An alphabetical list of musicians and music industry figures who died in 2020.

• Biff Adam (Merle Haggard drummer)
• Fiona Adams (1960s British rock photographer)
• India Adams (Hollywood ghost singer)
• Charlie Ainley (’70s British singer/songwriter, Charlie & the Wideboys)
• Ashley Akabah (UK garage producer, the Architects)
• Paul Alade (bassist of Nigerian rock band Ofege; Covid-19)
• Dick Alen (head of music at William Morris; repped Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Little Richard)
• Alex T (Manchester DJ)
• Barney Ales (Motown Records exec)
• Randy Alexander (music publicist)
• Lexii Alijai (Minnesota rapper)
• Paul Allen (Dallas lounge pianist; murdered)
• Rance Allen (gospel singer/songwriter)
• Tony Allen (Afrobeat drummer)
• Wade Allison (thrash/hardcore guitarist, Iron Age)
• Pelle Alsing (Roxette drummer)
• Frank Amadeo (longtime president of Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s Estefan Enterprises)
• Bob Andy (reggae singer/songwriter)
• Mike Appleton (British TV producer, created “The Old Grey Whistle Test”)
• Phil Ashley (rock session keyboardist)
• Mickey Atkins (early Funkadelic keyboardist)
• Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson (Was [Not Was] singer)
• Luis Eduardo Aute (Spanish singer/songwriter)
• Gabriel Bacquier (French baritone)
• Cindy Badell-Slaughter (music licensing exec)
• Alec Baillie (ska-punk bassist, Leftöver Crack, Choking Victim)
• S.P. Balasubrahmanyam (Bollywood singer; Covid-19)
• Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot drummer)
• Edward “Buddy” Banks (R&B keyboardist, the Rude Boys)
• Josef Bansuelo (7Seconds bassist)
• Lucien Barbarin (New Orleans jazz trombonist)
• Ornetta Barber (WEA marketing exec)
• Mark Barkan (pop-rock songwriter, “Pretty Flamingo”)
• Randy Barlow (country singer)
• Bootsie Barnes (Philadelphia jazz saxophonist; Covid-19)
• Len Barry (’60s rock singer, with the Dovells and solo)
• Waldemar Bastos (Angolan singer/songwriter)
• Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitarist, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle)
• Harold Beane (Funkadelic, Isaac Hayes guitarist)
• LD Beghtol (singer/songwriter and Magnetic Fields collaborator)
• McKenzie Bell (metal guitarist, He Is Legend, Bloodjinn)
• Ronald “Khalis” Bell (Kool & the Gang co-founder, songwriter, arranger, producer, saxophonist)
• Roger Berlind (Broadway producer)
• Israel Berriel (Cuban rumba singer and composer, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas)
• Salome Bey (Canada’s “First Lady of the Blues”)
• Mike Bezzeg (Canadian VJ)
• Bert Bial (New York Philharmonic bassoonist and photographer)
• Bob Biggs (founder of Slash Records)
• Martin Birch (rock producer, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Whitesnake)
• Peter “Woosh” Birch (British house DJ/producer/promoter)
• Black the Ripper (British grime artist and cannabis advocate)
• Nick Blagona (producer/engineer)
• Aldir Blanc (Brazilian samba lyricist; Covid-19)
• Else Blangsted (legendary film music editor, “Tootsie,” “On Golden Pond,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”)
• William Blinn (“Purple Rain” screenwriter)
• Nick Blixky (rapper; murdered)
• Hamilton Bohannon (funk and disco drummer and bandleader)
• Helin Bölek (singer of banned Turkish folk group Grup Yorum; died after hunger strike)
• Claude Bolling (French jazz pianist/composer)
• Dave Booth (Manchester DJ)
• Paddy Bowden (early MTV marketing exec and ex-wife of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson)
• Ryan Brady (Atlantic Records marketing exec)
• Brax (up-and-coming Virginia rapper)
• Julian Bream (British classical guitarist)
• Jeff Breeze (longtime DJ at Boston’s WMBR and member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra)
• Bris (Sacramento rapper; murdered)
• James Broad (frontman of British rock band Silver Sun)
• Andrew Brough (Straitjacket Fits guitarist/songwriter)
• Marvin Brown (soul singer, the Softones)
• Harold Budd (American minimalist composer and pianist, frequent Brian Eno collaborator; Covid-19)
• Clarence Burke Sr. (father and manager of the Five Stairsteps)
• John Burke (Canadian composer)
• Sam “The Man” Burns (Washington, D.C., house music DJ)
• Don Burrows (Australian jazz clarinetist/flutist)
• Johnny Bush (Texas country singer who co-wrote “Whiskey River”)
• Steven Cagan (composer/conductor)
• Cándido Camero (Latin jazz percussionist and conga drum innovator)
