# List of 2015 deaths in popular music

This is a list of notable performers of rock music and other forms of popular music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters, or in other closely related roles, who died in 2015.

## 2015 deaths in popular music

| Preceded by 2014 | List of deaths in popular music 2015 | Succeeded by 2016 |
| Name | Age | Date | Location | Cause of death |
| Jeff Golub | 59 | January 1, 2015 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Progressive supra-nuclear palsy |
| Little Jimmy Dickens | 94 | January 2, 2015 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart failure |
| Pino Daniele | 59 | January 4, 2015 | Rome, Italy | Heart attack |
| Curtis Lee | 75 | January 8, 2015 | Yuma, Arizona, U.S. | Cancer |
| Andraé Crouch | 72 | January 8, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Popsy Dixon The Holmes Brothers | 72 | January 9, 2015 | | Bladder cancer |
| Tim Drummond | 74 | January 11, 2015 | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| A. J. Masters | 72 | January 12, 2015 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Trevor Ward-Davies Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 70 | January 13, 2015 | | Cancer |
| Kim Fowley Record producer and songwriter; manager of the Runaways | 75 | January 15, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Bladder cancer |
| Yao Beina | 33 | January 16, 2015 | Shenzhen, China | |
| Dallas Taylor Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 66 | January 18, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| ASAP Yams ASAP Mob | 26 | January 18, 2015 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Ward Swingle The Swingle Singers | 87 | January 19, 2015 | Eastbourne, England | |
| Edgar Froese Tangerine Dream | 70 | January 20, 2015 | Vienna, Austria | Pulmonary embolism |
| Demis Roussos Aphrodite's Child | 68 | January 25, 2015 | Athens, Greece | Pancreatic, stomach and liver cancer |
| Neil LeVang | 83 | January 26, 2015 | Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, U.S. | Unknown |
| Danny McCulloch The Animals | 69 | January 29, 2015 | | |
| Don Covay | 78 | January 31, 2015 | Franklin Square, New York, U.S. | Stroke |
| Andriy Kuzmenko Skryabin | 46 | February 2, 2015 | Lozuvatka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine | Traffic accident |
| William Thomas McKinley | 76 | February 3, 2015 | Reading, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Edward "Eddie The Kydd" Rendini Guitarist for Darwin's Waiting Room, Cold | 38 | February 5, 2015 | ?, U.S. | Undisclosed |
| Joe B. Mauldin The Crickets | 74 | February 7, 2015 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Cancer |
| Calvin Jackson | 54 | February 10. 2015 | Senatobia, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| Steve Strange Strange Cruise, The Moors Murderers, The Photons, Visage | 55 | February 12, 2015 | Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt | Heart attack |
| Sam Andrew Big Brother and the Holding Company | 73 | February 12, 2015 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Complication after open heart surgery |
| David Maxwell | 71 | February 13, 2015 | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Lesley Gore | 68 | February 16, 2015 | Manhattan, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer |
| Mats Olausson Talisman, Kamelot | 54 | February 18, 2015 | Rayong, Thailand | Suicide |
| Clark Terry | 94 | February 21, 2015 | Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S. | Diabetes |
| Ariel Camacho | 22 | February 25, 2015 | Sinaloa, Mexico | |
| Maxee Brownstone | 46 | February 28, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Fatal cut from glass of a cup that shattered when she fell |
| Orrin Keepnews | 91 | March 1, 2015 | El Cerrito, California, U.S. | |
| Lew Soloff Blood, Sweat & Tears | 71 | March 8, 2015 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Jimmy Greenspoon Three Dog Night | 67 | March 11, 2015 | North Potomac, Maryland, U.S. | Melanoma |
