An alphabetical list of musicians and music industry figures who died in 2022.

• 23 Rackz (up-and-coming DMV rapper; murdered)
• 414 Lil Moe (Milwaukee rapper; murdered)
• Beegie Adair (Nashville jazz pianist)
• Gary H. Adams (guitarist for George Jones and Johnny Paycheck)
• Patrick Adams (disco/soul producer)
• Eric Alan (South African jazz radio presenter)
• Bob Albert (longtime owner of New Brunswick, N.J. rock club the Court Tavern)
• Cynthia Albritton aka Cynthia Plaster Claster (sculptor of plastic molds of rock stars’ naughty parts)
• Stu Allan (Manchester DJ/producer)
• Jerry Allison (Buddy Holly & the Crickets drummer)
• Ahmed Alshaiba (Yemeni oud player)
• Jane Alsobrook (music publicist turned film exec whose acquisitions included “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”)
• Bruce Anderson (MX-80 Sound guitarist)
• Rick Anderson (bassist, the Tubes)
• David Andersson (Swedish metal guitarist, Soilwork)
• Ernie Andrews (LA jazz and blues singer)
• Reggie Andrews (funk/R&B pianist, producer & songwriter)
• Nicholas Angelich (classical pianist who specialized in Germanic repertory)
• Stuart Anstis (Cradle of Filth guitarist)
• Jon Appleton (electronic composer and who collaborated on the design of the Synclavier synthesizer)
• Lawrence “Black” Ardoin (Creole accordionist)
• Brooks Arthur (producer/engineer best known for recording several ‘60s girl group classics)
• Aurai (Kachin singer killed in a Myanmar military attack on a music festival celebrating the rebel Kachin Independence Organisation)
• Baby Cino (aspiring Miami rapper; murdered)
• Angelo Badalamenti (songwriter & film composer celebrated for his work with David Lynch)
• Regina Baer (co-founder of Berlin techno club Tresor)
• Barry Bailey (Atlanta Rhythm Section guitarist)
• Chris Bailey (lead singer of pioneering Aussie punk-rockers the Saints)
• Gabe Baltazar (jazz saxophonist)
• Rollie Bands (Tampa, Fla., rapper; murdered)
• King Louie Bankston (singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, the Exploding Hearts, the Royal Pendletons, numerous other bands)
• Billy Bannister (Temptations road manager and emcee)
• Carlos Barbosa-Lima (Brazilian classical guitar virtuoso)
• J.J. Barnes (Detroit soul singer)
• John Barnes (session keyboardist & synth programmer, best known for his work with Michael Jackson)
• Jess Barr (Dallas club owner and guitarist for country-rock band Slobberbone)
• Mary Ellin Barrett (whose memoir of life with her father, Irving Berlin, shaped public opinion of him)
• Steffen Basho-Junghans (German acoustic guitarist/composer)
• Mbabila “Small” Batoh (Ghanaian funeral singer; Covid-19)
• Allen Becker (Texas live music promoter, Pace Concerts and Pace Entertainment Group)
• John Beckwith (Canadian composer)
• Randy Begg (drummer for Canadian rock band Wednesday)
• Daniel Belardinelli (half of the instrumental group Duomo, known for its work on “Bridgerton”)
• Michael Belfer (Bay Area punk guitarist, the Sleepers, Black Lab, Tuxedomoon)
• Luke Bell (country singer)
• Thom Bell (Philly soul songwriter/producer)
• Bernard Belle (new jack swing and gospel songwriter/producer)
• Jerry Bentley (Lee Greenwood’s longtime manager)
• Teresa Berganza (Spanish opera singer)
• Marilyn Bergman (lyricist for classic film and TV songs)
• Olav Berland (Norwegian black metal musician, Forgotten Woods, Joyless)
• Warren Bernhardt (jazz and pop pianist, Steps Ahead, Steely Dan)
• John Beug (longtime Warner Bros. exec who oversaw several classic music videos and produced music documentaries)
• BFG Straap (Dallas rapper; murdered)
• Guillaume Bideau (French metal singer, Mnemic, Scarve, One-Way Mirror)
• Big Scarr (Memphis rapper)
• Harrison Birtwistle (modernist British composer)
• Jet Black (Stranglers drummer)
• Black Stalin (calypso singer)
• Alan Blaikley (‘60s and ‘70s British songwriter)
• Pasha Bleasdell (model who starred in several videos including Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”)
• Eric Boehlert (media critic who got his start as an investigative reporter for Billboard & Rolling Stone)
• Ove Bosch (German bassist and bass teacher)
• Stephen “tWitch” Boss (dancer, actor and beloved in-house DJ on “Ellen”)
• Benjamin Bossi (Romeo Void saxophonist)
• Michael Bourne (longtime jazz radio DJ at Newark’s WBGO)
• Jane Bowers (flutist and musicologist)
• Sammy Boyd (New Jersey concert promoter)
• Jim Boyer (recording and mixing engineer)
• Jaimie Branch (jazz trumpeter/composer/visionary)
• Traci Braxton (singer and reality show star)
• Thom Bresh (country guitarist/singer)
• Todd Brodginski (rock publicist at MSO and his own company, Reckoning; also managed Art Garfunkel)
• Gary Brooker (Procol Harum singer)
• Boris Brott (Canadian conductor)
• Joyce Bryant (1940s and ‘50s singer, actress and civil rights activist)
• Jay Bulletproof (New Zealand drum and bass DJ/producer)
• Vernon Burch (‘70s and ‘80s R&B singer)
• D.L. Byron (power-pop singer/songwriter)
• Dennis Cahill (American-born, traditional Irish guitarist)
• Keenan Cahill (2010s YouTube lip sync star)
• Mira Calix (electronic producer and sound artist)
• Marciano Cantero (lead singer & bassist of Argentine rock icons Los Enanitos Verdes)
• Allison Canzanella (tour marketing exec, AEG, Madison House)
• Irene Cara (powerhouse voice of “Fame,” “Flashdance” and “Sparkle”)
