List of deaths in rock and roll
In rock & roll history there have been many notable and tragic deaths, many quite young but still leaving their mark on music. The following is a list of the names of many such iconic figures and the date and cause of death.
1950s Deaths
- Hank Williams - Acute rt. ventricular dilation, January 1, 1953 in Oak Hill, West Virginia
- Johnny Ace - Gun wounds occurred playing Russian roulette, December 24, 1954 in Houston, Texas
- Chuck Willis - peritonitis, April 10, 1958.
- Buddy Holly - Plane crash, February 3, 1959 near Clear Lake, Iowa
- The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) - Plane crash, February 3, 1959 near Clear Lake, Iowa
- Ritchie Valens - Plane crash, February 3, 1959 near Clear Lake, Iowa
1960s Deaths
- Jessie Belvin - Car crash, February 6, 1960
- Eddie Cochran - Limo accident, April 17, 1960 in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England
- Stuart Sutcliffe (The Beatles) - Cerebral hemorrhage, April 10, 1962
- Cyril Davies - leukaemia, January 7, 1964
- Sam Cooke - Shot to death by Bertha Franklin, December 11, 1964 in Los Angeles, California
- Richard Fariña - motorcycle accident, April 30, 1966
- Bobby Fuller - suspicious, officially 'suicide', Los Angeles, July 18, 1966
- "Johnny Kidd" Frederick Heath - Car crash, October 7, 1966
- "Rockin' Robin" Roberts (of the Wailers) - Car crash, 1967
- Joe Meek - Suicide by gun shot, February 3, 1967 in London, England
- Brian Epstein (Manager of The Beatles from 1962-1967) - Accidental overdose, August 27, 1967 in London, England
- Otis Redding - Plane crash, December 10, 1967 in Madison, Wisconsin
- The Bar-Kays (Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Carl Cunningham, Phalon Jones) - Plane crash, December 10, 1967 in Madison, Wisconsin
- Frankie Lymon - heroin OD, February 27, 1968 in New York, NY
- Little Willie John - suspicious, 'heart attack' in prison (for murder), May 26, 1968 in Walla Walla, WA
- Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones) - Accidental drowning, thought to be suicide by Mick Jagger, July 3, 1969 in Cotchford Farm, Sussex, England
- Don MacAllister (of Seattle's Daily Flash) - accidental overdose, November 4, 1969, Los Angeles[1]
- Tommy Edwards - Brain aneurysm October 22, 1969 in Richmond, VA
- Martin Lamble (Fairport Convention) - Car crash, August 1969
1970s Deaths
- Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (Canned Heat) - Suicide or accidental heroin overdose, September 3, 1970 in Topanga Canyon, California
- Jimi Hendrix - Barbiturate overdose, September 18, 1970 in London, England
- Janis Joplin - Heroin overdose, October 4, 1970 in Los Angeles, California
- Jim Morrison (The Doors) - Heart Failure [disputed], July 3, 1971 in Paris, France
- Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band, Derek & the Dominos) - Motorcycle accident, October 29, 1971 in Macon, Georgia
- Gene Vincent - burst stomach ulcer, October 12, 1971, California.
- Leslie Harvey - lead guitarist Stone the Crows, electrocuted by a live microphone onstage May 3, 1972, Swansea, Wales.
- Clyde McPhatter - Heart attack June 13, 1972.
- Rory Storm (Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, Alleged overdose suicide, September 28, 1972 in Liverpool, England
- Billy Murcia (New York Dolls) - Accidental suffocation, November 6, 1972
- Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers Band) - Motorcycle accident, November 11, 1972 in Macon, Georgia
- Danny Whitten (Crazy Horse) - Suicide or accidental heroin overdose, November 18, 1972, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
- Clarence White (The Kentucky Colonels, The Byrds) - Hit by drunk driver, July 14, 1973 in Palmdale, CA
- Paul Williams (Temptations) - Suicide by gunshot, August 17, 1973 in Detroit, Michigan
- Gram Parsons - Drug overdose, September 19, 1973 in Joshua Tree, California
- Jim Croce - Plane crash, September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, LA
- Maury Muehleisen (Jim Croce's lead guitarist) - Plane crash, September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, LA
- John Rostill (The Shadows) - Electrocuted by guitar, November 26, 1973
- Bobby Darin - Died following surgery to repair a mechanical heart valve, December 20, 1973.
