In Memoriam: February 2024 – March 2025

The BRIT Awards extend their profound condolences to the families, friends, and followers of all the many talented artists and industry colleagues who have been lost to the music community these past 12 months. We join with others in paying tribute, as we acknowledge remarkable lives and celebrate cherished legacies.

The BRITs are appreciative of the many sources that make it possible to research and collate this data. We take care to get this as correct as we can, but in the event of any unintended inaccuracies or omissions, we apologise sincerely and welcome any feedback to be able update this tribute page accordingly.

Feb / March 2024

Emma Jones
1992 tbc – 14 Feb 2024
English vocalist who came to national attention as a finalist in the 2015 edition of Britian’s Got Talent, where she impressed the judges with her moving rendition of Ave Maria. 

Wesley ”W.C.” Clark
16 Nov 1939 – 2 Mar 2024
US blues and gospel artist and guitarist, called the Godfather of Austin Blues, as a regular performer in the Texas blues scene. With the W.C. Blues Revue, he went on to work with numerous greats including James Brown, B.B. King, and Sam and Dave, and then with Triple Threat Revue he performed alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan among others. 

Jim Beard 
26 Aug 1960 – 2 Mar 2024
US jazz artist who was acclaimed for his piano and keyboard play and was also well regarded as a composer, and producer. He began as a member of the American Youth Jazz Orchestra and went on to work with numerous leading contemporaries such as Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter and John McLaughlin.

Eleanor Collins OC (Elnora Proctor)
21 Nov 1919 – 3 Mar 2024
Jazz performer, TV host, and civic leader, who came to be known as Canada's First Lady of Jazz, working with other jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Starting out in gospel, she made her way into jazz and then musical theatre performing with her sister and others in the Swing Low Quartette. Her success saw her break into TV, becoming the first person of colour to headline a national show. She became a prolific broadcast and stage performer, particularly in the 1970s, when she emerged as a national figure.

Brit Turner
1967 – 3 Mar 2024
American drummer, who was most known along with his brother Richard as a member of the US country rock band, Blackberry Smoke. The band released eight studio albums and two live albums.

"B. B." Seaton (Harris Lloyd Seaton) 
3 Sep 1944 – 4 Mar 2024
Jamaican reggae performer, aka "Bibby", who wrote, sang and produced, both as a solo artist but also as part of the line up of various bands at different stages, including The Gaylads, The Astronauts, Conscious Minds, and The Messengers, which also featured Ken Boothe.

Anthony “Baby Gap” Walker
1964 – 4 Mar 2024
US vocalist and songwriter, dancer and choreographer, who performed with the celebrated funk act The Gap Band for nearly 25 years.  He is credited as a co-writing the tracks Automatic Brain and L'il Red Funkin' Hood on their 1985 album The Gap Band V.  Walker formed the award-winning breakdancing group Tidal Wave in the 1970s and notably helped to teach and promote that art of moonwalking in the 1980s.

Pavel Zajíček 
15 Apr 1951 – 5 Mar 2024
Poet, activist and avant-garde musician from Czechia, whose experimental music and band DG 307 challenged the country’s communist regime in the early Seventies. After spells in Sweden and the US, he returned to the Czech Republic in the Nineties and became a well known and regarded artist.

Debra Byrd 
19 Jul 1951 – 5 Mar 2024
US singer and vocal coach who worked with a number of leading artists in her career, such as Barry Manilow, and Bob Dylan, as well as on TV shows including American Idol.

Steve Lawrence (Sidney Liebowitz)
8 Jul 1935 – 7 Mar 2024
US singer who was also an actor and comedian.  He was perhaps best known for his entertainment partnership with his wife Eydie in the duo Steve and Eydie, and for his acting role in the cult classic The Blues Brothers.

Ernie Fields Jr. 
1934 – 8 Mar 2024 (tbc)
American blues, soul and funk music artist, known for his baritone saxophone play and was much sought-after as a session musician. His talent brought him into contact with many leading figures, including Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Among his accomplishments, he wrote the score for the Seventies film, Disco Godfather, while in more recent years he featured on TV talent shows including American Idol, The Voice, and the X Factor.

Vince Power CBE
29 Apr 1947 – 9 Mar 2024
Irish, London-based executive who was a highly influential figure in the live music industry, as a venue owner, promoter and festival founder – earning him the epithet “Godfather of Gigs”.  Much of this was through the Mean Fiddler Group that he established, which started out as a country and western club in North West London, but went on to span 14 live music venues and eight music festivals, as well as clubs and eateries. His passion for music saw Power work with many music greats as well as new artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash in his last ever UK performance in 1987.

Thomas “TM” Stevens 
28 Jul 1951 – 10 Mar 2024
US musician, aka Shaka Zulu, who recorded and toured in his own right and with various rock, R&B, and pop artists, including the Pretenders between 1986-87.  He is perhaps best known, however, as the bassist in rock band New York City, having started out with The Space Cadets in the early Eighties.

Karl Wallinger
19 Oct 1957 – 10 Mar 2024
Welsh multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, best known for his roles in the Eighties bands World Party and the Waterboys. His songwriting credits include the World Party US hit Ship of Fools, and Way Down Now, which topped the Billboard Modern Rock Chart, and also notably, She’s The One, with the Robbie Williams cover of this going to No.1 on the Official Singles Chart, earning him a BRIT Award in 2000. 

Paul Nelson
n/a – 10 Mar 2024
US blues and rock guitarist, songwriter and producer. He also composed for TV and other sync. Nelson  collaborated with fellow greats of the genre, including Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Johnny Winter – whose No.1 album Step Back saw Nelson share in the Grammy for Best Blues Album. Nelson also picked up a Blues Music Award, a Blues Foundation KBA Award, and was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame. He received a further Grammy nomination for his work on Joe Louis Walker’s album, Everybody Wants a Piece.

Blake Harrison
1978 – 10 Mar 2024
US musician and “sampler” known largely for being a member of the American grindcore band, Pig Destroyer, whom he joined in 2006.    

Pete Rodriguez
16 Apr 1934 – 11 Mar 2024
US musician and pianist of Puerto Rican heritage, who was also a bandleader. His group, Pete Rodríguez y Su Conjunto, were known for the Latin boogaloo genre, and particularly their 1967 hit, I Like It Like That, which has notably been covered by numerous artists, including the Blackout Allstars for the 1994 film of the same title, while it also appeared in the soundtrack of the Grand Theft Auto video game and the film Chef. It was also sampled in the Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin track, I Like It.

Eric Carmen
11 Aug 1949 – 11 Mar 2024
US artist – singer, songwriter and musician, known for his keyboard play and responsible for major hits across the Seventies and Eighties, including notably All By Myself, which was later covered by Celine Dion, taking it to No.4 in the Billboard Hot 100. Carmen began his musical journey with the Raspberries in the early Seventies, enjoying with them the million-selling rock hit Go All The Way, later to be featured on the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy. Carmen rose to further prominence as a solo artist, releasing six studio albums in total, with further major hits including Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.

Bo$$ (Lichelle Laws)
14 Aug 1969 – 11 Mar 2024
US rap artist who hailed from Detroit, but made her name in the Nineties West Coast rap scene, successfully launching her career in 1993 with her debut LP Born Gangstaz, which made the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart top three and sold nearly 400,000 copies. She was the first female rapper to sign with Def Jam.

Russ Wilson 
1962 – 12 Mar 2024
Canadian musician, who was the bassist and vocalist with the Sony Music-signed rock group Junkhouse, who were particularly successful in the 1990s, launching their career with their 1993 Gold-Certified debut album, Strays. 

Michael Knott 
22 Dec 1962 – 12 Mar 2024
US singer-songwriter, who was a pioneering figure in the Christian rock scene.  He was known for fronting a number of groups in the genre, such as LSU, and Cush.  In all, he released some 35 albums, both as a solo performer and with bands.

Angela McCluskey
28 Feb 1960 – 14 Mar 2024
Scottish-born, US-based singer-songwriter, who in her career was both a solo artist and a member of folk rock band, Wild Colonnials.  She also worked with other artists and was a sought-after voice in sync recording songs for commercials by Mitsubishi and American Express, along with others, while her music featured in TV series soundtracks, including Grey’s Anatomy.

Mike Chaney
1931 – 15 Mar 2024
British broadcaster, who spent much of his career with the BBC, notably editing the Radio 4 Today programme for many years, but also introducing the popular culture news programme Newsbeat to Radio 1 audiences in 1973. 

Sandra Crouch
1 Jul 1942 – 17 Mar 2024
US gospel artist, who sang, played drums and produced – earning a Grammy Award and various nominations during her peak years in the 1980s. Earlier in her career, she also made her mark as a session musician, working with various Motown artists, including The Jackson 5 on their songs ABC and I Want You Back.

Steve Harley (Stephen Nice)
27 Feb 1951 – 17 Mar 2024
British musician, singer and songwriter, who rose to prominence in the 1970s with his glam rock group Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. The band enjoyed a run of hit singles, including Judy Teen, and Mr. Soft, but it was through their 1975 No.1 smash, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) that Harley became a national figure. The song went on to sell over 1.5m copies and is ranked in the UK’s top 100 singles by the Official Charts Company. Harley, who overcame polio in his childhood, went on to pursue a prolific solo career, also working with artists, including Kate Bush and Rick Wakeman. In 1986 he was set to play the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, having successfully recorded the lead single with Sarah Brightman, but the part instead went to Michael Crawford.   

Cola Boyy (Matthew Urango)
14 Feb 1990 – 17 Mar 2024
California-based US musician and activist, whose disco-inspired debut album, Prosthetic Boombox, was released in 2021.  Cola Boyy toured and collaborated with a number of artists, including MGMT.

Jo Brooks
1970 – Mar 2024
English music industry executive who spent a large part of her career in the independent music sector, with the Beggars Group, having joined in 1999 from music distributor 3MV.  In her twenty five years with the company, she led on important projects, including setting up its mail order and working on the label’s online radio station, AV:Deck, before heading digital production and other operations, including managing the key relationship with YouTube.  Beggars Group CEO Paul Redding said, “Jo’s passing is a huge loss to Beggars. She guided us through our first moves into D2C, was part of our first digital team and continued to be an integral part of our digital operation department through her diagnosis. Underpinning everything, though, was an encyclopaedic knowledge of our catalogues and her love of music.  We will miss you Jo” 

Kevin Toney 
23 Apr 1953 – 18 Mar 2024
US jazz musician and composer who was also a member of The Blackbyrds.  His talent brought him into contact with other leading performers, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.  His work appeared on numerous acclaimed albums, released both with the band and as a solo artist, including Strut, which was selected as "official music" by the 2002 Winter Olympic Committee.

Greg Lee
1971 – 19 Mar 2024
American vocalist and musician, who was largely known as the singer with California ska and reggae band, Hepcat, which emerged in the 1990s. 

Gene Elders
1971 – 19 Mar 2024
American country musician, who was largely known as a member of George Strait’s backing group, the
Ace in the Hole Band, playing fiddle and mandolin for them in a four-decade career between 1985 and 2024.

Chris Cross (Christopher Allen)
14 Jul 1952 – 25 Mar 2024
English musician, known to fans as the bass guitarist in the Eighties group, Ultravox. His career began in the 1970s, including spells with the bands Stoned Rose and Tiger Lily, later to become Ultravox. Cross worked on the band’s successful albums and singles releases in this period, including the classic track Vienna, which he co-wrote.  He featured in Live Aid and went on to also develop a career directing music videos.

Albert Slendebroek
n/a – 26 Mar 2024
Dutch-born industry executive who worked across the business in Europe for four decades, most recently with BMG, whom he joined in 2018 as their MD of Sweden and Spain.  He worked with numerous companies in various senior leadership roles, starting out at Ariola Music in the 1980s, before moving on to Chrysalis Records, Phonogram, Polygram, Metronome, Warner Music, and Armada Music as well as music tech start up, FUGA. His work brought him into close contact with many leading artists including Billy Idol, Sinead O’Connor, The Waterboys, and Ace of Bass.  He was known for his commitment to new technologies and for mentoring and bringing through new industry talent. Paying tribute, BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld said: “Albert was a remarkable executive, whose passion for music, technology and nurturing future leaders was an inspiration to many.”

Zero (Clare Elliott)
N/a – 26 Mar 2024
New Zealand singer with the Seventies punk band Suburban Reptiles. Also a fringe theatre performer, an actor and puppeteer. 

Gerry Conway 
11 Sep 1947 – 29 Mar 2024
British drummer and percussionist, who worked largely in folk and rock. He first came to prominence in the Seventies as a member of Cat Stevens’ backing group, before performing similar roles with bands including Jethro Tull, and Fairport Convention, as well as working extensively as a session musician.

Casey Benjamin
10 Oct 1978 – 30 Mar 2024
American jazz, Hip-Hop, and R&B musician, who specialised in saxophone but was also a keyboardist, record producer and a songwriter.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Benjamin He was a member of the Robert Glasper Experiment, sharing in their Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for Black Radio. He also made his mark with other groups, including the funk pop duo HEAVy, and Stefon Harris’ group Blackout.  He collaborated extensively with many artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, Wyclef Jean, Mary J Blige, John Legend, and Beyoncé.

Pegi Cecconi
1954 – Mar 2024
Canadian executive, who was one of its most influential figures in a five-decade career, dubbed “the Queen of ***** everything”. This included her time with the Rush organisation; a tenure as VP of SRO Management Inc. and its label arm Anthem Entertainment Group; and service with the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA); the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR); the Independent Digital Licensing Agency (IDLA); and the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA). She was honoured with multiple awards, including the MMF Brian Chater Pioneers Award. Music writer Larry LeBlanc said of her: “I’ve never known anybody in any business more devoted to their job as Pegi…. from championing multiple causes and to bolstering all artists, and songwriters like she did. As an industry in the ‘70s, Canadians had to scratch and claw for most everything. Pegi could scratch and claw without people knowing they had been scratched and clawed…. She left a mark on our business that will never be erased.” 

Neil Slaven
n/a – Mar 2024
English author, music writer, and record producer, who was a leading authority on blue music. His expertise saw record labels turn to him for advice and to write sleeve notes for album releases. He also produced, including notably for the Blue Horizon label in the 1960s. Slaven was a major contributor to the Encyclopedia Of Popular Music and wrote for publications including Mojo, and Billboard.

Jevon
n/a – Mar 2024
British rapper and producer of Brazilian heritage, who contributed to albums by Nines, Pa Salieu, and M1llionz, among others, and he was also involved in XL’s 2017 New Gen compilation. He debut LP, Fell In Love In Brasil, paid tribute to his grandfather and to his Brazilian roots. Most recently, Jevon had been working with Sony Music and Key4Life charity on their recording Key4Life Vol. 1 EP – Know How It Goes. 

April 2024

Sue Chaloner
12 Mar 1953 – 1 Apr 2024
Anglo-Dutch singer, who was most-active in the 1970s, including as part of the pop duo Spooky and Sue, who enjoyed national success with hits including Swinging on a Star and You Talk Too Much.  She continued as a solo artist, finding success in the early Nineties with her debut album, Appreciation, which did well in the US. 

Phil Delire 
1956 – 1 Apr 2024
Belgian record producer who worked in the UK and Europe with a range of home and international artists, including Alain Bashung, Renaud, and, notably, Lady Gaga. 

Michael Ward 
21 Feb 1967 – 1 Apr 2024
US guitarist, who was a founding member of the Nineties alt rock band, School of Fish – his signature style provided the hook for the band’s hit single 3 Strange Days, and also drew the attention of other musicians, resulting in his appearance on over 50 studio albums in total. In 1995, he joined The Wallflowers, recording the album Bringing Down the Horse with them, which went on to sell more than 5 million copies and earned Ward a Grammy for Best Rock Performance for the track One Headlight.

Jerry Abbott
8 Apr 1942 – 2 Apr 2024
US country songwriter and producer, who was also known as the father of the late heavy metal musicians Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell of rock groups Pantera and Damageplan respectively.

Albert "Tootie" Heath
31 May 1935 – 3 Apr 2024
US jazz drummer and part of the talented Heath musical family that included tenor sax player Jimmy and double bassist Percy. His talent brought him into contact with many greats, including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Nina Simone. He was also an educator, instructing at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and later in his career he produced and led the jazz drum ensemble, the Whole Drum Truth.

Jaafar Onn 
19 Oct 1951 – 3 Apr 2024
Malaysian actor, who was also a popular singer and television presenter in his home country.

Kalevi Kiviniemi 
30 Jun 1958 – 3 Apr 2024
Finnish keyboardist, who was a master of the organ, performing in over 2,000 recitals and concerts. He recorded extensively, featuring in close to 200 recordings around the world, and achieved the accolade of being the first artist to record the complete organ works by Sibelius.

Muñequita Milly (Flor Sucapura)
18 Dec 2000 – 3 Apr 2024
Peruvian singer, who specialised in Andean music since the early Noughties, and enjoyed the peak of her popularity between 2010 and 2020.

Keith LeBlanc
1954 – 4 Apr 2024
US drummer, record producer and racial justice campaigner, who was considered a pioneering figure in Hip-Hop, having been part of Sugar Hill Records and Tommy Boy Records and worked with Grandmaster Flash and the Sugar Hill Gang. Starting out with the groups Little Axe and Tackhead, his record No Sell Out was one of the first sample-based releases, notably featuring the voice of Malcolm X. Later in his career, he worked as a producer, and as a session musician — including on Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 debut, Pretty Hate Machine.

Graeme Naysmith
n/a – 4 Apr 2024
English guitarist who became active as a musician in the late 1980s, and is best known as playing with the Leeds indie “shoegaze” rock band, the Pale Saints, who released in 1989 their debut EP Barging Into the Presence Of God.

Phil Nimmons, OC OOnt
3 Jun 1923 – 5 Apr 2024
Canadian musician, who specialised in jazz clarinet, and was also a bandleader and educationalist.  His styles spanned free-jazz and classical, among other genres. He was a prolific composer, including for film and TV, as well as for orchestral and chamber. An alumnus of the Juilliard School and the Royal Conservatory of Music, he established a number of education programmes, and was recognised for his lifetime commitment to music with the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, among other honours, while in 1974 his album, Atlantic Suite, received a Juno Jazz Award.

Rocket Norton
1951 tbc – 5 Apr 2024
Canadian percussionist, who was drummer for the seventies and Eighties rock band, Prism.

Carl "C.J." Snare 
14 Dec 1959 – 5 Apr 2024
US vocalist most known as being the frontman and singer and founding member of the glam rock band Firehouse.  He co-wrote many of the group’s songs and saw seven of his tracks make the Billboard Hot 100. He also worked with other bands, including Rubicon Cross and Scrap Metal.

Garry Van Egmond
1942 – 6 Apr 2024
Australian concert promoter with over five decades experience in touring, theatrical event production, merchandising, and marketing and promotion, including through his organisation TEG Van Egmond.

Simon Murray
1960 – 6 Apr 2024
British insight and analysis expert, who was a popular and respected figure for over 30 years working across the international TV and media business, and who occasionally covered the music industry. Murray worked with publications such as TV International, Screen Finance, New Media Markets, and Television Business International before setting up his own successful media insights business, Digital TV Research.

Dutty Dior (Kristoffer Castin Åman)
30 Nov 1996 – 6 Apr 2024
Norwegian rapper, singer and songwriter. Dior rose to prominence in 2018 with the single Plis, before releasing with fellow artist, Isah the track Hello, which remained in the Norwegian charts for 38 weeks in 2019, and became one of the biggest hits of the year, acclaimed with multiple Song of the Year awards.

Josef Viera 
4 Sep 1932 – 7 Apr 2024
German jazz musician and educationalist, who, in 1970s, also founded the German Jazz Festival, IJB, which he ran for five decades.  In 1993, he co-founded the Lehrer Big Band Bayern (LBB Bayern).

Clarence "Frogman" Henry
19 Mar 1937 – 7 Apr 2024
US R&B vocalist and pianist, who rose to prominence with the hits songs Ain’t Got No Home and (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do. Part of the New Orleans scene, Henry was influenced by Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, among others, and worked with a number of bands and labels, including Chess Records. His trademark ‘croak’ when singing earned him the nickname ‘frogman’. Among many highlights, Henry opened for The Beatles, when they toured the US and Canada in 1964, and was a regular performer on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street.  His music has featured in numerous films, including The Lost Boys and Casino, and his contribution has been honoured with induction into the Rockabilly and Louisiana Halls of Fame.

Michael Boder 
9 Nov 1958 – 7 Apr 2024
German opera and concert conductor of international standing. His credits included the Basel, Barcelona Liceu, and the Vienna State operas, as well as the National Danish Theatre.

Jon Card 
11 Dec 1960 – 8 Apr 2024
German-born, Canadian drummer, who performed with various Seventies punk and rock bands, including Personality Crisis, and The Sub-humans.  

Yevgeny Kungurov 
1984 – 8 Apr 2024
Russian opera singer, who was also a mainstream pop performer.

Melitha Sidabutar 
8 Jan 2001 – 8 Apr 2024
Indonesian vocalist, who specialised in gospel.

Pacifico Mascarenhas
21 May 1935 – 9 Apr 2024
Brazilian composer largely in the Bossa Nova style. He began as one of the lead members of the Turma da Savassi outfit in the 1950s, before co-forming the group Conjunto Sambacana.