• Chris Carey (Portland, Ore., punk bassist/guitarist, Poison Idea, Religious War, Dead Conspiracy)
• Jeff Carson (country singer)
• Aaron Carter (turn-of-the-millennium teen pop star)
• Jim Carter (New Zealand lap steel guitarist)
• Johnny May Cash (Chicago drill rapper; murdered)
• Fred Catero (engineer/producer)
• Joe Chambers (country songwriter/guitarist who founded the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville)
• Eileen Chan (Singaporean DJ and promoter, aka Cats on Crack)
• Manny Charlton (Nazareth lead guitarist and producer)
• David Ornette Cherry (jazz pianist/composer)
• C-Hii Wvttz (Bronx rapper; murdered)
• Gene Cipriano (woodwind session player on countless records and films)
• Citi Lyts (South African DJ and rapper; murdered)
• Roderick “Pooh” Clark (founding member of ’90s R&B group Hi-Five)
• Dale Clevenger (French horn virtuoso, Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
• Nick Colionne (smooth jazz guitarist)
• Jeff Cook (fiddler/guitarist in Country Hall of Fame band Alabama)
• Coolio (‘90s hip-hop star)
• Peter Cooper (country music journalist, Country Hall of Fame exec and singer/songwriter/producer)
• Alan Copeland (singer/songwriter/arranger, the Modernaires, “Your Hit Parade”)
• Keith John Correa (Toronto rock superfan)
• José Luis “El Tosco” Cortés (Cuban flutist and timba pioneer, NG La Banda, Irakere, Los Van Van)
• Gal Costa (Tropicália singer)
• Warren “Waz” Costello (co-founder of Australia’s Liberation Records)
• Cathal Coughlan (Fatima Mansions and Microdisney frontman)
• Morty Craft (songwriter, producer and label exec who signed—and dropped—a pre-fame Simon & Garfunkel)
• Richard Crandell (folk guitarist and mbira player)
• A.B. Crentsil (Ghanaian highlife singer)
• Lyell Cresswell (New Zealand contemporary classical composer)
• Bernard Cribbins (actor who had a pair of UK novelty pop hits in the 1960s)
• Chuck Criss (multi-instrumentalist in New York rock band Freelance Whales)
• Mike Cross (Sponge guitarist)
• Julee Cruise (singer best known as the musical voice of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet”)
• George Crumb (experimental contemporary classical composer)
• Bettye Crutcher (R&B/soul lyricist best known for her association with Stax Records)
• Jerry Crutchfield (country songwriter, producer, publishing exec)
• Ronnie Cuber (jazz/Latin/pop baritone saxophonist)
• Andrés Cuervo (Colombian singer/songwriter)
• D Baby (Houston DJ)
• Scott Dachroeden (rock guitar tech & photographer)
• David Dalton (early Rolling Stone writer and rock biographer)
• Dino Danelli (founding drummer of ‘60s rock greats the Rascals)
• Darius Campbell Danesh (Scottish pop singer who came to fame on the TV shows “Popstars” and “Pop Idols”)
• Jessie Lee Daniels aka Jessie D (singer and founding member of the Force MDs)
• Miguel Vicens Danus (bassist for Spanish rock band Los Bravos)
• Betty Davis (queen of raw ’70s funk)
• Joey DeFrancesco (jazz organist)
• Marc Lee Dé Hugar (guitarist for Sydney, Australian, glam-rockers Candy Harlots)
• Mike Dekle (country songwriter)
• Herb Deutsch (composer and music educator who developed the original Moog synthesizer with Bob Moog)
• Chrissie Dickinson (rock and country critic, musician and multimedia artist)
• Dimzordimma (up-and-coming British drill rapper; murdered)
• Joe Diorio (jazz guitarist)
• Phlenoid “Jay Dee” Dismuke (singer in Cleveland R&B vocal group Smooth Approach)
• DJ 50 Grand (hip-hop DJ/producer who helped launch the Notorious B.I.G’s career)
• DJ Kay Slay (mixtape DJ and graffiti writer; Covid-19)
• DJ Mooncup (Bristol club and radio DJ)
• DJ Sumbody (South African amapiano musician; murdered)
• Tim Dolla (Jersey club DJ/producer)
• Norman Dolph (songwriter and New York scenester who engineered several songs for the Velvet Underground’s debut album)
• Jerry Doucette (Canadian rock singer/songwriter/guitarist; led the band Doucette)
• Tyrone Downie (Bob Marley & the Wailers keyboardist)
• Lamont Dozier (one-third of the Motown songwriting/production juggernaut Holland-Dozier-Holland)
• Martin C. Dreiwitz (founder and conductor of the Long Island Youth Orchestra)
• Gérard Drouot (French concert promoter)
• Philip Drucker (founding member of Savage Republic and 17 Pygmies)
• Stanley Drucker (clarinetist who played in New York Philharmonic for 60 years)
• Drummie Zeb (Aswad lead singer and drummer)
• Martin Duffy (Primal Scream and Felt keyboardist)
• Paul Dufour (original Libertines drummer)
• Noel Duggan (Clannad guitarist/singer)
• Shonka Dukureh (blues singer & actress who played Big Mama Thornton in “Elvis”)
• Howard Alexander Dumble (guitar amp designer)
• Judith Durham (lead singer of ‘60s folk-pop stars the Seekers)
• John L. Eastman (lawyer best known for representing Paul McCartney in the Beatles’ breakup)
• Clifton “Fou Fou” Eddie (R&B, pop and jazz session drummer)
• Ray Edenton (Nashville session guitarist, a member of the city’s fabled A-Team)
• Don Edwards (cowboy singer and poet)
• Iwan Edwards (chorus master, Montreal Symphony Orchestra)
• Jamal Edwards (founder of influential online music platform SBTV)
• Shirley Eikhard (Canadian singer/songwriter)
• Dan Einstein (co-founder of John Prine’s Oh Boy Records)
• Kenward Elmslie (opera librettist, songwriter and poet)
• Ralph Emery (Nashville TV & radio broadcasting legend and Country Music Hall of Famer)
• Greg Epler (artist manager, Fuel, Lisa Simone)
