An alphabetical list of musicians and music industry figures who died in 2021.

• 6 Dogs (SoundCloud rapper)
• 12 O’Clock (member of Wu-Tang-affiliated hip-hop group Brooklyn Zu; murdered)
• 18Veno (South Carolina rapper; murdered)
• 600BossMoo (Chicago rapper)
• Virgil Abloh (groundbreaking designer was also a noted DJ and Kanye West’s creative director)
• Pa Chris Ajilo (Nigerian highlife artist/producer)
• Tope Taiwo Ajogbajesu (Nigerian gospel singer, the Ajogbajesu Twins)
• Abdel Karim al Kabli (Sudanese singer/songwriter)
• Richie Albright (Waylon Jennings drummer)
• Scott Alcoholocaust (Bay Area punk promoter)
• Keith Allison (songwriter, session guitarist and, for seven years, Paul Revere & the Raiders bassist)
• Vjuan Allure (DJ, producer and ballroom scene pioneer)
• Adalberto Álvarez (Cuban pianist and bandleader; Covid-19)
• Fawad Andarabi (Afghan folk singer, murdered by the Taliban)
• Stone Anderson (bassist for Alabama rockers Rob Aldridge & the Proponents)
• Louis Andriessen (Dutch composer)
• Susan Anway (original Magnetic Fields singer)
• Rubén “Pelo” Aprile (Argentine producer and label owner)
• Michael Apted (director, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”)
• Jesse Aratow (agent, String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon)
• Phil Asher (British DJ and producer)
• Barthelemy Attisso (Orchestra Baobab guitarist)
• Raysean Autry (co-founder of hip-hop blog Kollege Kidd)
• Krishnaswami Ramachandran Azad (Denver jazz/soul drummer)
• Eve Babitz (journalist/novelist/artist who chronicled LA culture from the inside)
• Baby CEO (Memphis rapper; murdered)
• Elbee Bad (house DJ and producer)
• Norman Bailey (British bass-baritone)
• Razzy Bailey (country songwriter)
• Tim Baker (techno DJ, producer and label owner)
• Rodney Bakerr (Chicago house producer and label founder, Rockin’ House Records)
• Djordje Balasevic (Serbian pop singer; Covid-19)
• Kenny Ballinger (Wichita, Kan., venue owner and promoter)
• Carmen Balthrop (American soprano)
• Chris Barber (British jazz bandleader)
• Andy Barker (808 State bassist/keyboardist/composer/plus)
• Franco Battiato (Italian singer/songwriter)
• Michel Baumann (aka Jackmate and Soulphiction; DJ, producer and label owner)
• Bert Baumbach (Canadian bluegrass guitarist, the Dixie Flyers)
• BCR Meezle (up-and-coming Chicago rapper; murdered)
• Carl Bean (gospel and disco singer, “I Was Born This Way”)
• Esther Bejarano (Holocaust survivor and member of the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra who devoted the rest of her life to music and fighting racism)
• Pinto Bennett (Idaho honky-tonk singer/songwriter)
• Byron Berline (bluegrass fiddle great and well-traveled session musician)
• Andrew Bernard (saxophonist for John Fred and His Playboy Band and co-writer of “Judy in Disguise [With Glasses]”)
• Jim Bessman (music journalist best known for his long stint at Billboard)
• Big Wan (up-and-coming Milwaukee rapper; murdered)
• Luke Biggins (British music video director)
• Michael Bishop (producer and engineer, Telarc Records)
• Biz Markie (old school hip-hop’s clown prince)
• Charlie Black (country songwriter)
• Jay Black (leader of ’60s pop stars Jay and the Americans)
• Black Rob (Bad Boy rapper best known for 2000 hit “Whoa”)
• Dewayne Blackwell (rock and country songwriter, “Friends in Low Places”)
• Jerry Blair (major label promo exec who was instrumental in the careers of Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and others; Covid-19)
• Tim Bogert (rock bassist, founding member of Vanilla Fudge)
• Boog the Bandit (Columbus, Ohio, rapper; murdered)
• Martin Bookspan (classical radio and TV host, best known for “Live From Lincoln Center”)
• Juini Booth (jazz bassist who played with the Sun Ra Arkestra, Art Blakey, Albert Ayler and many others)
• Perry Botkin Jr. (TV and film composer)
• Dustin Boyer (owner of Indianapolis honky-tonk Duke’s Indy)
• Connie Bradley (longtime head of ASCAP Nashville)
• Jack Bradley (Louis Armstrong’s personal photographer)
• Sérgio Brandão (Brazilian bassist)
• Jerry Brandt (New York club owner, the Ritz, the Electric Circus; Covid-19)
• Leslie Bricusse (lyricist/composer for films and musicals)
• Mick Brigden (rock manager and road manager, Joe Satriani, Humble Pie, Mountain)
• Sheila Bromberg (British classical harpist who played on the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home”)
• Steve Bronski (Bronski Beat co-founder)
• Brother Resistance (Trinidadian rapso singer)
• William A. Brower (jazz concert programmer and critic, and longtime stage manager at New Orleans Jazz Fest)
• Steve Brown (rock producer, the Cult, Manic Street Preachers, Wham!)
