Pick a Day

Music History Events: Deaths

September 24, 1978 Ruth Etting, a popular singer and actress throughout the '20s and '30s, dies at age 80. Her life inspired the 1955 fictionalized biopic Love Me or Leave Me, starring Doris Day and James Cagney.

September 5, 1978 Joe Negroni of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in New York City at age 37.

August 24, 1978 Jazz trumpeter Louis Prima dies in New Orleans, Louisiana, at age 67, three years after a traumatic cerebral hemorrhage left him in a coma.

July 29, 1978 Glenn Goins (guitarist, vocalist for Parliament-Funkadelic) dies of Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 24.

July 29, 1978 Publicist Peter Meaden (former manager of The Who) dies from a barbiturate overdose at age 36 in Edmonton, London, England.

June 12, 1978 Country singer Johnny Bond, known for the 1965 hit "10 Little Bottles," dies of a stroke at age 63.

April 21, 1978 31-year-old Fairport Convention lead singer Sandy Denny dies of a cerebral hemorrhage after four days in a coma.

January 31, 1978 Greg Herbert, a 30-year-old saxophonist with Blood, Sweat & Tears, dies of an accidental drug overdose. He's discovered in his hotel room the following day.

January 23, 1978 Terry Kath (singer and original guitarist for Chicago) dies at age 31 when he accidentally shoots himself in the head.

November 5, 1977 Guy Lombardo (of Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians) dies of a heart attack at age 75.

October 14, 1977 Bing Crosby dies of a heart attack after finishing a round of golf in Spain, at age 74.

October 13, 1977 R&B singer Shirley Brickley (of The Orlons) is shot to death by an intruder in her home, at age 32.

September 30, 1977 Mary Ford dies after eight weeks in a diabetic coma in Arcadia, California, at age 53.

September 16, 1977 Marc Bolan of T. Rex dies in a car accident at age 29.

June 22, 1977 Peter Laughner (guitarist for Pere Ubu) dies of acute pancreatitis at age 24 after years of drug and alcohol abuse.

May 29, 1977 Goddard Lieberson, who served as president for both Columbia Records (1956-1971; 1973-1975) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), dies of cancer at age 66.

May 26, 1977 R&B singer William Powell (of The O'Jays) dies of cancer at age 35.

May 3, 1977 Helmut Koellen (bass player for Triumvirat) dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27 as he listens to studio tracks in his car while the engine is running in his garage.

February 26, 1977 Blues guitarist Bukka White dies of cancer at age 67 in Memphis, Tennessee.

February 26, 1977 Doo wop singer Sherman Garnes (of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) dies of a heart attack at age 36.

December 28, 1976 Bluesman Freddie King dies of acute pancreatitis and complications from stomach ulcers at age 42.

December 4, 1976 Tommy Bolin, age 25, dies from a drug overdose in a Miami hotel room, after opening for Jeff Beck at the Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami. Hours before the guitarist's death, Bolin responded to a news reporter's well wishes by saying, "I've been taking care of myself my whole life. Don't worry about me. I'm going to be around for a long time."

October 23, 1976 Leonard Lee (of Shirley & Lee) dies of a heart attack at age 40.

August 29, 1976 Bluesman Jimmy Reed dies of respiratory failure in Oakland, California, at age 50. Known for hits like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" (1956) and "Bright Lights, Big City" (1961).

May 14, 1976 Keith Relf (lead vocalist for The Yardbirds) dies at age 33 after being electrocuted while playing an improperly grounded guitar in his basement.

March 26, 1976 Blues singer Duster Bennett dies in a car accident at age 29 after falling asleep at the wheel.

March 25, 1976 Jackson Browne's first wife, Phyllis, dies by suicide less than a year after they were married. She suffered from depression that got particularly acute after giving birth to their son in 1973.

March 19, 1976 Paul Kossoff (guitarist for Free), age 25, dies of a pulmonary embolism during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.

February 22, 1976 Shortly after emerging from poverty and alcoholism to make a musical comeback, Florence Ballard (of The Supremes) dies at age 32 of a cardiac arrest caused by a blood clot.

January 25, 1976 New Orleans R&B singer Chris Kenner, struggling with alcoholism, dies of a heart attack at age 46.