- Jan 1 Del Reeves, American country music singer, dies at 74
- Jan 1 Julius Hegyi, American conductor, dies at 83
- Jan 1 Tad Jones, American jazz music historian, dies at 54
- Jan 3 Janos Furst, Hungarian orchestral conductor (b. 1935)
- Jan 6 "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow, American country-rock session and touring pedal-steel guitarist (Flying Burrito Brothers; George Harrison, Jackson Browne), dies at 72
- Jan 7 Lou Brown, American orchestra leader (Jerry Lewis Show), dies at 94
- Jan 11 (Aurea) "Puch" Balseiro, Puerto Rican bolero and filin singer-songwriter and guitarist, dies at 80
- Jan 12 Alice Coltrane [née McLeod], American jazz harp, piano, and organ player (Journey in Satchidananda), dies of respiratory failure at 69
- Jan 13 Doyle Holly, American comedian and musician (Buckaroos), dies at 70
- Jan 13 Michael Brecker, American jazz saxophonist (Brecker Brothers), dies at 57
- Jan 16 Thornton James "Pookie" Hudson, American vocalist (The Spaniels- "Goodnite Sweetheart Goodnite"), dies of cancer at 72
- Jan 18 Brent Liles, American rock bassist (Agent Orange, 1981-84; Social Distortion, 1988-92), dies after being hit by a truck while cycling at 43
- Jan 19 Denny Doherty, Canadian musician, singer, songwriter (The Mamas and The Papas - "California Dreamin'"), dies from abdominal aortic aneurysm at 66
- Jan 19 Murat Nasyrov, Russian singer and composer, dies at 37
- Jan 28 Karel Svoboda, Czech pianist, composer of popular songs and television music, dies of suspected suicide at 68
- Jan 31 (Kirill) "Kirka" Babitzin, Finnish pop-rock singer ("Hetki Lyö" (Beat the Clock)), dies at 56
- Feb 1 Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian pianist, librettist, and composer (Amahl & Night Visitors), and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, dies at 95
- Feb 1 Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dance choreographer, dies at 70
- Feb 1 Whitney Balliett, American jazz critic, dies of cancer at 80
- Feb 2 Billy Henderson, American pop and R&B singer (The Spinners, 1954-2004 - "The Rubberband Man"), dies from complications of diabetes at 67
- Feb 2 Eric von Schmidt, American folk/blues singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
- Feb 2 Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of Motown's house band - The Funk Brothers (1959-64), dies at 79
- Feb 3 Pedro Knight, Cuban-American trumpeter, husband and manager of legendary singer Celia Cruz, dies from complications of diabetes at 85
- Feb 4 Barbara McNair, American singer ("Till There Was You") and actress (They Call Me MR. Tibbs), dies of throat cancer at 72
- Feb 4 Colin Romoff, American orchestra leader (Andy Williams Show), dies at 82
- Feb 6 Frankie Laine [Francesco Paolo LoVecchio], American singer ("Jezebel"; "Rawhide"; "Blazing Saddles"), songwriter ("We'll Be Together Again"), and actor (Bring Your Smile Along), dies of heart failure at 93
- Feb 7 Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz and session drummer, and bandleader, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 82
- Feb 9 Louis Ballard [Honganózhe], Native American composer and educator (The Four Moons), dies at 75
- Feb 12 Eldee Young, American jazz upright bassist (Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1956-66 'The In Crowd"; Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"), dies of a heart attack at 71
- Feb 12 Peggy Gilbert, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
- Feb 14 Gareth Morris, British flautist (b. 1920)
- Feb 15 Ray Evans, American lyricist ("To Each His Own"; "Mona Lisa"; "Silver Bells"; "Mister Ed"), dies at 92
- Feb 17 Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter (b. 1943)
- Feb 19 Celia Franca, Canadian ballet dancer, founder of National Ballet of Canada, dies at 85