- Cass Elliot ("Mama" Cass, The Mamas & The Papas) - Heart failure, July 29, 1974 in London, England
- Ivory Joe Hunter - Lung cancer, November 8, 1974 in Memphis, TN
- Nick Drake - Suicide or accidental overdose, November 25, 1974 in Tanworth-in-Arden, England
- Dave Alexander (The Stooges) - Pneumonia, February 10, 1975 in Ann Arbour, MI
- Peter Ham (Badfinger)- Suicide, April 23, 1975
- Tim Buckley - Heroin overdose, June 29, 1975
- Al Jackson, Jr - (Booker T. & the MGs) - Murdered by gunshot, October 1, 1975
- Gary Thain (Uriah Heep) - Drug overdose, December 8, 1975
- Florence Ballard (The Supremes) - coronary thrombosis, February 22, 1976
- Paul Kossoff (Free) - Drug-related heart attack, March 19, 1976
- Phil Ochs - Suicide by hanging, April 9, 1976
- Keith Relf (The Yardbirds) - Electrocuted by guitar, May 14, 1976
- Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple, The James Gang, Zephyr) - heroin overdose, December 4, 1976
- Elvis Presley - Heart attack, August 16, 1977 in Memphis, Tennessee
- Peter Laughner (Pere Ubu) - Drug and alcohol overdose, June 22, 1977
- Marc Bolan (T. Rex) - Car accident, September 16, 1977 in London, England
- Steve Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Plane crash, October 20, 1977 in Gillsburg, Mississippi
- Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Plane crash, October 20, 1977 in Gillsburg, Mississippi
- Terry Kath (Chicago) - Accidentally shot himself in the head in proving gun was not loaded, January 23, 1978 in Los Angeles, California
- Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) - cerebral haemorrhage after accidental fall, April 21, 1978
- Keith Moon (The Who) - Overdose on Heminevrin, September 7, 1978 in London, England
- Donny Hathaway - Suicide or accidental fall, January 13, 1979 in New York City, NY
- Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols) - Suicide or accidental overdose, February 2, 1979 in New York City, New York
- Lowell George (Little Feat) - Heart attack, June 29, 1979 in Arlington, Virginia
- Jimmy McCulloch (Wings) - Heroin overdose, September 27, 1979
1980s Deaths
- Bon Scott (AC/DC) - Asphyxiation on vomit caused by alcohol, February 19, 1980 in London, England
- Ian Curtis (Joy Division) - Suicide by hanging, May 18, 1980 in Macclesfield, England
- Carl Radle (Derek and the Dominos) - Kidney Infection, May 30, 1980
- John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) - Alcohol poisoning, September 25, 1980 in Windsor, England
- Darby Crash (The Germs) - Suicide by intentional heroin overdose, December 7, 1980 in Los Angeles, CA
- John Lennon (The Beatles) - Murdered by Mark David Chapman, December 8, 1980 in New York City, NY
- Tim Hardin - Drug overdose, December 29, 1980 in Los Angeles, CA
- Mike Bloomfield - Drug overdose, February 15, 1981 in San Francisco, CA
- Bob Hite (Canned Heat) - Heart attack, April 5, 1981
- Bob Marley (The Wailers) - Cancer, May 11, 1981 in Miami, FL
- Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy) - Plane crash, March 19, 1982 in Leesburg, FL
- Rushton Moreve (Steppenwolf) - Car crash, July 1, 1981 in Los Angeles, CA
- Lester Bangs - Drug overdose, April 30, 1982 in New York, NY
- James Honeyman-Scott (The Pretenders) - heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance, June 16, 1982 in London, England
- Joe Tex - Heart attack, August 13, 1982 in Navasota, TX
- Marty Robbins - Surgical complications December 8, 1982 in Nashville, TN
- Lamar Williams (The Allman Brothers Band) - Lung cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange (during his stay in Vietnam), January 21, 1983
- Billy Fury - Heart attack, January 28, 1983 in London, England
- Karen Carpenter (The Carpenters) - Anorexia, February 4, 1983 in Downey, CA
- Pete Farndon (The Pretenders) - Drowning in his bathtub after a heroin overdose, April 14, 1983
- Felix Pappalardi (Mountain) - Shot by his wife, April 17, 1983 in New York, NY
- Klaus Nomi - AIDS complications, August 6, 1983
- Tom Evans (Badfinger) - Suicide, November 19, 1983
- Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys) - Accidental Drowning, December 28, 1983 in Marina del Rey, CA
- Jackie Wilson - Suffered an onstage heart attack leading to brain damage and decade long coma before his eventual death, January 21, 1984 in Mount Holly, NJ
- Marvin Gaye - Shot by father Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr., April 1, 1984 in Los Angeles, CA
