# List of deaths in rock and roll (2000s)

The following is a list of notable performers of rock and roll music or rock music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters or in other closely related roles, who have died in the 2000s. The list gives their date, cause and location of death, and their age.
Rock music developed from the rock and roll music that emerged during the 1950s, and includes a diverse range of subgenres. The terms "rock and roll" and "rock" each have a variety of definitions, some narrow and some wider. In determining criteria for inclusion, this list uses as its basis reliable sources listing "rock deaths" or "deaths in rock and roll", as well as such sources as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
| Preceded by 1990s | List of deaths in popular music 2000s | Succeeded by 2010s |

## 2000

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Nat Adderley Cannonball Adderley's brother | 68 | January 2, 2000 | Lakeland, Florida, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Harmonica Fats | 72 | January 3, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Ida Goodson | 90 | January 5, 2000 | Pensacola, Florida, U.S. | Unknown |
| Wade Walton | 76 | January 10, 2000 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Unknown |
| Richard "Dimples" Fields | 57 | January 12, 2000 | Novato, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Annie Palmen | 73 | January 15, 2000 | Beverwijk, Netherlands | Long illness of an undisclosed nature |
| Gene Harris | 66 | January 16, 2000 | Boise, Idaho, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Dub Jones The Coasters | 71 | January 16, 2000 | Long Beach, California, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Josh Clayton-Felt School of Fish | 32 | January 19, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Testicular cancer |
| Friedrich Gulda | 69 | January 27, 2000 | Steinbach am Attersee, Austria | |
| Alla Rakha | 80 | February 3, 2000 | South Mumbai, India | |
| Doris Coley The Shirelles | 58 | February 4, 2000 | Sacramento, California, U.S. | Breast cancer |
| Steve Waller Manfred Mann's Earth Band | 48 | February 6, 2000 | Stroud, Gloucestershire, England | Liver problems |
| Dave Peverett Foghat | 56 | February 7, 2000 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Renal cancer |
| Big Pun | 28 | February 7, 2000 | White Plains, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Screamin' Jay Hawkins | 70 | February 12, 2000 | Neuilly-sur-Seine, France | Complications following surgery concerning aneurysm |
| Andy Lewis The Whitlams | 33 | February 12, 2000 | Sydney, Australia | Suicide |
| Oliver | 54 | February 12, 2000 | Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. | Lymphatic cancer |
| Olgita DeCastro The DeCastro Sisters | 68–69 | February 14, 2000 | | Asthma |
| William "Wee Gee" Howard The Dramatics | 49 | February 22, 2000 | Bronxville, Westchester County, New York, U.S. | |
| Ofra Haza | 42 | February 23, 2000 | Ramat Gan, Israel | AIDS-related pneumonia |
| Dennis Danell Social Distortion | 38 | February 29, 2000 | Costa Mesa, California, U.S. | Brain aneurysm |
| Pee Wee King | 86 | March 7, 2000 | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Charles Gray | 71 | March 7, 2000 | London, England | Cancer |
| Tommy Collins | 69 | March 14, 2000 | Ashland City, Tennessee | |
| Bles Bridges South African singer | 53 | March 24, 2000 | ?, South Africa | Car accident |
| Ian Dury Ian Dury and the Blockheads | 57 | March 27, 2000 | Upminster, London, England | Colon cancer |
| Adrian Fisher Sparks | 47 | March 31, 2000 | Ko Samui, Thailand | Myocardial infarction |
| Joe Rock Manager and producer for The Skyliners | 63 | April 4, 2000 | | Complications from quadruple bypass heart surgery |
| Gene Pearson The Cleftones | 64 | April 6, 2000 | | Lung cancer |
| Richard Trice | 82 | April 6, 2000 | Burnsville, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Heinz Burt The Tornados | 57 | April 7, 2000 | Southampton, England | Motor neurone disease and stroke |
| Cleveland Horne The Fantastic Four | 60's | April 13, 2000 | | Heart attack |
| Robert Mosese The Radios | 30 | April 20, 2000 | Antwerp, Belgium | Complications from a brain tumor |
| Neal Matthews Jr. The Jordanaires | 70 | April 21, 2000 | | Heart attack |
| Barkin' Bill Smith | 71 | April 24, 2000 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Vicki Sue Robinson | 45 | April 27, 2000 | Wilton, Connecticut, U.S. | Cancer |
| Bobbi Martin | 60 | May 2, 2000 | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | Cancer |
| Dédé Fortin Les Colocs | 37 | May 8, 2000 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Suicide |
| Geoff Goddard | 62 | May 15, 2000 | | Heart attack |
| Joe Jaramillo Cannibal & the Headhunters | 52 | May 24, 2000 | | Cirrhosis of the liver |
| Tex Beneke Glenn Miller Orchestra | 86 | May 30, 2000 | Costa Mesa, California | |
| Johnnie Taylor | 66 | May 31, 2000 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Tito Puente | 77 | June 1, 2000 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Ralph Jones Bill Haley & His Comets | 78 | June 1, 2000 | Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Unknown |
| Paul Griffin | 62 | June 14, 2000 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Hattie Littles | 63 | June 15, 2000 | Flint, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Clive Westlake | 67 | June 17, 2000 | Pegram, Tennessee, U.S. | Unknown |
| Benediktas Gadeikis Lithuanian Pop singer | 57 | June 21, 2000 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Unknown |
| Jerome Richardson | 79 | June 23, 2000 | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Rodrigo Bueno | 27 | June 24, 2000 | Berazategui, Argentina | Traffic collision |
| Chuck Briggs U.S. Bombs | 40 | July 4, 2000 | | Complications from drug abuse |
| Yuri Klinskikh Sektor Gaza | 35 | July 4, 2000 | Voronezh, Russia | Heart failure |
| Michael Hartman Guitarist for David Lee Roth and Jeff Beck | 24 | July 6, 2000 | | Cystic fibrosis |
| Paul Young Mike + The Mechanics, Sad Café | 53 | July 15, 2000 | Hale, Altrincham, England | Heart attack |
| Johnny Duncan | 67 | July 15, 2000 | Taree, New South Wales, Australia | Cancer |
| Ronn Goedert White Witch | 49 | July 16, 2000 | | Cancer |
| Jerome Smith KC and the Sunshine Band | 47 | July 28, 2000 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Crushed by a bulldozer |
| Nazia Hassan | 35 | August 13, 2000 | London, England | Lung cancer |
| Alan Caddy Johnny Kidd & The Pirates The Tornados | 60 | August 16, 2000 | | Complications due to alcoholism |
| Jack Nitzsche Crazy Horse, The Rolling Stones | 63 | August 25, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Allen Woody The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule | 44 | August 26, 2000 | Queens, New York, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Sean Patrick McCabe Ink & Dagger | 27 | August 28, 2000 | Indiana, U.S. | Asphyxiation |
| Saunders King | 91 | August 31, 2000 | San Rafael, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| David Brown Santana | 53 | September 4, 2000 | | Liver and kidney failure |
| "Sweet James" Epps Lead singer of The Fantastic Four | 63 | September 11, 2000 | | Heart attack |
| Stanley Turrentine | 66 | September 12, 2000 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Stroke |
| Ian "Spike" Spice Drummer for Breathe | 34 | September 24, 2000 | Thailand | Undisclosed cause; Possible car crash |
| Baden Powell | 63 | September 26, 2000 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Benjamin Orr The Cars | 53 | October 3, 2000 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Britt Woodman | 80 | October 13, 2000 | Hawthorne, California, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Joachim Nielsen Jokke & Valentinerne | 36 | October 17, 2000 | Oslo, Norway | Heroin overdose |
| Julie London | 74 | October 18, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stroke and cardiac arrest |
| Little Mack Simmons | 67 | October 24, 2000 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Winston Grennan | 56 | October 27, 2000 | Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S. | Cancer |
| Jimmie Davis | 101 | November 5, 2000 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | Stroke |
| Jimmy Hill Ray Columbus and the Invaders | 56 | November 7, 2000 | | Heart ailment |
| Dick Morrissey If | 60 | November 8, 2000 | Deal, Kent, England | Cancer |
| Dave Wilson Drummer for The Cascades | 64 | November 14, 2000 | | Cancer |
| Joe C. Kid Rock | 26 | November 16, 2000 | Taylor, Michigan, U.S. | Severe Celiac Disease |
| Dušan Dejanović Ekatarina Velika | ?? | November 16, 2000 | Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia | AIDS |
| DJ Screw | 29 | November 16, 2000 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Codeine overdose |
| Bobby Sheen Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans | 59 | November 23, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Frankie Smith The Monotones | 62 | November 26, 2000 | | Lung cancer |
| Scott Smith Loverboy | 45 | November 30, 2000 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Boating accident |
| Hoyt Curtin Primary music director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio from 1957 to 1986 | 78 | December 3, 2000 | Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. | Accidental fall |
| Joe Nanini Black Randy and the Metrosquad, Wall of Voodoo | 45 | December 4, 2000 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Brain Hemorrhage |
| Velvert Turner | 49 | December 11, 2000 | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| Pirkle Lee Moses The El Dorados | 63 | December 16, 2000 | | Cancer |
| Kirsty MacColl | 41 | December 18, 2000 | Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico | Hit by powerboat |
| Rob Buck 10,000 Maniacs | 42 | December 19, 2000 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Acute liver disease |
| Milt Hinton | 90 | December 19, 2000 | Queens, New York, U.S. | Unknown |
| Pops Staples The Staple Singers | 85 | December 19, 2000 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Injuries from a fall |
| Matthew McQuater The Clovers | 73 | December 19, 2000 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Unknown |
| Allan Smethurst | 73 | December 22, 2000 | Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England | |
| Johnny Flamingo | 66 | December 24, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer and emphysema |
| Nick Massi The Four Seasons | 73 | December 24, 2000 | West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | Cancer |
| Jack McVea | 86 | December 27, 2000 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Willie D. Warren | 76 | December 30, 2000 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Isaac Guillory | 53 | December 31, 2000 | Newcastle, England | |

