Events in 2009
- The Black Eyed Peas released “I Gotta Feeling” as the second single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D., on Interscope Records.
- A federal jury ruled that Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum must pay four music companies $675,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs.
- Rockabilly singer and musician Billy Lee Riley died on August 2, 2009, at the age of 75 from colon cancer.
- The Black Eyed Peas reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “I Gotta Feeling,” beginning a two-week run at the top.
- A Los Angeles judge awarded Katherine Jackson permanent custody of Michael Jackson’s three children; Debbie Rowe was granted visitation rights.
- Apple launched the iTunes Store in Mexico with an extensive catalog of music from major and independent record labels.
- A man who claimed to be secretly engaged to Miley Cyrus was arrested and charged with attempting to stalk her.
- Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fell from the stage during a performance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. He suffered injuries, and the rest of the band's tour was canceled.
- Original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang canceled the planned free concert marking the festival's 40th anniversary in Prospect Park due to high costs and a lack of sponsors.
- Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fell from the stage into the crowd during a concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota after improvising for waiting fans on the front stage during a sound outage. He suffered a fractured left shoulder, a deep head laceration requiring 20 stitches and minor neck injuries. He was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital, and the remainder of Aerosmith's 2009 North American summer tour was canceled.
- Willy DeVille, frontman of New York's Mink DeVille, died at the age of 58 after battling pancreatic cancer. In the 1970s, the band regularly performed at CBGB in New York and had the hit “Spanish Stroll.”
- Kesha released “Tik Tok”, the first single from her debut album “Animal”.
- Folk singer and musician Mike Seeger of the New Lost City Ramblers died of cancer in Lexington, Virginia.
- Demi Lovato reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 for the first time with her second studio album "Here We Go Again".
- Lady Antebellum released “Need You Now,” a song about making a phone call while drunk. The song became a major crossover hit, reaching No. 1 on the country chart, No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling 9 million digital downloads.
- Allen Shellenberger died in Artesia, California, from cancer at the age of 39. He was the drummer for Lit.
- Guitarist, songwriter, and inventor Les Paul died at a hospital in White Plains, New York, at the age of 94 from severe pneumonia. He was a pioneer of the solid-body electric guitar and made significant contributions to the development of overdubbing, tape delay, phasing, and multitrack recording.
- An arrest warrant was issued for singer Bobby Brown in Massachusetts after he failed to appear at a court hearing on a contempt complaint regarding child support. He had fallen $45,000 behind in payments for his two teenage children with former girlfriend Kim Ward.
- They broke the attendance record at Wembley Stadium when 88,000 people attended their concert. The previous record was held by Rod Stewart, whose 1995 concert drew 83,000 people.
- American singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jim Dickinson died at the age of 67. He was best known as the frontman of Mud Boy and the Neutrons.
- A thief in New Zealand reserved a copy of Pink Floyd's album The Wall at a record store in Christchurch, left his name and telephone number, and subsequently robbed the store.
- American keyboardist and bassist Larry Knechtel, best known as a member of the studio collective The Wrecking Crew, died at the age of 69 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Washington, apparently from a heart attack. In 1970, he won a Grammy for his piano part on Simon & Garfunkel's “Bridge over Troubled Water”. In 1972, he played on Johnny Rivers' recording “Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”, and from 1971 to 1973 he was a member of Bread. As a member of The Wrecking Crew, he worked with Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Monkees, The Doors, Jerry Garcia and Elvis Presley, among others. In 2007, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville along with other members of the Wrecking Crew studio collective.
- Doo-wop and R&B singer Johnny Carter, a member of The Dells (“Stay In My Corner” from 1968) and The Flamingos (“I Only Have Eyes for You”), died in Harvey, Illinois, at the age of 75 from lung cancer.
- Soul and doo-wop singer Johnny Carter, a member of The Dells and The Flamingos, died of lung cancer at the age of 75. He was known for his distinctive falsetto and was among the few artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with two different groups.
- Johnny Horton and guitarist James Burton were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
- During his weekly radio programme on 6 Music, Bob Dylan revealed that he was in talks with several car companies about possibly becoming the voice of their satellite navigation systems.