• Ed Bruce (country singer/songwriter, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”)
• Patsy Bruce (country songwriter, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”)
• Jerry Burgan (’60s folk-rock singer/guitarist, We Five)
• James Burke (Five Stairsteps singer/guitarist)
• John Burks (Rolling Stone magazine’s first managing editor)
• Karla Burns (musical theater actress)
• Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly drummer)
• Mark Bubba Bynum (Bar-Kays keyboardist)
• Françoise Cactus (half of French/German duo Stereo Total)
• José María Cámara (Spanish record exec)
• Joe Camarillo (drummer for the Waco Brothers and many other Chicago bands)
• Malcolm Campbell (publishing executive for Spin, the Fader and Blender)
• Carman (contemporary Christian singer/songwriter and member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame)
• Ralph Carmichael (film and TV composer, gospel songwriter and Nat King Cole arranger/conductor)
• Raffaella Carrà (Italian pop star and actress)
• Shaun Carrington (session guitarist)
• Larry Carter (Romeo Void drummer)
• Jonas Cash (promotion exec)
• Malcolm Cecil (synthesizer designer and performer, producer and Stevie Wonder collaborator)
• Franco Cerri (Italian jazz guitarist)
• Eulalio “Sax” Cervantes (sax player for Mexican rock band La Maldita Vecindad; Covid-19)
• Joel Chadabe (composer and electronic music pioneer)
• Pastor Champion (traveling preacher and gospel singer)
• Jahade Chancey (Staten Island hip-hop producer and studio owner; murdered)
• Emmett Chapman (jazz guitarist who invented the Chapman Stick)
• Michael Chapman (influential British folk guitarist and singer/songwriter)
• CharlestheFirst (EDM producer)
• Phil Chen (classic rock session bassist)
• Robert “Lucian” Chiarello (half of ’80s New York punk/electro band Mode/IQ)
• Gabriel Chong (Kuala Lumpur DJ/producer)
• Dolores Claman (Canadian jingle composer best known for her “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song)
• Erma L. Clanton (Memphis playwright, theater director and songwriter)
• Kevin Clark (Chicago musician whoi played drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones in “School of Rock”)
• Louis Clark (ELO orchestrator and Hooked on Classics creator)
• Sanford Clark (rockabilly and country singer; Covid-19)
• Maureen Cleave (British journalist who was an early champion of the Beatles)
• Willie C. Cobbs (blues harmonica player)
• Claudio Coccoluto (Italian house DJ)
• Richard Cole (Led Zeppelin road manager)
• Harry Colomby (high school teacher who was Thelonious Monk’s longtime manager)
• Freddie Combs (minister and season 2 “X Factor” contestant)
• Charles Connor (drummer for Little Richard and other rock pioneers)
• Bruce Conte (Tower of Power guitarist)
• Billy Conway (Morphine drummer)
• Harry Coombs (longtime promo exec at Philadelphia International Records)
• Kenneth Cooper (baroque harpsichordist)
• Jason “Rowdy” Cope (country guitarist, the Steel Woods, Jamey Johnson)
• Chick Corea (jazz and jazz fusion piano giant)
• Jill Corey (1950s pop singer)
• Diego Cortez (New York art and music instigator; co-founder of the Mudd Club)
• Justin Cosby (co-founder of Australian indie label Inertia Music)
• Paul Cotton (Poco guitarist)
• Alan Coulthard (British DJ and remixer)
• Eva Coutaz (classical music tastemaker and label exec, Harmonia Mundi)
• Shawn Cripps (frontman of Memphis garage-rockers Limes)
• J.D Crowe (bluegrass banjoist, the New South)
• Stefan Cush (The Men They Couldn’t Hang singer)
• Wowa Cwejman (synthesizer designer, Cwejman music)
• Janet D’Addario (co-founder of the guitar string & accessory company that bears her last name)
• Tim Daniels (Dallas club owner, Club Dada)
• Mike Darole (Bay Area rapper; murdered)
• Das Muster (German electro artist/producer)
• Sarah Dash (Labelle co-founder)
• Judith Davidoff (master of the viola da gamba and other early stringed instruments)
• John Davis (one of the real singing voices behind Milli Vanilli; Covid-19)
• Peter G. Davis (longtime New York Magazine classical critic)
• Steve “Stevie D” Davis (Phoenix punk-rock bassist, Glass Heroes)
• Dino J.A. Deane (jazz/experimental multi-instrumentalist and electronic innovator)
• Tommy DeBarge (R&B singer, the Switch)
• Taylor Dee (Texas country singer/songwriter)
• Deezer D (actor and rapper)
• Paul DeLeon (metal drummer, Las Cruces)
• Fred Dellar (British music journalist; spent two decades at NME)
• Constance Demby (ambient/new age composer and musician)
• Buddy Deppenschmidt (jazz drummer and bossa nova pioneer)
• Jacob Desvarieux (singer and co-founder of pioneering zouk band Kassav’; Covid-19)
• Morris “B.B.” Dickerson (bassist, singer and founding member of War)
• DMX (rap superstar and actor)
• Alix Dobkin (pioneering lesbian singer/songwriter)
• Dottie Dodgion (jazz drummer)
• Dokta Frabz (Nigerian producer)
• Malcolm Dome (British rock and metal journalist)
• Double K (half of LA hip-hop group People Under the Stairs)
• Barbara Dozier (wife and business partner of Motown songwriter/producer Lamont Dozier)
• Drae Steves (Portland, Ore., rapper; murdered)
• John Drake (Amboy Dukes lead singer)
• Drakeo the Ruler (LA rap innovator; murdered)
• Craig Duffy (tour manager for bands including Duran Duran, Blur and Radiohead)
• Duke Bootee (pioneering rapper and producer, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message”)
• James Dukes Jr. (bass singer for 1970s Chicago soul group Heaven and Earth)
• Melvin Dunlap (funk bassist, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band)
• Graeme Edge (Moody Blues drummer)