## 2001

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Milan Hlavsa Plastic People of the Universe | 49 | January 5, 2001 | Prague, Czech Republic | Lung cancer |
| James Carr | 58 | January 7, 2001 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Bryan Gregory The Cramps | 49 | January 10, 2001 | Anaheim, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Jack McDuff | 74 | January 23, 2001 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | Heart failure |
| J.J. Johnson | 77 | February 4, 2001 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Suicide by gunshot |
| Dale Evans | 88 | February 7, 2001 | Apple Valley, California, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Debbie Dean | 73 | February 17, 2001 | Ojai, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| John Fahey | 61 | February 22, 2001 | Salem, Oregon, U.S. | Complications following coronary bypass surgery |
| Lloyd "Mooseman" Roberts III Body Count | 38 | February 22, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Murder by gunshot |
| Glenn Hughes Village People | 50 | March 4, 2001 | Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Mike "Smitty" Smith Paul Revere & the Raiders | 58 | March 6, 2001 | | Natural causes |
| Robert Ealey | 75 | March 8, 2001 | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | |
| John Phillips The Mamas & the Papas | 65 | March 18, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Herbie Jones | 74 | March 19, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Earl Beal The Silhouettes | 71 | March 22, 2001 | | Unknown |
| John Lewis | 80 | March 29, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Big Daddy Kinsey | 74 | April 3, 2001 | Gary, Indiana, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Paul Peek Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps | 63 | April 3, 2001 | Lithonia, Georgia, U.S. | Cirrhosis |
| Charles Pettigrew Charles & Eddie | 37 | April 6, 2001 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Cancer |
| Van Stephenson Blackhawk | 47 | April 8, 2001 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Melanoma |
| Sandy Bull | 60 | April 11, 2001 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Joey Ramone The Ramones | 49 | April 15, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Lymphoma |
| Al Hibbler | 85 | April 24, 2001 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Ernie Graham Eire Apparent, Help Yourself, Clancy | 54 | April 27, 2001 | London, England | Alcohol related illness |
| Billy Higgins | 64 | May 3, 2001 | Inglewood, California, U.S. | Kidney & liver failure |
| Boozoo Chavis | 70 | May 5, 2001 | Austin, Texas, U.S. | Complications following a heart attack |
| Mike Hazlewood | 59 | May 6, 2001 | Florence, Italy | Heart attack |
| James E. Myers Record producer for Bill Haley & His Comets | 81 | May 10, 2001 | Bonita Springs, Florida, U.S. | Unknown |
| Perry Como | 88 | May 12, 2001 | Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease. |
| Prince Ital Joe | 38 | May 16, 2001 | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Susannah McCorkle | 55 | May 19, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Suicide by jumping |
| Brian Pendleton Pretty Things | 57 | May 25, 2001 | Maidstone, Kent, England | Lung cancer |
| Tony Ashton | 55 | May 28, 2001 | London, England | Cancer |
| Carole Fredericks | 49 | June 7, 2001 | Dakar, Senegal | Apparent heart attack |
| Marcelo Fromer Titãs | 39 | June 13, 2001 | São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil | Traffic accident |
| Davorin Popović Indexi | 54 | June 18, 2001 | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Melanoma |
| Lindsay L. Cooper | 61 | June 19, 2001 | Edinburgh, Scotland | |
| John Lee Hooker | 83 or 88 | June 21, 2001 | Los Altos, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Chet Atkins | 77 | June 30, 2001 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Colon Cancer |
| Joe Henderson | 64 | June 30, 2001 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Emphysema/Heart failure |
| Roy Nichols Merle Haggard | 68 | July 3, 2001 | Bakersfield, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Ernie K-Doe | 68 | July 5, 2001 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Kidney and liver failure |
| Fred Neil | 65 | July 7, 2001 | Summerland Key, Florida, U.S. | Squamous-cell carcinoma |
| Big Ed | 29 | July 8, 2001 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Lymphoma cancer |
| Herman Brood | 54 | July 11, 2001 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Suicide |
| Ritchie Galvin Drummer for "Earl Preston & the TT's' | 57 | July 13, 2001 | | Unknown |
| Ian Lowery The Wall, Ski Patrol, Folk Devils | 45 | July 14, 2001 | London, England | |
| Anthony Ian Berkeley Gravediggaz | 36 | July 15, 2001 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Mimi Fariña | 56 | July 18, 2001 | Mill Valley, California, U.S. | Neuroendocrine tumor |
| Judy Clay | 62 | July 19, 2001 | Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. | Complications following traffic accident |
| Milt Gabler Record producer | 90 | July 20, 2001 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Unknown |
| Richie Lee Acetone | 34 | July 23, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Suicide |
| Harold Land | 72 | July 27, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Leon Wilkeson Lynyrd Skynyrd | 49 | July 27, 2001 | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Bill Wade Moxy | 53 | July 27, 2001 | | Cancer |
| Ronald Townson The 5th Dimension | 68 | August 2, 2001 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Renal failure |
| Lou Garscadden Slash Puppet | 36 | August 4, 2001 | Toronto, Canada | Heart attack |
| Paul Cunniffe Blaze X | 40 | August 11, 2001 | Whitechapel, London, England | |
| Maurice Oberstein | 72 | August 13, 2001 | London, England | Heart attack |
| Betty Everett | 61 | August 19, 2001 | South Beloit, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Aaliyah | 22 | August 25, 2001 | Abaco Islands, Bahamas | Plane accident |
| Graeme Strachan Skyhooks | 49 | August 29, 2001 | Mount Archer, Queensland, Australia | Helicopter accident |
| Ted Mulry | 54 | September 1, 2001 | Sydney, Australia | Brain cancer |
| Sil Austin | 71 | September 1, 2001 | | Prostate cancer |
| Jay Migliori | 70 | September 2, 2001 | Mission Viejo, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Dave Myers The Aces | 74 | September 3, 2001 | | Diabetes |
| Carl Crack | 30 | September 6, 2001 | Berlin, Germany | Heroin overdose |
| DJ Uncle Al | 32 | September 10, 2001 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Murdered |
| Carolyn Beug Record producer for Walt Disney Records | 48 | September 11, 2001 | North Tower, One World Trade Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | American Airlines Flight 11 hijacking and crash |
| Kenny Greene Intro | 32 | October 1, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications from AIDS |
| Etta Jones | 72 | October 16, 2001 | Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. | Cancer |
| Kim Gardner Badger, Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, The Birds, The Creation | 53 | October 24, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Panama Francis | 82 | November 13, 2001 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Stroke |
| Tommy Flanagan | 71 | November 16, 2001 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications from an aneurysm |
| Jack Rothstein The Wombles | 75 | November 16, 2001 | London, England | Unknown |
| Isaac Scott | 56 | November 16, 2001 | Edmonds, Washington, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Michael Karoli Can | 53 | November 17, 2001 | Essen, Germany | Cancer |
| Scott Murray 28 Days | 22 | November 18, 2001 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Hit by a car |
| Norman Granz Record producer | 83 | November 22, 2001 | Geneva, Switzerland | Cancer |
| O.C. Smith | 69 | November 23, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Melanie Thornton La Bouche | 34 | November 24, 2001 | Bassersdorf, Switzerland | Plane accident |
| Maria Serrano Serrano Passion Fruit | 27 | November 24, 2001 | Bassersdorf, Switzerland | Plane accident |
| Nathaly(i.e.) van het Ende Passion Fruit | 26 | November 24, 2001 | Bassersdorf, Switzerland | Plane accident |
| George Harrison The Beatles, Traveling Wilburys | 58 | November 29, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Laryngeal cancer |
| Grady Martin | 72 | December 3, 2001 | Lewisburg, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack |
| James Crutchfield | 89 | December 7, 2001 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Heart disease |
| Chuck Schuldiner Death, Control Denied | 34 | December 13, 2001 | Altamonte Springs, Florida, U.S. | Brain cancer |
| Bianca Halstead Humble Gods | 36 | December 15, 2001 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Rufus Thomas | 84 | December 15, 2001 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Stuart Adamson The Skids, Big Country, The Raphaels | 43 | December 16, 2001 | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | Suicide by hanging |
| Clifford T. Ward | 57 | December 18, 2001 | Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, England | Pneumonia |
| Christine Kittrell | 72 | December 19, 2001 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Lance Loud The Mumps | 50 | December 22, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Liver failure as a result from hepatitis C and HIV |
| Gareth Williams This Heat | 48 | December 24, 2001 | | Cancer |
| Frankie Gaye Marvin Gaye's brother | 60 | December 30, 2001 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |

## 2002

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Zac Foley EMF | 31 | January 3, 2002 | Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | Speedball and alcohol overdose |
| Bill Savich Johnny and the Hurricanes | 63 | January 4, 2002 | | Cancer |
| John Dawson The Poets | 57 | January 6, 2002 | Glasgow, Scotland | Cancer |
| Jon Lee Feeder | 33 | January 7, 2002 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Suicide by hanging |
| Tyrone "Crusher" Green Wilson Pickett | 58 | January 8, 2002 | | Pancreatic cancer |
| David McWilliams | 56 | January 8, 2002 | Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | Heart attack |
| Hoagy Lands | 65 | January 12, 2002 | Orange, New Jersey, U.S. | Complications following heart surgery |
| Sally Donaldson Radio host for the RBC | 57 | January 14, 2002 | Harare, Zimbabwe | Throat cancer |
| Eddie Meduza | 53 | January 17, 2002 | Nöbbele, Sweden | Heart attack |
| Carlo Karges Nena | 50 | January 20, 2002 | Hamburg, Germany | Liver failure |
| Peggy Lee | 81 | January 21, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications of diabetes following a heart attack |
| Peter Bardens Camel | 56 | January 22, 2002 | Malibu, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Henry Cosby | 73 | January 22, 2002 | Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. | Complications following cardiac bypass surgery |
| Andy Kulberg The Blues Project, Seatrain | 57 | January 28, 2002 | Fairfax, California, U.S. | Lymphoma |
| Carlo Karges Nena, Novalis | 50 | January 30, 2002 | Hamburg, Germany | Liver failure |
| Paul Baloff Exodus, Hirax, Heathen | 41 | February 2, 2002 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Stroke/Coma |
| Willis Draffen Bloodstone | 56 | February 8, 2002 | | Unknown |
| Dave Van Ronk | 65 | February 10, 2002 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Cardiopulmonary failure while undergoing postoperative treatment for colon cancer |
| Waylon Jennings | 64 | February 13, 2002 | Chandler, Arizona, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Mick Tucker Sweet | 54 | February 14, 2002 | Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England | Leukemia |
| Billy Ward Billy Ward and his Dominoes | 80 | February 16, 2002 | Inglewood, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Huey Davis The Contours | 63 | February 23, 2002 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Died at his home |
| Doreen Waddell Soul II Soul, The KLF | 36 | March 1, 2002 | Shoreham, West Sussex, England | Traffic accident |
| Shirley Scott | 67 | March 10, 2002 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Cranford Nix The Malakas | 33 | March 12, 2002 | Berkley, Michigan, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Speedy Keen The Who, Thunderclap Newman | 56 | March 12, 2002 | | Heart failure |
| Marc Moreland Wall of Voodoo, The Skulls | 44 | March 13, 2002 | Paris, France | Liver & kidney failure |
| Marshall Leib The Teddy Bears | 63 | March 15, 2002 | Northridge, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| John Patton | 66 | March 19, 2002 | Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Joe Schermie Three Dog Night | 56 | March 26, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Randy Castillo Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe | 51 | March 26, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Skin cancer |
| Dudley Moore | 66 | March 27, 2002 | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. | Pneumonia from Palsy (PSP) |
| Milton Berle | 93 | March 27, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Randy Carr Social Distortion | 45 | March 27, 2002 | Irvine, California, U.S. | Cushing's syndrome |
| Frank Tovey Fad Gadget | 45 | April 3, 2002 | London, England | Heart attack |
| Layne Staley Alice in Chains, Mad Season | 34 | April 5, 2002 | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Speedball overdose |
| Kevin Kelly The Byrds | 59 | April 6, 2002 | Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Alan Dale | 76 | April 20, 2002 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Died after a long illness |
| Lisa Lopes TLC | 30 | April 25, 2002 | La Ceiba, Honduras | Traffic accident |
| Dick Campbell | 58 | April 25, 2002 | | Complications from lung transplant |
| César Díaz Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Neil Young | 50 | April 26, 2002 | | Unknown |
| Otis Blackwell | 71 | May 6, 2002 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack |
| James Dewar Robin Trower, Stone the Crows | 59 | May 16, 2002 | Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland | Stroke |
| Little Johnny Taylor | 59 | May 17, 2002 | Conway, Arkansas, U.S. | Died at his home |
| Boyd Bennett | 77 | June 2, 2002 | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | Lung ailment |
| Boo Duckworth Drummer for Animal Bag | 35 | June 5, 2002 | | Natural causes |
| Dee Dee Ramone The Ramones | 50 | June 5, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Robbin Crosby Ratt | 42 | June 6, 2002 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Laurie Allen Bobbie & Laurie | 60 | June 13, 2002 | | Heart attack |
| John Entwistle The Who | 57 | June 27, 2002 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Cocaine-induced heart attack |
| Russ Freeman | 76 | June 27, 2002 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Unknown |
| Rosemary Clooney | 74 | June 29, 2002 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Richard "Pistol" Allen The Funk Brothers | 69 | June 30, 2002 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Cancer |
| Ray Brown Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, The L.A. Four | 75 | July 2, 2002 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Earle Brown | 75 | July 2, 2002 | Rye, New York, U.S. | Cancer |
| Jim Cherry Strung Out, Pulley, Zero Down | 30 | July 7, 2002 | Simi Valley, California, U.S. | Congenital heart condition |
| Rosco Gordon | 74 | July 11, 2002 | Rego Park, Queens, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Barbara Randolph | 60 | July 15, 2002 | Somewhere in South Africa | Cancer |
| Otis Leavill Record producer | 65 | July 17, 2002 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Arthur Lee Maye "Arthur Lee Maye & the Crowns" | 67 | July 17, 2002 | Riverside, California, U.S. | Pancreatic & liver cancer |
| Dave Carter Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer | 49 | July 19, 2002 | Hadley, Massachusetts, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Alan Lomax | 87 | July 19, 2002 | Safety Harbor, Florida, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Little Jimmy King | 37 | July 19, 2002 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Gus Dudgeon Record producer | 59 | July 21, 2002 | M4 motorway, Berkshire, England | Traffic accident |
| Roscoe Shelton | 70 | July 27, 2002 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Paul Samson Samson | 49 | August 9, 2002 | Norwich, England | Cancer |
| Michael Houser Widespread Panic | 40 | August 10, 2002 | Athens, Georgia, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Dave Williams Drowning Pool | 30 | August 14, 2002 | Manassas, Virginia, U.S. | Heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy |
| Lionel Hampton | 94 | August 31, 2002 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Chris Rice "3AE" and "The Denizens" | 29 | September 6, 2002 | | Car crash |
| Erma Franklin | 64 | September 7, 2002 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Laryngeal cancer |
| Paul Williams | 87 | September 14, 2002 | New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| Margita Stefanović Ekatarina Velika | 43 | September 18, 2002 | Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia | Infective diseases |
| Tim Rose The Big 3 | 62 | September 24, 2002 | London, England | Heart attack |
| Mickey Newbury Singer-songwriter | 62 | September 29, 2002 | Springfield, Oregon, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Darryl DeLoach Iron Butterfly | 55 | October 3, 2002 | | Hepatocellular carcinoma/Liver cancer |
| Ray Conniff | 85 | October 12, 2002 | Escondido, California, U.S. | Head trauma after a fall |
| Ramon Loper The Five Keys | 66 | October 16, 2002 | | Died after a long illness |
| Bashful Brother Oswald | 90 | October 17, 2002 | Madison, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Paul Owens The Dixie Hummingbirds, Swan Silvertones, Sensational Nightingales | 78 | October 17, 2002 | | Unknown |
| Anna King | 64 | October 21, 2002 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| Richard Harris | 72 | October 25, 2002 | Bloomsbury, London, England | Hodgkin's disease |
| Tom Dowd Audio engineer & record producer | 77 | October 27, 2002 | Aventura, Florida, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Baby Lloyd Stallworth The Famous Flames | 61 | October 27, 2002 | | Natural Causes |
| Jam Master Jay Run-DMC | 37 | October 30, 2002 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Murdered |
| Claude "Juan" Johnson Don and Juan | 67 | October 31, 2002 | | Unknown |
| Lonnie Donegan | 71 | November 3, 2002 | Peterborough, England | Heart attack |
| Billy Guy The Coasters | 66 | November 5, 2002 | Clark County, Nevada, U.S. | Cardiovascular disease |
| Michael Stewart Guitarist/Banjo for We Five | 57 | November 13, 2002 | | Died after a long illness/Possible suicide |
| Dave "Snaker" Ray | 59 | November 28, 2002 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Denny Correll Blues Image | 56 | November 29, 2002 | Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Ben Eberbaugh Black Lips | 22 | December 1, 2002 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Mal Waldron | 77 | December 2, 2002 | Brussels, Belgium | Cancer |
| Bernie Dwyer Drummer for Freddie and the Dreamers | 62 | December 4, 2002 | | Lung cancer |
| Mary Hansen Stereolab | 36 | December 9, 2002 | London, England | Traffic accident |
| Zal Yanovsky The Lovin' Spoonful | 57 | December 13, 2002 | Kingston, Ontario, Canada | Heart attack |
| Joe Strummer The Clash, The Mescaleros | 50 | December 22, 2002 | Broomfield, Somerset, England | Congenital heart defect |
| Kevin MacMichael Cutting Crew | 51 | December 31, 2002 | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Lung cancer |