Bob Lanese
2 Aug 1941 – 9 Apr 2024
US trumpeter, who was largely active in Germany. He initially performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1970s under the direction of Buddy DeFranco, but really found his home with the James Last Orchestra, where he spent a quarter of a century, including as lead trumpeter.  

Dieter Rexroth 
6 Mar 1941 – 9 Apr 2024
German musicologist, who, as part of the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, was also responsible for the city’s choirs and orchestras. He worked with various festivals and had books published on German composers.

Muluken Melesse
1954 – 9 Apr 2024
Ethiopian vocalist and percussionist, who in later years focused on his Christianity and devoted himself to a religious career.

Max Werner 
29 Dec 1953 – 9 Apr 2024
Dutch singer, musician, and percussionist. He was most known as lead vocalist and drummer with the prog rock group Kayak.

Sturgis Nikides 
9 Mar 1958 – 9 Apr 2024
US guitarist, who was a member of several Seventies bands, including Neon Neon and then John Cale’s band. In the 1990s he switched to production, while also focusing on film and TV music composition. In 2004, he brought out his first solo album, Man of Steel, and then had another creative burst with his wife, Mandy Lemons, releasing three albums in 2011, 2014, and 2017, respectively. 

Dan Wallin
13 Mar 1927 – 10 Apr 2024
US sound engineer, considered one of the greatest exponents of his art, earning him two Academy Awards nominations. He worked on more than 500 films since starting out in the 1960s, including Star Trek and Super 8.

Mister Cee (Calvin LeBrun) 
17 Aug 1966 – 10 Apr 2024
US record executive and also a DJ and radio personality on New York’s Radio 103.9. He was credited with helping to launch the careers of artists such a Alicia Keys and 50 Cent, and discovering rap artists including the Notorious B.I.G., having also worked on his  debut album, Ready to Die.

Park Bo Ram
1 Mar 1994 – 11 Apr 2024
South Korean vocalist, who rose to public prominence through her appearance on the TV show SuperStar K2.  She enjoyed success with hits such as Beautiful and Like A Dream, and went on to win Artist of the Year at the Goan Chart K-Pop Awards, as well as being nominated for other national awards.

Lucy Rimmer 
n/a – 12 Apr 2024
English vocalist and musician who, as part of various artist collaborations, was a member of Manchester post punk band The Fall. 

Betty Hale
n/a – Apr 2024 tbc
English journalist and literary agent, who in the 1960s and Seventies wrote for the Fab208 pop music magazine, interviewing many of the leading stars of the day, including The Beatles, Marianne Faithfull, and The Osmonds, among others. 

Klaus Wolfgang Niemöller 
21 Jul 1929 – 13 Apr 2024
German academic and musicologist and an expert in medieval music theory, and on the music history of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Lorenzo Palomo
10 Mar 1938 – 13 Apr 2024
Spanish composer and conductor, including chief conductor of the Valencia Orchestra in the 1970s, and also pianist and conductor with the Deutsche Oper Berlin twenty five years until 2004. Several of his compositions, often in the Andalusian tradition, were recorded and performed around the world.

Richard Horowitz
6 Jan 1949 – 13 Apr 2024
US film composer most known for his acclaimed work on pictures such as L’Atlantide and Tobruk.  In 1991, Horowitz shared a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for The Sheltering Sky.

Ben Eldridge
15 Aug 1938 – 14 Apr 2024
American bluegrass musician, who played banjo and was a founding member of the acclaimed group, The Seldom Scene.

Calvin Keys 
6 Feb 1942 – 14 Apr 2024
US jazz guitarist, who was known for releasing through the Black Jazz Records label and working with many jazz greats, including Ray Charles, Joe Henderson, and Leon Williams.

Pooch Tavares 
1943 tbc – 15 Apr 2024
American vocalist and a member alongside his brothers of the legendary soul R&B group, Tavares. The band were at their height in the 1970s, and are most known for their global smashes, It Only Takes a Minute, which has been successfully covered by various artists, including Take That, and Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel. They also featured on the soundtrack to the musical, Saturday Night Fever, with More Than a Woman, which earned them a Grammy.  In 1984 Pooch took over some of the band’s business affairs.

Eugene Wolfgramm (aka Gene Hunt) 
24 Sep 1966 – 15 Apr 2024
US vocalist and musician, most known as a founding member along with his siblings of the pop/R&B family band, The Jets – who enjoyed global success and five top-10 hits in the US in the 1980s.

Reita
27 May 1981 — 15 Apr 2024
Japanese guitarist and composer, known also as a member glam “v-kei” rock band, The Gazette. Reita was also an entrepreneur, producing his own range of instruments under the  ESP brand, while also owning the Snaked Lows clothing brand.

K. G. Jayan 
21 Nov 1934 – 16 Apr 2024
Indian singer of Carnatic music, musician, and music director, known largely for his devotional songs. A prolific composer of more than 1,000 songs for film, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award in 2019.

Keith Wainwright MBE
13 Oct 1944 – 16 Apr 2024
British hair stylist, who in the Sixties developed a successful career with his Smile salon working in music and film, styling such artists as The Move, Cat Stevens, Roy Wood, Elton John, and Toyah. He also worked on set with Derek Jarman for his films Sebastian, Jubilee, and The Tempest, and was an influence in punk fashion. His skills saw him acknowledged in album credits, and he was namechecked in the Pet Shop Boys LP Elysium.

Gavin Webb
1947 – 16 Apr 2024
Australian rock musician, who was one of the co-founders of and played bass for the legendary band, The Master’s Apprentices.

Rusty Gauthier
1951 – 16 Apr 2024
American country rock musician, who worked with various acts, including New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Clorofila (Jorge Verdín)
5 Apr 1965 – 16 Apr 2024
Mexican pioneer of the musical style associated with Tijuana called Nortec. He rose to prominence as part of the Nortec Collective, before going solo. He also co-wrote/co-produced an LP of atmospheric post-rock with José Luis Martín under the name Observador, and additionally created music for theatre and sound design.

Jack Green
12 Mar 1951 –18 Apr 2024
Scottish guitarist and songwriter, who in the 1970s performed with T. Rex, playing on their albums Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, and then The Pretty Things. He was also briefly with rock band Rainbow. In the early Eighties he launched a solo career, enjoying some success with his debut LP Humanesque, and singles including This is Japan, and Babe, which proved a particular hit in Alberta, Canada. He went on to release other studio albums, including his last, The Party at the End of the World. He eventually settled to become a guitar teacher and set up a small film production company.

Rico Wade
26 Feb 1972 – 18 Apr 2024
US songwriter and record producer, who was also part of the Atlanta-based Organized Noize production team, which notably has created hits for such artists as OutKast and TLC, including the latter’s iconic Waterfalls, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and was a No.1 in many other countries.

Mandisa (Mandisa Hundley)
2 Oct 1976 – 18 Apr 2024
US gospel and Christian music vocalist and recording artist, who found a wider audience as a contestant in American Idol. She won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Overcomer.

Steve Kille 
n/a – 18 Apr 2024
American rock musician, who was bassist with Dead Meadow – writing, recording and performing with them across eight studio albums, including the most recent release, Force Form Free.

Larry Page (Leonard Davies)
9 Nov 1936 – 19 Apr 2024
British singer, music producer and industry executive, who enjoyed his greatest successes between the 1950s and 1970s, and was known when starting out for his "Larry Page the Teenage Rage" persona.  He worked with leading contemporaries such as Cliff Richard, toured, and was often on TV, including on such hit shows as Six-Five Special. Page moved into artist and record company management, including through his labels Page One Records and Penny Farthing Records. He produced the classic Wild Things for The Troggs, and worked with The Kinks and a young Jimmy Page, alongside many others. Among other achievements, Page will forever be known to Chelsea FC fans as the producer of their club anthem, Blue is the Colour.

Eddie Sutton
1965 – 19 Apr 2024
American singer and musician, most known for co-founding and performing lead vocals with the thrash-rock band, Leeway during the 1980s and 1990s, and then a later spell in the Noughties. 

Naomy (Naomi Moldovan)
25 Apr 1977 – 19 Apr 2024
Romanian vocalist and songwriter, who acted also. She came to national attention when competing to represent Romania in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. She went on to win various local awards and became a popular entertainer at home.

Kaj Chydenius 
16 Oct 1939 – 20 Apr 2024
Finnish musician, songwriter and activist, who was also known for his radical views and who drew on his music to campaign for social justice. 

Miroslav Švejda 
7 Dec 1939 – 20 Apr 2024
Czech tenor, who came to prominence in the 1960s as soloist for the Prague Philharmonic Choir and then the Opera of the National Theatre in Prague, where he remained until 2005.  He performed many roles in tenor repertoire, specialising in Smetana and Janáček, and appeared extensively across Europe and North America. 

Josef Laufer
1940 – 20 Apr 2024
Czech vocalist, famous in his homeland for his hit Goodbye, Love, and known for his acting also.

Sir Andrew Davis CBE
2 Feb 1944 – 20 Apr 2024
British music conductor, who worked with a number of orchestras in the UK and internationally including as Chief Conductor for the Toronto, BBC and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. He was also music director of the Glyndebourne festival between 1988 and 2000, and was much-loved for his appearances conducting the Last Night of the Proms. 

Michael Cuscuna
20 Sep 1948 – 20 Apr 2024
Leading figure in American jazz, who produced and also wrote. He co-founded Mosaic Records and was Blue Note’s official discographer.

Jean-Marie Aerts
25 May 1951 – 20 Apr 2024
Belgian musician and record producer, most known as the guitarist for the Eighties rock band TC Matic, for whom he also produced their albums.  Aerts worked extensively a session musician and produced albums for many other artists, including Urban Dance Squad and their LP release, Mental Floss for the Globe.

Chris King (Christopher Stacy Cheeks Jr.)
1992 tbc – 20 Apr 2024 
US rapper, who began as a member of the group 2Much and later worked with fellow rapper Trippie Redd as well as Machine Gun Kelly and Justin Bieber. He formed his own label, Snotty Nose Records, and released his last track, Seeing Double, Seeing Double, in April 2024. 

Alex Hassilev 
11 Jul 1932 – 21 Apr 2024
US folk artist and film and TV actor, who co-founded the group The Limeliters. He specialised in guitar and banjo, and in his later years developed a career as a record producer.

Chan Romero (Robert Lee Romero)
7 Jul 1941 – 21 Apr 2024
US rock’n’roll artist of Latino and Native American descent, who will be remembered for his classic song of the late Fifties, Hippy, Hippy Shake, which launched his career and subsequently also enjoyed European No.1 success when covered by the Swinging Blue Jeans. Romero was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

KODA (Kofi Owusu Dua Anto)
1979 tbc – 21 Apr 2024 
Ghanian gospel singer, who was very popular in his homeland following success with hits such as Nsempii, and Adorso.

MC Duke (Kashif Adham, born Anthony Hilaire)
1966 tbc – 21 Apr 2024
British rapper from London, considered one of the pioneers of the style dubbed hardcore rap, and then breakbeat hardcore. He worked closely with his DJ partner, Leader One, and was part of the IC3 group.

Dušan Grúň 
26 May 1942 tbc – 22 Apr 2024
Slovak vocalist, who began his career with the Ivo Pavlik Orchestra and by the late Sixties had risen to national prominence with hits including Malvina, and a cover of Tom Jones’ The Green, Green Grass of Home. Albums and TV appearances followed, and he pursued a successful career as a popular entertainer.

Duncan “Fergie” MacDonald MBE
24 Apr 1937 – 23 Apr 2024
Scottish ceilidh musician – known as the "Ceilidh King" – who specialised in the accordion. He is regarded as having popularised the West Highland style of traditional Scottish dance music.

Samuel Kummer
28 Feb 1968 – 23 Apr 2024
German keyboardist, particularly known for his organ play and his improvisations in his concerts and church recitals. He performed around the world and made award-winning recordings.

Mike Pinder
27 Dec 1941 – 24 Apr 2024
British keyboard player and songwriter, who was a founding member of the Moody Blues. He shaped their distinctive sound through his ground-breaking work on the Mellotron, which gave a defining quality to the band’s classic hit Nights in White Satin. Pinder’s keyboards on the 1965 single, Go Now, gave the song its memorable intro, helping it to UK No.1 and US top-10 success. The group took a break in 1974, reforming in 1977, although Pinder left soon after to pursue a solo career, having already released his own album The Promise.  Pinder continued his solo work, while he also took on a consulting role for the Atari Computer Corporation.  In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues. 

Renna Kellaway, Lady Manduell MBE 
18 Oct 1931 – 26 Apr 2024
South-African born British pianist, chamber musician and educationalist, who taught at the Birmingham School of Music and the Royal College of Northern Music, where she rose to head the Keyboard Studies and also founded the Glories of the Keyboard Festival. Kellaway additionally launched the annual Lake District Summer Music Festival, running it for 35 years. Her services to music were recognised with an MBE, and she was honoured by the Birmingham Conservatoire with a piano prize in her name.

Frank Wakefield
26 Jun 1934 – 26 Apr 2024
US bluegrass musician, who specialised in playing the mandolin, but also excelled in guitar, harmonica and bass. He worked with numerous other artists across the genre and other styles, particularly Red Allen, as his career developed, but also Jerry Garcia, the Stanley Brothers, and Don Reno, among others.

Jean Musy
18 Dec 1947 – 26 Apr 2024
French musician and composer, whose music and arrangements featured in over 200 films and TV programmes and he also composed for opera. He also toured extensively and released around 150 albums.

Robin George
1956 – 26 April 2024
English guitarist, who also sang, wrote and produced.  He worked with numerous artists, including some who shared his West Midlands background, such as Robert Plant and Phil Lynott.  His 1985 song, Heartline, made the top 100 singles charts in both the UK and US.

Nick Daniels III
1956 – 26 Apr 2024
American musician, who was most known for his association with the New Orleans funk and jam band, 
Dumpstaphunk.

Jean-Pierre Ferland OC CQ
 24 Jun 1934 – 27 Apr 2024
Prolific Canadian vocalist, recording artist and songwriter, responsible for nearly 500 songs and over 30 albums in a five-decade career. His achievements saw him inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, while he was awarded the Order of Canada and was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.

Maria Feliciana dos Santos
1947 – 27 Apr 2024
Brazilian singer, but who was perhaps best known as both a basketball player and for holding the record as the world’s tallest woman.

Norman Carol 
1 July 1928 – 28 Apr 2024
US concert violinist, who was the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra for three decades, working with such directors as Riccardo Muti. The Skrowaczewski Violin Concerto was dedicated to and premiered by Carol with the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

Duane Eddy 
26 Apr 1938 – 30 Apr 2024
A pioneering figure in US rock’n’roll in the late Fifties, who enjoyed huge success with his signature ‘reverb’ guitar sound. Among his hits were Rebel-Rouser – reaching No.6 on the Billboard-Hot 100 chart and selling more than 1m copies – Peter Gunn, and Because They’re Young, from the film of the same name.  Eddy sold 12m records in this period and established himself in pop culture, including in the UK, where readers of the NME in 1960 voted him the World’s No.1 Music Personality ahead of Elvis Presley. Eddy pursued a successful career in the decades following, working with such artists as B.J. Thomas, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Hans Zimmer, and Richard Hawley, while his music featured in film and TV. In 1986, he re-recorded Peter Gunn with Art of Noise, achieving top-10 success in the UK, securing a Grammy and the distinction of the only instrumentalist to enjoy top-10 hit singles in four different decades in the UK. In 2011 he played Glastonbury. His achievements saw him inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Musicians Hall of Fame.

MC Conrad
n/a – Apr 2024
Influential British figure in dance music and a pioneer of the drum ‘n ’bass scene. MC, vocalist and lyricist and producer, who, in partnership with LTJ Bukem, embraced early Nineties rave and gave impetus to the genre around the world through their label Good Looking Records, including their celebrated residency at the Milk Bar in London and legendary gigs at Ministry of Sound, Cream, Fabric,  Space in Ibiza, and venues ranging between in Amsterdam and Tokyo and many of the world’s most prestigious dance festivals.

May 2024

Richard Maloof
17 Jan 1940 – 1 May 2024
US jazz musician, known for his bass and tuba play, including for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.  He progressed his career whilst serving in the US military in the 1960s. He went on to perform for several TV programmes, including The Julie Andrews Show and Kojak, and his music also featured in a number of films and TV commercials. He taught music sight and ear training for LA's Musicians Institute.

Richard Tandy 
26 Mar 1948 – 1 May 2024
British musician most known as the keyboardist in the 1970s and 1980s rock band Electric Light Orchestra, shaping the group’s signature sound with his pioneering use of instruments including mini-moog, clavinet, and mellotron. These effects were most pronounced on the classic albums A New World Record, Out of the Blue, and Discovery. He also played guitar, provided vocals and played a key production role working with front-man Jeff Lynne in the studio.  In 1985, Tandy co-formed the Tandy Morgan Band, releasing the concept album Earthrise.  In 2017 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with other members of ELO.

Hasna El-Bacharia 
1950 – 1 May 2024
Algerian singer and multi-instrumentalist musician known for the diwan musical style and her ability on the sintir. She collaborated with various artists and performed across the Mediterranean. In 2015, she formed part of the 12-strong, all-women group specialising in Saoura music, Lemma Becharia.

Uma Ramanan
1954 tbc – 1 May 2024
Indian artist, who was a playback vocalist in the Tamil tradition. She performed on stage many thousands of times in a near four-decade career.

John Pisano
6 Feb 1931 – 2 May 2024
American jazz musician of Italian heritage. Pisano performed guitar with a range of celebrated artists, including Herb Alpert, Peggy Lee, Billy Bean, and Chico Hamilton.

Praveen Kumar
1996 – 2 May 2024
Indian musician and composer, who composed music for Tamil movies, and included the acclaimed film Raakadhan among his credits.

Gary Floyd 
Dec 1952 – 4 May 2024
American country and blues musician and singer-songwriter, who was part of the independent music scene. He was most known as the frontman of Eighties punk rockers The Dicks, and was also in the line up of the Sister Double Happiness, and Black Kali Ma in the Nineties. His music was shaped by his Hinduist and communist beliefs, while he was one of the few openly LGBT punk performers at the time.

Jim Mills
18 Dec 1966 – 3 May 2024
US bluegrass musician and renowned banjo player and expert. He worked with leading performers including Ricky Skaggs, Kentucky Thunder, Doyle Lawson, and Quicksilver, among others. He also recorded his own solo work and was the IBMA banjo player of the year six times, and received six Grammy Awards. 

Ron Kavana (Ronnie Kavanagh)
21 Jun 1950 – 4 May 2024
Irish folk and roots singer, songwriter, musician – specialising in guitar, and band leader.  His musical style, captured on his album Galway to Graceland, embraced a range of genres, including celtic and country. Kavana wrote songs that explored social history and politics, along with other aspects of Irish culture.

Miroslav Imrich
1953 – 4 May 2024
Czech singer, songwriter and composer, who was also in the line up of the band Abraxas, which formed in the mid 1970s.

Wiremu “Willie” Hona 
22 Jul 1953 – 5 May 2024
New Zealand musician, considered a legend by some in his homeland.  He rose to prominence with the band, Face in the early 1980s, but made his name as singer and guitarist with the group, Herbs, with whom he recorded two albums, including Sensitive to a Smile, and multiple singles, and who later was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame. He went on to become a successful artist in his own right. 
 
Belgacem Bouguenna 
1962 tbc – 5 May 2024
Tunisian vocalist and academic, who was a popular music figure in his homeland.

Bill Holman
21 May 1927 – 6 May 2024
Prolific US music composer, songwriter and conductor, who was also a talented saxophonist and was active across a seven-decade career, having started out with the Charlie Barnet orchestra in the Fifties.

Christiane Stefanski 
28 Dec 1949 – 6 May 2024
Belgian folk vocalist of Polish descent, who began performing in the 1970s and worked with numerous artists and acts in the genre, including Anne Sylvestre, Leo Ferre and André Bialek.

Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski 
27 Mar 1936 – 7 May 2024
Polish jazz musician, specialising in saxophone, who also arranged and composed music. A leading performer in his homeland, including as Director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio, he also established an international reputation and toured regularly, having been the first Pole to appear at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Phil Wiggins
8 May 1954 – 7 May 2024
American blues musician and harmonica player, who, with John Cephas, was part of the acoustic blues duo Cephas & Wiggins. They became active in the 1980s, initially releasing recordings through the German L+R label as part of the Living Country Blues USA series before working with other labels. They toured extensively across the US, thanks in part to US state funding, as well as internationally. Both were made National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Ignatius Jones AM (Juan Ignacio Rafaelo Lorenzo Trápaga y Esteban)
1957 – 7 May 2024
Filipino-born, Australian writer, actor and events director, who also fronted the band, Jimmy and the Boys, known for their shock antics. In 1981, they achieved success with the top-10 hit by Tim Finn, They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk to Me, after which Jones pursued a solo career. He performed Yesterday’s Hero for the Nineties movie Strictly Ballroom, before notably contributing to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2017, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Event Awards.

Steve Albini
22 Jul 1962 – 7 May 2024
US musician, writer and influential, maverick figure in music production, who also formed the Eighties rock band Big Black, and then Shellac since the early Nineties.  He was the founder and lead engineer of the Chicago-based studio Electric Audio, and collaborated with many artists of the time, not least Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, as well as many underground acts, and is estimated to have engineered more than 2,000 recordings.

