Musician Deaths of 2025 | Best Classic Bands

Garth Hudson, Roberta Flack, Ozzy Osbourne, Marianne Faithfull, Sly Stone and Brian Wilson are among the music greats who have died in 2025.

More than halfway through 2025, we’ve lost many luminaries within the wide sphere of the music community. Below are many of the artists and music industry influencers who have passed this year. They are arranged alphabetically, the person’s name followed by the death date and a brief description of who they were.

If an artist’s name is underlined, you can click on it to be taken to Best Classic Bands’ full obituary.

Below the list of musical artists, we’ve also noted several other prominent figures whose lives were lost in 2025.

We will miss all of these great talents. RIP.

Susan Alcorn—1/31—Country and jazz pedal steel guitarist

Dave Allen—4/5—Bassist and founding member of U.K. post-punk band Gang of Four

Bob Andrews—6/5—Keyboardist and founding member of the early 1970s U.K. pub-rock band Brinsley Schwarz, and later a member of the Rumour, the backup band for Graham Parker

Larry Appelbaum—2/21—Jazz journalist, broadcaster and historian

Roy Ayers—3/4—Jazz, funk and soul vibraphonist and composer

Amadou Bagayoko—4/5—Guitarist/vocalist in Malian duo Amadou & Mariam

Roy Thomas Baker—4/12—Prolific and successful producer (Queen, The Cars, Journey, among numerous others)

Gene “Daddy G” Barge—2/2—Saxophonist best known for his work with Gary U.S. Bonds

Dave Bargeron—1/18—Trombonist and tuba player with Blood, Sweat and Tears

Al Barile—4/6—Guitarist with hardcore band SS Decontrol (SSD)

The Sonics in their mid-’60s heyday

Bob Bennett—2/4?—Drummer with ’60s garage band the Sonics

Alan Bergman—7/17—Lyricist (“The WIndmills of Your Mind,” “Nice ’n’ Easy,” “The Way We Were,” “You Don’t Bring me Flowers”)

Mike Berry—4/11—English singer and actor, known for the top 10 (U.K.) hits “Don’t You Think It’s Time” (1963) and “The Sunshine of Your Smile”

Andy Bey—4/26—Jazz vocalist

Les Binks—3/15—Judas Priest drummer for two years in the late ’70s

David Briggs—4/22—Keyboardist who played with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and Alice Cooper, among many others

Shaun Brighton—1/31—Vocalist/guitarist for new wave band Nervus Rex

Rick Buckler—2/17—Drummer with English punk/power pop trio The Jam

Clem Burke—4/7—Drummer for Blondie

Jerry Butler—2/20—Chicago soul great and founding member of the Impressions

Martin John Butler—2/15—Guitarist who was a member of the Demons and Pandora; solo singer-songwriter in an Americana vein

Junior Byles—5/15—Reggae singer-songwriter

David Edward Byrd—2/3—Poster artist who created works for concerts by the Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and others, as well as the Broadway show Godspell

Vince Calandra—7/19—Talent executive who stood in for an ill George Harrison at the dress rehearsal for The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964

Colin Carter—1/10—Vocalist with U.K. prog band Flash

James Carter Cathcart—7/8—Guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist for new wave-era band the Laughing Dogs

Nana Caymmi—5/1—Brazilian singer

Lou Christie—6/18—Singer behind such ’60s hits as “Lightnin’ Strikes,” “Two Faces Have I” and “I’m Gonna Make You Mine”

Cocoa Tea—3/11—Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter, born Colvin George Scott

Dave Cousins—7/13—Leader of British folk-rock group the Strawbs

Ioannis Dangerousage—4/8?—Artist who created album covers and promotional pieces for Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, Allman Brothers Band, Uriah Heep, Styx, Blue Öyster Cult, Lynyrd Skynyrd and hundreds of others

Francis Davis—4/15—Jazz critic

Paul Mario Day—7/29—Original lead vocalist of metal band Iron Maiden in 1975-76

Denny DeGorio—6/25—Bassist for Austin band the True Believers

Austin de Lone—1/6—Keyboardist who played with Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Commander Cody and many others

