Events in 2003
- Robbie Williams performed at Knebworth and sang “Back for Good” with Mark Owen during the show.
- Roger Daltrey performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in a production of “My Fair Lady.”
- Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Roger Voudouris died at the age of 48 after a prolonged illness of the liver.
- The Coral earned their first UK No. 1 album with “Magic and Medicine.”
- Dido began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK albums chart with “Life for Rent.”
- Lynyrd Skynyrd canceled their tour after a doctor advised guitarist Gary Rossington to rest because of serious health problems.
- The Osmonds získali hvězdu na Hollywoodském chodníku slávy. Slavnost uvedl jejich dlouholetý přítel a mentor Andy Williams.
- The Coral achieved their first UK No. 1 album with their second studio album, “Magic and Medicine”.
- Phish bassist Mike Gordon was arrested backstage at a Grateful Dead concert at Jones Beach after he was found photographing a nine-year-old girl. He was later cleared of the charges, and the girl's parents described the case as an unfortunate misunderstanding.
- Blue singer Lee Ryan was arrested in London while driving a Porsche and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
- Ed Townsend died in San Bernardino, California, from a heart attack at the age of 74. After the success of his 1958 hit “For Your Love”, he focused primarily on songwriting and production and co-wrote Marvin Gaye's “Let's Get It On”, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Lisa Marie Presley appeared on the television program Live with Regis and Kelly.
- The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled a new commemorative stamp honoring the recently deceased composer Henry Mancini, known among other things for his music for The Pink Panther.
- Robbie Williams reached his fifth consecutive No. 1 on the UK albums chart with the album Escapology.
- Rapper The Kid Laroi, whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, was born in Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia.
- Singer and bassist Tony Jackson of The Searchers died in Nottingham, England, at the age of 65 from a combination of health problems including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver. His distinctive voice was heard on the group's early major hits “Sweets for My Sweet” and “Sugar and Spice.”
- MTV premiered the reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, following the recent marriage of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. The show became a hit thanks to Jessica’s “dumb blonde” moments and ran for three seasons, after which the couple divorced.
- In Rhode Island, OSHA fined Derco LLC, which operated The Station club, $85,200 for one willful and six serious violations related to the February 20 fire, in which 100 people died and nearly 200 were injured. Great White was fined $7,000 for failing to protect employees from fire hazards.
- Olivia Newton-John postponed her tour so she could be in Australia with her dying 92-year-old mother.
- Madame Tussauds in London opened an interactive Pop Idol exhibit featuring a talking wax figure of judge Simon Cowell. Among other things, the figure delivered ironic comments judging visitors' performances.
- Norwegian Elvis Presley impersonator Kjell Henning Bjoernestad set a world record by singing the rock'n'roll legend's hits continuously for more than 26 hours. The previous record was held by British Elvis fan Gary Jay with a time of 25 hours, 33 minutes and 30 seconds.
- The IRS seized Peabo Bryson's personal property to pay his outstanding taxes.
- The compilation album “Songbird”, containing live recordings and rehearsal recordings by the late Eva Cassidy, reached number one on the UK chart.
- Lee Ryan of boy band Blue was banned from driving for 18 months after admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol. The court at Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court in London also fined him £2,250.
- Dick Peterson of The Kingsmen joined 753 other guitarists to play „Louie Louie“ together at a charity event in Tacoma, Washington.
- Rolling Stone magazine named Jimi Hendrix the greatest guitarist in rock history. Also included in the top ten were Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ry Cooder.
- Warren Zevon released his final studio album “The Wind”. Shortly before recording began, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, and guests on the album included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Jackson Browne. Zevon died just two weeks after its release.
- Janis Ian, whose first hit “Society’s Child” was written when she was 16, married her partner, attorney Patricia Snyder, in Toronto. Snyder specialized in criminal defense. It was the second marriage for both. Ian said she did not plan a honeymoon because she was working on two upcoming albums. Same-sex marriage was legal in Toronto at the time.
- Britney Spears and Madonna kissed during the opening performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna then kissed Christina Aguilera, but the director switched the shot to Justin Timberlake in the audience.
- OutKast released the single “Hey Ya!”.
- At the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, winners included Missy Elliott for Video of the Year with "Work It", Good Charlotte in the Viewers Choice category for "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous", 50 Cent for Best Rap Video with "In Da Club", and Justin Timberlake for Best Pop Video with "Cry Me A River". During a performance of "Like A Virgin", Madonna kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
- Alan Jackson reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with his compilation album “Greatest Hits Volume II”.
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z reached their highest position on the US chart with “Crazy in Love”.
- Stella McCartney married publisher Alasdair Willis on the Scottish island of Bute. Guests included Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, Chrissie Hynde and Chris Martin of Coldplay.
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with "Are You Ready For Love". The song was recorded in 1977 and released in 1979, when it reached No. 42. It was later used in Sky TV advertisements for the new football season.