2003 in Music - Deaths

Deaths

• January 1 – Giorgio Gaber (63), actor, singer-songwriter
• January 5 – Daphne Oram (77), composer and electronic musician
• January 8 – Ron Goodwin (77), composer and conductor
• January 11 – Mickey Finn (55), bongo player and T.Rex sideman (liver failure)
• January 12 – Maurice Gibb (53), Bee Gees singer and bassist (cardiac arrest)
• January 15 – Doris Fisher (87), singer-songwriter
• January 23 – Nell Carter (54), singer and actress (heart disease)
• February 1 – Mongo Santamaría (80), Latin jazz percussionist
• February 2 – Lou Harrison (85), composer
• February 19 – Johnny Paycheck (65), country singer
• February 20 – Ty Longley (31), guitarist of Great White (fire accident)
• February 23 – Howie Epstein (47), bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• March 3
  • Hank Ballard (74), R&B singer (throat cancer)
  • Malcolm Williamson (71), composer
• March 8 – Adam Faith (62), singer, actor (heart attack)
• April 1 – Leslie Cheung (46), actor, musician (suicide)
• April 2 – Edwin Starr (61), soul singer (heart attack)
• April 6 – Babatunde Olatunji (75), drummer (diabetes)
• April 13 – Alex Baroni (35), singer (motorbike accident)
• April 15 – Little Eva (59), singer (cervical cancer)
• April 17 – Earl King (69), blues musician
• April 19 – Conrad Leonard (104), composer and pianist
• April 21 – Nina Simone (70), singer and pianist
• April 22 – Felice Bryant (77), Hall of Fame songwriter
• May 11 – Noel Redding (57), bassist of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• May 15 – June Carter Cash (73), musician and singer
• May 19 - Ivo Žídek (76), operatic tenor
• May 27 – Luciano Berio (77), composer
• May 30 – Mickie Most (64), record producer (mesothelioma)
• June 6 – Dave Rowberry (63) (The Animals)
• June 17 - Marcella Pobbé (81), operatic soprano
• July 1 – Herbie Mann (73), jazz flautist (prostate cancer)
• July 4
  • André Claveau (87), singer
  • Barry White (58), singer and record producer (renal failure)
• July 5 – Bebu Silvetti (59), pianist, composer, arranger and record producer; respiratory failure
• July 6 – Buddy Ebsen (95), actor and singer
• July 7 – Izhak Graziani (79), conductor
• July 12 – Benny Carter (95), jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and bandleader (bronchitis)
• July 16 – Celia Cruz (77), salsa singer (brain tumor)
• July 17 – Rosalyn Tureck (88), pianist
• July 25 – Erik Braunn, Iron Butterfly
• July 26 – Richard Wayne Dirksen (81), organist and choirmaster
• July 27 – Bob Hope (100), actor, comedian and singer
• July 30 – Sam Philips (80)
• August 2 – Don Estelle (70), actor and singer
• August 5 – Tite Curet Alonso (77), songwriter; heart attack
• August 8 – Julius Baker (87), flautist
• August 9 – Gregory Hines (58), actor, singer and dancer
• August 10 – Carmita Jiménez, singer
• August 13 – Ed Townsend (74), singer-songwriter
• August 15 - Robert Moulson (70), operatic tenor
• August 21 – Wesley Willis (40), novelty musician
• August 23 – Imperio Argentina (96), singer and actress
• September 4
  • Lola Bobesco (82), violinist
  • Susan Chilcott (40), operatic soprano (breast cancer)
  • Tibor Varga (82), violinist and conductor
• September 5 – Gisele MacKenzie (76), singer
• September 7 – Warren Zevon (56), rock and roll singer; mesothelioma
• September 12 – Johnny Cash (71), country and rock 'n roll singer
• September 14 – John Serry, Sr. (88) concert accordionist, organist, composer, arranger
• September 19 – Slim Dusty (76), country singer
• September 26 – Robert Palmer (54), singer (heart attack)
• September 27 – Donald O'Connor (78), actor, singer and dancer (congestive heart failure)
• October 5 – Denis Quilley (75), actor and singer (liver cancer)
• October 10 – Eugene Istomin (77), pianist (liver cancer)
• October 21 – Elliott Smith (34), singer-songwriter
• October 22 - Gabriella Gatti (95), operatic soprano
• October 23 – Tony Capstick (59), comedian, actor and musician
• October 24 – Rosie Nix Adams, singer-songwriter
• October 29 – Franco Corelli (82), operatic tenor
• October 30 - Franco Bonisolli (65), operatic tenor
• November 5 – Bobby Hatfield (63), singer (The Righteous Brothers)
• November 12 – Tony Thompson (48), drummer of Chic (kidney cancer)
• November 14 – Gene Anthony Ray (41), actor and dancer (complications of a stroke)
• November 15 – Dorothy Loudon (70), actress and singer
• November 17
  • Arthur Conley (57), soul singer (intestinal cancer)
  • Don Gibson (75), country musician
• November 18 – Michael Kamen (55), composer, conductor and musician (heart attack)
• November 26 – Soulja Slim (26), rapper (homicide)
• November 28 – Thekra, Tunisian singer (murdered by her husband)
• December 8 – Rubén González (84), pianist
• December 16 – Gary Stewart (58), country singer (suicide)
• December 22 – Dave Dudley (75), country singer (heart attack)
• December 27 – Vestal Goodman (74), gospel singer (influenza complications)
• December 30 – Anita Mui (40), Hong Kong pop singer
• December 31 - Sieglinde Wagner (82), operatic contralto