• Flavio Etcheto (Argentine electronic musician)
• Yanick Étienne (Haitian singer and go-to backing vocalist with Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry)
• Archie Eversole (Atlanta rapper; murdered)
• Maria Ewing (American mezzo-soprano)
• Christine Farnon (longtime Recording Academy executive)
• Ben Farrell (country concert promoter)
• FBG Cash (Chicago drill rapper; murdered)
• Tim Feerick (rock bassist, Dance Gavin Dance)
• Bert Fields (entertainment lawyer whose clients included Michael Jackson and Madonna)
• Anton Fier (experimental/rock/jazz/plus drummer and composer, the Golden Palominos, the Lounge Lizards, many many others)
• Jorja Fleezanis (American violinist/concertmaster)
• Mark Fleischman (owned Studio 54 in the 1980s)
• Andy Fletcher (founding member of Depeche Mode)
• Jake Flint (Oklahoma Red Dirt country singer)
• Bobby Flores (Western swing singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist)
• Justin Fontaine (promotion exec, Hollywood Records and Capitol Records)
• Vince Fontaine (guitarist for Canadian First Nations rock group Eagle & Hawk)
• Gene Fowler (singer for New York metal band Wetnurse)
• Inez Foxx (‘60s soul singer who performed with her brother as Inez & Charlie Foxx)
• Deborah Fraser (South African gospel singer and widely traveled backup singer)
• Dallas Frazier (country songwriter)
• Wes Freed (album cover artist for Drive-By Truckers and others)
• David Freel (singer/guitarist of San Francisco rock band Swell)
• Joe Freidman (co-founder of New York retail mecca J&R Music World)
• Bill Fries (ad exec who had a #1 hit, “Convoy,” as novelty country star C.W. McCall)
• Ricky Gardiner (Scottish prog-rock guitarist who played with David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their Berlin era)
• Janis Hunter Gaye (Marvin Gaye’s second wife, inspiration for many of his songs and manager of their daughter Nona)
• Donny Gerrard (lead singer of ’70s one-hit wonder Skylark who had a second career as a backup singer)
• Joe Gilchrist (co-owner of the Flora-Bama Lounge, a songwriters’ haven on the Florida/Alabama border)
• Tim Gilles (punk/metal producer, engineer and studio owner)
• Mickey Gilley (honky-tonk singer and nightclub entrepreneur)
• Zak Godwin II (longtime Kenny Chesney guitar tech)
• Leo Goff III (Memphis hip-hop engineer)
• Ellen Zoe Golden (music publicist)
• Burt Goldstein (music retail & distribution exec)
• Francisco González (founding member of Los Lobos and pioneer of handmade guitar strings)
• Dallas Good (singer/guitarist and co-founder of Toronto country-rockers the Sadies)
• Tristan Goodall (guitarist of Australian roots group the Audreys)
• Sam Gooden (founding member of the Impressions)
• Mick Goodrick (jazz guitarist & teacher)
• Goonew (Maryland rapper; murdered)
• Robert Gordon (rockabilly singer)
• Robert Gordy (Motown founder Berry Gordy’s brother who ran the company’s publishing arm, Jobete)
• Manuel Göttsching (German guitarist/composer, Ash Ra Tempel, “E2-E4”)
• Charlie Gracie (1950s rockabilly singer)
• Don Graham (longtime label promo exec)
• Colin Grainger (‘50s and ‘60s British soccer player and pop crooner)
• Grand Daddy I.U. (‘80s and ‘90s rapper)
• Jeremiah Green (Modest Mouse drummer)
• Bruce Greig (metal guitarist, Misery Index, Dying Fetus)
• John Hore Grenell (New Zealand country singer)
• Howard Grimes (drummer for Memphis’ famed Hi Rhythm Section)
• Steve Grimmett (lead singer for British metal group Grim Reaper)
• Darwin Grosse (composer, synthesist and music technology podcaster)
• Henry Grossman (photographer celebrated for his candid shots of the Beatles)
• Guitar Shorty (blues guitarist noted for both his chops and wild theatrics)
• Barbara Maier Gustern (revered Broadway vocal coach; murdered)
• Mario Gutiérrez (founding guitarist of Chilean pop band Los Ángeles Negros)
• Rio Hackford (actor and club owner)
• Richard Hadlock (Bay Area jazz saxophonist and radio DJ)
• Patrick Haggerty (pioneering gay country singer/songwriter, Lavender Country)
• Half Ounce (Inglewood, Calif., rapper; murdered)
• Terry Hall (lead singer of the Specials and one-third of Fun Boy Three)
• Dick Halligan (founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears and film composer)
• Alexander Hamilton (gospel choir conductor, Aretha Franklin, Staple Singers, James Cleveland)
• Jimmy Harold (owner of the Rat, the original homeroom of Boston’s punk-rock scene)
• William “Poogie” Hart (Delfonics lead singer and songwriter)
• “Big” John Harte (head of security for Kiss and Iron Maiden)
• John Hartman (original Doobie Brothers drummer)
• Ronnie Hawkins (American/Canadian rockabilly singer who mentored the musicians who became the Band)
• Rosa Lee Hawkins (founding member of ’60s girl group the Dixie Cups)
• Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters drummer and rock and roll true believer)
• Bob Heathcote (Suicidal Tendencies bassist)
• Wim Henderickx (Belgian composer)
• Michael Henderson (jazz, jazz fusion and R&B bassist and singer)
• Sam Henry (punk-rock drummer, the Wipers)
• Judy Henske (’60s folk-rock singer-songwriter)
• Marva Hicks (R&B/gospel singer and actress)
• Tony Hill (singer/guitarist for British prog-rock band High Tide)
• Jimbeau Hinson (country singer/songwriter)
• Tohru “Monamour” Hiroshima (drummer for Jaanese hardcore band G.I.S.M.)
