The year 2024 is now halfway over as we write this, but already we’ve lost numerous luminaries within the wide sphere of the music community. Below are many of the artists and music industry influencers who passed in the first six months of this year. They are arranged alphabetically, the person’s name followed by the death date and a brief description of who they were.
If an artist’s name is underlined, you can click on it to be taken to Best Classic Bands’ full obituary.
Below the list of musical artists, we’ve also noted several other prominent figures whose lives were lost in 2024.
We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.
Steve Alaimo—11/30—Singer (“Every Day I Have to Cry”) who became a teen idol in the early ’60s; host and music director of TV’s Where the Action is
Steve Albini—5/7—Producer/engineer for Nirvana, the Pixies and others
Eric Albronda—7/7—First drummer of Blue Cheer
Dick Allix—3/13—Drummer for Vanity Fare (“Hitchin’ a Ride”)
Dick Asher—7/23—Executive at Columbia/CBS Records
John Barbata—5/8—Drummer for the Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship
Aston “Family Man” Barrett—2/3—Bassist for Bob Marley and the Wailers
Jim Beard—3/2—Keyboardist for Steely Dan, John McLaughlin, others
Casey Benjamin—3/31—Saxophonist and keyboardist with the Robert Glasper Experiment
Ernest “Bilbo” Berger—3/1—Drummer for Heatwave (“Boogie Nights”)
Dickey Betts—4/18—Founding guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band
Watch Betts perform his biggest hit with the Allman Brothers Band in 1982
Frankie Beverly—9/10—Founder and singer for funk band Maze (“Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You”)
Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer—6/24—Singer for Crazy Town
Angela Bofill—6/13—R&B/soul/dance singer
Joe Bonsall—7/9—Tenor singer with the Oak Ridge Boys
Tony Bramwell—6/2—Longtime Beatles associate who worked with Brian Epstein at NEMS and later for the band’s Apple company, as well as serving as an early tour manager
Alice Brock—11/21—Inspiration for “Alice’s Restaurant,” Arlo Guthrie’s signature song
Brother Marquis—6/3—Rapper with 2 Live Crew
David Brown—8/11—Guitarist for Billy Joel from 1978-91
Dean Brown—1/26—Jazz guitarist
Richard Brunetti—7/20—Drummer for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (“Billy Don’t Be a Hero”)
Bob Bryar—11/?—My Chemical Romance drummer
Dennis Bryon—11/14—Bee Gees drummer from 1974-80
Debra Byrd—3/5—Lead vocalist of Lady Flash, Barry Manilow’s background singers
Eric Carmen—3/11—Raspberries singer and solo star (“All By Myself”)
Ruth Ellsworth Carter—1/4—Songwriter for Stevie Ray Vaughan, Fabulous Thunderbirds and others
Buzz Cason—6/16—Singer-songwriter whose compositions included the R&B hits “Everlasting Love” (a hit for Carl Carlton) and :Soldier of Love” (recorded by Arthur Alexander)
Joe Chambers—8/15—Founding member/guitarist of the Chambers Brothers
James Chance—6/18—Singer/saxophonist/keyboardist who pioneered the “no wave” movement with bands including the Contortions, James White and the Blacks, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
Hank Cicalo—1/31—Engineer for Carole King’s Tapestry, the Monkees and others
W.C. Clark—3/2—Blues and soul artist
Tony Clarkin—1/7—Guitarist and songwriter of U.K. band Magnum
Charlie Colin—5/17—Founding bassist of Train (“Drops of Jupieter”)
Larry Collins—1/5—Rockabilly guitarist with the Collins Kids
Peter Collins—6/30—Record producer who worked with Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Rush and many others
Gerry Conway—3/29—Drummer for Cat Stevens, Fairport Convention, others
Michael Corcoran—7/1—Texas-based music journalist
Charles R. Cross—8/9—Seattle-based music journalist, wrote books on Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, edited local music newspaper The Rocket and Springsteen fanzine Backstreets
Chris Cross—3/25—Bassist for the British band Ultravox
