Running Update: A List of All the Musicians (and Music-Related People) We’ve Lost in the Last Six Months
If it seems like we’ve lost a lot of musical icons lately, we have. Here’s the tally so far:
- Scott Weiland, 48, drug overdose, December 3, 2015
- Lemmy, 70, cancer, December 28, 2015
- Nathalie Cole, 65, congestive heart failure, December 31, 2015
- Robert Stigwood (manager and producer), 81, natural causes, January 4, 2016
- David Bowie, 69, liver cancer, January 10, 2016
- René Angélil (husband and manager to Celine Dion), 73, cancer, January 14, 2016
- Dale Griffin (drummer, Mott the Hoople), 67, Alzheimer’s, January 17, 2016
- Glenn Frey (Eagles), 67, complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia, January 18, 2016
- Jimmy Bain (guitarist with Rainbow and Dio, among others), 69, undiagnosed lung cancer, January 24, 2016
- Colin Vearncombe (better known as Black), 53, car crash, January 26, 2016
- Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane), 74, complications from a heart attack, January 28, 2016
- Signe Anderson (Jefferson Airplane), 74, COPD, January 28, 2016
- Maurice White (Earth Wind and Fire), 74, effects of Parkinsons, February 3, 2016
- Dan Hicks, 74, cancer, February 6, 2016
- Vanity (Denise Matthews, Prince protege), 57, kidney failure, February 15, 2016
- Joey Feek, 40, cervical cancer, March 4, 2016
- George Martin (Beatles producer), 90, natural causes, March 8, 2016
- Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake and Palmer), 71, suicide, March 10, 2016
- Frank Sinatra Jr, 72, cardiac arrest, March 16, 2016
- Lee Andrews (Lee Andrews & the Hearts, father of Questlove), 79, natural causes, March 16, 2016
- Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest), 45, complications of diabetes, March 22, 2016
- Merle Haggard, 70, pneumonia, April 6, 2016
- Dennis Davis (one of Bowie’s favourite drummers), 64, cancer, April 6, 2016
- Prince, 57, unknown, April 21, 2016
- Richard Lyons (Negativland), 57, nodular melanoma, April 21, 2016
- Lonnie Mack (blues rock pioneer), 74, natural causes, April 21, 2016
- Papa Wemba (Congolese rumba king), 66, heart attack, April 23, 2016
- Billy Paul (soul singer of “Me and Mrs. Jones), 81, cancer, April 24, 2016
- Phil Kives (founder, K-Tel Records), 87, natural causes, April 27, 2016.
- Tomita (synth pioneer), 84, natural causes, May 5, 2016
- Nick Menza (former Megadeth drummer), 51, heart attack, May 21, 2016.
Check the comments below for more additions to the list.
Add in Gary Shandling, Harper Lee, Ken Howard, Alan Rickman, George Kennedy and Umberto Eco and it’s been a rough year in culture.
If you want to include pop culture, don’t forget Alan Rickman.
Stemming from the alternative years how can you forget Colin Verncombe of Black ( wonderful World)
I’m convinced 2016 is the year of death. I fully expect more heroes to fall this year and next. All our heroes are getting old, and lets face it there are not that many new ones. The term Rock Star is disappearing with album sales going down and our attention span dwindling.
Not to be forgotten: Doris Roberts, Alan Rickman.
All four members of (British indie band) Viola Beach, and their manager, were killed in a car accident on February 14th as well.
Right! That was an awful accident.
Stemming from the alternative years how can you forget Colin Verncombe of Black ( wonderful World)
Wow I never heard of them so checked them out on YouTube…what a loss, they sound amazing! Terribly tragic.
Natalie Cole?
Right! December 31, 2015! I’ll add her name.
Nick Alexander was the Eagles of Death metal’s merchandise manager and friend to all in the touring industry. Murdered in action at The Bataclan.
Strange about both Jefferson Airplane members passing on the same day and at the same age.
We also lost Natalie Cole December 31.
Great article Alan! Just to note: Vanity was only 57 not 67 like the article states.
Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Percy Sledge – April 14th – age 74, liver cancer
Paul Bley
Blowfly (Clarence Reid)
Piotr Grudziński from the band Riverside.
Billy Paul
Pingback: A Journal of Musical ThingsWe Lost Two More Musicians Over the Weekend - A Journal of Musical Things
Cory Wells from Three Dog Noght
patty duke—
don terry plumeri was murdered last month.
Stevie Wright of the Easybeats
Pingback: A Journal of Musical ThingsElectronic Music Pioneer Isao Tomita Passes Away at 84 - A Journal of Musical Things
Pingback: A Journal of Musical ThingsFormer Megadeth Drummer Collapses Onstage and Dies - A Journal of Musical Things
Ive lost 2 musician friends – drummer Miggy Barradas of Divine Comedy and Kevin Junior of The Chamberstrings. Just an awful awful year
Pingback: Artistas muertos en los últimos seis meses