Giovanna Marini (neé Salviucci)
19 Jan 1937 – 8 May 2024
Italian vocalist and songwriter from a talented music family, who was also a music student. She was committed to the traditional art of folk music and, working with leading creative figures, including film-maker Pier Paolo Pasolini, drew on this passion to campaign for social justice and promote her beliefs.

John Barbata
1 Apr 1945 – 8 May 2024
US percussionist, who drummed with various rock groups between the Sixties and Seventies. Among these were Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Turtles, and Jefferson Starship, whom he was a member of. He is believed to have contributed to more than 60 album recordings across his career.

Conrad Kelly
1959 – 8 May 2024
Jamaican-born musician, who was part of the West Midlands reggae scene and who enjoyed success as the drummer with Steel Pulse in the 1990s and 2000s. He also worked with UB40 and other bands.

Andrés Vega Delfín
24 Mar 1931 – 9 May2024
Mexican musician in the traditional style, who was also known as El Güero Vega.  He was part of the influential group, Mono Blanco.

Dennis Thompson (Dennis Tomich)
7 Sep 1948 – 9 May 2024
US percussionist, who made his name drumming for the Sixties and Seventies punk and hardcore rock outfit MC5, contributing to their most successful single, Kick Out the Jams, and to their US top 30 album of the same name.  

Fred Noonan
n/a – 9 May 2024
Australian musician, who was a leading figure in his country’s punk scene of the early Eighties. He drummed with the bands Blowhard and Six Ft Hick, having started out with Brisbane group, Public Execution. He later worked with country-punk outfit, the Fred Band, and appeared alongside many other punk acts.

Teddy Lasry
1947 – 10 May 2024
Versatile French musician and composer, who worked with jazz and classical artists and also on film scores and TV and advertising music as well as with stage music. He worked to promote Yiddish music, producing and arranging Mon Yiddish blues for the singer Talila.

Jhonny Iskandar 
20 Oct 1959 – 10 May 2024
Popular Indonesian singer in the dangdut style, who performed with the band Pengantar Minum Racun.

Mike Sversvold
1967 – 11 May 2024
American drummer, who was part of the influential hardcore punk band, JFA, in the early Eighties.

David Sanborn
30 July 1945 – 12 May 2024
US saxophone player, who was both a solo artist and session musician, and who worked largely in the field of jazz, R&B, and instrumental pop. He released his first album, Taking Off, in 1975, but rose to prominence in the 1980s, when he worked with numerous artists, including Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.

Enrico Musiani
31 Aug 1937 – 13 May 2024
Italian vocalist and a singer of traditional popular songs.  He enjoyed a successful career as an entertainer reaching back to the early 1960s, releasing more than 100 recordings in this time, including with his daughter Sabrina, and earning three gold discs.

Luis María Serra 
24 Aug 1941 – 13 May 2024
Argentine musician and composer, including for films La Mary, Camila, and I, the Worst of All.

Christian Escoudé
23 Sep 1947 – 13 May 2024
French guitarist of Romany descent in the gypsy jazz tradition. In 1972, he began working with Aldo Romano, and by the Eighties was performing in the John Lewis Quartet, and then with Philip Catherine.  His talent saw him sign with the French division of the iconic Verve Records.  

Kida Taro
1931 – 14 May 2024
Japanese composer, who was hugely successful working in TV and radio as well as advertising. He began as a jazz pianist, working with Yoshinori Tadao and the Cabaret Orchestra, where he developed his ability to arrange and compose.  He composed a number of popular songs, such as Let's Talk About Our Hometowns (Kitahara Kenji), and was given the epithet The Mozart of Naniwa.

Jimmy James
13 Sep 1940 – 14 May 2024
British soul vocalist of Jamaican origin. He was most known for leading the group Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, as well as his hits, Come to Me Softly, Now is the Time, and I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me. The band were at their peak in the 1960s, working with greats of the era including Sonny & Cher, Rod Stewart, and the Rolling Stones. James continued as a solo artist after the Vagabonds split up in the 1970s.

Mélanie Renaud 
1982 – 14 May 2024
Haitian-born Canadian, who was a popular Quebec singer-songwriter. Her 2000 LP Ma Liberté brought her to national attention, with the song J'm'en Veux winning the Félix Prize. She performed in musical theatre, with credits including Les Dix Commandements. In 2012 she released the acclaimed What's Going On album of English-language covers.

John Hawken
9 May 1940 – 15 May 2024
British musician and keyboard player, who was in the line up of various rock/country bands, including The Strawbs, and also The Nashville Teens and Renaissance. As a session musician, he also contributed to records by numerous other groups, including Spooky Tooth and Vinegar Joe.

Randy Fuller
29 Jan 1944 – 16 May 2024
US musician, vocalist and songwriter, who is most remembered as a member with his brother Bobby of the 1960s rock band, the Bobby Fuller Four.

Missinho
1960 – 17 May 2024
Brazilian singer in the Bahian tradition, who in the 1980s formed the popular Bahian group, Chiclete Com Banana.

Charlie Colin 
22 Nov 1966 – 17 May 2024 tbc
US guitarist and singer, who was most known as one of the founding members of and bassist for the rock group, Train. He also worked with other bands as a guitar player and vocalist, including Food Pill, Painbirds, and The Side Deal.

Roberta Marrero 
2 Mar 1972 – 17 May 2024
Spanish creator, who explored the social politics of popular culture with her work, and included illustration and design, singing and acting among her talents. As a musician, Marrero released a number of electro-pop albums, and was also a successful club DJ.

Frank Ifield OAM
30 Nov 1937 – 18 May 2024
Australian singer of British heritage, who was hugely popular in both countries, known also for his signature yodelling. Hits including I Remember You and Lovesick Blues saw him emerge as one of the stars of the Sixties. He went onto establish a successful career in entertainment, which saw him honoured with induction into the Australian Roll of Renown and the ARIA Hall of Fame, and by the Medal of the Order of Australia.

John "Spider"  Koerner
31 Aug 1938 – 18 May 2024
US folk and blues musician and singer-songwriter, who was a Co-Founder, guitarist and vocalist with the Sixties blues trio, Koerner, Ray and Glover. He also worked extensively as a solo artist and was considered a key mentor to an up-and-coming Bob Dylan.

Nils "Palle" Danielsson 
15 Oct 1946 – 18 May 2024
Swedish jazz musician, who was known for his double bass play, but could also perform violin and harmonica. In the 1970s he was a member of the Keith Jarrett Quartet, but also performed and recorded with a great many other jazz artists. His sister was the pianist Monica Dominique.

Jon Wysocki
17 Jan 1971 – 18 May 2024
American musician, who was a founding member of and drummer with the Nineties-formed rock band, Staind until 2011, contributing to albums including the 1996 debut LP, Tormented, and the 1999 sophomore,  Dysfunction. 

Peggi Blu 
1946/1947 tbc – 19 May 2024
US vocalist best known as a voice coach on American Idol, who originally came to prominence in 1986 as the Star Search Grand Champion, while she also went on to win the 2013 Malibu Music Awards.

Franchino (Francesco Principato)
17 Feb 1953 – 19 May 2024
Italian DJ, who worked extensively in Italy and in Spain, including with numerous dance artists, and was considered “the voice of Italian techno”.

Daniel Kramer
1932 – May 2024
Celebrated American photographer, who was renown for his work capturing many artists, such as Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez and Mario Puzo, but was particularly known for documenting the emergence of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s. He also directed several films and documentaries.

Werner Hink
1943 – 21 May 2024
Austrian violinist, who performed as a member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic in the 1960s, and worked with other orchestras.

Jan AP Kaczmarek 
29 Apr 1953 – 21 May 2024
Polish composer, particularly of film scores, instrument designer and festival organiser. He worked on more than 70 feature films, including Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, for which he received an Academy Award in 2005. Earlier in his career, in 1983, he had created with Stefan and Jakub Niewczyk a stringed musical instrument named after the brothers.

Carlos Paravís 
1968 – 21 May 2024
Uruguayan singer of popular folk songs, also known as Santiago Chalar, and who was also a successful physician.

Toni Montano (Velibor Miljković)
1962 – 22 May 2024
Serbian rock musician, who started out in late Seventies punk with the band Radost Evrope. After they disbanded, Miljković named himself after the lead character from Scarface, Tony Montana, and continued to pursue a career as a rock performer and developed cult appeal in his home country.

Doug Ingle
9 Sep 1945 – 24 May 2024
US musician, most known for having founded the group Iron Butterfly in the 1960s, for whom he wrote, played organ and keyboards and was also lead vocalist. Ingle wrote the band's 1968 psychedelic rock hit In A Gadda De Vida. 

Mark Gormley 
7 May 1957 – 24 May 2024
US musician, singer and songwriter and internet sensation known largely for the videos he posted, which were viewed by millions online. His breakthrough video was Without You – a love song about heartbreak and loneliness. Gormley's self-titled debut LP of recordings was released through The Uncharted Zone.

Richard Sherman
12 Jun – 25 May 2024
One of the greats of film and musical theatre – US songwriter, composer and musician who, with his brother Robert, is particularly celebrated for his iconic collaborations for the Walt Disney Company. These produced much-loved compositions, including for Mary Poppins, for which the brothers received Academy Awards for the score, which included Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Feed the Birds, and Best Original Song with Chim Cher-ee.  Whilst at Disney, the Sherman Brothers also wrote the hugely successful It’s A Small World (After All), which premiered at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The brothers went on to receive awards nominations for their work on Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang, and achieved acclaim for their work on many films and stage productions including The Slipper and the Rose, The Jungle Book, and The Aristocats. The brothers were inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Arrigo “Ghigo” Agosti
10 Jul 1936 – 27 May 2024
Italian musician, recording artist and vocalist of popular songs, who was also known for his compositions.

Stefan Wojtas
5 Oct 1943 – 27 May 2024
Polish musician and artist, specialising in piano, as well as a leading music educationalist who, among various positions held, was known for his work with the Krakow Academy of Music.

Rodger Fox CNZM
7 Jan 1953 – 27 May 2024
New Zealand jazz musician, band leader and recording artist who specialised in trombone, but who also worked in education at the New Zealand School of Music. He founded his jazz band in 1973, touring in New Zealand and overseas, and playing at international festivals such as Monterey and Montreux.

Francesco Petrozzi 
13 Dec 1961 – 27 May 2024
Leading Peruvian of Italian heritage, who was both a musician and tenor vocalist, but was also a politician, having served as Peru’s Minister for Culture in 2019.

Gustavo Mullem
1952 – 28 May 2024
Brazilian musician and composer in the Bahia style, who came to prominence as guitarist with the group Camisa de Vênus, with whom he recorded five albums.

Bob Rogers OAM
3 Dec 1926 – 29 May 2024
Australian broadcaster and DJ, especially known for introducing a Top 40 music chart-based format to his country’s radio programming in the late 1950s. Among his Sydney-based shows were his Reminiscing 
program and the daily Bob Rogers Show.

Cayouche (Réginald Gagnon)
7 Jan 1949 – 29 May 2024
Canadian singer and songwriter of French Canadian heritage and particularly known for his compositions and performances of Acadian French country music.

Mansour Seck 
1955 – 29 May 2024
Senegalese vocalist, musician and recording artist, who was perhaps most known for overcoming his visual impairment and for his long-time association with the country’s iconic music figure, Baaba Maal.   

Doug Dagger (Douglas Kane)
17 Oct 1967 – 30 May 2024
US punk singer and musician. He was lead vocalist with the late Nineties new wave group from LA, The Generators, while he also performed with other bands including Schleprock in the Noughties onwards.

Ed Mann
14 Jan 1954 – 31 May 2024 tbc
US musician and composer, most known for his recording work and stage performances with Frank Zappa in the Seventies and Eighties, featuring on more than 30 of his albums. He also released as a solo artist. 

Geoff Follin 
1966 – 31 May 2024
English musician and composer, who, alongside his brothers Tim and Mike, largely made his mark creating music for video games. In particular he contributed to the music development for consoles including the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, NES, and SNES.

June 2024

Harry van Hoof
16 Mar 1943 – 1 Jun 2024
Dutch composer and conductor, who through his own production company was responsible for numerous successful productions, and was also known for conducting his country’s Eurovision entries across the 1970s – 1990s.

Janis Paige (Donna Mae Tjaden)
16 Sep 1922 – 2 Jun 2024
US actress and singer, considered part of the Golden Age of Hollywood, who starred in numerous musical films and Broadway shows in a six-decade career. These included memorable performances in The Pajama Game, Mame, Annie Get Your Gun, Sweet Charity, Gypsy, and Guys and Dolls, among many others.

Emma Lou Diemer
24 Nov 1927 – 2 Jun 2024
US composer, musician and organ and keyboard player, who wrote many works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and for various instruments, including piano and organ. She also composed hymns.

Tony Bramwell
1946 – 2 Jun 2024
English music figure and Beatles aficionado, warmly remembered as a tour manager and childhood friend to The Beatles – who performed with George Harrison when starting out and was reportedly present when John and Paul first met. As part of the Apple family, he also worked on the band’s music videos, photo-shoots and other projects. In later life, he was a regular figure at International Beatleweek and on tours of historic Beatles locations in Liverpool, including the Strawberry Field John Lennon visitor attraction.

Colin Gibb (Colin Routh)
8 Dec 1953 – 2 Jun 2024
English musician and entertainer, who came to public prominence as a member of the novelty pop act Black Lace – known for their smash hit Agadoo, which was among the biggest-selling singles of 1984 and sold over a million copies worldwide. The band had earlier represented the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, where their song Mary Ann voted a creditable seventh. 

Brother Marquis (Mark D. Ross)
4 Apr 1966 – 3 Jun 2024
US rapper, who began releasing music in the early 1980s as part of the Miami rap scene before he got his break joining 2 Live Crew. The band developed a controversial reputation, but enjoyed success with albums such as The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, Move Somethin’ and As Nasty As They Wanna Be, which attained Platinum status. Other collaborations followed before Ross rejoined 2 Live Crew.  

C. Gambino (Karar Ali Salem Ramadan) 
4 Apr 1998 – 4 Jun 2024
Swedish rapper, known for his masked appearance, and signed to Warner Music Sweden. First becoming active around 2019, his debut album Sin City was released in 2022, with the tracks Automatic and Svar reaching No.1 in the Swedish charts, as did his collaborative EP M.O.B, with fellow rapper 23, and his album In Memory of Some Stand Up Guys, which topped the Swedish LPs chart.

Rose-Marie (Kane)
7 Feb 1956 – 5 Jun 2024
Northern Irish singer and actress, perhaps best known as a TV personality and radio broadcaster.  In a five-decade career, she recorded 19 albums, including her 1987 album Sentimentally Yours, which reached No.22 in the UK Official Charts. Rose-Marie also performed extensively in the UK and was voted Most Popular Singer at the International Music Awards, and was a judge on the BBC talent show Go For It.

Ranch Sironi 
n/a – 5 Jun 2024
American musician, who played bass with and toured with the rock band Nebula. He featured on their studio recording Transmission From Mothership Earth in 2022.

Ernstalbrecht Stiebler 
29 Mar 1934 – 7 Jun 2024
German composer, largely of chamber and choral music as well as for piano and organ, and known for his minimalist style. He also composed for orchestra, including his compositions, Unisono Diviso and Zwischen Den Tönen.

Charlie Lennon 
Jul 1938 – 8 Jun 2024
Irish musician, specialising in fiddle and piano, who also composed, taught music and performed in traditional céilí bands in a career that spanned five decades. His compositions included The Twelve Pins, and The Handsome Young Maidens, while he recorded such songs as The Bag of Money, Lucky in Love, and Dusk 'Till Dawn. His achievements were recognised with an IMRO Gold Award in 2020.

Mark James (Francis Zambon)
29 Nov 1940 — 8 Jun 2024
Hugely influential US songwriter of American-Italian heritage, who wrote major hits for an array of artists, not least Elvis Presley, who recorded Suspicious Minds and later Always On My Mind to memorable effect.  Always on My Mind was later recorded by Willie Nelson, earning James a Grammy, and then by the Pet Shops Boys in the UK. James also wrote for B.J. Thomas and for Brenda Lee, who had a smash with Sunday Sunrise, as well as for other artists. He was also successful in his own right as part of the Mark James Trio, including the album She's Gone Away in 1978.  In 2015, James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Alex Riel 
13 Sep 1940 – 9 Jun 2024
Danish jazz and rock percussionist and drummer, who, with his group the Alex Riel/Palle Mikkelborg Quintet, first made his mark as the recipient of the Montreux Jazz Festival Grand Prix Award in 1968. 

Marcel Guilloux
8 Oct 1930 – 11 Jun 2024
French vocalist, also considered a storyteller in the Breton style, including through the local Kan Ha Diskan and Fest Noz traditions.

Éric Tappy 
19 May 1931 – 11 Jun 2024
Swiss tenor singer, acclaimed for his work interpreting Mozart, Debussy, Monteverdi and Bach, among other composers. Known for his performances in a number of the world’s opera houses, he was also highly regarded in his homeland for his contribution to the Grand Théâtre de Genève in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Rajeev Taranath
17 Oct 1932 – 11 Jun 2024
Indian traditional musician, known for his skill with the sarod. A Mentee of Ali Akbar Khan, Taranath went on to perform extensively in his homeland and internationally and also made his mark composing for film and as the head the Indian music programme at the World Music Department of the California Institute of the Arts between 1995 – 2005. His many achievements saw him honoured with the Padma Sri award in 2019.

Françoise Hardy
17 Jan 1944 – 11 Jun 2024
Iconic French singer-songwriter, actress, author and fashion muse, who rose to prominence in the 1960s and is remembered for her style and trademark ballads, including her now classic debut single Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles. Her popularity saw her work with leading creative figures, including Serge Gainsbourg, Gabriel Yared and Yves Saint Laurent, among  a great many others.  In 2006, she was awarded the Grande Médaille De La Chanson Française by the Académie Française.

Arthur "Gaps" Hendrickson
1951 – 11 Jun 2024
British musician and vocalist, most known to fans as a founding member and frontman of the Two Tone ska band The Selector, performing with them across different spells from their formation in 1979 to recent years. He sang the title track of their debut album Too Much Pressure to notable effect, and was part of their success with five top 40 UK singles. He was also part of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra in 2023.

Kevork Mardirossian 
9 Dec 1954 – 11 Jun 2024
Acclaimed US exponent of the violin, who received various awards and served as the concertmaster of both the Plovdiv Philharmonic and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestras. He was also involved in teaching as the professor of violin at the University of Central Arkansas.

Adam Lewis 
1979 – 11 Jun 2024
US musician who was a founding member of and bass player with the post-punk band Fenix TX. The group enjoyed success in the late Nineties and Noughties, claiming well over half a million album sales during this time. After a creative split, Lewis focused on his side project, Sing the Body Electric.

Enchanting (Channing Larry)
9 Oct 1997 – 11 Jun 2024
US rapper, who was given a platform on Gucci Mane’s label, 1017 Records, and enjoyed recognition with her 2022 hit, Track & Field, which featured fellow rapper Kalii and had more than six million You Tube views. 

Graham Lambdon
1955 – Jun 2024 tbc
British entertainment retail executive, who was a director of retail trade association ERA for 20 years from 1998 to 2018, including treasurer for 17 of those years. Graham began his industry career with independent record company Telstar, becoming MD of its Lightning Export division. Moving to Entertainment UK, part of the Woolworths group, he headed its entertainment supply business for internet retail companies. Following the demise of Woolworths in 2009, he became MD of Isotope Music and Multichannel Consultancy, offering solutions for web fulfilment and marketplace sales. ERA CEO Kim Bayley said of Graham,  “Graham was not only a stalwart of ERA, whose own career traced the trajectory of music retailing into the commerce age, he was a well-loved colleague. We shall miss him.”

Johnny Canales (Juan José Canales) 
23 Aug 1942 – 12 Jun 2024
Mexican vocalist in the Tejano style, but who enjoyed national popularity as the TV host of his own The Johnny Canales Show. Canales is credited helping to discover and promote numerous Latam artists, including the Tejano teen sensation Selena in the 1980s.

Ion Krasnopolsky
1945 – 12 Jun 2024
Moldovan musician, composer and arranger, popular in his homeland and who largely made his mark working with the JOC National Academic Popular Dance Ensemble for the best part of half a century. Throughout his artistic career, he represented Moldova’s values of national culture and music to the world.

Pepe Guerra (José Luis Guerra)
31 Oct 1943 – 13 Jun 2024
Uruguayan vocalist, guitarist, composer and activist, whose music as part of the Los Olimareños duo was considered an important part of the cultural resistance to that country’s political dictatorship in the 1970s, causing him to live in exile until a successful homecoming.  Guerra released 11 albums as a solo artist and more than 20 with Los Olimareños across a memorable six-decade career.

Nahim (Naim Jorge Elias Júnior)
11 Aug 1952 – 13 Jun 2024
Popular Brazilian vocalist, who started out as a child performer with his first group, New Edition. He rose to prominence in the 1980s, initially known as Baby Face, with the song Cala Essa Boca and then such subsequent hits as Dá Coração,  Coração de Melão, and Taka Taka. In all, he released 14 albums and 86 songs in a career that also saw him achieve success as a TV entertainer and as founder of a recording studio.