• David R Edwards (frontman of Welsh experimental rock group Datblygu)
• Mickey Eichner (longtime Columbia Records A&R exec)
• Einar (19-year-old Swedish rapper; murdered)
• Pee Wee Ellis (jazz and R&B saxophonist; James Brown’s bandleader)
• Emani 22 (R&B singer)
• Bill Emerson (bluegrass banjo player, the Country Gentlemen)
• Les Emmerson (leader of the Five Man Electrical Band; he wrote “Signs”; Covid-19)
• Roger Englander (TV producer/director who championed classical music on the small screen)
• Charles English (Detroit DJ)
• Alèmayèhu Eshèté (Ethiopian singer/songwriter known as the “Abyssinian Elvis”)
• Pamela Espeland (Minneapolis jazz and general arts critic)
• Barbara Ess (No Wave musician and photographer, Y Pants, Disband and the Static)
• Deon Estus (longtime Wham!/George Michael bassist)
• Darren Eubank (Dallas singer/songwriter; Covid-19)
• Harvey Evans (musical theater actor)
• Don Everly (half of the Everly Brothers, rock and country-rock pioneers)
• John Fagot (promo exec for Columbia, Capitol and Hollywood)
• Sabah Fahkri (Syrian tenor and ambassador of Arabic classical music)
• Bob Fass (freeform radio pioneer, WBAI)
• Fatboi Gwalla Gwalla (Milwaukee rapper; murdered)
• Anne Feeney (folk singer and activist; Covid-19)
• Vicente Fernández (Mexican troubadour known on both sides of the border as the King of Mexican Song)
• Pat Fish (aka the Jazz Butcher, long-running British indie pop singer/songwriter)
• Neil Flanz (steel guitarist best known for his association with Gram Parsons)
• Flatline Nizzy (Pittsburgh rapper; murdered)
• Randy “Baja” Fletcher (production manager for Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Waylon Jennings and others)
• Chencho Flores (Texas conjunto accordionist/singer)
• Flow La Movie (Puerto Rican producer)
• Carlisle Floyd (American opera composer)
• Michael Fonfara (Canadian keyboardist, Lou Reed, Downchild Blues Band)
• Pat Fontes (New England house and techno DJ/producer)
• Ashley Forbes (Scottish label exec)
• Stan Foreman (Capitol Records promo exec)
• Howard “KingFish” Franklin (Washington, D.C., jazz drummer; Covid-19)
• George “Commander Cody” Frayne (leader of early country rockers Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen)
• Denny Freeman (Austin blues guitarist)
• Nelson Freire (Brazilian classical pianist)
• Manfred Fricke (founder of German electronic instrument company MFB)
• Dave Frishberg (jazz singer/songwriter/pianist, best known for his “Schoolhouse Rock!” songs)
• Curtis Fuller (jazz trombonist)
• Pierce Fulton (dance music producer)
• Dell Furano (rock merchandising pioneer)
• Ethel Gabriel (produced at least 2,500 records for RCA Victor)
• Steve “Zumbi” Gaines (rapper in Bay Area hip-hop group Zion I)
• David Gamble (drummer and one-half of Athens, Ga., post-punk band the Method Actors)
• Ted Gardner (Australian artist manager who co-founded Lollapalooza with Perry Farrell)
• Jivan Gasparyan (Armenian duduk player and composer)
• Bruce Gaston (American composer/performer of Thai classical music)
• George Gerdes (folk-pop singer/songwriter and actor)
• Giuseppe Giacomini (Italian tenor)
• Leonard “Doc” Gibbs (jazz and R&B percussionist)
• Terry Gibson Jr. (New Orleans trumpeter, Sporty’s Brass Band)
• Gift of Gab (Blackalicous rapper)
• Greg Gilbert (lead singer of British rock band the Delays)
• Inge Ginsberg (Holocaust survivor who in her 90s became the “Death Metal Grandma”)
• Raymond Gniewek (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra concertmaster)
• Gonzoe (veteran LA rapper; murdered)
• Jerry Granelli (jazz drummer best known for playing on “A Charlie Brown Christmas”)
• Courtney Granger (acclaimed Cajun fiddler, the Pine Leaf Boys)
• Micki Grant (Broadway singer/actor/composer/lyricist)
• Milford Graves (avant-garde jazz percussionist)
• JT Gray (owner of Nashville bluegrass institution the Station Inn)
• Burton Greene (avant-garde jazz pianist)
• Eric Greif (metal lawyer and manager, Death, Obituary, Massacre)
• Grace Griffith (Washington, D.C., folk and Celtic singer)
• Nanci Griffith (country-folk singer/songwriter)
• Douglas Grigsby (session bassist and longtime Teena Marie music director)
• Sally Grossman (Woodstock, N.Y., label, studio and theater owner and Bob Dylan album cover model)
• Edita Gruberova (Slovak soprano)
• Michael Gudinski (founder of the Mushroom Group; a giant in the Australian music industry)
• Oscar Guitián (Latin music producer, promoter, manager and label exec)
• Margo Guryan (singer/songwriter)
• Paquito Guzmán (Puerto Rican salsa singer)
• Jonas Gwangwa (South African jazz trombonist)
• Bernard Haitink (longtime conductor of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
• Tiffini Hale (member of ’90s Disney pop band the Party)
• Tom T. Hall (country songwriting great known as “The Storyteller”)
• Hammer Beanz (Providence, R.I., rapper; murdered)
• Slide Hampton (jazz trombonist and arranger)
• Connie Hamzy (aka “Sweet Connie,” Arkansas rock groupie immortalized in Grand Funk’s “We’re an American Band”)
• Bill Harkin (architect who built Glastonbury’s first Pyramid Stage)
• Sarah Harding (member of UK girl group Girls Aloud)
• Regi Hargis (funk guitarist, founding member of ’70s Atlanta band Brick)
• Larry Harlow (pioneering salsa musician)
• Dave Harper (Frankie & the Heartstrings drummer)
• Barry Harris (Detroit bebop pianist; Covid-19)
• Matt Harris (rock bassist, Oranger, the Posies)
• Jon Hassell (experimental composer/trumpeter and inventor of Fourth World music)
• Bruce Hawes (songwriter and session keyboardist who was an essential part of the Sound of Philadelphia in the 1970s)