• Jimmy Capps (country guitarist, longtime member of Grand Ole Opry house band)
• James Carmichael (disco singer, Instant Funk)
• Steve Martin Caro (Left Banke singer)
• Pete Carr (Muscle Shoals session guitarist)
• Kay Carroll (manager and backup singer, the Fall)
• Rosanna Carteri (Italian soprano)
• Nedda Casei (mezzosoprano and musicians’ union leader)
• Paul Chapman (UFO guitarist)
• Jon Christensen (Norwegian jazz drummer)
• Christophe (French chanson singer)
• Leon Chue (London dubplate cutting engineer)
• Adrian Cionco (bassist for Argentine rock band La Mosca)
• Jeff Clayton (jazz saxophonist)
• Sam Clayton Jr. (reggae producer/engineer, Harry J. Studio; Covid-19)
• Jimmy Cobb (jazz drummer)
• Bob Cobert (TV composer)
• Michael Cogswell (Louis Armstrong archivist)
• Oscar Cohen (longtime jazz R&B and rock booking agent)
• Rick Cohen (music distribution exec, WEA and BMG; Covid-19)
• Stu Cohen (longtime head of promotion at Warner Bros. Records)
• Mark Colby (jazz saxophonist)
• Freddy Cole (jazz singer/pianist)
• Richie Cole (jazz saxophonist)
• Tim “DJ Chucks” Cole (one half of British electronic duo the Correspondents)
• Quinn “DJ Spicoli” Coleman (DJ, promoter and Capitol Records A&R exec)
• Justin Connolly (British modernist composer)
• Tony ” Monsta” Cook (dubstep producer)
• Eddie Cooley (R&B songwriter, “Fever”)
• Paul Cooper (UMG and Atlantic/Warner record exec)
• Anton Coppola (composer/conductor)
• Nick Cordero (Broadway musical actor; Covid-19)
• J.T. Corenflos (Nashville session guitarist)
• Chamín Correa (Mexican guitar legend, Los Tres Caballeros)
• Kelly Corrigan (Detroit Americana singer)
• Tony Costanza (metal drummer, Machine Head, Crowbar)
• Count Shelly (British DJ and sound system pioneer)
• Jacques Coursil (French free-jazz trumpeter, composer and educator)
• Stanley Cowell (jazz pianist and educator)
• Simeon Coxe (electronic music pioneer, Silver Apples)
• Julia Craik (managing director of London recording studio the Premises; Covid-19)
• Noah Creshevsky (electronic composer)
• Cristina (new wave singer; Covid-19)
• Stanley Crouch (monumental, iconoclastic jazz critic)
• John Cumming (British jazz promoter)
• Chris Darrow (country-rock multi-instrumentalist, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kaleidoscope, Linda Ronstadt)
• Othella Dallas (dancer and blues and jazz singer)
• Charlie Daniels (Country Music Hall of Famer who bridged country, country-rock and Southern rock)
• Wolfgang Dauner (German jazz pianist)
• Eddy Davis (jazz banjo player; Covid-19)
• Georgia Dobbins Davis (Marvelettes founding member who co-wrote “Please Mr. Postman”)
• Mac Davis (country singer/songwriter and actor)
• Spencer Davis (guitarist and bandleader, the Spencer Davis Group)
• Suzy Delair (French actress/singer)
• Reinbert de Leeuw (Dutch conductor/pianist/composer)
• Jim Delehant (A&R exec, Atlantic Records)
• Gabi Delgado-López (singer and co-founder, pioneering German electronic band D.A.F.)
• Jerry Demara (regional Mexican singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Gloria DeNard (jazz educator)
• Lou Dennis (longtime Warner Bros. sales exec)
• Tommy DeVito (founding member of the Four Seasons; Covid-19)
• Dimitri de Wit (EDM artist manager and label exec; managed Tiësto)
• Mickey Diage (longtime Capitol Records exec)
• Manu Dibango (Afro-jazz saxophone star; Covid-19)
• Joe Diffie (country singer; Covid-19)
• Bryan Dilworth (Philadelphia concert promoter)
• Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon (reggae and dancehall producer)
• DJ Shay (hip-hop producer, Griselda Records and Buff City Records)
• DJ Slick B (Detroit hip-hop DJ; murdered)
• DJ Spinbad (New York DJ)
• Dobby Dobson (Jamaican singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Pau Donés (lead singer of Spanish rock band Jarabe de Palo)
• Judy Drucker (Miami classical music and opera promoter)
• Ja’Net DuBois (singer/songwriter and actress)
• Art Dudley (hi-fi audio writer/editor)
• Doriot Anthony Dwyer (principal flutist, Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention singer)
• Justin Townes Earle (singer/songwriter)
• Cleve Eaton (jazz bassist)
• Peter Ecklund (jazz cornetist)
• Christiane Eda-Pierre (French opera singer)
• Verne Edquist (renowned piano tuner for Glenn Gould and others)
• Maurice Edwards (artistic director, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Tony Edwards (Dallas music marketing and promotion fixture)
