Pick a Day

Music History Events: Deaths

February 7, 1994 Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski dies of cancer at age 81.

January 29, 1994 Mary Wilson (of The Supremes) is injured and her 14-year-old son is killed in a California auto accident.

January 22, 1994 Rhett Forrester (former lead singer of Riot) is shot and killed during an attempted carjacking in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 37.

January 15, 1994 Harry Nilsson, known by the mononym Nilsson, dies of heart failure at age 52, nearly one year after suffering a massive heart attack.

December 30, 1993 Songwriter Mack David dies at age 81. Known for his work on Disney films, such as Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, and for hits like Duke Ellington's "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So" (1939).

December 19, 1993 Michael Clarke (drummer for The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers) dies of liver failure at age 47 after decades of alcohol abuse.

December 4, 1993 Frank Zappa dies of terminal prostate cancer at age 52 in Los Angeles, California.

December 1, 1993 Hard rocker Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath, Badlands) dies of an AIDS-related disease at age 34.

November 28, 1993 Jerry Edmonton (drummer for Steppenwolf) dies in a car accident in Santa Ynez, California, at age 47.

November 24, 1993 Albert Collins, electric blues guitarist and singer, dies of cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 61. The "Master of the Telecaster" can be seen in a cameo appearance in the 1987 comedy Adventures in Babysitting (performing "Babysitting Blues" with the cast).

November 3, 1993 Leon Theremin dies. Theremin (1896-1993) was a Russian inventor, most famous for the Theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. Popularized in the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations," the device was used to create those futuristic sound effects in many sci-fi movies.

October 25, 1993 Howie Blauvelt (bass guitarist for Ram Jam) dies of a heart attack. Blauvelt also played bass for Billy Joel's former group The Hassles.

October 17, 1993 Criss Oliva (lead guitarist for Savatage) is killed by a drunk driver in Zephyrhills, Florida, at age 30.

August 10, 1993 Ed Roberts (of Ruby & the Romantics) dies of cancer at age 57.

August 5, 1993 Bassist Randy Hobbs (of The McCoys, Edgar Winter Group, and Montrose) dies of heart failure at age 45 in Dayton, Ohio.

July 30, 1993 Don Myrick (saxophonist for Earth, Wind & Fire), age 53, is fatally shot by Santa Monica policemen during a narcotics investigation when the lighter he is holding is mistaken for a weapon.

July 29, 1993 Eddie Guzman (drummer for Rare Earth) dies from complications of diabetes at age 49.

July 7, 1993 Mia Zapata (lead singer of The Gits), age 27, is murdered after being accosted by a stranger outside of Seattle's Comet Tavern. The case goes unsolved for years until DNA evidence links the crime to Florida fisherman Jesus Mezquia in 2003, who eventually is sentenced to 36 years in prison.

June 30, 1993 Six days after falling off a 10-foot platform during rehearsal for a game show, 31-year-old Wong Ka Kui (lead singer of Beyond) dies of his head injuries.

June 28, 1993 After repeated threats to kill himself on stage, shock rocker GG Allin dies at age 36 of a heroin overdose following a concert that is cut short due to mayhem.

June 9, 1993 Country/soul singer Arthur Alexander dies of a heart attack at age 53, just a month after signing a new publishing and recording contract.

June 5, 1993 Conway Twitty dies of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at age 59 after collapsing while on tour in Missouri.

May 30, 1993 Jazz composer Sun Ra, a pioneer of free improvisation and modal jazz, dies of pneumonia at age 79.

May 16, 1993 R&B singer Marv Johnson, Motown's earliest performer, dies of a stroke at age 54.

April 29, 1993 Mick Ronson, a guitarist best known for his work with David Bowie, dies of cancer at age 46.

April 19, 1993 Los Angeles session musician Steve Douglas (Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan) dies at age 54 of heart failure.

March 31, 1993 Mitchell Parish, who wrote lyrics for the songs "Deep Purple" and "Stardust," dies at 92.

March 27, 1993 Saxophone player Clifford Jordan dies from lung cancer at age 61.

March 19, 1993 Jeff Ward (drummer for several bands, including Low Pop Suicide and Nine Inch Nails) commits suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning at age 30.

March 16, 1993 Johnny Cymbal ("Mr. Bass Man") dies of a heart attack at age 48.