Musician Deaths of 2023

In 2023, we lost numerous luminaries within the wide sphere of the music community. Below are many of the artists and music industry influencers who passed last year. They are arranged alphabetically, the person’s name followed by the death date and a brief description of who they were.

If an artist’s name is highlighted in blue, you can click on it to be taken to Best Classic Bands’ full obituary.

Below the list of musical artists, we’ve also noted several other prominent figures whose lives were lost in 2023.

We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.

Donn Adams—4/18—Trombonist with NRBQ’s Whole Wheat Horns; brother of founder Terry Adams

Chad Allan—11/21—Original lead singer for the Guess Who

Ron Altbach—2/21—Keyboardist for King Harvest (“Dancing in the Moonlight”)

Ed Ames—5/21—Ames Brothers singer and Daniel Boone TV series star

Katherine Anderson—9/20—-Co-founder of the Marvelettes. Co-lead vocalist on “Too Many Fish in the Sea”

Leny Andrade—7/24—Brazilian singer

Robert “Stewkey” Antoni—10/8—Lead singer with the Nazz

Clarence Avant—8/13—Music business executive who discovered Bill Withers, managed Sarah Vaughan and others, worked with Motown and Stax labels

Burt Bacharach—2/8—Masterful songwriter of hits for Dionne Warwick, Carpenters, B.J. Thomas, and more

Robbie Bachman—1/12—Drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Tim Bachman—4/28—Co-founding guitarist of Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Ian Bairnson—4/7—Guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, Kate Bush, and others

Bruce Barthol—2/20—Founding bassist of Country Joe and the Fish

Russell Batiste—10/1—Go-to drummer for many New Orleans funk and R&B acts

Paul Beasley—3/13—Tenor vocalist for the gospel group the Blind Boys of Alabama

Keith Beaton—1/13—Singer with Blue Magic (“Sideshow”)

Jeff Beck—1/10—Groundbreaking rock/blues/jazz guitarist

Harry Belafonte—4/25—Trailblazing singer, entertainer and activist

Tony Bennett—7/21—Celebrated song stylist whose career spanned several decades

Dick Biondi—6/26—Chicago-based Top 40 disc jockey

Jane Birkin—7/16—British-born singer and actress known for the hit “Je t’aime…moi non plus” and for her long-term personal and artistic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg

Jeff Blackburn—1/6—Half of the ’60s folk-rock duo Blackburn and Snow; co-writer of Neil Young’s “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)”

Jerry Blavat—1/20—Legendary Philadelphia disc jockey

Carla Bley—10/17—Jazz pianist, composer; recipient of NEA Jazz Masters award

Jerry Bradley—7/17—Country music executive

Lin Brehmer—1/22—Disc jockey at WXRT-FM Chicago

Peter Brötzmann—6/22—German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist

George Brown—11/16—Co-founder/drummer of Kool and the Gang, and co-writer of most of their hits

Pete Brown—5/19—Lyricist for Cream (“Sunshine of Your Love,” “White Room”)

Victor Brox—2/20—British blues musician

Angelo Bruschini—10/23—Guitarist with Massive Attack, Blue Aeroplanes

Dennis Budimir—1/10—Guitarist with the Wrecking Crew

Jimmy Buffett—9/1—Singer-songwriter best known for his 1977 hit “Margaritaville”

Brian Bukantis—2/17—Founder of the long-running record collecting publication Goldmine magazine

Colin Burgess—12/16—Original drummer for AC/DC

Nigel Burlinson—1/18—Music publishing executive with key role in administering multiple song catalogs including the Beatles, Beach Boys, Yes, Supertramp and Bob Marley

Bobby Caldwell—3/14—R&B/jazz singer (“What You Won’t Do for Love”)

Ronny Carle—10/22—Bassist of New York City punk era band the Laughing Dogs

James Casey—8/28—Saxophonist in Trey Anastasio Band

Larry Chance—9/6—Leader of doo-wop singing group the Earls (“Remember Then”)