## 2003

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Dan Davenport Singer for "The Detroit Romeos"/"The Larados" | 64 | January 1, 2003 | | Emphysema |
| Edward "Ed" Farran The Arbors | 65 | January 2, 2003 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| King Biscuit Boy | 58 | January 5, 2003 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | |
| Mickey Finn T. Rex | 55 | January 11, 2003 | Croydon, Surrey, England | Alcohol-related liver problems |
| Maurice Gibb Bee Gees | 53 | January 12, 2003 | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | Cardiac arrest following volvulus |
| Roger Troutman Jr. Zapp | 32 | January 22, 2003 | Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Nell Carter | 54 | January 23, 2003 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Arteriosclerotic heart disease complicated by diabetes |
| Sabotage | 29 | January 24, 2003 | São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil | Murdered |
| Kevin "Dino" Conner H-Town | 28 | January 28, 2003 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Car crash |
| Mongo Santamaría | 85 | February 1, 2003 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Stroke |
| Vincent "Randy" Chin Record producer and record company owner | 65 | February 2, 2003 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Malcolm Roberts | 58 | February 7, 2003 | Chertsey, Surrey, England | Heart attack |
| Johnny Paycheck | 64 | February 19, 2003 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Ty Longley Great White | 31 | February 20, 2003 | West Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S. | The Station nightclub fire |
| Tom Glazer | 88 | February 21, 2003 | Rochester, New York, U.S. | Died at his home |
| Howie Epstein Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | 47 | February 23, 2003 | Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| William "Sonny" Forrest "The Fantastics" | 67 | February 23, 2003 | | Unknown |
| Earl Forest | 76 | February 26, 2003 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Hank Ballard The Midnighters | 75 | March 2, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Throat cancer |
| Alice Martineau | 30 | March 6, 2003 | Kensington, London, England | Cystic fibrosis |
| Adam Faith | 62 | March 8, 2003 | Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England | Heart attack |
| Ian Samwell The Shadows | 66 | March 13, 2003 | Sacramento, California, U.S. | Heart ailment |
| Hardin "Buddy" Pendergrass White Witch | ?? | March 16, 2003 | | Cancer |
| Teemu Raimoranta Finntroll, Thy Serpent, Barathrum, Impaled Nazarene | 25 | March 16, 2003 | Helsinki, Finland | Fall from the Kaisaniemi bridge in Helsinki while intoxicated |
| Brandi Wells | 47 | March 24, 2003 | Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Breast cancer |
| Chris Michie Van Morrison | 55 | March 27, 2003 | Fairfax, California, U.S. | Melanoma/Cancer |
| Leslie Cheung | 46 | April 1, 2003 | Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, China | suicide |
| Edwin Starr | 61 | April 2, 2003 | Bramcote, Nottingham, England | Heart attack |
| Homer Banks | 61 | April 3, 2003 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Mark Reynolds Red Flag | 30's | April 7, 2003 | | Suicide |
| Little Eva | 59 | April 10, 2003 | Kinston, North Carolina, U.S. | Cervical cancer |
| Sean Delaney Kiss | 58 | April 13, 2003 | Utah, U.S. | |
| Allen Eager | 76 | April 13, 2003 | Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | Liver cancer |
| Earl King | 69 | April 17, 2003 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Diabetes-related complications |
| Nina Simone | 70 | April 21, 2003 | Carry-le-Rouet, France | Breast cancer |
| Gerry Shephard The Glitter Band | 51 | May 6, 2003 | | Cancer |
| Rana Ross Touring musician for Phantom Blue, Vixen | 41 | May 3, 2003 | ?, U.S. | Liver failure |
| Noel Redding The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 57 | May 11, 2003 | County Cork, Ireland | Shock haemorrhage due to esophageal varices in reaction to cirrhosis |
| June Carter Cash Carter Family, The Carter Sisters, Johnny Cash's second wife | 73 | May 15, 2003 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Complications from heart-valve surgery |
| George Faith | 56 | May 16, 2003 | | Cancer |
| Jinny Osborn The Chordettes | 76 | May 19, 2003 | Palm Springs, Florida, U.S. | Cancer |
| Camoflauge | 21 | May 19, 2003 | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | Murdered |
| Joe "Guitar" Hughes | 65 | May 20, 2003 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Big DS Onyx | 31 | May 22, 2003 | | Lymphatic cancer |
| Jeremy Ward The Mars Volta, De Facto | 27 | May 25, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Mickie Most Record producer | 64 | May 30, 2003 | Totteridge, London, England | Peritoneal mesothelioma |
| Dave Rowberry The Animals | 62 | June 6, 2003 | Hackney, East London, England | Heart failure |
| Jimmy Knepper | 75 | June 14, 2003 | Triadelphia, West Virginia, U.S. | Parkinson's disease |
| Mark Storm Bassist for National Velvet (band) | 30's | Missing since November 2002, found c. July 2003 | Lake Ontario, Canada | Drowning |
| Herbie Mann | 73 | July 1, 2003 | Pecos, New Mexico, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Skip Scarborough American arranger and record producer for L.T.D., Earth, Wind & Fire | 58 | July 3, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Barry White | 58 | July 4, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Kidney failure/Stroke |
| Skip Battin Skip & Flip, The Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Flying Burrito Brothers | 69 | July 6, 2003 | Salem, Oregon, U.S. | Complications from Alzheimer's disease |
| John Purdell Record producer and arranger from Dream Theater, Kix, Heart and L.A. Guns | 44 | July 10, 2003 | Quebec, Canada | Prostate cancer |
| Benny Carter | 95 | July 12, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications from bronchitis |
| Adam Cox The Exploding Hearts | 23 | July 20, 2003 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Jeremy Gage The Exploding Hearts | 21 | July 20, 2003 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Matt Fitzgerald The Exploding Hearts | 20 | July 20, 2003 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Erik Brann Iron Butterfly | 52 | July 25, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| René Berg Hanoi Rocks, "Suicide Twins", "The Hollywood Killers" etc... | 47 | July 28, 2003 | | Drug overdose |
| Greg Guidry Singer-Songwriter | 49 | July 28, 2003 | Fairview, Tennessee, U.S. | Fire |
| Sam Phillips Businessman and record producer | 80 | July 30, 2003 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Roger Voudouris | 48 | August 3, 2003 | Sacramento, California, U.S. | Liver disease |
| Gregory Hines | 57 | August 9, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Liver cancer |
| Dan Birney Bassist for Head East | 52 | August 9, 2003 | | Cardiovascular disease |
| Matt Davis "the vidablue", "Ten Grand", Afro-Punk (film) | 26 | August 10, 2003 | Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, U.S. | Aneurysm |
| Matt Moffitt Matt Finish | 46 | August 12, 2003 | Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia | Stroke |
| Ed Townsend | 74 | August 13, 2003 | San Bernardino, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Tony Jackson The Searchers | 63 | August 18, 2003 | Nottingham, England | Cirrhosis of the liver |
| Wesley Willis Wesley Willis Fiasco | 40 | August 21, 2003 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Chronic myelogenous leukemia |
| Floyd Tillman | 88 | August 22, 2003 | Bacliff, Texas, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Bruce Waibel FireHouse | 45 | September 2, 2003 | Florida, U.S. | Suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Warren Zevon | 56 | September 7, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Mesothelioma |
| Bob Markley The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band | 68 | September 9, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cause of death not reported |
| Jerzy "Kawa" Kawalec Krzak (band) | 49 | September 9, 2003 | Chorzów, Poland | Aggressive laryngeal cancer |
| Johnny Cash | 71 | September 12, 2003 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Chubby Newsom | 83 | September 13, 2003 | Merriam, Kansas, U.S. | |
| Sheb Wooley | 82 | September 16, 2003 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Slim Dusty | 76 | September 19, 2003 | St Ives, New South Wales, Australia | Lung & kidney cancer |
| Matthew Jay | 24 | September 25, 2003 | London, England | Fall |
| Shawn Lane Black Oak Arkansas | 40 | September 26, 2003 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Severe lung complications |
| Robert Palmer The Power Station | 54 | September 26, 2003 | Paris, France | Heart attack |
| Paul Burlison The Rock and Roll Trio | 74 | September 27, 2003 | Horn Lake, Mississippi, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| John Brim | 81 | October 1, 2003 | Gary, Indiana, U.S. | Heart cancer |
| John David Kimball Omen | 45 | October 3, 2003 | | Cancer |
| Robbie King The Hometown Band | 56 | October 17, 2003 | British Columbia, Canada | Cancer |
| Elliott Smith Heatmiser | 34 | October 21, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stabbing (suicide or murder) |
| Half a Mill | 30 | October 24, 2003 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Murdered |
| Oliver Sain | 71 | October 28, 2003 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Bone cancer |
| Steve O'Rourke Manager from Pink Floyd | 63 | October 30, 2003 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Stroke |
| Bobby Hatfield The Righteous Brothers | 63 | November 4, 2003 | Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack causes by cocaine overdose |
| Guy Speranza Riot | 47 | November 8, 2003 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Tony Thompson The Power Station, Chic | 48 | November 12, 2003 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Renal cell carcinoma |
| Claude Trenier The Treniers | 84 | November 16, 2003 | | Bladder cancer |
| Arthur Conley | 57 | November 17, 2003 | Ruurlo, Gelderland, Netherlands | Intestinal cancer |
| Michael Kamen New York Rock & Roll Ensemble, orchestrator for Pink Floyd, Rush | 55 | November 18, 2003 | London, England | Heart attack |
| Greg Ridley Spooky Tooth, Humble Pie | 62 | November 19, 2003 | Alicante, Spain | Pneumonia |
| Teddy Randazzo | 68 | November 21, 2003 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Teddy Wilburn The Wilburn Brothers | 71 | November 24, 2003 | | Congestive heart failure |
| Soulja Slim | 26 | November 26, 2003 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Murdered |
| Frank Leepa Member of Sankomota | 50 | November 27, 2003 | ?, South Africa | Undisclosed |
| George Magnezid The Wrens (R&B band) | 60's | c. December 2003 | | Unknown |
| Bill Deal Bill Deal and the Rhondels | 59 | December 10, 2003 | | Heart attack |
| Gary Stewart | 59 | December 16, 2003 | Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S. | Suicide by gunshot |
| Paul Balon "The Rockin' Rebels" | 61 | December 17, 2003 | | Heart disease |
| Dave Dudley | 75 | December 22, 2003 | Danbury, Wisconsin, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Dick St. John Dick & Dee Dee | 63 | December 27, 2003 | | Accidental fall from roof |
| Anita Mui | 40 | December 30, 2003 | Happy Valley, Hong Kong | Cervical cancer |