Michael Cuscuna—4/19—Jazz producer and co-founder of Mosaic Records
Claire Daly—10/22—Jazz baritone saxophonist
Barbara Dane—10/20—Folk, blues and jazz singer, and activist
Nick Daniels III—4/26—Bassist for New Orleans band Dumpstaphunk
Palle Danielsson—5/18—Swedish jazz bassist
James Darren—9/2—Actor (Gidget film) and singer (1961’s “Goodbye Cruel World,” which reached #3)
Eugene ED Denson—4/12—Manager of Country Joe and the Fish, John Fahey
Toumani Diabate—7/19—Malian kora player
Paul DiAnno—10/21—Early lead singer of Iron Maiden
Dick Diamonde—9/18—Bassist of Australian band the Easybeats (“Friday on My Mind”)
Lou Donaldson—11/9—Jazz alto saxophonist
Duane Eddy—4/30—Early rock guitar pioneer, known for his “twangy” sound
Joe Egan—7/6—Co-founder (with Gerry Rafferty) of Scottish band Stealers Wheel; co-wrote their big 1973 hit, “Stuck in the Middle With You”
Abdul “Duke” Fakir—7/22—Founding member of the Four Tops
Henry Fambrough—2/7—Singer with R&B group the Spinners
Frank Farian—1/23—Founder of the ’70s disco-pop group Boney M and the pop band Milli Vanilli
Vic Flick—11/14—Guitarist on the original “James Bond Theme”; also played with Tom Jones (“It’s Not Unusual), Peter and Gordon (“A World Without Love”), Petula Clark (“Downtown”), Herman’s Hermits and others
Herbie Flowers—9/5—Session bassist for David Bowie, Lou Reed, Elton John, Harry Nilsson, three of the Beatles and many others
Tom Fowler—7/2—Bass guitarist with Frank Zappa and others
Kinky Friedman—6/27—Singer-songwriter and humorist
Jerry Fuller—7/18—Songwriter (Rick Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man”), producer (Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Knickerbockers) and recording artist
Randy Fuller—5/16—Bassist with the Bobby Fuller Four
Jim Gaines—11/9—Recording engineer for Huey Lewis and the News, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Miller and others
Shelley Ganz—1/24—Co-founder of the garage-rock band the Unclaimed
Mitzi Gaynor—10/17—Singer, dancer and actress; best known for South Pacific
Mark Germino—7/3—Singer-songwriter
Ron Gilbert—2/16—Bassist for the Blues Magoos of “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” fame
Jimmy Gilmer—9/7—Leader of Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, who had the best-selling single of 1963, “Sugar Shack”
Cat Glover—9/24—Choreographer and background singer for Prince
Rusty Golden—7/1—Songwriter and musician; son of Oak Ridge Boys founder William Golden
Benny Golson—9/21—Jazz saxophonist
Julie Gordon—10/2—Music executive who founded the Velvet Rope, an influential mid-’90s online forum that was the first widely read online music-biz gossip site
Michael Z. Gordon—1/9—Guitarist and founder of the Marketts (“Out of Limits”) and the Routers (“Let’s Go [Pony]”)
Nick Gravenites—9/18—Singer for the Electric Flag, collaborator with Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield, John Cipollina
Françoise Hardy—6/11—French singer-songwriter and actress
Steve Harley—3/17—Frontman of U.K. band Cockney Rebel
Alex Hassilev—4/22—Last remaining member of the folk group the Limeliters
John Hawken—5/15—Keyboardist on recordings by the Nashville Teens, Renaissance and others
Bill Hayes—1/12—Singer and actor whose recording of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” was #1 for five weeks in 1955
Roy Haynes—11/12—Revered jazz drummer who played with Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan and many others
Albert “Tootie” Heath—4/3—Jazz drummer
Bob Heil—2/28—Audio engineer
Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson—6/11—Co-founder of the U.K. ska revival band the Selecter
Clarence “Frogman” Henry—4/7—New Orleans R&B singer/pianist (“Ain’t Got No Home,” “But I Do”)
Malcolm Holcombe—3/9—Singer-songwriter
Cissy Houston—10/7—Soul and gospel singer; mother of Whitney Houston
Kenny Hyslop—9/15—Drummer for Simple Minds in 1981-82
Frank Ifield—5/18—Australian country star popular in the early ’60s
