This is a list of notable performers of rock music and other forms of popular music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters, or in other closely related roles, who died in 2021.
2021 deaths in popular music
Name Age Date Location of death Cause of death Misty Morgan Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan 75 January 1, 2021 Florida, U.S. Cancer Mick Bolton Mott the Hoople, Dexys Midnight Runners72 January 1, 2021 Hastings, England Undisclosed Carlos do Carmo 81 January 1, 2021 Lisbon, Portugal Gerry Marsden Gerry & the Pacemakers78 January 3, 2021 Arrowe Park, Merseyside, England Blood infection Jamie O'Hara The O'Kanes 70 January 7, 2021 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Cancer Ed Bruce 81 January 8, 2021 Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S. Natural causes Marsha Zazula Megaforce Records founder68 January 10, 2021 Clermont, Florida, U.S. Cancer John Oakley-Smith Rhodesian singer71 January 11, 2021 Mutare, Zimbabwe MurderFrancesco Magni Italian singer-songwriter, who participated in the 1980 Sanremo Festival with the song "Voglio l'erba voglio"71January 12, 2021Briosco, Monza-Brianza, Italy Tim Bogert Beck, Bogert & Appice, Vanilla Fudge, Cactus76 January 13, 2021 Simi Valley, California, U.S. Cancer Sylvain Sylvain New York Dolls 69 January 13, 2021 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Cancer Phil Spector Record producer81 January 16, 2021 San Joaquin, California, U.S. COVID-19 Spector was serving time at California Health Care Facility for the Murder of Lana Clarkson Jason Cope The Steel Woods 43 January 16, 2021 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Complications from diabetesJason 'Rowdy' Cope, Steel Woods Co-Founder, Dead at 43, Theboot.com Jimmie Rodgers 87 January 18, 2021 Palm Desert, California, U.S. Heart attackJimmie Rodgers, Early Rock 'n' Roll Star, Dies at 87, Bestclassicbands.com Ronnie Nasralla Record producer from Byron Lee and the Dragonaires90 January 20, 2021 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Natural causes Hilton Valentine The Animals77 January 29, 2021 Connecticut, U.S. Undisclosed Sophie 34 January 30, 2021 Athens, Greece Accidental fall Double K People Under the Stairs 43 January 30, 2021 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Unknown David Donato Black Sabbath, White Tiger66 February 2, 2021 Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks in Cypress, California, U.S. Unknown Jim Weatherly 77 February 3, 2021 Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S. Natural causes Stefan Cush The Men They Couldn't Hang 60 February 4, 2021 South WalesHeart attack Örs Siklósi AWS 29 February 5, 2021 Budapest, Hungary Leukaemia Mary Wilson The Supremes 76 February 8, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Hypertensive heart disease Chick Corea Return to Forever, Chick Corea Elektric Band79 February 9, 2021 Tampa Bay, Florida, U.S. Cancer Cedrick Cotton Ideal 46 February 9, 2021 Houston, Texas, U.S. Stabbing Jon Mark Mark-Almond, John Mayall 77 February 10, 2021 Rotorua, New Zealand Unknown"The Recording Academy paid tribute to musicians who died in the past year [...] / Artists who were honored included [...] Jon Mark". See: Darlene Aderoju: Charley Pride, Little Richard and Eddie Van Halen Among Late Stars Honored at 2021 Grammy Awards., People.com Louis Clark Music arranger from Electric Light Orchestra 73 February 13, 2021 Elyria, Ohio, U.S. Kidney failureLouis Clark, Who Orchestrated ELO and Later 'Hooked on Classics,' Dies, Bestclassicbands.comEnrico Greppi (Erriquez) Italian singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, leader of the Florentine folk group Bandabardò60February 14, 2021Fiesole, Florence, ItalyLong illness Françoise Cactus Stereo Total, Lolitas 57 February 17, 2021 Berlin, Germany Breast cancer U-Roy 78 February 17, 2021 Kingston, Jamaica Kidney failureAndrea Lo Vecchio Italian singer-songwriter and composer78February 17, 2021Rome, Italy Prince Markie Dee The Fat Boys52 February 18, 2021 Miami, Florida, U.S. Died on his near 53th birthday of congestive heart failure James Burke The Five Stairsteps70 