## 2004

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| John Guerin | 64 | January 5, 2004 | West Hills, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Randy VanWarmer | 48 | January 12, 2004 | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Terje Bakken Windir | 25 | January 14, 2004 | Reppastølen, Sogndal, Norway | Hypothermia |
| Jimmi Lawrence Hope of the States | 26 | January 15, 2004 | Real World Studios | Suicide by hanging |
| John Siomos | 56 | January 16, 2004 | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| Billy May | 87 | January 22, 2004 | San Juan Capistrano, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Mel Pritchard Drummer/Percussionist for Barclay James Harvest | 56 | January 28, 2004 | Greenfield, Greater Manchester, UK | Died in his sleep (Heart attack) |
| Rene DeKnight The Delta Rhythm Boys | 90 | January 29, 2004 | | Unknown |
| Soko Richardson Ike & Tina Turner, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers | 64 | January 29, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Cornelius Bumpus The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan | 58 | February 3, 2004 | Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Preston Love | 82 | February 12, 2004 | Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Doris Troy | 67 | February 16, 2004 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Emphysema |
| J.J. Malone | 68 | February 20, 2004 | Hawaii, U.S. | Cancer |
| Les Gray Mud | 57 | February 21, 2004 | Algarve, Lagos, Portugal | Heart attack following throat cancer |
| Carl Anderson | 58 | February 23, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Bob Mayo | 53 | February 23, 2004 | Basel, Switzerland | Heart attack |
| A.C. Reed | 77 | February 24, 2004 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Cancer |
| Estelle Axton Co-founder of Stax Records | 85 | February 25, 2004 | | Pneumonia |
| John McGeoch Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd, Visage, The Armoury Show | 48 | March 4, 2004 | Cornwall, England | Heart attack |
| Peggy DeCastro The DeCastro Sisters | 82 | March 6, 2004 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Rust Epique Crazy Town | 36 | March 9, 2004 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Aortic rupture |
| Dave Schulthise The Dead Milkmen | 47 | March 10, 2004 | North Salem, New York, U.S. | Suicide by drug overdose |
| Kyle Tullis Bassist for Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels, Steve Wariner, Vern Gosdin, The Oak Ridge Boys and many others | 55 | March 9, 2004 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Liver and bone cancer |
| Edmund Sylvers The Sylvers | 47 | March 11, 2004 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Mary Ann Fisher Ray Charles, The Raelettes | 81 | March 12, 2004 | | Natural causes |
| Johnny Bristol | 65 | March 21, 2004 | Brighton Township, Michigan, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Jan Berry Jan & Dean | 62 | March 26, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications from a seizure |
| Adán Sánchez | 19 | March 27, 2004 | Sinaloa, Mexico | Car crash |
| Timi Yuro | 63 | March 30, 2004 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Throat cancer |
| Paul Atkinson The Zombies | 58 | April 1, 2004 | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | Liver disease |
| Niki Sullivan Buddy Holly & The Crickets | 66 | April 6, 2004 | Sugar Creek, Missouri, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Felix Haug Drummer/Keyboardist for Double | 52 | May 1, 2004 | Uster, Switzerland | Heart attack |
| Curtis Gordon | 75 | May 2, 2004 | Moultrie, Georgia, U.S. | Unknown cause |
| Coxsone Dodd Record producer | 72 | May 4, 2004 | Kingston, Jamaica | Heart attack |
| Barney Kessel | 80 | May 6, 2004 | San Diego, California, U.S. | Brain tumor |
| Rudi Maugeri The Crew-Cuts | 73 | May 7, 2004 | | Pancreatic cancer |
| Brenda Fassie | 39 | May 9, 2004 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Cocaine overdose/Coma |
| John Whitehead McFadden & Whitehead | 55 | May 11, 2004 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Murdered |
| Clint Warwick The Moody Blues | 58 | May 15, 2004 | Birmingham, England | Hepatitis |
| Alex Nelson Guitarist for Lizzy Borden (band) | 41 | May 17, 2004 | | Car crash |
| Gunnar Graps | 52 | May 17, 2004 | Tallinn, Estonia | Heart attack |
| Elvin Jones | 76 | May 18, 2004 | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Gatemouth Moore | 90 | May 19, 2004 | Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| Derek Frigo Guitarist for Enuff Z'Nuff | 37 | May 28, 2004 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Robert Quine | 61 | May 31, 2004 | New York, U.S. | Suicide by heroin overdose |
| Steve Lacy | 69 | June 4, 2004 | | Liver cancer |
| Quorthon Bathory | 38 | June 7, 2004 | Stockholm, Sweden | Heart failure |
| Bill Lowery Record producer and music entrepreneur | 79 | June 8, 2004 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Cancer |
| Ray Charles | 73 | June 10, 2004 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Complications of acute liver disease |
| Graeme Kelling Deacon Blue | 47 | June 10, 2004 | | Pancreatic cancer |
| Jeff Reid Bassist for SR-71 (band) | 36 | June 11, 2004 | | Lung cancer |
| Jimmy Arnold The Four Lads | 72 | June 15, 2004 | Sacramento, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Richard Tepp Richard and the Young Lions | 57 | June 17, 2004 | | Leukemia |
| Syreeta Wright | 57 | July 6, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Ersel Hickey | 70 | July 9, 2004 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Complications from gallbladder surgery |
| Arthur Kane New York Dolls | 55 | July 13, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Richard Anthony "Richie" Puente Percussionist for Foxy | 51 | July 18, 2004 | Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S. | Brain injury/Died in his sleep |
| Illinois Jacquet | 81 | July 22, 2004 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| George Williams The Tymes | 68 | July 28, 2004 | Maple Shade, New Jersey, U.S. | Unknown |
| Hunter Hancock American disc jockey | 88 | August 4, 2004 | Claremont, California, U.S. | Natural Causes |
| Rick James | 56 | August 6, 2004 | Burbank, California, U.S. | Pulmonary and cardiac failure |
| Jak Airport Classix Nouveaux, X-Ray Spex | 49 | August 13, 2004 | | Cancer |
| D-Roc "The Executioner" Body Count | 44 | August 17, 2004 | Duarte, California, U.S. | Lymphatic cancer/Lymphoma |
| Noble "Thin Man" Watts | 78 | August 24, 2004 | | Pneumonia and emphysema |
| Laura Branigan | 52 | August 26, 2004 | East Quogue, New York, U.S. | Brain aneurysm |
| Carl Wayne The Move | 61 | August 31, 2004 | Birmingham, England | Esophageal cancer |
| Raful Neal | 68 | September 1, 2004 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | Cancer |
| Wildman Steve Comic entertainer, radio personality, promoter, MC and rock artist | 78 | September 1, 2004 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| Michael Connor Keyboardist for Pure Prairie League | 54 | September 2, 2004 | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | Cancer |
| Robert Cotoia Keyboardist for John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band | 51 | September 3, 2004 | | Liver disease |
| Jimmy Lewis The Drifters | 66 | September 11, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Johnny Ramone The Ramones | 55 | September 15, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Izora Armstead The Weather Girls | 62 | September 16, 2004 | San Leandro, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Skeeter Davis | 72 | September 19, 2004 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Breast cancer |
| Gary Strater Bassist for Starcastle | 51 | September 20, 2004 | | Pancreatic cancer |
| Roy Drusky | 74 | September 23, 2004 | Portland, Tennessee, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Louis Satterfield Earth, Wind & Fire | 67 | September 27, 2004 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Unknown |
| Bruce Palmer Buffalo Springfield | 58 | October 1, 2004 | Belleville, Ontario, Canada | Heart attack |
| Rodney Dangerfield | 82 | October 5, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications after open heart replacement surgery |
| Clem Tholet Rhodesian Folk singer | 56 | October 6, 2004 | Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa | ? |
| William Henry "Pat" Best The 4 Tunes | 81 | October 14, 2004 | Roseville, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Dave Godin Record producer and co-founder of Soul City Records | 68 | October 15, 2004 | Rotherham, England | Unknown |
| Doug Bennett Doug & the Slugs | 52 | October 16, 2004 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Cirrhosis of the liver |
| Greg Shaw Fanzine publisher, music historian and record label owner, manager for Flamin' Groovies | 55 | October 19, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| C. P. Spencer The Originals | 66 | October 20, 2004 | | Heart attack |
| John Peel English DJ | 65 | October 25, 2004 | Cuzco, Peru | Heart attack |
| Bill Reed The Diamonds | 68 | October 22, 2004 | Toronto, Canada | Cancer |
| Terry Knight Terry Knight and the Pack, Grand Funk Railroad | 61 | November 1, 2004 | Temple, Texas, U.S. | Murder by stabbing |
| Mark Ledford Pat Metheny Group | 44 | November 1, 2004 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart disease |
| Mac Dre | 34 | November 1, 2004 | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | Shot to death |
| Robert Heaton New Model Army, Hawkwind | 43 | November 4, 2004 | Bradford, West Yorkshire, U.K. | Head injury |
| Lenny Mayes The Dramatics | 53 | November 7, 2004 | Southfield, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack |
| John Balance Coil, Psychic TV | 42 | November 13, 2004 | Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England | Fall |
| Ol' Dirty Bastard Wu-Tang Clan | 35 | November 13, 2004 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Accidental drug overdose |
| Cy Coleman | 75 | November 18, 2004 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Terry Melcher Bruce & Terry, The Rip Chords | 62 | November 19, 2004 | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | Melanoma |
| Kevin Coyne | 60 | December 2, 2004 | Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany | Lung fibrosis |
| Nadine Renee Planet Soul | 32 | December 2, 2004 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Complications following childbirth |
| Dimebag Darrell Pantera, Damageplan | 38 | December 8, 2004 | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | Murdered (on stage) |
| Herbert Dreilich Karat | 62 | December 12, 2004 | Berlin, Germany | Liver cancer |
| Freddie Perren Record producer and arranger from The Jackson 5, The Sylvers and Peaches & Herb | 61 | December 16, 2004 | Chatsworth, California, U.S. | Complications following a stroke |
| Dick Heckstall-Smith Colosseum, The Graham Bond Organisation | 70 | December 17, 2004 | London, England | Acute liver failure |
| Son Seals | 62 | December 20, 2004 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Complications of diabetes |
| Mieszko Talarczyk Nasum | 30 | December 26, 2004 | Phi Phi Island, Thailand | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami |
| Hank Garland | 74 | December 27, 2004 | Orange Park, Florida, U.S. | Staph infection |
| Artie Shaw | 94 | December 30, 2004 | Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. | Natural causes |

## 2005

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| David McNeil The Larks | 72 | January 8, 2005 | | Unknown |
| Spencer Dryden Jefferson Airplane, New Riders of the Purple Sage | 66 | January 11, 2005 | Penngrove, California, U.S. | Stomach cancer |
| Jimmy Griffin Bread | 61 | January 11, 2005 | Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. | Complications due to cancer |
| Marko Busch Dritte Wahl | 35 | January 17, 2005 | | Stomach cancer |
| Consuelo Velázquez | 88 | January 17, 2005 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Johnny Carson | 79 | January 23, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Ray Peterson | 69 | January 25, 2005 | Smyrna, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Clarence Bassett Shep and the Limelites | 68 | January 25, 2005 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Mark Evans Drummer for Warrior Soul | 48 | January 26, 2005 | Seething Wells, London, England | Murdered (Strangled and burned) |
| Jim Capaldi Traffic | 60 | January 28, 2005 | Westminster, London, England | Stomach cancer |
| Eric Griffiths The Quarrymen | 64 | January 29, 2005 | Edinburgh, Scotland | Pancreatic cancer |
| David Lerchey The Del-Vikings | 67 | January 29, 2005 | Hallandale, Florida, U.S. | Cancer/Heart ailment |
| Wes Wehmiller Duran Duran, Missing Persons | 33 | January 30, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Thyroid cancer |
| Merle Kilgore | 70 | February 6, 2005 | Mexico | Heart failure while undergoing experimental treatments for lung cancer |
| Grantley Dee | 59 | February 7, 2005 | Melbourne, Australia | Unknown cause |
| Keith Knudsen The Doobie Brothers | 56 | February 8, 2005 | Kentfield, California, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Jimmy Smith | 79 | February 8, 2005 | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Tyrone Davis | 66 | February 9, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Stroke |
| Sammi Smith | 61 | February 12, 2005 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Joe Martin The Willows | 69 | February 19, 2005 | | Congestive heart failure |
| Edward Patten Gladys Knight & the Pips | 65 | February 25, 2005 | Livonia, Michigan, U.S. | Stroke caused by diabetes |
| Chris Curtis The Searchers | 63 | February 28, 2005 | Liverpool, England | Died after a long illness |
| George "Wild Child" Butler | 68 | March 1, 2005 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Pulmonary embolism |
| Joseph Dougherty Carter Carter Family | 78 | March 2, 2005 | Hiltons, Scott County, Virginia, U.S. | Unknown |
| Chris LeDoux | 56 | March 9, 2005 | Casper, Wyoming, U.S. | Bile Duct Cancer |
| Danny Joe Brown The Danny Joe Brown Band, Molly Hatchet | 53 | March 10, 2005 | Davie, Florida, U.S. | Renal failure |
| Jackie Neal | 37 | March 10, 2005 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | Murder by gunshot |
| Lyn Collins | 56 | March 13, 2005 | Pasadena, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrhythmia |
| Jakson Spires Blackfoot | 53 | March 16, 2005 | Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S. | Brain aneurysm |
| Renée Diggs Starpoint | 50 | March 18, 2005 | Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. | Complications of multiple sclerosis |
| Rod Price Foghat | 57 | March 22, 2005 | Wilton, New Hampshire, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Paul Hester Crowded House, Split Enz | 46 | March 26, 2005 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Suicide by hanging |
| Rigo Tovar | 58 | March 27, 2005 | Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | Cardiac arrest |
| Derrick Plourde Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, The Ataris, Mad Caddies, Rich Kids on LSD | 33 | March 30, 2005 | | Suicide by gunshot |
| Billy "Bass Wolf" Guitar Wolf | 38 | March 31, 2005 | Tokyo, Japan | Heart attack |
| Barry Stern Zoetrope, Trouble | 45 | April 1, 2005 | | Complications following hip replacement surgery |
| Duke McFadden Keyboardist for 707 | 40s | April 5, 2005 | | Heart problems |
| Grant Kitchings The Ravens, The Drifters | 66 | April 5, 2005 | | Diabetes |
| Johnnie Johnson | 80 | April 13, 2005 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Kidney failure and pneumonia |
| John Fred John Fred and His Playboy Band | 63 | April 14, 2005 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Complications from kidney transplant |
| Andrew Steele Drummer for The Herd | 63 | April 18, 2005 | | Cancer |
| Stan Levey | 79 | April 19, 2005 | Van Nuys, California, U.S. | Jaw cancer |
| Blade Icewood | 28 | April 19, 2005 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Shot to death |
| Bryan Ottoson Guitarist for American Head Charge | 27 | April 19, 2005 | North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. | Barbiturate overdose |
| Richard Lewis The Silhouettes | 71 | April 19, 2005 | | Kidney failure |
| Jimmy Woode Flip Phillips, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington etc... | 78 | April 23, 2005 | Linden, New Jersey, U.S. | Complications following a surgery for a stomach aneurysm |
| Hasil Adkins | 67 | April 26, 2005 | Boone County, West Virginia, U.S. | |
| Percy Heath Modern Jazz Quartet | 81 | April 28, 2005 | Southampton, New York, U.S. | Bone cancer |
| Jim Pash The Surfaris | 56 | April 29, 2005 | | Congestive heart failure |
| Johnnie Stewart Television producer and music program from Top of the Pops | 87 | April 29, 2005 | East Dereham, Norfolk, England | |
| Norma-Jean Wofford Female rhythm guitarist for Bo Diddley | 63 | April 30, 2005 | Fontana, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Pierre Moerlen Gong | 52 | May 3, 2005 | Strasbourg, France | Natural causes |
| Neal Pattman | 79 | May 4, 2005 | Athens, Georgia, U.S. | Bone cancer |
| David Wayne Metal Church, Reverend | 47 | May 10, 2005 | Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Frankie LaRocka Company of Wolves, Bon Jovi, David Johansen, Bryan Adams, John Waite | 51 | May 12, 2005 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications after heart surgery |
| Mike Mahaffey Self | 38 | May 25, 2005 | | Died in his sleep/Unknown causes |
| Domenic Troiano The James Gang, The Guess Who, Ronnie Hawkins | 59 | May 25, 2005 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Prostate cancer |
| Eddie Albert | 99 | May 26, 2005 | Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Pneumonia/Alzheimer's Disease |
| Oscar Brown | 78 | May 29, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Osteomyelitis |
| Karl Mueller Soul Asylum | 41 | June 17, 2005 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | Throat cancer |
| Johnny Reed The Orioles | 81 | June 18, 2005 | | Natural causes |
| Chet Helms Music promoter | 62 | June 25, 2005 | | Stroke |
| Renaldo Benson The Four Tops | 69 | July 1, 2005 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Luther Vandross Change | 54 | July 1, 2005 | Edison, New Jersey, U.S. | Heart attack following a stroke |
| Hedy West | 67 | July 3, 2005 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Cancer |
| Al Downing | 65 | July 4, 2005 | Massachusetts, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Ray Davis Parliament, Funkadelic | 65 | July 5, 2005 | New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. | Respiratory problems |
| Shirley Goodman Shirley and Company | 69 | July 5, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Dennis D'Ell The Honeycombs | 61 | July 6, 2005 | | Cancer |
| Keith Alexander Carnivore | 41 | July 11, 2005 | Shore Road, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Michael Dahlquist Silkworm | 39 | July 14, 2005 | Skokie, Illinois, U.S. | Vehicular reckless homicide |
| Long John Baldry Blues Incorporated | 64 | July 21, 2005 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Severe chest infection |
| Eugene Record The Chi-Lites | 64 | July 22, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Cancer |
| Dom Um Romão | 79 | July 27, 2005 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Lucky Thompson | 81 | July 30, 2005 | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease |
| Loulie Jean Norman Star Trek, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, The Tokens etc... | 92 | August 2, 2005 | Studio City, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Little Milton | 70 | August 4, 2005 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Stroke |
| Carlo Little The Rolling Stones | 65 | August 6, 2005 | Cleadon, Tyne and Wear, England | Lung cancer |
| Detroit Junior | 73 | August 9, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart failure |
| John Loder Sound engineer, record producer, founder of Southern Studios | 59 | August 12, 2005 | London, England | Brain tumor |
| Francine Hurd Barker Peaches & Herb | 58 | August 13, 2005 | | Cancer |
| Krzysztof Raczkowski Vader | 34 | August 18, 2005 | Olsztyn, Poland | Heart failure due to alcoholism |
| Steven Ronald Jensen The Vandals | 46 | August 20, 2005 | Maui, Hawaii | Barbiturate overdose |
| Robert Moog Moog Synthesizer | 71 | August 21, 2005 | Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. | Brain cancer |
| Harold Kalin Kalin Twins | 71 | August 24, 2005 | | Traffic accident |
| Davor "Moskri" Bobić Lead rapper of Prti Bee Gee | 27 | August 25, 2005 | Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro | Heroin overdose |
| Denis D'Amour Voivod | 45 | August 26, 2005 | | Colon cancer |
| R.L. Burnside Jon Spencer Blues Explosion | 78 | September 1, 2005 | Memphis, Tennessee | Heart attack |
| Barry Cowsill The Cowsills | 50 | c. September 2, 2005 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Drowning related to flooding during Hurricane Katrina |
| Eric Roche | 37 | September 6, 2005 | | Throat cancer |
| Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown | 81 | September 10, 2005 | Orange, Texas, U.S. | Lung cancer/Emphysema |
| Frank Fields | 91 | September 18, 2005 | Zachary, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| Willie Hutch | 60 | September 19, 2005 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Paul Pena | 55 | October 1, 2005 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Diabetes and pancreatitis |
| Hamilton Camp | 70 | October 2, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiac tamponade and dissecting aortic hemorrhage |
| Mike Gibbins Badfinger | 56 | October 4, 2005 | Oviedo, Florida, U.S. | Died in his sleep/Brain aneurysm |
| Shirley Ellis | 76 | October 5, 2005 | Bronx, New York City, U.S. | |
| Paul "Wine" Jones | 59 | October 9, 2005 | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | Cancer |
| Nick Hawkins Big Audio Dynamite | 40 | October 10, 2005 | Laa Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Sonji Clay-Glover | 59 | October 11, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Baker Knight | 72 | October 12, 2005 | Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | Natural causes |
| David Reilly God Lives Underwater | 34 | October 16, 2005 | | Stomach rupture leading to coma |
| Sabú | 54 | October 16, 2005 | Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | Lung cancer |
| Shirley Horn Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others | 71 | October 20, 2005 | Cheverly, Maryland, U.S. | Complications of diabetes |
| Franky Gee Captain Jack | 43 | October 22, 2005 | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | Cerebral hemorrhage/Coma |
| Michael Arnone The Duprees | 63 | October 27, 2005 | | Unknown |
| David Townsend The Isley Brothers, Surface, Sunrize, Marvin Gaye | 50 | October 26, 2005 | Northridge, California, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| John "Beatz" Holohan Bayside | 31 | October 31, 2005 | Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Milt Holland | 88 | November 4, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease and kidney failure |
| Link Wray | 76 | November 5, 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Heart failure |
| Johnny Tanner The Five Royales | 79 | November 8, 2005 | | Cancer |
| Al Frazier The Rivingtons | 75 | November 13, 2005 | | Heart attack |
| Chris Whitley | 45 | November 20, 2005 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Jay Owens | 58 | November 26, 2005 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Complications of diabetes |
| Mark Craney Gino Vannelli, Jethro Tull, Eric Burdon etc... | 53 | November 26, 2005 | Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. | Complications from diabetes and pneumonia |
| Joe Jones | 79 | November 27, 2005 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications following quadruple bypass surgery |
| Tony Meehan The Shadows | 62 | November 28, 2005 | Paddington, London, England | Head injuries following a fall |
| Gerry Humphrys The Loved Ones | 64 | December 2, 2005 | | Heart attack |
| Don Charles | 71 | December 4, 2005 | Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England | Unknown |
| Danny Williams | 63 | December 6, 2005 | | Lung cancer |
| Mike Botts Bread | 61 | December 9, 2005 | Burbank, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Richard "Bomer" Manzullo Rich Kids on LSD | 38 | December 12, 2005 | Summerland, California, U.S. | Heart failure from drug abuse |