• Carey “KK” Hodges (co-founder of vinyl-only metal label Last Hurrah)
• Marvin Holmes (Bay Area funk bandleader)
• Georgia Holt (singer, actress and Cher’s mother)
• Rob Hordijk (Dutch synthesizer designer)
• Hana Horka (Czech folk singer who got Covid-19 on purpose)
• William Hudson (longtime conductor of Virginia’s Fairfax Symphony Orchestra)
• Freddie Hughes (’60s and ’70s East Bay soul singer)
• Darryl Hunt (Pogues bassist)
• Geraldine Hunt (R&B singer)
• Ivy Jo Hunter (Motown songwriter/producer)
• Hurricane G (Brooklyn rapper, the Hit Squad)
• Sammie Lee Hutchins (singer for ‘60s and ‘70s soul harmony group the Masqueraders)
• Jonathan “Hovain” Hylton (hip-hop manager and label exec)
• Hypo (British drill rapper; murdered)
• Toshi Ichiyanaga (avant-garde composer/pianist)
• Slami Ifeanyi (Nigerian singer/songwriter; murdered)
• Colleen Ironside (pan-Asian live music promoter)
• Colin Irwin (UK folk music journalist, Melody Maker, fRoots, BBC)
• J $tash (Florida rapper)
• Susan Jacks (Canadian pop singer/songwriter, best known as singer for the Poppy Family)
• Eric Jackson (longtime jazz DJ known as the Dean of Boston Jazz Radio)
• Khan Jamal (jazz vibraphonist)
• Joni James (1950s pop singer)
• JayDaYoungan (Louisiana rapper, “23 Island”; murdered)
• Maxi Jazz (lead singer of Faithless)
• Philip Jeck (British composer and turntablist)
• Jewell (R&B singer who sang some of rap’s greatest hooks)
• Fredrik Johansson (metal guitarist, Dark Tranquility)
• Mable John (blues singer; the first female solo artist signed to Motown)
• Cliff Johnson (Chicago power-pop singer, Off Broadway and Pezband)
• Fred Johnson (bass singer for doo-wop group the Marcels)
• Jimmy Johnson (Chicago blues guitarist/singer)
• Sy Johnson (jazz arranger best known for his work with Charles Mingus)
• Syl Johnson (widely sampled soul singer)
• Wilko Johnson (Dr. Feelgood guitarist)
• Eddie Jones (Washington, D.C, R&B singer/guitarist)
• Elayne Jones (pioneering timpanist, believed to be the first Black principal player in a major American orchestra)
• Kevin “The Last Soulman” Jones (of Detroit rap pioneers A.W.O.L.)
• Leslie Jordan (comic actor who released a gospel album in 2021)
• Naomi Judd (matriarchal half of Country Hall of Famers the Judds)
• Orlando Julius (Nigerian highlife saxophonist/singer)
• Michail Jurowski (Russian conductor)
• Chris Kaba (British drill rapper)
• Danny Kalb (blues-rock guitarist, the Blues Project)
• Joseph Kalichstein (Israeli American concert pianist)
• Artie Kane (pianist and film composer)
• Vic Keary (founder of UK recording gear company Thermionic Culture)
• Kee Riches (LA rapper; murdered)
• Sally Kellerman (actress & singer)
• Ken Kelly (album artist, Kiss, Manowar)
• Yuriy Kerpatenko (Ukrainian conductor; murdered by Russian troops)
• Anita Kerr (Nashville session singer/arranger who sweetened thousands of country, pop and R&B recordings in the ‘50s and ‘60s)
• Hamish Kilgour (co-founder of influential New Zealand guitar-rock band the Clean)
• Jon Kincaid (Atlanta rock radio DJ)
• John King (co-founder of Memphis indie label Ardent Records)
• Ko King (Kachin keyboardist killed in a Myanmar military attack on a music festival celebrating the rebel Kachin Independence Organisation)
• Gord Kirchin (lead singer of Canadian metal band Piledriver)
• KK (Bollywood playback singer)
• Carsten Klemann (Berlin DJ)
• Margo Knesz (radio promo exec who ran Atco Records in the 1980s)
• Charles Koppelman (record company and publishing giant, EMI, Columbia, SBK)
• William Kraft (new music composer & percussionist)
• Paul T. Kwami (music director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers)
• Andrew LaBarre (guitarist for Oakland metal bands Impaled and Ghoul)
• Carmelo La Bionda (Italo disco pioneer)
• Art Laboe (pioneering “oldies but goodies” radio DJ)
• Fredrik Lager (Swedish hip-hop producer, aka Red Astaire and Freddie Cruger)
• Bappi Lahiri (Bollywood composer and singer)
• Fran La Maina (longtime president of Dick Clark Productions)
• Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees singer who went on to an acclaimed solo career)
• Michael Lang (Woodstock co-creator; he also organized the sequels in 1994 and ’99)
• Mike Lang (LA jazz pianist who played on 2,000 film and TV scores)
• Angela Lansbury (musical actress)
• Duane Lavold (early ’00s Canadian rocker, aka Custom)
• Sam Lay (Chicago blues drumming great who played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Paul Butterfield & Bob Dylan)
• Willie Leacox (longtime drummer for the band America)
• Pastelle LeBlanc (singer and multi-instrumentalist in Prince Edward Island Acadian folk band Vishtèn)
• Dave Ledbetter (South African jazz guitarist/pianist)
• Chris Ledesma (longtime music editor of “The Simpsons”)
