Musicians and singers who died in February 2020

• Musicians who died in 2020

[29 Feb 2020] Odile Pierre (French organist and composer), 87 The great French organist Odille Pierre died on Saturday February 29, February, when she was going to be 88 years old on March 12. "She was the last pupil of Marcel Dupré [pedagogue and composer himself who died in 1971], had pupils all over the world and had given 2,000 recitals on all continents", declared Pierre Aubé, AFP husband of the musician. ... via francetvinfo.fr

[28 Feb 2020] Mike Somerville (American rock guitarist for Head East), 67 Apparently, Mike Somerville, the lead guitarist, songwriter and classic lineup member of Head East passed away on Friday, February 28, 2020. He was the composer of the hits “Never Been Any Reason” and “Love Me Tonight” off of the Gold Certified album, “Flat As A Pancake”. ... via Charlie F

[28 Feb 2020] Simon Posthuma (Dutch artist and musician for The Fool), 87 Simon Posthuma, the father of singer Douwe Bob, died at the age of 81. Posthuma was a Dutch designer, musician and artist who collaborated with The Beatles and The Hollies, among others. In the past, Posthuma was an extravagant man within the hippie movement who, as the founder of the legendary designer duo The Fool ... via noordhollandsdagblad.nl

[27 Feb 2020] Suthep Wongkamhaeng (Thai singer), 85 National artist crooner Suthep Wongkamhaeng died at his residence in Watthana district on Thursday morning, aged 86. ... via bangkokpost.com

[26 Feb 2020] Smokey Burke (Calypso singer), 69 The entertainment fraternity has lost veteran William “Smokey” Burke. The 69-year-old passed away today, two days after he was hospitalised ... via nationnews.com

[26 Feb 2020] Eduardo Bort (Spanish guitarist), 72 Eduardo Bort was one of the Spanish musicians who more accurately embodied the inspired virtuosity of the best progressive rock of the 1970s. ... via elpais.com

[26 Feb 2020] Hans Deinzer (German clarinetist), 86 The clarinetist and professor of clarinet died in February at the age of 86. He inspired many composers such as Pierre Boulez, whose piece “Domaines” he premiered. ... via deutsche-klarinetten-gesellschaft.de

[26 Feb 2020] Nick Apollo Forte (American musician and actor), 81 Nick “Apollo” Forte briefly gained national fame as a leading character in Woody Allen’s 1984 hit film “Broadway Danny Rose,” but lived his entire life like a star. ... via rep-am.com

[26 Feb 2020] Lionel.D (French radio host and rapper), 60 Lionel Eguienta aka Lionel D was one of the pioneers of the hip-hop movement in France. IHH Magazine sources say he died of cardiac arrest in a London hospital on Wednesday morning (February 26) at the age of 60 ... via hiphopcorner.fr

[26 Feb 2020] Ray Abshire (American accordionist for Balfa Brothers), 68 Emerson “Ray” Abshire, the noted Cajun accordionists and vocalist who performed with the Balfa Brothers band, died on Tuesday. He was 68. ... via celebrityaccess.com

[26 Feb 2020] Sergei Dorensky (Russian pianist), 89 People's Artist of the RSFSR Sergei Dorensky died on Wednesday at the age of 89. This was reported by TASS Rector of the Conservatory Alexander Sokolov. ... via mpravda.com

[25 Feb 2020] Claude Flagel (French musician), 87 Claude Flagel (1 July 1932 – 25 February 2020) was a French contemporary musician. He produced music for Mamady Keïta, Ibrahima Sarr, Foofango, Mint Aichata, Tartit, and Momo Wandel Soumah. ... via wikipedia.org

[25 Feb 2020] David Roback (American guitarist and and songwriter for Mazzy Star), 61 David Roback, the co-creative team behind Mazzy Star has died. This is pretty tragic, given that Mazzy Star's drummer Keith Mitch died in 2017. ... via pitchfork.com

[24 Feb 2020] Jahn Teigen (Norwegian musician for Popol Ace), 70 Jahn Teigen's manager, Trond Lie, broke the news that the musician has died. ... via vg.no