| Daevid Allen Gong, Soft Machine | 77 | March 13, 2015 | Australia | Cancer |
| Mike Porcaro Toto | 59 | March 15, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
| Bruce Crump Molly Hatchet | 57 | March 16, 2015 | | Throat cancer |
| Andy Fraser Free | 62 | March 16, 2015 | Temecula, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Paul Jeffrey | 81 | March 20, 2015 | North Carolina, U.S. | |
| A. J. Pero Twisted Sister, Adrenaline Mob | 55 | March 20, 2015 | Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. | Heart attack |
| John Renbourn Pentangle | 70 | March 26, 2015 | Hawick, Scotland | Heart attack |
| Susumu Yokota | 54 | March 27, 2015 | Japan | Unspecified long illness |
| Billy Butler | 69 | March 31, 2015 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Bob Burns Lynyrd Skynyrd | 64 | April 3, 2015 | Bartow County, Georgia, U.S. | Traffic accident |
| Kayahan | 66 | April 3, 2015 | Istanbul, Turkey | |
| Percy Sledge | 74 | April 14, 2015 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | Liver cancer |
| Billy Ray Hearn Record producer and co-founder of Myrrh Records and Sparrow Records | 85 | April 15, 2015 | | Heart disease |
| Johnny Kemp | 55 | April 16, 2015 | Montego Bay, Jamaica | Hit and fall from ship |
| Wally Lester The Skyliners | 73 | April 21, 2015 | Southport, North Carolina, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| Jack Ely The Kingsmen | 71 | April 27, 2015 | Terrebonne, Oregon, U.S. | |
| Kęstutis Kazakevičius Member of Broliai Aliukai | 59 | April 27, 2015 | ?, Lithuania | Unknown |
| Guy LeBlanc Camel | 54 | April 27, 2015 | | Kidney cancer |
| Ben E. King The Drifters | 76 | April 30, 2015 | Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Craig Gruber Rainbow, Elf | 63 | May 5, 2015 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | Prostate cancer |
| Errol Brown Hot Chocolate | 71 | May 6, 2015 | Bahamas | Liver cancer |
| B.B. King | 89 | May 14, 2015 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Vascular dementia |
| Louis Johnson The Brothers Johnson | 60 | May 21, 2015 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Gastrointestinal bleeding |
| Dennis Sheehan Tour manager for U2 | 68 | May 26, 2015 | West Hollywood, California, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Kirill Pokrovsky Russian musician and member of Aria, Master | 53 | June 1, 2015 | Ghent, Belgium | Undisclosed |
| Ornette Coleman | 85 | June 11, 2015 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Big Time Sarah | 62 | June 13, 2015 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart complications |
| James Horner | 61 | June 22, 2015 | Southern California, U.S. | Plane Crash |
| Cristiano Araújo | 29 | June 24, 2015 | Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil | |
| Chris Squire Yes | 67 | June 27, 2015 | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | Acute erythroid leukemia |
| Ernie Maresca The Regents | 76 | July 8, 2015 | Florida, U.S. | |
| Michael Masser | 74 | July 9, 2015 | Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | |
| Hussein Fatal Outlawz | 42 | July 10, 2015 | Banks County, Georgia | Car crash |
| Eric Wrixon Them, Thin Lizzy | 68 | July 13, 2015 | Italy | |
| Joan Sebastian | 64 | July 13, 2015 | Teacalco, Morelos, Mexico | Bone cancer |
| Dave Somerville The Diamonds | 81 | July 14, 2015 | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| David Masondo Member of The Soul Brothers | 65 | July 15, 2015 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Undisclosed |
| Buddy Buie | 74 | July 18, 2015 | Dothan, Alabama, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Dieter Moebius Moebius & Plank | 71 | July 20, 2015 | | Cancer |
| Mitch Aliotta Rotary Connection | 71 | July 22, 2015 | U.S. | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| Eddie Hardin The Spencer Davis Group, Axis Point | 66 | July 22, 2015 | | Heart attack |
| Lynn Anderson | 67 | July 31, 2015 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Cilla Black | 72 | August 1, 2015 | Estepona, Costa del Sol, Spain | Stroke after a fall |
