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 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

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”)

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

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

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”

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

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

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

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 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”)

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

Non-Music

Dabney Coleman—5/16—Actor in 9 to 5, Tootsie, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and 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 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

Best Classic Bands would like to extend our gratitude to those readers who’ve informed us of names we had overlooked.