• Christina Yuna Lee (creative producer at the digital music marketplace Splice)
• Derrick Lee (gospel songwriter/producer, musical director of BET’s “Bobby Jones Gospel”)
• Everett Lee (pioneering African American conductor)
• Lee Jihan (K-pop singer and actor)
• Keith Levene (Public Image Ltd. guitarist; he also co-founded the Clash)
• Don Lewis (synth designer who created LEO and worked on the Roland TR-808 and Yamaha DX7 among others)
• Gord Lewis (guitarist and co-founder of long-running Canadian punk band Teenage Head; murdered)
• Jerry Lee Lewis (rock and roll pioneer)
• Ramsey Lewis (jazz pianist/composer)
• Lil Bo Weep (Australian musician and YouTube star)
• Lil Keed (Atlanta rapper; part of Young Thug’s YSL crew)
• Mariusz Lewandowski (Polish surrealist painter who designed numerous metal album covers)
• Jon Lind (pop songwriter and A&R exec)
• Nils Lindberg (Swedish jazz pianist/composer)
• Lenny Lipton (“Puff the Magic Dragon” lyricist and 3-D film pioneer)
• Kiko Loiacono (British tour manager)
• George Lois (Madison Avenue art director behind the “I Want My MTV” campaign)
• Lotta Cash Desto (Memphis rapper; murdered)
• Radu Lupu (Romanian piano virtuoso)
• Loretta Lynn (coal miner’s daughter turned country queen)
• Warner Mack (country singer)
• Madosini (South African Xhosa musician/singer/composer)
• Dave Mains (Jersey Shore rock bassist, the Dave Mains Experience, the Trouble Dolls)
• Al Mair (founder of Canadian indie label Attic Records)
• Kyle Maite (guitarist for Ohio pop-punk band Hit the Lights)
• Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (leader of Danish pop band Choir of Young Believers)
• Lata Mangeskhar (Bollywood singer; Covid-19)
• Lucy Rowan Mann (classical music patron who administered the Naumburg Competition; Covid-19)
• Lancelot Mapfumo (Zimbabwean percussionist; long-running member of his brother Thomas’s band the Blacks Unlimited)
• James Maraniss (librettist for 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, “Life Is a Dream”)
• Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski (Ohio singer who competed on “America’s Got Talent” in 2021)
• Sid Mark (Philadelphia radio legend who played almost nothing but Frank Sinatra for more than 60 years)
• Ingram Marshall (experimental classical composer/performer)
• Brad Martin (country singer/songwriter)
• Keith Martin (’90s R&B singer)
• Tito Matos (Puerto Rican master percussionist and champion of the plena genre)
• Tina May (British jazz singer)
• James ”Sandy” Mazzeo (visual artist & album-cover designer long associated with Neil Young)
• MC Skibadee (drum and bass MC)
• Dan McCafferty (Nazareth singer)
• Mary McCaslin (folk singer/songwriter/guitarist)
• Tommy McConnell (drummer for ’80s funk/disco band Skyy)
• Charles McCormick (Bloodstone bassist/singer/songwriter)
• Deborah McCrary (member of Nashville gospel group the McCrary Sisters)
• Ian McDonald (multi-instrumentalist and founding member of both King Crimson and Foreigner)
• Bob McGrath (resident music teacher on “Sesame Street” for nearly 50 years)
• Andy McKaie (oversaw reissues at MCA Records for nearly 30 years)
• Doug McKean (rock engineer/producer)
• Barry McKee (Warner Chappell UK publishing exec)
• Noel McKoy (British soul singer)
• Bertha Barbee McNeal (co-founder of Motown group the Velvelettes)
• Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac’s smoky-voiced songbird)
• Sister Janet Mead (Australian nun who had a 1974 pop hit with her version of “The Lord’s Prayer”)
• Meat Loaf (larger-than-life rocker who would have done anything for love, but not that)
• Eric Mercury (Canadian singer/songwriter)
• Joe Messina (Motown session guitarist; one of the label’s famed Funk Brothers)
• Meta Mo (rapper in ‘90s Chicago hip-hop staple Rubberoom)
• Blake Mevis (country songwriter/producer/publisher best known for his association with George Strait; Covid-19)
• Mighty Mouse (British DJ/producer)
• Mikaben (Haitian singer/songwriter/producer)
• Pablo Milanés (Cuban balladeer and a founder of that country’s revolutionary nueva trova movement)
• Ron Miles (jazz cornetist, composer and bandleader)
• Jim Miller (singer/songwriter/guitarist, Western Centuries, Donna the Buffalo)
• Jody Miller (‘60s and ‘70s country singer)
• Sidney Miller (founder/publisher of Black Radio Exclusive [BRE], one of the first Black music trade magazines)
• Stanley Mills (music publisher)
• Sue Mingus (zealous defender, promoter and expander of her late husband Charles’ musical legacy)
• Charnett Moffett (jazz bassist, composer and bandleader)
• Franz Mohr (Steinway & Sons’ chief concert technician, the world’s most celebrated piano tuner)
• Mick Moloney (traditional Irish singer/songwriter and musicologist)
