- 1779 Manuel Jeronimo Romero de Avila, Spanish theorist and composer, dies at 62
- 1792 Joseph Martin Kraus, composer, dies at 36
- 1816 Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz, Bohemian aristocrat and composer, dies at 44
- 1822 Ferenc Verseghy, Hungarian poet and composer, dies at 65
- 1861 Gualtiero Sanelli, composer, dies at 45
- 1892 Charles Balmer, German composer, dies at 75
- 1901 Elias Álvares Lobo, Brazilian composer, dies at 67
- 1909 Francisco Tarrega y Eixea, composer, dies at 57
Fats Waller
1943 Fats Waller [Thomas Wright], American jazz singer and composer (Ain't Misbehavin', Hot Chocolate), dies at 39
Fats Waller
Glenn Miller
1944 Glenn Miller, American bandleader and jazz composer (Glenn Miller Orchestra-In the Mood), dies in a suspected plane crash at 40
Glenn Miller
- 1946 Gordon Frederic Norton, composer, dies at 77
- 1950 Robert Müller-Hartmann, German composer, dies at 66
- 1953 Kishio Hirao, composer, dies at 46
- 1972 Herbert Eimert, German composer (Glockenspiel), dies at 75
- 1973 Orest Alexandrovich Evlahkov, composer, dies at 61
- 1974 Erich Walter Sternberg, composer, dies at 83
- 1975 Mukhtar Ashrafi, Soviet-Uzbek composer, dies at 63
- 1984 Jan Peerce, [Perelmuth], operatic tenor, dies at 80 following a stroke
- 1986 Serge Lifar, Russian-French dancer, choreographer (Paris Opera Ballet), dies at 81
- 1994 Hans de Jong, musician and conductor (Amsterdams Vrouwenkoor), dies at 86
- 1994 Harry Tobias, American songwriter, dies at 99
- 1995 James Geoffrey Cutcliffe Hepburn, tap-dancer/socialist, dies at 88
- 1998 Jan Meyerowitz, German-American composer, dies at 85
- 2001 Rufus Thomas [Mr. Swing], American musician (Do the Funky Chicken), dies at 84
- 2014 Ray Steadman-Allen, English composer, dies at 92
December in History
Great Balls of Fire! The 'Bride' is 13
Jerry Lee Lewis leapt to fame declaring there was ‘A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On’. His fans were certainly shaken when told of his 13-year-old ‘bride’.
December 13, 1957Heartbreak and Tragedy for Captain Scott
Beaten to the South Pole by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen on this day, only despair and death awaited British explorer Captain Robert Scott.
December 14, 1911The Tower that Twice Defied Hitler
The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of France and twice managed to upstage Adolf Hitler. The man who built it, Gustave Eiffel was born on this day.
December 15, 1832Melodrama at Theatre Leaves Actor Dead
One of England’s most popular actors arrived at the stage door on this day to prepare for another performance. He would never make it to the stage.
December 16, 1897
