2026 in music

This topic covers events and articles related to 2026 in music.

Specific locations

• African music
• American music
• British music
• Japanese music
• Philippine music
• Scandinavian music
• South Korean music

Specific genres

• Country
• Heavy metal
• Hip hop
• Latin
• Rock
• K-pop
• J-pop

Albums released

Main article: List of 2026 albums

Awards

68th Annual Grammy Awards (USA)
Record of the Year: "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA • Album of the Year: Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny • Song of the Year: "Wildflower" by Billie Eilish • Best New Artist: Olivia Dean

Bands disbanded

• Amefurasshi ^[1]
• Sepultura ^[2]
• Svalbard ^[3]
• Ukka ^[4]

Deaths

January

• 2
  • Ritva Auvinen, 93, Finnish opera singer. ^[5]
  • Tony Carr, 98, Maltese session drummer and percussionist (CCS, Hot Chocolate). ^[6]
  • Johnny Legend, 77, American rockabilly musician ^[7]
• 5
  • Andrew Bodnar, 71, English bass guitarist (The Rumour) and songwriter ("I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass"). (death announced on this date) ^[8]
  • Andrew Carter, 86, English composer and conductor ^[9]
  • Mike Embro, 63, Canadian drummer (Razor) (death announced on this date) ^[10]
  • Elsje de Wijn, 82, Dutch actress and singer ^[11]
• 6 - Jim McBride, 78, American country music songwriter ("Chasin' That Neon Rainbow", "(Who Says) You Can't Have It All", "Chattahoochee") ^[12]
• 7
  • James Bernard, American music journalist and magazine editor (The Source, XXL) ^[13] (death announced on this date)
  • Ihor Blazhkov, 89, Ukrainian conductor ^[14]
• 8 - Guy Moon, 63, American television composer ^[15]
• 9
  • Dieudonné Larose, 80, Haitian singer
  • Terry Sullivan, 87, British drummer (Renaissance) ^[16]
• 10
  • Yeison Jiménez, 34, Colombian singer, plane crash ^[17]
  • Bob Weir, 78, American Hall of Fame musician (Grateful Dead) and songwriter ("Sugar Magnolia", "One More Saturday Night"), complications from cancer ^[18]
• 11
  • Prashant Tamang, 43, Indian singer (Indian Idol), cardiac arrest ^[19]
  • John Wallace, 76, Scottish trumpeter, composer and arts educator ^[20]
• 12
  • Sheila Bernette, 94, English singer ( The Good Old Days , The Black and White Minstrel Show ) ^[21]
  • Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, 26, British guitarist (Black Midi) ^[22] (death announced on this date)
• 13 - Seán Ó Sé, 89, Irish tenor singer ^[23]
• 14
  • Melania Pérez  [ es ], 76, Argentine singer. ^[24]
  • Quemil Yambay, 87, Paraguayan musician and composer. ^[25]
• 15
  • Raju Bandara, 65, Sri Lankan singer, kidney disease. ^[26]
  • Kenny Morris, 68, English drummer (Siouxsie and the Banshees). ^[27] (death announced on this date)
  • Rubén Patagonia  [ es ], 69, Argentine singer. ^[28]
• 16
  • Tony Dallara, 89, Italian singer ("Come Prima", "Romantica"), respiratory illness. ^[29]
  • Osvaldo Díaz , 76, Chilean singer. ^[30]
  • Joxean Llorente  [ eu ], 63, Spanish choral conductor, composer and musicologist. ^[31]
  • Marcel Osztas  [ sk ], 37, Slovak radio presenter and music concert host. ^[32]
  • Guillermo Rendón García , 90, Colombian composer and organist. ^[33]
• 17
  • Marikena Monti , 82, Argentine singer and actress. ^[34]
  • Tucker Zimmerman, 84, American singer-songwriter, smoke inhalation. ^[35]
• 18
  • Stephen "Cat" Coore, 69, Jamaican guitarist and cellist (Third World). ^[36]
  • Anders Möller  [ sv ], 63, Swedish musician (Black Ingvars, Swedish Erotica), cancer. ^[37]
  • Jaan Ross, 68, Estonian musicologist and psychologist. ^[38]
  • Ralph Towner, 85, American jazz multi-instrumentalist. ^[39]
• 19
  • Mojmír Maděrič  [ cs ], 70, Czech musician, actor and host. ^[40]
  • Billy Parker, 88, American country music singer and DJ. ^[41]
• 20
  • Rob Hirst, 70, Australian musician (Midnight Oil, Ghostwriters) and songwriter ("Forgotten Years"), pancreatic cancer. ^[42] (death announced on this date)
  • Yaw Sarpong, Ghanaian gospel musician and songwriter. ^[43]
• 22
  • Francis Buchholz, 71, German bass guitarist (Scorpions). ^[44]
  • Guy Hovis, 84, American singer ( The Lawrence Welk Show ). ^[45]
• 23
  • Dalibor Brun, 81, Croatian singer. ^[46]
  • Kristinn Svavarsson, 78, Icelandic saxophonist (Mezzoforte). ^[47] (death announced on this date)
• 24 - Yuri Rymanov, 69, Russian guitarist (Lyube). ^[48]
• 25
  • Gabe Lopez, 31, American songwriter and producer, lymphoma. ^[49]
  • Abhijit Majumdar, 54, Indian composer and music director ( Sasura Ghara Zindabad , Balunga Toka , Daha Balunga ), liver disease. ^[50]
  • Marie Rouanet, 89, French singer and writer. ^[51]
  • Lucky Widja  [ id ], 49, Indonesian singer and songwriter, kidney tuberculosis. ^[52]
• 26
  • Richie Beirach, 78, American jazz pianist and composer. ^[53]
  • Sly Dunbar, 73, Jamaican drummer (Sly and Robbie), record producer ("Underneath It All"), and songwriter ("Murder She Wrote"). ^[54]
  • Béla Lattmann , 60, Hungarian jazz bassist. ^[55]
• 27
  • António Chainho, 88, Portuguese fado guitarist. ^[56]
  • Vladislav Chernushenko, 90, Russian conductor. ^[57]
• 28
  • Maroochy Barambah, 70, Australian Turrbal elder and mezzo-soprano singer. ^[58]
  • Nilton César, 86, Brazilian singer. ^[59]
  • Bryan Loren, 59, American songwriter ("Do the Bartman"). ^[60] (death announced on this date)
• 29 - Wojciech Michniewski, 78, Polish composer and conductor. ^[61] (death announced on this date)
• 30
  • Abdelhadi Belkhayat, 85, Moroccan singer. ^[62]
  • Parthenon Huxley, 70, American musician (ELO Part II). ^[63]
  • Fatih Ürek  [ tr ], 59, Turkish singer and actor, complications from a heart attack. ^[64]
• 31
  • Miklós Fenyő  [ hu ], 78, Hungarian singer, songwriter and musician. ^[65]
  • Mingo Lewis, 72, American percussionist and drummer (Santana, Al Di Meola, The Tubes). ^[66] (death announced on this date)
  • Billy Bass Nelson, 75, American Hall of Fame bass guitarist (Parliament-Funkadelic). ^[67]