Len Chandler—8/29—Folk singer and topical songwriter during the ’60s-’70s

Nick “Chinga” Chavin—3/15—Leader of the ’70s band Country Porn

Lee Clayton—6/12—Country singer-songwriter whose songs were recorded by the Highwaymen, Jerry Jeff Walker and others

Lawrence Cohn—10/31—Record company executive and blues who co-founded Legacy Recordings and wrote about Robert Johnson, also producing the blues legend’s boxed set

Van Conner—1/17—Co-founder and bassist of Screaming Trees

Ivan Conti—4/18—Co-founder of Brazilian jazz-funk trio Azymuth

Michael “Ibo” Cooper—10/12—Member of reggae group Inner Circle and co-founder of Third World

Brendan Croker—9/10—English musician who recorded under his own name as well as with Mark Knopfler, Notting Hillbillies, the Mekons, Eric Clapton and others

David Crosby—1/18—Co-founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash; singer/songwriter

John Cutler—12/24—Producer, archivist and sound technician for the Grateful Dead

Sam Cutler—7/11—Road manager for the Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead

Carl D’Errico—1/3—Songwriter who co-wrote the Animals’ hit “It’s My Life” and songs for the Yardbirds and others

Dean Daughtry—1/26—Keyboardist and founding member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Classics IV

Richard Davis—9/6—Jazz bassist

Windle Davis—6/30—Founding member of the Boston-based new wave band Human Sexual Response

Norman Dayron—12/15—Producer of blues artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Michael Bloomfield

Dix Denne—3/12—Guitarist of punk bands the Weirdos, Thelonious Monster

João Donato—7/17—Brazilian jazz pianist

Jack Earls—6/12—Country and rockabilly singer

Bobby Eli—8/17—Founding member and lead guitarist of MFSB

Billy “The Kid” Emerson—4/25—R&B artist who recorded for Sun Records

Simon Emerson—3/13—Co-founder of Afro Celt Sound System

Junior English—3/10—Jamaican reggae singer

Bobbi Ercoline—3/18—Woman pictured on the cover of the iconic Woodstock soundtrack LP

Johnny Fean—4/28—Guitarist with Horslips

Bob Feldman—8/23—Songwriter and producer who co-authored several ’60s hits, including “I Want Candy” and “My Boyfriend’s Back”

Cliff Fish—4/14—Bass guitarist and vocalist for Paper Lace (“The Night Chicago Died”)

Jeff Foskett—12/11—Longtime musical director of Brian Wilson’s solo band and, later, the Mike Love-led Beach Boys.

Mo Foster—7/3—British bassist who played with Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, Gerry Rafferty, Brian May and others

Curtis Fowlkes—9/1—Jazz trombonist, founding member of the Jazz Passengers

Renée Geyer—1/17—Jazz and soul singer popular in Australia

John Giblin—5/14—Bassist who played with Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Annie Lennox and others.

Astrud Gilberto—6/5—Brazilian singer who recorded the smash bossa nova hit “The Girl From Ipanema”

Myles Goodwyn—12/3—Leader of Canadian band April Wine

Jim Gordon—3/13—World-class drummer (with Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, George Harrison and many others), who was imprisoned for killing his mother

John Gosling—8/4—Keyboardist for the Kinks from 1970-78

Burt Gowers—1/15—Director of music videos, including Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Robert Haimer—3/4—Half of the duo Barnes & Barnes (“Fish Heads”), along with actor Bill Mumy

Gordy Harmon—1/5—Singer with R&B group the Whispers

Sheldon Harnick—6/23—Lyricist for Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello and other musicals

Dickie Harrell—5/31—Drummer with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps

Rolf Harris—5/10—Australian entertainer who scored a top 10 U.S. hit with “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” in 1963

Paul Harris—10/24—Prolific pianist who played with Stephen Stills, B.B. King, Bob Seger and many others

