Notable musicians who passed away this year include:
- Brian Wilson (June 11): The co-founder and "musical genius" of The Beach Boys died at age 82.
- Ozzy Osbourne (July 22): The iconic Black Sabbath frontman and "Godfather of Heavy Metal" died at age 76 shortly after a final farewell performance.
- Roberta Flack (February 24): The four-time Grammy-winning soul singer, known for "Killing Me Softly with His Song," passed away at age 88 from complications of ALS.
- Sly Stone (June 9): The influential frontman of Sly and the Family Stone died at the age of 82.
- Ace Frehley (October 16): The original KISS lead guitarist and "Spaceman" died at age 74 due to unspecified medical issues.
- Jimmy Cliff (November 24): The legendary Jamaican reggae pioneer and star of The Harder They Come passed away at age 81.
- Garth Hudson (January 21): The multi-instrumentalist and last surviving original member of The Band died in his sleep at age 87.
- Marianne Faithfull (January 30): The iconic British singer-songwriter and actress, known for her association with the Rolling Stones and her own influential solo career, died at age 78.
- Sam Moore (January 10): Half of the legendary soul duo Sam & Dave, he died at age 89.
- Rick Davies (September 6): Co-founder and lead singer of Supertramp, whose voice defined hits like "The Logical Song," died at 81 after a battle with myeloma.
- John Lodge (October): The longtime bassist, vocalist, and songwriter for The Moody Blues passed away at age 82.
- DāAngelo (October 14): The neo-soul pioneer died privately at age 51 after a secret battle with pancreatic cancer.
- Sam Rivers (October 18): The founding bassist of Limp Bizkit passed away at age 48.
- Peter Yarrow (January 7): A member of the influential folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, he died at age 86 after battling bladder cancer.
I guess the deaths that impacted me the most were of Garth Hudson and John Lodge. The Band and The Moody Blues were two of my favorite bands when I was young.