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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

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 [1]
Little Jimmy Dickens	94	January 2, 2015	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.	Heart failure [2]
Pino Daniele	59	January 4, 2015	Rome, Italy	Heart attack [3]
Curtis Lee	75	January 8, 2015	Yuma, Arizona, U.S.	Cancer [4]
Popsy Dixon The Holmes Brothers	72	January 9, 2015		Bladder cancer [5]
Tim Drummond	74	January 11, 2015	Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.	[6]
A. J. Masters	72	January 12, 2015	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.	Prostate cancer [7]
Trevor Ward-Davies Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich	70	January 13, 2015		Cancer [8]
Kim Fowley Record producer and songwriter; manager of the Runaways	75	January 15, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Bladder cancer [9]
Ward Swingle The Swingle Singers	87	January 19, 2015	Eastbourne, England	[10]
Dallas Taylor Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	66	January 18, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Cancer [11]
Edgar Froese Tangerine Dream	70	January 20, 2015	Vienna, Austria	Pulmonary embolism [12]
Demis Roussos Aphrodite's Child	68	January 25, 2015	Athens, Greece	Pancreatic, stomach and liver cancer [13]
Neil LeVang	83	January 26, 2015	Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, U.S.	Unknown [14]
Don Covay	78	January 31, 2015	Franklin Square, New York, U.S.	Stroke [15]
Andriy Kuzmenko Skryabin	46	February 2, 2015	Lozuvatka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine	Traffic accident [16]
Eddie "The Kydd" Rendini Darwin's Waiting Room, Cold	?	February 5, 2015	?, U.S.	Unknown
Joe B. Mauldin The Crickets	74	February 7, 2015	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.	Cancer [17]
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 [18]
Sam Andrew Big Brother and the Holding Company	73	February 12, 2015	San Francisco, California, U.S.	Complication after open heart surgery [19]
David Maxwell	71	February 13, 2015	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	Prostate cancer [20]
Lesley Gore	68	February 16, 2015	Manhattan, New York, U.S.	Lung cancer [21]
Mats Olausson Talisman, Kamelot	54	February 18, 2015	Rayong, Thailand	Suicide [22]
Clark Terry	94	February 21, 2015	Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.	Diabetes
Orrin Keepnews	91	March 1, 2015	El Cerrito, California, U.S.	[23]
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 [24]
Mike Porcaro Toto	59	March 15, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [25]
Bruce Crump Molly Hatchet	57	March 16, 2015		Throat cancer [26]
Andy Fraser Free	62	March 16, 2015	Temecula, California, U.S.	Heart attack [27]
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 [28]
John Renbourn Pentangle	70	March 26, 2015	Hawick, Scotland	Heart attack [29]
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 [30]
Percy Sledge	74	April 14, 2015	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.	Liver cancer [31]
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 [32]
Wally Lester The Skyliners	73	April 21, 2015	Southport, North Carolina, U.S.	Pancreatic cancer [33]
Jack Ely The Kingsmen	71	April 27, 2015	Terrebonne, Oregon, U.S.	[34]
Guy LeBlanc Camel	54	April 27, 2015		Kidney cancer [35]
Ben E. King The Drifters	76	April 30, 2015	Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey, U.S.	Natural causes [36]
Craig Gruber Rainbow, Elf	63	May 5, 2015	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.	Prostate cancer [37]
Errol Brown Hot Chocolate	71	May 6, 2015	Bahamas	Liver cancer [38]
B.B. King	89	May 14, 2015	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	Vascular dementia [39]
Louis Johnson The Brothers Johnson	60	May 21, 2015	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.	Gastrointestinal bleeding [40]
Dennis Sheehan Tour manager for U2	68	May 26, 2015	West Hollywood, California, U.S.	Heart attack [41]
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
Chris Squire Yes	67	June 27, 2015	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.	Acute erythroid leukemia [42]
Ernie Maresca The Regents	76	July 8, 2015	Florida, U.S.	[43]
Michael Masser	74	July 9, 2015	Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Eric Wrixon Them, Thin Lizzy	68	July 13, 2015	Italy	[44]
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 [45]
Buddy Buie	74	July 18, 2015	Dothan, Alabama, U.S.	Heart attack [46]
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 [47]
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 [48]
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 [49]
Smokey Wilson	79	September 8, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Bryn Merrick The Damned	56	September 12, 2015	Cardiff, Wales	Cancer [50]
Gary Richrath REO Speedwagon	65	September 13, 2015		[51]
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.	[52]
Wilton Felder The Crusaders	75	September 27, 2015	Whittier, California, U.S.	Multiple myeloma [53]
Frankie Ford	76	September 28, 2015	Gretna, Louisiana, U.S.	Natural causes [54]
Phil Woods	83	September 29, 2015	East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Emphysema
Stasys Povilaitis 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 [55]
Jim Diamond Ph.D.	64	October 8, 2015	London, England	Pulmonary edema [56]
Bruce Nazarian Brownsville Station	66	October 9, 2015	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Heart attack [57]
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 [58]
Smokin' Joe Kubek	58	October 11, 2015		Heart attack
Frank Watkins Obituary, Gorgoroth	47	October 18, 2015		Cancer [59]
Cory Wells Cory Wells & The Enemys, Three Dog Night	74	October 20, 2015	Dunkirk, New York, U.S.	Complications from multiple myeloma [60]
Eddie Hoh The Mamas & the Papas, The Monkees	71	November 7, 2015	Westmont, Illinois, U.S.	[61]
Andy White The Beatles	85	November 9, 2015	Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S.	Stroke [62]
Allen Toussaint	77	November 10, 2015	Madrid, Spain	Heart attack [63]
Phil Taylor Motörhead	61	November 11, 2015	Hasland, England	Liver disease [64]
P.F. Sloan	70	November 15, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Pancreatic cancer [65]
David Van Landing Michael Schenker Group, Crimson Glory	51	November 17, 2015	Clearwater, Florida, U.S.	Car accident, collision [66]
Cynthia Robinson Sly and the Family Stone	69	November 23, 2015	Carmichael, California, U.S.	Cancer [67]
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	[68]
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 [69]
Bonnie Lou	91	December 8, 2015	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.	Dementia [70]
Rainer Bloss	69	December 10, 2015	U.S.
Stevie Wright The Easybeats	68	December 27, 2015	South Coast, New South Wales, Australia	Pneumonia [71]
Zemya Hamilton Clubland	50	December 23, 2015	Sigtuna, Sweden	Multiple sclerosis [72]
Lemmy Motörhead, Hawkwind	70	December 28, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure [73]
John Bradbury The Specials	62	December 28, 2015	England	[74]
Natalie Cole	65	December 31, 2015	Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Congestive heart failure [75]

See also

• Biography portal
• Rock music portal
• Lists portal

• List of murdered hip hop musicians
• 27 Club

References

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