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 2018.
2018 deaths in popular music
Name Age Date Location Cause of death Betty Willis 76 January 1, 2018 Santa Ana, California, U.S. Strangled Rick Hall Record producer 85 January 2, 2018 Muscle Shoals, Alabama, U.S. Prostate cancer Ray Thomas Moody Blues 76 January 4, 2018 Surrey, England Prostate cancer Fujioka Mikio Babymetal 36 January 5, 2018 Japan Accidental fall Chris Tsangarides Record producer from Judas Priest, Depeche Mode 61 January 6, 2018 England Heart failure following pneumonia Jimmy RobinsonRecording engineer, record producer 67 January 6, 2018 New York City, New York, U.S. France Gall 70 January 7, 2018 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Cancer Denise LaSalle 83 January 8, 2018 Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. Complications from fall Eddie ClarkeMotörhead, Fastway 67 January 10, 2018 London, UK Pneumonia Ernest H. SandersGerman-born American musicologist 99 January 13, 2018 New York, U.S. Barbara CopeGroupie67 January 14, 2018 Dallas, Texas, U.S. House fire Marlene VerPlanck 84 January 14, 2018 Manhattan, New York, U.S.Pancreatic cancer Edwin Hawkins 74 January 15, 2018 Pleasanton, California, U.S. Pancreatic cancer Dolores O'RiordanThe Cranberries 46 January 15, 2018 London, England Drowning caused by alcohol intoxication Dave HollandTrapeze, Judas Priest 69 January 16, 2018 Lugo, Spain Lung cancer Fredo Santana 27 January 20, 2018 Reseda, Los Angeles, California, United States Seizure Terry Evans 80 January 20, 2018 Los Angeles, California, United States Jim RodfordArgent, The Kinks, The Zombies 76 January 20, 2018 St Albans, England Complications from fall Hugh Masekela 78 January 23, 2018 Johannesburg, South Africa Prostate cancer Lari White 52 January 23, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Peritoneal cancer Mark E. SmithThe Fall 60 January 24, 2018 Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England Lung and kidney cancer Buzz Clifford 76 January 26, 2018 Berwyn, Illinois, United States Complications of influenzaGianni Casciello Musician, multi-instrumentalist and composer84January 30, 2018Venice, Italy Leah LaBelle 31 January 31, 2018 Studio City, California, United States Traffic collision Dennis EdwardsThe Temptations 74 February 1, 2018 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Complications from meningitis Leon "Ndugu" Chancler Record producer and university professor 65 February 3, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Prostate cancer Zeno Roth Uli Jon Roth 61 February 5, 2018 Düsseldorf, Germany John Perry Barlow Lyricist for The Grateful Dead, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation 70 February 6, 2018 San Francisco, California, U.S. Complications from heart attack Mickey Jones Kenny Rogers and the First Edition 76 February 7, 2018 Simi Valley, California, U.S.Diabetes Pat Torpey Mr. Big 64 February 7, 2018 Southern California Area, U.S. Complications of Parkinson's disease Lovebug Starski Record producer for DJ Hollywood 57 February 8, 2018 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Heart attack Craig MacGregor Foghat 68 February 9, 2018 Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, U.S. Lung cancer Wesla Whitfield 70 February 9, 2018 St. Helena, California, United States Jóhann Jóhannsson 48 February 9, 2018 Berlin, Germany Likely cocaine use Troy Blakely Record producer for Scorpions, Poison, Red Hot Chili Peppers 68 February 10, 2018 U.S. Cancer Vic Damone 89 February 11, 2018 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. Natural causes Daryle Singletary 46 February 12, 2018 Lebanon, Tennessee, U.S. Blood Clot Scott Boyer Cowboy 70 February 13, 2018 Muscle Shoals, Alabama, U.S. Peripheral artery disease Little Sammy Davis 89 February 13, 2018 Middletown, New York, U.S. Sergio Della Monica Bassist, guitarist and co-founder of the group Planet Funk58February 17, 2018Rome, ItalyPneumonia complications Wim Claes Record producer 56 February 24, 2018 Haacht, Belgium Harvey Schmidt 88 February 28, 2018 