February 19, 2021 Pennsylvania, U.S. Pneumonia Đorđe BalaševićRani Mraz 67 February 19, 2021 Novi Sad, Serbia Scott Pettersen Backwater64 February 21, 2021 Austin, Texas, U.S. Cancer Viktoras Michnevičius Member of Sel 47 February 24, 2021 Lithuania Undisclosed Bob James Swan, Montrose, Magnet 68 February 26, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Ulcer complications Anna Kast Little Big 39 February 28, 2021 St. Petersburg, Russia Infection Ian North Milk 'N' Cookies 68 February 28, 2021 Sarasota, Florida, U.S. Heart attack Bunny Wailer The Wailers 73 March 2, 2021 Kingston, Jamaica Complications from a strokeClaudio Coccoluto Italian disc jockey59March 2, 2021Cassino, ItalyLong battle with a serious illness Alan Cartwright Procol Harum 75 March 4, 2021 Enfield/Edmonton area of North London, England Stomach cancer Michael Stanley 72 March 5, 2021 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Lung cancer James MacGaw Magma 52 March 8, 2021 Rezé, France Brain tumourJames Levine American conductor77March 9, 2021Palm Springs, California, U.S.Natural causes Ray Campi 86 March 11, 2021 U.S. UnknownRaoul Casadei Italian musician and composer83March 13, 2021Cesena, ItalyCOVID-19 Reggie Warren Troop 52 March 14, 2021 Pasadena, California, U.S. Cause not disclosed Doug Parkinson Fanny Adams, The Life Organisation 74 March 15, 2021 Northern Beaches, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Undisclosed Matt "Money" Miller Titus Andronicus 34 March 17, 2021 Glen Rock, New Jersey, U.S. Unknown Corey Steger Underoath 42 March 17, 2021 Yulee, Florida, U.S. Traffic collision Dan Sartain 39 March 20, 2021 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Unknown Malcolm Cecil Record producer from Tonto's Expanding Head Band 84 March 28, 2021 Saugerties, Valhalla, New York, U.S Unknown Oscar KraalNiels Geusebroek, Van Dik Hout, Milow 50 April 1, 2021 Netherlands Pancreatic cancer Patrick Juvet 70 April 1, 2021 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Cardiac arrest B.B. Dickerson War 71 April 2, 2021 Long Beach, California, U.S. A long, undisclosed illness Ralph Schuckett Utopia 73 April 3, 2021 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Unknown Paul Humphrey Blue Peter 61 April 4, 2021 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Multiple system atrophy DMX 50 April 9, 2021 White Plains, New York, U.S. Heart attack leading to organ failure Bob Porter American Hall of Fame record producer, discographer and broadcaster80 April 10, 2021 Northvale, New Jersey, U.S. Esophageal cancer Bosse Skoglund Peps Persson85 April 10, 2021 Stockholm, Sweden Unknown Leonid Bortkevich Pesniary71 April 13, 2021 Minsk, Belarus UnknownEmilio Locurcio Italian singer-songwriter and composer68April 13, 2021Turin, Italy Rusty Young Poco 75 April 14, 2021 Davisville, Missouri, U.S. Heart attack Evgeniy Ostapenko Ukrainian-Lithuanian singer 44 April 14, 2021 Klaipėda, Lithuania Heart failure Barby Kelly The Kelly Family 45 April 15, 2021 Belascoáin, Spain Heart failure Barry Mason 85 April 16, 2021 London, England Unknown Mike Mitchell The Kingsmen77 April 16, 2021 Oregon, U.S. Died on his 77th birthday of unknown cause Lew Lewis Eddie and the Hot Rods 67 April 17, 2021 UK Unknown Paul Oscher 71 April 18, 2021 Austin, Texas, U.S. COVID-19 Lars Ratz Metalium53 April 18, 2021 Vilafranca de Bonany, Mallorca, Spain Ultralight crash Jim Steinman 73 April 19, 2021 Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. Kidney failure Les McKeown Bay City Rollers 65 April 20, 2021 London, England Suspected heart attack Joe Long The Four Seasons 88 April 21, 2021 Long Beach, New Jersey, U.S. COVID-19 Shock G Digital Underground 57 April 22, 2021 Tampa, Florida, U.S. Accidental overdoseMilva Italian singer and actress81April 23, 2021Milan, ItalyNeurodegenerative disease (not related to Alzheimer's), which had affected her since 2009Shunsuke Kikuchi Musician89April 24, 2021Tokyo, JapanAspiration pneumonia Denny Freeman 76 April 25, 2021 Austin, Texas, U.S. Abdominal cancer Al Schmitt Recording engineer for RCA Records, Capitol Studios91 April 26, 2021 Bell Canyon, California, U.S. Unknown