## 2006

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Bryan Harvey House of Freaks, Gutterball | 49 | January 1, 2006 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Murder during home robbery |
| Michael S. Smith | 59 | January 2, 2006 | | Prostate cancer |
| Alex St. Clair Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band | 64 | January 5, 2006 | Lancaster, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Lou Rawls | 72 | January 6, 2006 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Mark Spoon Jam & Spoon | 39 | January 11, 2006 | Berlin, Germany | Heart attack |
| Dave Lepard Crashdïet | 25 | January 13, 2006 | Uppsala, Sweden | Suicide by hanging |
| Bob Weinstock Record producer, founded Prestige Records | 77 | January 14, 2006 | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Wilson Pickett The Falcons | 64 | January 19, 2006 | Reston, Virginia, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Janette Carter Carter Family | 82 | January 22, 2006 | Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. | Unknown |
| Fayard Nicholas The Nicholas Brothers | 91 | January 24, 2006 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Pneumonia following a stroke |
| Gene McFadden McFadden & Whitehead | 56 | January 27, 2006 | Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Liver and lung cancer |
| Brent Dowe The Melodians | 59 | January 29, 2006 | Jamaica | Heart attack |
| Jason Sears Rich Kids on LSD | 38 | January 31, 2006 | Tijuana, Mexico | Pulmonary thrombosis. |
| Bobby Moore Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces | 75 | February 1, 2006 | Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Elton Dean Soft Machine | 60 | February 8, 2006 | London, England | Heart and liver problems |
| Johnny Ross Baby Huey & the Babysitters | 63 | February 9, 2006 | Hobart, Indiana, U.S. | Heart failure following appendicitis |
| Bob Riley Grace Pool | 50 | February 9, 2006 | | Heart attack |
| J Dilla Slum Village, Soulquarians | 32 | February 10, 2006 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Lynden David Hall | 31 | February 14, 2006 | | Complications from a steam cell transplant |
| Bill Cowsill The Cowsills, The Blue Shadows, Blue Northern | 58 | February 18, 2006 | Calgary, Alberta, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Yuri Morozov | 57 | February 23, 2006 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Johnny Jackson Drummer for The Jackson 5 | 50 | March 1, 2006 | Gary, Indiana, U.S. | Stabbing |
| Jack Wild | 53 | March 1, 2006 | Tebworth, Bedfordshire, England | Oral cancer |
| Willie Kent | 70 | March 2, 2006 | Englewood, Illinois, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| King Floyd | 61 | March 6, 2006 | Jackson, California, U.S. | Complications of stroke and diabetes |
| Johnny Williams | 99 | March 6, 2006 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Hanka Bielicka | 90 | March 9, 2006 | Warsaw, Poland | Aortic aneurysm/After operation |
| Pío Leyva Buena Vista Social Club | 88 | March 22, 2006 | Havana, Cuba | |
| Buck Owens Buck Owens and the Buckaroos | 76 | March 25, 2006 | Bakersfield, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Rocío Dúrcal | 61 | March 25, 2006 | Torrelodones, Madrid, Spain | Uterus cancer |
| Nikki Sudden Swell Maps | 49 | March 26, 2006 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Peter Wells Rose Tattoo | 59 | March 27, 2006 | Sydney, Australia | Prostate cancer |
| Don Alias | 66 | March 28, 2006 | New York City, New York, U.S. | No cause given |
| Jackie McLean Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis etc... | 74 | March 31, 2006 | Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. | Died after a long illness |
| Martin Gilks The Wonder Stuff | 41 | April 3, 2006 | London, England | Traffic accident |
| Gene Pitney | 66 | April 5, 2006 | Cardiff, Wales | Heart attack |
| Henry Lewy | 79 | April 8, 2006 | Prescott, Arizona, U.S. | Stroke and following heart surgery |
| June Pointer The Pointer Sisters | 52 | April 11, 2006 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Proof Eminem, D12 | 32 | April 11, 2006 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Murder by gunshot |
| Cees Kalis Earth & Fire | 56 | April 16, 2006 | | Unknown |
| Phil Walden Record producer and co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based on Capricorn Records | 66 | April 22, 2006 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Cancer |
| Bonnie Owens | 76 | April 24, 2006 | Bakersfield, California, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease |
| Danny McKenna Toby Beau, Bob Seger, Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers | 54 | April 26, 2006 | McAllen, Texas, U.S. | Suicide by gunshot |
| Johnny Paris Frontman/Saxophonist for Johnny and the Hurricanes | 65 | May 1, 2006 | Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. | Sepsis/Pneumonia |
| Big Hawk | 36 | May 1, 2006 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Shot to death |
| Grant McLennan The Go-Betweens | 48 | May 6, 2006 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Heart attack |
| Steve Bender Record producer and member of Dschinghis Khan | 59 | May 7, 2006 | Munich, Germany | Lung cancer |
| Soraya | 37 | May 10, 2006 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Breast cancer |
| John Hicks Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Woody Herman, etc... | 64 | May 10, 2006 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Internal bleeding |
| Johnnie Wilder, Jr. Heatwave | 56 | May 13, 2006 | Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | Complications of paralysis |
| Steve Cooper S.A. Slayer | 47 | May 14, 2006 | | Kidney failure due to complications of type 1 diabetes |
| Freddie Garrity Freddie and the Dreamers | 69 | May 19, 2006 | Bangor, Wales | Emphysema |
| Billy Walker | 77 | May 21, 2006 | Fort Deposit, Alabama, U.S. | Car crash |
| Desmond Dekker | 64 | May 25, 2006 | Thornton Heath, Croydon, England | Heart attack |
| Vince McAllister Pentagram | 51 | May 26, 2006 | | Neck cancer |
| Vince Welnick Grateful Dead, The Tubes | 55 | June 2, 2006 | Sonoma County, California, U.S. | Suicide |
| Johnny Grande Bill Haley & His Comets | 76 | June 3, 2006 | Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Billy Preston | 59 | June 6, 2006 | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | Respiratory failure, stemming from pericarditis |
| Drafi Deutscher | 60 | June 9, 2006 | Frankfurt, Essen, Germany | Heart failure |
| Freddie Gorman The Originals | 67 | June 13, 2006 | | Lung cancer |
| Duane Roland Molly Hatchet | 52 | June 19, 2006 | St. Augustine, Florida, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Claydes Charles Smith Kool & the Gang | 57 | June 20, 2006 | Maplewood, New Jersey, U.S. | Undisclosed illness |
| Back Alley John | 51 | June 22, 2006 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Respiratory disease |
| Andy Howard | 40 | June 22, 2006 | | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia |
| Emanuel Lasky | 60 | June 23, 2006 | | Cancer |
| Arif Mardin Music producer | 74 | June 25, 2006 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Johnny Jenkins | 67 | June 26, 2006 | Bibb County, Georgia, U.S. | Stroke |
| Joe Weaver | 71 | July 5, 2006 | Southfield, Michigan, U.S. | Stroke |
| Al Hodge The Onyx | 55 | July 6, 2006 | | Cancer |
| Syd Barrett Pink Floyd | 60 | July 7, 2006 | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England | Pancreatic cancer |
| Milan Williams Commodores | 58 | July 9, 2006 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Cancer |
| Sam Myers | 70 | July 17, 2006 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Throat cancer |
| Herbert Kalin Kalin Twins | 72 | July 21, 2006 | | Heart attack |
| Jessie Mae Hemphill | 82 | July 22, 2006 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Complications from an ulcer |
| Floyd Dixon | 77 | July 26, 2006 | Orange County, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Arthur Lee Love | 61 | August 3, 2006 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Richie Barrett The Valentines | 73 | August 3, 2006 | Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| John Locke Nazareth, Spirit | 62 | August 4, 2006 | Ojai, California, U.S. | Cancer/Lymphoma |
| Moacir Santos | 80 | August 6, 2006 | Pasadena, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Barbara George | 63 | August 10, 2006 | Chauvin, Louisiana, U.S. | Lung infection |
| Jon Nödtveidt Dissection, Nifelheim, Ophthalamia, The Black | 31 | August 13, 2006 | Hässelby, Sweden | Suicide by gunshot. |
| Johnny Duncan | 67 | August 14, 2006 | | Heart attack |
| Bruce Gary The Knack | 55 | August 22, 2006 | Tarzana, California, U.S. | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma |
| Maynard Ferguson | 78 | August 23, 2006 | Ventura, California, U.S. | Kidney and liver failure |
| Jesse Pintado Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Lock Up, Brujeria | 37 | August 27, 2006 | Ridderkerk, Netherlands | Liver failure |
| Pip Pyle Hatfield and the North, National Health, Gong | 56 | August 28, 2006 | Paris, France | Natural causes |
| Jumpin' Gene Simmons | 69 | August 29, 2006 | Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. | After a long illness |
| Dewey Redman | 75 | September 2, 2006 | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | Liver failure |
| Al Casey | 69 | September 17, 2006 | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | |
| Danny Flores The Champs | 77 | September 19, 2006 | Huntington Beach, California, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Scott Frazer Guitarist for Space Opera | 57 | September 19, 2006 | | Cancer |
| Boz Burrell Bad Company, King Crimson | 60 | September 21, 2006 | Marbella, Spain | Heart attack |
| Etta Baker | 93 | September 23, 2006 | Fairfax, Virginia, U.S. | |
| Henry Townsend | 96 | September 24, 2006 | Mequon, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| Jamie Lyons Singer for The Music Explosion | 57 | September 25, 2006 | Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Prentiss Barnes The Moonglows | 81 | October 1, 2006 | Magnolia, Mississippi, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Larissa "Strickland" Stolarchuk L-Seven, Laughing Hyenas | 46 | October 9, 2006 | North Port, Florida, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Jared Anderson Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal | 31 | October 14, 2006 | Covington, Kentucky, U.S. | Unspecified cause/Died in his sleep |
| Freddy Fender | 69 | October 14, 2006 | Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Pete Graves The Moonglows | 76 | October 15, 2006 | | Natural causes |
| Lionel Mattice Bassist for Johnny and the Hurricanes | 67 | October 16, 2006 | | Unknown |
| Snooky Pryor | 85–87 | October 18, 2006 | Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Sandy West The Runaways | 47 | October 21, 2006 | San Dimas, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Eddie Medora Guitarist for The Sunrays | 61 | October 27, 2006 | Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Chris Williams Drummer for Pat McGee Band | 39 | October 28, 2006 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Heart condition |
| Paul Mauriat | 81 | November 3, 2006 | Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France | Unknown |
| Jance Garfat Bassist for Dr. Hook | 62 | November 6, 2006 | Union City, New Jersey, U.S. | Motorcycle accident |
| Gerald Levert LeVert | 40 | November 10, 2006 | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | Drug induced heart attack |
| Annie Laurie | 82 | November 13, 2006 | Titusville, Florida, U.S. | |
| Ruth Brown | 78 | November 17, 2006 | Henderson, Nevada, U.S. | Heart attack and stroke |
| Robert Lockwood Jr. | 91 | November 21, 2006 | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | Cerebral aneurysm and stroke |
| Walter Booker | 72 | November 24, 2006 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | |
| Valentín Elizalde | 27 | November 25, 2006 | Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Shot to death |
| Tony Silvester The Main Ingredient | 65 | November 27, 2006 | | Multiple myeloma |
| Mariska Veres Shocking Blue | 59 | December 2, 2006 | The Hague, Netherlands | Gall bladder cancer |
| Logan Whitehurst The Velvet Teen | 29 | December 3, 2006 | Los Banos, California, U.S. | Brain cancer |
| Darren Brown Mega City Four | 44 | December 6, 2006 | Tooting, London, England | Brain blood clot |
| Jay McShann | 90 | December 7, 2006 | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | Undisclosed |
| Homesick James | 96 | December 13, 2006 | Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Ahmet Ertegun Record producer, record label executive and co-founder of Atlantic Records | 83 | December 14, 2006 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Injuries from an accidental fall |
| Denis Payton The Dave Clark Five | 63 | December 17, 2006 | Bournemouth, Dorset, England | Cancer |
| James Brown The Famous Flames, The J.B.'s | 73 | December 25, 2006 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Congestive heart failure resulting from complications of pneumonia |

