It’s always sad when our favorite musicians pass away, and we had to say goodbye to several artists in 2024 who made a huge impact on music.
Grateful Dead fans were shocked when it was announced that bassist Phil Lesh died on Oct. 25 at age 84. Lesh, who co-founded the iconic jam band with Jerry Garcia, Bobby Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, cowrote several of the band’s iconic tunes, including “Truckin'” and “Box of Rain.”
Another great loss to the music world happened on April 18 when Allman Brothers Band founding member Dickey Betts died at the age of 80.
Betts, who cofounded the group in 1969 along with brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson, wrote and sang lead on songs like “Ramblin’ Man,” their only top-10 hit, and “Blue Sky.” He also composed their well-known instrumentals, including “Jessica” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”
Here’s a list of the many other music figures who died in 2024, in chronological order:
Jan. 9: Former Scorpions drummer James Kottak, also a member of the German hard rock band Kingdom Come, 61
Feb. 2: MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 75
April 24: Mike Pinder, keyboardist, vocalist and founding member of The Moody Blues, 82
April 30: Guitar great Duane Eddy, who had 15 top-40 singles throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s, 86
May 1: ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, who appeared on all of ELO’s records since 1973’s ELO 2, 76
May 7: Music producer Steve Albini, who produced Nirvana’s In Utero, 61
May 9: Dennis Thompson, drummer for MC5, who, like his bandmate Wayne Kramer, was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 75
May 12: Saxophonist David Sanborn, who performed and recorded with a whole host of musicians, including David Bowie, James Taylor and Eric Clapton, 78
May 24: Iron Butterfly founder and lead vocalist Doug Ingle, who co-wrote their signature song, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” 78
July 22: John Mayall, British blues and rock musician and mentor to Eric Clapton, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 90
Aug. 7: Jack Russell, frontman for the band Great White, 63
Aug. 13: Greg Kihn, best known for hits like “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song,” 75
Sept. 17: JD Souther, solo artist and co-writer of many hits for the Eagles, like “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “Heartache Tonight” and “Victim of Love,” 78
Sept. 28: Kris Kristofferson, singer, songwriter and actor, best known for such songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” 88
Oct. 6: Johnny Neel, a member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band, 70
Oct. 21: Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the metal band’s first two albums, 66
Nov. 13: Shel Talmy, the producer who oversaw seminal early recordings by The Who and The Kinks, 87
Nov. 14: Peter Sinfield, King Crimson songwriter and lyricist, 80
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