• El Dany (Cuban pop musician, half of Yomil y El Dany)
• Rosalind Elias (American mezzo-soprano)
• David Elliott (longtime trustee, mentor and classical music programmer at Harvard’s WHRB)
• Patrick Ellis (Washington, D.C., gospel radio DJ; Covid-19)
• Bobby Engel (booking agent, Variety Artists International)
• Paul English (Willie Nelson drummer and confidant)
• John Erhardt (Ass Ponys and Wussy guitarist and pedal steel guitarist)
• Benji Espinoza (house music record exec, DJ International Records)
• Bill Evanov (Canadian radio exec)
• Len Fagan (Los Angeles rock promoter; Covid-19)
• Ruth Falcon (opera singer and teacher)
• Diego Farias (metalcore guitarist, Volumes)
• Majek Fashek (Nigerian reggae singer)
• FBG Duck (Chicago rapper; murdered)
• Joseph Feingold (Holocaust survivor and star of the documentary “Joe’s Violin”; Covid-19)
• Victor Feldbrill (Canadian conductor)
• Sandra Feva (R&B singer)
• Bill Field (organist best known for accompanying silent films at LA’s Old Town Music Hall)
• 5th Ward Weebie (New Orleans bounce rapper)
• Tom Finn (Left Banke guitarist)
• James Fisher (music exec, Motown and ASCAP)
• Mark David Fisher (Detroit DJ)
• David Fitzgerald (rock guitarist; founding member of the Telescopes)
• Leon Fleisher (classical pianist who played one-handed for much of his life)
• John “Ecstasy” Fletcher (member of old-school rap group Whodini)
• George Floyd (Minneapolis police brutality victim was a former rapper and part of DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click)
• Wayne Fontana (British Invasion era singer, “The Game of Love”)
• Horacio Fontova (Argentine musician, actor and comedian)
• Robert “Rocky” Ford Jr. (pioneering hip-hop journalist and producer)
• Nick Apollo Forte (lounge singer who appeared in “Broadway Danny Rose”)
• Bob Fouts (metal drummer, Gates of Slumber, Chrome Waves)
• Fred the Godson (New York rapper)
• Mirella Freni (Italian opera star)
• FXXXXY (Dallas rapper)
• Andre Gagnon (Canadian composer/conductor/pianist)
• Eddie Gale (free-jazz trumpeter, Sun Ra Arkestra)
• Riley Gale (Power Trip singer)
• Bryan Wayne Galentine (country songwriter)
• Sir Dean Gant (R&B keyboardist/composer)
• Ganxsta Ridd (Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. rapper; Covid-19)
• Bob Garcia (longtime A&M Records exec)
• Bob Gibson (1970s rock publicist for the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Pink Floyd and many more)
• Jon Gibson (minimalist composer and multi-instrumentalist, Philip Glass Ensemble)
• Patrick Gibson (disco singer/drummer, the Gibson Brothers; Covid-19)
• Kenneth Gilbert (Canadian harpsichordist)
• Andy Gill (Gang of Four guitarist/songwriter)
• Ivry Gitlis (Israeli violinist)
• Milton Glaser (legendary graphic designer best known for the “I Love New York” logo and his 1967 Bob Dylan poster)
• Luke Gleeson (Irish rock promoter)
• Bennett Glotzer (artist manager, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, Gang of Four)
• Go DJ Black N Mild (New Orleans bounce DJ; Covid-19)
• İbrahim Gökçek (bassist in banned Turkish folk group Grup Yorum; died after hunger strike)
• Billy Goldenberg (TV composer, “Kojak,” “Rhoda,” Steven Spielberg’s “Duel”)
• Andy González (Latin jazz bassist)
• Ebow “Metropolis” Graham (British hip-hop/electronica MC, Foreign Beggars)
• Shirley Grant (Jonas Brothers manager)
• Marty Grebb (Buckinghams keyboardist)
• Juliette Gréco (chanson française singer and actress)
• Jim Green (Memphis concert promoter)
• Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac co-founder)
• Dave Greenfield (Stranglers keyboardist; Covid-19)
• Henry Grimes (avant-garde jazz bassist; Covid-19)
• Jordan “Stepa J.” Groggs (member of Phoenix rap group Injury Reserve)
• Cady Groves (pop/country singer/songwriter)
• Steve Grossman (jazz saxophonist)
• Bob Gulotti (jazz drummer)
• Onaje Allan Gumbs (jazz/R&B/pop pianist)
• Ida Haendel (classical violinist)
• Eric Hall (’70s British music publicist for Queen, the Sex Pistols, others)
• James Hand (Texas country singer)
• Steven Hanford (Poison Idea drummer)
• Sam Hargress Jr. (owner of Harlem jazz club Paris Blues; Covid-19)
• Andre Harrell (Uptown Records founder)
• Lynn Harrell (classical cellist)
• Harry Harrison (New York radio DJ)
• Alex Harvey (country songwriter, “Delta Dawn”)
• Gordon Haskell (early King Crimson singer/bassist)
• David Hayman (music supervisor)
• Reggie Haynes (’70s R&B singer, the Escorts)
• Roy Head (R&B, rockabilly, country singer, “Treat Her Right”)
