Music History

Dwight Hamilton Baldwin, piano manufacturer of Baldwin Piano, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 78.

Famed Italian tenor Enrico Caruso died on August 2, 1921, in Naples at the age of 48.

Sofia Scalchi, an operatic contralto, died.

Emile Berliner, inventor of the lateral-cut gramophone record, died in Washington, D.C., at the age of 78 from a heart attack.

American blues musician Robert Johnson died at the age of 27, probably poisoned near Greenwood, Mississippi. His recordings from 1936–1937 influenced generations of musicians.

Blues legend Robert Johnson, whose recordings had a major influence on artists including Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton, died at the age of 27, probably from poisoning.

Biologist, entomologist, sexologist and author Alfred Kinsey died at the age of 62 from heart disease and pneumonia.

English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams died in London at the age of 85. He became known for works such as “A Pastoral Symphony” and “The Lark Ascending”.

Marilyn Monroe died in Brentwood, Los Angeles, at the age of 36 from a barbiturate overdose.

After an intensive search, the bodies of country singer Jim Reeves and his manager and musical collaborator Dean Manuel were found on August 2, 1964, in the wreckage of their plane, which had crashed 42 hours earlier. At 1:00 p.m. local time, radio stations across the United States officially announced Reeves’s death. Reeves was known for hits including “Four Walls,” “I Won't Forget You,” and “Mexican Joe.”

The rockabilly singer and lead vocalist of The Rock and Roll Trio died in a boating accident while fishing on Clear Lake, California, at the age of 30. His unlit boat was struck by an inattentive motorboat, throwing him overboard and causing him to drown. His body was found on August 16, but the coroner determined that he had drowned on August 14. In 1961, his US single “Your Sixteen” reached number 8 and its UK release reached number 3.

The body of rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette was found in Clear Lake, California. Burnette had drowned after a boating accident on August 14, when a motorboat struck his unlit boat.

Canadian fiddler Ward Allen died in Hull, Quebec, at the age of 41.

The doo-wop tenor singer from The Olympics was shot dead at the age of 25 during the Watts riots in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles group reached number 8 in the US and number 12 in the UK in 1958 with the song “Western Movies”.

Comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce died at the age of 40 from a morphine overdose.

British music manager Brian Epstein, best known as the manager of The Beatles, was found dead in his locked bedroom at his home in London’s Belgravia at the age of 32, just a few weeks before his 33rd birthday. The coroner determined that the cause of death was an overdose of the sleeping medication Carbitrol and ruled his death accidental. The Beatles were then in Bangor, North Wales, attending a conference with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Epstein also managed Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black and The Remo Four. The first contract between The Beatles and Epstein was auctioned for £240,000 in 2008.

Luther Perkins, Johnny Cash's guitarist and longtime member of his backing group The Tennessee Three, died at the age of 40, two days after a fire at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee, from injuries sustained in the fire.

Soul singer Joe Hinton died in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 38 from skin cancer. He became known for his cover of “Funny How Time Slips Away”, written by Willie Nelson.

Former boxing champion and occasional recording artist Rocky Marciano died at the age of 45.

Lefty Baker, born Eustace Britchforth Baker, guitarist for Spanky And Our Gang, died at the age of 29 from cirrhosis of the liver. He joined the group during the recording of their 1968 hit “Like To Get To Know You.”

King Curtis was stabbed to death at the age of 37 during an argument with two drug dealers whom he found on the steps outside his Manhattan apartment. His saxophone appeared on numerous hits of the 1950s and 1960s, including “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters.

Singer Thomas Wayne, known for the 1959 hit “Tragedy”, which reached No. 5 on the US chart, died at the age of 31 in a car accident in Memphis. His car crossed four lanes and the median into oncoming traffic. By then, he was working mainly behind the scenes as a recording engineer and producer in Nashville.

Brian Cole, an original member and bassist of The Association, died on August 2, 1972, in Los Angeles at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.

The Temptations singer and choreographer Paul Williams died at the age of 34 from a gunshot wound that was officially ruled a suicide, although his relatives disputed the circumstances. Health problems had forced him to leave the group in 1971, but he continued to oversee its choreography.

Jazz bassist J. R. "Jim" Carroll died at the age of 48.

Four members of the jazz-rock group Chase, including bandleader Bill Chase, died in a plane crash near Jackson, Minnesota. The group had the 1971 hit “Get It On.”