• Grachan Moncur III (jazz trombonist and composer)
• MoneyGangVontae (Los Angeles drill rapper; murdered)
• Charlie Monk (Nashville radio and publishing insider known as the Mayor of Music Row)
• Benjamin Moore Jr. (Blind Boys of Alabama singer)
• Nicky Moore (British metal singer, Samson, Mammoth)
• Massimo Morante (guitarist & co-founder of Italian prog-rock band Goblin)
• Tommy Morgan (harmonica player on the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and hundreds of films and TV shows)
• Joel Morowitz (co-founder of indie label spinART)
• Barbara Morrison (LA jazz singer)
• Robert Morse (Broadway musical actor, and Bertram Cooper on “Mad Men”)
• James Mtume (jazz & R&B percussionist and bandleader)
• Tshala Muana (Congolese singer known as the Queen of Mutuashi)
• Sheila Nadler (American mezzo-soprano)
• Nagrelha (leader of Angolan kuduro band Os Lambas)
• Rachel Nagy (lead singer of garage-rockers the Detroit Cobras)
• Bob Nalbandian (metal journalist, publicist and documentarian)
• Michael G. Nastos (Michigan public radio DJ and jazz critic)
• Nolan Neal (rock singer who competed on “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent”)
• Bobbie Nelson (longtime pianist and singer in her brother Willie’s band)
• Sandy Nelson (drummer behind early rock instrumental hits “Teen Beat” and “Let There Be Drums”)
• Hans Neuenfels (provocative German opera director; Covid-19)
• Bob Neuwirth (singer/songwriter/painter who was instrumental in the career of Bob Dylan)
• George R. Newall (co-creator of “Schoolhouse Rock”)
• Don Newkirk (hip-hop MC who collaborated with De La Soul and 3rd Bass)
• Olivia Newton-John (Australian voice of ‘70s and ‘80s pop; occasional film star)
• Rab Noakes (Scottish singer-songwriter and founding member of Stealers Wheel)
• Nayyara Noor (Pakistani ghazal and playback singer)
• Tsewang Norbu (Tibetan pop singer who self-immolated to protest Chinese rule)
• Monty Norman (composer of the James Bond theme)
• Sammie Okposo (Nigerian gospel singer)
• Notti Osama (14-year-old New York drill rapper; murdered)
• Geoff Nuttall (St. Lawrence String Quartet violinist and director of chamber music at the Spoleto Festival)
• Chinedu Nwadike (Nigerian gospel singer)
• OG Kaybee (Filipino rapper; murdered)
• OhTrapstar (Florida rapper)
• Bobby O’Jay (iconic Memphis radio DJ, WDIA)
• Valis Ortíz (Mexican experimental rock singer/songwriter, Manitas Nerviosas, Bam Bam)
• Dablixx Oshaa (Nigerian rapper)
• Mo Ostin (transformative boss of Warner Bros. Records)
• Karim Ouellet (Quebec singer/songwriter)
• Jim Owens (country music TV producer for TNN)
• LaShun Pace (gospel singer/songwriter, the Anointed Pace Sisters)
• Gloria Parker (master of musical glasses, or glasspiel; she was memorably featured in “Broadway Danny Rose”)
• Mimi Parker (Low drummer, singer and songwriter)
• Tom Parker (founding member of British boy band the Wanted)
• Dez Parkes (British rare groove DJ/curator)
• Leslie Parnas (classical cellist)
• Ric Parnell (rock drummer best known for playing Mick Shrimpton in “This Is Spinal Tap”)
• Fred Parris (founder & leader of the Five Satins, for whom he wrote the doo-wop classic “In the Still of the Night”)
• Paul Parrish (‘60s and ‘70s singer/songwriter)
• Anne Parsons (longtime president of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
• Philip Paul (jazz and R&B drummer; played on the original recording of “The Twist”; Covid-19)
• César “Pupy” Pedroso (Cuban pianist and songwriter; co-founder of Los Van Van)
• Michael Pela (British engineer/producer and longtime Sade collaborator)
• H. Peligro (Dead Kennedys drummer; was briefly in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, too)
• Marybeth Peters (longtime head of the US Copyright Office)
• Larry Petree (country pedal steel guitar player)
• Kelly Joe Phelps (blues & roots singer/guitarist)
• Dom Phillips (dance music editor & documentarian who went on to an acclaimed career as an environmental journalist in Brazil; murdered in the Amazon)
• Phyo Zeya Thaw (Myanmar rapper turned pro-democracy activist and politician; executed by Myanmar’s ruling military junta)
• Svika Pick (Israeli pop star)
• Keaton Pierce (lead singer of rock band Too Close to Touch)
• Donald Pippin (Broadway music director/conductor, “A Chorus Line,” La Cage aux Folles,” “Mame”)
• Bill Pitman (session guitarist; part of LA’s famed Wrecking Crew)
• PnB Rock (Philadelphia rapper; murdered)
• John Pochée (Australian jazz drummer)
• Anita Pointer (founding member of the Pointer Sisters)
• Prins Póló (Icelandic rock singer/songwriter)
• Pop N’ Taco (born Bruno Falcon; breakdancer/choreographer who worked with Michael & Janet Jackson)
• Jim Post (half of Friend & Lover, ‘60s one-hit wonders behind “Reach Out of the Darkness”)