• Roger Hawkins (drummer for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, aka the Swampers)
• Alan Hawkshaw (British songwriter/producer best known for his theme to the BBC’s “Grange Hill”)
• Jaz Hayer (half of British bhangra and hip-hop duo the Kray Twinz; Covid-19)
• Don Heckman (jazz and pop critic, LA Times, NY times and elsewhere)
• Don Heffington (Lone Justice drummer)
• Tony Hendra (comedian and writer who played Spinal Tap manager Ian Faith)
• Herbie Herbert (longtime Journey manager)
• Dave Hickey (art—and sometimes music—critic, and author of “Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy”)
• Skilyr Hicks (South Carolina singer/songwriter who appeared on “America’s Got Talent”)
• Dusty Hill (ZZ Top bassist)
• John Hinch (original Judas Priest drummer, who left after the band’s debut album to become an artist manager)
• Antoine Hodge (opera singer; Covid-19)
• Søren Holm (lead singer of Danish indie-pop band Liss)
• Waldo Holmes (trumpeter and songwriter who founded the Hues Corporation and wrote its proto-disco hit “Rock the Boat”)
• Derek “Del” Hood (British rock drummer, All About Eve, Baader Meinhof)
• Kyle Hoover (indie-rock guitarist, Ganglians, Tiaras, Fine Steps)
• George Horn (mastering engineer; Covid-19)
• Mike Howe (Metal Church singer)
• Sally Ann Howes (British musical actress, best known for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”)
• Leonard Hubbard (longtime Roots bassist)
• Josh Humiston (agent whose clients included Dionne Warwick and Judas Priest)
• Paul Humphrey (frontman of Toronto new wave band Blue Peter)
• Mark Humphreys (Los Angeles singer/songwriter/producer)
• Nicole Hurst (backup singer for Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars and others)
• Peter Ind (British jazz bassist and producer)
• Ralph Irizarry (timbales master)
• Al Jackson (Los Angeles club DJ)
• Duffy Jackson (jazz drummer)
• Paul Jackson (bassist for Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters)
• Stonewall Jackson (honky-tonk singer and longtime Grand Ole Opry member)
• Jay Jacobs (longtime William Morris music agent)
• Tony Jacome (singer/drummer for Canadian metal band Shallow North Dakota)
• Sandra Jaffe (co-founder of Preservation Hall)
• Flory Jagoda (guitarist and accordionist who specialized in traditional Sephardic and Ladino music)
• Rick Jarrard (producer, Jefferson Airplane, Harry Nilsson, José Feliciano)
• Mark Jensen (co-owner of Austin brew pub and live venue ABGB)
• Jeune Loup (Canadian rapper; murdered)
• Howard Johnson (jazz tuba player)
• Paul Johnson (Chicago house producer)
• Michael Jolicoeur (hip-hop tour manager)
• Joey Jordison (Slipknot co-founder and longtime drummer and songwriter)
• Mark Josephson (founder of the influential record pool Rockpool and co-founder of the New Music Seminar)
• Patrick Juvet (pop & disco singer/songwriter)
• K-Hand (pioneering techno DJ/producer known as the First Lady of Detroit)
• Martin Kahan (rock and country music video director)
• Nick Kamen (’80s British pop singer and model)
• Mario Kaminsky (founder of Argentine label Microfón)
• KamNutty (Columbus, Ohio, rapper; murdered)
• Kangol Kid (UTFO rapper)
• Chuck Kaye (music publishing pioneer, Warner Chappell, DreamWorks; Covid-19)
• Mark Keds (Senseless Things guitarist)
• Bruce Keir (co-founder of guitar amp and effects company Blackstar Amplification)
• Paul Kellogg (impresario who led the Glimmerglass Opera and the New York City Opera)
• Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (rock journalist, editor and author immortalized on film for her relationship with Jim Morrison)
• Ketchy the Great (Los Angeles rapper)
• Derek Khan (“ghetto fabulous” hip-hop and R&B stylist; Covid-19)
• Mzilikazi Khumalo (South African choral music composer)
• Sibongile Khumalo (South Africa’s “First Lady of Song”)
• Shunsuke Kikuchi (Japanese film & TV composer)
• Killer Kau (South African amapiano star)
• Barney Kilpatrick (Warner Bros. promotion exec)
• David King (Mary’s Danish guitarist)
• Debby King (attendant to the stars at Carnegie Hall’s fabled Maestro Suite)
• Richard H. Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire co-founder)
• Lois Kirschenbaum (New York opera superfan)
• Tawny Kitaen (actress and star of classic rock videos)
• Glen Knight (agent)
• Louie Knuxx (New Zealand rapper)
• Scott Koenig (manager, Fear Factory, Biohazard)
• Bob Koester (founder of blues/jazz label Delmark Records and owner of Chicago’s Jazz Record Mart)
• Jim “Koz” Kozlowski (veteran of several indie rock labels, including Relativity Records)
• Jean Kraft (American mezzo-soprano)
• Ken Kragen (artist manager who was instrumental in the creation of “We Are the World”)
• KTS DRE (Chicago drill rapper; murdered)
• Melvis Kwok (Hong Kong Elvis impersonator)
• Jeff LaBar (Cinderella guitarist)
• Lady Aïda (Dutch techo pioneer)
• Rick Laird (Mahavishnu Orchestra bassist)
• Jeanne Lamon (longtime leader of Toronto’s Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra)
• Alan Lancaster (Status Quo bassist)
• Anita Lane (Australian singer/songwriter and early collaborator with the Birthday Party and Nick Cave)
• Scott Laningham (Austin, Texas, jazz drummer)
• Bob Lanois (producer, engineer and harmonica player who opened Grant Avenue Studio with his brother Daniel in the 1970s)
• David Lasley (singer/songwriter and backup singer to the stars)
• Paul Laubin (master oboe maker)
• Elliot Lawrence (big-band leader, film and TV composer/conductor)
• Stephen J. Lawrence (composer, “Sesame Street,” “Free to Be…You and Me”)
• John Lawton (Uriah Heep and Lucifer’s Friend singer)
• Lisa Lee (Academy of Country Music exec)