• Claude Heater (American opera singer)
• Jimmy Heath (jazz saxophonist)
• Ron Heathman (Supersuckers guitarist)
• Ray Hennig (owner of Austin music store Heart of Texas)
• Warner Henry (Los Angeles classical music philanthropist)
• Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep keyboardist/songwriter)
• Toots Hibbert (reggae pioneer, Toots and the Maytals)
• Donny Hillier (metal singer, Trauma)
• Bones Hillman (Midnight Oil bassist)
• Chet Himes (recording engineer)
• Rupert Hine (rock producer, Rush, the Fixx, Tina Turner)
• Steve Holland (Molly Hatchet guitarist)
• WS “Fluke” Holland (Sun Records and Johnny Cash drummer)
• Chris Hopson (Tower Records marketing exec)
• Hostyle (New York rapper, member of Screwball)
• Houdini (Toronto rapper; murdered)
• Rita Houston (tastemaking DJ at New York’s WFUV)
• Jan Howard (country singer)
• Brian Howe (Bad Company singer)
• Alien Huang (Taiwanese boy-band singer and actor)
• Mike Huckaby (Detroit house DJ and producer; Covid-19)
• Huey (“Pop, Lock & Drop It” rapper; murdered)
• Chris Huggett (British synthesizer designer)
• Hachalu Hundessa (Ethiopian singer/songwriter and activist; murdered)
• Ahmed Ismail Hussein (Somali musician known as the King of Oud; Covid-19)
• Pamela Hutchinson (R&B singer, the Emotions)
• Anthony Galindo Ibarra (Menudo singer)
• Idir (Algerian singer)
• Naoki Iijima (Tokyo record-store owner who championed Bristol music scene)
• Joey Image (early Misfits drummer)
• Pandit Jasraj (Indian classical singer)
• Olivia Jaxx (British DJ/producer)
• Sam Jayne (frontman of indie-rock band Love as Laughter)
• Joseph B. Jefferson (’70s soul songwriter)
• Gary A. Jenkins (music lawyer; Covid-19)
• Denise Johnson (Madchester singer best known for work with Primal Scream)
• Peter Jonas (opera impresario)
• Derek Jones (metal guitarist, Falling in Reverse)
• Phil K (Australian breakbeat DJ)
• Willie K (Hawaiian singer/songwriter)
• Ginny Kalmbach (owner of Austin honky-tonk fixture Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon)
• Mory Kanté (Guinean singer and kora player)
• Nikolai Kapustin (Russian composer and pianist)
• Al Kasha (Oscar-winning songwriter)
• Alby Kass (Yiddish folk singer; Covid-19)
• Ryo Kawasaki (Japanese jazz fusion guitarist and guitar-synth pioneer)
• Gordon Keith (producer who signed the Jackson 5 to their first record deal and produced their first single)
• Kimberly Kennedy (audio engineer and artist manager)
• Lee Kerslake (Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne drummer)
• Stan Kesler (songwriter/producer/musician for Elvis Presley, Jesrry Lee Lewis and other rock pioneers)
• Hal Ketchum (country singer, “Small Town Saturday Night”)
• Pierre Kezdy (Naked Raygun bassist)
• Ustad Shahadat Hossain Khan (Bangladeshi sarod player; Covid-19)
• Kiing Shooter (New York rapper)
• Frank Kimbrough (jazz pianist)
• King Von (Chicago rapper; murdered)
• Astrid Kirchherr (Beatles photographer)
• KJ Balla (Brooklyn rapper; murdered)
• Richard “Dickie” Kline (Atlantic Records radio promo exec)
• Toshinoro Kondo (experimental jazz trumpeter)
• Lee Konitz (jazz saxophonist; Covid-19)
• Paul “Paul K” Kopasz (prolific singer/songwriter/guitarist, Paul K & the Weathermen)
• Ben Kouijzer (British CAA music agent)
• Lou “L.A.” Kouvaris (metal guitarist, Riot)
• Ivan Král (Patti Smith Group bassist, songwriter)
• Herbert Kretzmer (lyricist, “Les Misérables”)
• Bob Kulick (rock session guitarist, Kiss, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf)
• Harry Kupfer (German opera director)
• Dave Kusworth (rock guitarist, Jacobites)
• La Delfi (Dominican dembow artist)
• Mateo Lafontaine (Mexican electronic musician, Década 2)
• Lindsey Lagestee (Chicago country singer, Dixie Crush)
• Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom singer/guitarist)
• Holly Lane (longtime indie label exec at Blackheart, Roadrunner, Mechanic and others)
• Peter Larkin (Broadway set designer who co-designed Parliament-Funkadelic’s Mothership)
• Neil Lasher (music publishing exec; Covid-19)
• Dick Leahy (British publishing and label exec)
• Bryan Lee (New Orleans blues guitarist)
• Bunny Lee (reggae & dub producer)
• CP Lee (British musician, comedian and scholar)
• Bobby Lewis (’60s rock singer, “Tossin’ and Turnin'”)
• Nancy Lewis (rock publicist and Monty Python manager)
• Tony Lewis (lead singer of the Outfield)
• Lil Marlo (Atlanta rapper; murdered)
• Lil Yase (San Francisco rapper; murdered)