[21 Feb 2020] Claudia Telles (Brazilian singer, composer and musician), 63 Singer, composer and musician from Brazil. Born 26 August 1957 in Rio de Janeiro. Died February 21, 2020, Rio de Janeiro, heart failure. ... via discogs.com

[21 Feb 2020] John S. Corcoran (Irish folk singer and actor), 72 John Corcoran, a well-known Irish folk singer and children’s entertainer who had a second career as a movie stuntman, died Feb. 21, 2020, at his Peabody home. He was 72. ... via ccbfuneral.com

[20 Feb 2020] Zoe Gail (South African-born British singer and actress), 100 In 1948 Zoe Gail played a nightclub singer in the notoriously brutal film No Orchids for Miss Blandish, wearing a diaphanous dress as she belted out a suggestive What Shall I Do with This Mamma? ... via telegraph.co.uk

[19 Feb 2020] Pop Smoke (American rapper), 20, shot Pop Smoke, an up-and-coming rapper, was shot and killed Wednesday morning in what appears to be a home invasion robbery ... ... via tmz.com

[19 Feb 2020] Thiruvalaputhur T A Kaliyamurthy (Indian musical Thavil artist), 72, heart attack Thavil Vidwan Thiruvalapputhur DA Kaliamoorthy passed away from a heart attack in Mayiladuthurai. He was 72 years old. ... via newsj.tv

[18 Feb 2020] Jon Christensen (Norwegian jazz drummer), 76 Drummer Jon Christensen was, in the jazz context, an international musician, who has participated in a number of recordings. ... via dagbladet.no

[17 Feb 2020] Lindsey Lagestee (American country singer for Dixie Crush), 25, traffic collision Lindsey Lagestee, lead singer of Chicago-based country band Dixie Crush, killed in crash. Lindsey Lagastee,25, of South Holland, was struck and killed by a vehicle on February 14 as she made her way to a concert in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. ... via abc7chicago.com

[17 Feb 2020] Ja'Net DuBois (American actress and singer), 74 Ja'Net Dubois, who played the nosy, wise-cracking neighbor Willona Woods on the iconic 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” died Tuesday at the age of 74, according to multiple news reports. ... via ajc.com

[17 Feb 2020] Henry Gray (American Hall of Fame blues pianist and singer), 95 Henry Gray, the Grammy-nominated Baton Rouge blues singer-pianist, died about 9 p.m. Monday at 95. ... via theadvocate.com

[17 Feb 2020] Andrew Weatherall (English music producer, disc jockey and musician for The Sabres of Paradise), 56, pulmonary embolism Andrew Weatherall, the British musician, DJ and record producer known for helming Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, has died aged 56. ... via theguardian.com

[17 Feb 2020] Kizito Mihigo (Rwandan gospel singer, organist, founder of the Kizito Mihigo Peace Foundation), 38, suspected suicide Rwandan gospel musician Kizito Mihigo who was arrested last week for allegedly trying to leave the country illegally has been found dead in a police cell. Mihigo is suspected to have committed suicide ... via kfm.co.ug

[16 Feb 2020] Graeme Allwright (New Zealand-born French singer-songwriter), 93 New Zealand-born French singer Graeme Allwright, best known for adapting many songs by American folk artists into French, died on Sunday February 16 at the age of 93, his family said. ... via lemonde.fr

[16 Feb 2020] Pearl Carr (English singer for Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson), 98 Before Pearl Carr's marriage to Teddy Johnson in 1955 (as singing duo Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson), she was the lead singer of The Keynotes ... via escxtra.com

[15 Feb 2020] Joe Gordon (Scottish folk musician), 85, heart failure Joe Gordon was one of the last surviving stars of the iconic Scottish television show The White Heather Club - and a direct influence on Billy Connolly, according to no less an authority than Pamela Stephenson, Connolly’s wife and biographer. ... via heraldscotland.com

[15 Feb 2020] Cavan Grogan (Welsh rock and roll singer for Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers), 70 Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers's singer "Crazy" Cavan Grogan has died, according to his band ... via crazycavan.com

[15 Feb 2020] Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa (Zimbabwean singer-songwriter), 31, lung cancer Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa who shot to fame after his collabo with Pah Chihera on “Runonzi Rudo” has passed away at Chinhoyi Hospital. ... via nehandaradio.com

