List of murdered musicians

Many musicians have been murdered during their active career. Most of the musicians had been shot or stabbed to death. Some of them have received extensive media attention, including the assassination of John Lennon in 1980, the killing of Marvin Gaye in 1984, the murder of Selena in 1995, the murder of Tupac Shakur in 1996, the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. in 1997, the murder of Christina Grimmie in 2016, the murder of XXXTentacion in 2018, the murder of Pop Smoke in 2020, and the assassination of Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. Others have received less media attention, including the murder of Bryan Harvey, who was killed during the 2006 Richmond spree murders.

For hip hop musicians see: list of murdered hip hop musicians.

Murdered musicians

Below is a list of notable murders of musicians.

NameKnown asDate of murderAgeSite of deathPerpetratorMethod of murderCreditRef.
Alessandro Stradella25 February 168238Genoa, ItalyUnknownStabbingClassical composer[1]
Jean-Marie Leclair22 October 176467Paris, FranceClassical composer and violinist[2]
Clarence SmithPinetop Smith15 March 192924Chicago, Illinois, USShootingBoogie-woogie pianist[3]
Alejandro García Caturla12 November 194034Havana, CubaUnknownClassical composer
Anton Webern15 September 194561Vienna, AustriaPfc. Raymond Norwood BellShooting[4]
John WilliamsonSonny Boy Williamson1 June 194834Chicago, Illinois, USUnknownBlues singer[5]
Francis BlackwellScrapper Blackwell7 October 196259Indianapolis, Indiana, USBlues guitarist, composer
Marc Blitzstein22 January 196458MartiniqueThree menBeatingClassical/musical theatre composer[6]
Sam Cooke11 December 196433Los Angeles, California, USBertha FranklinShootingSoul singer-songwriter
James "Shep" Sheppard 24 January 1970 34 Long Island, New York Unknown Doo-Wop singer
Darrell Banks 24 February 1970 32 Detroit, Michigan, US Aaron Bullock Soul singer
Curtis OusleyKing Curtis13 August 197137New York City, USJuan MontanezStabbingJazz saxophonist[7]
Lee Morgan19 February 197233New York City, USHelen MorganShootingJazz trumpeter
Víctor Lidio Jara MartínezVíctor Jara16 September 197340Santiago, ChileChilean military officersShooting and tortureSinger-songwriter
David AkemanStringbean10 November 197358Ridgetop, Tennessee, USJohn A. Brown and Marvin Douglas BrownShootingCountry banjo player[8]
Al Jackson Jr.1 October 197539Memphis, Tennessee, USUnknownR&B, funk and soul drummer[9]
Eddie Jefferson9 May 197960Detroit, Michigan, USVocalese[10]
Jannie PoughtSeptember 198034New Jersey, USStabbingR&B singer[11]
John Lennon8 December 198040New York City, USMark David ChapmanShootingRock and pop artist
Rusty Day3 June 198236Longwood, Florida, USUnknownShootingRock Singer
Claude Vivier7 March 198334Paris, FrancePascal DolzanStabbingClassical composer[12]
Felix Pappalardi17 April 198343New York City, USGail PappalardiShootingRock artist[13]
Prince Far IKing Cry Cry15 September 198339Kingston, JamaicaUnknownReggae vocalist/producer[14]
Hugh Mundell14 October 198321Kingston, JamaicaRicardo CodringtonReggae singer
Walter Notheis Jr.Walter Scott27 December 198340St. Peters, Missouri, USJames H. Williams Sr.Rock and roll singer
Marvin Gaye1 April 198444Los Angeles, California, USMarvin Gay Sr.ShootingR&B singer
Lenny Breau12 August 198443Los Angeles, California, USUnknownStranglingGuitarist[15]
Carly Barrett17 April 198736Kingston, JamaicaGlenroy Carter and Junior NeilShootingReggae drummer
Gary Driscoll8 June 198741Ithaca, New York, U.S.UnknownShootingDrummer
Winston Hubert McIntoshPeter Tosh11 September 198742Kingston, JamaicaDennis Lobban and two other individualsShooting and tortureReggae artist
John Pastorius IIIJaco Pastorius21 September 198735Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USLuc HavanBeaten (barfight), brain hemorrhageJazz bassist
Amar Singh Chamkila Chamkila 8 March 1988 27 Mehsampur, Punjab, India Unknown Shooting Punjabi singer
Michael David FullerBlaze Foley1 February 198939Austin, Texas, USCarey JanuaryCountry, folk singer-songwriter[16]
Osbourne RuddockKing Tubby6 February 198948Kingston, JamaicaUnknownReggae sound engineer[17]
Belgin SarılmışerBergen14 August 198931Pozantı, TurkeyHalis SerbestArabseque Singer, actress[18]
Cornell Gunter26 February 199053Las Vegas, Nevada, USUnknownR&B singer