Rick Derringer—5/26—Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer who led the McCoys in the ’60s (he sang their #1 hit “Hang on Sloopy”), then worked with Johnny and Edgar Winter (Derringer wrote “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo”) before going on to a long solo career

Terry Draper—5/15—Drummer and songwriter for Canadian band Klaatu; solo artist

Patti Drew—6/16—Singer who placed several songs in the top 100 in the late ’60s

Colin Earl—2/1—Pianist/founding member of Mungo Jerry (“In the Summertime”)

John Edwards—5/11—Lead singer of the Spinners from 1977-2000

Harry Elston—3/4—Co-founder of the Friends of Distinction; lead vocalist on their hit “Grazing in the Grass”

Marianne Faithfull—1/30—Singer-songwriter, actress and Rolling Stones muse; best known for her 1964 cover of Jagger-Richards’ “As Tears Go By”

Art Fein—7/30—Los Angeles-based music historian, promoter, producer, writer, photographer, manager, TV host and collector

Roberta Flack—2/24—R&B/pop/jazz singer-pianist, whose hits included “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love”

Gordon “Snowy” Fleet—2/18—Drummer with Australian band the Easybeats (“Friday on My Mind”)

Peter Forrest (P. Fluid)—1/13—Founding vocalist of hard rock band 24-7 Spyz

Al Foster—5/28—Jazz drummer who played with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, others

Connie Francis—7/16—’50s/’60s hitmaking singer (“Who’s Sorry Now,” “Lipstick on My Collar,” “Where the Boys Are,” etc.)

Mac Gayden—4/16—Rock and country singer, songwriter, musician and record producer; member of the bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry

Barry Goldberg—1/22—Keyboardist who played with Bob Dylan at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; was also a founding member of the Electric Flag and played with many blues greats

Tim Gorman—3/25—Keyboardist with the Who, Jefferson Starship and others

Irv Gotti—2/5—Hip-hop producer and record label executive

Bunky Green—3/1—Jazz alto saxophonist

Herb Greene—3/3—Photographer whose portraits of San Francisco bands and others, including Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, helped define the classic rock era

Bill Ham—1/19—Liquid light show pioneer at San Francisco rock ballrooms in the ’60s

David Hamilton—6/20—Co-founder/keyboardist of prog group Pavlov’s Dog

Bob Harvey—3/18—First bassist for Jefferson Airplane, prior to Jack Casady; Harvey was ejected from the band before it ever recorded

Simon House—5/25—Violinist for Hawkwind, David Bowie and others

Garth Hudson—1/21—Multi-instrumentalist with The Band, best known for his organ work

Tommy Hunt—2/12—R&B singer and member of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Flamingos

Michael Hurley—4/3—Folk singer who released numerous albums on labels including Rounder, Rooster, Folkways and Raccoon

Elliot Ingber—1/21—Guitarist in the Mothers of Invention (Freak Out! album), Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band and Fraternity of Man

Related: 5 Years Ago: Musicians that died in 2020

Brian James—3/6—Founding guitarist of British punk band the Damned

Chris Jasper—2/23—Member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley

Dave Jerden—2/5—Producer who worked with Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction, others

Flaco Jimenez—7/31—Conjunto singer/songwriter/accordionist; member of the Texas Tornados

David Johansen—2/28—Lead singer and last surviving member of the New York Dolls; solo artist who worked under his own name, as Buster Poindexter, and as David Johansen and the Harry Smiths

Robert John—2/24—Composer and singer of the 1979 hit “Sad Eyes”

Skip Johnson—5/10—Former Jefferson Starship lighting director and ex-husband of singer Grace Slick

David Kaff—7/11—Actor who played keyboardist Viv Savagein This Is…Spinal Tap

Jack Kleinsinger—6/11—Producer of long-running NYC concert series Highlights in Jazz

George Kooymans—7/22—Guitarist/vocalist who co-founded Dutch band Golden Earring

Bob Kuban—1/20—Leader of ’60s band Bob Kuban and the In-Men, of “The Cheater” fame

Cleo Laine—7/24—British jazz singer

Jack Lancaster—5/4—Cofounder of British band Blodwyn Pig

Larry Lee—5/11—Drummer/founding member of Ozark Mountain Daredevils; co-wrote their 1975 hit “Jackie Blue”