Wee Willie Harris—4/27—Early British rock ‘n’ roller

Steve Harwell—9/4—Lead singer of Smash Mouth (“All Star”)

Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins—3/16—Co-founding vocalist with Parliament-Funkadelic

Ray Hildebrand—8/18—Male half of the duo Paul and Paula, who scored a #1 hit in 1963 with the ballad “Hey Paula”

Gary Hobish—10/29—San Francisco-based engineer and musician

Redd Holt—5/23—Drummer with the Ramsey Lewis Trio during the era of “The In Crowd” and later a co-founder of Young-Holt Unlimited

Brad Houser—7/24—Bassist with Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

Ron Howden—9/29—Co-founder/drummer of Nektar

Leon Hughes—3/1—Member of the Coasters

Ron Haffkine—10/1—Manager and producer for Dr. Hook

Ralph Humphrey—4/18—Drummer for Frank Zappa, others

Russell Hunter—12/19—Drummer for U.K. bands the Deviants and the Pink Fairies

Rudolph Isley—10/11—Founding member of the Isley Brothers

Chuck Jackson—2/16—R&B singer (“Any Day Now”)

Ahmad Jamal—4/16—Jazz pianist

Fanita James—11/23—Singer with the Blossoms

David Jude Jolicoeur (“Trugoy the Dove”)—2/12—Co-founder of rap group De La Soul

Kidd Jordan—4/7—New Orleans-based jazz saxophonist

Ralph Kaffel—6/10—Former vice president of Fantasy Records

Howie Kane—3/27—Founding member of Jay and the Americans

Matthew Katz—9/30—Manager ofJefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, It’s a Beautiful Day

Scott Kempner—11/29—Co-founder of the New York-based pre-punk band the Dictators and, later, the Del-Lords

Terry Kirkman—9/23—Co-founder of the Association and writer of their hits “Cherish” and “Everything That Touches You”

Jean Knight—11/22—Singer of #1 pop/R&B hit “Mr. Big Stuff”

Jim Ladd—12/16—Popular Los Angeles disc jockey beginning in the 1960s

David LaFlamme—8/6—Founder and violinist/vocalist of It’s a Beautiful Day (“White Bird”)

Denny Laine—12/5—Founding member of the Moody Blues and Wings; singer of “Go Now”

Tom Leadon—3/22—Co-founder of Mudcrutch with Tom Petty

Bill Lee—5/24—Jazz bassist and father of filmmaker Spike Lee

Jack Lee—5/26—Frontman of the Nerves, composer of “Hanging on the Telephone”

Rita Lee—5/3—Brazilian rock artist

Mylon LeFevre—9/8—Christian rock singer who previously recorded with Alvin Lee and other secular rockers

Linda Lewis—5/3—English singer best known for her hit cover of “Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In his Kiss)”

Irv Lichtman—5/2—Former (and longtime) Billboard editor

Gordon Lightfoot—5/1—Renowned Canadian singer-songwriter (“Sundown,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind”)

David Lindley—3/3—Multi-instrumentalist who worked with Jackson Browne and as a solo artist

Levi Lloyd—1/15—California-based blues guitarist

Glen “SPOT” Lockett—3/4—Producer for SST Records artists incuding Black Flag and the Minutemen

Peter Luboff—5/24—Songwriter who wrote hits for Patti LaBelle, Bobby Womack and others

Robin Lumley—3/9—Fusion keyboardist; founding member of Brand X

Laura Lynch—12/23—Founding member of the Dixie Chicks

Shane MacGowan—11/30—Singer with the Celtic-rock band the Pogues

Steve Mackey—3/2—Bassist with Pulp

Les Maguire—11/25—Keyboardist and last surviving member of Gerry and the Pacemakers

Karaikudi Mani—5/4—Indian percussionist

Robert “Beatle Bob” Mantonis—7/27—St. Louis-based rock fan who reportedly attended nearly 10,000 concerts on consecutive nights, dancing at all of them (often onstage)

