Updated January 2, 2024 at 4:03 PM ET
When you read these names of musicians, producers, visual artists and writers who died in 2023, your heart may be filled with sorrow and sadness. After all, music offers us opportunities to both dream outside of and root yourself in reality. When we lose artists who reflect and refract myriad versions of ourselves and the world we know and aspire to be, it can feel impossible to imagine a world without their musical guidance.
Yet it's also a moment to celebrate — not just their impact on culture writ large but also inside ourselves. This year, we lost icons, rock pioneers, hip-hop trailblazers, jazz legends and prolific composers across pop and classical music. Lift up their names and play their music or remember their contributions to our daily lives. (Our colleagues at NPR's Culture Desk also offer up their own tribute.) What follows is a memorial to them, listed below in chronological order by the date they left us.
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Gangsta Boo
One of the South's premiere crunk MCs, who got her start in Three 6 Mafia and collaborated with OutKast, Run the Jewels and Blood Orange
Aug. 7, 1979 — Jan. 1, 2023
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Fred White
Drummer for the era-defining, genre-defying band Earth, Wind & Fire
Jan. 13, 1955 — Jan. 1, 2023
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Alan Rankine
Scottish musician who co-founded The Associates and produced records for Cocteau Twins and Paul Haig
May 17, 1958 — Jan. 3, 2023
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Justin Bartlett
Illustrator of metal album covers, whose pen favored intricately grotesque terror
May 27, 1977 — Jan. 9, 2023
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Jeff Beck
Guitar virtuoso unlimited by genre who nevertheless always sounded like himself
June 24, 1944 — Jan. 10, 2023
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Yukihiro Takahashi
Drummer and singer for the trailblazing synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra
June 6, 1952 — Jan. 11, 2023
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Lisa Marie Presley
Daughter of Elvis Presley, caretaker of his legacy and a singer-songwriter in her own right
Feb. 1, 1968 — Jan. 12, 2023
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Robbie Bachman
Drummer and co-founder of Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Feb. 18, 1953 — Jan. 12, 2023
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Bruce Gowers
TV director whose credits include American Idol, the MTV Video Music Awards and the music video for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Dec. 21, 1940 — Jan. 15, 2023
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David Crosby
A prominent figure of the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon scene and co-founder of Crosby, Stills & Nash
Aug. 14, 1941 — Jan. 18, 2023
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Van Conner
Bassist and co-founder of the grunge luminaries Screaming Trees
March 17, 1967 — Jan. 18, 2023
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Tom Verlaine
Television's restlessly innovative guitarist and a founding father of American punk
Dec. 13, 1949 — Jan. 28, 2023
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Barrett Strong
Motown songwriter behind "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," plus the singer of the label's very first hit, "Money (That's What I Want)"
Feb. 5, 1941 — Jan. 29, 2023
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Charlie Thomas
Member of The Drifters, an R&B group known for hits "Under the Boardwalk" and "Save the Last Dance for Me"
April 7, 1937 — Jan. 31, 2023
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Steve Sostak
Saxophonist, singer and co-founder of the art-punk band Sweep the Leg Johnny
May 18, 1973 — Feb. 4, 2023
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Burt Bacharach
Visionary pop composer behind an astonishing catalog of hit songs
May 12, 1928 — Feb. 8, 2023
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Lewis Spratlan
American composer who won the Pulitzer Prize in music for a concert version of the opera Life is a Dream
Sept. 5, 1940 — Feb. 9, 2023
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Trugoy the Dove
The irrepressible id of De La Soul
Sept. 21, 1968 — Feb. 12, 2023
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Huey "Piano" Smith
New Orleans R&B pianist and songwriter who influenced early rock and roll
Jan. 26, 1934 — Feb. 13, 2023
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Tim Aymar
Heavy metal singer for Pharaoh and Chuck Schuldiner's Control Denied
Sept. 4, 1963 — Feb. 13, 2023
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Tom Whitlock
Co-writer of Top Gun's inescapable soundtrack hits "Danger Zone" and "Take My Breath Away"
Feb. 20, 1954 — Feb. 28, 2023
