- Jan 2 Piotr Rytel, Polish composer, dies at 85
- Jan 5 Roberto Gerhard, Spanish Catalan composer (The Plague), dies of heart disease at 73
- Jan 15 Vytautas Bacevičius [Bacewicz], Lithuanian avant garde composer (Della Guerra Symphony), dies at 64
- Jan 17 Billy Stewart, American singer ("I Do Love You"), dies in auto-accident at 32
- Jan 17 Simon Kovar, Russian-American bassoonist (b. 1890)
- Jan 24 James "Shep" Shepherd, American R&B singer-songwriter (The Heartbeats - "One Thousand Miles"; Shep & Limelites - "Daddy's Home"), beaten to death in a robbery at 34
- Jan 25 Jane Bathori, French mezzo-soprano, dies at 92
- Jan 31 Slim Harpo [James Moore], American blues musician (I'm a King Bee, Baby Scratch My Back), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Feb 1 Blaz Arnic, Slovenian composer, dies at 69
- Feb 2 Dave Franklin, American composer (The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down), dies at 74
- Feb 2 Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor, dies at 76
- Feb 11 Emil Abranyi, Hungarian composer, conductor, and opera director, dies at 87
- Feb 12 André Souris, Belgian composer, dies at 79
- Feb 17 Alfred Newman, American film music arranger, conductor and composer, winner of 9 Academy Awards (The Robe; How The West Was Won; Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing), dies at 69
- Feb 20 Albert Louis Wolff, French conductor and composer, dies at 86
- Feb 26 Ethel Leginska [Liggins], British pianist, conductor, composer, and music educator, dies of a stroke at 83
- Mar 1 Lucille Hegamin, American singer & entertainer, dies at 75
- Mar 13 Rick Besoyan, American singer, actor, playwright, composer and director (Little Mary Sunshine), dies of internal hemorrhages at 45
- Mar 15 Mary Ann Ganser, American pop singer (The Shangri-Las - "Leader of the Pack"), dies of a drug overdose at 22
- Mar 16 Tammi Terrell, American soul singer (You're All I Need; with Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough), dies of a brain tumor at 24
- Mar 20 Manolis Chiotis, Greek bouzouki virtuoso and songwriter (b. 1920)
- Mar 21 Manolis Chiotis, Greek songwriter and musician (b. 1920)
- Apr 5 Jacob H "Jaap" Stotijn, Dutch oboist, and conductor (Residence Orchestra), dies at 78
- Apr 20 Shakeel Badayuni, Indian poet and lyricist, dies at 53
- Apr 21 Earl Hooker, American blues slide guitar player ("Blue Guitar"), dies of tuberculosis at 40
- Apr 24 Otis Spann, American blues pianist and singer (The Blues Never Die!), dies of liver cancer at 40 [or perhaps, 46; birth date disputed]
- Apr 30 Hall Johnson, American composer (Hall Johnson Choir), dies at 82
- May 3 Candelario Huízar, Mexican violist, horn player, and classical and canción composer ("Surco"), dies at 82
- May 7 Carlos Estrada, Uruguayan composer and conductor, dies at 60
- May 9 Percy Brier, Australian composer, dies at 84
- May 11 Johnny Hodges, American saxophonist, dies at 62
- Jun 10 Earl Grant, American pop pianist, organist, and singer ("Ebb Tide"; "Winter Wonderland"), dies in a car crash in New Mexico at 39
- Jun 16 Heino Eller, Estonian composer (Koit (Dawn); Videvik (Twilight)), pedagogue (Tallinn Conservatory, 1940 -70), and teacher of Arvo Pärt, dies at 83
- Jul 7 Louise Harrison, mother of Beatle George, dies at 59
- Jul 19 Barry Wood {Louis Rappaport], American singer (Your Hit Parade), and television producer, dies at 61
- Jul 23 Leith Stevens, American pianist, composer and conductor of scores for radio (Suspense), film (The Wild Ones; War of the Worlds), and television (Climax!), dies of a heart attack (upon learning his wife was killed in a car accident) at 60
- Jul 29 (Giovanni) "John" Barbirolli, British cellist, and conductor (New York Philharmonic, 1936-43; Hallé Orchestra, 1943-1970; Houston Symphony, 1961-67), dies of a heart attackat 70
- Jul 29 Jonel Perlea, Romanian opera conductor, dies at 69
- Jul 30 George Szell, Hungarian-born American conductor (Cleveland Orchestra, 1946-70), dies at 73
- Jul 31 Booker Ervin [Booker Telleferro Ervin II], American saxophonist (Charles Mingus), dies of kidney disease at 39
- Aug 5 Otto "Toby" Hardwicke, American jazz alto saxophone player (The Washingtonians, 1923-28; Duke Ellington Orchestra, 1932-46 - "Sophisticated Lady"; "In A Sentimental Mood"), dies at 66
- Aug 6 Ingolf Dahl [Marcus], German-American pianist and composer (Allegro and Arioso), dies at 56
- Aug 10 Bernd-Alois Zimmermann, German composer (The Soldiers Requiem), commits suicide at 52
- Aug 13 Viktor Trambitsky, Russian composer, dies at 75
- Aug 14 Vano Muradeli, Soviet Georgian composer (The Great Friendship; Our Leader), and pedagogue, dies at 62
- Aug 15 Karl August Andersen, Norwegian cellist and composer, dies at 66
- Aug 21 Timothy Mather Spelman, American composer, dies at 79
- Aug 22 Richard Frank Donovan, American organist, teacher, and composer (Smoek and Steel; Wood-Notes), dies at 78
- Aug 23 (Neeltje) "Nel" Roos, Dutch ballerina and dance teacher, dies of a heart attack at 55
- Sep 2 Kees van Baaren, Dutch composer (Hollow Men), dies at 63
- Sep 3 Alan Wilson, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Canned Heat), dies at 27
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
Sep 18 American rock guitarist ("Purple Haze"; "Vvoodoo Chile"; "The Wind Cries Mary"), dies from asphyxiation at 27
- Sep 23 Bourvil [André Robert Raimbourg], French actor and singer (Le Corniaud, La Grande Vadrouille), dies of Kahler's syndrome at 53
- Sep 25 Efim Golishev, Ukrainian painter and composer, dies at 73
- Oct 1 Hans Poser, German composer, dies at 52
- Oct 1 Petar Konjović, Serbian composer, dies at 87
- Oct 2 Alfred Swan, Russian composer, dies at 79
- Oct 2 Bo Linde, Swedish neo-classical composer, dies at 37
- Oct 4 George Frederick McKay, American composer, dies at 71
Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
Oct 4 American rock and blues singer-songwriter ("Piece of My Heart"; "Me and Bobby McGee"; "Mercedes Benz"),, dies of a heroin overdose at 27
- Oct 11 Anis Fuleihan, American composer, dies at 69
- Oct 13 Julia Culp, Dutch mezzo-soprano, dies at 90
- Oct 28 Baby Huey [James Ramey], American rock and soul singer (Baby Huey & Babysitters), dies of a drug-related heart attack at 26
- Oct 28 Eduardo López-Chávarri y Marco, Spanish composer, music critic and lawyer, dies at 99
- Nov 6 Agustín Lara, Mexican composer and one of the most popular songwriters of his era (Granada, Solamente Una Vez), dies at 73
- Nov 12 Gene Gifford American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and arranger (Jean Goldkette; Casa Loma Orchestra), dies at 62
- Nov 18 Hal Dickinson, American singer (Modernaires), dies at 56
- Nov 24 Evgeny Karlovich Tikotsky, composer, dies at 76
- Nov 29 Karl Ottó Runólfsson, Icelandic composer, dies at 70
- Nov 29 Robert Ruthenfranz, German composer, dies at 65
- Dec 14 Elmer Schoebel, American jazz pianist, arranger (New Orleans Rhythm Kings; Isham Jones), and composer ("Farewell Blues"; "Prince Of Wails"), dies at 73
- Dec 23 Mimi Benzell, American operatic soprano (Gilda-Rigoletto), dies at 52
- Dec 24 Gideon Nxumalo, South African jazz pianist, marimba player, and composer (Jazz Fantasia), dies at 41
- Dec 29 John de Mol, Dutch accordionist (Baantjer, Pril Geluk), dies at 58
- Dec 31 Cyril Scott, English composer and author (Alchemist), dies at 91