Paul Couter TC Matic72 April 27, 2021 Ghent, Belgium Cancer Anita Lane The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds61 April 28, 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Unknown John Hinch Judas Priest, Bakerloo73 April 29, 2021 London, England Unknown Tony Markellis Trey Anastasio Band68 April 29, 2021 Saratoga Springs, New York, U.S. Unknown Will Mecum Karma to Burn, Year Long Disaster48 April 29, 2021 Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S. Accidental fall Wondress Mantronix56 May 1, 2021 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. Unknown Phil Naro Singer for Talas63 May 3, 2021 Rochester, New York, United States Tongue cancer Lloyd Price 88 May 3, 2021 New Rochelle, New York, U.S. Natural causes Nick Kamen 59 May 4, 2021 London, England Bone marrow cancer. Pervis Staples The Staple Singers 85 May 6, 2021 Dolton, Illinois, U.S. Undisclosed causes Tawny Kitaen Whitesnake video actress 59 May 7, 2021 Newport Beach, California, U.S. Dilated cardiomyopathyArturo Testa Musician88May 12, 2021Milan, Italy Franco Battiato 76 May 18, 2021 Milo, Catania, Italy Alix Dobkin 80 May 19, 2021 Woodstock, New York, U.S. Stroke Roger Hawkins 75 May 20, 2021 Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. Undisclosed Florian Pilkington-Miksa Curved Air70 May 20, 2021 South Coast area of England, UK Pneumonia Lorrae Desmond 91 May 23, 2021 Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Unknown John Davis Milli Vanilli 66 May 24, 2021 Nuremberg, Germany COVID-19 Søren Holm Liss 25 25 May 2021 Denmark Unknown B. J. Thomas 78 May 29, 2021 Arlington, Texas, U.S. Lung cancer Phil Johnstone 63 May 31, 2021 City of Exeter, Devon, England Died after long battle with undisclosed illness Lil Loaded 20 May 31, 2021 Dallas, Texas, U.S. Suicide by gunshot Michele Merlo 28 June 6, 2021 Bologna, Italy Fulminant leukemia David C. Lewis Ambrosia, Shadowfax 68 June 7, 2021 Agua Dulce, California, U.S. Brain cancer Don Hill Saxophonist for The Treniers 99 June 18, 2021 His residence, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. UnknownJohn Przybys (June 25, 2021). "Don Hill, saxophonist with The Treniers, dies". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 9 August 2021. Takeshi Terauchi 82 June 18, 2021 Yokohama, Japan Pneumonia Ellen McIlwaine 75 June 23, 2021 Calgary, Canada Esophageal cancer Wes 57 June 25, 2021 Paris, France Infection Johnny Solinger Skid Row 55 June 26, 2021 Dallas, Texas, U.S. Liver failure Jon Hassell 84 June 26, 2021 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Natural causes Peps Persson Blues Quality, Peps Blodsband74 June 27, 2021 Vittsjö, Sweden Unknown Bryan St. Pere Hum, Castor 52 June 29, 2021 Evansville, Indiana, U.S. Unknown John Lawton Uriah Heep, Lucifer's Friend, Les Humphries Singers 74 June 29, 2021 Bulgaria Unknown Steve Kekana 62 July 1, 2021 Johannesburg, South Africa COVID-19 related complications Sanford Clark 85 July 4, 2021 Joplin, Missouri, U.S. COVID-19 during cancer treatment Rick Laird Mahavishnu Orchestra 80 July 4, 2021 New City, New York, U.S. Lung cancer Raffaella Carrà 78 July 5, 2021 Rome, Italy Lung cancer Andy Williams Drummer for Casting Crowns 49 July 9, 2021 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Motorcycle accident Jeff LaBar Cinderella 58 July 14, 2021 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Undisclosed Gary Corbett Keyboardist for Cinderella, Kiss62 July 15, 2021 Hendersonville, Tennessee, U.S. Aggressive lung cancer Pyotr Mamonov Zvuki Mu 70 July 15, 2021 Moscow, Russia COVID-19 Biz Markie Juice Crew 57 July 16, 2021 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Complications from diabetes Robby Steinhardt Kansas 71 July 17, 2021 Tampa, Florida, U.S. Complications from pancreatitis James Weatherstone The Demics 63 July 18, 2021 His residence, London, Ontario, Canada Unknown Raimundas Narsas Vocalist for Nars 56 July 23, 2021 Lithuania Joey Jordison Slipknot 46 July 26, 2021 Waukee, Dallas County in the state of Iowa, U.S. Acute transverse myelitis Mike Howe Metal Church55 July 26, 2021 Eureka, California, U.S. Suicide by hangingGianni Nazzaro