- Lenny Breau - Murder by strangulation - August 12, 1984, Los Angeles, CA
- Razzle (Hanoi Rocks) - Car crash, December 9, 1984, Redondo Beach, CA
- David Byron (Uriah Heep) - alcohol-related complications, February 28, 1985 in Reading, Berkshire, England
- Ricky Wilson (The B-52's) - Complications of AIDS, October 12, 1985 in New York City, NY
- Ian Stewart (The Rolling Stones) - Heart attack, December 12, 1985
- D. Boon (The Minutemen) - Traffic accident, December 22, 1985 in Tucson, AZ
- Ricky Nelson - Plane crash, December 31, 1985 in De Kalb, TX
- Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy) - Accidental overdose, January 4, 1986 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
- Richard Manuel (The Band) - Suicide by hanging, March 4, 1986 in Winter Park, FL
- Cliff Burton (Metallica) - Traffic accident, September 27, 1986 in Sweden
- Carlton Barrett (The Wailers) - Murdered by gun shot, April 17, 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica
- Paul Butterfield - Drug and alcohol overdose, May 4, 1987
- Gary Driscoll (Rainbow) - Murdered in his home, June, 1987, in Ithaca, NY
- Philip Charles "Snakefinger" Lithman (the Residents, solo) - Suffered a fatal heart attack during a performance, on July 1, 1987--the same day his single, "There's No Justice in Life", was released.
- Peter Tosh (The Wailers) - Murdered by gun shot, September 11, 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica
- Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report) - Beaten to death by a bar bouncer, September 21, 1987 in Wilton Manors, FL
- Hillel Slovak - Accidental overdose, June 25, 1988 in Los Angeles, California
- Nico (The Velvet Underground) - Head trauma caused by bicycle accident July 18, 1988
- Robert Calvert (ex-Hawkwind) - Heart Attack August 14, 1988
- Roy Buchanan - Supposed suicide (found hanged in cell), August 14, 1988 in a prison in Virginia
- Roy Orbison - Heart attack, December 6, 1988 in Hendersonville, Tennessee
- John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service) - Emphysema, May 29, 1989
- Pete de Freitas (Echo & the Bunnymen) - Motorcycle accident, June 14, 1989
1990s Deaths
- Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd) - Pneumonia, January 23, 1990
- Del Shannon - Suicide by gunshot, February 8, 1990
- Johnnie Ray - Liver failure due to chronic alcoholism, February 24, 1990 in Los Angeles, CA
- Ric Grech (Blind Faith) - Liver and Kidney failure, March 17, 1990 in Leicester, England
- Andrew Wood (Mother Love Bone) - Heroin Overdose, March 19, 1990 in Seattle, WA
- Brent Mydland (Grateful Dead) - Drug overdose July 26, 1990 in Lafayette, CA
- Stevie Ray Vaughan (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) - Helicopter Accident, August 27, 1990 in East Troy, WI
- Tom Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) - Tuberculosis, September 6, 1990
- Ole Beich (Guns N' Roses) - Drowned, 1991 in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Steve Clark(Def Leppard) - Accidental Overdose, January 8, 1991 in London, U.K.
- Dead (Mayhem) - Suicide, April 8, 1991
- Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie) - House Fire, April 21, 1991
- Johnny Thunders (The New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers) - April 23, 1991 in New Orleans, LA
- Gene Clark (The Byrds) - "Natural causes" brought on by a bleeding ulcer, May 24, 1991 in Sherman Oaks, CA
- David Ruffin (Temptations, Solo) - Drug overdose, June 1, 1991 in Philadelphia, PA
- Rob Tyner (MC5) - Heart attack, September 18, 1991 in Berkley, MI
- Bill Graham (promoter) - helicopter crash October 25, 1991 near Vallejo, CA
- Eric Carr (KISS) - cancer - November 24, 1991
- Freddie Mercury (Queen) - complications of AIDS, November 24, 1991 in London, England
- Jerry Nolan (The New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers) - Heart attack, January 14, 1992
- Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations) - Lung cancer, October 5, 1992 in Birmingham, AL
- Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic) - Internal bleeding and liver failure, December 23, 1992
- Geoff Mann (Twelfth Night) - Cancer, March 1993
- Mick Ronson (David Bowie) - Cancer, April 30, 1993
- Euronymous (Mayhem) - Stabbed, August 10, 1993
- Criss Oliva (Savatage) - Car Accident, October 17, 1993
- Frank Zappa (The Mothers of Invention) - Died of prostate cancer, December 4, 1993 in Laurel Canyon, CA
- Doug Hopkins (Gin Blossoms) - took his own life on December 5, 1993, in Tempe, AZ.