Tom Lehrer—7/26—Singer-songwriter and satirist (“Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”)

Wayne Lewis—6/5—Lead vocalist and keyboardist of R&B group Atlantic Starr

Adrian Lillywhite—3/21—Drummer with the English punk band the Members

James Lowe—5/22—Electric Prunes lead singer; producer/engineer who worked with Todd Rundgren and Sparks

Michael Lydon—7/30—Music journalist who was a founding editor of Rolling Stone and wrote nearly 20 books

Frank Maffei—7/20—Founding (and last) member of Danny and the Juniors (“At the Hop,” “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay”)

Sal Maida—2/1—Bassist with Roxy Music, Sparks and others; author (The White Label Promo Preservation Society volumes 1 & 2)

Chuck Mangione—7/22—Flugelhornist, trumpeter and composer who had a top 5 hit in 1978 with the jazz-pop instrumental “Feels So Good”

Terry Manning—3/25—Producer/engineer, singer/songwriter/musician and photographer who worked with numerous artists ranging from Otis Redding to Bobby Fuller, Led Zeppelin, Big Star, Staple Singers and others

Jonathan Mayers—6/10—Co-founder of Superfly Entertainment and the Bonnaroo and Outside Lands festivals

Gwen McCrae—2/21—R&B singer best known for her 1975 hit “Rockin’ Chair”

Tommy McLain—7/24—Louisiana “Swamp Pop” musician who scored a #15 hit in 1966 with “Sweet Dreams”

Joey Molland—3/1—Guitarist, singer and songwriter with Badfinger; was the last surviving member of the band’s classic lineup

Melba Montgomery—1/15—Country singer

Chris Moore—2/7—Illustrator for album covers (Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Journey)

Sam Moore—1/10—Half of the “Double Dynamite” Stax Records soul duo Sam and Dave

Jane Morgan—10/4—Pop singer, best known for the 1957 top to hit “Fascination”

Jamie Muir—2/17—King Crimson percussionist from 1972-73

Marc Nathan—4/9—Music industry promotion and A&R executive

Roger Nichols—5/17—Composer whose songs were recorded by Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Petula Clark, Jackie DeShannon, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, the Monkees and Paul Williams, with whom he often collaborated

Michael Ochs—7/23—The brother of singer-songwriter Phil Ochs was a photo archivist (more than 3 million prints) who licensed items from his collection to publications, filmmakers, recording companies, etc.

Ozzy Osbourne—7/22—The “Prince of Darkness” was one of heavy metal’s biggest stars, first with Black Sabbath and then as a solo act

Teddy Osei—1/14—Ghanaian musician who led the Afro-pop band Osibisa

Wayne Osmond—1/1—Founding member of the Osmonds singing group

Eddie Palmieri—8/6—Afro-Caribbean and salsa pianist and bandleader

Jim Parkinson—6/27—Artist who created the logos for Rolling Stone magzine as well as such bands as the Doobie Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Kansas

John Peck—3/15—Known as “The Mad Peck.” Cartoonist and rock poster artist, including for concerts by Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Band

Chris Penn—4/23—Dallas music store owner and band manager

Mike Peters—4/29—Frontman for the Welsh band The Alarm

Honest John Plain—6/12—Guitarist in British punk band the Boys

Barry Poss—5/13—Founder of bluegrass/folk label Sugar Hill Records

Mick Ralphs—6/33—Guitarist and founding memmber of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company

Mike Ratledge—2/5—Founding keyboardist of Soft Machine

Terry Reid—8/4—British singer-songwriter-guitarist known as “Superlungs.” Invited by Jimmy Page to join the nascent Led Zeppelin, he said no thanks and pursued a solo career

Marcia Resnick—6/18—Photographer of musicians including Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger and David Byrne; her work was collected in the book Punks, Poets, and Provocateurs:New York City Bad Boys, 1977-1982

Alice Tan Ridley—3/25—NYC subway singer who became an R&B and gospel recording artist and appeared on America’s Got Talent

Johnny Rodriguez—5/9—Country singer (“That’s the Way Love Goes”)

