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 1970s. 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 Alexander Sharp The Orioles 41 or 42 January 3, 1970 Orange County, Florida, United States Heart attack Frank Graziosi The Hours Of Night 19 January 10, 1970 Chu Lai, Vietnam Helicopter crash William Cathey The Soul Kings 27 January 17, 1970 Selma, North Carolina, U.S. Car crash Rico Hightower The Soul Kings 27 January 17, 1970 Selma, North Carolina, U.S. Car crash Billy Stewart The Soul Kings 32 January 17, 1970 Selma, North Carolina, U.S. Car crash Norman Rich The Soul Kings 39 January 17, 1970 Selma, North Carolina, U.S. Car crash L. C. McKinley 51 January 19, 1970 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S. Natural causes James "Shep" Sheppard Shep and the Limelites 34 January 24, 1970 Long Island Expressway, New York, U.S. Gunshot wounds after attempted robbery James "Big Jim" Strong Nolan Strong & the Diablos 34 January 29, 1970 Detroit, Michigan, United States Unknown Slim Harpo 46 January 31, 1970 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. Heart attack Ishmon Bracey 71 February 12, 1970 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. Unknown Darrell Banks 32 February 24, 1970 Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. Shot to death by police Jackie Opel 32 March 9, 1970 Bridgetown, Barbados Car crash Tammi Terrell 24 March 16, 1970 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Brain tumor Mary Ann Ganser The Shangri-Las 22 March 16, 1970 Forest Hills, New York, U.S. Heroin overdose Kid Thomas 35 April 5, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Shot to death Mike Klingner The Rebels, The Nomads 24 April 6, 1970 Laos Plane shot down while serving Vietnam war George Goldner52 April 15, 1970 Turtle Bay, New York, U.S. Heart attack Sheppard "Shep" Grant The Wanderers 40 April 18, 1970 New York City, U.S. Unknown Earl Hooker 40 April 21, 1970 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Tuberculosis Otis Spann 40 April 24, 1970 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Liver cancer Frankie Lee Sims 53 May 10, 1970 Dallas, Texas, U.S. Pneumonia Johnny Hodges 62 May 11, 1970 New York City, New York, U.S. Heart attack Earl Grant 39 June 10, 1970 Interstate 10, Lordsburg, New Mexico, U.S. Car crashThe New York Times, June 11, 1970 – Earl Grant, a Popular Organist And Record Star, Dies in CrashLonnie Johnson 71 June 16, 1970 Toronto, Canada Grady Pannel Electric Toilet 20 June 23, 1970 Searcy, State of Arkansas, U.S. Car crash Wayne Reynolds Electric Toilet 26 June 23, 1970 Searcy, State of Arkansas, U.S. Car crashRoger Edens American composer64July 13, 1970Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United StatesCancerLuis Mariano Spanish-French tenor5514 July, 1970Paris, FrancePreston Foster American actor and singer6914 July, 1970San Diego, California, United StatesLong illnessSir John Barbirolli British conductor and cellist, longtime director of the Hallé Orchestra and Arturo Toscanini's successor as conductor of the New York Philharmonic70July 29, 1970London, United KingdomGeorge Szell Hungarian-American conductor and composer73July 30, 1970Cleveland, United StatesHeart failure and bone cancer, diagnosed after hospitalization beginning in June 1970 following a tour of the Far East Bob Vail The Jays 22 August 8, 1970 Denver, Colorado, U.S. Drug overdose Soledad Miranda 27 August 18, 1970 Lisbon, Portugal Car crash Booker Ervin 39 August 31, 1970 New York City, U.S. Nuccia Bongiovanni Italian singer40September 2, 1970Milan, Italy Alan Wilson Canned Heat 27 September 3, 1970 Topanga Canyon, California, U.S. Suicide or accidental barbiturate overdose Jacques Pills 64 September 12, 1970 Paris, France Heart attack Maxwell Davis 54 September 18, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Jimi Hendrix The Jimi Hendrix Experience 27 September 18, 1970 Kensington, London, England Asphyxiation on vomit after consuming an unhealthy amount of barbiturates Janis Joplin Big Brother and the Holding Company27 October 4, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Heroin overdose Baby Huey Baby Huey & the Babysitters26 October 28, 1970 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Drug induced heart attack Agustín Lara 73 November 6, 1970 Mexico City, Mexico Albert Ayler 34 November 25, 1970 New York City, New York, U.S. Presumed suicide George "Smitty" Smith Original lead singer for The Manhattans 30 December 16, 1970 New Jersey, United States Brain tumor Coot Grant 77 December 26, 1970 Riverside County, California, U.S. Unknown Lenny McKay The Jesters 15 1971 Harlem, New York City, United States Unknown Hobart Dotson 48 January 1, 1971 Brooklyn, New York, United States Unknown Jack Elliott 56 January 3, 1971 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Brain tumor Jean-Paul Mauric 37 January 5, 1971 Marseille, France Complications of cardiomyopathyAlexander Tsfasman Russian composer and jazz pianist59February 20, 1971Moscow, USSRComplications from heart failureWilliam Lava American composer and arranger, known for his scores for Warner Bros. cartoons59February 20, 1971Los Angeles, California, United StatesAdolph Weiss American bassoonist and composer of contemporary classical music79February 21, 1971Van Nuys, California, United StatesRudolf Mauersberger German choirmaster82February 22, 1971Dresden, GermanyJosef Berg Czech composer and musicologist43February 26, 1971Brno, Czechoslovakia"Fiddlin'"Arthur Smith American violinist and old-time musician72February 28, 1971Louisville, Kentucky, United States Harold McNair Ginger Baker's Air Force 39 March 7, 1971 London, England Lung cancer Francis Wolff 63 March 8, 1971 New York City, New York, U.S. Heart attack following surgery Arlester "Dyke" Christian Dyke and the Blazers 27 March 13, 1971 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Shot to death Wynton Kelly 39 April 12, 1971 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Epileptic seizureGardner, Mark (June 1971) "Wynton Kelly". Coda. Volume 10. p. 37. Carmen Lombardo Younger brother of Guy Lombardo 67 April 17, 1971 Miami, Florida, U.S. Undisclosed cancer Dickie Valentine 41 May 6, 1971 Glangrwyney, Wales Brain tumor Don McPherson The Main Ingredient29 May 6, 1971 The Bronx, New York, United States LeukemiaLibby Holman American singer and actress67June 18, 1971Stamford, Connecticut, United StatesSuicide Jim Morrison The Doors27 July 3, 1971 Paris, France Heart failure brought on by heroin addiction Louis Armstrong 69 July 6, 1971 New York City, New York, U.S. Heart attack Charlie Shavers 53 July 8, 1971 Hollywood, California, U.S. Throat cancerTed Fio Rito American composer70July, 22 1971Scottsdale, Arizona, United States Henry D. "Homer" Haynes Homer and Jethro 51 August 7, 1971 Hammond, Indiana, U.S. Heart attack Lefty Baker Spanky And Our Gang 29 August 11, 1971 California, U.S. Enlarged liver King Curtis 37 August 13, 1971 New York City, New York, U.S. Stabbed to death Thomas Wayne 31 August 15, 1971 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Car crashGisela Hernández Cuban composer58August 23, 1971Havana, Cuba Lil Hardin Armstrong 73 August 27, 1971 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart attack Gary Buckley The Jury 20 August 27, 1971 Ogden, Iowa, United States Car crash Tony Clarke 31 August 28, 1971 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Murdered by his wifeCurtis Jones American pianist65September 11, 1971Munich, GermanyJaikishan Panchal Indian composer41September 12, 1971Bombay, Maharashtra, IndiaAlessandro Ravelli