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Steve Mackey
Pulp bassist who produced music for the likes of M.I.A., Florence + the Machine and Marianne Faithfull
Nov. 10, 1966 — March 2, 2023
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Wayne Shorter
Saxophonist, composer and creator of one of the singular sounds in the last century of jazz
Aug. 25, 1933 — March 2, 2023
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David Lindley
Los Angeles session guitarist and musician's musician who played with Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart
March 21, 1944 — March 3, 2023
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Glen "Spot" Lockett
Black Flag, Minutemen and Hüsker Dü trusted the record producer to capture their punk rock intensity and urgency
July 1, 1951 — March 4, 2023
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Gary Rossington
The last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Dec. 4, 1951 — March 5, 2023
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Topol
Israeli singer and actor who mastered the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on stage and screen
Sept. 9, 1935 — March 8, 2023
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Jerry Samuels
Singer and songwriter behind Napoleon XIV's novelty hit "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"
May 3, 1938 — March 10, 2023
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Jim Gordon
Session drummer for Eric Clapton and The Beach Boys, later convicted of killing his mother
July 14, 1945 — March 13, 2023
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Bobby Caldwell
R&B singer-songwriter who gave us the deeply soulful "What You Won't Do for Love"
Aug. 15, 1951 — March 14, 2023
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Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins
Singer in George Clinton's doo-wop group The Parliaments, which mutated into the innovative Parliament-Funkadelic
June 8, 1941 — March 16, 2023
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Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou
Nonagenarian nun who composed beautifully complex music for piano that drew on honky tonk, classical music and her own Ethiopian heritage
Dec. 12, 1923 — March 25, 2023
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Ryuichi Sakamoto
From synth-pop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra to high-profile film scores and ambient masterpieces, a sophisticated curiosity elevated everything in the Japanese composer's work
Jan. 17, 1952 — March 28, 2023
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Brian "Brizz" Gillis
Singer for late-'90s pop group LFO
Jan. 19, 1975 — March 29, 2023
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Seymour Stein
Famed music executive and tastemaker who co-founded Sire Records
April 18, 1942 — April 2, 2023
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Vivian Trimble
Keyboardist and founding member of the irrepressibly cool Luscious Jackson
May 24, 1963 — April 4, 2023
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Paul Cattermole
Singer for British pop group S Club 7
March 7, 1977 — April 6, 2023
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Lasse Wellander
Guitarist for Swedish pop group ABBA
June 18, 1952 — April 7, 2023
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Kidd Jordan
Avant-garde jazz saxophonist, educator and patriarch of New Orleans music
May 5, 1935 — April 7, 2023
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Karl Berger
German-born musician whose vibraphone and piano explored American free jazz with Don Cherry, Dave Holland and Ornette Coleman
March 30, 1935 — April 9, 2023
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Jah Shaka
Jamaican dub and reggae pioneer who brought soundsystem culture to London
c. 1948-1954 — April 12, 2023
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Ahmad Jamal
A measured maestro of the jazz piano
July 2, 1930 — April 16, 2023
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Ivan Conti
Brazilian percussionist and co-founder of the jazz-funk band Azymuth
Aug. 16, 1946 — April 17, 2023
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Mark Stewart
Singer for the experimental English post-punk band The Pop Group
Aug. 10, 1960 — April 21, 2023
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Harry Belafonte
Singer and actor who broke racial barriers and balanced activism with artistry in ways that made people around the world listen
March 1, 1927 — April 25, 2023
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Billy "The Kid" Emerson
Early rock and roll singer
Dec. 21, 1925 — April 25, 2023
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Don Sebesky
Composer and arranger who worked with Wes Montgomery, Frank Sinatra and Cyndi Lauper
Dec. 10, 1937 — April 29, 2023
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Gordon Lightfoot