[14 Feb 2020] Daniel Lee Martin (Indian guitarist for Parikrama), 54, suicide Country singer Daniel Lee Martin, who was accused of child sex crimes, has died by suicide, at the age 54 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Florida home ... via foxnews.com

[14 Feb 2020] Sonam Sherpa (Indian guitarist for Parikrama), 48, cardiac arrest Sonam Sherpa, the "backbone" of the popular Indian band Parikrama, died on Friday. He was 48. Sonam Sherpa was the founding member and the lead guitarist of Parikrama. ... via ndtv.com

[14 Feb 2020] Reinbert de Leeuw (Dutch conductor, composer and pianist), 81 Dutch conductor, pianist, and composer Reinbert de Leeuw died today, February 14, at the age of 81. De Leeuw was the conductor on all of the recordings Nonesuch Records has made of composer Louis Andriessen’s music ... via nonesuch.com

[13 Feb 2020] Scott Sessions (American musician for The Movers & Shakers), 53, murdered The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is investigating the homicide of a well-loved northern Colorado musician, 53-year-old Stanley "Scott" Sessions. ... via kdvr.com

[13 Feb 2020] Buzzy Linhart (American folk-rock singer and songwriter), 76 Singer-songwriter-musician Buzzy Linhart died Feb. 13, according to various comments on his Facebook page. Linhart, 76, had been in ill health since he suffered a heart attack in 2018. ... via bestclassicbands.com

[13 Feb 2020] Jacob Thiele (American rock keyboardist for The Faint), 40 Jacob Thiele, formerly the keyboardist for the Faint, has died. Thiele joined the Faint at the end of 1998 and was both a recording and touring member of the band until his departure in 2016. ... via pitchfork.com

[13 Feb 2020] Darryl Braxton (Trinidadian record producer for Bunji Garlin) Darryl Braxton (aka Chrloo), one of Trinidad and Tobago's most prolific soca producers has died. Braxton's nephew, Aaron Peters, made the announcement today via social media. ... via looptt.com

[13 Feb 2020] Christophe Desjardins (French violist), 57 Christophe Desjardins, the former violin soloist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC) and the Théâtre de la Monnaie Orchestra, has died. ... via francemusique.fr

[12 Feb 2020] Paul English (American drummer for Willie Nelson), 87, pneumonia Willie Nelson's drummer for over 50 years, Paul English, passed away at the age of 87, due to pneumonia. English died at a hospital near his home in Dallas ... via austin360.com

[12 Feb 2020] Victor Olaiya (Nigerian trumpeter), 89 Victor Olaiya, a veteran Nigerian highlife musician, has passed away at the age of 89. ... via thecable.ng

[11 Feb 2020] Joseph Shabalala (South African musician for Ladysmith Black Mambazo), 78 Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Dr Joseph Shabalala died on Feb 11 at a hospital in Pretoria after a long illness. ... via ladysmithgazette.co.za

[10 Feb 2020] Lyle Mays (American jazz pianist and composer for Pat Metheny Group), 66 Jazz keyboardist for Pat Metheny Group, Lyle Mays, died Monday in Los Angeles, to a “long battle with a recurring illness,” according to Pat Metheny’s website. ... via washingtonpost.com

[09 Feb 2020] Delizia (Belgian singer), 67 The Belgian singer Giovanna Adamo has indeed lost his sister, Délizia, who was also a singer. Born in 1952, she had recorded a first single at the age of 14: "Prends Le Chien" (Take the Dog). Her brother wrote her many songs, including this first. ... via sudinfo.be

[09 Feb 2020] Marvin P. Feinsmith (American bassoonist), 87 Marvin P. Feinsmith, principal bassoon of the Israel Philharmonic who returned to the US to play in the Indianapolis and Denver orchestras, has died after a long illness. ... via slippedisc.com

[09 Feb 2020] Mirella Freni (Italian operatic soprano), 84 Mirella Freni has died. The Italian operatic soprano sang for over fifty years, and shared a special stage with Luciano Pavarotti ... via repubblica.it

