# List of deaths in rock and roll (1960s)

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 1960s. 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 1950s | List of deaths in popular music 1960s | Succeeded by 1970s |
| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Jesse Belvin | 27 | February 6, 1960 | Hope, Arkansas, U.S. | Car accident |
| Gene Alford The Four Knights | 37 | April 2, 1960 | | Epileptic Seizure |
| Forest City Joe | 33 | April 3, 1960 | Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, U.S. | Car crash |
| Beverly Kenney | 28 | April 13, 1960 | Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S. | Suicide by alcohol and secobarbital overdose |
| Eddie Cochran | 21 | April 17, 1960 | Chippenham, Wiltshire, England | Car crash |
| Smokey Hogg | 46 | May 1, 1960 | McKinney, Texas, U.S. | Unknown cancer |
| Eli Oberstein Record producer and music executive | 58 | June 12, 1960 | Westport, Connecticut, U.S. | Lymphatic cancer |
| Oscar Pettiford | 37 | September 8, 1960 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Polio-like virus |
| Johnny Horton | 35 | November 5, 1960 | Milano, Texas, U.S. | Car crash |
| A. P. Carter Carter Family | 68 | November 7, 1960 | Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. | Unknown |
| Kelsey Pharr The Delta Rhythm Boys | 44 | April 20, 1961 | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | Unknown cancer/ Severe illness |
| Cisco Houston | 42 | April 29, 1961 | San Bernardino, California, U.S. | Stomach cancer |
| Tommy McClennan | 56 | May 6, 1961 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Bronchopneumonia |
| Scott LaFaro | 25 | July 6, 1961 | Seneca, New York, U.S. | Automobile accident |
| Sticks McGhee | 43 | August 15, 1961 | The Bronx, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Booker Little | 23 | October 5, 1961 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Uremia |
| Doug Watkins | 27 | February 5, 1962 | Holbrook, Arizona, U.S. | Automobile accident |
| Leo Parker | 36 | February 11, 1962 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Walter "Papoose" Nelson | 29 | February 28, 1962 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heroin overdose |
| Stuart Sutcliffe The Beatles | 21 | April 10, 1962 | Hamburg, West Germany | Cerebral paralysis due to aneurysm; |
| Eddie Costa | 31 | July 28, 1962 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Car crash |
| Marilyn Monroe | 36 | August 4, 1962 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Barbiturate overdose |
| Scrapper Blackwell | 59 | October 7, 1962 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Shot |
| Mercy Dee Walton | 47 | December 2, 1962 | Murphys, California, U.S. | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Sonny Clark | 31 | January 13, 1963 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Ike Quebec | 44 | January 16, 1963 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Bobby Jaspar | 37 | February 28, 1963 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Patsy Cline | 30 | March 5, 1963 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash |
| Cowboy Copas | 49 | March 5, 1963 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash |
| Hawkshaw Hawkins | 41 | March 5, 1963 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash |
| Elmore James | 45 | May 24, 1963 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Glen Gray | 63 | May 24, 1963 | Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Walter Davis | 52-53 | October 22, 1963 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Daddy Stovepipe | 96 | November 1, 1963 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Bronchial pneumonia after a gallbladder operation |
| Dinah Washington | 39 | December 14, 1963 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Complications of a drug overdose |
| Cyril Davies | 32 | January 7, 1964 | Eel Pie Island, London, England | Endocarditis and Leukaemia |
| Rudy Lewis The Drifters | 27 | May 20, 1964 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Died in his sleep/Asphyxiation |
| Meade Lux Lewis | 58 | June 7, 1964 | Minneapolla, Minnesota, U.S. | Car crash |
| Eric Dolphy | 36 | June 29, 1964 | Berlin, Germany | Complications from diabetes |
| Jim Reeves | 40 | July 31, 1964 | Davidson County, Tennessee, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Johnny Burnette The Rock and Roll Trio | 30 | August 14, 1964 | Clear Lake, California, U.S. | Drowned following a serious boating accident |
| Tiny Topsy | 34 | August 16, 1964 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Brain hemorrhage |
| Gracie Allen | 69 | August 27, 1964 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| David Box The Crickets | 21 | October 23, 1964 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Joe Henderson | 27 | October 24, 1964 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Buster Pickens | 48 | November 24, 1964 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Gunshot wound |
| Sam Cooke The Soul Stirrers | 33 | December 11, 1964 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shot by Bertha Franklin |
| Alan Freed | 43 | January 20, 1965 | Palm Springs, California, U.S. | Uremia and cirrhosis of the liver |
| Nat King Cole | 45 | February 15, 1965 | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Sonny Boy Williamson II | 52 | May 25, 1965 | Helena, Arkansas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Bill Black | 39 | October 21, 1965 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Brain tumor |
| Mike Millward Rhythm guitarist for The Fourmost | 24 | March 7, 1966 | | Leukemia/Blood cancer |
| Jazz Gillum | 61 | March 29, 1966 | Chicago. Illinois, U.S. | Gunshot wound |
| Richard Fariña | 29 | April 30, 1966 | Carmel Valley, California, U.S. | Motorcycle accident |
| Bobby Fuller The Bobby Fuller Four | 23 | July 18, 1966 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Asphyxia (Suicide, murder or accident) |
| Bud Powell | 41 | July 31, 1966 | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | Tuberculosis |
| Peg Leg Howell | 78 | August 11, 1966 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Complications from diabetes |
| Dave Lambert Lambert, Hendricks & Ross | 49 | October 3, 1966 | Connecticut Turnpike, Connecticut, U.S. | Car crash |
| Smiley Lewis | 53 | October 7, 1966 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Stomach cancer |
