Music History

American musician, producer and radio station owner Norman Petty died at the age of 57 from leukemia. He was also known as a recording engineer and Buddy Holly's first manager.

Egyptian poet Abdul Rahim Mansour died.

Jimmy Stokley died at the age of 41 from complications related to hepatitis. He was the singer of Exile, whose 1978 hit “Kiss You All Over” reached No. 1.

Jock Mahoney, an actor and jazz musician, died at the age of 70.

Michael Rudetsky, keyboardist and collaborator of Boy George, was found dead at Boy George's house in London.

Jazz pianist Teddy Wilson died at the age of 73.

Jazz trombonist Urbie Green died at the age of 59.

David Martin, bassist with Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs and co-writer of “Wooly Bully,” died of a heart attack at the age of 50.

One of the busiest studio drummers of the 20th century, Gary Chester died of cancer at the age of 62. During his career, he took part in more than 15,000 studio recording sessions and played on thousands of recordings, including with The Coasters and The Monkees and on songs such as “Sixteen Candles”, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”, “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Under the Boardwalk”, “Walk On By” and “It's My Party”.

The lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind died in Ramsgate, England, at the age of 43 from a heart attack. He was a member of the group from 1972 to 1979, during which he co-wrote their hit single “Silver Machine” and directed their Space Ritual Tour.

The guitarist died at the age of 48 in Fairfax, Virginia, after hanging himself with his own T-shirt in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he had been detained for intoxication. His death was ruled a suicide, although friends and family disputed this conclusion. He released more than 15 solo albums, and in 1975 Jeff Beck dedicated the song “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” to him on the album Blow by Blow.

Composer and arranger Billy Goldenberg died at the age of 54.

Tenor singer, guitarist, songwriter and founding member of The Statler Brothers Lew DeWitt died at the age of 52 from heart and kidney disease. He wrote their hit “Flowers on the Wall”, which reached No. 4.

Singer and actress Pearl Bailey died in Philadelphia at the age of 72 from arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease. In 1952, she had a Top 10 hit with the song “Takes Two to Tango”.

American composer, orchestra leader, pianist, arranger and conductor David Rose, leader of David Rose & His Orchestra, died in Burbank, California, of natural causes at the age of 80. He was best known for the compositions “Holiday for Strings” and “The Stripper”.

American blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan died at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, aged 35, died in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The helicopter crashed into an artificial ski slope while flying in dense fog. During the evening, Vaughan performed with Robert Cray and his Memphis Horns, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and his older brother Jimmie Vaughan. Three members of Eric Clapton's entourage also died in the crash; everyone on board was killed. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan No. 7 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Keyboardist Dave Rowberry of The Animals died at the age of 49.

Singer Jeri Southern died of pneumonia at the age of 64.

British radio presenter and commentator Wilfrid Thomas died in London at the age of 87. He wrote the English lyrics for the song "Rose, Rose, I Love You", recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951.

Rick Griffin died after being forced off the road on his motorcycle, a Harley Heritage Softail, while attempting to overtake a van. Among his best-known works were the cover of the Grateful Dead album Aoxomoxoa and the legendary “Flying Eyeball” poster for a series of concerts by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Albert King and John Mayall in San Francisco.

Jeff Porcaro, a highly sought-after session drummer and member of Toto, died in Los Angeles at the age of 38.

John Cage died in New York from complications following a stroke at the age of 79.

The member of The Platters died in his sleep in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 64 from emphysema. He sang most of the group's hits until 1961, when he was replaced by Sonny Turner. His lead vocals contributed to the success of “Only You (And You Alone)”, “The Great Pretender”, “My Prayer” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”. The Platters had the US and UK number-one single “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” in 1959. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Platters.

Singer and guitarist Mary Ford, partner of Les Paul, died at the age of 53.

Singer Jimmy Ferguson of The Irish Rovers died at the age of 57.

Randy Jo Hobbs, bassist for The McCoys and Edgar Winter Group, was found dead in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 45.

Ed Roberts of Ruby And The Romantics died at the age of 57 from cancer. The Akron vocal group had three Top 40 hits, the biggest being “Our Day Will Come”, which reached No. 1 in 1963.

Peter Daltry, keyboardist for the band Family, died at the age of 45.

Comedic songwriter Allan Sherman died at the age of 68.

Italian singer and actor Domenico Modugno, whose recording “Volare” topped the North American charts in 1958, died of a heart attack near his home on the island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, at the age of 66. During his career, he also appeared in 44 films.

The real-life mountain man from Tennessee who inspired Claude King's 1964 country hit “Wolverton Mountain” died at the age of 101, still living on his mountain. He left behind 15 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Legendary session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins died at the age of 50.

English dancer, singer, television presenter and musician Roy Castle died of lung cancer two days after his 62nd birthday.

Jerry Garcia, guitarist, singer and co-founder of The Grateful Dead, died at the age of 53 from a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis at the Serenity Knolls rehabilitation facility in San Francisco. Four days after his death, more than 25,000 fans attended a public memorial service in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Half of his ashes were later scattered in the Ganges River near the holy city of Rishikesh in India, with the remainder scattered in San Francisco Bay.

Canadian electronic musician Dwayne Goettel of Skinny Puppy died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, of a heroin overdose at the age of 31. He was best known for his work with the industrial group Skinny Puppy.

Dutch rock'n'roll singer Arnie Treffers of Long Tall Ernie & the Shakers died in Westeremden, Netherlands, at the age of 48 from lung cancer. In 1977 he had the international hit “Do You Remember”.

American musician Douglas “Doug” Stegmeyer died by suicide at the age of 43. The New York bassist and singer worked during his career with, among others, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates and The Carpenters.

American singer and songwriter DiFosco T. Ervin Jr., known as Big Dee Irwin, died in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 63 from heart failure. He was best known for his version of “Swinging on a Star”, which he recorded with Little Eva.

Sterling Morrison, guitarist for The Velvet Underground, died at the age of 53.

Sterling Morrison, founding member and guitarist of The Velvet Underground, died in Poughkeepsie, New York, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one day after his 53rd birthday. He left the group in August 1971 and rejoined it in 1992 for a European tour. In the 1980s, he became a tugboat captain in Houston. The Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz died at the age of 68.

Mel Taylor, drummer for The Ventures, died in Los Angeles at the age of 62 from lung cancer. The Ventures had six Billboard Top 40 songs between 1962 and 1969. In 2008 Taylor was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Ventures.

Nigerian musician and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre Fela Kuti died on August 2, 1997, at the age of 58 from complications associated with AIDS.