[09 Feb 2020] Sergei Slonimsky (Сергей Слонимский) (Russian composer, pianist and musicologist), 88 Russian composer for the The Republic of ShKID, Sergey Slonimsky, has died at the age of 88, said executive secretary of the St. Petersburg Composers Union. The composer's funeral is planned on Thursday, February 13, at the Komarovsky cemetery. ... via kommersant.ru

[09 Feb 2020] Abdel Aziz El Mubarak (Sudanese singer), 69, pneumonia Sudanese artist, Abdulaziz Al-Mubarak, died at the age of 69, in a private hospital in Cairo, after a struggle with diabetes and acute pneumonia. His most famous songs are “Tareek Al Shouq”, “Ahla Jarah”, and “You Say No” ... via masrawy.com

[09 Feb 2020] Margareta Hallin (Swedish opera singer), 88 The soprano and opera singer Margareta Hallin died on Sunday at the age of 88, says her son Nils Ekerot. Hallin was considered one of the Swedish opera's best, singing with Royal Opera in Stockholm for 30 years. ... via svt.se

[08 Feb 2020] Robert Conrad (American actor and recording artist), 84, heart failure Actor Robert Conrad, famous for Wild Wild West, has died. In Mexico, Conrad signed a recording contract with the Orfeon label, releasing two albums under the name Bob Conrad. ... via hollywoodreporter.com

[07 Feb 2020] Orson Bean (American actor, comedian, and singer), 91, traffic collision Actor and comedian Orson Bean was hit by a car and killed on February 7th. In addition to his comedy album, Bean also voiced and sang as Charlie Brown in 1966's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ... via deadline.com

[07 Feb 2020] Steve Weber (American guitarist for Holy Modal Rounders), 76 Steve Weber, the guitarist of the Holy Modal Rounders, a cult psychedelic folk group that grazed the pop-culture mainstream with a song featured in the 1969 film “Easy Rider” and influenced generations of underground musicians, died on Feb. 7 ... via nytimes.com

[07 Feb 2020] Nexhmije Pagarusha (Kosovan singer and actress), 86 "The Nightingale of Kosov", Nexhmije Pagarusha, had passed away on Friday. Pagarusha is known for re-interpreting both folk and classical works ... via prishtinainsight.com

[06 Feb 2020] Romuald Lipko (Polish composer and rock musician for Budka Suflera), 69, cancer Budka Suflera band leader, Romuald Lipko, died on Thursday. The funeral will take place on Feb 12 in Lublin, according to the band ... via onet.pl

[06 Feb 2020] Diego Farias (American metal guitarist for Volumes), 27 Diego Farias, founding Volumes guitarist dies one week after exiting band. He was only 27 ... via consequenceofsound.net

[06 Feb 2020] Ola Magnell (Swedish musician), 74, heart failure Singer and songwriter Ola Magnell has died at his home in Österlen. He was 74 years old. Magnell has written songs for Siw Malmkvist and Lill Lindfors, among others, and one of his best-known songs is "Påtalåten" from 1972. He has also done the songs "Kliff", "Escalator" and "Bruten Vinge". ... via expressen.se

[05 Feb 2020] Nello Santi (Italian conductor), 88 Italian conductor, Nello Santi, has died on Wednesday, at the age of 88. He's performed at the Zurich Opera House for over 60 years - longer than any other artist at the Opera House. ... via en24.news

[05 Feb 2020] Kirk Douglas (American actor and one-time singer), 103 Kirk Douglas is famous for being an actor, but in 1954, he recorded some songs for Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The songs were "A Whale Of A Tale" and "And The Moon Grew Brighter" ... via reelrundown.com

[04 Feb 2020] Buddy Cage (American pedal steel guitarist for New Riders of the Purple Sage), 73, multiple myeloma Pedal steel player psychedelic country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage, Buddy Cage, passed away on Feb 4th from multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer ... via relix.com

[04 Feb 2020] Volker David Kirchner (German violist and composer), 77 The violist Volker David Kirchner is dead after "a short, serious illness" in Wiesbaden. In addition to 13 stage works, Kirchner leaves behind an extensive catalog of works with two symphonies, many other orchestral works, chamber and vocal music. ... via swr.de

