Musicians and singers who died in January 2023

Donnie Marsico, whose voice was considered one of the Pittsburgh music scene’s biggest assets died Tuesday, at 68, of cancer.
… via post-gazette.com

He was part of one of the most iconic R&B groups of all time, and today we mourn the passing of Charlie Thomas, longtime member of The Drifters. He was 85 and passed after a battle with hepatocarcinoma.
… via soultracks.com

The well-known performer of Tatar and Turkish music and the first female lawyer from the Tatar ethnicity, Kadriye NURMAMBET, passed away in Bucharest on 31.01.2023. The funeral will take place on Friday, 02/03/2023 at the Central Cemetery in Constanța.
… via radioconstanta.ro

It’s been reported that Ayukawa Makoto of SHEENA & THE ROKKETS passed away on January 29 from pancreatic cancer. He was 74 years old.
… via tokyohive.com

Heddy died of bladder cancer. Her brother, singer Frank Affolter, announced the news of her death on Tuesday on the Private page in De Telegraaf.
… via telegraaf.nl

More than 73 years ago, Barrett Strong, as a singer, declared “Money (That’s What I Want)” — for the first hit single from the Motown empire.
What he actually wound up getting was musical immortality. As a songwriter.
… via hollywoodreporter.com

The exceptional Evgeny Mogilevsky, winner of the 1964 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, has died suddenly.
… via slippedisc.com

The former artist Odd Børre Sørensen has died, aged 83. He was a well-known artist in the 1960s, under the stage name Odd Børre. In 1968 he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Stress”. Odd Børre sang with Kjell Karlsen’s orchestra from 1962–1970. Odd Børre Sørensen fell asleep on Saturday night, with his family around him.
… via nrk.no

Tom Verlaine, who redefined rock guitar in the punk era of the 1970s with his band Television, died Saturday in Manhattan. He was 73.
… via variety.com

Floyd Sneed, the drummer behind Three Dog Night’s remarkable run of singles in the late ’60s and ’70s, including such classic rock favorites as “Joy to the World” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” has died at the age of 80.
… via bestclassicbands.com

Dean Daughtry, the keyboardist and co-founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, has died. He was 76.
… via usatoday.com

Robert Jackson Rohm, age 51, passed away unexpectedly January 24, 2023. He grew up in the Jamestown area and was a 1989 graduate of Southwestern Central School where he was a scholar athlete in track and field.
… via post-journal.com

Carol Sloane, a jazz singer who won early acclaim for her sultry interpretations of classic songs, then emerged decades afterward from near-obscurity with a late-career resurgence that brought her fresh recognition as one of the world’s finest song stylists, died Jan. 23
… via washingtonpost.com

Topham formed The Yardbirds with Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith, Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty in London in May 1963 but left in October. His replacement was Eric Clapton.
… via noise11.com

Nikos Xanthopoulos: He died at the age of 89
The ‘people’s boy’ with a difficult childhood – His film and singing career and personal confessions
… via protothema.gr

With sadness, the Department of Music shares the news that Easley Blackwood Jr. died on January 22, 2023. No close relatives survived him. Easley was born April 21, 1933, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Easley, Sr. and Beecher Blackwood.
… via uchicago.edu

People’s Artist of South Ossetia, pianist, composer, Honored Artist of North Ossetia, laureate of the State Prize of Russia Zhanna Plieva passed away on Sunday after a long illness.
… via cominf.org

Frankfurt dance legend and Jam El Mar protégé passed away. Bernard Greene wins various rap contests, earning him the title BG The Prince Of Rap. Bernard Greene died today in Wiesbaden.
… via protothema.gr

Violinist Michaela Paetsch, the first American woman to have recorded the Paganini 24 Caprices, died on Jan. 20 after a long battle with cancer.
… via violinist.com

Jerry Blavat, the legendary disc jockey known as “The Geator with the Heater” and “The Boss with the Hot Sauce” has died, Action News has learned. He was 82.
… via 6abc.com

In the 57th year, the Soviet and Russian author-performer Vera Votintseva passed away.
She was born on May 30, 1966 in Tobolsk. The daughter of the famous Tobolsk poetess Svetlana Solovyova.
… via stuki-druki.com

The Mexican composer Víctor Rasgado (1959-2023), author of operas known as Anacleto Morones, based on the homonymous story by Juan Rulfo, as well as El Paso del Norte, the children’s opera El conejo y el coyote
… via imagenradio.com.mx

The choir director, composer, radio editor and musicologist Clytus Gottwald is dead. He died on January 18 at the age of 97, the family confirmed to Südwestrundfunk.
… via swr.de