Angela Bofill
2 May 1954 – 13 Jun 2024
US singer-songwriter of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage, who came to prominence in the 1970s New York music scene and went on to enjoy a successful four-decade career in music. She is perhaps best known for her singles This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, Angel of the Night, and I Try. 

Skowa (Marco Gonçalves dos Santos)
13 Dec 1955 – 13 Jun 2024
Brazilian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who emerged in the 1970s playing with rock groups including Sossega Leão and Premê, before in the Eighties collaborating with new wave acts such as Gang 90 e as Absurdettes. At this time he also emerged as a radio host, but it was as part of the soul group he co-founded in 1986, Skowa e a Máfia, that he went onto achieve broader popularity at home with.   

Jeremy Tepper
18 Nov 1963 – 14 Jun 2024
US musician, industry executive, and media figure. Starting out with the group World Famous Blue Jays, he went on to co-found Diesel Only Records in 1990, while also being involved in industry publications Vending Times, Street Beat, Pulse, and the Journal of Country Music. He also worked in radio and online platforms.

James "Buzz" Cason
27 Nov 1939 – 16 Jun 2024
US talent aka Garry Mills, who sang, wrote and produced, and who as a vocalist also worked with the likes of Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton. He founded his own Creative Workshop recording studio, used by greats such as Jimmy Buffett, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris, and in 2004 published a memoir, Living the Rock 'n' Roll Dream: The Adventures of Buzz Cason (2004). Starting out as a founding member of The Casuals – considered Nashville’s first rock ‘n’ roll band, he achieved breakthrough success in 1960 with the Top-20 cover of Look For A Star. Alongside Leon Russell, then a session musician, he co-produced The Crickets version of La Bamba. Using his Mills pseudonym, Cason provided vocals to a number of songs, but in the latter Sixties began performing and writing in his own name, achieving success with the global smash, co-written with Mac Gayden, Everlasting Love, which The Love Affair took to No.1. 

Jodie Devos 
10 Oct 1988 – 16 Jun 2024
Belgian soprano, known for her coloratura vocal style. Emerging in 2014 thanks to the Queen Elisabeth singing competition, she went on to become a leading figure at Paris’ Opéra Comique, and performed in opera houses across Europe and internationally.

Paul Spencer
1971 – 17 Jun 2024
English dance music artist and DJ, most known as part of the Nineties trio Dario G, who had a huge hit in 1997 with the song Sunchyme, peaking at No.2 in the Official Charts and topping the Billboard ‘Bubbling Under’ chart in the US. After his collaborators Scott Rosser and Stephen Spencer left the band, Paul continued with the project in a solo capacity and found further chart success, including in 2001 with the lead single Dream To Me, taken from Dario G’s second studio album, In Full Colour.

James Chance (James Siegfried)
20 Apr 1953 – 18 Jun 2024
US musician and vocalist, aka James White and who excelled as a saxophonist and keyboard player. Considered an influence in the avant-garde sound of New York’s No Wave movement in the 1970s, Chance’s performances blended punk with improv jazz and found expression in a number of band line ups, including Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, James Chance and the Contortions, and The Flaming Demonics, among others.

Julio Foolio (Charles Jones II)
21 Jun 1998 – 23 Jun 2024
US rapper, who was part of the Florida rap scene and included social commentary through his music.

Jewel Brown
30 Aug 1937 – 25 Jun 2024
US jazz and blues vocalist, who in a five-decade career performed alongside such greats as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie in the 1960s.  Her achievements saw her inducted into the Blues Smithsonian Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2013 she received nominations for a Koko Taylor Awards and for a Blues Music Award.

Martin Mull
18 Aug 1943 – Jun 27 2024
US comic TV actor, who appeared in such series as Arrested Development, but was also a musician and songwriter. He wrote Jane Morgan’s 1970 country single, A Girl Named Johnny Cash, prompting him to embark on his own recording career, and which saw him work with Randy Newman, among others.

Richard "Kinky" Friedman 
1 Nov 1944 – 27 Jun 2024
US country vocalist and songwriter, who was also an author, journalist, politician and Jewish rights activist. He enjoyed a peak of popularity in the early Seventies, releasing Kinky Friedman in 1974 and then touring with Bob Dylan. One of his songs he is most remembered for is They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore.

Peter Collins
14 Jan 1951 – 28 Jun 2024
Highly and warmly regarded UK-born record producer, whose first big hit was Pass The Dutchie by Musical Youth. Peter went on to record many hits with, amongst others, Nik Kershaw, Piranhas, The Belle Stars, and Tracey Ullman. Changing style, he produced Gary Moore and then went on to work over three decades with global rock band Rush, Bon Jovi, Jewel, Elton John with LeAnn Rimes, Alice Cooper, Queensryche, Air Supply, Indigo Girls, Nanci Griffiths, Flying Colors, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and The Stray Cats.  Peter Collins died aged 72 on 28th June at his home in Nashville. Well known songwriter Nicky Chinn in his eulogy to Peter at his UK memorial said: “Peter’s height was very misleading because, in fact, he was a huge man. A huge heart that radiated so much warmth, a huge wealth of kindness, a huge abundance of love and care he gave to his friends, a huge smile that would light up any room and, let us not forget, a huge talent. Possibly the least spoken about side of Peter, his great rock’n’roll credentials, but that was self-inflicted. It was because of another huge quality of his, his humility. Not for him the self-publicity or arrogance of many of his peers....”.

Betty Veldpaus
1952 – 28 Jun 2024
Dutch singer, part of the pop country group Pussycat, whose single Mississippi was a huge hit around Europe in 1975/6, including in the UK, where it reached No.1 in the charts.

July 2024

Tom Fowler
10 Jun 1951 – 2 Jul 2024
American musician, who played bass guitar with a number of bands and artists, including Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and Steve Hackett, among others.

Joe Egan
18 Oct 1946 – 6 Jul 2024
British singer-songwriter, was most known as a member of the folk band Stealers Wheel, which he co-founded alongside Gerry Rafferty. He co-wrote their 1974 hit record, Stuck In the Middle With You, which made the top-10 of the UK and US charts. Egan had started out with the UK bands The Sensors, and The Maverix, and also worked as a session musician.

Pino D'Angiò (Giuseppe Chierchia)
14 Aug 1952 – 6 Jul 2024
Italian singer-songwriter, popular for his Ital Disco style of pop and best known for his major 1980 hit in his home charts, Ma Quale Idea.

Adrián Olivares
1976 – 8 Jul 2024
Artist of Puerto Rican heritage, who at one time was part of the popular and influential Latino pop band, Menudo.

Joe Bonsall
18 May 1948 – 9 Jul 2024
American vocalist in country music and gospel, who also performed with and achieved a number of chart hits with the Oak Ridge Boys quartet between 1973 and 2023. 

Dave Loggins
10 Nov 1947 – 10 Jul 2024
US singer, songwriter, and musician, most known for his 1974 hit single, Please Come To Boston, as well as the Eighties duet with the singer Anne Murray, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.

J. Saul Kane 
26 Jan 1967 – 12 Jul 2024
British musician, DJ, producer, and industry figure, who released recordings under the aliases of Depth Charge, and The Octagon Man, among others. While he also co-founded the Vinyl Solution record label, as well as DC Recordings, and Electron Industries. He was particularly known for his use of movie samples in his music, including martial arts films, and was credited for his role in developing Trip-Hop. 

Ruth Hesse
18 Sep 1936 – 13 Jul 2024
German mezzo soprano, regarded for her performances of Wagner and Strauss roles. Her talent saw her perform in many of the leading opera houses, including Covent Garden, where she debuted in 1969, and she was also a favourite of the Bayreuth Festival, appearing regularly in the 1960s and 1970s.

Édith Lejet
19 Jul 1941 – 15 Jul 2024
French composer and music educator. An alumnus of the Paris Conservatoire, Lejet went on to teach harmony at the University of the Sorbonne in the early 1970s, and subsequently became professor at Paris’ National Conservatory of Music and Dance.

Louisa "Wieteke" van Dort 
16 May 1943 – 15 Jul 2024
Versatile Dutch artist of Indo heritage, who sang and wrote but also acted and performed comedy.  She appeared on children's TV and was perhaps best known for her Indo character of Tante Lien in The Late Late Lien Show on Dutch prime time television, which helped to promote Eurasian culture. Her achievements saw her honoured with the Silver Medal of Merit, and she was appointed Knight for the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Sergei Rudnitsky 
19 Apr 1955 – 15 Jul 2024
Russian composer and actor, known for his various compositions in the 1990s and Noughties, including for film soundtracks, such as Composition for Victory Day, and Bremenskie Muzykanty.

Tomcraft (Thomas Brückner)
12 Jun 1972 – 15 Jul 2024
German DJ and producer, who specialised in the ‘progressive’ styles of house and trance music.  He was also known for composing various tracks, most notably the 2003 club hit Loneliness, but also including Prosac, The Circle, The Mission, and 25:17, among others, including alongside fellow artist Eniac.

Bernice Reagon 
4 Oct 1942 – 16 Jul 2024
US vocalist and composer, who was also a civil rights campaigner, professor of American history, and a curator at the Smithsonian. She made her mark in the early Sixties as a founding member of The Freedom Sisters, and in 1973, she founded the all-black female a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Alcides Lanza 
2 Jun 1929 – 17 Jul 2024
Canadian composer, conductor, and educator of Argentinian heritage. As a composer and pianist he was a leading exponent of contemporary classical and avant-garde music, often incorporating electronic sounds into more traditional instrumentation. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, a member of both the Canadian League of Composers and of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, in 2019 he received the Order of Canada. 

Harry "Happy" Traum 
9 May 1938 – 17 Jul 2024
US folk artist, who became a regular presence in the Fifties and Sixties music scene in Greenwich Village, and then later, as part of the Woodstock music community.

Pinche Peach (Ciriaco Quezada)
24 Nov 1966 – 17 Jul 2024
Mexican-born (tbc) US vocalist with the American death metal band Brujeria, whom he joined in 1989 and recorded the albums Matando Guëros , Raza Odiada, Brujerizmo, Pocho Aztlán and, most recently in 2023, Esto Es BrujeriaI.

Eddie Rosenblatt
1935 – 16 Jul 2024
US music industry executive, who, as a key figure from the Seventies and Eighties, first at Warner Music and then as President and also Chairman at Geffen Records, where he was known as ‘The Chief’, and played an important role in the careers of notable music artists, including Aerosmith, Beck, Don Henley, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, and most notably John Lennon – working with him on his album Double Fantasy.

Fresia Saavedra 
8 Sep 1933 – 18 Jul 2024
Ecuadorian singer-songwriter and teacher. She was particularly known for her song El Ladrón, and for being politically and culturally active through her music, including her championing of pasillo singing.

Jerry Fuller 
19 Nov 1938 – 18 Jul 2024
US songwriter, vocalist, producer and label executive, who was born into a rockabilly musical family. Among many highlights, he wrote the classic Sixties hit Travelin’ Man, which teen sensation Ricky Nelson took to the top of the Billboard and other charts, racking up six million singles sales.  Fuller enjoyed a productive relationship with Nelson, writing over 10 US hits for him, but also worked with other artists, including Glen Campbell, and Jimmy Seals. In 1967 he joined Columbia Records, there helping to sign and produce Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, writing for them the smash Hit and subsequently controversial song Young Girl.

Raul Sepper
6 Apr 1951 – 19 Jul 2024
Estonian musician, who was in the line up of various 1970s and 1980s rock bands, including Ruja, Polyphon, and Vitamin.

Toumani Diabaté
10 Aug 1965 – 19 Jul 2024
Mali musician, who specialised in playing his country’s traditional instrument, the kora, but also performed styles as wide-ranging as blues, flamenco and jazz. Regarded as a visionary performer, in the Noughties he was recognised as one of Africa’s leading artists. 

Gladys de Moctezuma
6 Aug 1927 tbc – 20 Jul 2024
Salvadorean soprano, who also taught and was a cultural manager. She studied at Columbia University and then at Juilliard, going on to become one of her country’s leading coloratura performers, and leaves a legacy as the founder of Opera El Salvador.

János Csányi
28 Oct 1931 – 20 Jul 2024
Hungarian tenor, who played a number of operatic roles from wide repertoire of productions, and he also performed in numerous film roles. 

Jerry Miller 
10 Jul 1943 – 20 Jul 2024
US musician, singer and songwriter. He was both a solo performer but also lined up as a member of the Jerry Miller Band he founded.  Previously he had been a founding member of the Sixties San Francisco group, Moby Grape.  His prowess as a guitarist saw him listed at No.68 In Rolling Stone’s list of all-time greatest guitarists, with Moby Grape's self-titled album at No.124 in their 500 greatest albums of all time. 

Sandy Posey 
18 Jun 1944 – 20 Jul 2024
US country and Christian singer, who enjoyed Sixties success, including with hits composed by Martha Sharp, such as Born A Woman, which sold over a million copies, and Single Girl. Four of her singles made it into the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100, while her work as a session vocalist saw her perform with star artists such as Elvis Presley, and Percy Sledge – featuring on his recording of When A Man Loves A Woman.

Eugene Sârbu
6 Sep 1950 – 21 Jul 2024
Romanian violinist with a successful international career as a soloist, recitalist and conductor. In 1978, he signaled his arrival on the world’s stage by winning the Paganini and Carl Flesch international prizes. He went on to record violin concertos by Mozart and Sibelius, and premiered works by contemporary composers such as Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Kim Min-ki
31 Mar 1951 – 21 Jul 2024
South Korean vocalist and composer, perhaps most known for his 1970 song, Morning Dew, together with his 1994 Korean adaptation of the German musical, Linie 1.

Ellen "Evelyn" Thomas 
22 Aug 1953 – 21 Jul 2024
US vocalist known for her hi-NRG club hits, including High Energy and Weak Spot, which made the UK top-30 in 1976. She had been discovered by British producer Ian Levine, who in 1984 produced High Energy for her, becoming a hit across Europe, including No.1 in Germany, and also entering the Billboard Hot-100.  Levine honoured Thomas’ passing by premiering a posthumous song, Out With The Old, on 1st August, 2024.

Jerzy Artysz
18 Nov 1930 – 22 Jul 2024
Polish opera performer and regarded baritone and academic. A long-term member of the Warsaw Grand Theatre, he performed a breadth of repertoire across the world’s opera houses, including in title roles from Monteverdi's early Baroque L’Orfeo, to Mozart's Don Giovanni. He also made his mark performing in contemporary works, such as Pawel Mykietyn’s Ignorant i Szaleniec in Warsaw in 2001. 

John Mayall OBE
29 Nov 1933 – 22 Jul 2024
Multi-talented British musician, songwriter and producer, who proved highly influential as a blues and rock artist in a career spanning seven-decades. In what proved a significant moment for British music, he founded John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, a band that in the 1960s and 1970s featured leading figures from blues and rock, such as Peter Green and Eric Clapton.  His influence and achievements earned him the epithet the Godfather of British Blues, and he was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

Abdul "Duke" Fakir
26 Dec 1935 – 22 Jul 2024
US singer, who in the 1950s co-founded the Motown-signed band the Four Tops. He was the group's last surviving original member. The four-piece were one of the biggest groups of the 1960s, with 14 charted hits through to the early 1980s, including the 1965 classic, Reach Out, I’ll Be There.  The band’s achievements saw them listed at no. 77 in Billboard magazine’s Top 100 Artists Of All Time, and they were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, among other accolades received.

Elena Mauti Nunziata 
28 Aug 1946 – 22 Jul 2024
Italian soprano, who came to international attention with her acclaimed performance of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata in Madrid in 1977, which she then reinforced with her triumphant New York Met performances of La Boheme’s Mimi, and Nedda in Pagliacci.

Anna Nshanyan 
1931 – 23 Jul 2024 tbc
Egyptian soprano, who moved first to Armenia, when it was still part of the Soviet Union, performing with the Yerevan Opera and Ballet State Academic Theatre and being recognised as an Honoured Artist of the USSR in 1970, and then to the US in 1980, where she remained and developed her career.

Dick Asher 
1932 – 23 Jul 2024
American recording company executive and lawyer, whose major contribution to the US and global music industry, much of it captured in Frederic Dannen’s 1990 book, Hit Men: Power Brokers And Fast Money Inside The Music Business, saw him take on controversial industry practises, while he also worked with and helped shape the careers of such legendary artists as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson. Asher rose to work at the most senior levels of numerous record companies and labels, including as Deputy President of Columbia Records between 1979 and 1983. Following his departure from the CBS-owned company, in 1984 he acted as senior consultant on the proposed merger between the Warner and Polygram music groups, before becoming senior vice-president at Warner Communications, and then, in 1985, being appointed President and Chief Executive of Polygram Records Inc. 

Ekaterina Shklyaeva 
2 Nov 1937 – 23 Jul 2024
Russian singer, who notably represented her country at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku as part of the six-piece group Buranovskiye Babushki with the song Party for Everybody.

Bill Crook
n/a – 24 Jul 2024 tbc
Canadian rock musician, who played with the metal band Spiritbox over a four year period between 2018 and 2022, contributing bass and vocals to their 2021 breakout debut album Eternal Blue. Crook also worked on other projects including Living With Lions and A Textbook Tragedy.

Antonio Cabán Vale
22 Nov 1942 – 24 Jul 2024
Puerto Rican guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of indigenous-themed music, which made him a national figure. He was a Co-Founder of the Nueva Canción “new song” folk movement of the early Seventies, with his piece Verde Luz becoming a popular symbol of national unity and taking on an almost anthemic quality.

Shafin Ahmed 
14 Feb 1961 – 24 Jul 2024
Bangladeshi guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer and later politician. Born into a family of traditional Bangladeshi music, he was the lead vocalist, songwriter and bassist with the rock act Miles, which became prominent in the 1990s Bangla rock music scene.

Pascal Danel (Jean-Jacques Pascal)
31 March 1944 – 25 Jul 2024
French pop singer, multi-lingual performer and composer. Starting out as a circus performer, he turned his hand to songwriting and then singing in the earlier Sixties. His break came with the French No.1 hit La Plage aux Romantiques, followed in 1967 by major international success with Kilimandjaro, which has since been covered over 180 times. He continued to chart across the 1960s and 1970s and then enjoyed renewed appeal with a new generation of fans later in his career.  

Tomáš Vendl
1972 – 26 Jul 2024
Czech musician and bassist during various spells with the Eighties black metal band Master's Hammer, including for the 1991 album Ritual. 

Kelly Nelon Clark 
1 Dec 1959 – 26 Jul 2024
Leading US Christian singer, who headed the family singing group, The Nelons, which she co-founded. Together, the group were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Nelon won Singing News Fan Awards in various categories during the 1980s. A plane crash, which tragically also claimed her husband Jason Clark and their daughter Amber brought her life to an untimely end.    

Jason Clark
1974 – 26 Jul 2024
American musician and Christian singer, who was also a member of the Nelons, and who lost his life in the same crash that claimed his wife.

Amber Nelon Kistler
1989 – 26 Jul 2024
American Christian performer, also part of the Nelons group, and who lost her life in the plane crash.

Oldřich Janota 
27 Aug 1949 – 27 Jul 2024
Czech singer-songwriter and composer, known for his experimental use of minimalist and other contemporary techniques in his interpretations of folk music, including use of pre-recorded tapes.

Wolfgang Rihm
13 Mar 1952 – 27 Jul 2024
German composer of modern classical music, who was a prolific performer at home and around the world and taught also. Considered an innovator and independently-minded, he created more than 500 works, including a number of operas, such as his acclaimed work Dionysis in 2010.

Mísia (Susana Maria Alfonso de Aguiar)
18 Jun 1955 – 27 Jul 2024
Portuguese singer in the fado style, who performed and recorded in multiple languages, including Catalan. Her unconventional use of modern instruments alongside more conventional instrumentation challenged audiences, but she won admirers, not least by drawing on Portuguese poetry.  She played a key role in re-popularising fado, including through her 1990, self-titled debut LP. In 2022 she released Animal Sentimental, which was to prove her final album.

DJ Polo (Thomas Pough)
1961 – 27 Jul 2024
US rapper and one half of the influential hip-hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, both of whom also performed with the New York hip-hop collective Juice Crew.  With Kool G Rap, the two broke through with their 1989 debut album Road To The Riches, followed in 1990 by the sophomore LP Wanted: Dead Or Alive, and then Live And Let Die in 1992.  While they split in 1993 to focus on solo careers, the group shared a compilation album in 1996 titled Rated XXX. Polo went on to drop his debut solo album, Polo’s Playhouse in 1998.

Danny Clarke
1972 – 27 Jul 2024
Jamaican vocalist and a member of the roots-reggae group, The Meditations, having earlier sung with The Righteous Flames. The group’s biggest hit, Woman Is Like a Shadow, came in 1976 and they followed up with their debut LP, Message From The Meditations. Clarke and the band worked with such contemporaries as Lee “Scratch” Perry and provided backing on a number of Bob Marley tracks, notably Blackman Redemption, as well as for Greg Isaacs and Jimmy Cliff. In 1978 they appeared at the One Love Peace Concert. 

Mick Underwood
5 Sep 1945 – 28 Jul 2024
English drummer and percussionist, with a precocious talent that saw him become a professional musician on leaving school.  He went on to work with leading rock artists and their bands, such as Ian Gillan, Jet Harris, Peter Frampton, and Ritchie Blackmore, while also drumming for his band, Mick Underwood's Glory Road.