Doug Ingle—5/24—Singer/keyboardist for Iron Butterfly
Tito Jackson—9/15—Founding member of the Jackson Five
Mark James—6/8—Songwriter who wrote “Suspicious Minds,” a #1 hit for Elvis Presley, and co-wrote the Willie Nelson hit “Always on My Mind”
Byron Janis—3/14—Classical pianist
Barry Jenkins—1/27—Drummer for the Nashville Teens (“Tobacco Road”), Eric Burdon and the Animals (beginning with “Don’t Bring Me Down”)
Ella Jenkins—11/9—Folk singer; known as “The First Lady of the Children’s Folk Song”
Will Jennings—9/6—Songwriter (“Tears of Heaven,” “My Heart Will Go On,” “Up Where We Belong”)
Jack Jones—10/23—Singer best known for the early Bacharach-David hit “Wives and Lovers” and the theme from The Love Boat
Quincy Jones—11/3—Accomplished composer, arranger, producer and bandleader, best known as producer of Michael Jackson’s record-setting Thriller album. At his passing, “Q” had amassed the third most Grammy Awards in history, with 28
Gylan Kain—2/7—Founding member of the Last Poets proto-rap group
Chris Karrer—1/2—Guitarist and composer with Amon Düül II
Toby Keith—2/5—Country singer
Greg Kihn—8/13—Bay Area power pop rocker who scored a hit in 1983 with “Jeopardy”
Ronnie King—3/4—Bassist for the Stampeders (“Sweet City Woman”)
“Spider” John Koerner—5/19—Blues/folk artist and last surviving member of the trio Koerner, Ray and Glover
James Kottak—1/9—Drummer with the Scorpions
Daniel Kramer—4/29—Photographer known for his photos of mid-’60s Bob Dylan, including the album covers for Bringing it All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited
Wayne Kramer—2/2—Lead guitarist of the MC5
Kris Kristofferson—9/28—Singer-songwriter-actor who wrote such classics as “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”
Leah Kunkel—1/17—Younger sister of Mama Cass Elliott, former wife of drummer Russ Kunkel, and in-demand session vocalist
Paul Lacques—1/17—Guitarist/songwriter with I See Hawks in L.A., other bands
Linda LaFlamme—10/23—Keyboardist for It’s a Beautiful Day from 1967-69; co-wrote “White Bird” recording
Steve Lawrence—3/7—Pop singer (“Go Away Little Girl”) and half of an entertainment duo with his wife, Eydie Gormé
Martin Lee—9/29—Guitarist and lead vocalist for the second version of Brotherhood of Man (“Save Your Kisses For Me”)
Phil Lesh—10/25—Bassist for the Grateful Dead throughout their career
Pat Lewis—9/2—Soul singer and member of Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul group
David Libert—2/20—Member of the Happenings (“See You in September,” “I Got Rhythm”), road manager for Alice Cooper, manager of Parliament-Funkadelic
Laurie Lindeen—7/1—Singer and guitarist for all-female rock group Zuzu’s Petals; author and essayist
Dave Loggins—7/10—Singer best known for the 1974 hit “Please Come to Boston”
John “Duff” Lowe—2/22—Member of the Quarrymen, the Liverpool skiffle band that also included John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison
Francisco Lupica—11/27—Singer-songwriter who created and played a drone instrument called the Cosmic Beam; also a member of West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and Shanti
Russell Malone—8/23—Jazz guitarist
Ben Manilla—9/30—Broadcaster who was program director and on-air radio personality at WLIR-FM and created the national radio series “The House of Blues Radio Hour” with Dan Aykroyd
Ed Mann—5/31—Drummer with Frank Zappa from 1977-88
Shaun Martin—8/3—Keyboardist with jazz group Snarky Puppy
Paul Martinez—2/11—Bassist for Robert Plant from 1981-1985, as well as bassist on “Hey Leroy, Your Mama’s Callin’ You” by Jimmy Castor
John Mayall—7/22—Pioneering British blues artist
Watch Mayall and Eric Clapton perform in 2003
Sergio Mendes—9/5—Brazilian pianist, composer and arranger who scored best-selling bossa nova and funk hits with his group Brasil ’66 and as a solo artist
Tony Middleton—2/7—Lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Willows (“Church Bells May Ring”)