Canadian folk-rock songwriter who explored loss, longing and nostalgia in songs like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Nov. 11, 1938 — May 1, 2023
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Linda Lewis
British soul singer who also worked as a backing vocalist for David Bowie
Sept. 27, 1950 — May 3, 2023
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Rob Laakso
Guitarist for Swirlies and Kurt Vile & The Violators
1979 — May 4, 2023
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Chris Strachwitz
Founder of the regional and roots music label Arhoolie Records
July 1, 1931 — May 5, 2023
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Menahem Pressler
Pianist and co-founder of the Beaux Arts Trio
Dec. 16, 1923 — May 6, 2023
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Frank Kozik
Darkly funny illustrator whose work was plastered on concert posters and album covers for Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age and The Offspring
Jan. 9, 1962 — May 6, 2023
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Grace Bumbry
Trailblazing opera star who broke the color barrier as the first Black artist to perform at Germany's Bayreuth Festival
Jan 4, 1937 — May 7, 2023
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Rita Lee
Brazil's Queen of Rock was the madcap element in Os Mutantes and an essential character in the Tropicália movement
Dec. 31, 1947 — May 8, 2023
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Andy Rourke
The bassist crafted propulsive lines that brimmed with melody in The Smiths
Jan. 17, 1964 — May 19, 2023
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Pete Brown
British Beat poet who wrote lyrics for Cream
Dec. 25, 1940 — May 19, 2023
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Chas Newby
Bassist who played — briefly — with The Beatles
June 18, 1941 — May 22, 2023
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Tina Turner
A soul and rock icon known for her octave-defying voice and mesmerizing stage moves
Nov. 26, 1939 — May 24, 2023
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Bill Lee
Bassist and composer who scored his son Spike Lee's early films
July 23, 1928 — May 24, 2023
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Jack Lee
Frontman for power-pop band The Nerves who wrote "Hanging on the Telephone," popularized by Blondie
March 25, 1952 — May 26, 2023
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Reuben Wilson
Organist who helped usher in soul jazz
April 9, 1935 — May 26, 2023
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Cynthia Weil
Brill Building lyricist who helped write "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and "On Broadway"
Oct. 18, 1940 — June 1, 2023
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Kaija Saariaho
Finnish composer who offered a dazzling palette of colors in her music
Oct. 14, 1952 — June 2, 2023
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George Winston
Pianist of pastoral sceneswhose albums with Windham Hill Records helped popularize new age music
Feb. 11, 1949 — June 4, 2023
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Astrud Gilberto
Breathy Brazilian singer who turned "The Girl from Ipanema" into a global sensation
March 29, 1940 — June 5, 2023
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Blackie Onassis
Drummer for the punked-up stadium rockers Urge Overkill
Aug. 27, 1965 — June 13, 2023
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Big Pokey
Rapper and member of Houston's Screwed Up Click
Nov. 29, 1974 — June 18, 2023
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Teresa Taylor
Drummer for Butthole Surfers who had a memorable role in Richard Linklater's 1990 film Slackers
Nov. 10, 1962 — June 18, 2023
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John Waddington
Co-founding guitarist of The Pop Group
Jan. 1, 1960 — June 20, 2023
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Peter Brötzmann
German saxophonist whose brash, tempestuous outpourings set an imposing standard for free improvisation
March 6, 1941 — June 22, 2023
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Sheldon Harnick
Broadway lyricist who wrote Fiddler on the Roof
April 30, 1924 — June 23, 2023
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Bobby Osborne
Mandolinist who expanded the idea of bluegrass in the Osborne Brothers
Dec. 7, 1931 — June 27, 2023
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Rick Froberg
Snarling vocalist and guitarist of beloved punk bands Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and Pitchfork
Jan. 19, 1968 — June 30, 2023
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CoCo Lee
Chinese pop star, the lead in the Mandarin version of Disney's Mulan and singer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's soaring love theme
Jan. 17, 1975 — July 5, 2023