## 2007

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Tad Jones | 54 | January 1, 2007 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Fall |
| Del Reeves | 73 | January 1, 2007 | Centerville, Tennessee, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Sneaky Pete Kleinow The Flying Burrito Brothers | 72 | January 6, 2007 | Petaluma, California, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease |
| Chris Aylmer Samson | 58 | January 9, 2007 | | Throat cancer |
| Alice Coltrane | 69 | January 12, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Michael Brecker | 57 | January 13, 2007 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Doyle Holly The Buckaroos | 70 | January 13, 2007 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Colin Thurston Producer, record engineer | 59 | January 15, 2007 | | Long illness |
| Thornton James "Pookie" Hudson The Spaniels | 72 | January 16, 2007 | Capitol Heights, Maryland, U.S. | Cancer |
| Gary Phillips The Greg Kihn Band | 59 | January 17, 2007 | United States | Cancer |
| Brent Liles Social Distortion, Agent Orange | 43 | January 18, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Denny Doherty The Mamas & the Papas | 66 | January 19, 2007 | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Kidney failure |
| Esmond Edwards Record producer, record engineering and co-founded of Prestige Records | 79 | January 20, 2007 | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | |
| Jamie Coe | 71 | January 27, 2007 | | Heart attack |
| Crown Prince Waterford | 90 | February 1, 2007 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
| Billy Henderson The Spinners | 67 | February 2, 2007 | Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Joe Hunter The Funk Brothers | 79 | February 2, 2007 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Barbara McNair | 72 | February 4, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Throat cancer |
| Frankie Laine | 93 | February 6, 2007 | San Diego, California, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Alan "Nidge" Miller "Blitz" | 48 | February 10, 2007 | Austin County, Texas, U.S. | Hit by a car on a freeway |
| Jimmy Campbell "The Kirkbys" | 63 | February 12, 2007 | Liverpool, UK | No cause given |
| Eldee Young Young-Holt Unlimited | 71 | February 12, 2007 | Bangkok, Thailand | Heart attack |
| John O'Banion | 59 | February 14, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Blunt force trauma as a result of being hit by a car while touring in New Orleans, Louisiana |
| John Lane Bill Haley & His Comets | 76 | February 18, 2007 | | |
| Ian Wallace King Crimson | 60 | February 22, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Esophageal cancer |
| Donnie Brooks | 71 | February 23, 2007 | | Heart attack/After a long illness |
| Billy Thorpe Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs | 60 | February 28, 2007 | Sydney, Australia | Heart attack |
| Paul deLay | 55 | March 7, 2007 | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | Leukaemia |
| Brad Delp Boston | 55 | March 9, 2007 | Atkinson, New Hampshire, U.S. | Suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Betty Hutton | 86 | March 11, 2007 | Palm Springs, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Carol MacDonald Guitarist for Goldie & the Gingerbreads | 69 | March 12, 2007 | New York City, U.S. | Liver disease |
| Carol Richards | 84 | March 16, 2007 | Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Vince Hozier The Sunrays | 61 | March 18, 2007 | | No cause given |
| Luther Ingram | 69 | March 19, 2007 | Belleville, Illinois, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Cha Burns Fingerprintz, The Silencers, Adam Ant | 50 | March 26, 2007 | Prestatyn, Wales | Lung cancer |
| Tony Scott | 85 | March 28, 2007 | Rome, Italy | Prostate cancer |
| Phil Cordell | 59 | March 31, 2007 | | No cause given |
| Danny Barcelona Louis Armstrong | 77 | April 1, 2007 | | Cancer |
| Mark St. John Kiss | 51 | April 5, 2007 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Lefty Bates The El Dorados, The Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Etta James etc... | 87 | April 7, 2007 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart disease |
| Dakota Staton | 76 | April 10, 2007 | New York, U.S. | Stroke |
| Bill Guffey Shooting Star | 54 | April 12, 2007 | | Complications from a liver transplant |
| Don Ho | 76 | April 14, 2007 | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| James B. Davis The Dixie Hummingbirds | 90–91 | April 17, 2007 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Heart ailment |
| Andrew Hill | 75 | April 20, 2007 | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Lobby Loyde The Purple Hearts, Wild Cherries, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Rose Tattoo | 65 | April 21, 2007 | Box Hill, Victoria, Australia | Lung cancer |
| San Fadyl The Ladybug Transistor | 31 | April 26, 2007 | | |
| Bobby Pickett The Crypt-Kickers | 69 | April 27, 2007 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Leukemia |
| Zola Taylor The Platters | 69 | April 30, 2007 | Riverside, California, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Wolfgang Jäger Extrabreit | 54 | May 3, 2007 | Hagen, Germany | |
| Big Joe Duskin | 86 | May 6, 2007 | Avondale, Ohio, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Carey Bell | 70 | May 6, 2007 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Carolyn Johnson The Exciters | 62 | May 7, 2007 | | No cause given |
| Carson Whitsett Record producer for The Imperial Show Band | 62 | May 8, 2007 | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | Brain cancer |
| Keith Girdler Blueboy | 46 | May 15, 2007 | Reading, Berkshire, England | Cancer |
| Izumi Sakai Zard | 40 | May 27, 2007 | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan | Accidental fall |
| Tony Thompson Hi-Five | 31 | June 1, 2007 | Waco, Texas, U.S. | Chlorodifluoromethane |
| John Pyke Ra Ra Riot | 23 | June 3, 2007 | | Drowned |
| Freddie Scott | 74 | June 4, 2007 | Jamaica, New York, U.S. | Heart disease |
| Lynne Randell | 57 | June 8, 2007 | Melbourne, Australia | Suicide |
| Nellie Luther | 94 | June 8, 2007 | | Natural causes |
| Richard Bell The Band, Full Tilt Boogie Band | 61 | June 15, 2007 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Multiple myeloma |
| Donna King The King Sisters | 88 | June 16, 2007 | Plano, Texas, U.S. | Unknown |
| Bill Barber | 87 | June 18, 2007 | Bronxville, New York, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Hank Medress The Tokens | 68 | June 18, 2007 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Antonio Aguilar | 88 | June 19, 2007 | Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico | Pneumonia |
| Natasja Saad | 33 | June 24, 2007 | Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Jamaica | Traffic accident |
| George McCorkle Marshall Tucker Band | 60 | June 29, 2007 | Lebanon, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Rolandas Janavičius Member of Rondo | 37 | June 30, 2007 | Klaipėda, Lithuania | Gastric cancer |
| Beverly Sills | 78 | July 2, 2007 | | Lung cancer |
| Boots Randolph | 80 | July 3, 2007 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Brain hemorrhage |
| Bill Pinkney The Drifters | 81 | July 4, 2007 | Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | Heart attack |
| X1 | 28 | July 4, 2007 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Unknown |
| Steven Rappaport The Ran-Dells | 65 | July 4, 2007 | Villas, New Jersey, U.S. | Heart attack |
| George Melly | 80 | July 5, 2007 | London, England, United Kingdom | Lung cancer & Emphysema |
| Kelly Johnson Girlschool | 49 | July 15, 2007 | Clapham, London, England | Spinal cancer |
| Ron Miller | 74 | July 23, 2007 | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Trevor Hudson Bottom of the Hudson | 27 | July 29, 2007 | | Traffic accident |
| Lee Hazlewood | 78 | August 4, 2007 | Henderson, Nevada, U.S. | Renal cancer |
| Clarence Tex Walker The Coasters | 61 | August 8, 2007 | Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England | Heart attack |
| Jon Lucien | 65 | August 14, 2007 | Orlando, Florida, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Max Roach | 83 | August 16, 2007 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications from Alzheimer's and dementia |
| Hilly Kristal Founder of CBGB, manager for The Dead Boys | 75 | August 28, 2007 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Kip Anderson | 69 | August 29, 2007 | Anderson, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| Carter Albrecht Edie Brickell & New Bohemians | 30 | September 3, 2007 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | Shot and killed |
| Janis Martin | 67 | September 3, 2007 | Durham, North Carolina, U.S. | Cancer |
| Luciano Pavarotti | 71 | September 6, 2007 | Modena, Italy | Pancreatic cancer |
| Hughie Thomasson Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd | 55 | September 9, 2007 | Brooksville, Florida, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Willie Tee | 63 | September 11, 2007 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Joe Zawinul Weather Report | 75 | September 11, 2007 | Vienna, Austria | Skin cancer |
| Bobby Byrd The Famous Flames, The JB's | 73 | September 12, 2007 | Loganville, Georgia, U.S. | Cancer |
| Pepsi Tate Tigertailz | 42 | September 18, 2007 | Penarth, Wales, England | Pancreatic cancer |
| Patrick Bourque Bass guitarist for Emerson Drive | 29 | September 25, 2007 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Suicide |
| George Malone The Monotones | 67 | October 5, 2007 | Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, U.S. | |
| Jacqueline "Lady Jaye" Breyer Psychic TV | 38 | October 9, 2007 | | heart arrhythmia |
| Dickie Threatt The Five Keys | 70's | October 9, 2007 | | Unknown |
| Backwards Sam Firk | 64 | October 11, 2007 | Mill Spring, North Carolina, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Big Moe | 33 | October 14, 2007 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Toše Proeski | 26 | October 16, 2007 | Nova Gradiška, Croatia | Car accident |
| Lucky Dube | 43 | October 18, 2007 | Rosettenville, Johannesburg Gauteng, South Africa | Murder |
| Yolanda "La La" Brown | 21 | October 19, 2007 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | Shot of death |
| Paul Raven Killing Joke, Prong, Ministry, Zilch | 46 | October 20, 2007 | Geneva, Switzerland | Heart attack |
| Paul Fox The Ruts | 56 | October 21, 2007 | | Lung cancer |
| Lance Hahn Cringer, J Church | 40 | October 21, 2007 | Austin, Texas, U.S. | Nephropathy complications |
| Linda S. Stein American talent agent | 62 | October 30, 2007 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Murder by blunt impact trauma to head and neck |
| Joe Verscharen The Skyliners | 67 | November 2, 2007 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Cancer |
| John Petersen Harpers Bizarre, The Beau Brummels | 65 | November 11, 2007 | Sierra Madre, California, U.S. | |
| Jim Ford | 66 | November 18, 2007 | Fort Bragg, California, U.S. | |
| Kevin DuBrow Quiet Riot | 52 | November 19, 2007 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Ernest "Doc" Paulin | 100 | November 25, 2007 | Marrero, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| Cecil Payne | 84 | November 27, 2004 | Stratford, New Jersey, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Zayda Peña Zayda y los Culpables | 34 | December 2, 2007 | Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico | Shot in the hospital while being treated |
| Sergio Gomez K-Paz De La Sierra | 34 | December 2, 2007 | Morelia, Mexico | Kidnapped and tortured to death |
| Pimp C UGK | 33 | December 4, 2007 | West Hollywood, California, U.S. | Heavy usage of Lean and sleep apnea |
| Lynette Knackstedt Skankin' Pickle | 37 | December 7, 2007 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Ike Turner Kings of Rhythm Ike & Tina Turner | 76 | December 12, 2007 | San Marcos, California, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Frank Morgan | 73 | December 14, 2007 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | Colorectal cancer |
| Dan Fogelberg | 56 | December 16, 2007 | Deer Isle, Maine, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Damien "Damo" Morris Vocalist for the Red Shore | 27 | December 19, 2007 | Off the Pacific Highway just north of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia | Bus crash |
| Lydia Mendoza | 9` | December 20, 2007 | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Natural Causes |
| Joe Ames Ames Brothers | 86 | December 22, 2007 | Eltville, Germany | Heart attack |
| Oscar Peterson | 82 | December 23, 2007 | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Kidney failure |
| Joe Dolan | 68 | December 26, 2007 | Dublin, Ireland | Intracerebral hemorrhage |