• Buzzy Linhart (singer/songwriter)
• Vincent Lionti (violist, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Covid-19)
• Little Richard (rock and roll pioneer)
• Garrett Lockhart (techno producer who released music under the names i_o and Fawkes)
• Giuseppi Logan (free jazz reed player; Covid-19)
• Mike Longo (jazz pianist, Dizzy Gillespie musical director; Covid-19)
• Trini Lopez (’60s pop singer; Covid-19)
• Ron Louie (country/Americana superfan; Covid-19)
• Betty Bennett Lowe (jazz singer)
• Rebecca Luker (Broadway musical star)
• Walter Lure (Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers guitarist)
• Vera Lynn (Britain’s WWII-era “Forces’ Sweetheart”)
• Aurlus Mabele (soukous singer, Loketo; Covid-19)
• Mac P Dawg (LA rapper; murdered)
• Bill Mack (country songwriter and Texas radio DJ; Covid-19)
• Bonnie MacLean (psychedelic poster artist)
• Ewan Macleod (Scottish radio DJ and TV presenter)
• John Macurdy (American opera singer)
• Cosmas Magaya (Zimbabwean mbira virtuoso; Covid-19)
• Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee (Harlem blues singer; Covid-19)
• Skip Mahoney (Washington, D.C., soul singer, Skip Mahoney & the Casuals)
• Malik B (rapper; founding member of the Roots)
• Sean Malone (metal bassist, Cynic)
• Lynn Evans Mand (Chordettes lead singer)
• Johnny Mandel (pop songwriter/arranger and film and TV composer)
• Ray Mantilla (Latin jazz percussionist)
• Armando Manzanero (Mexican singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Marc (guitarist for black metal band Hecate Enthroned, known only by his first name)
• Benny Mardones (pop singer/songwriter)
• Jeremy Marre (music documentarian)
• Ellis Marsalis (New Orleans jazz patriarch; Covid-19)
• Barbara Martin (original member of the Supremes)
• Bill Martin (British songwriter)
• Dan Martin (British rock critic, NME, the Guardian)
• Daniel Lee Martin (country singer facing sexual assault charges)
• Moon Martin (power-pop singer/songwriter)
• Vaughan Mason (funk artist/producer, “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll”)
• Ronn Matlock (Motown songwriter)
• Paul Matters (early AC/DC bassist)
• Phil May (Pretty Things singer)
• Lyle Mays (jazz pianist)
• Franz Mazura (opera singer)
• Sid McCray (original Bad Brains singer)
• William E. “Bill” McEuen (producer and manager, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Martin)
• Phyllis McGuire (lead singer of ’50s pop stars the McGuire sisters)
• John McKenzie (British session bassist)
• Nikki McKibbin (third-place finisher on first season of “American Idol”)
• Rich McLoughlin (New York hardcore bassist, Killing Time, Breakdown)
• Gary McSpadden (gospel singer/songwriter, Oak Ridge Boys, Gaither Vocal Band)
• Johnny Meadows (pro wrestler turned singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Alan Merrill (rock singer/songwriter, the Arrows, “I Love Rock ‘N Roll”; Covid-19)
• Jymie Merritt (jazz bassist, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers)
• Max Merritt (Australasian singer/songwriter)
• Mady Mesplé (French soprano)
• MF Doom (masked rapper)
• Sarah Bryan Miller (longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical critic)
• Walter C. Miller (longtime Grammy Awards and CMA Awards director and producer)
• Miss Mercy (pioneering rock groupie and member of the GTOs)
• Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers bassist, briefly)
• Pete Mitchell (BBC Radio 2 presenter)
• Mo3 (Dallas rapper; murdered)
• Jacques Louis-Monod (French composer/conductor/pianist)
• Jeremy Montagu (musical instrument scholar)
• Charlie Monttana (Mexican rock singer)
• Moraes Moreira (Brazilian singer/songwriter, Os Novos Baianos)
• Erick Morillo (house music DJ)
• Ennio Morricone (legendary Italian film composer)
• Bob Moses (indie-rock bassist, Kustomized, Busted Statues)
• Chi Pig (frontman of Canadian punk band SNFU)
• Reed Mullin (Corrosion of Conformity drummer)
• Etsuo Nagura (Japanese noise rock keyboardist, Endon)
• Todd Nance (Widespread Panic drummer)
• Johnny Nash (pop and reggae singer/songwriter)
• Travis Nelsen (Okkervil River drummer)
• Jack Nelson (manager, Queen, Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osborne; Covid-19)
• Lennie Niehaus (jazz saxophonist and film composer)
• Mike Noga (Australian singer/songwriter/drummer, the Drones)
• Robert “Brother Ah” Northern (jazz and classical French horn player)
• Dulce Nunes (Brazilian bossa nova singer; Covid-19)