Pat Collier
20 Oct 1951 – 28 Jul 2024
English musician, guitarist and bassist, who also developed a successful career as a studio engineer and producer, including with his own Alaska Studios. He started out on the pub rock circuit with the group Bazooka Joe, before working with acts including Adam and the Ants and Mark Knopfler. As a musician he achieved a peak with the Seventies punk band The Vibrators.

Martin Phillipps
1963 – 28-Jul 2024
New Zealand musician, was most known for founding and fronting the Dunedin band, The Chills. Considered a 'godfather' of the Dunedin sound and whose Eighties and Nineties chart-topping hits enjoyed a cult appeal, Chills had to overcome many challenges in a life marked by misfortune and ill-health, which became known as the ‘mythical chills curse’.

Chino XL (Derek Barbosa)
8 Apr 1973 – 28 Jul 2024
US rap artist, who released four albums in the past decade, including Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary, which won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year Award. He was equally known for his acting, appearing on TV dramas such as Reno, 911!, and CSI: Miami, as well as working in film, including Rob Reiner’s Alex and Emma. Barbosa was the nephew of Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell.

Joey Gilmore (Joshua Gilmore Jr.) 
4 Jun 1944 – 29 Jul 2024
US blues and soul vocalist, who also wrote and played guitar. He worked with many of the industry’s greats, not least James Brown and Etta James, and he also achieved personal success with tracks including 
Blues All Over You.

Nona Asiah (Asiah Aman)
1928 – 30 Jul 2024
Malaysian singer. Most active during the post-war years, when she often sang on Singapore and Malaysian radio. Asiah began with covers of well known songs, including Ciumku Lagi, and her own version of the classic Besame Mucho. This success saw her record for film soundtracks also.

Onyeka Onwenu MFR
31 Jan 1952 – 30 Jul 2024
Nigerian singer and songwriter, who was also an X Factor judge and actor, but ultimately was most regarded in her home country as a human rights activist and politician.  Earning the epithet the Elegant Stallion in recognition of her impact on African culture and entertainment, Onwenu chaired the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and was also Executive Director/CEO of the National Centre for Women’s Development.

Carmen Pateña 
7 Mar 1941 – 31 Jul 2024
Filipino singer, most popular with home fans in the 1960s and 1970s and whose artistic endeavours overseas saw her dubbed Asia's Ambassador of Songs. Among her hits were Shing A Ling Loo, Pretty Girl, and We Only Live Wais. She often appeared on the TV talent show Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino in the 1970s.

Arthur Miles 
14 Nov 1949 – 31 Jul 2024
Italian-based American jazz, blues and R&B artist. Born into a music family – his uncle being Wes Montgomery and his father running a nightclub – Miles grew up with artists around him and was gradually drawn into the world of music, going on to work with such greats as Edwin Starr, José Feliciano, and Big Joe Turner.  A switch to Italy in 1984 saw him flourish as a leading figure in his own right in that country’s pop jazz scene, often appearing on music TV shows and at festivals, and working with majors artists including Loredana Bertè and Zucchero, for whom he performed vocals on his international hit, Senza Una Donna.

DJ Randall (Randall McNeil) 
2 Apr 1970 – 31 Jul 2024
British  DJ, record producer and broadcaster regarded as a pioneer of jungle and drum and bass. Inspired by acid house and warehouse rave culture, he started out in the Eighties scene of DJ scratching and mixing and quickly became a prominent figure in breakbeat hardcore, helped by co-opening his own De Underground record shop and label.  His residency performances, particularly with AWOL, increasingly underlined his importance as a performer. In the Nineties he founded the Mac II record label, while also hosting his own show on Kiss FM, but he continued performing for the remainder of his career.

Chris York
1969 – Jul 2024
Leading British promoter, who helped to define the UK's live music scene, in large part working alongside Simon Moran in developing SJM as a major force in the sector.  Earning a reputation for lifting many of the acts he worked with from club touring to playing arenas, his involvement saw him work with such leading artists as Oasis, Green Day, Suede, and Foo Fighters. Chris helped to establish the successful Teenage Cancer Trust fundraising concerts alongside Roger Daltrey and others, as well as the Country To Country (C2C) festival, receiving the Jo Walker Meador International Award by the CMA in recognition. He was additionally 
honoured for Lifetime Achievement by the International Live Music Conference.

August 2024

Claudio Gaitán  
1976 – 1 Aug 2024
Popular Spanish radio host, who was also a well known rapper in his homeland.

Nicolae "Nicu" Covaci 
19 Apr 1947 – 2 Aug 2024
Romanian musician and artist, known principally for his acclaimed guitar play, who also composed and painted. He was known as a lead member of the cult rock group Phoenix, having previously also co-founded The band Sfinții.

Massimo Cotto
20 May 1962 – 2 Aug 2024
Italian radio and TV broadcaster, journalist and writer, who covered music and the arts with great passion across a range of stations and programming, including his Virgin Radio show, Rock and Talk. 

Shari Martin
1970 – 2 Aug 2024
Kenyan gospel singer, considered a legendary figure by some in his homeland, and who was perhaps best known for his late Nineties hit a Rafiki Pesa as well as songs including Wanadamu Ni Waongo, among others.

Phloen Phromdaen (Somsuan Promsawang) 
12 Jun 1939 – 3 Aug 2024
Popular Thai singer, whose career began in the 1970s and who in 2012 won the National Artist From Thailand award. A flamboyant performer, he was known for a psychedelic style of music.

Shaun Martin 
23 Aug 1978 – 3 Aug 2024
US musician, composer, arranger, and record producer, who was a member of the influential jazz fusion act, Snarky Puppy. He was also immersed in the gospel music scene, including directing music for Kirk Franklin while also acting as Minister of Music at the Dallas’ Friendship-West Baptist Church. Martin’s achievements saw him earn four Grammy Awards for his work both with Snarky Puppy and with Franklin.

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez 
17 Sep 1949 – 4 Aug 2024
Spanish conductor and composer, whose signature style was to often conduct without a score. He worked with a number of leading orchestras include the TRVE Symphony Orchestra, the National Theatre in Mannheim, and the Orquestra de Valencia.

Jay Jay (Fauzi Darus)
1957 – 4 Aug 2024
Malaysian vocalist, who with the group Carefree enjoyed particular popularity in the 1970s.

Anatol Latîșev
1961 – 4 Aug 2024
Moldovan singer and songwriter popular in his homeland for his traditional style of music.

Maurice Williams 
1938 – 5 Aug 2024
US vocalist in the R’n’B and doo-wop style, who, with his band Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (previously named The Charms, and the Gladiolas), was particularly active in the 1950s and 1960s.  In the Eighties, the band’s hit single Stay, with Williams on vocals, featured on the soundtrack to the movie Dirty Dancing. 

Jack Russell
5 Dec 1960 – 7 Aug 2024
US rock singer, who was a founding member and front-man of the rock group, Great White.

Carl Weathersby 
24 Feb 1953 – 9 Aug 2024
US blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  He collaborated with various artists, such as Albert King and Billy Branch, as well as performing solo. He was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Blues Artist.

Susan Wojcicki 
5 Jul 1968 – 9 Aug 2024
Leading American tech business executive of Polish heritage, whose many achievements included a key role in the successful development of Google and then going on to become Chief Executive of YouTube. Among numerous accolades, in 2017 her impact saw her recognised in the top 10 of Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. 

Chon Travis
1972 – 11 Aug 2024
American singer, who was a founding member of the Noughties punk band Love Equals Death.

Gökçe Akçelik
1977 – 11 Aug 2024
Turkish vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Replikas.  

Haniya Aslam 
28 Apr 1978 – 11 Aug 2024
Pakistani musician, who came to prominence as part of the duo Zeb and Haniya. She moved to Canada, where she developed a solo career, but on returning to Pakistan, she established herself as a hugely popular and successful artist and an inspiration to younger talent.

Talos (Eoin French)
2 Oct 1987 – 11 Aug 2024
Irish independent artist and electronic musician.

Greg Kihn
10 Jul 1949 – 13 Aug 2024
US rock musician and radio personality, who founded and led his band The Greg Kihn Band, which is known for the Eighties hits, The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em), and Jeopardy.

Dmitrijus Zaborskis
N/a – 13 Aug 2024 
Lithuanian musician, known for his performances as a member of the act, Rojaus Tūzai.

Joe Chambers
1943 – 15 Aug 2024
American musician and a founding member of the soul band, The Chambers Brothers, who were particularly known for their eleven-minute psychedelic soul hit, Time Has Come Today.

BeatKing (Justin Riley)
24 Nov 1984 – 15 Aug 2024
US rapper, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his 2010 hit Crush, the platinum-selling Thick, and Then Leave.

Bobby Hicks 
21 Jul 1933 – 16 Aug 2024
American bluegrass musician and player of the fiddle, who performed for over five decades, earning himself a Grammy Award and induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Luther Kent 
23 Jun 1948 – 16 Aug 2024
US blues vocalist, known for his powerful voice and for performing with his group, Luther Kent & Trick Bag.

Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez
11 Sep 1945 – 15 Aug 2024
American player of the bongo drum and with Puerto Rican heritage. He worked with numerous artists, most notably Tito Puente, as well as Tito Rodriguez, and others. He was part of several popular salsa bands, including the Tico All-Stars.

Bert Susanska
1962 – 17 Aug 2024
American musician, who sang and played lead guitar for alternative California rock band, The Ziggens.

Erik Barrett
1976 – 20 Aug 2024
American musician, who played bass with the US metal band, 100 Demons.

Russell Stone 
8 Oct 1946 – 21 Aug 2024
English singer, who performed with the Brotherhood of Man in the early Seventies, before moving on to the James Last Orchestra, and then, with his wife, formed the duo RJ Stone, enjoying the chart hit, We Do It.  He worked with various artists, including such greats as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.

Diana (Ana Maria Iorio)
2 Jun 1948 – 21 Aug 2024
Brazilian pop vocalist, who was came to prominence in the 1970s, and was given the epithet The Love Singer of Brazil by her fans.

Justin Chearno
1970 – 22 Aug 2024
American musician, who played guitar with Washington DC art rock band, Pitchblende. 

Catherine Ribeiro
22 Sep 1941 – 23 Aug 2024
French folk and avant-garde vocalist, who developed cult appeal. With her band, she recorded through the Sixties and Seventies, before pursuing a solo career that influenced other musicians. 

Russ Malone
8 Nov 1963 – 23 Aug 2024
US jazz musician, who was particularly active in the 1990s, and performed with leading artists of the calibre of Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall.

Daron Beck
1976 – 23 Aug 2024
American keyboard player, who was a member avant-garde synth-rock band, Pinkish Black.

Richard Macphail 
17 Sep 1950 – 26 Aug 2024
British musician, road manager, and in his later years broadcaster, and environmentalist, who pursued a varied career, but is best known for his relationship with the band Genesis, particularly from their formation in 1967 to 1973, during which time he was effectively their road crew and tour manager.  He also worked with Peter Gabriel on his solo career, and with Van Morrison, and Leonard Cohen, among other artists.

Martynas Lidžius
N/a – 26 Aug 2024 tbc
Lithuanian artist, who was known as a singer and songwriter.

Rena Rolska (Regina Rollinger-Jonkajtys)
19 Jan 1932 – 27 Aug 2024
Polish singer, dancer and actress. During a three-decade career, she recorded 12 albums and performed across Europe and North America, as well as in the former Soviet Union.

Herman "Pete" Wade 
16 Dec 1934 – 27 Aug 2024
Nashville-based, American guitarist and session musician, who worked with numerous country artists on their recordings, including Loretta Lynn. He was considered to be part of the “Nashville A-Team”.

Makaya Ntshoko 
29 Sep 1939 – 27 Aug 2024
South African jazz drummer, who performed with Hugh Masekela, among others, before a move to Switzerland brought him into the orbit of some of the great jazz performers, such as Dexter Gordon.

Danielle Moore
1972 – 30 Aug 2024
Lead singer and frontwoman of British electronic group Crazy P, whom she joined in 2002, and a solo DJ performer. Known for her spirited stage performances and distinct vocals, Danielle contributed to the band’s studio albums, including their 2019 LP, Age of the Ego, for which she penned lyrics promoting social justice.

Fatman Scoop (Isaac Freeman III)
6 Aug 1968 – 31 Aug 2024)
US Hip-Hop artist known for his powerful vocals, and his 1999 UK hit, Be Faithful, as well as guest appearances on a number of iconic tracks, including Missy Elliott’s Lose Control, and Mariah Carey It’s Like That.    

Phil Swern
1948 – Aug 2024
A popular figure at BBC radio for many years, including as a producer on R1 and R2, also playing a key role in the success of the PopMaster quiz. His passion for collecting chart hits earned him the nickname The Collector. Tony Blackburn said: "I am so sad to say that my dear friend of over 60 years Phil 'The Collector' Swern has passed away… he was very respected in the music business for his music knowledge and professionalism, but above all he was a lovely kind and funny man.”

Carl Bevan
1973 – Aug 2024
Welsh drummer, who made his mark with the Nineties punk group the 60ft Dolls. At their peak, the band enjoyed top-40 albums and appeared on bills alongside the likes of Foo Fighters and Oasis. They performed at Glastonbury in 1997 before splitting in 1998. In more recent years Bevan channeled his creativity into landscape painting.

James Palmer-Bullock
n/a – Aug 2024
British artist manager, who founded and ran the Wild Seeds company, representing, among other artists, Max Cooper, who said: “James was widely known and loved because he was so devoted to helping others - always positive and supportive and encouraging, a truly good person. Every week there would be messages in my inbox of James going out of his way to show kindness to strangers as well as colleagues”.  James co-founded with Cooper the artist platform Mesh, and also represented the labels Intrepid Skin and Silk + Steel. 

Simon Albury MBE
1944 – Aug 2024
British broadcast executive and producer, and equality champion. In a career spanning five decades, he made current affairs and music programmes for the BBC and for ITV companies, including Granada, and Meridien, which he founded, going on to become CEO of the Royal Television Society, and Chair of the Campaign for Broadcasting Equality. Throughout, he campaigned passionately to promote diversity and inclusion across the creative industries.  Broadcaster and fellow DEI campaigner Jasmine Dotiwala OBE, said: “People like Simon, who’ve had glittering careers and held positions of high esteem, tend not to mix and frolic with the working class and juniors who can do nothing for them. But Simon turned that stereotype on its head. He was warm and welcoming and couldn’t do enough to help people get ahead.  I also know that he connected people that he thought could be a force for change, and he knew that together we were stronger as a movement - not alone.”  Among his many achievements, he was Britain’s first DJ playing black-American gospel music for Capital Radio, presenting under the name Sam Scott. 

Danny Stubbs
1984 – Aug 2024
DJ and record producer, who started out in the dance clubs of Stoke-on-Trent in the early Noughties, going on to enjoy a global career that saw him work with some of music’s biggest names, ranging from Ariana Grande to U2. His last piece of work was a charity single, Is This Real, raising funds for Cancer Research.

September 2024

Teresa Bright 
1959 or 1960 tbc – 1 Sep 2024
US musician and singer of Hawaiian language music, who performed on ukulele and guitar. She was popular in Japan, as well as in Hawaii and in the US mainland. 

James Darren (James Ercolani)
8 Jun 1936 – 2 Sep 2024
American film and TV actor, but who, in his early teen years, was also a successful pop singer, releasing such hits as Goodbye Cruel World, in 1961. 

Pat Lewis 
23 Oct 1947 – 2 Sep 2024
US soul vocalist and backing singer, especially active in the 1960s, and who was also a member of Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul group. Her achievements saw her inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Göran Fristorp 
26 May 1948 – 3 Sep 2024
Swedish vocalist and songwriter. As part of the duo, Malta, Fristorp won Sweden’s prestigious annual Melodifestivalen in 1973, which meant they then went on to represent their country at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, coming a creditable fifth.

Brian "Herbie" Flowers
19 May 1938 – 5 Sep 2024
British musician, whose talents encompassed bass guitar, double bass, and tuba. He made his mark with such bands as Blue Mink, and T. Rex, as well as working with leading artists including Bryan Ferry, David Bowie, Elton John, and David Bowie, and contributing bass to Jeff Wayne’s musical version of War of the Worlds.  He will perhaps be best-remembered for providing the bassline on Lou Reed’s iconic 1972 hit Walk of the Wild Side. He is estimated to have played bass on more than 500 recordings.

Sérgio Mendes 
11 Feb 1941 – 5 Sep 2024
Brazilian musician, who, with his band Brasil ‘66, popularised across the world his signature style of funk-fused Bossa Nova. In a prolific career, he released 35 albums, and as a co-writer earned a Best Original Song Oscar nomination for Real in Rio, from the animated film Rio. He went on to work with numerous artists, including Black Eyes Peas, with whom he re-recorded his 1966 breakthrough, classic hit Mas Que Nada. 

Screamin' Scott Simon (Scott Simon) 
9 Dec 1948 – 5 Sep 2024
US musician known for playing keyboards in the band Sha Na Na, from the Seventies through to 2022.

Martin France 
29 Feb 1964 – 5 Sep 2024
English jazz percussionist, who drummed on more than 100 album recordings, and was also a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. 

Rich Home Quan (Dequantes Lamar)
4 Oct 1989 tbc – 5 Sep 2024
US rapper, who first enjoyed Billboard success with his 2013 single Type of Way. Further successes arrived, while he was also a member of Cash Money’s Rich Gang, which released the hit track, Lifestyle. His debut studio LP, Rich in Spirit, peaked at No.33 in the Billboard Top 200.

Johnny Thunder (Leroy "Gilbert" Hamilton)
15 Aug 1931 – 6 Sep 2024
US R&B and pop vocalist, whose biggest hit was the 1963 song, Loop the Loop, which reached No.4 in the Billboard charts, and was successful covered by Frankie Vaughan in the UK. He worked with various artists, including The Drifters, and Dionne Warwick. 

Will Jennings 
27 Jun 1944 – 6 Sep 2024
Renowned American songwriter, who in partnership with others wrote a number of all-time classic songs, including Up Where We Belong for An Officer and a Gentleman, and My Heart Will Go On, the theme to Titanic. He worked with and wrote for many artists ranging from Barry Manilow and BB King, to Randy Crawford and Joe Cocker. His outstanding songwriting achievements earned him three Grammy Awards and two Oscars, among many other accolades, as well as induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Mark Moffatt
1950 – 6 Sep 2024
Australian musician, who played guitar with the Eighties pop group, The Monitors.

George "Zoot" Money
17 Jul 1942 – 8 Sep 2024
Multi-talented British musician, who sang, played keyboards/organ, and was an influential bandleader, notably with the Big Roll Band. Fired by a passion for rock ‘n’ roll, and taking his name from the artist Zoot Sims, Money went on to work with countless Sixties artists, including The Animals. Spencer Davis, Geno Washington, and Alan Price. Later, he moved into acting, and was Musical Director for the acclaimed BBC Scotland 1987 drama, Tutti Frutti.

Frank Beverly 
6 Dec 1946 – 10 Sep 2024
US soul and funk singer and songwriter, who founded the band Maze, who went on to record nine RIAA-certified Gold albums, and built a loyal following.

Tommy Cash
5 Apr 1940 – 13 Sep 2024
US Country singer, who was the brother of Johnny Cash, and worked with many leading artists, including Hank Williams Jr. His biggest hit, Six White Horses, came in 1969, and was dedicated to the assassinated Kennedy’s and Dr. Martin Luther King.

Moisés Canelo 
9 Jul 1950 – 13 Sep 2024
Honduran vocalist and songwriter, who achieved an international following.

Chalmers Davis
1951 – 13 Sep 2024
American keyboard player, who performed with many leading artists in the 1950s and 1960s, including with Johnny Cash and Little Richard.

Michelle Kerr
n/a – 14 Sep 2024
UK music and artist publicist, who worked at Roadrunner Records for many years, before co-founding her own PR agency Cosa Nostra PR. Michelle was a hugely popular figure on the independent and alternative music circuit, and was particularly known for her work with rock bands Slipknot and Korn, among others.

Kenny Hyslop
14 Feb 1951 – 15 Sep 2024
Scottish drummer who worked with various bands in his early years, including Slik and The Skids, but he really made his mark with Simple Minds as they broke through globally in the early Eighties, performing on such songs as Promised You A Miracle. He worked with various artists upon his departure, including the band One O’Clock Gang, and Midge Ure, and in his later career taught music.   

Toriano "Tito" Jackson
15 Oct 1953 – 15 Sep 2024
US musician and entertainer, and a founding member of the iconic, all-brother group featuring Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5 (later The Jacksons), who achieved global success and mainstream cross-over in the Sixties and Seventies on the Motown label and then with Epic in the decade that followed as well as through their own TV show. The band sold some 150 million records worldwide, featuring such classic hits as ABC, and I Want You Back, both of which are listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock n Roll.  Tito also achieved success in a solo capacity, and, with his brothers, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while also receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Roli Mosimann 
7 Nov 1955 – 15 Sep 2024
Swiss-born, US electronic musician and music producer, who worked across various styles, including pop, and later became part of New York’s “no wave” scene.  He produced for The The, That Petrol Emotion, and New Order, among others.

