The 1960s were dominated by headlines about the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, and the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King. In the midst of all this madness, mankind took a giant leap and set foot on the moon.
Above all the major news events, the 60s has perhaps become most well remembered for the early beginnings of the counterculture movement. Summarised perfectly by Timothy Leary as he preached to 30,000 ‘hippies’ in Golden Gate Park in 1967: “Turn Up, Tune In, Drop Out.
The relaxing of social norms around drugs, sexuality, and fashion led to massive cultural change, and with it, taste in popular music. The British Invasion began with the Beatles, Motown was steaming ahead with Marvin Gaye, psychedelic rock pioneers Jefferson Airplane were doing all sorts of experiments, and Bob Dylan was introducing the world to his style of folk music.
Unfortunately, though – the 60s saw the passing of several notable musicians including Nat King Cole, Otis Redding, Woodie Guthrie, and John Coltrane.
In the list below we have compiled a comprehensive database of deaths in Rock & Roll during the 1960s. It contains performers, producers, songwriters, and other people who played an important role in music.
Scroll through this iconic ‘coming and going’ of some of history’s finest musicians!
List Of Deaths In Rock And Roll (1960s)
| Name | Famous For | Date | Age | Location | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Belvin | February 6, 1960 | 27 | Hope, Arkansas, U.S. | Car accident | |
| Gene Alford | The Four Knights | April 2, 1960 | 37 | Unknown | |
| Forest City Joe | April 3, 1960 | 33 | Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas, U.S. | Car crash | |
| Beverly Kenney | April 13, 1960 | 28 | Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S. | Suicide by alcohol and secobarbital overdose | |
| Eddie Cochran | April 17, 1960 | 21 | Chippenham, Wiltshire, England | Car crash | |
| Smokey Hogg | May 1, 1960 | 46 | McKinney, Texas, U.S. | Unknown cancer | |
| Eli Oberstein | Producer & Executive | June 12, 1960 | 58 | Westport, Connecticut, U.S. | Lymphatic cancer |
| Johnny Horton | November 5, 1960 | 35 | Milano, Texas, U.S. | Car crash | |
| A. P. Carter Carter Family | November 7, 1960 | 68 | Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. | Unknown | |
| Kelsey Pharr | The Delta Rhythm Boys | April 20, 1961 | 44 | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | Unknown cancer/ Severe illness |
| Sticks McGhee | August 15, 1961 | 43 | The Bronx, New York, U.S. | Lung cancer | |
| Stuart Sutcliffe The Beatles | April 10, 1962 | 21 | Hamburg, West Germany | Cerebral paralysis due to aneurysm; | |
| Marilyn Monroe | August 4, 1962 | 36 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Complications of a barbiturate overdose (Suspicious) | |
| Patsy Cline | March 5, 1963 | 30 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash | |
| Cowboy Copas | March 5, 1963 | 49 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash | |
| Hawkshaw Hawkins | March 5, 1963 | 41 | Camden, Tennessee, U.S. | 1963 Camden PA-24 crash | |
| Elmore James | May 24, 1963 | 45 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Daddy Stovepipe | November 1, 1963 | 96 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Bronchial pneumonia after a gallbladder operation | |
| Dinah Washington | December 14, 1963 | 39 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Complications of a drug overdose | |
| Cyril Davies | January 7, 1964 | 31 | Eel Pie Island, London, England | Endocarditis and leukaemia | |
| Rudy Lewis The Drifters | May 20, 1964 | 27 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Died in his sleep/Asphyxiation | |
| Meade Lux Lewis | June 7, 1964 | 58 | Minneapolla, Minnesota, U.S. | Car crash | |
| Eric Dolphy | June 29, 1964 | 36 | Berlin, Germany | Complications from diabetes | |
| Jim Reeves | July 31, 1964 | 40 | Davidson County, Tennessee, U.S. | Plane crash | |
| Johnny Burnette | The Rock and Roll Trio | August 14, 1964 | 30 | Clear Lake, California, U.S. | Drowned following a serious boating accident |
| Tiny Topsy | August 16, 1964 | 34 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Brain hemorrhage | |
| Gracie Allen | August 27, 1964 | 69 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Joe Henderson | October 24, 1964 | 27 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Buster Pickens | November 24, 1964 | 48 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Gunshot wound | |
| Sam Cooke | The Soul Stirrers | December 11, 1964 | 33 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Shot by Bertha Franklin |
| Alan Freed | January 20, 1965 | 43 | Palm Springs, California, U.S. | Uremia and cirrhosis of the liver | |
| Nat King Cole | February 15, 1965 | 45 | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | Lung cancer | |
| Sonny Boy Williamson II | May 25, 1965 | 52 | Helena, Arkansas, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Bill Black | October 21, 1965 | 39 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | Brain tumor | |
| Mike Millward | Rhythm guitarist for The Fourmost | March 7, 1966 | 24 | Leukemia/Blood cancer | |
| Jazz Gillum | March 29, 1966 | 61 | Chicago. Illinois, U.S. | Gunshot wound | |
| Richard Fariña | April 30, 1966 | 29 | Carmel Valley, California, U.S. | Motorcycle accident | |
| Bobby Fuller | The Bobby Fuller Four | July 18, 1966 | 23 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (Suspicious) |
| Peg Leg Howell | August 11, 1966 | 78 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Complications from diabetes | |
| Dave Lambert | Lambert, Hendricks & Ross | October 3, 1966 | 49 | Connecticut Turnpike, Connecticut, U.S. | Car crash |
| Johnny Kidd | October 7, 1966 | 30 | Bury, Lancashire, England | Car crash | |
| Smiley Lewis | October 7, 1966 | 53 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Stomach cancer | |