## 2008

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Keith Baxter 3 Colours Red | 36 | January 4, 2008 | | Liver failure |
| Mort Garson | 83 | January 4, 2008 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Irene Reid | 77 | January 5, 2008 | The Bronx, New York, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Ken Nelson Record producer and manager from Capitol Records | 96 | January 6, 2008 | Somis, California, U.S. | |
| Clyde Otis | 83 | January 8, 2008 | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Dave Day The Monks | 66 | January 10, 2008 | Renton, Washington, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Rod Allen Lead singer for The Fortunes | 63 | January 10, 2008 | Eastern Green, Coventry, England | Liver cancer |
| Freddy Nieuland Wallace Collection | 63 | January 10, 2008 | Brussels, Belgium | Cancer |
| Pete Candoli | 84 | January 11, 2008 | Studio City, California, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Betty McGlown The Supremes | 66 | January 12, 2008 | Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Carlos | 64 | January 17, 2008 | Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France | Liver cancer |
| John Stewart The Kingston Trio | 68 | January 19, 2008 | San Diego, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Trevor Taylor Bad Boys Blue | 50 | January 19, 2008 | Cologne, Germany | Heart attack |
| Tommy McQuater | 93 | January 20, 2008 | London, England | No cause given |
| Francis Clay | 84 | January 21, 2008 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| David Durham | 64 | January 24, 2008 | | Natural causes |
| Ben McMillan Lead singer for Gruntruck | 46 | January 26, 2008 | | Complications from Diabetes |
| Jeff Salen Tuff Darts | 55 | January 26, 2008 | | Heart attack |
| Sean Finnegan Void | 43 | January 30, 2008 | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | Apparent heart attack |
| Vance Walker Patty & the Emblems | 63 | February 1, 2008 | | Unknown causes |
| Jackie Orszaczky | 59 | February 3, 2008 | Sydney, Australia | Hodgkin's lymphoma |
| Chris Anderson | 81 | February 4, 2008 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Complications from a stroke |
| Scot Halpin The Who | 54 | February 9, 2008 | Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. | Brain tumor |
| Vincent Thomas Ohio Players | 50 | February 16, 2008 | Lubbock, Texas, U.S. | Cancer |
| Bobby Lord | 74 | February 16, 2008 | Stuart, Florida, U.S. | Died after a long illness |
| Yegor Letov Grazhdanskaya Oborona | 43 | February 19, 2008 | Omsk, Russia | Heart failure |
| Teo Macero | 82 | February 19, 2008 | Riverhead, New York | Died in sleep |
| Janina Miščiukaitė-Brazaitienė Lithuanian Pop singer | 59 | February 20, 2008 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Cancer |
| Static Major Playa | 33 | February 25, 2008 | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | Complications from a medical procedure |
| Buddy Miles | 60 | February 26, 2008 | Austin, Texas, U.S. | Congestive heart disease |
| Mike Smith The Dave Clark Five | 64 | February 28, 2008 | Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England | Pneumonia |
| Mike Conley M.I.A. | 49 | February 28, 2008 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Head injuries from fall |
| Jeff Healey The Jeff Healey Band | 41 | March 2, 2008 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Sarcoma |
| Norman Smith Record producer and audio engineer | 85 | March 3, 2008 | East Sussex, England | |
| Vytautas Kernagis Lithuanian singer and songwriter and a member of Dainos Teatras | 56 | March 15, 2008 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Gastric cancer |
| Mikey Dread | 53 | March 15, 2008 | Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. | Brain tumor |
| Daniel MacMaster Bonham | 39 | March 16, 2008 | Thunder Bay, Canada | Staph infection |
| Klaus Dinger Kraftwerk, Neu!, La! Neu? | 61 | March 21, 2008 | | Heart failure |
| Chalmers Alford | 52 | March 24, 2008 | Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Sean Levert LeVert | 39 | March 30, 2008 | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | Heart disease/Diabetes |
| Lawrence Brown Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes | 63 | April 6, 2008 | | Respiratory condition |
| George Butler Record producer | 76 | April 9, 2008 | Castro Valley, California, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease |
| Ozzie Cadena Record producer for Savoy Records | 83 | April 9, 2008 | Torrance, California, U.S. | Pneumonia and complications from a stroke |
| Sean Costello | 28 | April 15, 2008 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Cliff Davies If, Ted Nugent | 59–60 | April 15, 2008 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Suicide |
| Brian Davison The Nice | 65 | April 15, 2008 | Bideford, Devon, England | Brain tumor |
| Danny Federici Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band | 58 | April 17, 2008 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Melanoma |
| Orish Grinstead Original member of 702 | 27 | April 20, 2008 | | Kidney failure |
| VL Mike | 32 | April 20, 2008 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Shot to death |
| Al Wilson | 68 | April 21, 2008 | Fontana, California, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Bob Childers | 61 | April 22, 2008 | Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S. | Pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| Paul Davis | 60 | April 22, 2008 | Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Micky Waller The Steampacket, The Jeff Beck Group | 66 | April 29, 2008 | London, England | Liver failure |
| Eddy Arnold | 89 | May 8, 2008 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Natural causes |
| John Rutsey Rush | 55 | May 11, 2008 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Heart attack as a result of diabetes |
| Michelle Meldrum Phantom Blue, Meldrum | 39 | May 21, 2008 | Burbank, California, U.S. | Brain cyst/Coma |
| Jimmy McGriff | 72 | May 24, 2008 | Voorhees Township, New Jersey, U.S. | Multiple sclerosis |
| Jerry Cole | 68 | May 28, 2008 | Corona, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Hugh Jarrett The Jordanaires | 78 | May 31, 2008 | | Injuries from a car crash |
| Al Jones | 62 | June 1, 2008 | | No cause given |
| Bo Diddley | 79 | June 2, 2008 | Archer, Florida, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Lula Reed | 82 | June 21, 2008 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Ira Tucker The Dixie Hummingbirds | 83 | June 24, 2008 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Cardiovascular disease |
| Alvydas "Obuolys" Lukoševičius Lithuanian Pop singer and member of Nerija | 52 | June 28, 2008 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Unknown |
| Mel Galley Whitesnake, Trapeze, Phenomena | 60 | July 1, 2008 | Heath Hayes and Wimblebury, Staffordshire, England | Esophageal cancer |
| Natasha Shneider Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age | 52 | July 2, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Paul Varley The Arrows (drummer) | 59 | July 2, 2008 | Preston, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom | Pneumonia |
| Colin Cooper Singer/Saxophone for "Climax Blues Band" | 68 | July 3, 2008 | | Cancer |
| Oscar McLollie The Bullets | 83 | July 4, 2008 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Les Crane | 74 | July 13, 2008 | Greenbrae, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Katie Reider | 30 | July 14, 2008 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Jaw tumor/Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Jo Stafford | 90 | July 16, 2008 | Century City, California, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Artie Traum | 65 | July 20, 2008 | Bearsville, New York, U.S. | Cancer |
| Joe Beck | 62 | July 22, 2008 | Woodbury, Connecticut, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Hiram Bullock | 52 | July 25, 2008 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Cancer |
| Johnny Griffin | 80 | July 25, 2008 | Paris, France | Heart attack |
| Erik Darling The Rooftop Singers | 74 | August 3, 2008 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. | Lymphatic cancer |
| Isaac Hayes | 65 | August 10, 2008 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Complications due to stroke |
| Don Helms Drifting Cowboys | 81 | August 11, 2008 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Diabetes (after heart surgery) |
| Christie Allen | 54 | August 12, 2008 | Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia | Pancreatic cancer |
| Jerry Wexler Music journalist and record producer | 91 | August 15, 2008 | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Jimmy Moore The Five Royales | 81–83 | August 16, 2008 | Ossining, New York, U.S. | Died after a long illness |
| Pervis Jackson The Spinners | 70 | August 18, 2008 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Brain and liver cancer |
| LeRoi Moore The Dave Matthews Band | 46 | August 19, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications after ATV accident / Pneumonia |
| Little Arthur Duncan | 74 | August 20, 2008 | Northlake, Illinois, U.S. | Complications after brain surgery |
| Jerry Finn Record producer | 39 | August 21, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Egidijus Remeikis Member of Tipo Grupė | 26 | August 23, 2008 | Kaunas, Lithuania | Car accident |
| Jevgenijus Snytkinas Member of Tipo Grupė | 27 | August 23, 2008 | Kaunas, Lithuania | Car accident |
| Jerry Reed | 71 | September 1, 2008 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Richard "Popcorn" Wylie | 69 | September 7, 2008 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Congestive heart problems |
| Richard Wright Pink Floyd | 65 | September 15, 2008 | London, England | Lung cancer |
| Norman Whitfield Record producer for The Temptations and co-founder of Motown and Whitfield Records | 68 | September 16, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Opal Courtney Jr. The Spaniels | 71 | September 18, 2008 | Gary, Indiana, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Earl Palmer | 83 | September 19, 2008 | Banning, California, U.S. | After a long illness |
| Nappy Brown | 78 | September 20, 2008 | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Cherry Smith The Wailers | 65 | September 24, 2008 | Miami, Florida, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Nick Reynolds The Kingston Trio | 75 | October 1, 2008 | San Diego, California, U.S. | Acute respiratory disease |
| Johnny "J" | 39 | October 3, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Apparent suicide |
| Gidget Gein Marilyn Manson | 39 | October 8, 2008 | Burbank, California, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Alton Ellis | 70 | October 10, 2008 | Hammersmith, London, England | Bone cancer |
| Cliff Nobles | 67 | October 12, 2008 | Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Unknown |
| Frankie Kerr Teenage Head | 51 | October 15, 2008 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Throat cancer |
| Levi Stubbs The Four Tops | 72 | October 17, 2008 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Dee Dee Warwick | 66 | October 18, 2008 | Essex County, New Jersey, U.S. | Falling health from drug addiction |
| Virgil Gonsalves Pacific Gas & Electric | 76 | October 20, 2008 | Salinas, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Peter Gläser Klaus Renft Combo, Karussell | 59 | October 23, 2008 | Leipzig, Saxony, Germany | Cancer |
| Merl Saunders Legion of Mary | 74 | October 24, 2008 | | Complications following stroke |
| Mike Baker Shadow Gallery | 45 | October 29, 2008 | | Heart attack |
| Frank Navetta Descendents | 46 | October 31, 2008 | | Diabetic coma/Died in his sleep |
| Jimmy Carl Black The Mothers of Invention, Muffin Men, Captain Beefheart | 70 | November 1, 2008 | Siegsdorf, Germany | Lung cancer |
| Nathaniel Mayer | 64 | November 1, 2008 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Stroke |
| Jody Reynolds The Storms | 75 | November 7, 2008 | Palm Desert, California, U.S. | Liver cancer |
| Mitch Mitchell The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 62 | November 12, 2008 | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | Natural causes |
| MC Breed | 37 | November 22, 2008 | Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S. | Complications from kidney failure |
| Michael Lee | 39 | November 24, 2008 | | Epileptic seizure |
| Munetaka Higuchi Loudness | 49 | November 30, 2008 | Osaka, Japan | Hepatocellular carcinoma |
| Odetta | 77 | December 2, 2008 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart disease |
| Chico Banks | 46 | December 3, 2008 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart problems |
| Steve Isham Autograph | 56 | December 9, 2008 | North Hills, California, U.S. | Liver cancer |
| Dennis Yost Classics IV | 65 | December 7, 2008 | Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. | Respiratory failure. |
| Davey Graham | 68 | December 15, 2008 | London, England | Lung cancer |
| Sandeé Exposé | 46 | December 15, 2008 | Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | Seizure |
| Feliciano Vierra Tavares Tavares | 88 | December 17, 2008 | Hyannis, Massachusetts, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Robert Ward Ohio Players | 70 | December 25, 2008 | Dry Branch, Georgia, U.S. | After a long illness and strokes |
| Delaney Bramlett Delaney & Bonnie | 69 | December 27, 2008 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications after gall bladder surgery |
| Freddie Hubbard | 70 | December 29, 2008 | Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. | Complications from a heart attack |