Jerry Miller—7/21—Guitarist/vocalist with Moby Grape
Raynard Miner—4/4—Co-writer and pianist on “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass, and co-writer of “Higher & Higher” by Jackie Wilson
Misia—7/27—Portuguese fado music star
Chude Mondlane—6/24—African jazz singer
“Zoot” Money—9/8—British jazz and rock keyboardist, member of Eric Burdon and the Animals
Peter Morgan—2/25—Lead singer of reggae band Morgan Heritage
Dan Morgenstern—9/7—Renowned jazz journalist/author
Steve Morse—10/26—Longtime music journalist for the Boston Globe
Martin Mull—6/28—Actor, comedian, singer-songwriter who starred in such TV shows as Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Fernwood 2 Night and also recorded albums and performed live
Mojo Nixon—2/7—Irreverent roots-rockin’ singer of novelty songs
John Nady—8/2—Inventor of the wireless guitar and microphone
Johnny Neel—10/4—Musician/songwriter who was a member of the Allman Brothers Band and DIckey Betts Band
Paul Nelson—3/10—Blues guitarist, producer and manager, known primarily for his work with Johnny Winter
Seiji Ozawa—2/6—Groundbreaking Japanese conductor
Larry Page—4/19—English producer/manager/label owner who worked with the Kinks, Troggs
Andy Paley—11/20—Producer, composer and musician who worked with Brian Wilson, Ramones, Darlene Love and many others; also co-led the Paley Brothers with his brother Jonathan and provided music for the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants
Roger Palm—9/21—Drummer for ABBA
Del Palmer—1/4—Bassist for Kate Bush
Liam Payne—10/16—One Direction member
Claudia Perry—5/16—Music journalist specializing in country music
Colin Petersen—11/18—Drummer on the first six Bee Gees albums
Slim Pezin—1/18—French guitarist who played on “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda, which hit the Top 40 in 1977
Martin Phillipps—7/28—Founder and frontman of New Zealand band the CHills
Tony Pigg—4/26—Radio announcer best known for his 15-year tenure on New York’s WPLJ
Mike Pinera—11/20—Guitarist singer for Blues Image, Iron Butterfly, Ramatam and Alice Cooper’s Special Forces; wrote Blues Image’s “Ride, Captain, Ride”
Mike Pinder—4/24—Moody Blues founding member who introduced the Mellotron to the group’s sound
Listen to “A Simple Game,” written and sung by Pinder
John Pisano—5/2—Jazz guitarist
Jack Ponti—10/7—Songwriter and producer who collaborated with Jon Bon Jovi
Sandy Posey—7/20—Singer who scored two top 20 hits in 1966, “Born a Woman” and “Single Girl”
George Ed Powell—3/30—Founding guitarist/vocalist with Pure Prairie League
Kevin Ransom—6/1?—Detroit area music critic
Bernice Johnson Reagon—7/17—Founding member of the Freedom Singers and Sweet Honey in the Rock
Blake Rhea—11/6—Bassist for soul/blues band Southern Avenue
Butch Rillera—2/2—Drummer for Redbone “Come and Get Your Love”
Chita Rivera—1/30—Broadway singer and actress
Pete Rodriguez—3/11—Latin boogaloo pianist and bandleader
Chan Romero—4/21—Singer known for “Hippy, Hippy Shake”
Dexter Romweber—2/16—Rockabilly guitarist, member of Flat Duo Jets
Tawl Ross—1/3—Rhythm guitarist of Funkadelic from 1968-71
Jim Rotondi—7/8—Jazz trumpeter and composer
Jack Russell—8/15—Frontman of the band Great White
Melanie Safka—1/23—Singer/songwriter, whose hits included “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”
Freddie Salem—9/23—Guitarist of the Outlaws from 1977-83
David Sanborn—5/12—Alto saxophonist who spanned several genres, including jazz, pop and R&B
Peter Schickele—1/16—Composer and parodist best known for his work under an alter-ego, P.D.Q. Bach
John Sharkey—7/19—Keyboardist for Syndicate of Sound (“Little Girl”)
Marlena Shaw—1/19—Jazz, blues and soul singer
Richard M. Sherman—5/25—Along with his brother Robert, wrote the music for the Disney films Jungle Book, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Also wrote “You’re Sixteen,” first recorded by Johnny Burnette, then Ringo Starr, who took it to #1.
