Jazz Notables We Lost in 2025

For many years now, we've collected brief lists of important jazz figures who passed in the previous year. This year it might suffice simply to point you to Andrey Henkin's remarkable Jazz Passings website, which has much more depth on the jazz musicians listed below, and many others.

So what follows is effectively just a cryptic index. The first list covers individuals specifically involved with jazz -- musicians, of course, but also songwriters, producers, some label operators, and several writers and media people. The second list looks beyond jazz, but is much less comprehensive. Some more sources are cited at the end.

• Larry Appelbaum, 67, American audio engineer and jazz historian [02-21
• Roy Ayers, 84, American musician and composer [03-03]
• Andy Bey, 85, American jazz singer and pianist [04-26]
• Tony Bianco, 72, American jazz drummer and composer [09-14]
• Joseph Daley, 75, American jazz musician and composer [08-03]
• Francis Davis, 78, American author and journalist [04-14]
• Jack DeJohnette, 83, American jazz drummer, pianist and composer [10-26]
• Ray Drummond, 78, American jazz bassist and teacher [11-01]
• Thomas Sayers Ellis, 61, American poet, photographer and musician [07-17]
• Al Foster, 82, American jazz drummer [05-28]
• George Freeman, 97, American jazz guitarist [04-01]
• Hal Galper, 87, American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader [07-18]
• Bunky Green, 91, American jazz alto saxophonist [03-01]
• Sheila Jordan, 96, American jazz singer [08-11]
• Theo Jörgensmann, 77, German jazz clarinetist [10-03]
• Brian Kellock, 63, Scottish jazz pianist [05-27]
• Nancy King, 85, American jazz singer [08-03]
• Cleo Laine, 97, English jazz singer [07-24]
• Jim McNeely, 76, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger [09-26]
• Louis Moholo, 85, South African jazz drummer [06-13]
• Hermeto Pascoal, 89, Brazilian jazz musician [09-13]
• Abbey Rader, 81, American jazz drummer [09-29]
• Mike Ratledge, 81, British musician (Soft Machine) [02-03]
• Akiko Tsuruga, 58, Japanese jazz composer and keyboardist [09-13]
• Phil Upchurch, 84, American jazz and blues guitarist [11-23]
• Michal Urbaniak, 82, Polish jazz musician [12-20]
• Mike Wofford, 87, American jazz pianist, hyponatremia [09-19]

A second, briefer list looks beyond jazz to other forms of music:

• Jerry Butler, 85, American Hall of Fame soul singer-songwriter, musician (The Impressions) [02-20]
• Junior Byles, 77, Jamaican reggae singer [05-15]
• Joseph Byrd, 87, American musician (The United States of America), songwriter [11-02]
• Lou Christie, 82, American singer-songwriter [06-18]
• Jimmy Cliff, 81, Jamaican Hall of Fame reggae singer-songwriter and actor [11-24]
• D'Angelo, 51, American singer-songwriter [10-14]
• Joe Ely, 78, American musician (The Flatlanders) [12-15]
• Marianne Faithfull, 78, English singer, songwriter and actress [01-30]
• Roberta Flack, 88, American singer [02-24]
• Connie Francis, 87, American pop singer [07-16]
• Garth Hudson, 87, Canadian musician (The Band) and keyboardist [01-21]
• Michael Hurley, 83, American folk singer-songwriter [04-01]
• Flaco Jiménez, 86, American musician (Texas Tornados, Los Super Seven) [07-31]
• David Johansen, 75, American musician (New York Dolls), singer [02-28]
• Tom Lehrer, 97, American singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician [07-26]
• Raul Malo, 60, American musician (The Mavericks) and songwriter [12-10]
• Gwen McCrae, 81, American singer [02-21]
• Melba Montgomery, 86, American country singer and songwriter [01-15]
• Sam Moore, 89, American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter (Sam & Dave) [01-10]
• Max Romeo, 80, Jamaican reggae musician [04-11]
Jeannie Seely, 85, American singer [08-01]
• Todd Snider, 59, American singer-songwriter [11-14]
• Sly Stone, 82, American Hall of Fame musician (Sly and the Family Stone) and songwriter [06-03]
• Foday Musa Suso, 75, Gambian musician and composer [05-25]
• David Thomas, 71, American singer (Rocket from the Tombs, Pere Ubu) and songwriter [04-23]
• Mark Volman, 78, American musician (The Turtles, Flo & Eddie) [09-03]
• Joe Louis Walker, 75, American blues musician [04-30]
• Bobby Whitlock, 77, American singer, songwriter and musician [08-10]
• Brian Wilson, 82, American musician (The Beach Boys), songwriter [06-11]
• Peter Yarrow, 86, American singer (Peter, Paul and Mary) and songwriter [01-03]

Some sources for more extensive and detailed lists: