Music History Events: Deaths
October 28, 2004 Gil Melle, jazz musician and film composer, dies of a heart attack in Malibu, California, at age 72.
October 25, 2004 Renowned BBC DJ John Peel dies of a heart attack in Cusco, Peru, at age 65.
October 1, 2004 Bruce Palmer (bassist for Buffalo Springfield) dies of a heart attack in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, at age 58.
September 23, 2004 Country singer Roy Drusky, known for the 1965 chart-topping duet "Yes Mr. Peters" with Priscilla Mitchell, dies of complications from lung cancer at age 74.
September 19, 2004 Country singer Skeeter Davis, known for the 1962 crossover hit "The End of the World," dies of breast cancer at age 72.
September 15, 2004 Guitarist/songwriter Johnny Ramone (of The Ramones) dies of prostate cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, at age 55.
September 9, 2004 Ernie Ball, who developed many innovative guitar accessories, dies at age 74.
September 3, 2004 Songwriter Roquel "Billy" Davis (also known as Tyran Carlo) dies in Detroit, Michigan, at age 72. Co-wrote many R&B/soul hits, including Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops."
August 26, 2004 "Gloria" singer Laura Branigan dies from a cerebral aneurysm in East Quogue, New York, at age 52.
August 22, 2004 Bandleader Al Dvorin, who coined the phrase "Elvis has left he building," dies in a car accident near Ivanpah, California, at age 82. He organized the King's concerts for 22 years, starting in 1955.
August 18, 2004 Film score composer/conductor Elmer Bernstein dies of cancer in Ojai, California, at age 82.
August 6, 2004 R&B superstar Rick James dies from a culmination of health problems - including heart issues, diabetes and stroke - at age 56 in Los Angeles, California.
July 29, 2004 Cincinnati-born singer, songwriter, and musician Huby Heard dies of a heart attack at age 53. As a keyboardist, he played with Billy Preston's group The God Squad, Leon Russell's Gap Band, and toured with The Rolling Stones.
July 28, 2004 George Williams (lead vocalist for The Tymes) dies in Maple Shade, New Jersey, at age 68.
July 21, 2004 Jerry Goldsmith, an Academy Award-winning film composer known for Chinatown, The Omen, and five of the original Star Trek films, among others, dies of colon cancer at age 75.
July 13, 2004 Arthur Kane of the New York Dolls dies of leukemia at age 55.
May 31, 2004 Rock guitarist Robert Quine, known for collaborations with Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Tom Waits, commits suicide by heroin overdose at age 61.
May 19, 2004 Blues singer Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore dies in Yazoo City, Mississippi, at age 90.
May 18, 2004 Clint Warwick (original bassist for The Moody Blues) dies at age 63 of liver disease.
May 18, 2004 Jazz drummer Elvin Jones (of The John Coltrane Quartet) dies of heart failure at age 76.
May 11, 2004 John Whitehead (of the R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead), age 55, is murdered outside of his Philadelphia home when he's shot while fixing his car. The crime, thought to be a tragic case of mistaken identity, remains unsolved.
May 6, 2004 Guitarist Barney Kessel, who played on many Billie Holiday recordings, dies at 80.
May 5, 2004 Jamaican record producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, who signed Bob Marley & the Wailers to his Studio One label, dies of a heart attack at age 72.
April 13, 2004 Songwriter Ritchie Cordell, who wrote the '60s-turned-'80s hits "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony," dies at age 61 of pancreatic cancer.
April 6, 2004 Rock and roll guitarist Niki Sullivan (of Buddy Holly's backing band The Crickets) dies at age 66 of a heart attack in Sugar Creek, Missouri.
April 1, 2004 Guitarist Paul Atkinson (of The Zombies) dies at age 58 from liver and kidney disease, while also suffering from cancer.
March 30, 2004 Singer Timi Yuro dies at age 63.
March 26, 2004 Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean) dies at age 62.
March 21, 2004 Motown producer Johnny Bristol dies at age 65.
March 11, 2004 Edmund Sylvers of The Sylvers dies of lung cancer at age 47.
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