- Jerry Edmonton (Steppenwolf) - Car wreck, November 28, 1993
- Michael Clarke (The Byrds) - Liver failure, December 19, 1993 in Treasure Island, FL
- Harry Nilsson - Heart failure hours after completing vocal tracks for his still-ureleased final album, January 15, 1994
- Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) - controversial suicide or murder by gun shot, April 5, 1994 in Seattle, WA
- Lee Brillaux (Dr. Feelgood) - April 7, 1994
- Derek Leckenby (Herman's Hermits) - Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, June 4, 1994
- Nicky Hopkins (The Jeff Beck Group) - Complications from surgery - September 6, 1994, Nashville, TN
- Danny Gatton (Redneck Jazz Explosion) - Suicide by gunshot, October 4, 1994 in Newburg, MD
- Fred "Sonic" Smith (MC5)- Heart failure, November 4, 1994
- Melvin Franklin (The Temptations) - Brain seizure, February 23, 1995
- Selena - Murdered by gun shot, March 31, 1995, Corpus Christi, TX
- Rory Gallagher - MRSA complications following a liver transplant, June 14, 1995 in London, England
- Sterling Morrison (The Velvet Underground) - Cancer brought on from smoking, August 30, 1995
- Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) - Heart Attack, August 9, 1995
- Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon) - Accidental overdose, October 21, 1995
- Brad Nowell (Sublime) - Accidental overdose, May 25, 1996
- Jonathan Melvoin (Smashing Pumpkins) - Accidental overdose, July 12, 1996
- Kenny Pickett (The Creation (band)) - January 10, 1997
- Jeff Buckley - Accidental drowning, May 29, 1997 in Memphis, TN
- Ronnie Lane (The Small Faces, Faces) - Pneumonia, June 4, 1997
- Bobby Helms - Emphysema & Asthma, June 19, 1997 in Martinsville, IN
- John Denver - Plane crash - Ran out of gasoline, October 12, 1997, CA
- Michael Hutchence (INXS) - Suicide or accidental strangulation, November 22, 1997
- Kurt Winter (The Guess Who) - Drug related death, December 14, 1997
- Sonny Bono (Sonny & Cher, Solo) - Skiing accident, January 5, 1998 in South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys) - Lung cancer, February 6, 1998
- Cozy Powell (The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Black Sabbath) - Car Crash, April 5, 1998
- hide (Saver Tiger, X-Japan, hide with Spread Beavers, Zilch) - Hanged with a towel, May 2, 1998
- Screaming Lord Sutch - Suicide by hanging, June 16, 1999
- Kami (drummer) (Malice Mizer) - Subarachnoid hemorrhage, June 21, 1999
- Curtis Mayfield (The Impressions) - Complications from diabetes, December 26, 1999 in Roswell, GA
- Rick Danko (The Band) - December 10, 1999
2000s Deaths
- Ian Dury (Ian Dury and the Blockheads) Liver cancer, March 27, 2000
- Heinz Burt (The Tornados) - Motor neurone disease, April 7, 2000 in Southampton, England
- Allen Woody (The Allman Brothers,Gov't Mule) - Unknown causes, August 26, 2000
- Benjamin Orr (The Cars)- Pancreatic Cancer, October 3, 2000
- Kirsty MacColl - Hit and killed by a speeding powerboat, December 18, 2000, in Cozumel, Mexico.
- Robert Buck (10,000 Maniacs) - Liver Failure, December 19, 2000, Pittsburgh, PA
- Joey Ramone (The Ramones) - Lymphoma, April 15, 2001 in New York.