Philippe Marcade—6/5—Singer with the Senders and the Backbones

Bernie Marsden—8/24—Guitarist with Whitesnake

Les McCann—12/29—Jazz keyboardist and vocalist

Peter McCann—1/26—Wrote “Right Time of the Night” for Jennifer Warnes; one- hit wonder with the Top 10 hit “Do You Wanna Make Love” in 1977

Tony McPhee—6/6—Singer and guitarist for the British blues-rock band the Groundhogs

Jesse McReynolds—6/23—Bluegrass mandolinist

Randy Meisner—7/26—Founding member of the Eagles, who played bass on the band’s earliest albums; co-wrote and sang “Take It to the Limit”

Stanley Mieses—2/3—Music journalist for The New Yorker, Newsday and others

Butch Miles—2/2—Jazz drummer who played with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, others

Joe Millar—2/10—Member of the Irish Rovers (“The Unicorn”)

Essra Mohawk—12/11—Prolific singer-songwriter with ties to everyone from Frank Zappa to Schoolhouse Rock

Chuck Morris—2/?—Percussionist with Lotus

John Morris—11/10—Production Manager for Woodstock festival and, before that, managing director of Fillmore East

Jerry Moss—8/16—Formed A&M Records with Herb Alpert

Peter Nero—7/6—Pianist whose style crossed jazz and classics

Chas Newby—5/22—British bassist who played wirth the Beatles for several gigs in December 1960

Vernon Dudley Bowhay-Nowell—11/1—Bonzo Dog Band member

Floyd Newman—5/23—R&B saxophonist who performed on many Stax Records hits and with Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Sam Cooke and others

Sinéad O’Connor—7/26—Irish singer who rose to fame with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”

Barry Oliver—10/23—Founder of the Berkeley Folk Music Festival

Bobby Osborne—6/27—Bluegrass musician, member of the Osborne Brothers

Dave Pahoa—9/22—Bassist of power pop band the Plimsouls

Jon Povey—5/9—Longtime keyboardist/vocalist for the Pretty Things

Johnny Powers—1/16—Rockabilly singer/guitarist

Lisa Marie Presley—1/12—Singer/songwriter and daughter of Elvis Presley

Paul Prestopino—7/16—Multi-instrumentalist folk and bluegrass musician (Greenbriar Boys, Peter, Paul & Mary)

Phil Quartararo—11/22—Music industry executive who worked with Virgin, Warner Bros. and EMI

Alan Rankine—1/3—Keyboardist/guitarist for Scottish band the Associates

Keith Reid—3/23—Lyricist for Procol Harum (“A Whiter Shade of Pale”)

Sheldon Reynolds—5/23—Guitarist with the Commodores,  Earth, Wind & Fire

Michael Rhodes—3/4—Session bassist who played on recordings by Bob Seger, Johnny Cash, Mark Knopfler, Brian Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Merle Haggard and many others

Larry Rivera—1/30—Hawaiian entertainer who worked with Elvis Presley on the film Blue Hawaii

Robbie Robertson—8/9—Lead guitarist and songwriter for The Band

Charlie Robison—9/10—Country singer-songwriter

Sixto Rodriguez—8/9—Singer/songwriter musician who found fame decades after his early recordings were released; subject of the documentary Searching for Sugar Man

Biff Rose—7/25—Singer-songwriter who placed two albums on the Billboard chart in the late ’60s

Gary Rossington—3/5—Guitarist who was the last remaining member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup

Andy Rourke—5/19—Bassist for the Smiths

Ryuichi Sakamoto—3/28—Pioneering Japanese electronic music composer; member of Yellow Magic Orchestra

Jerry Samuels—3/10—As Napoleon XIV, one-hit wonder who recorded the novelty song “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” in 1966

Peggy Scott—3/27—R&B singer who had three Top 40 duets with Jo Jo Benson, including “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries”

