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 1960s. 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.
Name Age Date Location Cause of death Pete Griffiths Ian And The Zodiacs 20 1960 Crosby, Merseyside, England Motorcycle accident Joe 'Ditto' DiasThe Chords 37 1960 U.S. Unknownhttp://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Chords.html Carlos Di Sarli 57 January 12, 1960 Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina Sickness Alfred Apaka 40 January 30, 1960 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Heart attack Fred Buscaglione 38 February 3, 1960 Rome, Italy Car accident Jesse Belvin 27 February 6, 1960 Hope, Arkansas, U.S. Car accident Archie Brownlee Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi 34 February 8, 1960 New Orleans, U.S. Pneumonia Pete Ash The West Coast Playboys 30 March 2, 1960 Carson, California, U.S. Car crash Gene Alford The Four Knights 37 April 2, 1960 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Epileptic seizure Forest City Joe 33 April 3, 1960 Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, U.S. Car crash Beverly Kenney 28 April 13, 1960 Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S. Suicide by alcohol and secobarbital overdose Eddie Cochran 21 April 17, 1960 Chippenham, Wiltshire, England Car crash Smokey Hogg 46 May 1, 1960 McKinney, Texas, U.S. Unknown cancer Eli Oberstein Record producer and music executive 58 June 12, 1960 Westport, Connecticut, U.S. Lymphatic cancer Odell Rand The Harlem Hamfats 55 June 22, 1960 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Unknown Lee Collins Trumpet For Jelly Roll Morton 58 July 3, 1960 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. UnknownCesare Martuzzi Italian composer and choir director75August 4, 1960Forlì-Cesena, ItalyGiuseppe "Peppino" Fiorelli Italian lyricist and composer, best known for Neapolitan songs56August 6, 1960Rome, ItalyAndré Bloch87August 7, 1960Paris, FranceVäinö Hannikainen Finnish composer and harpist60August 7, 1960Kuhmoinen, FinlandLouis Cahuzac French clarinetist and composer, pioneer of the recording of modern clarinet repertoire71August 9, 1960Paris, FranceOscar Hammerstein II Legendary American lyricist, librettist, and theatre producer (known for the duo Rodgers and Hammerstein)65August 23, 1960Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United StatesStomach cancer Oscar Pettiford 37 September 8, 1960 Copenhagen, Denmark Polio-like virusCostantino Ferri Italian composer and conductor66October 16, 1960Rome, ItalyHenri Crolla40October 17, 1960Paris, FranceLung cancerJosé Padilla Sánchez71October 25, 1960Madrid, SpainColon cancerFrancis Drake "Pat" Ballard61October 26, 1960New York, United States Heart attack (cardiocirculatory arrest)Alfred Hill90October 30, 1960Sydney, AustraliaNatural causes related to old age Johnny Horton 35 November 5, 1960 Milano, Texas, U.S. Car crash A. P. Carter Carter Family 68 November 7, 1960 Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. Unknown Ion Vasilescu Romanian composer and conductor57December 1, 1960Bucharest, RomaniaHermann Stephani German organist and musicologist83December 3, 1960Marburg, GermanyWalter Goehr57December 4, 1960Sheffield, United KingdomSudden heart attackClara Haskil65December 7, 1960BelgiumSerious brain injuries sustained following a disastrous fallSemyon Bogatyrev Soviet musicologist and composer, known for completing and reconstructing Tchaikovsky's Symphony in E-flat major70December 31, 1960Moscow, Russia Sergei Polyakov The Actor For Aerograd 55 1961 USSR, Soviet Union Unknownhttps://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/acter/m/sov/16255/bio/ Ken Headley The Presidents 19 1961 County Durham, England Viral pneumoniaBlanche Ring American singer and actress89January 13, 1961Santa Monica, California, United StatesFailing health due to previous strokeHenry Geehl79January 14, 1961Beaconsfield, United KingdomFrancesco Maria Saraceni