February

• 1
  • Fernando Esteso, 80, Spanish singer, comedian, and actor, respiratory failure. ^[68]
  • Steve Washington, 67, American musician (Slave, Aurra). ^[69] (death announced on this date)
• 2
  • Chuck Negron, 83, American singer (Three Dog Night), heart failure and COPD. ^[70]
  • Ken Peplowski, 66, American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. ^[71]
  • Yuan Wei-jen, 57, Taiwanese singer-songwriter. ^[72]
• 3
  • Ron Kenoly, 81, American Christian singer, worship leader, and songwriter. ^[73]
  • Lamonte McLemore, 90, American singer (The 5th Dimension). ^[74]
  • S. P. Venkatesh, 70, Indian film score composer ( Kilukkam , Spadikam , Rajavinte Makan ), cardiac arrest. ^[75]
• 4
  • François Beukelaers, 88, Belgian singer, actor and stage director. ^[76]
  • Tommy Crook, 81, American guitarist. ^[77]
  • Tōsha Meishō, 84, Japanese hayashi musician. ^[78]
• 5
  • Helen Micallef, 75, Maltese singer (Helen and Joseph). ^[79]
  • Fred Smith, 77, American bassist (Television, Blondie). ^[80]
  • Tamás Vásáry, 92, Hungarian pianist and conductor. ^[81]
• 6 - Lynn Blakey, American musician (Tres Chicas, Let's Active). ^[82]
• 7
  • Brad Arnold, 47, American singer (3 Doors Down) and songwriter ("Kryptonite", "Here Without You"), renal cell carcinoma. ^[83]
  • Greg Brown, American musician (Cake, Deathray) and songwriter ("The Distance"). ^[84]
  • Ebo Taylor, 90, Ghanaian musician and producer. ^[85]
• 8
  • Matti Caspi, 76, Israeli singer-songwriter, cancer. ^[86]