- George Harrison (The Beatles, Solo) - Lung cancer, November 29, 2001
- Chuck Schuldiner (Death) - Cancer, December 13, 2001
- Jon Lee (Feeder) - Suicide, January 7, 2002
- Peter Bardens (Camel, solo) - Lung cancer, January 22, 2002
- Waylon Jennings - Diabetic complications, February 13, 2002 in Chandler, Arizona
- Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) - Drug overdose, April 5, 2002
- Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones) - Heroin overdose, June 5, 2002
- Robbin Crosby ([RATT]) - Heroin overdose, June 6, 2002 in Los Angeles, California
- John Entwistle (The Who, solo) - Cocaine-induced heart attack, June 27, 2002
- Lonnie Donegan - Heart Attack, November 2, 2002 in Peterborough, England
- Joe Strummer (The Clash, The Mescaleros) - Congenital heart defect, December 22, 2002
- Mickey Finn (T. Rex) - Liver problems, January 11, 2003
- Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees) - Complications of a twisted intestine, January 12, 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida
- Adam Faith - Heart Attack, March 8, 2003 in Stoke on Trent, England
- Mickie Most (English record producer) - mesothelioma, May 30, 2003
- Erik Brann (Iron Butterfly) - Heart attack, July 31, 2003
- Wesley Willis - chronic myelogenous leukemia, August 21, 2003
- Warren Zevon - Mesothelioma, September 7, 2003
- Johnny Cash - Complications from diabetes, September 12, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee
- Shawn Lane (Black Oak Arkansas, HLS, solo) - Lung Disease, September 26, 2003
- Elliott Smith - Knife wound, October 21, 2003 in Los Angeles, California
- Bobby Hatfield (Righteous Brothers) - Cocaine induced heart attack, November 4, 2003
- Greg Ridley (Spooky Tooth, Humble Pie) - Pneumonia and resulting complications, November 19, 2003
- Clint Warwick (Original Moody Blues bassist) - Liver failure, May 15, 2004
- Quorthon (Bathory) - Heart Failure, June 7, 2004
- Arthur Kane (The New York Dolls) - Leukemia, July 13, 2004
- Johnny Ramone (The Ramones) - Prostate Cancer, September 15, 2004 in Los Angeles, California
- Dimebag Darrell (Pantera, Damageplan) - Murdered by gun shot on stage, December 8, 2004
- Eric Griffiths (The Quarrymen) - Pancreatic cancer, January 29, 2005
- Paul Hester (Crowded House, Split Enz) – Suicide, March 26, 2005
- Pierre Moerlen (Gong) - Natural Causes, May 3, 2005
- Domenic Troiano (The James Gang, The Guess Who) - Prostate cancer, May 25, 2005
- Long John Baldry - severe chest infection, July 21, 2005
- Carlo Little (The Rolling Stones) - lung cancer, August 6, 2005
- Krzysztof "Doc" Raczkowski (Vader) - Cause of death unknown, August 20, 2005
- Robert Moog (Inventor of the Moog Synthesizer) - Brain Tumor, August 21, 2005
- Mike Gibbins (Badfinger) - Died in his sleep on October 4, 2005, in Oviedo, Florida
- Bryan Harvey (House of Freaks, Gutterball) - Murdered along with his family during a robbery of their home, January 1, 2006, in Richmond, VA
- Wilson Pickett (The Falcons) - Heart Attack, Ashburn, Virginia, U.S.A., January 19, 2006
- Grant McLennan (The Go-Betweens) - Heart attack, May 6, 2006
- Freddie Garrity (Freddie and the Dreamers) - Emphysema, May 19, 2006, in Bangor, North Wales
- Billy Preston - Kidney failure, June 6, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona
- Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) - Complications with Diabetes, July 7, 2006
- Arthur Lee (Love) - Died of Leukemia, August 3, 2006 in Memphis
- Pip Pyle (Hatfield and the North, National Health, Gong) - Natural Causes, August 28, 2006
- James Brown - Pneumonia, December 25, 2006
- Denny Doherty (The Mamas & The Papas) - kidney failure, January 19, 2007
- Brad Delp (Boston) - Suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning - March 9, 2007
- Daniel Smith [Blizzzard] [Died] [Oscar Lewis] Murdered
- Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot)- Accidental cocaine overdose - November 25, 2007
- Buddy Miles (Jimi Hendrix, solo) - congestive heart failure - February 26, 2008
- Mike Smith ( Dave Clark 5 ) - pneumonia - February 28, 2008
- Jeff Healey (Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist) - cancer - March 2, 2008
- Eddy Arnold (Country music singer-songwriter and musician) - May 8, 2008
- Michelle Meldrum (Rock guitarist) - brain haemorrhage - May 21, 2008
- Bo Diddley - Heart failure - June 2, 2008
- Jo Stafford (American pop singer) - July 16, 2008
- Isaac Hayes (American soul and funk musician) - complications from a stroke - August 10, 2008
- Jerry Finn (American record producer) - cerebral haemorrhage - August 21, 2008
- Richard Wright (Pink Floyd) - Cancer - September 15, 2008