Tomball, Texas, U.S. Congestive heart failure Bill Burkette The Vogues 75 March 1, 2018 Jeannette, Pennsylvania, U.S. Unknown Van McLain Shooting Star 62 March 2, 2018 Kansas City, Missouri, United States West Nile virus Virgilijus Noreika Lithuanian Pop singer and member of 3 Tigrai 82 March 3, 2018 Vilnius, Lithuania Cancer Patrick Doyle Veronica Falls 32 March 3, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Suicide Jeff St John 71 March 6, 2018 Perth, Western Australia Infection following surgery Jerzy Milian 82 March 7, 2018 Katowice, Poland Natural causes Milko Kelemen 93 March 8, 2018 Stuttgart, Germany Natural causes Ken Dodd 90 March 11, 2018 Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England Chest infection Craig Mack 47 March 12, 2018 Walterboro, South Carolina, U.S. Heart failure Nokie Edwards The Ventures 82 March 12, 2018 Yuma, Arizona, U.S. Complications following hip surgery Claudia Fontaine Afrodiziak 57 March 13, 2018 UK Charlie Quintana The Plugz, Social Distortion, Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds 56 March 13, 2018 Cancún, Mexico Heart attack Jimmy Wisner 86 March 13, 2018 Livingston, New Jersey, United States Buell Neidlinger Cecil Taylor, Frank Zappa, Duane Eddy 82 March 16, 2018 Whibey Island, Washington D.C., United States Unknown Killjoy Necrophagia 48 March 18, 2018 East Liverpool, Ohio, United StatesUndisclosed causes Peter "Mars" CowlingPat Travers Band, Flying Hat Band 71 March 20, 2018 U.S. Lys Assiawinner of the first Eurovision Song Contest 94 March 24, 2018 Zollikerberg, Zürich, Switzerland Mike HarrisonSpooky Tooth 75 March 25, 2018 Carlisle, England Seo Min-woo 100% 33 March 25, 2018 Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea Cardiac arrest Jerry Williams 75 March 25, 2018 Täby, Sweden Cancer Caleb Scofield Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Zozobra 39 March 28, 2018 Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S. Traffic collision Alias Record producer from Anticon Records 41 March 30, 2018 South-Portland, U.S. Heart attackMichel Sénéchal French tenor91April 1, 2018Eaubonne, France Ron Dunbar Record producer 78 April 3, 2018 Fresno, California, United States Cecil Taylor 89 April 5, 2018 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. Enzo Jannace Italian singer of popular and melodic music82April 20, 2018Naples, Italy Avicii 28 April 20, 2018 Muscat, Oman Suicide Bob Dorough 94 April 23, 2018 Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, U.S. Kato Khandwala Record producer from Blondie, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, The Pretty Reckless 47 April 25, 2018 North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Traffic collision Charles Neville The Neville Brothers 79 April 26, 2018 Huntington, Massachusetts, U.S. John "Jabo" Starks The J.B.'s 80 May 1, 2018 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. Tony Cucchiara Singer-songwriter, actor and prolific playwright, famous for bringing musicals to Italy80May 2, 2018Rome, ItalyMaria Paris Appreciated interpreter of classical Neapolitan song, winner of the Naples Festival in 195585May 3, 2018Naples, ItalyLara Saint Paul Italian singer, active since the sixties73May 8, 2018Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna, ItalyIntestinal cancer Scott Hutchison Frightened Rabbit 36 May 9, 2018 South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland Suicide by drowning Phil Emmanuel 65 May 24, 2018 Parkes, New South Wales, Australia María Dolores Pradera 93 May 28, 2018 Madrid, Spain Eddy Clearwater 83 June 1, 2018 Skokie, Illinois, U.S. Heart failure Ralph Santolla Obituary, Deicide, Iced Earth 51 June 6, 2018 Tampa, Florida, U.S. Heart attack Danny Kirwan Fleetwood Mac, Tramp 68 June 8, 2018 London, England Gino Santercole Singer-songwriter, composer and actor, author of famous songs for Adriano Celentano and for himself77June 8, 2018Rome, Italy Jon Hiseman Colosseum, Colosseum II, Tempest, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Graham Bond Organisation 73 June 12, 2018 Sutton, London, England Brain