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Peter Nero
Concert pianist and conductor of the Philly Pops
May 22, 1934 — July 6, 2023
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André Watts
Concert pianist with an old-school Romantic virtuosity who was a guiding light for young, Black classical musicians
June 20, 1946 — July 12, 2023
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Jane Birkin
English born, French-raised actress, icon and singer whose breathy hit "Je t'aime... moi non plus" with Serge Gainsbourg was banned from radio play in several countries
Dec. 14, 1946 — July 16, 2023
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João Donato
Brazilian pianist and early architect of bossa nova
Aug. 17, 1934 — July 17, 2023
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Tony Bennett
Timeless crooner whose voice epitomized the American Songbook
Aug. 3, 1926 — July 21, 2023
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Leny Andrade
The first lady of Brazilian jazz was a samba-driven improviser and a consummate nightclub artist
Jan. 25, 1943 — July 24, 2023
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Sinéad O'Connor
Irish singer whose life and howling music were committed to dissent, discontent and refusal against establishment evils
Dec. 8, 1966 — July 26, 2023
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Randy Meisner
Bassist and founding member of the Eagles
March 8, 1946 — July 25, 2023
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Erkin Koray
Guitarist who blended psychedelic rock with Turkish melodies
June 24, 1941 — Aug. 7, 2023
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DJ Casper
Creator of the "Cha Cha Slide"
May 31, 1965 — Aug. 7, 2023
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Sixto Rodriguez
Detroit singer-songwriter catapulted to sudden fame late in life, first in South Africa, and then around the world following the documentary Searching for Sugar Man
July 10, 1942 — Aug. 8, 2023
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Jamie Reid
Visual artist who designed iconic cover art for Sex Pistols records
Jan. 16, 1947 — Aug. 8, 2023
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Robbie Robertson
Lead guitarist and the primary songwriter for The Band, who helped to establish the blueprint for Americana
July 5, 1943 — Aug. 9, 2023
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Clarence Avant
Music executive and film producer who boosted the careers of Bill Withers and Michael Jackson and became a force in sports and politics
Feb. 25, 1931 — Aug. 13, 2023
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Magoo
Rapper and Timbaland collaborator
July 12, 1973 — Aug. 13, 2023
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Jerry Moss
Co-founder of A&M Records
May 8, 1935 — Aug. 15, 2023
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Renata Scotto
Italian diva known for dozens of roles at the Metropolitan Opera
Feb. 24, 1934 — Aug. 16, 2023
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Gary Young
Pavement's original drummer
May 3, 1953 — Aug. 17, 2023
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Gloria Coates
Prolific Wisconsin-born composer who made a name for herself in Europe
Oct. 10, 1933 — Aug. 19, 2023
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Sakevi Yokoyama
Vocalist for Japanese hardcore punk and metal band G.I.S.M.
Unknown — Aug. 24, 2023
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Brian McBride
One half of Stars of the Lid, a duo that warped and wondered at new pathways for ambient music
July 6, 1970 — Aug. 25, 2023
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James Casey
Saxophonist known for his work with the Trey Anastasio Band
Feb. 4, 1983 — Aug. 28, 2023
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Jack Sonni
Guitarist briefly in massively successful '80s rock band Dire Straits
Dec. 9, 1954 — Aug. 30, 2023
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Curtis Fowlkes
Trombonist who co-led The Jazz Passengers
March 19, 1950 — Aug. 31, 2023
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Jimmy Buffett
Singer-songwriter and eternal (p)resident of "Margaritaville"
Dec. 25, 1946 — Sept. 1, 2023
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Gary Wright
Founding member of blues rock band Spooky Tooth, in-demand session musician and singer of "Dream Weaver"
April 26, 1943 — Sept. 4, 2023
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Steve Harwell
Lead singer of Smash Mouth and its highly meme-able self-esteem booster "All Star"
Jan. 9, 1967 — Sept. 4, 2023
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Charles Gayle
New York saxophonist who embodied a radical yet humble expression of freedom
Feb. 28, 1939 — Sept. 5, 2023
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Richard Davis
Versatile bassist heard on Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch!