• Des O’Connor (British crooner, comedian and TV presenter)
• Itaru Oki (Japanese jazz trumpeter)
• Victor Olaiya (Nigerian trumpeter and highlife star)
• David Olney (singer/songwriter)
• Keith Olsen (rock producer, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, Grateful Dead)
• Kevin O’Meara (indie-rock drummer, VideoHippos)
• Sean O’Neal (aka Someone Else; Philadelphia DJ/producer and music journalist)
• Optiv (drum & bass DJ)
• Ronan O’Rahilly (British pirate radio pioneer, Radio Caroline)
• Marc Orleans (rock/experimental guitarist and pedal steel guitarist, Sunburned Hand of the Man)
• Guadalupe “Shorty” Ortiz (Tejano bandleader, Shorty and the Corvetts, Mariachi Corbetas; Covid-19)
• Riley Osbourn (Texas session pianist)
• K.T. Oslin (country singer/songwriter)
• Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou (Tuareg guitarist)
• Charles “Fuzzy” Owen (country producer, engineer and promoter and one of the fathers of the Bakersfield Sound)
• José Padilla (Ibiza DJ)
• Bruni Pagan (disco singer)
• Sharon Paige (R&B singer, frequent Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes collaborator)
• Lou Pallo (longtime guitarist in Les Paul Trio)
• Josh Pappe (D.R.I. bassist)
• Dan Parise (film, TV and live-event producer)
• Alan Parker (film director, “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” “The Commitments”)
• Robert Parker (New Orleans singer/songwriter and saxophonist)
• Pascal F.E.O.S. (German techno DJ)
• Louie Patton (R&B singer/songwriter, Side Effect)
• Joe Payne (metal bassist, Nile, Divine Heresy)
• Gary Peacock (jazz bassist)
• Neil Peart (Rush drummer and lyricist)
• Ken Pedersen (Capitol and Virgin label exec)
• Krzysztof Penderecki (Polish composer)
• Ray Pennington (country songwriter/producer)
• Marcelo Peralta (Argentine jazz saxophonist; Covid-19)
• Max Perenchio (Chicago indie-rock singer/guitarist)
• Charli Persip (jazz drummer)
• Alan Peters (Agnostic Front bassist)
• Lucky Peterson (Texas blues singer)
• Stacey Phelon (New Jersey producer, engineer, studio owner)
• Knox Phillips (producer/engineer/studio owner and champion of Memphis music)
• Phil Phillips (“Sea of Love” singer)
• Bucky Pizzarelli (jazz guitarist; Covid-19)
• Bonnie Pointer (Pointer Sisters singer)
• Pop Smoke (Brooklyn rapper; murdered)
• Joe Porcaro (jazz & pop drummer)
• Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (industrial music pioneer and provocateur, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV)
• Larome Powers (R&B singer/songwriter)
• Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power bassist)
• Charley Pride (1970s country superstar and first Black member of Country Music Hall of Fame; Covid-19)
• Joe Priesnitz (Austin, Texas, artist manager and booking agent)
• Steve Priest (The Sweet bassist)
• John Prine (the Platonic ideal of a singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Michael Procter (house vocalist)
• Tyrone “The Bone” Proctor (“Soul Train” dancer)
• Orlando Puerta (promotion/marketing exec and dance-music advocate)
• Bill Pursell (songwriter, session pianist; Covid-19)
• Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quiñones (pioneering breakdancer, starred in “Breakin'” and “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”)
• Jose “Pepe” Quintana (Latin music producer and record exec)
• Paul Quirk (British record retailer)
• Jimmy Rabbitt (pioneering outlaw country DJ)
• Jason Rainey (Sacred Reich guitarist)
• Helen Reddy (pop singer and feminist icon)
• Tony Redz (Washington, D.C., rapper, go-go musician and radio DJ)
• Alto Reed (longtime saxophonist in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band)
• Harold Reid (founding member of the Statler Brothers)
• Sean Reinert (death metal drummer, Death, Cynic)
• Ann Reinking (Broadway musical actress, dancer and choreographer)
• Tom Relleen (experimental UK multi-instrumentalist, Tomaga, the Oscillation, Autotelia)
• Joel Revzen (American conductor; Covid-19)
• Emitt Rhodes (power-pop pioneer)
• Tony Rice (bluegrass guitarist)
• Marga Richter (American composer)
• Bill Rieflin (industrial rock—more or less—drummer for basically every band you can think of)
• Naya Rivera (actress/singer, “Glee”)
• David Roback (rock guitarist/producer, Mazzy Star, Opal, Rain Parade)
• Dustin “Playalitical” Robbins (Denver rapper)
• Claudio Roditi (jazz trumpeter)
• Freddy Rodriguez Sr. (Denver jazz saxophonist; Covid-19)
• Chynna Rogers (Philadelphia rapper)
• D.J. Rogers (’70s soul singer/songwriter)