Don Sebesky—4/29—Jazz trombonist, keyboardist and arranger/composer

Bob Segarini—7/10—Singer-songwriter with the Wackers and other bands

Pedro Sera—5/28—Guitar sideman popular among Washington, D.C.-area rock bands

Bob Shannon—6/25—Longtime disc jockey on New York City oldies radio station WCBS-FM

Mark Sheehan—4/14—Guitarist with the Script

Peter Shelley—3/23—British pop singer, songwriter and music business executive (co-founder of Magnet Records)

“Sweet” Charles Sherrell—3/29—Late ’60s bassist for James Brown

Wayne Shorter—3/2—Jazz saxophonist and composer who co-founded the fusion band Weather Report

Ray Shulman—3/30—Co-founder of prog-rock band Gentle Giant

Mick Slattery—3/17—Founding guitarist of Hawkwind

Neil Slaven—12/?—British author and producer

Huey “Piano” Smith—2/13—New Orleans R&B pioneer (“Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”)

Tom Smothers—12/26—Half of the sibling folk-comedy duo the Smothers Brothers

Floyd Sneed—1/27—Three Dog Night drummer

Peter Solley—11/16—English musician/producer who worked with Eric Clapton, Procol Harum and others

Jack Sonni—8/30—Guitarist with Dire Straits in the mid-’80s

Phil Spalding—2/5—Bassist with GTR, Right Said Fred and others

Roger Sprung—7/22—Bluegrass banjoist

Seymour Stein—4/2—Founder of Sire Records, who signed Talking Heads, Ramones, Madonna, Pretenders and many others

April Stevens—4/17—Singer (with her brother Nino Tempo) of 1963 #1 hit “Deep Purple”

Mark Stewart—4/21—Vocalist for the Pop Group

Chris Strachwitz—5/6—Founder of blues/Americana label Arhoolie Records

Dusty Street—10/21—Disc jockey for West Coast radio stations including KMPX, KSAN and KROQ

Barrett Strong—1/29—Singer of Motown hit “Money (That’s What I Want)” and co-writer of several Temptations hits

Alice Stuart—7/31—Folk/blues singer/songwriter and guitarist

Gregg Sutton—10/22—Musician and singer who collaborated with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many others

Yukihiro Takahashi—1/11—Vocalist for Yellow Magic Orchestra

Tommy Talton—12/28—Guitarist with Gregg Allman, Cowboy, and session musician

Ted “Kingsize” Taylor—1/2—Leader of pre-Beatles Liverpool band

Teresa Taylor—6/18—Drummer for Butthole Surfers

Charlie Thomas—1/31—Longtime member of R&B vocal group the Drifters

Anthony “Top” Topham—1/23—First guitarist for the Yardbirds

Buck Trent—10/9—Country music instrumentalist

Vivian Trimble—4/4—Keyboardist in Luscious Jackson

Marshall Tucker—1/20—Man after whom the Southern rock band was named

Tina Turner—5/24—Trailblazing musical icon who reinvented herself to become “simply the best” in the ’80s

Dwight Twilley—10/18—Influential power pop rocker who hit the top 20 in 1975 with “I’m on Fire”

Tom Verlaine—1/28—Guitarist, singer and primary songwriter for the punk-era band Television

Geordie Walker—11/26—Guitarist for English group Killing Joke

Lillian Walker—2/5—Vocalist with the Exciters (“Tell Him”)

James “Owl” Walsh—3/4—Keyboardist with Gypsy

Algy Ward—5/17—Bassist/vocalist with the Saints, the Damned and Tank

Cynthia Weil—6/1—Songwriter (with husband Barry Mann): “On Broadway,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Kicks,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” many others

Lasse Wellander—4/7—Guitarist with ABBA

Fred White—1/1—Drummer with Earth, Wind & Fire

Roger Whittaker—9/13—British singer-songwriter and musician (“The Last Farewell”)