| Sean Price Boot Camp Clik, Heltah Skeltah | 43 | August 8, 2015 | New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| Bob Johnston | 83 | August 14, 2015 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Danny Sembello | 52 | August 15, 2015 | Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, U.S. | Drowning |
| Smokey Wilson | 79 | September 8, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Bryn Merrick The Damned | 56 | September 12, 2015 | Cardiff, Wales | Cancer |
| Gary Richrath REO Speedwagon | 65 | September 13, 2015 | | |
| Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones | 74 | September 15, 2015 | Decatur, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Ben Cauley The Bar-Kays | 67 | September 21, 2015 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Wilton Felder The Crusaders | 75 | September 27, 2015 | Whittier, California, U.S. | Multiple myeloma |
| Frankie Ford | 76 | September 28, 2015 | Gretna, Louisiana, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Phil Woods | 83 | September 29, 2015 | East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Emphysema |
| Stasys Povilaitis Lithuanian Pop singer and member of Nemuno Žiburiai, Nerija | 68 | October 6, 2015 | Palanga, Lithuania | Lung cancer |
| Billy Joe Royal | 73 | October 6, 2015 | Morehead City, North Carolina, U.S. | Natural causes |
| Jim Diamond Ph.D. | 64 | October 8, 2015 | London, England | Pulmonary edema |
| Bruce Nazarian Brownsville Station | 66 | October 9, 2015 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Heart attack |
| Steve Mackay The Stooges | 66 | October 10, 2015 | Daly City, California, U.S. | Sepsis |
| Robbin Thompson Steel Mill | 66 | October 10, 2015 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Cancer |
| Smokin' Joe Kubek | 58 | October 11, 2015 | | Heart attack |
| Frank Watkins Obituary, Gorgoroth | 47 | October 18, 2015 | | Cancer |
| Cory Wells Cory Wells & The Enemys, Three Dog Night | 74 | October 20, 2015 | Dunkirk, New York, U.S. | Complications from multiple myeloma |
| Eddie Hoh The Mamas & the Papas, The Monkees | 71 | November 7, 2015 | Westmont, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Andy White The Beatles | 85 | November 9, 2015 | Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S. | Stroke |
| Allen Toussaint | 77 | November 10, 2015 | Madrid, Spain | Heart attack |
| Phil Taylor Motörhead | 61 | November 11, 2015 | Hasland, England | Liver disease |
| P.F. Sloan | 70 | November 15, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Pancreatic cancer |
| David Van Landing Michael Schenker Group, Crimson Glory | 51 | November 17, 2015 | Clearwater, Florida, U.S. | Car accident, collision |
| Cynthia Robinson Sly and the Family Stone | 69 | November 23, 2015 | Carmichael, California, U.S. | Cancer |
| Ronnie Bright The Cadillacs, The Coasters, The Deep River Boys, The Valentines | 77 | November 26, 2015 | | Unknown causes |
| Wayne Bickerton | 74 | November 29, 2015 | Hertfordshire, England | |
| Kelvin Knight Drummer for Delta 5 | 56 | December 2, 2015 | | Liver & kidney failure |
| Scott Weiland Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver | 48 | December 3, 2015 | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. | Drug overdose |
| Voopee Elviña Guitarist for Kala | 36 | December 3, 2015 | ?, ? | Nasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| Bonnie Lou | 91 | December 8, 2015 | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | Dementia |
| Rainer Bloss | 69 | December 10, 2015 | U.S. | |
| Zemya Hamilton Clubland | 50 | December 23, 2015 | Sigtuna, Sweden | Multiple sclerosis |
| Stevie Wright The Easybeats | 68 | December 27, 2015 | South Coast, New South Wales, Australia | Pneumonia |
| Lemmy Motörhead, Hawkwind | 70 | December 28, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure |
| John Bradbury The Specials | 62 | December 28, 2015 | England | |
| Natalie Cole | 65 | December 31, 2015 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Congestive heart failure |