Steve Silberman—8/29—Writer of books and liner notes on the Grateful Dead, David Crosby and others
“Screamin'” Scott Simon—9/5—Pianist with Sha Na Na from 1970 to the band’s dissolution in 2022
John Sinclair—4/2—Activist, poet/writer, White Panther Party co-founder, manager of the MC5, subject of John Lennon song
Peter Sinfield—11/14—Co-founder and lyricist for King Crimson; also named the band and suggested the cover art for their debut album
Satwant Singh—2/21—Drummer for the Poppy Family (“Which Way You Goin’, Billy?”)
C.J. Snare—4/5—Vocalist for pop-metal group FireHouse
Jo-El Sonnier—1/13—Cajun/country accordionist and singer/songwriter
David Soul—1/4—Co-star of TV’s Starsky & Hutch; singer of #1 hit “Don’t Give Up on Us”
JD Souther—9/17—Singer-songwriter who wrote hits for Eagles (“Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “Heartache Tonight”) and released several solo albums
Randy Sparks—2/11—Founder of the New Christy Minstrels folk ensemble; entrepreneur who discovered Kenny Rogers, John Denver and Steve Martin
Gale Sparrow—3/31—Director of Artist Relations at MTV
Toni Stern—1/17—Carole King’s songwriting collaborator on some Tapestry songs
Dick Summer—5/14—Disc jockey on Boston’s WBZ in the ’60s and ’70s
Damo Suzuki—2/9—Lead singer of the German group Can
Phil Swern—8/31—British Producer who co-founded the British studio group Blue Haze, which hit the Top 40 in 1973 with “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
Shel Talmy—11/13—Producer of the Who’s “My Generation,” the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” and other British Invasion greats
Richard Tandy—5/1—Longtime keyboardist for Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
Arthur Tavares—4/15—Singer with soul group Tavares
Bobby Tench—2/19—English guitarist/vocalist/songwriter who worked with Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Freddie King, Humble Pie and others
Jeremy Tepper—6/14—Frontman of World Famous Blue Jays, SiriusXM executive, founder of Diesel Only Records
Dennis Thompson—5/9—Drummer of the MC5
Johnny Thunder—9/6—R&B singer who had a hit called “Loop de Loop” in 1963 (Not to be confused with Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls.)