David Davis 
16 Feb 1961 – 15 Sep 2024
US singer and mandolin player, who was a leading exponent of bluegrass. 

Billy Wheeler
9 Dec 1932 – 16 Sep 2024
US songwriter and performer, who was also a visual artist. He wrote for artists such as Johnny Cash, including the song Jackson, but may perhaps be best remembered for his country classic, Coward of the County, which has since been covered by more than 160 artists, including Kenny Rogers and Elvis Presley.

JD Souther
2 Nov, 1945 – 17 Sep 2024
US songwriter, who sang and acted also. A key influence in the Southern California sound, he wrote for a number of leading artists, notably The Eagles, for whom he penned Best Of My Love, How Long, and New Kid In Town, among other hits, as well as the likes of Linda Ronstadt.  He achieved solo success with You’re Only Lonely, and Her Town Too, which he performed with James Taylor. In later years, he acted in TV and movies, and performed with The Eagles on their 2008 farewell tour.

Nick Gravenites
2 Oct 1938 – 18 Sep 2024
US folk and rock musician, vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, who was most known for leading the band Electric Flag, but was also regarded for his work with such artists as Janis Joplin, among others.

Dick Diamonde (Dingeman van der Sluijs)
28 Dec 1947 – 18 Sep 2024
Australian musician, who was a member of and bass player in the band The Easybeats. They inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005.

Juan Brujo
1963 – 18 Sep 2024
American musician, who at one point was a member of the extreme metal band, Brujeria.

Zulya Kamalova
8 Aug 1969 – 18 Sep 2024
Russian-born Australian vocalist, who developed her success in and around Melbourne, including with the band The Children of the Underground. She was a multiple award recipient, including an ARIA Award in 2007 for Best World Music album.

Kathryn Grant (Crosby)
25 Nov 1933 – 20 Sep 2024
US actress and singer, who was married to Hollywood icon Bing Crosby.

Cleo Sylvestre
19 Apr 1945 – 20 Sep 2024
British actress, who, under the name Cleo, achieved a distinction of being the first Black woman to perform a leading role at London’s National Theatre. In 1964, she was also the first woman to record with the Rolling Stones, who performed backing vocals on her cover of the Phil Spector song To Know Him, Is To Love Him.

Sayuri
7 Jun 1996 – 20 Sep 2024
Japanese vocalist, songwriter and musician, who had success with various recordings, including a number created for anime films.

Benny Golson 
25 Jan 1929 – 21 Sep 2024
Influential US jazz musician specialising in saxophone, who composed a number of jazz standards, such as      I Remember Clifford, and arranged also. He rose to prominence with the big bands of the time, such as those led by Dizzy Gillespie, before launching his solo career. He co-founded The Jazztet with Art Farmer, and also arranged for film and TV.  He was the recipient of a Grammy Trustees Award.

Roger Palm
1949 – 21 Sep 2024
Swedish percussionist, who worked with numerous artists, but whose most significant contribution was to drum for supergroup ABBA.

Eddie Low MNZM
14 May 1943 – 21 Sep 2024
New Zealand country vocalist and musician.  He performed with various bands in a six-decade career, including The Quin Tikis and the New Zealand Highwaymen. Low continued to record music, enjoying a second wave of popularity in the 2010s after releasing the LP The Voice In A Million which went platinum.

Freddie Salem
1954 – 23 Sep 2024
American musician, who made his mark performing with US southern rock group, Outlaws.

Ken Howard
26 Dec 1939 – 24 Sep 2024
British singer and lyricist, writer and TV director. Starting out in the vocal duo Eva and Ken, which got him into TV, the Sixties and Seventies saw him, with Alan Blaikley, write a number of major hits, including Have I The Right, by The Honeycombs, and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich’s The Legend of Xanadu. They would go on to write for Petula Clark, Phil Collins, Engelbert Humperdinck, Lulu, and Eartha Kitt, among others, and were the first British composers to write for Elvis Presley. 

Cat Glover 
24 Jul 1962 – 24 Sep 2024
Multi-talented American artist across music and dance, who started as a child singer in the Soullettes, but made her breakthrough on TV as part of the Pat & Cat duo. Her defining achievement was to work with Prince from the late Eighties, choreographing and appearing in several of his videos and his film Sign ‘O The Times. She also performed on Lovesexy and other recordings, and also released her work as Catwoman.

Pit Passarell
11 Apr 1968https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_Passarell – 27 Sep 2024
Argentinian singer-songwriter and musician, who was Brazilian-based, and was known for his work as a founding member of the metal band Viper.

Kris Kristofferson 
22 Jun 1936 – 28 Sep 2024
Multi-talented US artist and influential figure in country music, who sang, wrote, and acted, achieving a peak of success between the 1970s and 1990s. Regarded as a key figure in the outlaw country movement, he wrote and released his self-titled debut album in 1970, featuring such hits as Me And Bobby McGee, For The Good Times, and Help Me Make It Through The Night – songs also performed by other artists. Between 1985-1995, he was a member of the music supergroup, The Highwaymen. A regular presence in the Billboard and other national charts around the world, his achievements saw him inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame and earn multiple Grammy nominations and awards. He was successful in film, appearing in such movies as Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, though he may be mostly remembered for co-starring opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born, which featured the title song, Evergreen.

Martin Lee (Martin Barnes)
26 Nov 1946 – 29 Sep 2024
English lead vocalist, songwriter and musician, who will be fondly remembered as a member of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest-winning pop group, The Brotherhood of Man, with their entry Save Your Kisses For Me. The song became a No.1 million-selling hit in the UK and around Europe, earning Lee Ivor Novello Awards. Chart-topping success continued in the years that followed, through co-written hits such as Angelo and Figaro.  Popular on TV and on the touring circuit, Lee and the group eventually retired in 2020.

Ken Page 
20 Jan 1954 – 30 Sep 2024
American actor, who was also known as a cabaret singer and for his performances in stage musicals, such as the Broadway productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’, Cats, and The Wiz.  In film, he performed in Torch Song Trilogy, and in Dreamgirls, among other credits.

Dave Allison
1956 – 30 Sep 2024
Canadian rock musician, who worked with various bands and artists, but was most known for being part of the metal band Anvil, which came to prominence in the 1980s.

Artie Baldacci
1951 – 30 Sep 2024
American rock musician, known for the drumming with the Seventies band Heartsfield, regarded as 
pioneers in southern rock and country.

Fayo (Mario LeBlanc)
18 Oct 1977 – 30 Sep 2024
Canadian singer in the Acadian style, with music considered a mix of folk, rock, and urban poetry.

October 2024

Ken Tobias 
25 Jul 1945 – 2 Oct 2024
Canadian singer and songwriter, who is most known for writing the Seventies chart-topping hit song, The Bells, among other songs.

Arvydas Sriubas (Šnaras)
N/a – 2 Oct 2024
Lithuanian rock musician, who played drums and performed vocals with the band Hiperbolė.

Johnny Neel
1955 – 6 Oct 2025
American rock musician, who performed with numerous artists, including The Allman Brothers Band.

Nell Smith
2007 – 6 Oct 2024
Canadian singer, who passed away tragically-young at just 17, but left her mark creatively through her serendipitous work with The Flaming Lips. Starting out as a dedicated fan, a chance encounter at one of their gigs saw her invited to perform with the band, culminating in the collaborative album, Where the Viaduct Looms, featuring nine covers of Nick Cave songs all sung by Nell and backed by the band’s ethereal sounds. 

Cissy Houston (Emily Drinkard)
30 Sep 1933 – 7 Oct 2024
American soul and gospel singer, who, though talented in her own right, will also be remembered as the mother of Whitney Houston and the aunt of singers Dione Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and the cousin of Leontyne Price.  Beginning in her family gospel group, The Drinkard Sisters, Houston went on to form The Sweet Inspirations, while also establishing herself as a session vocalist. After four albums, she left to pursue a solo career, successfully releasing the songs I’ll Be There, and Think It Over. Houston earned two Grammys, the Stellar Award of Excellence, and induction into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.

Jack Ponti (Giacomo Pontoriero)
16 Feb 1958 – 7 Oct 2024
American of Italian heritage, whose versatile talents spanned the music industry as a musician – starting out in The Rest alongside Jon Bon Jovi – music producer, artist manager, and record label executive, but his most significant contribution was as a songwriter, writing material for Bon Jovi and Alice Cooper, among others. He also worked with various rock bands, such as Skid Row, as well as his own outfit, Surgin’. In the Nineties he moved into the business side of the industry as a manager and label owner with CazzyDog Management, working with such artists as India.Arie, and Boyz II Men, as well as Mary Brown, and Teddy Riley. He also founded Bardic Records, and the Platform Group, before becoming CEO of Merovingian Music.

S.S. Priest
1963 – Oct 2024
American rock musician, who played with various bands and artists from the 1980s onwards, including  Diamond Rexx and D’Molls.

Adam Abeshouse 
5 Jun 1961 – 10 Oct 2024
US producer and recording engineer, as well as a violinist. His achievements in music saw him honoured with three Grammy Awards. He also founded the Classical Recording Foundation. 

Kiril Marichkov
30 Oct 1944 – 11 Oct 2024
Bulgarian rock performer, best known as the frontman of the group Shturtsite. He was also involved in politics.

Dorothy Miller 
10 Aug 1945 – 11 Oct 2024
US music industry figure who promoted Christian music. She was a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Ka (Kaseem Ryan)
11 Aug 1972 – 12 Oct 2024
US rapper and producer, who was also a New York fireman and one of the first responders following the 9/11 terror attacks on the Twin Towers.  His solo work and concept albums were well received, and as a performer he rose to prominence with the acts Natural Elements, and then Nightbreed, and also worked with GZA of Wu Tang Clan.

Jackmaster (Jack Revill)
11 Jan 1986 – 12 Oct 2024
Scottish DJ and music producer, known for his work across different styles, and who made his mark on the Scottish dance scene in co-founding the Numbers record label and dance night in Glasgow, and activity including Wireblock, Dress 2 Sweat, Seldom Felt and TDSR.

Libby Titus
6 Jul 1947 – 13 Oct 2024
American folk singer and songwriter. She worked with many leading artists, including the likes of Phil Ramone, Paul Simon, Carly Simon and Burt Bacharach.

Joshua Perahia
1953 – 14 Oct 2024
American Christian rock artist and guitarist, who was a Co-Founder of the Eighties band, Joshua. The band were arguably more successful outside of the US, with their most successful song, November Is Going Away, a Number 1 hit in Japan in 1983.

Alan Mansfield
1952 – 16 Oct 2024
New Zealand and Australian-based musician (tbc), who at one point performed with the Eighties rock band Dragon. 

Ollie Olsen
20 Feb 1958 – 16 Oct 2024
Australian electronic and experimental musician, who composed and produced also, beginning his career in the 1970s. He performed with a number of groups, including the post-punk outfits, Whirlywirld, and Orchestra of Skin and Bone. He also collaborated with Michael Hutchence on Max Q, and later Co-Founded the alternative electronic music label Psy-Harmonics. In 2014 he formed Taipan Tiger Girls.

Inger Lorre (Lori Ann Wening)
2 Aug  1963 – 16 Oct 2024
US vocalist, who was best known for performing with the Eighties alternative rock band, Nymphs.

Liam Payne 
29 Aug 1993 – 16 Oct 2024
English singer and songwriter, known to countless fans around the world as a member and a lead vocalist with One Direction – formed by contestants who appeared on the 2010 X-Factor and which went on to become a global phenomenon as one of the biggest-selling groups of all time. Together, they recorded five studio albums, including their 2011 debut, Up All Night, and became the first act to have their first four albums debut at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.  With well over 70 million record sales, including through global hit singles What Makes You Beautiful, Best Song Ever, and Story of My Life, the band received seven BRIT Awards, among numerous other honours, and in 2013 were named Global Recording Artist of the Year by the IFPI. Liam pursued a solo career after the band went on a break in 2016, enjoying UK and US top-10 success with his debut solo single Strip That Down, and his collaboration with Rita Ora was a worldwide hit. 

Mitzi Gaynor (Francesca von Gerber)
4 Sep 1931 – 17 Oct 2024
American actress from the golden era of Hollywood, who was also a notable singer and dancer. She co-starred in numerous blockbuster musical films, including There’s No Business Like Showbusiness, and South Pacific, for which she received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

Cindy Charles
1955 – 18 Oct 2024
American digital music executive, and most recently Head of Music with the American video live-streaming service Twitch, popular among gamers. 

Barbara Dane (Barbara Spillman)
12 May 1927 – 20 Oct 2024
US blues, folk and jazz vocalist and musician, who was also a record producer as well as a political activist. Known for her rich voice, she co-founded Paredon Records. She worked with many of her contemporaries, including Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan, and in a seven-decade long career recorded nearly 20 albums.

Paul Di'Anno (Paul Andrews) 
17 May 1958 – 21 Oct 2024
English rock vocalist, who was the original lead singer of Iron Maiden in the late Seventies. He went on to release several albums after leaving the band, both as a solo performer and with metal groups including Gogmagog, Rockfellas, and Warhouse. He also appeared on the 1990 Live at Last album with Praying Mantis.

Jack Jones
14 Jan 1938 – 23 Oct 2024
US vocalist and entertainer, whose range spanned pop and MOR to jazz swing. Often performing on TV, as well as in residency at Las Vegas, and a regular visitor to the UK, he recorded many standards, as well as the theme to The Love Boat, selling many records and earning multiple Grammy nominations and awards.  

Hans Per Rotmo
10 Mar 1948 – 24 Oct 2024
Norwegian vocalist, songwriter, and political activist, known largely as one of the key figures in the Seventies folk rock outfit Vømmøl Spellmannslag. 

DJ Clark Kent (Rodolfo Franklin II)
28 Sep 1966 – 24 Oct 2024
US Hip-Hop DJ and music producer, credited with influencing the career of some of the genre’s biggest names. He took his name for Superman’s alter ego and accordingly named his crew The Supermen. Starting out in New York’s MC scene of the early Nineties, his Clark Kent's Superman Battle for World Supremacy was an influential platform. His involvement with street music brought him into contact with Junior M.A.F.I.A, The Notorious B.I.G., and ‘Lil Kim, and he also worked with an emerging Jay Z, as well as 50 Cent, and Estelle, among others, going on to produce Mariah Carey’s, Loverboy. Influential also as director of A&R at Atlantic, he helped lay the ground for development of Roc-A-Fella Records and worked with other labels and artists.

Phil Lesh
15 Mar 1940 – 25 Oct 2024
US musician who was part of the Grateful Dead line up for their three-decade duration. Known for his unique guitar playing style, he contributed vocals and co-wrote some of their best known material, including the opening track to their American Beauty album, Box of Rain, and St. Stephen, and Dark Star. He continued performing after the group disbanded in 1995, as Phil Lesh and Friends.

Richard Handover CBE
13 Apr 1946 – 25 Oct 2024
South-African born, British businessman, whose long-term career with WH Smith, the company he would lead as CEO, saw him play a key role shaping music retail in the 1990s, including through the high street brands Our Price, where he was MD for six years, and Virgin Megastores, as well as Smith’s own music operations. He was to survive the Ladbroke Grove train crash, and was praised for helping others to safety.

Bill “Peg Pants” Beach 
8 Aug 1932 – 28 Oct 2024
Influential US rockabilly musician, who kick-started his career with the hit Peg Pants. Family matters saw him leave the industry to become a successful businessman, but as rockabilly enjoyed a surge of interest in the 1980s, his music was enjoyed by a new generation, resulting in induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. 

Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal 
5 May 1933 – 28 Oct 2024
Cuban musician, whose trumpet play saw him appreciated as one of the leading figures of the "golden era" of Cuban music in the 1940s and 1950s, before being celebrated as part of the Buena Vista Social Club.

Nadia Cattouse 
2 Nov 1924 – 29 Oct 2024
British folk singer of Honduran descent, known largely as a TV actress between the 1950s and 1980s. As a vocalist, she performed in London’s Soho clubs and appeared in the TV shows Sing Along and Hootenanny.  A contemporary of Fairport Convention, she recorded Songs of Grief & Glory, and the album Earth Mother, as well as performing on other compositions.

Richard Andrew
1966 – 30 Oct 2024
Australian drummer, who in the late Eighties and early Nineties formed part of the line up of the pop and indie rock band, undergroundLOVERS. 

Candy Devine MBE (Faye McLeod née Guivarra)
1938 tbc – 31 October 2024 tbc
Australian of diverse cultural heritage, who was a successful radio broadcaster – enjoying a long association with Downtown Radio in her adopted homeland of Northern Ireland. She acted and sang also.

John Pearson
n/a – Oct 2024 tbc
British music executive, who led commercial teams at a number of record labels from the 1980s through to the Noughties. Known particularly for his time with Island Records, and for his love of motorbikes.

Jo Headland
N/a – Oct 2024 tbc
Music industry product and marketing executive, who at various stages worked in the recorded and live sectors with the likes of Live Nation, Global, Sony BMG, Sony Music, and WEA, before setting up her own consultancy in exhibitions and event marketing and music management.

"Guitar" Greg Gaskins
N/a – Oct 2024 tbc
American musician who played guitar for various artists including the R&B group formed by Cissy Houston, The Sweet Inspirations.

John Titta
N/a – Oct 2024
American-Italian music industry executive and publisher, who, as a passionate champion of songwriting and song rights, worked with a range of major artists, such as Lou Reed, Carole King, Bon Jovi, and Pearl Jam. Starting out as a musician and songwriter, and then working for companies such as Screen Gems/EMI Music, Warner Chappell Music, Polygram Music Publishing, and MPCA Music Publishing, which he founded, he was eventually appointed CEO of the performing rights organization, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). As an artist, he played on recordings by Ringo Starr, Michael McDonald, and others, and produced for Dionne Warwick, Todd Rundgren, and Donny and Marie Osmond. 

November 2024

Quincy Jones
14 Mar 1933 – 3 Nov 2024
US music producer, songwriter and composer, who made an exceptional contribution to global music in a seven-decade career, reflected in a haul of 28 Grammy Awards and 80 nominations, and the Grammy Legend Award. Jones first made his mark in jazz, before crossing over into pop and film music. Breaking through with Lesley Gore’s It’s My Party in the early Sixties, Jones worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Count Basie to cement his burgeoning reputation, and in 1968 became the first African-American to be Oscar-nominated for Best Original Song with The Eyes of Love. Other nominations followed, and in 1971 he became the first African-American musical director of the Awards. In 1995, he received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Though he worked with many greats, he is perhaps best known for his seminal work with Michael Jackson, producing his albums Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad. He produced and conducted We Are The World for USA for Africa in 1985. In 2013, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was later named one of Time magazine’s most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.

Alex 'Zac' Zytnik
1945 – 1 Nov 2024
Australian guitarist, who played lead guitar with the prog and psychedelic rock band Tamam Shud (originally The Four Strangers), which formed in the mid-Sixties.  

Andy Leek 
1958 – 3 Nov 2024
English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known for working with Dexys Midnight Runners, as one of its original members – including performing on their iconic hit, Geno. Among various artists and producers he worked with, including Sir George Martin, he wrote the single Twist in the Dark, for ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad, while his own solo single, Say Something, achieved some international success.

Agnaldo Rayol 
3 May 1938 – 4 Nov 2024
Brazilian vocalist, who acted also. He specialised in love ballads and romantic Italian songs.

Johnny Madsen 
31 Mar 1951 – 4 Nov 2024
Danish musician and songwriter, who was also a painter. For much of the Eighties, he formed part of the well-known Daltron trio, and he also performed with the group Hobo Ekspressen. 

Tyka Nelson 
18 May 1960 – 4 Nov 2024
American singer, hailing from a musical family – jazz musician father John L.Nelson, mother and jazz singer, Mattie Della Shaw, and, most notably, sister of iconic artist, Prince. She recorded four studio albums in all, including her 1988 debut, Royal Blue, and the Grammy-considered album from 2008, A Brand New Me. 

Kathleen Watkins 
17 Oct 1934 – 7 Nov 2024
Known largely as a broadcaster, and also for her marriage to broadcasting legend Gay Byrne, she was also an accomplished harpist, folk singer, and children’s author. She had some acting credits to her name also, and was the only woman to host the Irish communities Rose of Tralee festival in in 1977.

Bill Holland 
17 March 1945 – 7 Nov 2024
English music industry executive, who started at HMV’s Oxford St. flagship, famously serving John Lennon with a copy of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963, before pursuing a successful label career working largely in classical music. He rose to become MD of Universal’s Classics and Jazz, during which time he helped to mastermind the crossover of classical into the mainstream, working with such artists as Luciano Pavarotti.  He stepped down in 2006, before fully retiring after a brief spell with Warner Classics. All those who worked with Bill knew him as a generous music man, with a strong commercial acumen and a passion for opera.    

Ella Jenkins
6 Aug 1924 – 9 Nov 2024
US singer-songwriter, who, in a remarkable life that spanned a century, earned the epithet First Lady of Children’s Music, thanks to her performance of children’s music, which helped to establish it as a recognised genre. Her 1995 album Multicultural Children's Songs is one of the Smithsonian Folkways most popular releases, and in 2004 her body of work was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Louis Donaldson Jr. 
1 Nov 1926 – 9 Nov 2024
US jazz musician and saxophonist, who was known for trademark his blues-soul style, but who in his early years was part of the bebop scene that was shaped by Charlie Parker, Milt Jackson, and Thelonious Monk.