References

1. "AMEFURASSHIが解散を発表「メンバーそれぞれが新たなステージへ」". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 2025-12-28. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
2. "Andreas Kisser Is Still Hoping Cavalera Brothers Will Take Part in Sepultura's Final Concert: 'There's No Reason to Be Fighting'". Blabbermouth.net. January 31, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
3. "Svalbard calling it quits in 2026". Lambgoat. May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
4. "ukka、5月のワンマンライブをもって解散". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. 2025-12-28. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
5. Ihana ja ihmeellinen karjalainen, muistelee Sinikka Sokka tätiään Ritva Auvista (in Finnish)
6. Tony Carr, Maltese jazz drummer to the stars, dies aged 98
7. Daily Update: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20, CMLL Sin Salida, Johnny Legend
8. Bassist Andrew Bodnar (o.a. Graham Parker & The Rumour) overleden (in Dutch)
9. Andrew Carter - In Memoriam
10. Razor – Former Drummer Mike Embro Dead At 63
11. Karel-zangeres Elsje de Wijn overleden op 82-jarige leeftijd (in Dutch)
12. Alabama Music Hall of Famer, Huntsville native Jim McBride, dies at 78
13. James Bernard, founding editor of ‘The Source’ and co-founder of ‘XXL,’ dies
14. Помер український композитор Блажков, Гордон, 8.1.2026, автор - Ельчін Садаєв (in Ukrainian)
15. "Los Angeles County Medical Examiner". Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
16. Renaissance drummer Terry Sullivan has died
17. Atención: en accidente de avioneta esta tarde en Paipa (Boyacá) muere el cantante Yeison Jiménez y sus músicos (in Spanish)
18. Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78
19. Singer-actor Prashant Tamang passes away at 43 in Delhi
20. Tributes paid to 'extraordinary musician' John Wallace
21. BBC's Good Old Days and Coronation Street star and singer Sheila Bernette dies aged 94
22. Black Midi Co-Founder Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin Dies at 26
23. Renowned Cork singer Seán Ó Sé dies aged 89
24. Adiós a Melania Pérez, voz emblema de la música argentina y del Festival de Cosquín (in Spanish)
25. Fallece el músico Quemil Yambay, ícono del folclore paraguayo (in Spanish)
26. Veteran singer Raju Bandara passed away
27. Siouxsie And the Banshees Drummer Kenny Morris Has Died
28. Murió a los 69 años Rubén Patagonia, figura clave del folclore y referente cultural del sur argentino (in Spanish)
29. Morto Tony Dallara, il cantante aveva 89 anni (in Italian)
30. Muere el cantante Osvaldo Díaz, ídolo de la Nueva Ola y Sábado Gigante (in Spanish)
31. La música enmudece con la partida de Joxean Llorente (in Spanish)
32. Mimoriadne smutná správa: Zomrel moderátor a hypeman Marcel Osťo Osztas (in Slovak)
33. Falleció Guillermo Rendón García a los 90 años: este es el legado del maestro, músico, escritor e investigador colombiano (in Spanish)
34. Murió Marikena Monti: adiós a una voz emblemática del café concert argentino (in Spanish)
35. Un couple d’octogénaires perd la vie à Saint-Georges : « J’ai tenté d’entrer dans la maison pour leur sauver la vie », Philippe a vu le domicile de ses voisins prendre feu sous ses yeux (in French)(subscription required)
36. Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, Jamaican music icon and Third World co-founder, dies at 69
