Music History Events: Deaths
July 15, 1989 Atlantic Records executive Nesuhi Ertegun, who worked with The Drifters and Bobby Darin, dies following a cancer surgery at age 71.
July 11, 1989 Roger Christian, who wrote lyrics to the Beach Boys songs "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Don't Worry Baby," dies at 57.
June 14, 1989 Pete de Freitas (drummer for Echo And The Bunnymen) dies in a motorcycle accident en-route to Liverpool from London at age 27.
June 12, 1989 Italian American singer Lou Monte dies of emphysema at age 72.
May 29, 1989 John Cipollina (lead guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service) dies at age 45 from Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder that can lead to several diseases including emphysema, liver disease, lung cancer and COPD.
March 17, 1989 New Orleans R&B singer Bobby Mitchell dies at age 54.
February 14, 1989 Vincent Crane (organist for Atomic Rooster) dies of an intentional overdose of painkillers at age 45.
December 21, 1988 Paul Avron Jeffreys (bassist for Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel) is killed en-route to his honeymoon when he and his wife, Rachel, become victims of the Lockerbie terrorist bombing (of Pan Am Flight 103). He was 36. The Four Tops were also slated to be onboard the plane but overslept after a late-night recording session.
December 6, 1988 Guitarist Bill Harris (of The Clovers) dies of pancreatic cancer in Washington, DC, at age 63.
November 22, 1988 Pop singer Janet Ertel (of The Chordettes) dies of cancer at age 75.
October 19, 1988 Blues singer/guitarist Son House dies of cancer of the larynx at age 86.
October 9, 1988 Electric guitarist Cliff Gallup (of Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps) dies of a heart attack at age 58.
August 30, 1988 Thomas "Papa Dee" Allen (percussionist/saxophonist/vocalist for War) collapses onstage during a performance in Solano County, California. He dies of a brain aneurysm at age 58.
August 14, 1988 Bluesman Roy Buchanan dies of an apparent suicide (though friends and family dispute this) at age 48 in Fairfax, Virginia.
August 14, 1988 Robert Calvert (frontman for Hawkwind) dies of a heart attack at age 43 in Ramsgate, England.
July 29, 1988 Pete Drake, Nashville record producer and session guitarist who played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Don Gibson, and Marty Robbins, dies of emphysema at age 55. Known for the 1964 hit "Forever" with his groundbreaking use of a talk box for the pedal steel guitar.
July 18, 1988 Christa Päffgen aka Nico (of The Velvet Underground) dies at age 49 while vacationing in Ibiza, Spain. While riding a bicycle, the German singer-songwriter suffers a heart attack and falls and hits her head, causing a severe cerebral hemorrhage.
June 15, 1988 "If You Wanna Be Happy" singer Jimmy Soul dies of a heart attack at age 45 after years of drug use takes its toll.
June 10, 1988 Steve Sanders (baritone singer, guitarist for The Oak Ridge Boys) dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 45.
May 13, 1988 Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker dies at age 58 after falling from a second floor window at a hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. An autopsy reveals traces of heroin and cocaine in his body, and the death is ruled an accident.
April 28, 1988 Country/pop singer B.W. Stevenson, known for the original 1973 version of "My Maria," dies at age 38 while undergoing heart valve surgery.
April 9, 1988 Soul singer Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave) dies at age 50 in a single-car accident in Sycamore, Georgia.
April 9, 1988 R&B singer Brook Benton dies of pneumonia at age 56, two years after contracting spinal meningitis.
March 20, 1988 Canadian jazz pianist Gil Evans, who often worked with Miles Davis, dies of peritonitis at age 75.
December 9, 1987 Will Shatter (vocalist, bassist for Flipper) dies of a drug overdose.
November 5, 1987 Bobby Nunn (original bass vocalist for The Coasters) dies of heart failure at age 61.
October 29, 1987 Woody Herman, jazz musician and big band leader, dies at age 74.
September 21, 1987 Jaco Pastorius of Weather Report, age 35, dies of a massive brain hemorrhage ten days after a violent altercation with a club bouncer left him a coma.
September 11, 1987 Reggae musician Peter Tosh is shot and killed at age 42 during a robbery in his home.
September 11, 1987 Actor/musician Lorne Greene, known for his starring role on the western TV series Bonanza, dies of complications from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California, at age 72.
Back to Categories©2026 Songfacts®, LLC