• Gary Leib (cartoonist, illustrator and musician, Suss, Rubber Rodeo)
• Robin Le Mesurier (British rock guitarist who played with Rod Stewart and Johnny Hallyday)
• James Levine (conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Symphony who was brought down by allegations of sexual abuse)
• Alan Lewis (British music journalist who founded Kerrang! and was the top editor at NME and other publications)
• David Cutler Lewis (Ambrosia keyboardist)
• Lil Devin (Indiana rapper; murdered)
• Lil Loaded (Dallas rapper)
• Alex Linden (guitarist for Wisconsin metal band Bereft)
• Janice Long (BBC radio DJ and “Top of the Pops” host)
• David Longdon (British prog-rock singer & multi-instrumentalist, Big Big Train)
• Jerry Lubbock (pop/R&B songwriter/arranger)
• Jerry Lubin (Detroit underground radio pioneer; Covid-19)
• Pat Lucas (music publishing executive)
• Alvin Lucier (experimental American composer)
• Christa Ludwig (German mezzo-soprano)
• Stuart Lyon (British promoter/publicist/manager)
• Tony MacMahon (Irish accordionist)
• Don Maddox (fiddler and last surviving member of country pioneers the Maddox Brothers & Rose)
• Pete Makowski (British rock journalist turned publicist)
• Kevin Malone (Nashville session drummer; Covid-19)
• Paddy Maloney (founder and driving force of the Chieftains)
• Tavish Maloney (Oso Oso guitarist)
• Alex Malverde (Mexican hip-hop manager/promoter; Covid-19)
• Ginny Mancini (music philanthropist, big-band singer and widow of Henry Mancini)
• Junior Mance (jazz pianist)
• Rose Lee Maphis (West Coast country pioneer)
• Philip Margo (baritone singer in the Tokens)
• Carlos Marín (Il Divo’s baritone singer)
• Tony Markellis (bassist/songwriter and longtime Phish and Trey Anastasio collaborator)
• Gerry Marsden (Gerry & the Pacemakers frontman)
• Aaron Martin Jr. (Washington, D.C., jazz saxophonist; Covid-19)
• Andrea Martin (R&B songwriter for En Vogue, Monica, SWV and others)
• Olan Martin (Dallas punk scene fixture)
• Pat Martino (jazz guitar master)
• Ruth Marx (commercial jingle singer who also performed with her son, Richard Marx)
• Barry Mason (British pop songwriter)
• Elliot Mazer (producer, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Gordon Lightfoot)
• MC Kevin (Brazilian funk singer)
• Charles McCardell (Time Life Records producer)
• Clarence “Mac” McDonald (keyboardist and producer, Ray Charles, Bill Withers, James Taylor)
• Ellen McIlwaine (blues singer/guitarist)
• Les McKeown (Bay City Rollers singer)
• Marilyn McLeod (’70s and ’80 Motown songwriter)
• Robin McNamara (1970s one-hit wonder who also starred in “Hair” on Broadway)
• Lloyd McNeill (jazz flutist)
• Will Mecum (lead guitarist for stoner rock band Karma to Burn)
• María Mendiola (of Spanish disco duo Baccara)
• Marília Mendonça (Brazilian sertanejo icon)
• Bhaskar Menon (ran Capitol Records in the 1970s and EMI Music Worldwide in the 1980s)
• Linda Mensch (entertainment lawyer and president of the Recording Academy’s Chicago chapter in the 1990s)
• Thomas “Mensi” Mensforth (Angelic Upstarts singer; Covid-19)
• Andrea Meyer (German black metal, goth and folk musician; murdered)
• John Miles (British rock singer and session musician)
• Gerri Miller (longtime editor of Metal Edge magazine)
• Matt “Money” Miller (original Titus Andronicus keyboardist)
• Milva (1960s and ’70s Italian pop singer)
• Dean Minderman (St. Louis jazz pianist and writer; founder of the popular blog St. Louis Jazz Notes)
• Rajan Mishra (Indian classical singer; Covid-19)
• Mike Mitchell (founding member of the Kingsmen, played guitar on “Louie Louie”)
• Paul Mitchell (co-founder of ’70s R&B one-hit wonders the Floaters)
• Chi Modu (acclaimed hip-hop photographer)
• Patrick Thabo Mokoka (South African jazz bassist and co-founder of the Malopoets)
• Money Mitch (Florida rapper)
• Jemeel Moondoc (jazz saxophonist)
• Barbara Moore (British jazz and pop composer/arranger/singer)
• Bob Moore (Nashville session bassist, part of Nashville’s famed A-Team)
• Thom Moore (classical oboist and producer)
• Barry Mora (New Zealand opera singer)
• Angel Moraes (New York house DJ/producer)
• Alejandro Morales (Chicago indie-rock drummer)
• Jorge Morel (Argentine classical guitarist/composer)
• Stan Moress (country artist manager)
• Michael Morgan (American conductor)
• Chuck Morpurgo (country guitarist)
• Norma Morris (country publicist)
• Tony Morrison (aka Tony Feedback, one-time Angelic Upstarts bassist; Covid-19)
• Everett Morton (English Beat drummer)
• Robin Morton (Irish folk musician, Boys of the Lough)
• Elijah Moshinsky (Australian opera director; Covid-19)
• Mpura (South African amapiano star)
• George Mraz (jazz bassist)
• Murdock (member of Wu-Tang-affiliated hip-hop group Brooklyn Zu; murdered)
• Chris Murphy (INXS manager)
• Chadwick Murray (Dallas soul singer, Bastards of Soul)
• Yoggie Musgrove (bassist and longtime Austin, Texas, fixture)
• Napolian (electronic musician/producer)
• Juan Nelson (bassist, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals)
• Rick Nelson (music journalist, Tacoma News Tribune)
• Michael Nesmith (Monkees guitarist, country-rock singer/songwriter and music video pioneer)
• Sammy Nestico (composer/arranger best known for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra)
• Rupert Neve (pioneering recording console designer)
• Roger Newell (prog-rock bassist, the first to ever play a triple-neck bass)
• Nfant (Los Angeles rapper; murdered)
• Beverly Noga (publicist for the Bee Gees, Sonny & Cher and Cream)
• Obe Noir (up-and-coming Houston rapper; murdered)
• John Nolan (Australian rock guitarist, the Powder Monkeys, Bored!)