Jack Wilkins—5/5—Jazz guitarist

Mars Williams—11/20—Saxophonist for the Psychedelic Furs, the Waitresses and others

Reuben Wilson—5/26—Jazz organist and bandleader

George Winston—6/4—New Age pianist

Ricky Wolff—10/1—Rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist for White Plains on “My Baby Loves Lovin'”

Gary Wright—9/4—Spooky Tooth leader and solo artist (“Dream Weaver”)

Frank Wyatt—1/11—Keyboardist for Happy the Man

Gary Young—8/17—Original drummer for Pavement

Jeff Young—2/23—Keyboardist for Jackson Browne, Steely Dan and others

NON-MUSIC

Alan Arkin—6/29—Actor in such films as The In-Laws, Glengarry Glen Ross and Little Miss Sunshine, for which he won an Academy Award

Bob Barker—8/26—Host of TV game shows The Price is Right and, before that, Truth or Consequences

Frank Beacham—12/12—Journalist, author and producer

Richard Belzer—2/19—Comedian and actor

Robert Blake—3/9—Baretta actor and one-time member of Little Rascals cast

Jim Brown—5/18—Football great and activist

Louise Harrison Caldwell—1/29—Sister of George Harrison

Phyllis Coates—10/11—Original Lois Lane on TV’s The Adventures of Superman

Frederick Forrest—6/23—Actor (The Rose, Apocalypse Now)

William Friedkin—8/7—Director of two of the biggest movies of the 1970s, The French Connection and The Exorcist

Shecky Greene—12/31—Comedian and actor

Bobby Hull—1/30—NHL star known as “The Golden Jet”

Glenda Jackson—6/15—Two-time Oscar winner for Best Actress

Al Jaffee—4/10—Mad magazine cartoonist who created the fold-in

Charles Kimbrough—1/11—Best known for his role as news anchorman, Jim Dial, on TV’s Murphy Brown

Bob Knight—11/1—Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach, most notably for the Indiana Hoosiers

Piper Laurie—10/14—Actress (The Hustler, Carrie)

Norman Lear—12/5—Creator of groundbreaking TV programs such as All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons

Gina Lollobrigida—1/16—Legendary Italian actress

Lisa Loring—1/28—Actress who played Wednesday on The Addams Family sitcom

George Maharis—5/24—Actor who starred in the Route 66 TV series

David McCallum—9/25—Scottish actor best know for playing the role of Illya Kuryakin on the ’60s TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Tim McCarver—2/16—All star catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster who called 24 World Series as an analyst

Ryan O’Neal—12/8—Actor (Love Story, Peyton Place, Paper Moon)

Matthew Perry—10/28—Star of TV’s Friends

Mary Quant—4/13—British fashion designer

Lance Reddick—3/17—Actor who frequently played an authority figure on such TV shows as The Wire, Bosch and Oz

Willis Reed —3/21—The Captain. Inspirational leader of the New York Knicks’ first NBA Championship in the 1969-70 season

Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman)—7/30—A comic original

Adam Rich —1/7—Child actor on TV’s Eight Is Enough

Richard Roundtree—10/24—Star of the 1971 film Shaft!

Tom Sizemore —3/3—Actor well known for supporting roles in Saving Private Ryan and Heat

Suzanne Somers—10/15—Actress on Three’s Company

Jerry Springer—4/17—Controversial talk show host

Stella Stevens—2/27—Actress who starred opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! and Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor

Raquel Welch—2/15—Actress and sex symbol

Cindy Williams—1/25—Actress in Laverne & Shirley sitcom and American Graffiti

Treat Williams—6/12—Actor of film, stage and television in such productions as Prince of the City, Everwood, and the movie musical Hair

Burt Young—10/8—Actor in Rocky films

Turner Classic Movies created a beautiful remembrance clip that’s cut to a cover version of Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly.”

Related: 5 years earlier… the musicians who died in 2018