## 2009

| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Sam Taylor Jr | 74 | January 5, 2009 | Islandia, New York, U.S. | Heart Disease |
| Ron Asheton The Stooges | 60 | January 6, 2009 | Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Claude Jeter Swan Silvertones, The Dixie Hummingbirds | 94 | January 6, 2009 | The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S. | Unknown |
| Lamya Duran Duran, Soul II Soul | 35 | January 8, 2009 | Oman | Heart attack |
| Dave Dee Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 67 | January 9, 2009 | Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England | Prostate cancer |
| Andy DeMize Nekromantix | 25 | January 11, 2009 | Fullerton, California, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Alejandro Sokol Las Pelotas | 48 | January 12, 2009 | Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina | Respiratory insufficiency |
| The Mighty Duke | 76 | January 14, 2009 | St. Clair (Port-of-Spain), Trinidad and Tobago | Myelofibrosis |
| Leroy Smith Sweet Sensation | 56 | January 15, 2009 | | Bronchopneumonia |
| Jean Adebambo | 46 | January 15, 2009 | London, England | Suspected suicide by barbiturate overdose |
| Ron McClelland StorySide:B | 33 | January 18, 2009 | | Undiagnoused heart condition |
| David "Fathead" Newman | 75 | January 20, 2009 | Kingston, New York, U.S. | Complications of pancreatic cancer |
| Corey James Daum Lizzy Borden | 39 | January 24, 2009 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Car crash |
| Billy Powell Lynyrd Skynyrd | 56 | January 28, 2009 | Orange Park, Florida, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Hank Crawford | 74 | January 29, 2009 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Stroke |
| John Martyn | 60 | January 29, 2009 | Thomastown, Ireland | Respiratory failure |
| Dewey Martin Buffalo Springfield | 68 | January 31, 2009 | Van Nuys, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Cornelius Johnson Ohio Players | 71 | February 1, 2009 | | Undisclosed causes |
| Tom Brumley Buck Owens, The Buckaroos, Rick Nelson, The Desert Rose Band, The Strangers | 73 | February 3, 2009 | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Steve Dullaghan The Primitives, "Nocturnal Babies" | 45 | February 4, 2009 | | Natural causes |
| Lux Interior The Cramps | 62 | February 4, 2009 | Glendale, California, U.S. | Aortic dissection |
| Molly Bee | 69 | February 7, 2009 | Oceanside, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Estelle Bennett The Ronettes | 67 | February 11, 2009 | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Elizabeth "Bispy" Amirian | 27 | February 12, 2009 | | Stabbing |
| Louie Bellson Drummer for Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Harry James | 84 | February 14, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Parkinson's Disease |
| Morris Broadnax | 78 | February 17, 2009 | | Congestive heart failure |
| Snooks Eaglin | 72 | February 18, 2009 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Miika Tenkula Sentenced | 34 | February 18, 2009 | Muhos, Finland | Heart attack/Genetic heart disease |
| Kelly Groucutt Electric Light Orchestra | 63 | February 19, 2009 | Worcester, England | Heart attack |
| Ian Carr | 75 | February 25, 2009 | | Alzheimer's Disease |
| Randall Bewley Pylon | 53 | February 25, 2009 | Athens, Georgia, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Ernest Ashworth | 80 | March 2, 2009 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Natural causes after bypass surgery |
| John Cephas Cephas & Wiggins | 78 | March 4, 2009 | | Natural casuses/Pulmonary fibrosis |
| Francis Magalona | 44 | March 6, 2009 | The Medical City, Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines | Acute myeloid leukemia |
| David Williams Guitarist for Chanson, Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc... | 58 | March 6, 2009 | Hampton, Virginia, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Jimmy Boyd | 70 | March 7, 2009 | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Hank Locklin | 91 | March 8, 2009 | Brewton, Alabama, U.S. | Natural causes/Unknown |
| Willie King | 65 | March 8, 2009 | Old Memphis, Alabama, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Johnny Dinamo | 63 | March 9, 2009 | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | Cancer |
| Eddie Bo | 78 | March 18, 2009 | Picayune, Mississippi, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Kent Henry Blues Image, Steppenwolf | 60 | March 18, 2009 | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | Alzheimer's disease |
| Mel Brown | 69 | March 20, 2009 | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | Complications from emphysema |
| Uriel Jones The Funk Brothers | 74 | March 24, 2009 | Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Dan Seals England Dan and John Ford Coley | 61 | March 25, 2009 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Mantle cell lymphoma |
| John Mayhew Drummer for Genesis | 61 | March 26, 2009 | Glasgow, Scotland | Heart condition |
| Monte Hale | 89 | March 29, 2009 | Studio City, California, U.S. | After a long illness |
| Duane Jarvis | 51 | April 1, 2009 | Marina del Rey, California, U.S. | Colon cancer |
| Bud Shank | 82 | April 2, 2009 | Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | Pulmonary embolism |
| Freddie "The Texas Legend" Everett "The Freddie Everett Band" | 49 | April 2, 2009 | | Lou Gehrig's Disease/ALS |
| Nancy Overton The Chordettes | 83 | April 5, 2009 | Blairstown, New Jersey, U.S. | Esophageal cancer |
| Tam Paton Bay City Rollers | 70 | April 8, 2009 | Edinburgh, Scotland | Heart attack |
| Randy Cain The Delfonics | 63 | April 9, 2009 | Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, U.S. | Undisclosed causes |
| Rocky Hill Dusty Hill's oldest brother and association of American Blues | 62 | April 10, 2009 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Undisclosed illness |
| Zeke Zarchy | 93 | April 11, 2009 | Irvine, California, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Ron Stallings Huey Lewis and the News | 62 | April 13, 2009 | | Multiple myeloma |
| Gregg Fulkerson Blue Tears | 44 | April 14, 2009 | | Undisclosed |
| Robert Brookins Earth, Wind & Fire, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Jeffrey Osborne, The Whispers, Wayman Tisdale, etc... | 46 | April 15, 2009 | | Heart attack |
| Betty Hall Jones | 98 | April 20, 2009 | Torrance, California, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Vern Gosdin | 74 | April 28, 2009 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Stroke |
| Ean Evans Lynyrd Skynyrd, Outlaws | 48 | May 6, 2009 | Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Maxine King The King Sisters | 97 | May 13, 2009 | Corona, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Dolla | 21 | May 18, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Murdered |
| Uli Trepte Guru Guru | 68 | May 21, 2009 | Berlin, Germany | Cancer |
| Jay Bennett Wilco | 45 | May 24, 2009 | Urbana, Illinois, U.S. | Accidental overdose |
| Koko Taylor | 80 | June 3, 2009 | Kildeer, Illinois, U.S. | Complications from gastrointestinal bleeding |
| Hugh Hopper Soft Machine | 64 | June 7, 2009 | Whitstable, Kent, England | Leukemia |
| Barry Beckett | 66 | June 10, 2009 | Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S. | Stroke |
| Bob Bogle The Ventures | 75 | June 14, 2009 | Vancouver, Washington, U.S. | Non-Hodgkin lymphoma |
| Sky Saxon The Seeds | 71 | June 25, 2009 | Austin, Texas, U.S. | Heart and kidney failure |
| Michael Jackson The Jackson 5 | 50 | June 25, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiac arrest from propofol overdose. |
| Fayette Pinkney The Three Degrees | 61 | June 27, 2009 | Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Allen Klein Record label executive and co-founder of ABKCO Records | 77 | July 4, 2009 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Respiratory failure |
| Drake Levin Paul Revere & the Raiders | 62 | July 4, 2009 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| George William Fullerton | 86 | July 4, 2009 | Fullerton, California, U.S. | |
| Midnight Crimson Glory | 47 | July 8, 2009 | St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. | Stomach aneurysm |
| Gordon Waller Peter and Gordon | 64 | July 17, 2009 | Norfolk, Connecticut, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| John Dawson New Riders of the Purple Sage | 64 | July 21, 2009 | San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | Stomach cancer |
| Andrew Freddie Thomas Bad Boys Blue | 63 | July 21, 2009 | Cologne, Germany | Pancreatic cancer |
| Marcel Jacob Talisman | 45 | July 21, 2009 | Kristineberg, Stockholm, Sweden | Suicide |
| Danny McBride Sha Na Na | 63 | July 23, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cardiovascular disease |
| Andy Parle Space | 42 | August 1, 2009 | Liverpool, England | Fell crossing the road |
| Mbah Surip | 52 | August 4, 2009 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Heart attack |
| Willy DeVille Mink DeVille | 58 | August 6, 2009 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Mike Seeger | 75 | August 7, 2009 | Lexington, Virginia, U.S. | Cancer |
| David Van De Pitte Record producer, arranger and co-founder of Motown Records | 67 | August 9, 2009 | Southfield, Michigan, U.S. | Cancer |
| Rashied Ali | 76 | August 12, 2009 | Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Les Paul | 94 | August 13, 2009 | White Plains, New York, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Larry Knechtel Bread | 69 | August 20, 2009 | Yakima, Washington, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Johnny Carter The Flamingos, The Dells | 75 | August 21, 2009 | Harvey, Illinois, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Ellie Greenwich | 68 | August 26, 2009 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| DJ AM Crazy Town | 36 | August 28, 2009 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Marie Knight | 89 | August 30, 2009 | Harlem, New York City, U.S. | Complications from pneumonia |
| Jake Drake-Brockman Echo & the Bunnymen | 53 | September 1, 2009 | Isle of Man | Traffic accident |
| Guy Babylon | 52 | September 2, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Jim Carroll | 60 | September 11, 2009 | Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Lily Tembo | 27 | September 14, 2009 | Lusaka, Zambia | Gastritis |
| Mary Travers Peter, Paul And Mary | 72 | September 16, 2009 | Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. | Complications arising from bone marrow transplant |
| Roc Raida The X-Ecutioners | 37 | September 19, 2009 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| John "Bootsie" Wilson The Silhouettes | 69 | September 21, 2009 | | Unknown |
| Sam Carr The Jelly Roll Kings | 83 | September 21, 2009 | Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |
| Greg Ladanyi Record producer | 57 | September 29, 2009 | Nicosia, Cyprus | Fractured skull after fall |
| Mercedes Sosa | 74 | October 4, 2009 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome |
| Mike Alexander Evile | 32 | October 5, 2009 | Luleå, Sweden | Pulmonary embolism |
| Nate Niec Bassist of numerous punk bands | 27 | October 6, 2009 | Johns Creek, Georgia, U.S. | Road accident |
| Steve Ferguson NRBQ | 60 | October 7, 2009 | | |
| Stephen Gately Boyzone | 33 | October 10, 2009 | Majorca, Spain | Congenital heart defect |
| Dickie Peterson Blue Cheer | 61 | October 12, 2009 | Erkelenz, Germany | Liver cancer |
| Brendan Mullen Music promoter, founder of Los Angeles punk rock club The Masque | 60 | October 12, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Stroke |
| Al Martino | 82 | October 13, 2009 | Springfield, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Sirone | 69 | October 21, 2009 | Berlin, Germany | |
| Luther Dixon The Platters, The Shirelles, The Four Buddies | 78 | October 22, 2009 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
| Chris Bartley | 62 | October 26, 2009 | | Kidney failure |
| Taylor Mitchell | 19 | October 28, 2009 | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Coyote attack |
| Norton Buffalo The Steve Miller Band | 58 | October 30, 2009 | Paradise, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Chen Lin | 39 | October 31, 2009 | Beijing, China | Suicide (Jumped from building) |
| Jerry Fuchs !!!, Maserati | 34 | November 8, 2009 | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | Fall after elevator accident |
| Haydain Neale Jacksoul | 39 | November 22, 2009 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Lung cancer |
| Al Alberts The Four Aces | 87 | November 27, 2009 | Arcadia, Florida, U.S. | Renal failure |
| Bob Keane | 87 | November 28, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Kidney failure |
| Eric Woolfson The Alan Parsons Project | 64 | December 2, 2009 | London, England | Kidney cancer |
| Liam Clancy Makem and Clancy, The Clancy Brothers | 74 | December 4, 2009 | Cork, Ireland | Pulmonary fibrosis |
| Jack Rose Pelt | 38 | December 5, 2009 | Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Yvonne King The King Sisters | 89 | December 13, 2009 | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | Complications after a fall |
| James Gurley Big Brother and the Holding Company | 69 | December 20, 2009 | Palm Desert, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Britanny Murphy | 32 | December 20, 2009 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Pneumonia/Cardiac arrest |
| Mick Cocks Rose Tattoo | 54 | December 22, 2009 | Sydney, Australia | Liver cancer |
| Arnold S. Caplin Record producer, co-founder and owner of Historical Records and Biograph Records | 80 | December 25, 2009 | Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Vic Chesnutt | 45 | December 25, 2009 | Athens, Georgia, U.S. | Suicide by drug overdose |
| Tony Bellamy Redbone | 63 | December 25, 2009 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Liver failure |
| The Rev Avenged Sevenfold, Pinkly Smooth, Suburban Legends | 28 | December 28, 2009 | Huntington Beach, California, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Rowland S. Howard The Birthday Party | 50 | December 30, 2009 | Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia | Hepatocellular carcinoma |
| Earl Gaines | 74 | December 31, 2009 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |