Deaths in Music on December 16

  • 1673 Juan de Padilla, composer, dies at 68
  • 1781 Georg Simon Löhlein, German pianist and composer, dies at 56
  • 1783 Johann Adolf Hasse, Dutch operatic composer (Sesostrate), dies at 84
  • 1790 Ludwig August Lebrun, German composer, dies at 38
  • 1816 Vincenzo Galeotti, [Tomazelli], Italian dancer/choreographer, dies at 73
  • 1833 Friedrich August Kanne, Austrian-German composer, dies at 55
  • 1852 Henri-Jean Rigel, composer, dies at 80
  • 1861 Karol Joseph Lipinski, composer, dies at 71
  • 1870 Stanisław Duniecki, Polish composer, dies at 31
  • 1914 Ivan Zajc, Croatian composer and conductor, dies at 82
  • 1921 Camille Saint-Saens, French composer (Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso), dies at 86
  • 1923 Kacsóh Pongrác, Hungarian composer, dies at 50
  • 1927 Hugh Archibald Clarke, composer, dies at 88
  • 1940 William Wallace, Scottish composer, dies at 80
  • 1950 Otto Vrieslander, German composer, dies at 70
  • 1961 Boris Semyonovich Shekhter, composer, dies at 61

  • 1961 Cato Engelen-Sewing, Dutch soprano singer, prima donna, dies at 93
  • 1965 Tito Schipa [Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa], Italian tenor/composer (La Rondine), dies at 77
  • 1978 Blanche Calloway, American singer/dancer/radio hostess, dies at 76
  • 1988 Sylvester [James Jr], American singer-songwriter (Do Ya Wanna Funk), dies of complications from HIV and AIDS at 41
  • 1991 Fred Scott, American vocalist and actor (Melody of the Plains, Vincent Lopez), dies at 89
  • 1994 Samuel Lipman, American pianist and music critic, dies of leukemia at 60
  • 1995 Nina Verchinina, dancer choreographer/teacher, dies at 85
  • 1997 Nicolette Larson, rock vocalist (Twins, Lotta Love), dies from brain seizure at 45
  • 2001 Stuart Adamson, Scottish rock vocalist and guitarist (The Skids, Big Country), dies at 43
  • 2003 Gary Stewart, American country singer (She's Actin' Single), commits suicide by shooting himself in the neck at 59
  • 2006 Taliep Petersen, South African singer and composer (b. 1950)
  • 2006 Pnina Salzman, Israeli pianist (b. 1922)
  • 2007 Dan Fogelberg, American singer/songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2013 Ray Price, American singer, dies from pancreatic cancer at 87
  • 2015 Aafje Heynis, Dutch singer (contralto), dies at 91
  • 2017 Keely Smith [Dorothy Keely], American jazz and popular music singer (Mrs Louie Prima), dies from heart failure at 89

December in History