Composer and pianist Dmitry Shostakovich died in Moscow at the age of 68 from lung cancer. He is regarded as one of the most important composers of the 20th century.

Peter “Puddy” Watts, road manager for Pink Floyd, died of a heroin overdose. His manic laughter was used on the album The Dark Side of the Moon.

British composer, singer, organist and pianist Michael Head died at the age of 76.

American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jimmy Reed died in San Francisco at the age of 50 following an epileptic seizure, shortly before his 51st birthday. He became known for the songs "Honest I Do", "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Bright Lights, Big City", and "Big Boss Man". Between 1955 and 1965, he had a total of 19 Top 40 R&B hits and strongly influenced artists including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Hank Williams Jr., Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jerry Garcia.

Elvis Presley was found unresponsive in his bathroom at Graceland in Memphis by his girlfriend Ginger Alden. He was taken to Baptist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 42.

Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock 'n' Roll”, died at the age of 42 in Memphis.

Pete Meaden, former manager and publicist for The Who, died at the age of 36.

Louis Prima, who had the 1958 hit “That Old Black Magic” with his wife Keely Smith, died of pneumonia in New Orleans at the age of 67.

American singer, trumpeter and bandleader Louis Prima died at the age of 67. He became known for leading and performing with several bands across various musical genres.

American rockabilly singer and pioneer of the genre Dorsey Burnette, co-founder of Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio, died at his home in Canoga Park, California, at the age of 46 from a massive heart attack. In 1960, he reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “There Was a Tall Oak Tree”. He also wrote “It’s Late”, which became a hit for Ricky Nelson and Shakin’ Stevens. When his pop hits dried up in 1969, he subsequently placed 15 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He was the father of musician Billy Burnette. After his death, his friend and singer Delaney Bramlett organized a benefit concert for his widow at the Forum in Inglewood, California, featuring Kris Kristofferson, Hoyt Axton, Tanya Tucker, Glen Campbell, Duane Eddy, Delaney and Bonnie, Gary Busey and Roger Miller. His pioneering contribution to rockabilly was later recognized with his induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

American bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger Stanley “Stan” Kenton died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 67, several days after suffering a stroke. He was known for hits with June Christy and a popular version of “Laura”, named after the 1944 film noir of the same name.

American folk singer and songwriter Lee Hays, co-founder of the influential folk quartet The Weavers and co-writer of “If I Had a Hammer”, died at the age of 67. He died at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Tarrytown, New York, from a heart attack. After he was cremated, his friends, following his final wishes, mixed his ashes with compost in his garden in Croton-on-Hudson.

Guy Stevens, British musician, producer, and manager, died at the age of 38 after overdosing on prescription medication he was taking to reduce his dependence on alcohol. He worked with Mott The Hoople, Free, and The Clash and produced The Clash’s third album “London Calling”. He was president of the Chuck Berry Appreciation Society and brought Chuck Berry to the UK for his first tour. Procol Harum and Mott The Hoople also owed their distinctive names to Stevens.

Joe Tex died at the age of 47 from a heart attack. Between 1960 and 1978, he had 25 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including 10 in the Top 40. His best-known songs included “Skinny Legs And All” and “I Gotcha”.

Actress and singer Ingrid Bergman died at the age of 67.

James Jamerson, the influential Motown bassist and member of The Funk Brothers, died on August 2, 1983, in Los Angeles at the age of 47 from complications related to cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure, and pneumonia. He played on numerous landmark Motown recordings and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Avant-garde German singer and musician and former David Bowie backing vocalist Klaus Nomi died in New York at the age of 39 from complications related to AIDS.

American composer and lyricist Ira Gershwin died.

Jerry Lee Lewis's fifth wife, Shawn Michelle Stevens, was found dead at their home in Mississippi after a methadone overdose. The couple had been married for only 77 days. A grand jury later cleared Jerry Lee Lewis of criminal responsibility.

Americká R&B a soulová zpěvačka Esther Phillips zemřela v Carsonu v Kalifornii ve věku 48 let na selhání jater a ledvin způsobené dlouhodobým užíváním drog. Známá byla mimo jiné skladbami „Release Me“ a „What A Difference A Day Makes“ a získala čtyři nominace na cenu Grammy.

American musician, producer and radio station owner Norman Petty died at the age of 57 from leukemia. He was also known as a recording engineer and Buddy Holly's first manager.

Egyptian poet Abdul Rahim Mansour died.