Libby Titus—10/13—Singer-songwriter-actress; wife of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and mother of Amy Helm
Kevin Toney—3/18—Pianist for the Blackbyrds (“Walkin’ in Rhythm”)
Harold “Chico” Torres—7/18—Member of the Crests (“16 Candles”)
Happy Traum—7/17—Folk musician who performed solo and with his brother Artie
Brit Turner—3/2—Drummer for Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke
Mick Underwood—7/28—English drummer who worked with Ritchie Blackmore, Peter Frampton, Ian Gillan and others
Caterina Valente—9/9—French Adult Contemporary singer and guitarist who hit the Top 40 in 1955 with “The Breeze and I”
Jimmy Van Eaton—2/9—Drummer on Sun Records recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, others
Frank Wakefield—4/26—Bluegrass mandolinist
Karl Wallinger—3/10—Founder and sole constant member of World Party (“Ship of Fools”)
Michael Ward—4/1—Guitarist with the Wallflowers
Dick Waterman—1/26—Writer and photographer who chronicled the blues
Mary Weiss—1/19—Lead singer of the ’60s girl group the Shangri-Las (“Leader of the Pack”)
Billy Edd Wheeler—9/16—Songwriter and performer whose songs were recorded by everyone from Johnny Cash (“Jackson”) to Jefferson Airplane “(“High Flyin’ Bird”) to Elvis Presley (“It’s Midnight”)
John “Bucky” Wilkin—4/6—Leader of Ronny and the Daytonas (“GTO”)
Harry Williams—11/22—Percussionist and last original member of Bloodstone (“Natural High”)
Maurice Williams—8/5—R&B singer with the Gladiolas (“Little Darlin'”) and the Zodiacs (“Stay”)
Melinda Wilson—1/30—Wife and manager of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson
David Yaffe—11/15?—Music critic and author who wrote books on Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell
Non-Music
Marshall Brickman—11/29—One-time member of folk groups the Tarriers and the New Journeymen (the latter with John and Michelle Phillips) who became an Oscar-winning screenwriter for Woody Allen and others (Annie Hall)
Dabney Coleman—5/16—Actor in 9 to 5, Tootsie, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and many other films and TV programs
Roger Corman—5/9—Director renowned for low-budget films of the ’60s (The Wild Angels, The Trip)
Herbert Coward—1/24—Actor in Deliverance
Alain Delon—8/18—French actor
Phil Donahue—8/18—Talk show host
Shelley Duvall—7/11—Actress in The Shining, Popeye, Nashville and other films
Teri Garr—10/29—Actress in Tootsie, Young Frankenstein and other films, including several Elvis Presley vehicles, the Monkees’ Head and The T.A.M.I. Show, where she was a dancer
Louis Gossett Jr.—3/29—Actor in Roots, An Officer and a Gentleman
Norman Jewison—1/20—Canadian filmmaker (In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck)
Glynis Johns—1/4—Actress (Mary Poppins)
James Earl Jones—9/9—Distinguished actor (Field of Dreams) and the voice of Darth Vader
Richard Lewis—2/28—Comic actor (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Paul Morrissey—10/28—Actor in films directed by Andy Warhol
Joyce Randolph—1/13—Actress who portrayed Trixie Norton on the pioneering sitcom The Honeymooners
Watch Joyce Randolph (at left in video) in The Honeymooners
Pete Rose—9/30—Major League Baseball’s all-time hits king nicknamed “Charlie Hustle,” who was denied entry into the sport’s Hall of Fame for betting on the sport and denying it for decades
Gena Rowlands—8/14—Actress (A Woman Under the Influence)
Richard Simmons—7/13—Fitness guru
OJ Simpson—4/11—Football star and actor acquitted of murder
Donald Sutherland—6/20—Actor who starred in M*A*S*H, Ordinary People, The Hunger Games series and many more films
Bill Walton—5/27—NBA and college basketball great and legendary Grateful Dead fan who claimed to see over 850 of the band’s shows
Carl Weathers—2/1—Actor who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky films
Jerry West—6/11—One of the NBA’s all-time greats, whose silhouette was used for the league’s iconic logo
Ruth Westheimer—7/12—Known as Dr. Ruth, she was America’s most popular TV/radio sex counselor in the ’80s and beyond
Chuck Woolery—11/23—Original host of Wheel of Fortune and member of the band Avant-Garde (“Naturally Stoned”)
Best Classic Bands would like to extend our gratitude to those readers who’ve informed us of names we had overlooked.
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationAlbini hated being called a “producer”. Plus, you shouldn’t overlook his work in his own bands. Big Black and Shellac were groundbreaking and continue to inspire and influence countless bands today.