• Ian North (founder of ’70s power-pop band Milk ‘N’ Cookies)
• Ross “kidDEAD” Norton (Nashville rapper and concert promoter)
• Richard Anthony Nunns (New Zealand scholar of traditional Māori instruments)
• Denis O’Brien (George Harrison’s manager and co-founder with Harrison of HandMade Films)
• Denis O’Dell (film producer who worked frequently with the Beatles)
• Dick Odette (longtime music purchasing head of Musicland Group)
• Gared O’Donnell (Planes Mistaken for Stars singer/guitarist)
• OG YD (San Diego rapper; murdered)
• Jamie O’Hara (country singer/songwriter)
• Igor Oistrakh (Ukrainian violinist)
• Ruth Olay (Los Angeles jazz singer)
• Jim O’Rourke (longtime staple of the Orlando, Fla., rock scene)
• Sonny Osborne (bluegrass banjoist, the Osborne Brothers)
• Paul Oscher (blues musician who played harmonica in Muddy Waters’ band in the 1960s and ’70s; Covid-19)
• Lou Ottens (inventor of the cassette tape… and instrumental in the development of the CD, too)
• Bill Owens (country songwriter who was instrumental in his niece Dolly Parton’s career)
• Duranice Pace (gospel singer, the Pace Singers)
• Johnny Pacheco (salsa bandleader who co-founded Fania Records)
• Winfield Parker (soul and gospel singer; Covid-19)
• Doug Parkinson (Australian classic rocker)
• Randy Parton (country singer and frequent collaborator with his sister Dolly)
• Mario Pavone (jazz bassist and educator)
• Trevor Peacock (British actor and songwriter, “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”)
• Ed Pearl (Los Angeles club owner, the Ash Grove)
• Madlaina Peer (Swiss post-punk bassist, the Noknows, Onetwothree)
• Sunil Perera (lead singer of Sri Lankan baila band the Gypsies; Covid-19)
• Lee “Scratch” Perry (pioneering reggae producer, dub innovator and shaman)
• Bennie Pete (sousaphone player and co-founder of New Orleans institution the Hot 8 Brass Band; Covid-19)
• Andre Petersen (South African jazz pianist; Covid-19)
• Ralph Peterson Jr. (jazz drummer and educator)
• Wayne Peterson (Pulitzer-winning composer)
• Bob Petric (Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments guitarist)
• LG Petrov (Entombed and Entombed A.D. frontman)
• Caroline Peyton (’70s singer/songwriter and Disney voice actor)
• Dave Philips (rock guitarist, Frank Black, Jack Logan, Guided by Voices)
• Jay Jay Phillips (metal keyboardist and two-time “America’s Got Talent” contestant; Covid-19)
• John Pilgrim (washboard player with British skiffle group the Vipers)
• Carlo Pistacchi (renowned Italian record collector)
• Andy Pollard (stage manager for Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails and other rock bands)
• Arthur Pomposello (longtime host of the Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room; Covid-19)
• Dee Pop (Bush Tetras drummer)
• Bob Porter (jazz producer and radio DJ)
• Edgar “Gemini” Porter (R&B singer, Men at Large)
• Nolan Porter (Northern soul singer)
• Jane Powell (Hollywood musicals star)
• Ricky Powell (hip-hop photographer)
• Lloyd Price (rock and roll pioneer)
• Lithofayne Pridgon (songwriter and muse to musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Sam Cooke)
• James Primosch (American choral composer)
• Prince Markie Dee (Fat Boys rapper, songwriter and producer)
• Prince Quick Mix (house and hip-hop DJ)
• James Purify (half of the soul duo James & Bobby Purify; Covid-19)
• Arnie Pustilnik (promoter and manager, Bill Graham Presents, Carlos Santana, Train, Joe Satriani)
• Carmel Quinn (Irish singer and entertainer)
• Elias Rahbani (Lebanese composer; Covid-19)
• Mick Rain (drummer for Chicago power pop pioneers Pezband; Covid-19)
• Ian Rawes (British field recordist and sound archivist)
• Danny Ray (James Brown’s longtime emcee and “cape man”)
• Freddie Redd (bebop pianist)
• Sam Reed (Philadelphia jazz saxophonist)
• Peter Rehberg (electronic musician and founder of influential Editions Mego label)
• Ray Reyes (Menudo singer)
• Rickie Lee Reynolds (Black Oak Arkansas guitarist)
• Sam Riddle (influential Los Angeles radio DJ and “Star Search” producer)
• Bob Ringwald (Sacramento, Calif., jazz pianist)
• Lou Robin (concert promoter and Johnny Cash’s longtime personal manager)
• Larry Robins (manager, Natalie Cole, Bill Medley)
• Billy Robinson (steel guitarist who backed Hank Williams and others as a member of the Grand Ole Opry house band)
• Mick Rock (rock photographer)
• Jimmie Rodgers (’50s and ’60s pop star)
• Ruben Rodriguez (promo exec for labels including Motown, Island, Columbia and Elektra, and founder of hip-hop imprint Pendulum Records)
• Servando Cano Rodriguez (founder of influential Mexican label, management and publishing company Serca)
• Roberto Roena (salsa singer and percussionist)
• Joanne Rogers (concert pianist who in later years preserved the legacy of her husband, TV’s Mr. Rogers)