Italian composer49January 15, 1961Cologne, GermanyJános Viski Hungarian classical pianist and composer54January 16, 1961Budapest, HungaryJohn Joseph Becker American composer and conductor74January 21, 1961Wilmette, Illinois, United States Alphonse Picou 82 February 4, 1961 New Orleans, U.S. Likely old agePaul Wittgenstein Famous Austrian-born American pianist, he became world-famous for continuing his concert career using only his left hand, after losing his right arm during the First World War73March 3, 1961New York City, New York, United StatesGeorge Formby British singer, actor and comedian, best known for his performances accompanied by the ukulele56March 6, 1961Preston, United KingdomHeart attack (myocardial infarction)Sir Thomas Beecham81March 8, 1961London, EnglandCerebral thrombosis (after a period of declining health and previous vascular problems experienced in the previous year)Wilbur Sweatman79March 9, 1961New York City, New York, United StatesEdric Cundell British music teacher, composer and conductor68March 19, 1961Ashwell, Hertfordshire, EnglandJack Kane Canadian arranger, conductor, clarinetist, and composer of English birth36March 27, 1961Toronto, Ontario, Canada Kelsey Pharr The Delta Rhythm Boys 44 April 20, 1961 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Unknown cancer/Severe illness Cisco Houston 42 April 29, 1961 San Bernardino, California, U.S. Stomach cancer Tommy McClennan 56 May 6, 1961 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. BronchopneumoniaMargaret McManamny Australian opera singer (soprano) and music teacher, active for over 70 years on the operatic and choral scene85June 1, 1961Ballarat, Victoria, AustraliaCheikh Raymond 48June 22, 1961Constantine, AlgeriaKilled by a gunshot to the back of the headE.A. Mario Italian lyricist and poet77June 24, 1961Naples, Italy Rupert Branker The Chords 25 July 3, 1961 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Murdered Scott LaFaro 25 July 6, 1961 Seneca, New York, U.S. Automobile accident Sticks McGhee 43 August 15, 1961 The Bronx, New York, U.S. Lung cancer Karl Farr 52 September 20, 1961 West Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. Heart attack Booker Little 23 October 5, 1961 New York City, U.S. Uremia Marguerite Monnot 58 October 12, 1961 Paris, France Unknown Lord Invader 46 October 15, 1961 New York City, U.S. Unspecified illness Little Son Joe 61 November 14, 1961 John Gaston Hospital, Tennessee, U.S. Heart diseaseJēkabs Graubiņš Latvian composer, music critic and teacher75December 3, 1961Riga, LatviaWilliam Beatton Moonie78December 8, 1961Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomBoris Ord64December 30, 1961Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UKMultiple sclerosis Lenny Miles 27 1962 Fort Worth, Texas Cancer Jerome Hanna The Jive Five 25 1962 New York City, U.S. Unknown Etilmon Stark 94 January 1, 1962 Maplewood, Missouri, U.S. Likely old ageLeroy Shield American film score composer68January 9, 1962Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida, United States Doug Watkins 27 February 5, 1962 Holbrook, Arizona, U.S. Automobile accident Leo Parker 36 February 11, 1962 New York City, U.S. Heart attack Walter "Papoose" Nelson 29 February 28, 1962 New York City, U.S. Heroin overdoseMary Cardwell Dawson Founder of the National Negro Opera Company and music educator68March 19, 1962Washington, United StatesHeart attackJean Goldkette Pianist and well-known jazz orchestra leader in the 1920s69March 24, 1962Los Angeles, California, United StatesHeart attackJack Purvis Trumpeter and composer active in the American jazz scene55March 30, 1962San Francisco, California, United States Stuart Sutcliffe The Beatles 21 April 10, 1962 Hamburg, West Germany Cerebral paralysis due to aneurysm;Milt Franklyn American composer64April 24, 1962Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Heart attack (myocardial infarction) Wayne Arnold The Imperials 21 April 25, 