Deaths Famous Dead Musicians
Margaret Ross
American singer (The Cookies) · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25
Gabe Lopez
American songwriter and producer · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25
Sly Dunbar
Jamaican drummer (Sly and Robbie) · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25
Billy Bass Nelson
American bassist (Funkadelic) · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25 · Nelson
Yoichiro Yoshikawa
Japanese composer · 25 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 25
Yuri Rymanov
Russian guitarist (Lyube) · 24 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 24
Marie Rouanet
French singer and writer · 24 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 24 · French
Abhijit Majumdar
Indian singer and music director · 24 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 24
Ann Clark
American singer (The Sentimentalists) · 23 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 23
Guy Hovis
American singer (The Lawrence Welk Show) · 22 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 22
Homare Suguro Japanese actor and singer dead at age 85
Homare Suguro, a Japanese actor and singer, died on January 23, 2026, at the age of 85. Born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on June 1, 1940, he worked for Shochiku Geino and was active from 1961 to 2026. Suguro made… · 23 January 2026 · January 2026
Francis Buchholz
German bass guitarist (Scorpions) · 22 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 22
Yaw Sarpong
Ghanaian gospel musician and songwriter · 19 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 19
Rob Hirst
Australian musician (Midnight Oil) · 19 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 19
Billy Parker
American country music singer and DJ · 18 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 18
Anders Möller
Swedish musician (Black Ingvars · 18 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 18
Stephen “Cat” Coore
Jamaican guitarist and cellist (Third World) · 18 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 18 · Coore
Joxean Llorente
Spanish choral conductor · 18 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 18
Raju Bandara
Sri Lankan singer · 16 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 16
Kenny Morris
English drummer (Siouxsie and the Banshees) · 14 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 14
Jim Wearne American musician dead at age 75
Jim Wearne, an American musician, died on January 15, 2026, at the age of 75. He was a Cornish-American musician who lived most of his life in the Chicago area of northern Illinois. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised… · 15 January 2026 · January 2026
Kenny Morris (drummer) English drummer dead at age 68
Kenny Morris, an English drummer and painter best known as the first studio drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, died on January 15, 2026, aged 68. Born Kenneth Ian Morris on February 1, 1957, he joined the band in February… · 15 January 2026 · January 2026
Dogardisc Colombian champeta singer and songwriter, diabetes dies
Dogardisc, the stage name of Colombian champeta singer and songwriter Ismael Simancas, died on January 15, 2026. Born in Cartagena, Colombia, he was an important figure in the Colombian coastal genre of champeta and was described by El Tiempo as… · 15 January 2026 · January 2026
Quemil Yambay
Paraguayan musician · 14 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 14
John Forté
American rapper (Refugee Camp All-Stars) and producer (The Score) · 12 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 12 · Forte
Sheila Bernette
English singer (The Good Old Days · 11 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 11
Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin
British guitarist (Black Midi) · 11 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 11
Dave Hitchcock
English record producer (In the Land of Grey and Pink · 11 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 11 · Other
Michael Kemner
German bass guitarist (Fehlfarben) · 10 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 10
Dieudonné Larose
Haitian singer · 10 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 10
Prashant Tamang
Indian singer (Indian Idol) and actor (Paatal Lok) · 10 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 10
Bob Weir
American musician (Grateful Dead) · 09 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 9
Terry Sullivan
British drummer (Renaissance) · 09 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 9
Guy Moon
American television composer (The Fairly OddParents · 09 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 9
Ted Nichols Composer dead at age 97
Ted Nichols, an American composer, conductor and arranger best known for his work on Hanna-Barbera productions including The Flintstones and Jonny Quest, died on January 9, 2026, at age 97. Born Theodore Nicholas Sflotsos on October 2, 1928, in Missoula,… · 09 January 2026 · January 2026
Rolf Riehm
German composer (Sirenen – Bilder des Begehrens und des Vernichtens) · 07 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 7
Jim McBride
American country music songwriter · 06 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 6
Mike Embro
Canadian drummer (Razor) · 05 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 5
Andrew Bodnar
English bass guitarist (The Rumour) · 04 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 4
Elsje de Wijn
Dutch actress and singer · 04 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 4 · Dutch · Wijn
Calbo