- Edward “Ted” Kennedy died; although he was best known as an American senator, he supported music and the arts through legislation.
- Chris Brown was sentenced to five years' probation and six months of community service for assaulting Rihanna in February 2009 on the night before the Grammy Awards. He was also ordered to stay away from her for five years and complete a one-year domestic violence programme.
- Christian rock band Skillet released their seventh studio album “Awake”. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, tying Underoath's “Define The Great Line” and Casting Crowns' “The Altar and the Door” as the highest-charting Christian rock albums. It included the hits “Hero” and “Monster” as well as “Awake and Alive”, the band's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100.
- | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 2009 | Michael Jackson | Death | The Los Angeles County coroner determined that Michael Jackson's death was caused by acute intoxication from propofol and other drugs and was classified as a homicide. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison in November 2011. On September 3, 2009, a private funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles, attended by approximately 200 invited guests, including Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Berry Gordy, and Lisa Marie Presley. Jackson's brothers Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon served as pallbearers, carrying his gold-plated coffin.
- American pop singer, songwriter and producer Eleanor “Ellie” Greenwich died at the age of 68 from a heart attack after suffering from pneumonia. She collaborated with Phil Spector and Jeff Barry on numerous hits, including “Da Doo Ron Ron”, “Be My Baby”, “Then He Kissed Me”, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, “Leader of the Pack”, “Chapel of Love”, “Maybe I Know” and “River Deep – Mountain High”. In 1991, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame together with her former husband Jeff Barry.
- Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein died at the age of 36 from an accidental overdose in his New York apartment. It happened almost a year after Goldstein and his friend Travis Barker survived a plane crash that killed four other people.
- Three days before the release of their second studio album “The First Days of Spring”, Doug Fink, brother of lead singer Charlie Fink, announced that he would leave Noah and the Whale to pursue a career in medicine. In a 2011 interview, Charlie said that Doug was still the person he consulted first about matters concerning the band.
- Noel Gallagher left Oasis after a series of conflicts with his brother Liam and announced that he could no longer work with him. As the band’s lead guitarist and main songwriter, he had recently been involved in a number of arguments with Liam; he said that the brothers barely spoke, did not travel together, and only saw each other onstage. Oasis were due to perform at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, but their appearance was canceled at the last minute following an internal conflict within the band. Their departure brought the band’s existence to an end.
- Calvin Harris's second studio album "Ready for the Weekend" debuted at No. 1 on the UK album chart.
- George Strait's twenty-sixth studio album "Twang" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200.
- Rolling Stone published a 1970 interview with John Lennon in which he discussed some of the reasons for The Beatles' breakup. Lennon said that his bandmates did not respect and insulted Yoko Ono, and he also criticized his former songwriting relationship with Paul McCartney.
- The Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson's death was classified as a homicide, with propofol identified as the primary cause. The report listed propofol and lorazepam as the main substances responsible for his death and also found four other drugs.
- Two months after Michael Jackson's death, on what would have been his 51st birthday, 13,597 people in Mexico City danced to "Thriller", setting a new Guinness World Record.
- Noel Gallagher confirmed his departure from Oasis, saying that he could no longer work with his brother Liam.
- Former Echo and the Bunnymen keyboardist died at the age of 53 after his motorcycle collided with a converted ambulance on the Isle of Man. In 1989, the band's original drummer Pete De Freitas died in a similar accident.
- Shinedown singer Brent Smith became the target of a remark about his weight by Today host Kathy Lee Gifford, who said she thought he was Meat Loaf. Smith finished the performance with the song “Second Chance”, but the comment affected him. Several years later, he used it as motivation to quit drinking alcohol and begin an intensive fitness regimen.
- Guy Babylon, Elton John’s keyboardist, died of a heart attack while swimming in the pool at his home in Los Angeles. He had been an important member of John’s touring and recording band for more than 21 years.
- Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour became, according to the source, the highest-grossing worldwide tour by a solo artist, with approximately $408 million in revenue. It included performances in 32 countries.
- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff awarded permanent custody of Michael Jackson’s children to his mother, Katherine Jackson.
- The-Dream and Christina Milian secretly married in Las Vegas; they separated three months later, although the breakup was not made public until July 2010.