• Kenny Rogers (country-pop giant picked a fine time to leave us)
• Carlos “Cuco” Rojas (Colombian arpa llanera player and bandleader)
• Tito Rojas (Puerto Rican salsa singer)
• Richie Rome (’70s R&B producer/arranger)
• Wallace Roney (jazz trumpeter; Covid-19)
• Brian “D2A” Rosin (Chicago club DJ who was facing murder charges for his wife’s death)
• Annie Ross (jazz singer, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross)
• Elinor Ross (Metropolitan Opera soprano)
• Roy C (Southern soul singer/songwriter and producer)
• Vern Rumsey (Unwound bassist)
• Saint Dog (Kottonmouth Kings rapper)
• Rudy Salas (Latin R&B guitarist, Tierra, El Chicano)
• Gary Salzman (artist manager; Covid-19)
• David “Cowboy” Sanders (soul singer, the Masqueraders)
• Jorge Santana (Latin rock guitarist, younger brother of Carlos)
• Nello Santi (Italian conductor)
• Arlene Saunders (soprano; Covid-19)
• Tray Savage (Chicago rapper; murdered)
• Adam Schlesinger (pop-rock songwriter, Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “That Thing You Do”; Covid-19)
• Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk co-founder)
• Jaap Schröder (Dutch violinist and conductor)
• Gerard Schurmann (film and TV composer)
• J. Scott (A$AP Mob member, DJ, producer)
• Shawn Scruggs (country bassist and Nashville honky-tonk fixture)
• Joe Segal (Chicago jazz promoter and club owner, the Jazz Showcase)
• Matthew Seligman (Soft Boys bassist; Covid-19)
• Khusi Seremane (South African singer/songwriter)
• Peter Serkin (classical pianist)
• Scott Sessions (blues trumpeter; murdered)
• Jamie “J Milla” Sevier (Chicago hip-hop promoter and activist)
• Joseph Shabalala (founder, Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
• Mohammad Reza Shajarian (Iranian singer and dissident)
• Bob Shane (lead singer, Kingston Trio)
• Billy Joe Shaver (outlaw country singer/songwriter)
• Linda Shaver-Gleason (classical musicologist and writer)
• Gene Shay (influential Philadelphia radio DJ)
• Dale Sheets (managed Mel Tormé, Vic Damone and Patti Page)
• Paul Shelden (clarinetist; Covid-19)
• Dave “Medusa” Shelton (Chicago dance-music promoter and club owner)
• Jack Sherman (early Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist)
• Larry Sherman (Trax Records founder)
• Balla Sidibé (Orchestra Baobab singer)
• Flor Silvestre (Mexican singer and actress)
• Hal Singer (jazz and R&B saxophonist, and survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre)
• Jonty SkruFFF (British DJ and dance music journalist)
• Jason Slater (original Third Eye Blind bassist)
• Mitch Slater (concert promotion exec, Delsener/Slater Presents, SFX Entertainment
• Millie Small (ska singer, “My Boy Lollipop”)
• Kathy Smardak (Nashville concert promoter, Outback Presents)
• Bill Smith (jazz & classical clarinetist/composer)
• Michael Smith (folk-rock singer/songwriter)
• Tim Smith (Cardiacs frontman)
• Toni Smith (jazz/R&B singer/songwriter)
• Viola Smith (1930s and ’40s big-band drummer known as “fastest girl drummer in the world”)
• Doak Snead (country songwriter)
• Troy Sneed (gospel singer; Covid-19)
• Maynard Solomon (producer, classical artist biographer and co-founder of Vanguard Records)
• SOS DMann (Providence, R.I., rapper; murdered)
• Willie Wild Sparks (Graham Central Station drummer)
• Landon Spradlin (evangelical musician; Covid-19)
• Barry St. John (Scottish R&B singer, session vocalist)
• Geoff Stephens (British songwriter, “The Crying Game,” “Winchester Cathedral”)
• Lyndon Stephens (Northern Irish indie music exec)
• Jan Steward (artist, photographer, album cover designer and South Asian music patron)
• Stezo (rapper and dancer)
• Mark Stone (original Van Halen bassist)
• Pauline Anna Strom (electronic composer)
• Chad Stuart (half of ’60s folk-pop duo Chad & Jeremy)
• Ira Sullivan (Chicago jazz multi-instrumentalist)
• Doug Supernaw (’90s country singer, “Reno,” “I Don’t Call Him Daddy”)
• Steve Sutherland (British DJ, radio presenter and dance-music promoter)
• Jay Swartzendruber (Christian music publicist and journalist)
• Bruce Swedien (recording engineer, best known for his work with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones)
• Edward Tarr (trumpeter and musicologist)
• Duane Tatro (jazz saxophonist and TV composer, “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat”)
• Tay Way (East Bay rapper; murdered)
• Eric Taylor (Texas singer/songwriter)
• Scott Taylor (Then Jericho guitarist)