[04 Feb 2020] Ljiljana Petrović (Љиљана Петровић) (Serbian singer), 81 Former Yugoslav and current Serbian singer Ljiljana Petrović had died. She first came to fame for participating in Eurovision in 1961 ... via rtv.rs

[04 Feb 2020] Andrew Brough (New Zealand musician for Straitjacket Fits) Dunedin musician Andrew Brough, a former guitarist and songwriter for bands including Straitjacket Fits, has died. Brough started out as the singer of The Blue Meanies ... via stuff.co.nz, thanks to Den O

[02 Feb 2020] Mario Vigil (American musician and producer for Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution), colon cancer Grammy Award winning musician and producer, Mario Vigil, died on Feb 2, after a two year battle with colon cancer. Vigil was a member of Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution, but also played with with Gary Hobbs, Jay Perez, and others ... via kxxv.com

[02 Feb 2020] Ivan Kral (Czech-American musician), 71 Czech rock guitarist and producer Ivan Král played with Patti Smith (he co-wrote "Dancing Barefoot"), Blondie, Iggy Pop, John Cale, U2 and others in the 1970s. ... via devdiscourse.com

[02 Feb 2020] Kofi B (Ghanaian musician), 73, heart attack Ghanaian highlife musician, Kofi B (real name Kofi Boakye Yiadom), has died on Sunday, February 2. He's not been well for some time now. ... via ghanaweb.com

[01 Feb 2020] Josh Pappe (American bassist for Dirty Rotten Imbeciles), 53 Josh Pappé, Punk rock bassist who played on Crossover for Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (D.R.I.) has died ... via ghostcultmag.com, thanks to Andy

[01 Feb 2020] Viktor Afanasyev (Виктор Васильевич) (Russian military musician), 72 Lieutenant General Viktor Afanasyev, the Senior Director of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia from 1993–2002, has died. ... via redstar.ru

[01 Feb 2020] Harold Beane (American guitarist for Funkadelic), 73 Isaac Hayes and Funkadelic's guitarist, Harold Beane, has died. As you can read via the link, he's worked with just about everyone, from Little Richard to Rufus Thomas. ... via commercialappeal.com

[01 Feb 2020] Andy Gill (English guitarist and founder of Gang of Four), 64, respiratory illness Gang of Four's press rep, Reybee, announced that guitarist Andy Gill had passed away at the age of 64, in a central London hospital after a short respiratory illness ... via reybee.com

[01 Feb 2020] Peter Serkin (American pianist), 72, pancreatic cancer Conservative of Curtis Institute of Music, Peter Serkin, has died at his home in Red Hook, NY, at the age of 72 ... via inquirer.com

See also: Musicians who died in 2020, Musicians who died in 2019, Musicians who died in 2018, Musicians who died in 2017, Musicians who died in 2016, and Comic Book Creators who died in 2017.

Comments

[Phil Horneman]

I just found out that Brazlian singer, composer and musician Claudia Telles passed away on Feb 21, 2020 in Rio de Janeiro caused by heart failure.

sources: https://www.discogs.com/artist/205933-Claudia-Telles
https://starswiki.net/claudia-telles/5820/

[Karin Fjellman]

Don't forget Robert Cobert, composer for film & TV — notably for Dark Shadows — who passed away on Feb 19, 2020.

[Mel Lockhart]

Don't overlook Lyle Mays pianist / composer with the Pat Metheny.Group

[W♥M]

It's listed at #42 [10 Feb 2020] Lyle Mays (American jazz pianist and composer for Pat Metheny Group), 66

[Ford Anneke]

Pop Smoke death is extremely painful. He's very young to pass away from the earth. Pop Smoke always remain a music legend.

[Milcent JK]

Bill Withers also passed away from heart complications. He is a music legend. Much respect.

[W♥M]

Withers died in March 2020: https://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-and-singers-who-died-in-march-2020.html

[Tunezpop]

Little Richard of blessed memory is a classical music legend. Richard has been my music mentor. Each time I listen to his songs I knew someday I gonna be a great artist.
May his blessed soul and memory always rest in perfect peace. Amen.