David Crosby, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist who helped shape the sound of Sixties rock and beyond, died Wednesday night at the age of 81. A source close to Crosby confirmed the musician’s death to Rolling Stone, but did not disclose a cause.
… via rollingstone.com

Gary Smith, the producer who owned legendary Boston studio For Apache Studios and worked on records by Pixies, Throwing Muses, Billy Bragg, Blake Babies and more, has died following a short illness.
… via brooklynvegan.com

The French musician Marcel Zanini, great of French jazz and known for his hit “You want or you don’t want”, died Wednesday at the age of 99 in a hospital in Paris, his son, Alain, told AFP. Zannini.
… via lorientlejour.com

His football anthem “Immer wieder Österreich” is a well-known catchy tune for many. But it is only a small branch in the work of the conductor and jazz musician Richard Oesterreicher. The Viennese died on Tuesday at the age of 90.
… via wien.orf

NZ Music Hall of Famer Larry Morris has passed away late on Tuesday night, leaving behind a music career spanning more than 50 years.
Morris was a legend of the New Zealand music scene, who still performed up until recently at local Auckland bars.
… via stuff.co.nz

Van Conner, the Screaming Trees co-founding bassist who played on the rock band’s hits including “All I Know” and “Nearly Lost You,” died Tuesday of pneumonia. He was 55.
… via deadline.com

Georgian pianist, People’s Artist of Georgia, vice-rector of Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatory, professor, director of Georgian Music Competitions Foundation, Manana Doijashvili died at the age of 76.
… via alia.ge

Renowned Australian jazz and soul singer Renée Geyer has died, aged 69. Geyer’s death was confirmed in a statement from Mushroom Group, who said that the singer has passed away today (January 17) from complications following hip surgery.
… via nme.com

American Idol alum C.J. Harris, who placed sixth on the show’s 13th season in 2014, has died. He was 31.
… via people.com

The artist Doris Svensson, known only as Doris, is dead, reports Göteborgs-Posten.
She is mainly known for the hit “Did you give the world some love today baby”.
… via aftonbladet.se

The Georgian actor, singer and political figure Vakhtang Kikabidze died in a Tbilisi hospital on Sunday. The cause of death was not released, but his producer Rati Abzianidze said that Kikabidze had been in poor health for many years.
… via themoscowtimes.com

We received sad news this morning via a post from legendary Blue Magic singer, Ted “Wizard” Mills, that Blue Magic co-founder and longtime member Keith “Duke” Beaton has died. He was 72.
… via soultracks.com

‘World’s most durable DJ’ ‘Uncle’ Ray Cordeiro, a warm voice in the late night hours to generations in Hong Kong, dies at 98
… via scmp.com

Robbie Bachman, co-founding member and drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at the age of 69.
… via consequence.net

Lisa Marie Presley, singer-songwriter and daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, has died. She was 54.
… via people.com

Aurel Mitran, former manager of artists and bands such as Holograf, Iris, Compact or Nicu Alifantis, has died
… via hotnews.ro

Musician Yukihiro Takahashi, a member of the “Yellow Magic Orchestra” (YMO), passed away at 5:59 am on January 11 due to aspiration pneumonia complicated by a brain tumor. His agency announced on the 15th. He is 71 years old.
… via hokkoku.co.jp

Carole Cook, who used a career boost from Lucille Ball to build a career that included three turns on Broadway and roles in Sixteen Candles and The Incredible Mr. Limpet, has died. She was 98.
… via hollywoodreporter.com

Composer Lin Lepei (家林樂培) passed away at the age of 96. He once produced classical music programs for Hong Kong and Taiwan
… via rthk.hk

The artist Haakon Pedersen is dead – he was 64 years old
Known for “Queen of the Night” and “Here Come the Bumbi Bears”
… via aftonbladet.se

Jeff Beck, among the most innovative and certainly the most unpredictable of ’60s guitar heroes, died on Tuesday. He was 78.
… via variety.com

The Valencian composer José Evangelista dies in Montreal.
He was the son-in-law of Matilde Salvador
… via levante-emv.com

Reports suggest that Dennis Budimir passed away on Tuesday 10 December, aged 84. No further details are to hand.
… via soulandjazzandfunk.com

Magnar Mangersnes is dead
Former rector of Bergen Cathedral, Magnar Mangersnes, died on 9 January, aged 84.
… via bt.no

Les Brown Jr., a musician whose entertainment career also included acting, writing, directing and producing, died of cancer Jan. 9 at his home in Branson, Mo, his family announced. He was 82.
… via variety.com

Composer and biophysicist Yoriaki Matsudaira dies
… via asahi.com

President Michael D Higgins has led the tributes to renowned musician Séamus Begley following the news that he has passed away aged 73.
… via irishexaminer.com