• Jesse Powell (R&B singer)
• Richard Pratt (bass singer for 1970s Philly soul group Blue Magic)
• Seymour Press (Broadway multi-instrumentalist and music coordinator)
• Simon Preston (British organist, conductor and composer; influential force in 20th century church music)
• Howie Pyro (D Generation and Danzig bassist)
• Q Lazzarus (mysterious singer known for her songs in “Silence of the Lambs” and other Jonathan Demme films)
• James Rado (playwright/composer who co-wrote the musical “Hair”)
• Bob Rafelson (film director who co-created the TV show “The Monkees” and whose big-screen debut was the Monkees film “Head”)
• Randy Rand (Autograph bassist)
• Raymond Raposa (freak-folk singer/songwriter who recorded six albums as Castanets)
• Régine (French nightlife entrepreneuer; credited with creating the first discotheque)
• Frankie Rex (rock singer/songwriter/guitarist; half of New York’s the FMs)
• Robert Richards (longtime Glastonbury Festival partnership and sponsorship executive)
• Max Riebl (Australian countertenor)
• Roy Rifkind (co-founder of indie R&B label Spring Records)
• Riky Rick (South African rapper)
• Murdoch Riley (pioneering New Zealand label exec, Viking Records)
• Archie Roach (Indigenous Australian singer/songwriter, “Took the Children Away”)
• Hargus “Pig” Robbins (Nashville session pianist)
• Muziki Duane Roberson (Oakland jazz pianist)
• Sandy Roberton (folk-rock producer who became better known as a manager of producers and engineers)
• Garry Roberts (Boomtown Rats guitarist)
• Marty Roberts (of LA lounge icons Marty & Elayne)
• Shaun Roberts (longtime promoter at London’s fabric)
• Lalo Rodriguez (Puerto Rican salsa singer)
• Alahaundra Romeo (gospel singer, Carl Bean & Universal Love, the New York Community Choir)
• Pamela Rooke (aka Jordan, British punk fashion icon and band manager)
• Ned Rorem (art-song composer and diarist)
• Art Rosenbaum (painter and folklorist noted for his field recordings of traditional American music)
• Andy Ross (head of Britpop label Food Records)
• Beverly Ross (’50s and ’60s rock songwriter, “Lollipop,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry”)
• Richard Ross (TV producer who moonlighted as guitarist in LA’s Dick and Jane Family Orchestra)
• Freddie Roulette (blues lap steel guitarist)
• Badal Roy (jazz tabla player; Covid-19)
• Jamie Roy (Scottish DJ and producer)
• Lisa Roy (audio production exec Rock & Roy Entertainment)
• Art Rupe (founder of the pioneering rock, R&B and gospel label Specialty Records)
• Bobby Rydell (’50s and ’60s teen idol)
• Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays bassist)
• Daniel Sahad (lead singer of Austin, Texas, funk/rock band Nané)
• Steve Salas (founding member, with his brother Rudy, of Latin R&B band Tierra)
• Pharoah Sanders (spiritual jazz saxophonist/composer)
• Paul Sartin (UK folk violinist/oboist, Bellowhead, Belshazzar’s Feast, Faustus)
• Easy Sawaba (Nigerian fújì music star)
• Peter Scaping (longtime GM of British label trade organization BPI)
• Mike Schank (Milwaukee guitarist best known for his featured role in the documentary “American Movie’”)
• Klaus Schulze (German electronic music pioneer)
• Jim Schwall (blues guitarist, the Siegel-Schwall Band)
• Jim Seals (lead singer of ‘70s soft-rock duo Seals & Crofts)
• Roger Segal (Philadelphia punk bassist, Traslight Vision, Sorry and the Sinatras; murdered)
• Ira Selsky (music lawyer)
• Gabe Serbian (drummer for San Diego punk band the Locust)
• Shivkumar Sharma (Indian santoor virtuoso and Bollywood composer)
• Donald “Tabby Diamond” Shaw (lead singer of the Mighty Diamonds; murdered)
• Burke Shelley (singer/bassist of Welsh proto metal band Budgie)
• Dave Sherman (doom metal bassist, Spirit Caravan, the Obsessed, Earthride)
• “Big Merv” Shields (bassist for racist British rock band Skrewdriver; Covid-19)
• Paul Siebel (widely covered singer/songwriter)
• Kelly Sill (Chicago jazz bassist)
• Kim Simmonds (leader of British blues band Savoy Brown)
• Calvin Simon (singer and founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic)
• Joanna Simon (American opera singer)
• Lucy Simon (singer/songwriter and Broadway composer)
• Fitzroy “Bunny Diamond” Simpson (Mighty Diamonds singer)
• Joyce Sims (R&B singer/songwriter)
• Arnold Skolnick (graphic artist who created the original Woodstock poster)
• Janette Slack (Hong Kong/London breakbeat DJ/producer)
• Slim Joe (Nigerian pop singer)
• Allan “Grip” Smith (R&B songwriter and session keyboardist)
• Dave Smith (co-inventor of MIDI and co-designer of the Prophet-5 synthesizer)
• Steve Smith (radio programmer & consultant)
• Tom Smith (co-founder of experimental/noise collective To Live and Shave in L.A.)