• Brian Rohan (celebrated San Francisco “dope lawyer”—and music lawyer—whose clients included the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith)
• Gianna Rolandi (American soprano with the New York City Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago)
• Kal Rudman (founder of radio industry tip sheet FMQB)
• Bob Rudolph (jazz trombonist)
• Gene Rumsey (label exec, Capitol/EMI and Concord)
• Robin Russell (R&B/rock drummer, the Nite-Liters, New Birth, Little Richard)
• Barry Ryan (’60s British pop singer, Paul & Barry Ryan)
• Billy Ryan (Asbury Park rock guitarist; Covid-19)
• Frederic Rzewski (acclaimed Polish American pianist and composer)
• Julz Sale (lead singer of UK post-punk band Delta 5)
• Sam Salter (’90s R&B singer)
• Steven SantaCruz (Pink Grease guitarist)
• Dan Sartain (rock singer/songwriter)
• Phil Schaap (jazz DJ, curator, historian)
• Murray Schafer (Canadian composer/environmentalist)
• Al Schmitt (engineer/producer/mixer with 23 Grammys and a career that spanned eight decades)
• Willie Schofield (member of ’50s and ’60s Detroit R&B group the Falcons)
• Jochen Schröder (founding guitarist of German metal band Rage)
• Ralph Schuckett (founding member of Utopia, session keyboardist and animation composer)
• Stephen Scott (minimalist composer noted for his bowed piano technique)
• Miles Seaton (co-founder of experimental rock band Akron/Family)
• Thione Seck (Senegalese mbalax singer; Covid-19)
• Robbie Shakespeare (dub, reggae and much more bassist/producer; half of Sly & Robbie)
• Mic Shane (Chicago hip-hop journalist, radio programmer and champion of the city’s music)
• William Shelby (funk singer/keyboardist, Dynasty, Lakeside)
• Joanne Shenandoah (Native American singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist)
• Shock G (Digital Underground frontman and Tupac producer)
• Norman Simmons (jazz pianist)
• Sonny Simmons (jazz saxophonist)
• Joe Simon (’60s and ’70s R&B hitmaker, “The Chokin’ Kind,” “Power of Love”)
• Patrick Sky (folk singer)
• Toby Slater (singer of Britpop band Catch and early co-owner of music news & research brand Music Ally)
• Slim 400 (Compton rapper; murdered)
• Ken Slone (jazz trumpeter known for his Charlie Parker transcriptions)
• Doug Smiley (music marketing exec)
• Lonnie Smith (jazz’s master of the Hammond organ)
• Tony Smith (New York disco DJ)
• Johnny Solinger (metal singer who replaced Sebastian Bach in Skid Row and stuck around for 16 years)
• Stephen Sondheim (composer & lyricist who reshaped and reimagined musical theater)
• Sophie (electro-pop artist and producer)
• Sound Sultan (Nigerian hip-hop singer/rapper/songwriter)
• Phil Spector (“Wall of Sound” producer, abuser, murderer; Covid-19)
• Christine Cooper Spindel (Memphis radio programming pioneer, WDIA)
• SqueakPivot (hip-hop producer and DJ for Chicago’s the Pivot Gang; murdered)
• Bryan St. Pere (Hum drummer)
• Bill Staines (folk singer/songwriter)
• Mike Stamper aka Nick Stump (Kentucky blues singer, the Metropolitan Blues All Stars)
• Anthony “OneSelf” Stanford (Dallas hip-hop producer and promoter; Covid-19)
• Michael Stanley (the heart of Cleveland rock and roll)
• Pervis Staples (founding member of the Staple Singers)
• Corey Steger (Underoath guitarist)
• Robby Steinhardt (Kansas violinist and vocalist)
• Jim Steinman (rock composer/producer best known for Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” album)
• Marcel Stellman (British lyricist, producer and record exec)
• Mimi Stern-Wolfe (New York pianist, conductor and concert programmer)
• Tom Stevens (Long Ryders bassist)
• Kaleb Stewart (bassist for Gainesville, Fla., punk band As Friends Rust)
• Steve Strange (UK booking agent for Coldplay, Eminem, My Bloody Valentine and countless others)
• Franz Streitwieser (classical trumpet player and world-renowned trumpet collector)
• Francis Stueber (longtime Kiss guitar tech; Covid-19)
• Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest composer)
• Supa Gates (up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper; murdered)
• Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls guitarist)
• Jem Targal (singer/bassist of Detroit psych-rock band Third Power)
• Greg Tate (music & culture critic, musician, organizer, guiding spirit)
• Ben Taylor (ticketing executive, Front Gate Tickets)
• Gene Taylor (roots-rock pianist, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the Blasters)
• Ghédalia Tazartès (French experimental composer)
• Takeshi Terauchi (Japanese rock guitarist)
• Jack Terricloth (cabaret punk singer, World/Inferno Friendship Society)
• Mikis Theodorakis (Greek composer and political activist)
• Gabriel Segwaga “Mabi” Thobejane (South African percussionist)