April 15, 1930 — Sept. 6, 2023
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Roger Whittaker
British balladeer and whistler known for "The Last Farewell"
March 22, 1936 — Sept. 13, 2023
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Kent Stax
Drummer for D.C. hardcore band Scream
July 4, 1962 — Sept. 20, 2023
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Terry Kirkman
Singer for The Association and songwriter for the pop group's "Cherish"
Dec. 12, 1939 — Sept. 23, 2023
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James Jorden
Founder of the opera zine and website Parterre Box
Aug. 6, 1954 — Oct. 2, 2023
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Rudolph Isley
Founding member of The Isley Brothers
April 1, 1939 — Oct. 11, 2023
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Carla Bley
Prolific and expansive jazz pianist who constantly evolved
May 11, 1936 — Oct. 17, 2023
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Dwight Twilley
Power-pop singer-songwriter behind a series of minor '70s and '80s hits
June 6, 1951 — Oct. 21, 2023
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Dusty Street
Pioneering female rock DJ for KROQ and, later, SiriusXM
Oct. 19, 1946 — Oct. 21, 2023
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Steve Poponi
Guitarist for emo band Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start and co-owner of Philly's beloved Gradwell House studio
June 17, 1976 — Oct. 31, 2023
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Yuri Temirkanov
Controversial conductor for St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Dec. 10, 1938 — Nov. 2, 2023
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R.L. Boyce
Mississippi blues guitarist who created his own Hill Country boogie style
Aug. 15, 1955 — Nov. 9, 2023
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David Del Tredici
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who wrote pieces based on Lewis Carroll's "Alice" stories
March 16, 1937 — Nov. 18, 2023
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Catherine Christer Hennix
Composer who dreamed the infinite
Jan. 25, 1948 — Nov. 19, 2023
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Mars Williams
Saxophonist for The Psychedelic Furs and The Waitresses
May 29, 1955 — Nov. 20, 2023
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Chad Allan
Original singer for Canadian rock band The Guess Who
March 29, 1943 — Nov. 21, 2023
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Jean Knight
Soul singer who made "Mr. Big Stuff" a hit
Jan. 26, 1943 — Nov. 22, 2023
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Geordie Walker
Guitarist for post-punk band Killing Joke
Dec. 18, 1958 — Nov. 26, 2023
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Scott Kempner
Guitarist for punk band The Dictators
Feb. 6, 1954 — Nov. 29, 2023
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Shane MacGowan
Irascible frontman of The Pogues and co-writer of the devastatingly beautifulChristmas ballad "Fairytale of New York"
Dec. 25, 1957 — Nov. 30, 2023
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Denny Laine
Co-founder of both The Moody Blues and Wings
Oct. 29, 1944 — Dec. 5, 2023
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Martin Davidson
Founder of the free-improvisation label Emanem Records
Feb. 11, 1942 — Dec. 9, 2023
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Essra Mohawk
Prolific songwriter and a familiar singing voice on Schoolhouse Rock!
April 23, 1948 — Dec. 11, 2023
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Travis John Dopp
Guitarist for post-hardcore band Small Brown Bike
Oct. 23, 1975 — Dec. 13, 2023
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Amp Fiddler
Detroit soul mainstay known for his work with George Clinton and Prince, a mentor to J Dilla
May 17, 1958 — Dec. 17, 2023
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Craig Stewart
Founder of the independent label Emperor Jones, early home to The American Analog Set and The Mountain Goats
Oct. 27, 1970 — Dec. 19, 2023
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Laura Lynch
Bassist, singer and founding member of The Dixie Chicks who appeared on the group's first three albums
1958 — Dec. 22, 2023
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TONY OXLEY
British percussionist foundational to free improvisation, co-founder of Incus Records
Jun. 15, 1938 — Dec. 26, 2023
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Les McCann
An impromptu jam of "Compared to What" gave the pianist a career-defining moment at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival
Sept. 23, 1935 — Dec. 29, 2023
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Will Chase, Candice Vo Kortkamp and Greta Pittenger contributed research to support this story. Phil Harrell produced the audio at the top of the page.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