Ram Narayan 
25 Dec 1927 – 9 Nov 2024
Indian artist, whose appeal helped to popularise the sarangi as a solo concert instrument, and who did much to promote the growth of Hindustani traditional music.

José “Pepe” Justicia 
1960 – 10 Nov 2024
Spanish flamenco artist, known for his distinctive, traditional guitar play and for his popular concerts.

Papa Noël Nedule (Antoine Nedule Monswet)
29 Dec 1940 – 11 Nov 2024
Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and known for his soukous style of music, singer and guitarist Nedule made a name for himself in the Congolese music scene through the 1980s, including as a lead member of the Kékélé, before finishing his career in France.

Roy Haynes
13 Mar 1925 – 12 Nov 2024
Considered a pioneer of jazz drumming, US artist active from the 1950s, who went on to become one of the most recorded musicians, earning the nickname Snap Crackle for his signature snare drum play. In a career spanning more than eight decades, he played with many greats, including John Coltrane, and all styles, from Avant-garde to Bebop. In 1999 was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. 

Agnes Garnås 
23 Oct 1946 – 12 Nov 2024
Norwegian folk singer, coming from a famous musical family, and known for her ancient Norwegian ballads, as well as more contemporary arrangements of these songs in collaboration with the saxophonist Jan Garba.

Johnny Duhan 
30 Mar 1950 – 12 Nov 2024
Irish singer-songwriter, who influenced artists such as Mary Black and Christy Moore.  Starting out, aged just 15, fronting the beat group Granny's Intentions, he went on to make his mark as a popular solo artist writing folk songs, poetry, and prose. These included work like Just Another Town and The Voyage, which has since established itself as a firm favourite at wedding receptions.

Shel Talmy 
11 Aug 1937 – 13 Nov 2024
US producer and arranger, songwriter and musician, but who made his mark working with English rock and pop and such bands as The Who, and The Kinks. Among his many credits, Talmy produced the hit songs You Really Got Me, My Generation, and Friday on My Mind. He also played on some of the recordings.

Edgard Brito
1974 – 13 Nov 2024
Brazilian musician, who at one point performed with the Nineties traditional music metal band, Tuatha de Danann, known for their celtic dance rhythms and lyrics.

Vic Flick
14 May 1937 – 14 Nov 2024
English musician, responsible for one of the most famous guitar riffs ever – the James Bond theme.  He contributed to Bond soundtracks through to the Eighties, but also worked extensively with many contemporary artists, notably Dusty Springfield, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones – featuring on It’s Not Unusual –  Shirley Bassey, Petula Clark, and Paul McCartney, among others. In 2012, he was honoured by the Academy Awards, as it marked 50 Years of Bond.

Pete Sinfield
27 Dec 1943 – 14 Nov 2024
UK artist who co-founded prog rock band King Crimson, having previously formed the band Creation.  Also known for his prolific songwriting, enjoying commercial success with such acts as Bucks Fizz, Cher, Leo Sayer, Cliff Richard, and Celine Dion, for whom he co-wrote her global smash and UK No.1, Think Twice. 

Dennis Bryon
14 Apr 1949 – 14 Nov 2024
Rock drummer and songwriter from Wales, he performed with various bands, including Amen Corner, before also playing with The Bee Gees at the height of their Seventies disco popularity, performing on such iconic works as Saturday Night Fever and on nine no.1 singles. He also wrote, recorded or performed with many other artists, ranging from Barbra Streisand to Jimi Hendrix.

Tommy Alverson 
10 Jun 1950 – 14 Nov 2024
US country musician and guitarist, who worked alongside such artists as Willie Nelson, and Johnny Bush. He released a number of recordings, including From The Heart Of Hill County, and Always In My Heart.

Gerry Weil (Gerhard Weilheim)
11 Aug 1939 – 16 Nov 2024
Venezuelan jazz musician of Austrian heritage, whose life-time work was recognised by the Austrian government in 2009 with a Decoration of Merit in Gold for services to the Austrian Government. 

Andrius Kulikauskas
1951 – 17 Nov 2024 tbc
Lithuanian artist, who was a member of the act Dainos Teatras.

Vladimir Lyovkin
6 Jun 1967 – 17 Nov 2024
Russian vocalist, who was lead singer with the popular Nineties Russian pop group Na Na.

Charles Dumont 
26 Mar 1929 – 18 Nov 2024
Revered French singer and composer, whose greatest legacy are the songs he wrote or co-wrote with Michel Vaucaire, among others, for Édith Piaf, including the iconic ballad, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. 

Colin Petersen
24 Mar 1946 – 18 Nov 2024
Australian musician, who acted also. He was a member of a number of bands, most notably the Bee Gees for a brief spell in the late Sixties as their original drummer, before being replaced and then playing with Humpy Bong.

Mercy Sunot
1976 – 18 Nov 2024
A member along, with her sister Juliet and Ken, of the Nineties Filipino pop rock band Aegis. The group were popular internationally, including in Japan, and their songs featured in the musical Rak of Aegis.

Diva Gray
14 Sep 1952 – 19 Nov 2024
US singer, who was most known as giving vocal backing to such artists and Chic and Luther Vandross, among other acts, while she also featured in Bette Midler’s The Harlettes. As a solo artist, she recorded the album 
Hotel Paradise, and her single with Oyster, Saint Tropez, proved a popuar hit in France.

Saafir (Reggie Gibson)
23 Aug 1970 – 19 Nov 2024
American rapper and producer, who at one point was also a member of the Golden State Project rap act.

Carlos Pinera 
29 Sep 1948 – 20 Nov 2024
US musician, who played guitar, sang and wrote, and produced also.  He was in the line up of a number of bands from the late Sixties on, including Blues Image, Iron Butterfly, and New Cactus, and between 1980-1982 was lead guitarist for Alice Cooper.

Andrew Paley 
1 Nov 1951 – 20 Nov 2024
US songwriter, composer, and musician, who produced also.  Initially known for the Seventies power-pop duo alongside his brother Jonathan, the Paley Brothers, he went on to pursue a successful career at Sire Records, producing albums for such artists as Brian Wilson, and Jonathan Richman. He also worked in film and TV music composition, creating scores largely for animated series, such as SpongeBob, SquarePants.

Harry Williams
1944 – 22 Nov 2024
American vocalist and musician, who featured in the line up of the US funk, soul and R&B act, Bloodstone. The band enjoyed most of their success in the 1970s and early 1980s, charting 13 times in the Billboard charts.  Williams was the last surviving member.

Charles “Chuck” Woolery
16 Mar 1941 – 23 Nov 2024
American musician, though he was more largely known as a TV presenter, including of the popular game show, Wheel of Fortune.  His musical career included a top-40 hit with the Avant Garde duo, as well as various country music releases.

Helen Gallagher
19 Jul 1926 – 24 Nov 2024
American stage actress, dancer, and singer, whose vocal talents saw her shine in a number of award-winning Broadway musicals, such as Sweet Charity, and No No Nanette.

Bob Bryar 
31 Dec 1979 – 24 Nov 2024
US musician, who also worked in production, but was most known drumming for My Chemical Romance, performing with them through the Noughties until 2010.  He featured on all their albums during this period, including The Black Parade. He worked with other bands after leaving, and changed career in 2014.

Leah Kunkel (née Cohen)
15 Jun 1948 – 26 Nov 2024
American singer, who developed a subsequent career as an attorney, but was perhaps also best known as the younger sibling of the Sixties icon “Mama” Cass Elliot, of the Mamas and the Papas.

Artt Frank 
9 Mar 1933 – 27 Nov 2024
US jazz drummer known for his love of bebop and similar jazz styles. In a long and distinguished career, his highlight will have been performing and touring alongside trumpet icon Chet Baker, as well as working with other jazz notables.

Will Cullen Hart
14 Jun 1971 – 29 Nov 2024
US indie rock musician, singer and songwriter, known as the Co-Founder of the rock group The Olivia Tremor Control, and also the Elephant 6 Recording Company.

Steve Alaimo
6 Dec 1939 – 30 Nov 2024
American singer, who was a teen sensation in the early Sixties, enjoying nine singles in the Billboard Hot 100, though none making the top 40 – the most by any artist.  He later developed a successful career as a record producer and label owner, also hosting and co-producing the Dick Clark TV show, Where the Action Is. 

Howard Hughes
n/a – Nov 2024
English radio broadcaster and journalist, and creator of The Unexplained With Howard Hughes podcast. Known for his distinct voice, he reported on news and music entertainment stories across a range of radio stations, most notably with Chris Tarrant on his Capital FM Breakfast show in the 1990s, and also including Radio City in his home town of Liverpool, Talk FM, Smooth, and local BBC, as well as with IRN and others.

James McMahon
1980 – Nov 2024
English music writer, who, starting out with a passion for fanzines and for rock, enjoyed spells with the NME, as its Features Editor, and briefly GamesMaster, before serving as the colourful editor of Kerrang! between 2011 and 2017. He championed bands such as Futureheads and Maximo Park, that hailed from his native North East, and then helped to bring alternative rock acts like Bring Me The Horizon into the mainstream.  

December 2024

Jacques Barsamian 
17 Mar 1943 – 1 Dec 2024
French singer, though perhaps most known for his music writing and work with such media platforms as Rock & Folk, and Europe 1.  He authored a number of works on rock and popular music alongside his collaborator, François Jouffa.

Ty Tim (Samantha Lawrence)
1969 – 1 Dec 2024
British rapper, who was part of the Wee Papa Girl Rappers sister duo that enjoyed Eighties chart success. Starting out as backing to Feargal Sharkey, and then building profile on the Dave Pearce BBC London rap show, they reached No.21 in the Singles Charts in 1988 with their debut Heat It Up, ft. 2 Men and a Drum Machine. Further success came with Wee Rule, which made No.6. Two albums followed, including Be Aware, in 1990, which included the club hit, Get in the Groove. 

Liu Chia-chang
c. Early 1940s tbc  – 2 Dec 2024
Popular Taiwanese singer and songwriter, who also wrote for film, directed and acted.

eric
Ángela Álvarez 
13 June 1927 – 6 Dec 2024
Cuban-born US singer, and the oldest recipient of a Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her songs were first recorded on an album produced by her grandson, film composer and producer, Carlos José Álvarez. She appeared in the 2022 remake of Father of the Bride, performing the musical standard Quiéreme Mucho. 

Dickie Rock
10 Oct 1936 – 6 Dec 2024
Irish vocalist, who rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of The Miami Showband, before setting out as a solo artist in the early Seventies.  In 1966 he represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Miho Nakayama
1 Mar 1970 – 6 Dec 2024
Japanese vocalist, songwriter and actress. She made her debut in the 1980s and released her debut single, C, ahead of making her film debut in the hugely successful Be-Pop High School.  Her rising fame led to a string of hit singles, culminating in her biggest-selling songs, including Toi Machi No Doko Ka De and Wands. 

Julian Spear
n/a – 9 Dec 2024
British music promotions executive, who worked across a range of record labels, including A&M and Phonogram (effectively now Virgin:EMI). Julian played a key role in launching or supporting the careers of countless artists, ranging from ABC, Soft Cell, and Tears For Fears, to Dire Straits (including the Brothers In Arms album), INXS, Elton John, Sting, and Sheryl Crow. Other highlights included Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?, and Bryan Adams’ record-breaking 16 weeks at No.1 for (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.

Jeanne Bamberger (neé Shapiro)
11 Feb 1924 –12 Dec 2024
Renowned US music educator, whose posts included Professor of Music and Urban Education at MIT Boston, and Adjunct Professor of Music at Berkeley, and whose research into music theory was widely regarded.

Jon Camp
1949 – 13 Dec 2024
English musician, who was the bassist and a vocalist of the prog rock band, Renaissance, at the height of their Seventies popularity. He sang lead vocals on the 1975 Song Of Scheherazade and featured on every album from 1972's Prologue to 1983's Time-Line. He also worked with such artists as Roy Wood, Annie Haslam, and Robin George in the Seventies and Eighties, while also founding the band, Cathedrale.
 
Zakir Hussain 
9 Mar 1951 – 15 Dec 2024
Indian tabla master and renowned percussionist, who also composed, produced and acted. He is considered to have brought Indian classical music to a wider global audience, and collected four Grammy awards, while also being awarded America’s National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, and India’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Anita Bryant
25 Mar 1940 – 16 Dec 2024
US Christian singer and advocate, who achieved three top-20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s, but whose success fell away in the wake of her opposition to gay rights.

Steve Lewinson
1966 tbc – 16 Dec 2024
English musician, who, starting out in jazz, went on to work with artists of the calibre of Annie Lennox, Sade, and George Michael, and also recorded for film soundtracks. He was most known as a bass player with pop soul band, Simply Red, playing on their 1998 Blue and then on the albums that followed, up to 2003.

Michael Brewer 
14 Apr 1944 – 17 Dec 2024
US musician, who, with Tom Shipley, formed Brewer & Shipley, and were successful in the folk rock circuit, supporting such acts as The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield in their live shows.  The duo’s third LP, Tarkio, featured the track One Toke Over The Line, which reached the Billboard Hot 100 in the early 1970s.

Alfa Anderson
7 Sep 1946 – 17 Dec 2024
US singer, celebrated as one of the lead vocalists of the funk/disco band, Chic, performing on such classic hits as Good Times and Le Freak. Prior to this, Anderson had worked with such artists as Dionne Warwick, while also appearing on the recording of The Wiz soundtrack. After Chic ended in 1983, she worked with Luther Vandross, performing at Wembley Stadium, and provided vocals support for the likes of Bryan Adams and Mick Jagger. She eventually became an educator, but her achievements saw her receive the G.E.M.A. Foundation's Golden Mic Award as well as a Citation from the City of Philadelphia for her contributions to music. She also received the Keys to the City of Augusta, with May 5 declared Alfa Anderson Day. 

David Mallett 
21 Apr 1951 – 17 Dec 2024
US singer-songwriter and active member of the independent music community, including though his own label North Road Records, who was perhaps best known for his folk composition, The Garden Song, which featured in The Muppets TV show. His compositions were recorded by well over 150 artists, including notably, Pete Seegers, Arlo Guthrie, and Alison Krauss. 

Bob "Slim" Dunlap
14 Aug 1951 – 18 Dec 2024
US rock guitarist and singer-songwriter, most known as playing in the band The Replacements around the late Eighties/early Nineties.  He also pursued solo album projects in the 1990s, and drew admiration from Bruce Springsteen, among others. 

Stanley Booth 
5 Jan 1942 – 19 Dec 2024
US music writer, who was a specialist in roots and blues, and who wrote extensively about the Rolling Stones and who the careers of artists including James Brown, Janis Joplin, Elvis, Gram Parsons, and Al Green in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Gaboro (Ninos Khouri)
20 Dec 2000https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaboro – 19 Dec 2024
Swedish rapper and songwriter, who helped grow Sweden’s Hip-Hop scene, and was also known for wearing his trademark black ski mask and sunglasses in his music videos.

Sugar Pie DeSanto (Peylia Balinton)
16 Oct 1935 – 20 Dec 2024
US R&B vocalist, whose career took off in the Fifties and Sixties. Discovered by Johnny Otis, she toured with his band the Johnny Otis Revue, before also performing with James Brown. Her single I Want to Know made the top-5 of the Billboard Hot R&B Chart to reach a wider audience, leading to a contract with Chess Records. She continued to promote R&B with her recordings and performances and was eventually recognised by the Blues Hall of Fame. 

Helena Zeťová 
7 Nov 1980 – 20 Dec 2024
Czech rock singer, who rose to public prominence winning on the Do-Re-Me TV talent show. 

Richard Perry
18 Jun 1942 – 24 Dec 2024
US record producer, whose rapid rise in the Sixties saw him achieve multi-Gold and Platinum sales success by the early Eighties, by which time he’d launched his own label, Planet Records, and was helping to shape the global success of artists like The Pointer Sisters, and subsequently, the likes of Carly Simon and Rod Stewart.

Casey Chaos (Karim Chmielinski)
9 Oct 1965 — 20 Dec 2024
US punk and metal musician, who was known to most fans as the lead singer of the LA rock band Amen. 

Dulce (Bertha Cárdenas)
29 Jul 1955 – 25 Dec 2024
Mexican singer, who acted also. Beginning with the group Toby and His Friends, she pursued a solo career and developed a following in her homeland and other Spanish-speaking markets.

Richard Parsons
4 Apr 1948 – 26 Dec 2024
US business executive who worked across various sectors, spanning banking to sport, and also had an impact on the global entertainment industry as chairman and CEO of Time Warner, where he orchestrated the sale of Warner Music, and as CBS’ interim chairman of the board.  He additionally served as chairman of the board of directors of the Jazz Foundation, and was Co-Chair of the advisory board of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

OG Maco (Benedict Ihesiba Jr.) 
23 April 1992 – 26 Dec 2024
US rapper, most known for his 2014 debut track U Guessed It, later remixed and covered by 2 Chainz to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Among his many collaborations, he founded Hip-Hop collective OGG. In 2016, he recorded the EP For Scott… in tribute to rapper Kid Cudi.

Linda Lavin 
15 Oct 1937 – 29 Dec 2024
Award-winning American actress, who also earned plaudits for her vocal performances in stage roles.  She was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, including Gypsy and Follies.

Bob Bertles 
6 Mar 1939 – 30 Dec 2024
Australian jazz musician, session artist, and bandleader, who specialised in sax and shaped Melbourne’s developing modern jazz scene before broadening his national appeal through pop rock. In later years he was a frequent visitor to Europe, and also performed in the Australian production of the musical Chicago.

Loretta Di Franco 
28 Oct 1942 – 30 Dec 2024
US soprano, who was a mainstay of New York’s Metropolitan Opera for nearly four decades until well into the 1990s, and who also performed as a concert singer. Her first substantial role, as Chloe in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, announced her talent, and she went on to perform many of opera’s leading and supporting roles. 

Campbell Watson
20 Jul 2004 – 30 Dec 2024
British student from Surrey, who attended the BRIT School in Croydon to pursue his passion for the creative arts and, in particular, lighting design.  It was a love that saw him develop his technical skills at the 2022 BRIT Awards, where he was selected for a placement on the lighting team, and then music festivals, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, tours by artists such as Lana Del Rey and The Weeknd, and even boxing contests in Saudi Arabia.  A lifetime of experience and achievement that he packed brilliantly into just a few short years, and a life that ended tragically much too soon, but which honoured his loving family and his friends, his fellow students, and all those fortunate enough to know him. 

Don Nix
27 Sep 1941 – 31 Dec 2024
US musician, songwriter, and record producer, who is most known for his composition Going Down – in the style of southern soul and rock. 

Johnnie Walker MBE (Peter Waters Dingley)
30 Mar 1945 – 31 Dec 2024
A much-loved figure in British radio broadcasting, who, having started out on pirate radio in the 1960s, notably at Radio Caroline, went on to develop a near five-decade career with the BBC in support of its music output, initially with Radio 1 as one of its main presenters, including for the Tuesday Chart run-down, and then, following a five-year hiatus in the Eighties, that saw him move to the US, through much of the Noughties, with Radio 2, where he hosted popular programmes, such as Sounds of the 70s and The Radio 2 Rock Show. He also presented for BBC Radio 5 Live! and GLR, as well as at commercial network stations such as LBC and Classic Gold. 

DJ Alfredo (Alfredo Fiorito)
1953 – Dec 2024 tbc
Argentinian, whose influence on the Ibiza Club Scene since his debut at Amnesia in 1983, and then such club brands as Pacha, Manumission, and Space, saw him dubbed the “Father of the Balearic Beat” – a unique fusion of house, disco, rock, jazz, soul and synth-pop styles. His impact was felt around the world, and also in London, inspiring young DJs such as Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling to create their own club nights.

Malcolm Brown
N/a – Dec 2024 tbc
British radio plugger and producer, who started out at the BBC in the early Sixties as a trainee studio manager and went on to develop a long career in broadcast working largely across Radio 1 and Radio 2, most notably in collaboration with Steve Wright on programmes such as Young Steve, The Afternoon Boys, and The Legendary Pub Singer. He was also responsible for many of John Peel’s sessions, among other content.

Lennie De Ice (Lenworth Green)
1970 – Dec 2024 tbc
Pioneering British artist, who also created under the aliases of Body Snatcher and Lick Down Crew, and whose 1991 track We Are I.E is considered a key influence in the development of jungle music. De Ice was also a member of groups including CIS Production, Dub Hustlers, and Madd-Ice.

Paul Roper
1979 – Dec 2024
American music executive, who rose to become President of the Dualtone Music Group as part of the Nashville country music scene, having joined as an intern. He is reported to have played an integral role in the signing and release of over 200 albums, garnering Americana Music Association award wins, multiple Grammy nominations and four Grammy wins.  He in particular championed acclaimed albums by such artists as The Lumineers, as well as Mt. Joy, and June Carter Cash, among others.  

January 2025

Chad Morgan
11 Feb 1933 – 1 Jan 2025
Australian country and western singer and musician, known for his signature style of vaudeville delivery.