| Johnny Kidd Johnny Kidd & The Pirates | 30 | October 8, 1966 | Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, England | Car accident |
| Mississippi John Hurt | 74 | November 2, 1966 | Grenada, Mississippi, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Harold Burrage | 35 | November 26, 1966 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Moon Mullican | 57 | January 1, 1967 | Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Joe Meek | 37 | February 3, 1967 | London, England | Suicide by gunshot |
| Fats Pichon | 60 | February 25, 1967 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Unknown |
| Nelson Eddy | 65 | March 6, 1967 | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| J. B. Lenoir | 38 | April 29, 1967 | Urbana, Illinois, U.S. | Injuries from a car crash |
| LaVerne Andrews The Andrews Sisters | 55 | May 8, 1967 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown cancer |
| Elmo Hope | 43 | May 19, 1967 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart failure |
| John Coltrane | 40 | July 17, 1967 | Huntington, New York, U.S. | Liver cancer and hepatitis B |
| Brian Epstein | 32 | August 27, 1967 | London, England | Accidental drug overdose |
| Rex Stewart | 60 | September 7, 1967 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Brain hemorrhage |
| Woody Guthrie | 55 | October 3, 1967 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Huntington's Disease |
| Robert Nighthawk | 57 | November 5, 1967 | Helena, Arkansas, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Peter Bocage | 80 | December 3, 1967 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Unknown |
| Bert Lahr Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz | 72 | December 4, 1967 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Pneumonia/Unknown cancer |
| Otis Redding | 26 | December 10, 1967 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Ronnie Caldwell The Bar-Kays | 18 | December 10, 1967 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Phalon Jones The Bar-Kays | 18-19 | December 10, 1967 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Jimmy King The Bar-Kays | 18 | December 10, 1967 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Carl Cunningham The Bar-Kays | 18-19 | December 10, 1967 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Robin Roberts The Wailers | 27 | December 22, 1967 | San Mateo County, California, U.S. | Car crash |
| Pat Kilroy | 24 | December 25, 1967 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Hodgkin's lymphoma |
| Bert Berns | 38 | December 30, 1967 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Little Walter | 37 | February 15, 1968 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Coronary thrombosis due to injuries sustained when he was beaten |
| Frankie Lymon Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers | 25 | February 27, 1968 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications of a heroin overdose |
| Syd Nathan | 63 | March 5, 1968 | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | Pneumonia |
| Bumps Myers | 55 | April 9, 1968 | Los Angeles California, U.S. | Several health conditions |
| Lester Melrose Record producer | 76 | April 12, 1968 | Lake, Florida, U.S. | Unknown |
| Manolo Fernández Los Bravos | 23 | May 20, 1968 | Seville, Spain | Suicide by gunshot |
| Little Willie John | 30 | May 26, 1968 | Walla Walla, Washington, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Bumble Bee Slim | 63 | June 8, 1968 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Wes Montgomery | 45 | June 15, 1968 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Luther Perkins | 40 | August 5, 1968 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Smoke inhalation |
| Joe Hinton | 38 | August 13, 1968 | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | Melanoma/Skin cancer |
| Malcolm Hale Spanky and Our Gang | 27 | October 31, 1968 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Either Bronchial Pneumonia or accidental carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Red Foley | 58 | September 19, 1968 | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | Died in his sleep/Respiratory failure |
| Kokomo Arnold | 67-72 | November 8, 1968 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Paul Chambers | 33 | January 4, 1969 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Tuberculosis |
| Dickie Pride | 27 | March 26, 1969 | London, England | Complications from a barbiturate overdose |
| Benny Benjamin The Funk Brothers | 43 | April 20, 1969 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Stroke/No brain activity |
| Don Drummond | 37 | May 6, 1969 | Kingston, Jamaica | Suicide |
| Martin Lamble Fairport Convention | 19 | May 12, 1969 | Scratchwood Services, M1 Motorway, England | Car crash |
| Coleman Hawkins | 64 | May 19, 1969 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Liver disease |
| Judy Garland Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz among other acting roles | 47 | June 22, 1969 | London, England | Complications of a Barbiturate Overdose |
| Shorty Long | 29 | June 29, 1969 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Drowned |
| Brian Jones The Rolling Stones | 27 | July 3, 1969 | Hartfield, East Sussex, England | Drowned due to liver disfunction and ingestion |
| Wynonie Harris | 53 | July 4, 1969 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Esophageal cancer |
| Roy Hamilton | 40 | July 20, 1969 | New Rochelle, New York, U.S. | Stroke/Massive brain hemorrhage |
| Alexandra | 27 | July 31, 1969 | Tellingstedt, Germany | Road accident |
| Josh White | 55 | September 5, 1969 | Manhasset, New York, U.S. | Complications from surgery |
| Skip James | 67 | October 3, 1969 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Unknown cancer |
| Leonard Chess Record producer, record company executive and co-founder of Chess Records | 52 | October 16, 1969 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Tommy Edwards | 47 | October 22, 1969 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Bleeding ulcer linked to cirrhosis of the liver |
| Pops Foster | 77 | October 29, 1969 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Ivory "Deek" Watson The 4 Tunes, The Brown Dots, The Ink Spots | 60 | November 4, 1969 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Unknown |
| Magic Sam | 32 | December 1, 1969 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack |
| James "Stump" Johnson | 67 | December 5, 1969 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Esophageal cancer |