- Feb 19 Janet Blair [Martha Janet Lafferty], American singer and actress (Leave it to the Girls; Smith Family), dies of pneumonia at 85
- Feb 22 Edgar Evans, Welsh tenor (Covent Garden Opera Company), dies at 94
- Feb 22 Ian Wallace, British session and touring rock and jazz drummer (King Crimson, 1971-72; Bob Dylan, 1977-78; Crimson Jazz Trio, 2005-07), dies of esophageal cancer at 60
- Feb 23 Donnie Brooks, American singer (b. 1936)
- Feb 24 Leroy Jenkins, American jazz violinist, avant-garde jazz and contemporary classical composer, dies of lung cancer at 73
- Feb 25 Mark Spoelstra, American folk singer and songwriter, dies at 66
- Feb 27 Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer and bandleader, dies of Alzheimer's disease at 82
- Feb 28 Billy Thorpe, British-Australian musician (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs - "I Told The Brook", "Mashed Potato"; solo - "Children of the Sun"), dies of a heart attack at 60
- Mar 1 Joel Brodsky, American photographer, credited with photographing over 400 album covers, dies of a heart attack at 67 [1]
- Mar 4 Natalie Bodanya [Bodanskaya], American soprano, dies at 98
- Mar 4 Richard Joseph, British computer and video game soundtrack composer, dies of lung cancer at 53
- Mar 4 Tadeusz Nalepa, Polish rock and blues composer, guitar player, vocalist and lyricist, dies at 63
- Mar 7 Frigyes Hidas, Hungarian composer, and musical director (Hungarian National Theater, 1951-66; Budapest Operetta, 1974-79). dies at 78
- Mar 9 Brad Delp, American rock musician (lead singer of Boston and RTZ), commits suicide at 55
- Mar 11 Betty Hutton [Elizabeth June Thornburg], American actress, dancer, singer and comedian (Greatest Show on Earth), dies of colon cancer a 86
- Mar 17 Roger Bennett, American Southern Gospel performer (b. 1959)
- Mar 18 Alec Wyton, English-born American composer, dies at 85
- Mar 19 Luther Ingram, American soul singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
- Apr 3 Zoltan Pongracz, Hungarian composer (Mariphonia), dies at 95
- Apr 5 Mark St. John [Norton], American rock guitarist (KISS, April- November, 1984), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 51
- Apr 10 Dakota Staton, American jazz singer ("Where Flamingos Fly"; "Sex Is A Misdemeanor"), dies at 76
- Apr 14 Don Ho, Hawaiian-American pop and Hawaiian music singer ("Tiny Bubbles"; "Ain't No Big Thing!"), dies of heart failure at 76
- Apr 20 Andrew Hill, American jazz pianist, composer and educator, dies at 75
- Apr 21 Lobby Loyde [John Lyde], Australian rock guitarist and songwriter (The Purple Heart; Wild Cherries; Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs), dies at 65
- Apr 25 Bobby "Boris" Pickett, American singer-songwriter ("Monster Mash"), dies from leukemia at 69
- Apr 27 Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor, dies at 80
- Apr 28 Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist & bandleader (The Tonight Show), dies at 78
- Apr 30 Grégory Lemarchal, French pop singer, dies of health complications while waiting for a lung transplant at 23
- Apr 30 Zoletta "Zola" Taylor, American pop singer (The Platters, 1954-62 - "The Great Pretender"; "Only You"; "Twilight Time"), dies at 69
- May 3 Ellsworth Milburn, American composer and educator (Menil Antiphons), dies of complications from pneumonia at 69
- May 6 Đorđe Novković, Croatian pop singer-songwriter (Pro Arte), and television personality (Hrvatski Idol), dies at 63
- May 7 Bianco [Eugene Capobianco], American jazz, easy-listening, and session harpist, dies at 80
- May 8 Carson Whitsett, American session keyboard player and songwriter ("Don't Give Up On Me"), dies of brain cancer at 62
- May 9 Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer, dies at 87
- May 16 Albert Delvaux, Belgian composer (Symphonia Burlesca), dies at 93
- May 18 Yoyoy Villame, Philippine novelty singer & movie actor, dies at 74
- May 27 Gretchen Wyler, American actress, dancer (Silk Stockings), and animal rights activist, dies at 75
- May 27 Izumi Sakai, Japanese pop singer (Zard - "Makenaide (Please Don't Lose)"), dies from head injuries after a fall, while undergoing cancer treatments at 40
- Jun 1 Tony Thompson, American singer-songwriter in R&B group Hi-Five, dies at 31
- Jun 2 Kentaro Haneda, Japanese pianist, composer and arranger for film, anime, and video games, dies of liver cancer at 58
- Jun 4 Freddie Scott, American singer and songwriter ("Cry To Me"), dies at 74
- Jun 8 Nellie Lutcher, American jazz and R&B singer, pianist, and songwriter (He's a Real Gone Guy), dies at 94
- Jun 13 Oskar Morawetz, Czech-Canadian composer (From the Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 90
- Jun 15 Richard Bell, Canadian musician (Full Tilt Boogie Band), dies of multiple myeloma at 61
- Jun 16 Pattie D'Arcy, American musical theater, session and touring vocalist (Cher), dies at 54
- Jun 17 Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (b. 1933)
- Jun 18 Georges Thurston, Canadian R&B and reggae musician and singer (Boule Noire), dies of cancer at 55
- Jun 18 Henry "Hank" Medress, American singer (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), and record producer (The Chiffons; Tony Orlando & Dawn), dies of lung cancer at 68
- Jun 19 Antonio Aguilar [Barraza], Mexican singer, producer and actor (Emiliano Zapata) who popularized the Mexican equestrian sport la charrería, dies of pneumonia at 88
- Jun 19 El Fary, Spanish singer and actor, dies at 69
- Jun 22 Derek Simpson, British cellist (Aeolian String Quartet, 1956-81; Beatles - "Strawberry Fields Forever), and teacher, dies at 79
- Jun 24 Natasja Saad, Danish hip hop and reggae artist, dies at 32
- Jun 25 Mahasti, Persian singer (b. 1946)
- Jun 25 Nina Vyroubova, Russian-French ballerina (Pavlova-prize 1957), dies at 86
- Jun 29 George McCorkle, American guitarist (Marshall Tucker Band), dies of cancer at 59
- Jul 2 Beverly Sills [Belle Miriam Silverman], American operatic soprano, dies of lung cancer at 78
- Jul 2 Git Gay [Birgit Carp], Swedish revue director, actress and singer (Git Gay Show, Ge mig en lektion i kärlek), dies at 85
- Jul 3 (Homer) "Boots" Randolph, American session saxophonist ("Yakety Sax"), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 80
- Jul 4 Barış Akarsu, Turkish rock musician ("Gözlerin"/ "Your Eyes"), and actor (My Lying Lover), dies of injuries sustained in a car accident at 28
- Jul 4 Bill Pinkney, American bass vocalist (Drifters - "Ruby Baby"), dies of a heart attack at 81
- Jul 5 George Melly, British jazz & blues singer, journalist, and art critic, dies of lung cancer and emphysema at 80
- Jul 5 Régine Crespin, French operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1962-87), dies of liver cancer at 80
- Jul 8 Jindřich Feld, Czech composer (Concerto for Flute and Orchestra), dies at 82
- Jul 11 Ferhunde Erkin (née Remzi) Turkish concert pianist and pedagogue, dies at 98
- Jul 11 Rod Lauren, American rocker ("If I Had a Girl"), commits suicide at 66
- Jul 12 Robert Burås, Norwegian rock guitarist (Madrugada; My Midnight Creeps), dies at 31
- Jul 13 Ilja Zeljenka, Slovak composer (Oświęcim), dies at 74
- Jul 13 Zdeněk Lukáš, Czech composer, dies at 78
- Jul 15 Kelly Johnson, English guitarist, dies at 49
- Jul 18 Jerry Hadley, American opera singer, dies of an air rifle inflicted brain injury at 55
- Jul 20 Ivor Emmanuel, Welsh singer and actor (Zulu, Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate), dies of a stroke at 79
- Jul 20 Tammy Faye Bakker (Messner), American Christian singer and former wife of Jim Bakker (The PTL Club), dies at 65
- Jul 23 Ron Miller, American songwriter and record producer (b. 1933)
- Jul 29 Art Davis, American bassist (A Time Remembered), dies of a heart attack at 72
- Aug 1 Tommy Makem, Irish folk singer, dies of lung cancer at 74
- Aug 4 Lee Hazlewood, American country singer and songwriter ("Summer Wine"; "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"), dies of renal cancer at 78
- Aug 6 Teizo Matsumura, Japanese composer ("Chinmoku / Silence"; "Hymn to Aurora") and haiku poet, dies at 78
- Aug 6 Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian rock guitarist (Bikini; Omen; Carpathia Project Tirana Rockers; solo), dies at 38
- Aug 10 Tony Wilson, British music personality, record label owner and radio broadcaster, dies of a heart attack at 57
- Aug 13 Tudor Jarda, Romanian composer, dies at 85
- Aug 14 Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov, Soviet composer and leader of the Union of Soviet Composer, dies at 94
- Aug 15 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, dies at 80
- Aug 15 Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (Canadian Opera Company, 1989-2007), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Aug 16 Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
- Aug 27 Douglas "Doug" Riley [Dr Music], Canadian musician and musical director (Famous People Players), dies of a heart attack at 62
- Sep 2 David "Fritz" Fryer, British pop guitarist and songwriter (The Four Pennies -"Juliet"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 62
- Sep 2 Rajae Belmlih, Moroccan singer, dies of breast cancer at 45
- Sep 3 Carter Albrecht, American musician, dies in a gun accident at 34
- Sep 3 Janis Martin, American rockabilly and country singer ("Will You Willyum"; "Drugstore Rock 'n Roll"), dies of cancer at 67
- Sep 5 Thomas Hansen (musician) (b. 1976)
Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)
Sep 6 Italian operatic tenor (Oh Giorgio; The Three Tenors), dies at 71
- Sep 9 Hughie Thomasson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Outlaws - "Green Grass and High Tides"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1996-2005), dies of a heartt attack at 55
- Sep 11 [Josef] Joe Zawinul, Austrian-American jazz keyboardist, composer and musician (Weather Report - "Birdland"), dies from Merkel cell carcinoma at 75
- Sep 15 Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist, composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor, dies at 79
- Sep 15 Gordon "Specs" Powell, American jazz and studio drummer and percussionist (Red Norvo; Teddy Wilson; CBS Orchestra, 1943-72), dies of kidney disease at 85
- Sep 16 Jean Balissat, Swiss composer pedagogue and conductor (Kaleidoscope for trumpet and percussion), dies at 71
- Sep 18 Pepsi Tate [Huw Smith], Welsh glam-rock bassist (Tigertailz), dies of pancreatic cancer at 42
- Sep 20 Juraj Pospíšil, Czech composer (November Triptych), and pedagogue (Bratislavia Conservatory, 1955-91), dies at 76
- Sep 21 Alice Ghostley, American stage and screen actress (Bewitched, 1969-72 - "Esmeralda"; Designing Women, 1986-93 - "Bernice"), and singer dies of colon cancer and stroke complications at 84
- Sep 26 Dorothy Schwartz, American violinist (Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra), dies at 94
- Oct 1 Ronnie Hazlehurst, English conductor and TV theme song composer (Are You Being Served?), dies at 79
- Oct 2 (Elfriede) "Elfi" von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American opera singer, pianist, vocal coach, and film producer, dies of heart failure at 83
- Oct 6 Eric McCredie, Scottish pop bassist (Middle Of The Road - "Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep Cheep"), dies at 62
- Oct 6 Laza [Lazar] Ristovski, Serbian keyboardist (Smak and Bijelo Dugme), dies from multiple sclerosis at 51
- Oct 11 Werner von Trapp, Austrian singer (Trapp Family Singers), dies at 91
- Oct 13 Tom Dawes, American rock musician and composer who wrote music for commercial jingles ("Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” for Alka-Seltzer and “7Up, the Uncola”), dies at 64
- Oct 14 Big Moe [Kenneth Doniell Moore], American rapper (Screwed Up Click), dies of a heart attack at 33
- Oct 16 Toše Proeski, Macedonian pop music singer-songwriter and musician, dies in a car crash in Croatia at 26
- Oct 17 Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer (Put Another Nickel In), dies at 76
- Oct 18 Kumiko Ida, Japanese classical pianist, dies of meningitis at 38
- Oct 18 Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician, killed by carjackers at 43
- Oct 19 Yolanda "LaLa" Brown, American R&B singer, shot and killed by an unknown gunman at a Milwaukee recording studio at 21
- Oct 20 Paul Raven, British bass-player (Killing Joke, Ministry), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Oct 21 Paul Fox, English musician and singer (The Ruts), dies at 56
- Oct 24 Petr Eben, Czech organ composer (b. 1929)
- Oct 28 Porter Wagoner, American country singer, discovered Dolly Parton ("Y'All Come"; "A Satisfied Mind"), dies of lung cancer at 80
- Oct 30 Linda Stein, Ramones manager and real estate broker, murdered by her personal assistant at 62
Robert Goulet (1933-2007)
Oct 30 American Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, stage and screen actor (Camelot - ""If Ever I Would Leave You"), dies of pulmonary fibrosis at 73
- Nov 2 Witold Kiełtyka, Polish heavy metal drummer (Decapitated), dies in a tour bus crash at 23
- Nov 6 Hank Thompson, American country music singer (The Brazos Valley Boys), dies at 82
- Nov 11 John Peterson, American drummer (the Beau Brummels), dies at 65
- Nov 14 Mauro Bortolotti, Italian composer, dies at 80
- Nov 16 Grethe Kausland, Norwegian actress and singer (b. 1947)
- Nov 19 Kevin DuBrow, American heavy metal singer (Quiet Riot), dies of an overdose at 53
- Nov 27 Cecil Payne, American jazz baritone saxophonist, dies of prostrate cancer at 84
- Nov 29 Tom Terrell, American musicologist, NPR reviewer and deejay, dies at 57
- Dec 4 Friedrich Zehm, German pianist and composer, dies at 85
- Dec 4 Pimp C. [Chad Butler], American rapper (Underground Kingz), dies of overuse of prescription cough syrup and sleep apnea at 33
- Dec 5 Andrew Imbrie, American contemporary classical composer, and pianist, dies at 86
- Dec 5 Karlheinz Stockhausen, German classical and electronic music composer, dies at 79
- Dec 6 András Szőllősy, Hungarian composer, and musicologist (cataloged works of Béla Bartók), dies at 86
- Dec 10 Robert Moevs, American composer, dies at 87
- Dec 11 Christie Hennessy, Irish singer (b. 1945)
- Dec 12 Ike Turner, American musician ("Rocket 88"; Ike and Tina Turner - "A Fool in Love"; "Proud Mary"), dies of cocaine overdose at 76
- Dec 14 Ernő Király, Yugoslavian composer and ethnomusicologist, dies at 88
- Dec 16 Dan Fogelberg, American rocker (Same Old Lang Syne), dies at 56
- Dec 16 Harald Genzmer, German composer, dies at 98
- Dec 22 Joe Ames, American singer and actor (The Ames Brothers Show), dies at 86
Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)
Dec 23 Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), dies of kidney failure at 82
- Dec 25 Hans Otte, German composer and pianist (The Book of Sounds, Book of Hours), dies at 81
- Dec 25 Mighty King Kong, Kenyan reggae musician. (b. 1973)
- Dec 26 Joe Dolan, Irish singer and entertainer (b. 1943)
- Dec 28 Jiří Pauer, Czech composer, dies at 88
- Dec 31 Markku Peltola, Finnish actor (The Man Without A Past), and art-rock bassist and singer (Motelli Skronkle), dies at 51