Mourning in the world of music: Performer Ala Melnicova “went too soon to the Lord”
… via unimedia.info

The Dresden conductor Siegfried Kurz is dead. As the German Press Agency learned on Wednesday from the musician’s family environment, Kurz died on Sunday at the age of 92 in his hometown
… via rtl.de

Slim Newton dead: Australian country music star known for writing ’70s hit The Redback on the Toilet Seat, dies after battle with dementia
… via newstimesuk.com

The artist Tony Pantano has lost the fight against cancer. He leaves us a leading figure in Italian-Australian cabaret. Born in Messina, he had arrived in Australia with his parents in 1956, at the age of eight.
… via alloranews.com

St. Petersburg singer-songwriter of pro-Soviet and national-patriotic songs Alexander Kharchikov died at the age of 74, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation reported.
… via zaks.ru

He wrote the iconic lyric “It’s better to burn out than to fade away” in Neil Young’s song “My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)” – now he’s dead. Guitarist and songwriter Jeffrey Reid “Jeff” Blackburn died January 6, aged 77.
… via variety.com

Atlanta gospel artist Kevin Lemons has died, his reps confirm.
According to Lemons’ website Lemons was born and raised in Atlanta and began gospel singing in 1996 and created a small gospel group, known as Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling.
… via wsbtv.com

Danny Kaleikini — singer, musician, showroom entertainer, actor and recording artist known as the “Ambassador of Aloha” and for his personal credo, “Aloha ke kahi i ke kahi” (“Love is everywhere. Love is where you find it”) — died in his sleep this morning at St. Francis Hospice in Nuuanu. He was 85.
… via staradvertiser.com

Tributes have been pouring in for former Fair City actress and celebrated opera singer Carol Anne Lowe following her untimely death.
… via evoke.ie

Gordy Harmon, a founding member of the iconic R&B soul group The Whispers, has died at the age of 79.
Family members tell ABC7 that Harmon died in his sleep on Thursday night (Jan. 5) in his LA home. It is believed that he died of natural causes, though he had no serious ailments.
… via getuperica.com

A Grammy-winning recording engineer who has worked in the Nashville music scene for 35 years, Mark Capps, was shot and killed by police in Nashville Thursday afternoon. A spokesperson said he was killed by a SWAT team member after he brandished a gun in his doorway, as police responded to an incident in which Capps had allegedly held his wife and adult stepdaughter captive at gunpoint.
… via variety.com

Zoran Kalezić died today, after a long and serious illness at the age of 73, Kurir learns.
The folk singer has been battling lung cancer since the end of last year, and after learning of the diagnosis, he underwent surgery in a Montenegrin hospital.
… via kurir.rs

Lyricist and poet Beeyar Prasad passed away at Changanassery on Wednesday. He was 62.
… via onmanorama.com

Legendary Bengali singer Sumitra Sen passes away at 89 after battling severe bronchopneumonia
… via freepressjournal.in

Alan Rankine, the Scottish musician and record producer best known as keyboardist and guitarist for rock band the Associates, has died.
… via stv.tv

Notis Mavroudis, a Panhellenic composer, guitarist and radio producer, met his tragic death early this evening, while he was with his wife at their home in Koukourava.
… via koutipandoras.gr

Joseph Koo Ka-fai, a famous composer from Hong Kong passed away in Canada yesterday at the age of 92.
… via dimsumdaily.hk

We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Andrew Downes passed away this morning after battling long term health conditions for most of his life.
… via andrewdownes.com

His fans are now in their 80s. But when they hear his name, their eyes light up and their old bones twitch again. We’re talking about “Kingsize” Taylor, one of the really great British rock musicians of the 1960s, who became famous in Germany primarily through his numerous performances in the legendary Star Club
… via mopo.de

Former OVERKILL and ANVIL guitarist Sebastian Marino has died at the age of 57.
According to Sebastian’s friend Bruce Pilato, Marino died suddenly in the early hours of January 1 after being rushed to a hospital while doing a sound job on New Year’s Eve in Florida.
… via blabbermouth.net

Memphis rapper and Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo died on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
Lola Mitchell, 43, otherwise known as “Gangsta Boo” was found dead at approximately 4 p.m.
… via fox13memphis.com

Havana, Jan 1 (Prensa Latina) The prominent Cuban musician Lázaro Valdés Espinosa died on Sunday at the age of 83, according to the Cuban Institute of Music (ICM, in Spanish).
… via plenglish.com

Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White has died, the band and White’s brother, Verdine, announced yesterday (January 1). No cause of death was given. Fred White was 67.
… via pitchfork.com