| Mississippi John Hurt | November 2, 1966 | 74 | Grenada, Mississippi, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Moon Mullican | January 1, 1967 | 57 | Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Joe Meek | February 3, 1967 | 37 | London, England | Suicide by gunshot | |
| Fats Pichon | February 25, 1967 | 60 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Unknown | |
| LaVerne Andrews | The Andrew Sisters | May 8, 1967 | 55 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown cancer |
| Elmo Hope | May 19, 1967 | 43 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart failure | |
| John Coltrane | July 17, 1967 | 40 | Huntington, New York, U.S. | Liver cancer and hepatitis B | |
| Brian Epstein | August 27, 1967 | 32 | London, England | Accidental drug overdose | |
| Rex Stewart | September 7, 1967 | 60 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Brain hemorrhage | |
| Woody Guthrie | October 3, 1967 | 55 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Huntington's Disease | |
| Peter Bocage | December 3, 1967 | 80 | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | Unknown | |
| Bert Lahr | Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz | December 4, 1967 | 72 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Pneumonia/Unknown cancer |
| Otis Redding | December 10, 1967 | 26 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash | |
| Ronnie Caldwell | The Bar-Keys | December 10, 1967 | 18 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Phalon Jones | The Bar-Keys | December 10, 1967 | 18-19 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Jimmy King | The Bar-Keys | December 10, 1967 | 18 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Carl Cunningham | The Bar-Keys | December 10, 1967 | 18-19 | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | Plane crash |
| Robin Roberts | The Wailers | December 22, 1967 | 27 | San Mateo County, California, U.S. | Car crash |
| Bert Berns | December 30, 1967 | 38 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Heart failure | |
| Little Walter | February 15, 1968 | 37 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Coronary thrombosis due to injuries sustained when he was beaten | |
| Frankie Lymon | Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers | February 27, 1968 | 25 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Complications of a heroin overdose |
| Syd Nathan | March 5, 1968 | 63 | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | Pneumonia | |
| Bumps Myers | April 9, 1968 | 55 | Los Angeles California, U.S. | Several health conditions | |
| Lester Melrose | Record producer | April 12, 1968 | 76 | Lake, Florida, U.S. | Unknown |
| Manuel Fernández | Los Bravos | May 20, 1968 | 23 | Seville, Spain | Suicide by hanging (Debatable) |
| Little Willie John | May 26, 1968 | 30 | Walla Walla, Washington, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Bumble Bee Slim | June 8, 1968 | 63 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Unknown | |
| Wes Montgomery | June 15, 1968 | 45 | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Luther Perkins | August 5, 1968 | 40 | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | Smoke inhalation | |
| Joe Hinton | August 13, 1968 | 38 | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | Melanoma/Skin cancer | |
| Malcolm Hale | Spanky and Our Gang | October 31, 1968 | 27 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Either Bronchial Pneumonia or accidental carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Red Foley | September 19, 1968 | 58 | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | Died in his sleep/Respiratory failure | |
| Kokomo Arnold | November 8, 1968 | 67-72 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| Dickie Pride | March 26, 1969 | 27 | London, England | Complications from a barbiturate overdose | |
| Benny Benjamin | The Funk Brothers | April 20, 1969 | 43 | New York City, New York, U.S. | Stroke/No brain activity |
| Don Drummond | May 6, 1969 | 37 | Kingston, Jamaica | Suicide | |
| Martin Lamble | Fairport Convention | May 12, 1969 | 19 | Scratchwood Services, M1 Motorway, England | Car crash |
| Judy Garland | Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz | June 22, 1969 | 47 | London, England | Complications of a Barbiturate Overdose |
| Shorty Long | June 29, 1969 | 29 | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Drowned | |
| Brian Jones | The Rolling Stones | July 3, 1969 | 27 | Hartfield, East Sussex, England | Drowned due to liver disfunction and ingestion |
| Wynonie Harris | July 4, 1969 | 53 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Esophageal cancer | |
| Roy Hamilton | July 20, 1969 | 40 | New Rochelle, New York, U.S. | Stroke/Massive brain hemorrhage | |
| Alexandra | July 31, 1969 | 27 | Tellingstedt, Germany | Road accident | |
| Skip James | October 3, 1969 | 67 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Unknown cancer | |
| Leonard Chess | Record producer, record company executive and co-founder of Chess Records | October 16, 1969 | 52 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Cardiac arrest |
| Tommy Edwards | October 22, 1969 | 47 | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | Bleeding ulcer linked to cirrhosis of the liver | |
| Pops Foster | October 29, 1969 | 77 | San Francisco, California, U.S. | Unknown | |
| Ivory "Deek" Watson | The 4 Tunes, The Brown Dots, The Ink Spots | November 4, 1969 | 60 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Unknown |
| Magic Sam | December 1, 1969 | 32 | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | Heart attack | |
| James "Stump" Johnson | December 5, 1969 | 67 | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Esophageal cancer |
Raised on a diet of ’60s and 70s rock, Erik is a Hi-Fi enthusiast with a musical taste broader than a barn door. A wordsmith with a keen interest in the history behind the musicians - Erik is our key Rocks Off storyteller.
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