Nora Orlandi
28 Jun 1933 – 1 Jan 2025
Italian musician, composer, and soprano, who worked with such major Italian artists as Lucio Battisti and Adriano Celentano. One of the leading women in Italian cinema composition, including Spaghetti Westerns, she was known for the Dies Irae piece that was performed in The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, and which subsequently featured in Kill Bill: Volume 2. 

Leo Dan (Leopoldo Dante Tévez)
22 Mar 1942 – 1 Jan 2025
US-based Argentinian composer and singer, also popular in Mexico. In a long career, he recorded and released more 20 albums, recognised In 2012 with a Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Wayne Osmond
28 Aug 1951 – 1 Jan 2025
At their peak of their Seventies popularity, the all-family Osmonds group were rarely out of the charts or off our screens. Vocalist and musician Wayne was the second-eldest of the original Osmond Brothers line-up, which began as a barbershop quartet and found fame through the Andy Williams TV show.  Propelled by the teen appeal of younger brother Donny, they became hugely popular internationally and in the UK, where they enjoyed No.1 success with Love Me For A Reason, and had hits such as Crazy Horses and The Proud One.  

Russ North
22 Jul 1965 – 1 Jan 2025
English rock vocalist, who grew up in North Wales, and is most known for his association with the metal band Cloven Hoof across different spells. He had previously co-founded his own band, Monza, and also appeared with another Welsh band, Tredegar. 

Ferdi Tayfur
15 Nov 1945 – 2 Jan 2025
Turkish vocalist and songwriter, specializing in Arabesque music, who was also very active in film as an actor, director and screenwriter. He recorded more than 30 albums, including on his own Ferdifon Records, earning nine gold certifications in his home country.

Brenton Wood (Alfred Jesse Smith)
26 Jul 1941 – 3 Jan 2025
US singer and songwriter, who enjoyed a string of hits in the Billboard charts in the last Sixties with songs such as The Oogum Boogum Song, the million-seller Gimme Little Sign, which reached No.8 in the UK, and Baby You Got It. He also worked with various artists, including Al McKay of Earth, Wind and Fire.

Ed Askew
1 Dec 1940 – 4 Jan 2025
US painter artist, who was also a singer-songwriter starting out in the New York scene of the late Sixties. Career highlights included a collaboration with Sharon Van Etten for his 2013 LP For the World.

Blaine "Beej" Chaney
30 Apr 1957 – 5 Jan 2025
American punk singer and musician, most known as the guitarist of the Minneapolis New Wave outfit, The Suburbs over a four-decade period. He additionally contributed through his LA Shangri-La recording studio.

Renuaras "Erkė" Krivelis
1974 – 5 Jan 2025
Lithuanian musician with the group Erkė Maiše.

Fredrik Lindgren
1 Feb 1971 – 5 Jan 2025
Swedish musician and songwriter, who contributed guitar and lyrics to various rock bands he performed with, such as death metal band Unleashed, of which he was a co-founding member and played on their four studio albums, and also Celestial Pain, Loud Pipes, Terra Firma, and Atlantic Tide, among others.

Hope Foye (Frances Wainwright)
2 Sep, 1921 – 6 Jan 2025
US folk singer who performed with artists ranging from Paul Robeson and Pete Seeger, and who also had a strong association with the band The Weavers. She featured in Dance Me A Song, the first musical by Bob Fosse, and was a regular performer in Mexico and in Europe.

Stella Greka (Styliani Lagada)
1 Apr 1922 – 6 Jan 2025
Greek actress, but who sang also. Emerging around the time of the Second World War, she recorded a number of songs popular in her home country, such as Let's Go into the Unknown, and Marina's Song, and also sang in some of her film roles, such as in Marina. 

Ragne Wahlquist
1955 – 7 Jan 2025 tbc
Swedish musician and frontman vocalist who, with his brother Styrbjörn and others formed the metal band Heavy Load. In 1978, they released their debut LP Full Speed at High Level, and continued recording until they switched their focus on developing Thunderload Studios. In 2018 the band reunited, releasing their fourth album, Riders of the Ancient Storm. 

Sam Moore
12 Oct 1935 – 10 Jan 2025
R&B and soul vocalist, who was known for his tenor voice and was part of the Sam & Dave duo who enjoyed considerable success across the Sixties and Eighties. Known for their live performances and for inspiring a generation of artists, their biggest success came with their 1967 cover of Hayes and Porter’s, Soul Man, which memorably featured in The Blues Brothers. The duo’s achievements saw them inducted in the Rock and Roll and Grammy Halls of Fame. In 2006, Moore also received a MOBO award for lifetime achievement.

Mark Izu
30 Sep 1954 – 12 Jan 2025
US jazz artist, musician and composer of Japanese heritage, who helped to forge an Asian American jazz style, including as long-time curator of the Asian Jazz Festival. His compositions included orchestral work as well as for film and theatre and dance. 

P. Fluid (Peter Forrest)
1960 – 13 Jan 2025 tbc
American singer, who enjoyed some success in the 1980s, including as singer for the rock band 24-7 Spyz.

Buck White
1930 – 13 Jan 2025
American country music singer and musician, who was part of and father of the members of the family trio, The Whites, which formed in the early 1970s. They recorded multiple albums and achieves success in the country music scene, including with a range of artists, such as bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs.

David Lynch
20 Jan 1946 – 15 Jan 2025
American known largely for his iconic films and TV work, including Wild at Heart and Twin Peaks, and music, and whose creative output blended the visual and musical to powerful effect, seen in such work as Blue Velvet.  As a musician, he released the studio albums BlueBOB, and Crazy Clown Time, and The Big Dream, while he notably also directed a number of music videos, for artists ranging from Moby to Nine Inch Nails.

Linda Nolan
23 Feb 1959 – 15 Jan 2025
Irish singer, who went on to act and become a TV personality. She will mainly be remembered as a member of the all-sister vocal group, The Nolans, who became hugely popular in the late Seventies and early Eighties, landing seven UK top 20 hits, including the disco favourite, I’m in the Mood for Dancing. Linda developed a successful solo career in the 1980s, and also went into theatre and TV, finding a new audience on shows such as Big Brother and Loose Women.

Bob Kuban
19 Aug 1940 – 20 Jan 2025
US musician, drummer, and bandleader, who, inspired by the sounds of Ike and Tina Turner, started out with his own band, Bob Kuban and The In-Men.  He went on to release the top-20 1966 hit The Cheater and enjoyed success with other singles, both in the US and Canada.

Garth Hudson CM
2 Aug 1937 – 21 Jan 2025
Canadian musician and multi-instrumentalist, most regarded as the keyboardist and occasional sax player for the legendary rock group, The Band. Hudson was credited as a key influence in shaping their signature sound and style, and was himself hailed as “the most brilliant organist in the rock world”. The band’s achievements, backed by their fervent fandom, saw them inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hudson’s talents were such that other artists, including the likes of Sir Elton John, Van Morrison, and Leonard Cohen engaged his services for their recordings.  

Paddy Cole
17 Dec 1939 – 22 Jan 2025
Prolific Irish band leader, vocalist and musician, who, in a career spanning seven decades, was largely associated with the era of showbands, including through his act the Paddy Cole Band, later renamed the Paddy Cole Superstars. He influenced other artists in promoting Irish music at home and in the US.  

Barry Goldberg 
25 Dec 1941 – 22 Jan 2025
US blues and rock keyboardist, who was also regarded as a songwriter, and record producer. His talent saw him produce for and work with numerous celebrated artists, including Bob Dylan, Percy Sledge, Stephen Stills, Steve Miller, and Leonard Cohen. His songs, some co-written with Gerry Goffin, have been recorded by many artists, ranging from Gladys Knight, and Rod Stewart, to Joe Cocker, and B.J. Thomas.

Edweena Banger (Eddie Garrity)
N/a – 24 Jan 2025 tbc 
English front-person and vocalist, who was described by Louder Than War as “a core member of the Manchester music scene”.  Edweena was involved with punk acts The Nosebleeds, and Slaughter & The Dogs, performing and singing on the band’s 1980 album, Bite Back.

Gary Grier
N/a – 26 Jan 2025
American vocalist, who, in a career that saw him work with various artists, was at one point in the line up of the R&B vocal group, The Contours. The act recorded for Motown, among other labels, and are best known for their 1962 hit Do You Love Me, which was a million-seller first-time around, and charted again in 1988.

Unk (Anthony Platt)
28 Nov 1981 – 24 Jan 2025
American Hip-Hop DJ and “hype-man” backing vocalist, known mainly to fans for his 2006 hit Walk It Out, which reached the top-10 in the Billboard Hot 100. He also recorded the albums Beat‘n Down Your Block and 2econd Season, releasing a number of tracks off of these to more modest success. 

Walter Samuel
N/a – Jan 2025 tbc
English record engineer and music producer, who, from the early Seventies, worked extensively with various artists, including Van Morrison, Talk Talk, Heaven 17, Tom Jones, U2, and Tina Turner. He began his career at Nova Sound, and worked also at CBS Whitfield Street and Utopia, among other studios.  One of his first projects was mixing the No.1 song by Guys and Dolls, A Whole Lot of Loving. He also remixed one of the biggest selling singles of the Eighties, Jennifer Rush's The Power of Love.

John Sykes
29 Jul 1959 – Jan 2025
British rock musician, who in the Eighties played guitar with bands including Whitesnake – recording the multi-platinum 1987 album with them, Thin Lizzy, and Tygers of Pan Tang, before he formed his own band, Blue Murder. In 2004, he made Guitar World’s list of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.

Bruce Howe
1948 – 29 Jan 2025
Australian musician, who played lead guitar and performed vocals with Seventies prog rock band, Fraternity, which also included Bon Scott before he eventually moved on to AC/DC.  The band’s biggest initial hit was a cover of Seasons of Change, and its members went onto become mainstays of the Australian rock scene.

Marianne Faithfull
29 Dec 1946 – 30 Jan 2025
English singer and actor, who had a meteoric rise in the 1960s, variously described as a “muse”, thanks in part to her association with the Rolling Stones and a highly publicised relationship with Mick Jagger, as well as a hugely successful self-titled debut LP and the single As Tears Go By, as well as a starring role in the cult film, The Girl on a Motorcycle, although the celebrity that accompanied her popularity was to have a damaging effect on her life at the time.  She made a successful return in the late Seventies with the acclaimed, career-defining album, Broken English, earning a Grammy nomination, and then with subsequent recordings in the 1980s, which helped to introduce her to a new audience.  In the Nineties, Faithfull embraced biographical writing, successfully publishing three volumes of her memoirs, including her last work in 2014, Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record (2014). By now, her importance and influence as an artist was more fully recognised, and, among numerous accolades, in 2011 she was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Artes et des Lettres by the French government.

Ben Vaughn
1976 – 30 Jan 2025
American music executive, who was President and CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville. Chappell Music Co-Chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall said: “….Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth, and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious. He was always a passionate advocate of songwriters and a topflight music publisher. The Nashville community has lost one of its greatest champions, and he will be profoundly missed by so many across our company and the entire industry.”

February 2025

Salvatore "Sal" Maida
29 Jul 1948 – 1 Feb 2025
American-Italian musician, who pursued a varied career in music, but is known mainly for playing bass guitar with numerous bands, including The Ouija, and Milk ‘n’ Cookies, and also for working with Roxy Music and with Sparks, among others.

Big S (Barbie Hsu) 
6 Oct 1976 – 2 Feb 2025
Taiwanese artist, who was mainly known for her acting and TV work, appearing on such shows as Meteor Garden, but who was a singer also. She and her sister Dee formed the pop duo S.O.S. (Sisters of Shu), and enjoyed success with their debut album and then in 1995 the hit song, Ten-Minute Love.

Mike Ratledge 
6 May 1943 – 5 Feb 2025
English musician, who drew on psychedelic music and jazz-rock, and came out of the “Canterbury Scene”.  He was a founding member of Seventies band Soft Machine, along with Robert Wyatt. In November 1973, he took part in the live BBC performance of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. Ratledge went on to become an active producer of music for TV commercials and in theatre. A landmark moment arrived in 1995, when, with Karl Jenkins and Miriam Stockley, Ratledge co-produced and recorded the acclaimed album, Songs of Sanctuary.

Dave Jerden 
25 Jul 1949 – 5 Feb 2025
US record producer, sound engineer and mixer, who worked with major artists in the 1980s and 1990s in particular, including Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, and The Offspring, among others, as well as parody act, Spinal Tap.  In a distinguished career, he also worked with such greats as The Rolling Stones and Talking Heads in helping to engineer their studio recordings. 

Irv Gotti (Irving Lorenzo Jr.)
26 Jun 1970 – 5 Feb 2025
US music executive and record producer, who co-founded with his brother Chris, the influential rap and Hip-Hop label, Murder Inc. Records.  Gotti is known for his role in helping to discover and promote artists such as Ja Rule, DMX, Jay-Z, Ashanti, and Jennifer Lopez.  Among his many other achievements, he was also the creator of the BET series Tales.

Naâman (Martin Mussard)
25 Feb 1990 – 7 Feb 2025
French vocalist, songwriter and musician, who embraced reggae and ska styles, as well as Hip-Hop, dancehall and other influences. His first mixtape, Deep Rockers, was well received, and in 2012 he travelled to Jamaica to study the island’s rasta culture. On his return to France he released the first of four studio albums, Deep Rockers, Back A Yard. His 2015 sophomore LP, Rays of Resistance, took him on a world tour that extended to the Middle East, India and Jamaica. With his friends in 2015, he organized a concert in aid of the Nepal earthquake victims, shortly after a gig he had in Nepal itself. He also campaigned to support migrant workers.

Horst Weidenmüller 
1964 – Feb 2025
German music industry executive, innovator and entrepreneur, who founded !K7 Music in 1985. Starting out in the 1980s as a follower of punk and as a producer of concert videos, he went on to become an influential figure in the Berlin techno music industry of the early Nineties. He was highly regarded by industry colleagues, and, among various roles,  served on the board of the music trade bodies, IMPALA, where he was Co-President up to 2011, and the Merlin Network. 

Terror Danjah (Rodney Pryce)
N/a – Feb 2025 n/a
Considered a legendary British grime producer, who developed the genre in the early Noughties to become one of its champions. He started with the N.A.S.T.Y. Crew, producing beats for such MCs as D Double E, Kano, and Ghetts, while his work with soul singers like Shola Ama and Shaznay Lewis helped bring the genre to the mainstream. He also collaborated with acts including Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, FourTet, and Tinie Tempah.

Tommy Hunt 
18 Jun 1933 – 12 Feb 2025
US soul vocalist, and a Northern Soul favourite in the 1950s and 1960s, who was also part of the celebrated R&B group the Flamingos, which in 1959 recorded a popular cover of I Only Have Eyes For You.  Hunt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, along with the other Flamingos members.

Jamie Muir 
30 Nov 1942 – 17 Feb 2025
Scottish artist and musician, who featured as percussionist with the prog act King Crimson in the early Seventies, performing on their fifth album, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. Following a hiatus to pursue a more spiritual lifestyle, he returned in the 1980s to work with such artists as Derek Bailey, and Michael Giles, but in 1990 left for good to concentrate on his art painting.

Paquita la del Barrio (Francisca Barradas)
2 Apr 1947 – 17 Feb 2025
Grammy-nominated Mexican vocalist and an exponent of traditional songs. Popular with female audiences in particular, she was regarded as an empowering figure for women in a male-dominated industry, and in 2021 was honoured with a Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award by Billboard.

Rick Buckler
6 Dec 1955 – 17 Feb 2025
British musician, most known to music fans as the drummer of the iconic new wave group, The Jam, which notably also featured Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton. Buckler appeared on the band’s six albums, including the 1977 debut, In The City, and their most successful release, Sound Effects. Following the band’s split, in 1983, he briefly reunited with Foxton, and with Jimmy Edwards formed Sharp, before also becoming involved in studio production. After a decade-long hiatus from music, in the 2000s Buckler returned with new band, the Gift, which focused on Jam material, and in 2007, with Foxton on bass, began touring under the name of From the Jam. Buckler quit in September 2009, and remained out of music from that time.

"Snowy" Fleet (Gordon Henry) 
16 Aug 1939 – 18 Feb 2025
Liverpool-born drummer, who performed with various bands at the time The Beatles were making their way, including with the Nomads, before he emigrated to Australia. Developing his career there, he found success with The Easybeats, whose move to the UK saw them land a top-10 hit with Friday On My Mind, now a Sixties classic. With the group, Fleet was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005.

Karl Cochran
1965 – 19 Feb 2025
American guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and producer, who recorded and toured with numerous stand-out rock musicians, such as Joe Lynn Turner, Corky Lang, Felix Pappalardi, and Brian May, as well as jazz great Ricky Sebastian. He had a particularly productive collaboration with KISS’s Ace Frehley and Eric Singer.

Jerry Butler Jr. 
8 Dec 1939 – 20 Feb 2025
US soul singer and songwriter, musician, and producer, who went on to pursue a career in politics. Butler began as the original lead vocalist of R&B group, the Impressions, with whom he was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and then the R&B National Hall of Fame as a solo artist. Individually, he worked with artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Otis Redding, and he notched up 55 hits on the Billboard charts, with songs including He Will Break Your Heart, and Let It Be Me.

Gwen McCrae 
21 Dec 1943 – 21 Feb 2025
US vocalist, most regarded for her 1975 success with Rockin’ Chair. Covering a range of styles, from gospel to funk, she was known affectionately as the Queen of Rare Groove, and her influence continues, with contemporary artists sampling her music.

Fred “Bekky” Beekmans
1944 – 21 Feb 2025
Belgian guitarist and vocalist, who was a founding member of the rock band The Pebbles, who were active in the Sixties and Seventies, and were popular across the Benelux countries, as well as France and Spain.

Voletta Wallace
3 Feb 1953 tbc – 21 Feb 2025
Jamaican-born American, who was the mother of Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G. She pursued a career in education, and founded the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation. 

Gerry Arling
1962 – 21 Feb 2025
Dutch artist, part of the electronic duo Arling & Cameron. They were known for their signature Seventies kitsch sound that drew from a breadth of influences, ranging from French pop to traditional Japanese. With the group Pizzicato Five they co-wrote the popular song, Arigato, We Love You.

Ken Parker (Kenneth Farquharson)
23 Feb 1948 – 22 Feb 2025
Jamaican musician most active in the 1960s, including through his band the Blues Benders, with their debut release Honeymoon by the Sea. His popularity grew as a solo artist, however, and he found himself working with leading producers, including Bunny Lee and Lloyd Chalmers. He gradually left the industry, but always enjoyed a dedicated following, and in 2014 performed a sold-out show at London’s International Ska and Reggae Festival.

Bill Fay 
9 Sep 1943 – 22 Feb 2025
British folk singer, songwriter and musician, who was largely active in the 1970s, but started enjoying a growing appreciation with a dedicated fanbase during the 1990s, which saw his older works reissued.  Fay’s last work was his LP Countless Branches, which was released in 2020.

Chris Jasper
30 Dec 1951 – 23 Feb 2025
US musician and vocalist, who produced and composed also. Jasper was most known to music fans as a member of the Isley Brothers soul group in the 1970s and 1980s, contributing his signature keyboards sound. He was also successful as a solo artist, releasing up to 20 albums of his own, while he also produced for a number of contemporary artists for Gold City Records, his New York City-based label.

Jacques De Jongh
n/a – 23 Feb 2025
Australian musician, who performed with a number of bands in the 1970s and 1980s, including Hush, and Redhouse.

Roberta Flack
10 Feb 1937 – 24 Feb 2025
American soul and R&B vocalist, musician and songwriter, whose legacy includes some of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, not least her seventies classics The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – the biggest hit of 1972, spending six weeks at the top of the Billboard chart and selling more than a million copies, and the No.1 Killing Me Softly With His Song. Both songs were massive global successes, with the latter enjoying another surge in global popularity after The Fugees covered it in 1996, reaching No.1 in 20 countries. The impact of both recordings saw Flack achieve the unique feat at the time of winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year two years consecutively, in 1973 and 1974.  Flack collaborated with many of the industry’s’ fellow greats, from Burt Bacharach to Michael Jackson, and in 2020 was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammys, one of five she received in total.  In 2021, she was also one of the first inductees into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Robert John
3 Jan 1946 – 24 Feb 2025
US vocalist and songwriter, who will be most remembered by fans for his late Seventies hit song, Sad Eyes, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979. He also achieved a million-selling hit with a cover of The Token’s The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and among his songwriting credits, he penned the track, I Can't Move No Mountains for the rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears. 

Phil Tripp
1950 n/a – Feb 2025
US-born industry figure, writer, and passionate advocate of new technologies, who shaped the Australian music business as it entered the digital era in the 1990s. For two decades he organised the popular Austral-Asian Music Business Conference, among his credits, and through his company Immedia! published the Austral-Asian Music Industry Directory for nearly a quarter of a century. He founded TheMusic.com.au and was the SXSW representative for the global region covering Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.

Henry Kelly
17 Apr 1946 – 25 Feb 2025
Irish broadcaster and entertainer on TV and radio, who was also a journalist and actor. He is most known to music fans as one of the inaugural presenters on Classic FM, which first aired in 1992. 

Coburn Pharr
1963 – 25 Feb 2025
US musician, who was in the line up of various rock and metal bands, including the LA 1980s act, Omen.

*NB Some February/March 2024 entries that were not included in last year’s BRITs In Memoriam may have been added.