1962 Tijuana, Mexico Murdered Antonio Verdes Sanchez Los Locos del Ritmo 22 May 5, 1962 El Paso, Texas, U.S. Throat cancerJohn Ireland Well-known English composer and pianist, author of important choral and orchestral works82June 12, 1962Washington, United KingdomRapid deterioration in his healthEugene Goossens English conductor and composer69June 13, 1962Middlesex, EnglandCardiac complications (heart condition)Alfredo Sangiorgi Italian composer and composition teacher67June 18, 1962Merano, Italy Eddie Costa 31 July 28, 1962 New York City, U.S. Car crash"Musician Dies as Auto Overturns on West Side" (July 31, 1962) The New York Times, p. 17. Marilyn Monroe 36 August 4, 1962 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Barbiturate overdoseHanns Eisler64September 6, 1962East Berlin, GermanyMyocardial infarction (a heart attack)Solomon Linda South African singer and songwriter, he is best known for writing the song "Mbube", which was later adapted into the international hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"52September 8, 1962Johannesburg, South AfricaKidney failure (complexity aggravated by the extreme poverty in which he lived)Marcel Delannoy French composer of numerous operas, ballets and film scores64September 14, 1962Nantes, FranceHeart attack (cardiac crisis)Curley Weaver American blues musician56September 20, 1962Almon, Georgia, United StatesUremia (advanced stage renal failure) Scrapper Blackwell 59 October 7, 1962 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Shot Rubberlegs Williams 55 October 17, 1962 NYC, New York, U.S. Heart attackJohn J. Konrad Choral conductor, music educator, and founder of Canadian music institutes64November 5, 1962Winnipeg, CanadaAlexander Spitzmüller Austrian composer, educator and music critic68November 12, 1962Paris, France Mercy Dee Walton 47 December 2, 1962 Murphys, California, U.S. Cerebral hemorrhage Sonny Clark 31 January 13, 1963 New York City, U.S. Heart attackBlue Note Records: the biography By Richard Cook Ike Quebec 44 January 16, 1963 New York City, U.S. Lung cancer Benny More 43 February 19, 1963 Havana, Cuba Liver cirrhosis Addison Farmer 34 February 23, 1963 New York City, New York, U.S. Unknown Bobby Jaspar 37 February 28, 1963 New York City, U.S. Heart attack Patsy Cline 30 March 5, 1963 Camden, Tennessee, U.S. 1963 Camden PA-24 crash Cowboy Copas 49 March 5, 1963 Camden, Tennessee, U.S. 1963 Camden PA-24 crash Hawkshaw Hawkins 41 March 5, 1963 Camden, Tennessee, U.S. 1963 Camden PA-24 crash Jack Anglin 46 March 8, 1963 Columbia, Tennessee, U.S. Car crashJulius Harrison Composer78April 5, 1963Harpenden, United KingdomEddie Edwards American jazz trombonist, best known as a member of the Original Dixieland Jass Band71April 9, 1963New Orleans, Louisiana, United StatesHerbie Nichols43April 12, 1963New York, United StatesLeukemia Eddy Howard 48 May 23, 1963 Palm Desert, California, U.S. Cerebral hemorrhage Elmore James 45 May 24, 1963 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart attack Glen Gray 63 May 24, 1963 Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S. Luis Arcaraz Pianist, composer, conductor and singer52June 1, 1963MexicoCar accidentFritz Reutter German composer and teacher66July 4, 1963GermanyDaniel Ruyneman76July 5, 1963Amsterdam, NetherlandsDorian Le Gallienne Australian composer of orchestral and chamber music48July 29, 1963Eltham, Victoria, AustraliaDiabetes-induced heart diseaseSalvador Bacarisse Spanish composer64August 5, 1963Paris, FranceSándor Jemnitz72August 8, 1963Balatonföldvár, UngheriaClyde Hurley46August 14, 1963Fort Worth, Texas, United StatesJohn Powell American composer and pianist80August 15, 1963Richmond, Virginia, United StatesKathleen Parlow72August 19, 1963Oakville, CanadaGlen Gray63August 23, 1963Plymouth, Massachusetts, United StatesJack Pettis American jazz saxophonist and composer61August 24, 1963Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United StatesAxel Stordahl