Pick a Day

Music History Events: Deaths

July 22, 1973 Larry Finnegan dies of a brain tumor at age 34. Known for the 1962 hit "Dear One."

July 14, 1973 Bluegrass/country guitarist Clarence White (of The Byrds) dies at 29 after being hit by a drunk driver. He was loading equipment into his car after a gig in Palmdale, California, when he was struck.

June 4, 1973 Beach Boys patriarch Murry Wilson dies at age 55.

May 2, 1973 Actress and jazz vocalist June Hutton (of The Stardusters) dies in Encino, Los Angeles, California, at age 52.

March 26, 1973 Noël Coward dies of heart failure at age 73.

February 9, 1973 Max Yasgur, who owned the farm in upstate New York where the 1969 Woodstock festival was held, dies of a heart attack at age 53.

January 16, 1973 Gospel singer Clara Ward (leader of The Famous Ward Singers) dies at age 48 after suffering two strokes.

November 18, 1972 Neil Young's guitarist Danny Whitten, struggling to overcome a heroin addiction, dies from a lethal combination of Valium and alcohol at age 29.

November 6, 1972 Original New York Dolls drummer Billy Murcia dies at the age of 21 in London, England, from asphyxiation following an accidental overdose.

October 17, 1972 R&B singer Billy Williams, known for his hit 1957 cover of Fats Waller's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," dies in Chicago, Illinois, at age 62.

August 2, 1972 Brian Cole (bass guitarist for The Association) dies of a heroin overdose at age 29.

July 24, 1972 Bobby Ramirez, the 24-year-old drummer with Edgar Winter's White Trash, is beaten to death in a Chicago barroom brawl after a patron complains about the length of Ramirez's hair.

June 13, 1972 39-year-old Clyde McPhatter, who performed with The Dominoes and founded The Drifters before starting a solo career, dies in his sleep after years of alcohol abuse left him with heart, liver, and kidney disease.

May 3, 1972 Scottish rock guitarist Les Harvey, age 27, dies onstage during a Stone The Crows concert when he's electrocuted by a ungrounded microphone standing in a pool of rainwater.

April 27, 1972 24-year-old Phil King, a former booking agent for Blue Oyster Cult, is murdered over a gambling debt, inspiring the band's song "Deadline."

January 27, 1972 Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson dies from heart failure and diabetes complications in Evergreen Park, Illinois, at age 60.

January 16, 1972 David Seville (real name: Ross Bagdasarian), who created The Chipmunks, dies of a heart attack at age 52.

December 28, 1971 Max Steiner, known for composing iconic film scores for Casablanca and Gone With The Wind, among others, dies of congestive heart failure at age 83.

November 28, 1971 Blues singer Papa Lightfoot (real name: Alexander Lightfoot) dies of respiratory failure at age 47. Known for the 1969 albums Natchez Trace and Rural Blues Vol. 2.

November 18, 1971 Junior Parker dies during surgery for a brain tumor in Blue Island, Illinois, at age 39. Known for '50s R&B hits like "Feelin' Good," "Love My Baby," and "Mystery Train" (later covered by Elvis Presley).

October 29, 1971 Duane Allman (of The Allman Brothers Band) dies in a motorcycle crash in Macon, Georgia, at age 24.

October 12, 1971 Rock 'n roller Gene Vincent dies from a ruptured stomach ulcer in California, at age 36.

August 15, 1971 Singer Thomas Wayne dies in a car accident in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 31. Known for the 1959 Rockabilly hit "Tragedy."

August 13, 1971 Saxophonist King Curtis dies at age 37 after being stabbed outside of his apartment in New York City. Known for his distinctive playing on The Coasters' "Yakety Yak."

July 4, 1971 R&B singer Don McPherson (of The Main Ingredient) dies of leukemia at age 29.

April 6, 1971 Russian composer Igor Stravinsky dies of heart failure at age 88 in New York.

March 31, 1971 Karl Lawrence King, who composed the Barnum and Bailey's circus music, dies at age 80.

March 7, 1971 Saxophonist/flautist Harold McNair (of Ginger Baker's Airforce) dies of lung cancer at age 39.

November 25, 1970 Jazz sax player Albert Ayler is found dead in New York City's East River after being missing for 20 days. It's assumed that the 34 year old committed suicide.

October 1, 1970 Jimi Hendrix is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Seattle. His headstone reads: "Forever In Our Hearts, James 'Jimi' Hendrix 1942 - 1970."