Andrzej Zaucha10 October 199142Kraków, PolandYves GoulaisR&B singer, saxophonist
Chris Bender3 November 199119Brockton, Massachusetts, USEroy KindellR&B singer[19]
Dave Rowbotham8 November 199133Manchester, EnglandUnknownBludgeoning with hammerRock musician
Rosalino Sánchez FélixChalino Sanchez16 May 199231Culiacán, MexicoShootingNarcocorrido singer[20]
Willie Irving Gaston JuniorHeavy One29 September 199224Eaton Road, Barry Farms, Southeast DC, USBassist and drummer of the Junk Yard Band[21]
Mia Zapata7 July 199327Seattle, Washington, USJesus MezquiaStranglingRock singer[22]
Don Myrick30 July 199353Los Angeles, California, USPolice Officer Gary BarbaroShootingJazz saxophonist[23]
Øystein AarsethEuronymous10 August 199325Oslo, NorwayVarg VikernesStabbingBlack metal guitarist
Rhett Forrester22 January 199437Atlanta, Georgia, USUnknownShootingHeavy metal musician[24]
Hasni ChakrounCheb Hasni29 September 199426Oran, AlgeriaArmed Islamic Group of AlgeriaRaï singer
Selena Quintanilla-PérezSelena31 March 199523Corpus Christi, Texas, USYolanda SaldívarShootingTejano singer
Tupac ShakurTupac; 2Pac; Makaveli13 September 199625Las Vegas, Nevada, USOrlando Anderson (suspected)ShootingRapper
Christopher WallaceThe Notorious B.I.G.; Biggie Smalls; Frank White 9 March 199724Los Angeles, California, USWardell "Poochie" Fouse (suspected)ShootingRapper
Gulshan Kumar12 August 199746Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaUnknownShootingBhajan singer
Lounès Matoub25 June 199842Aït Aissi, Tizi Ouzou, AlgeriaArmed Islamic Group of AlgeriaKabyle music singer
James "Jimmy" EllisOrion 12 December 199853Orrville, Alabama, USJeffery LeeRock singer[25]
Jaki Byard11 February 199976New York City, USUnknownJazz pianist
Roger Troutman25 April 199947Dayton, Ohio, USLarry TroutmanFunk musician
John Whitehead11 May 200455Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USTwo unknown menR&B singer[26]
Darrell AbbottDimebag Darrell; Diamond Darrell 8 December 200438Columbus, Ohio, USNathan GaleShootingHeavy metal guitarist
Bryan Harvey1 January 200649Richmond, Virginia, USRay Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Javon GrayBlunt-force traumaFolk rock singer/guitarist
Valentín Elizalde25 November 200627Reynosa, MexicoUnknownShootingBanda singer[27]
Winston Riley19 January 201268Kingston, JamaicaRocksteady/reggae singer and producer
Natalia StrelchenkoNatalia Strelle30 August 201538Manchester, EnglandJohn MartinHead trauma, strangulationClassical pianist[28]
Christina Grimmie10 June 201622Orlando, Florida, USKevin James LoiblShootingPop singer
Amjad Sabri22 June 201639Karachi, PakistanPakistani TalibanQawwali singer[29]
Jahseh OnfroyXXXTentacion18 June 201820Deerfield Beach, Florida, USFour men indicted[30][31]ShootingRapper and singer[32]
Bashar JacksonPop Smoke19 February 202020Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USThree men and two minors indicted[33]ShootingRapper[34]
Andrea MeyerNebelhexe13 October 202152Kongsberg, NorwayEspen Andersen BråthenStabbingRock and electronic singer[35]
Shubhdeep Singh SidhuSidhu Moose Wala29 May 202228Mansa, Punjab, IndiaUnknownShootingRapper and singer[36]
Rakim AllenPnB Rock12 September 202230Los Angeles, California, USTwo men and one minor indictedShootingRapper and singer
Yurii Kerpatenko16 October 202246Kherson Oblast, UkraineRussian soldiersClassical conductor, accordionist[37]
Ian Watkins11 October 202548HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, EnglandTwo men indicted[38]StabbingRock singer and convicted pedophile[38]
Talay Riley5 June 202635Silvertown, London, EnglandThree men indictedR&B singer[39]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gianturco, Carolyn. "Alessandro Stradella (1639–1682)". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Sadler, Graham, Leclair, Jean-Marie, in Sadie, Stanley (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, New York, Grove (Oxford University Press), 1997, II, pp. 1118–1119 (ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2)
  3. ↑ Pinetop Smith
  4. ↑ Moldenhauer, Hans (1961). The Death of Anton Webern: A Drama in Documents. New York: Philosophical Library. OCLC 512111.
  5. ↑ "Sonny Boy Williamson". Biography.com.
  6. ↑ Shewey, Don (16 July 1989). "'Moonlight' and Marxism". The New York Times Book Review.
  7. ↑ Kernfield, Barry Dean. New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Grove's Dictionaries. p. 544.