cancer D. J. Fontana 87 June 13, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Matt "Guitar" Murphy 88 June 15, 2018 Miami, Florida, United States Heart attack XXXTentacion 20 June 18, 2018 Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States Shot Jimmy Wopo 21 June 18, 2018 Hill District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States shot Vinnie Paul Abbott Pantera, Damageplan, Hellyeah 54 June 22, 2018 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Heart attack Alan Longmuir Bay City Rollers 70 July 2, 2018 Edinburgh, Scotland Richard Swift American singer-songwriter41July 3, 2018Tacoma, Washington, United States Jim Malloy Record producer 87 July 5, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, United States Henry Butler 69 July 2, 2018 New York City, New York, U.S. CancerOli Herbert All That Remains44July 10, 2018Stafford Springs, Connecticut, United StatesDrowning Stan Lewis Record producer from Jewel Records 91 July 15, 2018 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. Matt Parker, "Local Legend Stan 'The Record Man' Lewis Has Died", 710keel.com, July 15, 2018 Olga Jackowska Maanam 67 July 28, 2018 Bliżów, Poland Ovarian cancer Oliver Dragojević 70 July 29, 2018 Split, Croatia Mindaugas RemeikisMember of Mexicano 36 August 6, 2018 Lithuania UnknownLidia Martorana Italian singer89August 8, 2018Turin, Italy Jason "J-Sin" LuttrellVocalist for Primer 55 40 August 10, 2018 Southaven, Mississippi, West Virginia, U.S. Hepatitis C Randy Rampage Annihilator 58 August 14, 2018 Vancouver, Canada Heart attack Jill JanusHuntress 42 August 14, 2018 Portland, Oregon, U.S. Suicide Fabio MelanittoUff 33 August 15, 2018 Narvarte Poniente, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico Gunshot Aretha Franklin 76 August 16, 2018 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Pancreatic cancer Danny Pearson 65 August 17, 2018 Stonewall, Mississippi, U.S. Liver cancerClaudio Lolli Italian singer-songwriter and writer68August 17, 2018Bologna, ItalyLong illness Ed KingLynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock 68 August 22, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Lung cancer Lazy Lester 85 August 22, 2018 Paradise, California, U.S. Stomach cancer Kyle Pavone We Came as Romans 28 August 25, 2018 Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. Drug overdose Conway SavageNick Cave and the Bad Seeds 58 September 2, 2018 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Brain tumourKatyna Ranieri Italian singer and actress93September 2, 2018Rome, Italy Don Gardner 87 September 4, 2018 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Mac Miller 26 September 7, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Drug overdose Maartin Allcock Fairport Convention61 September 16, 2018 London, UK Liver cancer Big Jay McNeely 91 September 16, 2018 Moreno Valley, California, U.S. Prostate cancerGoran Kuzminac Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist65September 18, 2018Trento, ItalyLong illness Chas Hodges Chas & Dave, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, The Outlaws, Heads Hands & Feet74 September 22, 2018 England Organ failure Marty Balin Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship76 September 27, 2018 Tampa, Florida, U.S. Otis Rush 84 September 29, 2018 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Stroke Kim Larsen Gasolin' 72 September 30, 2018 Odense, Denmark Prostate cancer Charles Aznavour 94 October 1, 2018 Alpilles, France Cardiac arrestStelvio Cipriani Italian musician and composer81October 1, 2018Rome, Italy Geoff Emerick Record engineered from Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles 72 October 2, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Heart attackPaola Bertoni Melodic singer active in the 1960s and winner of the Castrocaro Festival in 196275October 5, 2018Ravenna, Italy John Wicks The Records 65 October 7, 2018 Burbank, California, U.S. Pancreatic cancer Takehisa Kosugi 80 October 12, 2018 Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan Gianni La Commare