French rapper (Ärsenik) · 03 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 3 · French
Johnny Legend
American rockabilly musician · 02 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 2
Mesut İktu
Turkish operatic baritone · 02 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 2 · Other
Tony Carr
Maltese session drummer and percussionist (CCS · 01 January 2026 · January 2026 · January 1
Hayden Thompson American rockabilly musician dead at age 87
Hayden Thompson, an American singer, songwriter and rockabilly musician, died on December 31, 2025, at age 87. Born in Booneville, Mississippi, Thompson was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He formed the Southern Melody Boys in high school… · 31 December 2025 · December 2025
Bobby Gosh American musician and singer-songwriter dead at age 89
Bobby Gosh, an American musician and singer-songwriter known for writing “A Little Bit More,” died on December 31, 2025, at age 89. Born Robert Gosch on May 31, 1936, in Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania, he grew up in Reading and studied classical… · 31 December 2025 · December 2025
Andy Billups
British bass guitarist (The Hamsters) · 29 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 29
Richard Smallwood
American gospel singer ("Total Praise") · 29 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 29
Denny Tsao
Taiwanese singer and actor (Westgate Tango) (body discovered on this date) · 29 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 29
Michael J. Schumacher Writer, journalist, biographer dead at age 75
Michael J. Schumacher, an American journalist and author, died on December 29, 2025, at age 75. Born in Topeka, Kansas, on May 22, 1950, he wrote biographies of Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, musicians Eric Clapton… · 29 December 2025 · December 2025
James Akins (tubist) Musician dead at age 69
James Milton Akins, an American tubist and music professor best known for his association with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, died on December 29, 2025, at age 69. Born in Savannah, Georgia, on June 15, 1956, he studied the tuba with… · 29 December 2025 · December 2025
Maria Pellegrini Canadian operatic soprano dead at age 86
Maria Pellegrini, the Canadian operatic soprano, died on December 28, 2025. Born in Pretoro, Italy, on July 15, 1939, she emigrated to Canada with her family in 1958 and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1965. She studied voice at… · 28 December 2025 · December 2025
Monic Cecconi-Botella French pianist, composer and academic dead at age 89
Monic Cecconi-Botella, a French pianist, music educator and composer, died on December 28, 2025. Born in Courbevoie on September 30, 1936, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Maurice Duruflé, Jean Rivier and Henri Dutilleux. She later taught music… · 28 December 2025 · December 2025
Gary Graffman
American classical pianist · 26 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 26
Latha Walpola
Sri Lankan singer · 26 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 26
Marcia Rodd Actress dead at age 87
Marcia Rodd, an American actress, singer and director known for Little Murders, Shelter and Handle with Care, died on December 27, 2025, at age 87. Born in Lyons, Kansas, on July 8, 1938, she studied theatre at Northwestern University before… · 27 December 2025 · December 2025
Jonathan Powell (musician) British pianist and musicologist dead at age 56
Jonathan Powell, the British pianist, musicologist and music editor, died on December 27, 2025, aged 56. Born in Lancashire in 1969, he was also a self-taught composer who wrote piano sonatas, string quartets and other chamber music. As a performer… · 27 December 2025 · December 2025
Stu Phillips
Canadian-American country singer · 26 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 26
Tony Ocasio
Puertorican singer (Los Chicos) · 25 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 25
Perry Bamonte
English Hall of Fame guitarist (The Cure · 25 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 25
Justus Zeyen
German pianist and accompanist · 25 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 25
Pate Mustajärvi
Finnish musician (Popeda) · 25 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 25
Don Bryant (songwriter) American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter dead at age 83
Don Bryant, the American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter known for "I Can't Stand the Rain," died on December 26, 2025, at age 83. Born Donald Maurice Bryant on April 4, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, he began singing in… · 26 December 2025 · December 2025
Robert Mosci American jazz musician and pianist dead at age 72
Robert Mosci, an American jazz musician and pianist, died on December 25, 2025. Also a singer and songwriter, he was known for his long-standing performances at New York City piano bars, including the Beekman Tower Hotel’s Top of the Tower… · 25 December 2025 · December 2025
Isaiah Jackson (conductor) American conductor dead at age 80
Isaiah Jackson, an American conductor and academic teacher, died on December 24, 2025, at age 80. He was music director of the Royal Ballet in London from 1987 to 1990 and, from 2001, served for seven years as conductor of… · 24 December 2025 · December 2025
Paa Kow
Ghanaian Highlife and Afro-Fusion drummer and composer · 22 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 22
Jerry Kasenetz
American music producer ("Yummy Yummy Yummy" · 21 December 2025 · December 2025 · December 21 · Other