37. Black Ingvars sångare Anders Möller är död (in Swedish)
38. Suri Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia emeriitprofessor, akadeemik Jaan Ross (in Estonian)
39. RIP Ralph Towner (1940-2026)
40. Zemřel herec a moderátor Mojmír Maděrič. Tvář Prima vařečky předtím kvůli nemoci zhubla 30 kilo (in Czech)
41. Legendary KVOO DJ Billy Parker dies at the age of 88
42. Music industry rocked by the death of Rob Hirst, the powerful engine behind Midnight Oil
43. Gospel icon Yaw Sarpong is dead
44. Scorpions and Michael Schenker bassist Francis Buchholz dies aged 71
45. 'Lawrence Welk' Star Dead at 84
46. Napustio nas je legendarni Dalibor Brun: Ovo je njegovih 10 najvećih hitova, svi ih znamo (in Croatian)
47. Mezzoforte's Kristinn Svavarsson has died
48. Yuri Rymanov, ex-guitarist of the Lube band, has died.
49. Emmy-nominated RuPaul's Drag Race crew member, songwriter Gabe Lopez dies as queens pay tribute: 'Devastating to hear'
50. Popular Odia singer Abhijit Majumdar dies at 54
51. Mort de l’écrivaine biterroise Marie Rouanet : figure de proue de la culture occitane, l’artiste est décédée à 89 ans (in French)
52. Lucky Widja, Steadfast and Professional Until the End
53. Richard Beirach, Pianist, Composer, Early ECM Stalwart, Dies at 78
54. Sly & Robbie's Sly Dunbar dead at 73
55. Elhunyt Lattmann Béla jazzbasszusgitáros (in Hungarian)
56. Calou-se a guitarra de António Chainho (in Portuguese)
57. Скончался народный артист СССР Владислав Чернушенко (in Russian)
58. Turrbal Elder And Revered Songwoman Maroochy Barambah Passes Away, Aged 70
59. Morre Nilton Cesar, voz marcante da música romântica, aos 86 anos (in Portuguese)
60. Bryan Loren, Michael Jackson Collaborator and New Jack Swing Pioneer, Dies at 58
61. Zmarł Wojciech Michniewski, światowej klasy dyrygent urodzony w Łodzi (in Polish)
62. Moroccan Music Icon Abdelhadi Belkhayat Dies at 85
63. Parthenon Willett Miller Huxley
64. Son dakika! Ünlü sanatçı Fatih Ürek hayatını kaybetti (in Turkish)
65. Meghalt Fenyő Miklós (in Hungarian)
66. Fallece Mingo Lewis (in Spanish)
67. P-Funk star Billy Bass Nelson dies at age 75
68. Muere el cómico Fernando Esteso a los 80 años (in Spanish)
69. Steve Washington, co-founder of legendary funk bands Aurra and Slave, dies
70. Three Dog Night’s Chuck Negron, voice behind ‘Joy to the World,’ dies at 83
71. The jazz world mourns the loss of acclaimed clarinetist, saxophonist and bandleader Ken Peplowski
72. 袁惟仁病逝「走得平靜」　黃韻玲悲泣：親愛的小胖離開了 (in Chinese)
73. Gospel legend, Ron Kenoly dies at 81
74. LaMonte McLemore, singer and founding member of The 5th Dimension, dies at 90
75. S.P. Venkatesh, legendary South Indian music director, dies at 70
76. L’acteur belge François Beukelaers est décédé à l’âge de 88 ans (in French)
77. Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer Tommy Crook dies at 81
78. 藤舎名生さん死去　長唄鳴物の人間国宝 (in Japanese)
79. Helen Micallef, Eurovision 1972 singer, dies aged 75
80. Fred Smith, Bassist for Television, Dies at 77
81. Meghalt Vásáry Tamás (in Hungarian)
82. Beloved Indie Rock Musician, Inspiration for the Replacements’ Alt-Rock Anthem ‘Left of the Dial,’ Dies
83. 3 Doors Down Frontman Brad Arnold Dies at 47 After Battle with Stage 4 Cancer
84. Cake founding guitarist Greg Brown has died
85. Ghana music legend Ebo Taylor dies at 90
86. Matti Caspi, one of Israel’s greatest musicians, dies at 76