73
- 2008 Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer and songwriter (b. 1914)
- 2008 Lucrecia Roces Kasilag, Filipino composer and pianist (Bayanihan Dance Company), dies at 89
Aretha Franklin
2018 Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter known as "The Queen of Soul" (Respect) and first female performer inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987), dies of pancreatic cancer at 76