Lulu Roman—4/23—Gospel singer who was a regular ion the Hee Haw TV program

Max Romeo—4/11—Reggae singer best known for his 1976 album War Ina Babylon

Bob Rupe—3/3—Bassist with Cracker, the Silos and other bands

Lalo Schifrin—6/26—Argentinean-American composer-pianist who scored dozens of major films and TV series (Mission: Impossible, Dirty Harry series, Cool Hand Luke) and also worked in jazz and Latin music

Walter Scott—6/25—Founding member of R&B group the Whispers

Troy Seals—3/6—Singer-songwriter-musician whose songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton and others

Jeannie Seely—8/1—Country singer who appeared more times on the Grand Ole Opry than any other performer (5,397 appearances dating back to May 1966)

Bobby Sherman—6/24—Actor (Here Come the Brides) and singer (“Little Woman,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Julia, Do Ya Love Me”), who became a major teen idol in the late ’60s/early ’70s

Jill Sobule—5/1—Singer-songwriter best known for her 1995 song “I Kissed a Girl”

Gary Stevens—2/17—Last of the surviving “Good Guys” of New York City top 40 radio station WMCA, from 1965-68

Angie Stone—3/1—R&B artist

Sly Stone—6/9—Leader of Sly and the Family Stone

Dan Storper—5/22—Founder of Putumayo World Music record label

John Sykes—1/20—Guitarist for Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake

Larry Tamblyn—3/21—Co-founding keyboardist of the Standells (“Dirty Water”)

Nino Tempo—4/10—Session musician with the Wrecking Crew and half of a duo with his sister April Stevens (1963 #1 hit “Deep Purple”)

David Thomas—4/23—Singer with post-punk band Pere Ubu

Johnny Tillotson—4/1—Singer of early ’60s hits such as “Poetry in Motion” and “Talk Back Trembling Lips”

Sally Tiven—7/23—Songwriter and musician who worked primarily in the blues and soul genres

Joe Louis Walker—4/30—Soulful blues singer-guitarist

Lenny Welch—4/8—Soul and pop singer whose biggest hit was 1963’s “Since I Fell for You”

D’Wayne Wiggins—3/7—Singer-guitarist with ’90s soul group Tony! Toni! Toné!

Archie Williams Jr.—3/30—Guitarist for Maria Muldaur and others

Huey P. WIlliams—3/24—Gospel singer with the Jackson Southernaires

Brian Wilson—6/11—Beach Boys co-founder and one of popular music’s most significant forces

Brenton Wood—1/3—Soul singer who scored two hits in 1967, “The Oogum Boogum Song” and “Gimme Little Sign”

Cavin Yarbrough—6/19—Half of R&B duo Yarbrough and Peoples

Peter Yarrow—1/7—Member of the popular folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary

Chris Youlden—4/4—Singer with Savoy Brown (1967-70) and solo artist

Jesse Colin Young—3/16—Lead singer and bassist for the Youngbloods (“Get Together”) and singer-songwriter

Drew Zingg—4/7—Guitarist who worked with Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and others

Non-Music

Ruth Buzzi—5/1—Comedic actress who was part of the ensemble cast of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In

Richard Chamberlain—3/21—Actor (Dr. Kildare, Shōgun, The Thorn Birds)

Jules Feiffer—1/17—Cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter and children’s book author

George Foreman—3/21—Heavyweight boxing champion and grilling entrepreneur

Gene Hackman—2/18—Revered actor whose many films included The French Connection,  Bonnie and Clyde, Superman, The Conversation and Mississippi Burning

Val Kilmer—4/1—Actor who portrayed Jim Morrison (in The Doors), Batman and other roles

David Lynch—1/16—Filmmaker behind such classics as Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet

Wink Martindale—4/15—ROck ‘n’ roll disc jockey, recording arttist and game show host

Jay North—4/6—Actor who starred in TV’s Dennis the Menace from 1959-63

Tom Robbins—2/9—Author (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues)

Tony Roberts—2/7—Actor frequently cast in Woody Allen films (Annie Hall; Play It Again, Sam)

Bob Uecker—1/16—MLB catcher who became a beloved baseball broadcaster and comedic actor

George Wendt—5/20—Actor best known for playing Norm on the TV series Cheers

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