• Richard Teitelbaum (electronic music pioneer)
• Michael Theanne (artist manager)
• Jacob Thiele (rock synth player, the Faint)
• Christen Thomas (Chicago promoter/booking agent)
• Eddie Thomas (indie-rock drummer, Black Tie Dynasty)
• Danny Ray Thompson (multi-instrumentalist, Sun Ra Arkestra)
• Mike Thrasher (Portland concert promoter)
• Sibel Thrasher (jazz and R&B singer)s
• Cheryl Tiano (agent for film, TV and game composers)
• Eliot Tiegel (music journalist, was Billboard’s managing editor)
• Frederick C. Tillis (jazz and classical composer)
• Keith Tippett (British jazz pianist)
• TM1way (British rapper, brother 21 Savage; murdered)
• Professor Joe Torres (salsa pianist)
• Willie Torres (Latin vocalist, Joe Cuba Sextet)
• Paul Travis (British prog-rock singer/songwriter, Travis, Liar)
• Tripple Beanz (New Jersey rapper; murdered)
• Brian “Kent Won’t Stop” Trotter (aspiring Virginia rapper; murdered)
• Chris Trousdale (Dream Street singer; Covid-19)
• Fou Ts’ong (Chinese pianist)
• Gabriella Tucci (Italian soprano)
• Cy Tucker (Liverpool singer, Beatles contemporary; Covid-19)
• Barry Tuckwell (French horn virtuoso)
• Ty (British rapper; Covid-19)
• McCoy Tyner (jazz piano great)
• “Blue” Gene Tyranny (composer and pianist who worked across multiple genres)
• Steven Tyson (guitarist for UK post-punk band Mush)
• Eddie Van Halen (guitar hero)
• Alexander Vedernikov (Russian conductor, most notably with the Bolshoi Theater; Covid-19)
• Victor Victor (Dominican bachata singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Howard Wales (keyboardist both known for Jerry Garcia collaborations)
• Jerry Jeff Walker (outlaw country singer/songwriter)
• Erin Wall (Canadian opera singer)
• Tres Warren (Psychic Ills singer/guitarist)
• Fanny Waterman (British pianist, founder of Leeds International Piano Competition)
• Tom Watkins (Pet Shop Boys manager)
• Pete Way (UFO bassist)
• Andrew Weatherall (DJ, producer, remixer extraordinaire)
• Jimmy Webb (rock style icon, Trash & Vaudeville)
• Steve Weber (Holy Modal Rounders guitarist)
• Albert K. Webster (managing director of New York Philharmonic; Covid-19)
• Danny Webster (Slave guitarist/singer)
• Elyse Weinberg (’60s singer/songwriter)
• Eric Weissberg (bluegrass multi-instrumentalist, “Dueling Banjos”)
• Gwendolyn Oliver Wesley (disco singer, the Ritchie Family)
• Leslie West (Mountain guitarist)
• Ian Whitcomb (British singer/songwriter)
• Andrew White (jazz and R&B multi-instrumentalist and John Coltrane scholar)
• Chet “JR” White (indie-rock bassist/producer, Girls)
• Jay White (metal bassist, the Agony Scene)
• Dick Whitehouse (longtime Curb Records CEO)
• Camilla Wicks (American violin virtuoso)
• Aaron Wilburn (Christian singer/songwriter, the Happy Goodman Family)
• John Wilkins (gospel blues singer/guitarist)
• Jimmie Williams (Philadelphia International Records in-house bassist)
• Bruce Williamson (late-period Temptations singer; Covid-19)
• Graeme Williamson (frontman of Toronto rock band Pukka Orchestra)
• Jim Williamson (trumpeter and bandleader, Nashville Jazz Orchestra)
• Hal Willner (producer, curator, “Saturday Night Live” music guru; Covid-19)
• Wes Wilson (psychedelic poster artist)
• Bill Wisener (Dallas record store owner, Bill’s Records)
• Bill Withers (soul legend)
• Mike Wolfson (Portland, Ore., club owner)
• Baron Wolman (Rolling Stone magazine’s first staff photographer)
• Nashom “Mona Foot” Wooden (drag performer, dance music singer and actor; Covid-19)
• Helen Jones Woods (pioneering jazz trombonist, International Sweethearts of Rhythm; Covid-19)
• Betty Wright (soul singer)
• Edna Wright (lead singer, the Honey Cone)
• Eugene Wright (Dave Brubeck Quartet bassist)
• Margaret Wright (Austin, Texas, lounge pianist)
• Willie Wright (soul singer/songwriter)
• Charles Wuorinen (avant-garde composer)
• Elizabeth Wurtzel (memoirist, rock critic)
• Kansai Yamamoto (Japanese designer who created stage outfits for David Bowie, Elton John and Stevie Wonder)
• Mark Yeary (longtime Merle Haggard pianist)
• Yohan (K-pop singer, TST)
• Brent Young (early Trivium bassist)
• Young Curt (Bay Area rapper)
• Kenny Young (Brill Building songwriter, “Under the Boardwalk”)
• Shirley Young (classical music patron and cultural diplomat)
• Yen Yung-Neng (Taiwanese folk singer)
• Don Zimmermann (president of Capitol Records and Capitol/EMI North America in the 1980s)
• David Zoller (Dallas jazz pianist and composer)
• Michael Zucker (house music DJ/producer)