Pick a Day

Music History Events: Deaths

September 15, 2008 Rick Wright (keyboardist for Pink Floyd) dies of cancer in London, England, at age 65.

September 1, 2008 Country singer Jerry Reed dies of complications from emphysema in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 71.

August 19, 2008 Dave Matthews Band saxophonist/arranger LeRoi Moore dies at 46 after being injured in an ATV accident in Charlottesville, Virginia.

August 15, 2008 Music producer Jerry Wexler dies of congestive heart failure in Sarasota, Florida, at age 91. Known for reviving Aretha Franklin's career in the '60s and producing Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming album.

August 10, 2008 Soul singer/actor Isaac Hayes dies of a stroke in Shelby County, Tennesee, 10 days before his 66th birthday.

July 16, 2008 Jo Stafford, whose "You Belong To Me" made her the first female artist to hit #1 on the UK Chart, dies of congestive heart failure at age 90.

July 3, 2008 Colin Cooper (leader of Climax Blues Band) dies of cancer at age 69.

July 1, 2008 Mel Galley (former Whitesnake guitarist) dies of esophageal cancer at age 60.

June 2, 2008 Bo Diddley dies of heart failure at age 79.

May 11, 2008 John Rutsey, the original drummer for Rush, dies of a diabetes-related heart attack at age 55.

May 8, 2008 Country singer Eddy Arnold dies in Nashville, Tennessee, a week before his 90th birthday.

May 5, 2008 Country/pop singer Jerry Wallace, known for the 1959 hit "Primrose Lane," dies at age 79 of congestive heart failure.

April 22, 2008 Singer-songwriter Paul Davis, known for his soft rock hits of the '70s, dies of a heart attack just one day after his 60th birthday.

April 21, 2008 Soul singer Al Wilson dies at age 68 of kidney failure.

April 17, 2008 Danny Federici (organist, accordionist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) dies at age 58 after three years of suffering with melanoma.

March 30, 2008 Sean Levert (of LeVert) dies at age 39.

March 21, 2008 Klaus Dinger of Kraftwerk and Neu! dies of heart failure at age 61.

March 16, 2008 Session drummer Ola Brunkert, who played on many ABBA recordings, dies at age 61.

March 16, 2008 Daniel MacMaster (lead singer of Bonham) dies of a staph infection at age 39.

March 3, 2008 Norman "Hurricane" Smith, frequent engineer and producer for the Beatles, dies at age 85 in East Sussex, England.

March 2, 2008 The blind Canadian blues rocker Jeff Healey dies of cancer at 41. Known for his unique playing style with the guitar placed on his lap, he built a legend among blues guitarists, with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and many others among his fans.

February 28, 2008 Mike Smith (lead vocalist, keyboardist for The Dave Clark Five) dies of pneumonia at age 64.

February 26, 2008 Drummer Buddy Miles dies of congestive heart disease in Austin, Texas, at age 60.

February 24, 2008 Larry Norman dies at age 60 following a severe heart attack. The Christian-rock pioneer started out in psychedelic rock with the band People!, known for their 1968 hit cover of The Zombies' tune "I Love You."

February 5, 2008 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who taught Transcendental Meditation to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, dies in his sleep at age 90. Paul McCartney calls him "a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity."

January 19, 2008 John Stewart (of The Kingston Trio) dies of a massive stroke, or possible brain aneurysm, at age 68. Wrote the Monkees hit "Daydream Believer."

December 4, 2007 Pimp C (real name Charles Lamont Butler) is found dead in a West Hollywood, California, hotel room. The 33-year-old rapper had ingested promethazine and codeine, drugs used in the "purple drank" referred to in many rap songs.

November 20, 2007 Bob Relf (of the '60s soul duo Bob & Earl) dies at age 70 after a long period of ill health.

November 19, 2007 Kevin DuBrow (lead vocalist for Quiet Riot) dies of a presumed accidental cocaine overdose at age 52. He is found in his Las Vegas home six days later.

November 11, 2007 John Petersen (drummer for Beau Brummels, Harper's Bizarre) dies of a heart attack at age 65.