  8. ↑ "Stringbean Akeman's killer free on parole". The Tennessean. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Lisle, Andria (25 November 2015). "Memphis sunset: The Mysterious death of Stax heartbeat Al Jackson, Jr". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Eddie Jefferson, 60, Jazz Lyricist, Slain After Leaving Detroit Club". The New York Times. 10 May 1979.
  11. ↑ Hickey, Andrew (25 November 2019). "Episode 58: "Mr. Lee" by the Bobbettes". A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Gilmore, Bob (2014). Claude Vivier. A Composer's Life. University of Rochester Press. ISBN 978-1580464857.
  13. ↑ Katel, Jacob (14 September 2010). "Top 10 Murdered Musicians You've Never Heard Of". Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  14. ↑ http://reggaelicious.pbworks.com
  15. ↑ Forbes-Robert, Ron. (2006). "One Long Tune: the life and music of Lenny Breau". Denton, TX. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 1-57441-210-8.
  16. ↑ "Blaze Foley: Killing of a Songwriter". 7 October 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, pp. 138–141
  18. ↑ "Acıların Kadını: Bergen – CafeMedyam – Haber Platformu". 5 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Sandy Coleman (9 November 1991). "500 mourn slain Brockton singer In eulogy, minister urges youth to shun drugs, violence". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  20. ↑ POV (17 January 2006). "El Valiente: Chalino Sánchez - Al Otro Lado". PBS. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  21. ↑ Avis Thomas-Lester (16 October 1992). "SLAIN GO-GO DRUMMER EULOGIZED". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  22. ↑ Tizon, Alex (23 August 1998). "Who Murdered Mia Zapata? No Arrests, Few Clues 5 Years After Slaying". Seattle Times.
  23. ↑ Chazanov, Mathis (15 August 1993). "Questions Cloud Life, Death of Saxophonist". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  24. ↑ Katel, Jacob (14 September 2010). "Top 10 Murdered Musicians You've Never Heard Of". Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  25. ↑ "Alabama inmate fighting execution killed world famous masked Elvis impersonator in 1998 double murder". Alabama Local News. 10 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "R&B singer John Whitehead shot to death". TODAY.com. 12 May 2004. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "Mexico: Musician killed for his drug related lyrics". Freemuse. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015.
  28. ↑ "Natalia Strelchenko murder: 'Jealous' husband John Martin jailed", BBC News, 21 March 2016, retrieved 22 March 2016
  29. ↑ Ali, Imtiaz (22 June 2016). "Famed qawwal Amjad Sabri gunned down in Karachi". Dawn.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  30. ↑ "Four men indicted in murder of Florida rapper XXXTentacion". Reuters. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  31. ↑ Neal, David J.; Teproff, Carli (19 July 2018). "Rapper XXXTentacion had $50,000. Four men have been indicted for killing him to get it". Miami Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  32. ↑ Margol, Andrea Torres, Amanda Batchelor, Ian (19 June 2018). "Rapper XXXTentacion killed in Deerfield Beach shooting". local10.com. Retrieved 19 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ Queally, James (13 July 2020). "Four charged with murder in slaying of rapper Pop Smoke". Los Angeles Times.
  34. ↑ "Rapper Pop Smoke Murdered In Home Invasion ...By 4 Masked Gunmen". TMZ. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021.
  35. ↑ Meyer, Andrea (20 November 2021). "Metal Musician Andrea Meyer Dies in Bow-and-Arrow Attack: What We Know". popculture. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  36. ↑ Moose Wala, Sidhu. "Sidhu Moose Wala: Murder of popular Indian singer sparks anger". BBC. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  37. ↑ "Russian troops kill Ukrainian musician for refusing role in Kherson concert". the Guardian. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  38. 1 2 "Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies in prison attack as two men arrested". www.bbc.com. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  39. ↑ "Singer-songwriter to the stars Talay Riley stabbed to death in London". 8 June 2026.
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