- Dizzee Rascal and singer Chrome reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Holiday.”
- Mickey Jones, a founding member and original bassist of the rock band Angel, died at the age of 56 after a long battle with liver cancer.
- Reba McEntire reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with her 28th studio album, Keep On Loving You.
- The British Daily Telegraph published a report claiming that 17-year-old Benjamin Keough, Elvis Presley's grandson, had been offered a $5 million contract by Universal Records to record up to five albums. Universal Music Group subsequently officially declared the report completely false. Keough never released any commercial music during his lifetime.
- British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported that Universal Records had offered Elvis Presley's 17-year-old grandson Benjamin Keough $5 million for up to five albums. Universal Music Group quickly declared the widely repeated report completely false, and Keough never released commercial music during his lifetime.
- Esquire magazine named Kate Beckinsale its Sexiest Woman Alive and published a video featuring the actress accompanied by Jet's song “Goodbye Hollywood.”
- Mumford & Sons released their debut album “Sigh No More” in the United Kingdom. The album included the singles “Little Lion Man” and “The Cave.” In February 2011, after 72 weeks on the chart and following its win in the Album of the Year category at the 2011 BRIT Awards, it reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was the third most-downloaded album of 2011, with 761,000 copies sold. The group attracted attention in 2011 with a performance of “The Cave” at the Grammy Awards.
- Madonna's album Celebration, her third greatest-hits compilation, was at No. 1 on the UK album chart on this day. The album was successful worldwide, reaching No. 1 on the charts in twelve countries and selling more than four million copies.
- KISS released the album Sonic Boom, which was distributed exclusively through the Walmart retail chain; it was the group's first album with its lineup at the time.
- Barbra Streisand's album “Love Is the Answer” reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200; it was her ninth No. 1 album, selling 180,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. This extended her record among female artists for the most No. 1 albums in Billboard 200 history.
- Davy Jones of The Monkees told the National Enquirer that he would never reunite with his former bandmates and sharply criticized them. A year later, however, he changed his position and announced plans for a group reunion.
- Film and television composer Vic Mizzy, best known for the theme songs to the series The Addams Family and Green Acres, died in Bel Air, Los Angeles, at the age of 93.
- Bruce Springsteen performed his final concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, where an early version of "Wrecking Ball", written specifically for the occasion, was also performed.
- Paramore's third studio album, Brand New Eyes, reached number one on the UK album chart. That same year, it also topped the charts in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
- Pearl Jam reached number one on the U.S. album chart with their ninth studio album, Backspacer. The album also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Portugal.
- Irish pop singer and songwriter Stephen Gately of Boyzone died at the age of 33 while on holiday in Majorca, Spain. Police found no signs of suspicious circumstances; his cause of death was later reported as a congenital heart defect. Gately was one of Boyzone's two lead singers.
- Barbra Streisand's album Love Is the Answer reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. It was her ninth US chart-topping album and made her the first recording artist to have a No. 1 album in five different decades.
- Jo Wood, wife of The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, was granted a divorce after 24 years of marriage because of her husband's infidelity. The couple separated in 2008 after Ronnie began a relationship with a significantly younger woman.
- Singer and bassist Dickie Peterson, best known as frontman of Blue Cheer, dies in Erkelenz, Germany, aged 63. The cause is liver cancer. The band is known in part for its heavier rock cover of “Summertime Blues,” which reached No. 14 on the U.S. chart in 1968. Peterson was the band’s only constant member from 1967 to 2009.
- Justin Bieber meets 14-year-old fan Hailey Baldwin backstage at the Today show. They later begin dating and marry in 2018.
- Michael Jackson’s previously unreleased song “This Is It” is released posthumously as a promotional single for the concert documentary of the same name. It is his first new music release since his death in June of that year.
- American singer and actor Al Martino died at the age of 82. He had eleven songs reach the US Billboard Top 40. His best-known hits included "I Love You Because", "Spanish Eyes", and "I Love You More and More Every Day". He played Johnny Fontane in the film The Godfather. His song "Here in My Heart" became the first single to top the UK singles chart published by New Musical Express in November 1952.