• B. Smyth (R&B singer)
• Snootie Wild (Memphis rapper/singer; murdered)
• Elza Soares (Brazilian samba star)
• Jim Sohns (lead singer of “Gloria” garage rockers Shadows of Knight)
• Stefan Soltesz (Australian conductor)
• Paul Sorvino (full-time actor, part-time opera singer)
• Willie Sotelo (pianist and musical director of Puerto Rican salsa band El Gran Combo)
• Ronnie Spector (rock and roll goddess, the Ronettes)
• Andrew Speight (Bay Area jazz saxophonist)
• Willie Spence (“American Idol” singer who was the runner-up in season 19)
• Tom Springfield (folk-pop songwriter/producer/guitarist, the Springfields, the Seekers)
• Meghan Stabile (New York jazz promoter; a crucial figure in the past decade of jazz and hip-hop)
• Pat Stay (Canadian battle rapper; murdered)
• Elizabeth Stewart (Scottish folk singer & composer)
• Jim Stewart (co-founder of Stax Records)
• Paul Stoddard (metal singer, Diecast)
• Trevor Strnad (Black Dahlia Murder singer)
• Alec John Such (original Bon Jovi bassist)
• Monnette Sudler (jazz guitarist)
• Superfly (British DJ, producer and TV/radio presenter; a godfather to the Bristol music scene)
• Bobby Sutliff (power-pop guitarist, the Windbreakers)
• Kevin Sutter (longtime promo exec)
• Tomáš Svoboda (contemporary classical composer/pianist)
• Frederick Swann (pipe organ master)
• Earl Swavey (Los Angeles rapper; murdered)
• John Swenson (rock & jazz critic, Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy, Village Voice, and author of several music books)
• Takeoff (Migos’ master of triplets; murdered)
• Tame One (New Jersey rapper and graffiti artist, of Artifacts)
• Séamus Tansey (Irish flutist)
• Joe Tarsia (recording engineer whose recordings helped define the Sound of Philadelphia)
• Richard Taruskin (classical music scholar and writer; author of “The Oxford History of Western Music”)
• Creed Taylor (jazz producer who founded Impulse! and CTI Records)
• Morgan Taylor (children’s music performer; creator of Gustafer Yellowgold)
• R. Dean Taylor (Canadian singer/songwriter/producer; Covid-19)
• Tdott Woo (Brooklyn rapper; murdered)
• Terry Teachout (theater critic, essayist, jazz writer, opera librettist, playwright)
• Judy Tenuta (accordion-wielding comedian)
• Nicky Tesco (lead singer of British new-wave/punk band the Members)
• Timmy Thomas (’70s soul singer, “Why Can’t We Live Together”)
• Butch Thompson (jazz pianist and music director of “A Prairie Home Companion”)
• Janet Thurlow (jazz singer)
• Ann Tiley (Nashville songwriter)
• TKorStretch (British drill rapper; murdered)
• Louise Tobin (big band jazz singer)
• Gary Todd (experimental music archivist and label founder, Organ of Corti)
• Terry Tolkin (A&R at Touch & Go and Elektra, founder of indie label No. 6, signed the Butthole Surfers)
• Alexander Toradze (classical pianist and Soviet defector renowned for his performances of Russian composers)
• Bramwell Tovey (British conductor/composer)
• Rosmarie Trapp (one of the last surviving members of the Trapp Family Singers)
• Traxamillion (Bay Area hyphy pioneer)
• Héctor Tricoche (Puerto Rican salsa singer)
• Trigga (rapper in Scottish drill group Triple01s)
• Trouble (Atlanta rapper; murdered)
• TrueBleeda (up-and-coming Baton Rouge rapper; murdered)
• Brett Tuggle (rock keyboardist who played with Fleetwood Mac, David Lee Roth, Jimmy Page and others)
• Nik Turner (Hawkwind saxophonist/flutist)
• Rick Turner (master guitar maker, co-founder of guitar and bass company Alembic)
• Sonny Turner (lead singer of the Platters in the 1960s)
• David Tyson (singer in later incarnations of the Manhattans)
• Ian Tyson (Canadian singer/songwriter, Ian & Sylvia)
• Frank Ursoleo (founder/president of reissue label Iconoclassic Records)
• Gretchen Valade (Detroit jazz philanthropist and founder of Mack Avenue Records)
• Fred Van Hove (Belgian jazz pianist)
• Paul Vance (Brill Building lyricist, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”)
• Vangelis (Greek prog-rock musician, synth pioneer and influential film composer)
• Diego Verdaguer (Argentine singer; Covid-19)
• Verckys (Congolese saxophonist and bandleader, Orchestre Vévé)
• Karina Vismara (Argentine singer/songwriter)
• Lars Vogt (German conductor & pianist)
• Bil VornDick (Nashville producer/engineer)
• Adam Wade (‘60s crooner who later became an actor and game-show host)
• Abdul Wadud (pioneering jazz cellist)
• Frederick Waite Jr. (Musical Youth drummer)
• Sidhu Moose Wala (Indian rapper and activist; murdered)
• Bill Walker (country producer, TV composer and musical director of “The Johnny Cash Show”)
• Walsh (dubstep DJ/producer)
• Kenneth Wannberg (film music editor who worked with John Williams on more than 50 movies)
• Paul Warburton (Denver jazz bassist)
• Alan Warner (EMI music publishing exec and music historian)
• Walter “Wolfman” Washington (New Orleans guitarist/singer)
• Norma Waterson (British folk singer, the Watersons)
• Wavy Navy Pooh (Miami rapper; murdered)
• Jerry Weber (proprietor of Pittsburgh vinyl mecca Jerry’s Records)
• Greg Webster (original Ohio Players drummer)
• Jay Weaver (bassist and co-founder of contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave; Covid-19)
• Ken West (founder of Australia’s Big Day Out festival)
• Vivienne Westwood (fashion designer who helped create the look of British punk and new wave)
• Glenn Wheatley (Australian promoter; Covid-19)
• Joel Whitburn (Billboard chart historian)
• Alan White (longtime Yes drummer also played with John Lennon and George Harrison)
• George White (singer in ‘60s R&B group the Dynamics)
• Roland White (bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and singer)
• Andy Wickham (Warner/Reprise exec & producer who signed Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Emmylou Harris)
• Mark Wilkins (founder & frontman of UK punk band the Astronauts)
• Don Williams (last surviving member of the Williams Brothers, who sang in movies and on radio in the 1940s)
• Jessica Williams (jazz pianist)
• Ken Williams (R&B songwriter)
• Don Wilson (Ventures co-founder and rhythm guitarist)
• Dave Wintour (British session bassist)
• Geoff Wonfor (directed the Beatles’ “Anthology” and several Paul McCartney projects)
• Billy Woodman (pro audio innovator, ATC Audio)
• Andrew Woolfolk II (Earth, Wind & Fire saxophonist)
• Bernard Wright (funk/jazz singer/songwriter/keyboardist)
• Xtassy (Dominican producer/DJ)
• Galau Yaw Lwi (Kachin singer killed in Myanmar military attack on music fest celebrating the rebel Kachin Independence Organisation)
• Yngx 17 (Los Angeles rapper)
• Young a Stunnin (Montreal rapper; murdered)
• Young Slo-Be (up-and-coming Stockton, Calif., rapper; murdered)
• Jon Zazula (Megaforce Records co-founder)