List of deaths in rock and roll (1950s)

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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 1950s. 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.

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
—		 List of deaths in popular music
1950s		Succeeded by
1960s
NameAgeDateLocationCause of death
Jaybird Coleman 53January 28, 1950 Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.Cancer [1]
Kansas Joe McCoy
Harlem Hamfats 		44January 28, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart disease [2]
Ada Brown 59March 30, 1950 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.Kidney disease [3]
Bertha Hill 45May 7, 1950 New York City, New York, U.S.Hit and run-related accident [4]
Fats Navarro 26July 7 1950 New York City, New York, U.S.Tuberculosis [5]
Papa Charlie McCoy
Harlem Hamfats 		41July 26, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Paralytic brain disease [2]
Al Jolson 64October 23, 1950 San Francisco, California, U.S.Massive heart attack
Cecil Gant 37February 4, 1951 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.Pneumonia [6]
Sid Catlett 41March 25, 1951 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack [7]
Jimmy Yancey 56September 17, 1951 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Diabetes-induced stroke. [3]
Black Boy Shine 43March 28, 1952 Sugar Land, Texas, U.S.Tuberculosis [8]
John Kirby 43June 14, 1952 Hollywood, California, U.S.Unknown causes [9]
Luke Jordan 60June 25, 1952 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.Unknown causes [10]
Fletcher Henderson 55December 29, 1952 New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes [11]
Willie Brown 52-53December 30, 1952 Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.Heart disease [3]
Hank Williams 29January 1, 1953 Oak Hill, West Virginia, U.S.Acute right ventricular dilation [12]
Big Maceo Merriweather 47February 23, 1953 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack [13]
Django Reinhardt 43May 16, 1953 Fontainebleau, FranceBrain hemorrhage [14] : 160 
Willie Love 46August 19, 1953 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.Bronchopneumonia [15]
Carolina Slim 30October 22, 1953 Newark, New York, U.S.Heart attack [16]
Sol Hoʻopiʻi 50-51November 16, 1953Either Los Angeles, California, U.S., or Seattle, Washington, U.S.Unknown causes [17]
Lil Green 34April 14, 1954 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Pneumonia [18]
Alger "Texas" Alexander 53April 18, 1954 Richards, Texas, U.S.Syphilis [19]
Danny Cedrone
Bill Haley & His Comets 		33June 17, 1954 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.Broken neck from falling down stairs [20]
Lollypop Jones 56August 22, 1954 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.Lengthy illness [21]
Washington Phillips 74September 20, 1954 Teague, Texas, U.S.Head injury [22]
Hot Lips Page 46November 9, 1954 New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes
Dink Johnson 62November 29, 1954 Portland, Oregon, U.S.Unknown causes [23]
Papa Celestin 70December 15, 1954 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.Unknown causes [24]
Lee Morse 57December 16, 1954 Rochester, New York, U.S.Unknown causes
Johnny Ace 25December 25, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S.Accidental suicide by gunshot [25]
Charlie Parker 34March 12, 1955 New York City, New York, U.S.Pneumonia [26]
Wardell Gray 34May 25, 1955 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Heroin overdose [27]
Frank Stokes 67 or 78September 12, 1955 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Stroke [28]
Bessie Brown 65November 12, 1955 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.Heart attack [29]
James P. Johnson 61November 17, 1955 Queens, New York City, U.S.Unknown causes
Cow Cow Davenport 61December 12, 1955 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Atherosclerosis
Oscar "Buddy" Woods 52December 14, 1955 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.Unknown causes [30]
Clifford Brown 25June 26, 1956 Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S.Car crash [31]
Richie Powell 24June 26, 1956 Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S.Car crash [32]
Tommy Johnson 60November 1, 1956 Crystal Springs, Mississippi, U.S.Heart attack [33]
Art Tatum 47November 5, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S.Uremia [34]
Tommy Dorsey 51November 26, 1956 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.Choking in sleep [35]
Ralph Willis 47June 11, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes [36]
Serge Chaloff 33July 16, 1957 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.Spinal cancer [37]
Joe Hill Louis 35August 5, 1957 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Tetanus [38]
Walter Page 57December 20, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S.Kidney ailment and pneumonia
Ernie Henry 31December 29, 1957Heroin overdose [39]
John Dolphin
Record label owner, concert promoter and music producer		55February 1, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S.Murdered [40]
W. C. Handy 84March 28, 1958 New York City, New York, U.S.Bronchial pneumonia [41]
Chuck Willis 32April 10, 1958 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.Peritonitis [42]
Leroy Foster 35May 26, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack [43]
Big Bill Broonzy 65August 14, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Cancer [44]
Tiny Bradshaw 51November 26, 1958 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.Stroke [45]
Julia Lee 56December 8, 1958 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.Heart attack [46]
Henry "Son" Sims 68December 26, 1958 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Complications from renal surgery [47]
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly & The Crickets 		22February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash [48]
The Big Bopper 28February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash [48]
Ritchie Valens 17February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash [48]
Guitar Slim 32February 7, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S.Pneumonia [49]
Sidney Bechet 62May 14, 1959 Garches, France Lung cancer [50]
Billie Holiday 44July 17, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S.Liver cirrhosis [51]
Al "Cake" Wichard 41-40November 14, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S.Unknown causes [52]

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References

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  2. 1 2 Guarino, Mark (2010-10-01). "The Harlem Hamfats: Rediscovering the real McCoys of Chicago blues". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 50s and Earlier". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Edward Komara; Peter Lee (July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 430–. ISBN   978-1-135-95832-9.
  5. ↑ "Fats Navarro: 'The Fats Navarro Story'". NPR. August 1, 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Cecil Gant : The Forgotten Pioneer". Home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
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  10. ↑ "Luke Jordan — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
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  12. ↑ "Hank Williams — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Big Maceo". AllAboutJazz.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Delaunay, Charles (1961). Django Reinhardt. Da Capo Press. ISBN   0-306-80171-X.
  15. ↑ "Willie Love — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "Carolina Slim - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
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  22. ↑ "TSHA | Phillips, George Washington". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
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  24. ↑ "Oscar "Papa" Celestin - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
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  46. ↑ Yanow, Scott. "Julia Lee". AllMusic . Retrieved March 10, 2010.
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  48. 1 2 3 "1959:Buddy Holly killed in plane crash". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
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  51. ↑ Carletta Smith (July 17, 2017). "July 17, 1959: With Police Armed Outside Her Hospital Room, Billie Holiday Died". Black Then. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  52. ↑ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues — A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 58.
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