• J. Thomas (pop/country singer and AM radio staple)
• Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas (Kool & the Gang saxophonist and master of ceremonies)
• John Ashton Thomas (film composer/arranger)
• Chucky Thompson (Bad Boy Records songwriter/producer, Mary J. Blige, the Notorious B.I.G.; Covid-19)
• Sue Thompson (’50s and ’60s country and pop singer)
• Tim Thorney (Canadian songwriter/producer)
• Russ Thyret (Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO)
• Pauline Tinsley (British soprano)
• Pil Trafa (lead singer of Argentine punk band Los Violadores)
• Brian Travers (UB40 saxophone player and lyricist)
• Colleen Trenwith (New Zealand bluegrass fiddler)
• Chucky Trill (Houston rapper; murdered)
• Rosalie Trombley (influential music director and tastemaker at Windsor, Ont., AM radio powerhouse CKLW)
• Johnny Trudell (Detroit jazz bandleader who played trumpet on several Motown classics)
• Colin Tully (Scottish multi-instrumentalist and film composer, “Gregory’s Girl,” “That Sinking Feeling”)
• Ronnie Tutt (in-demand session drummer who played with Elvis Presley, Jerry Garcia and countless others)
• U-Roy (pioneering Jamaican DJ/toaster)
• Jonathan Valania (indie rocker turned rock critic and journalist; a longtime fixture in Philadelphia music)
• Hilton Valentine (Animals guitarist)
• Benjamin Vallé (Viagra Boys guitarist)
• Melvin Van Peebles (influential film director was also a film composer, released several albums and wrote two Broadway musicals)
• Theresa Velasquez (Miami DJ, label founder and Live Nation executive; victim of the Surfside condo collapse)
• Johnny Ventura (Dominican merengue icon)
• Graham Vick (British opera director and founder of the Birmingham Opera Company; Covid-19)
• Andrew Violette (contemporary classical composer)
• Rob Vitale (lead singer of New York hardcore bands Black Train Jack and Nine Lives; Covid-19)
• VNZA (Detroit rapper; murdered)
• Hank von Helvete (Turbonegro singer, also known as Hank von Hell)
• Voombastic Uncle P (Nigerian highlife musician)
• Yoshi Wada (Japanese composer and member of the Fluxus movement)
• Eric Wagner (doom metal singer, Trouble; Covid-19)
• Bunny Wailer (reggae legend who co-founded the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh)
• Jeff Wald (manager best known for guiding the career of Helen Reddy, his wife of 18 years)
• Yuval Waldman (violinist and conductor)
• Chris Wall (Texas country singer/songwriter)
• Ed Ward (rock critic and historian and one of the founding employees of SXSW)
• Charlie Watts (the heartbeat of the Rolling Stones)
• Jim Weatherly (songwriter, “Midnight Train to Georgia”)
• Nick Weaver (songwriter/guitarist for Australia’s Deep Sea Arcade)
• Gil Wechsler (longtime Metropolitan Opera lighting designer)
• George Wein (influential founder of the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals)
• Chuck E. Weiss (LA singer/songwriter, club owner and man about town)
• Howard Weitzman (entertainment lawyer whose clientele include Michael Jackson, Diddy and Justin Bieber)
• Tommy West (producer/songwriter best known for his work with Jim Croce)
• James White (owner of long-running Austin country music dance hall the Broken Spoke)
• Andy Williams (Casting Crowns drummer)
• Parker Lee Williams (Chicago hip-hop pioneer and music director for Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions)
• Warner Williams (Piedmont blues guitarist)
• Allan Wilmot (British Jamaican pop singer, the Southlanders)
• Lou Wilson (Michigan-via-Mississippi soul singer)
• Mary Wilson (co-founder, the Supremes)
• Ronnie Wilson (trumpeter/keyboardist who co-founded the Gap Band with his brothers Charlie and Robert)
• Terence “Astro” Wilson (UB40 toaster)
• Willie Winfield (doo-wop singer, the Harptones)
• WizDaWizard (South Florida rapper)
• Matt Wolfe (metal drummer, Byzantine)
• Louise Woodcock (British experimental musician and performance artist)
• Ian Worang (Toronto indie-rock guitarist, Uncut, Bishop Morocco)
• Samuel E. Wright (Tony-winning musical actor who starred in “The Lion King” and “Pippin” onstage and “The Little Mermaid” onscreen)
• Walter Yetnikoff (colorful, controversial CEO of CBS Records in the 1970s and ’80s)
• YNT Juan (up-and-coming Hartford rapper; murdered)
• J. Yoon (singer for Korean rock band M.C. the Max)
• Young Dolph (Memphis rapper; murdered)
• Rusty Young (Poco singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist)
• Wanda Young (Marvelettes singer)
• Yung Kece (up-and-coming San Diego rapper; murdered)
• Gabriel B. Zavala (mariachi performer and teacher; Covid-19)
• Marsha Zazula (co-founder Megaforce Records)
• Peter Zinovieff (influential British synth designer and composer)
• Pete Zorba (British house DJ)
• Teresa Zylis-Gara (Polish soprano)