D’Angelo, Roberta Flack, Ozzy Osbourne, and Brian Wilson were just some of the creative geniuses who died this past year
The music world lost some massive names in 2025. Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Sly Stone, Roberta Flack, Jeannie Seely, Raul Malo, Todd Snider, Jimmy Cliff, Steve Cropper, and Marianne Faithful are just some of those who died this past year. We remember them here.
Brian Wilson
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The Beach Boys co-founder was one of America’s greatest songwriters and a composer of “teenage symphonies to God” who invented a massively successful sound full of harmonies and sunshine. Read our tribute.
Ozzy Osbourne
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The Black Sabbath singer, heavy-metal pioneer, and reality-TV star died just weeks after a massive farewell concert. Read our tribute.
Sly Stone
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The wildly inventive musician and singer uplifted crowds by fusing funk, rock, and soul, but faced personal demons later on. Read our tribute.
D’Angelo
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Soul’s modern visionary released three albums — Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah — that were all revered as contemporary classics. Read our tribute.
Ace Frehley
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The wild Spaceman guitarist of Kiss played with the group from their inception in 1973 until 1982, and then again during their reunion period in the Nineties. Read our tribute.
Jimmy Cliff
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The reggae giant and “original rude boy” helped spread the genre’s reach from Jamaica to the world with The Harder They Come and hits like “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Wild World.” Read our tribute.
Roberta Flack
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The mellifluous Grammy-winning vocalist scored hits with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Read our tribute.
Connie Francis
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The first female artist to ever top the Hot 100, Francis, known for “Where the Boys Are,” recently scored a viral TikTok hit thanks to 1962’s “Pretty Little Baby.” Read our tribute.
Clem Burke
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The Blondie drummer was “the heartbeat” of the band and also played on albums by Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, and Bob Dylan. Read our tribute.
Marianne Faithfull
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The Rolling Stones muse and 1960s It girl behind songs like “As Tears Go By” found a stunning second act as a singer-songwriter. Read our tribute.
Raul Malo
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The frontman and co-founder of the country-rock band Mavericks was known for his dynamic, operatic singing style and gregarious stage presence. Read our tribute.
Todd Snider
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The charming, roguish singer-songwriter helped shape alt-country and Americana music with albums like 2004’s East Nashville Skyline. Read our tribute.
Steve Cropper
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The Stax Records guitarist played on and co-wrote classics like “Green Onions,” “In the Midnight Hour,” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” Read our tribute.
Donna Jean Godchaux
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The Grateful Dead singer spent the Seventies with the legendary group, and she also sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge. Read our tribute.
Eddie Palmieri
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The visionary pianist was a Latin music giant, known for pioneering styles of salsa and Latin jazz and creating one of the most monumental tropical music catalogs. Read our tribute.
Jill Sobule
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The songwriter’s 1995 hit “I Kissed a Girl” became the first openly gay song to break the Top 20 of Billboard‘s Modern Rock chart. Read our tribute.
Cleto Escobedo III
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The childhood friend of talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel served as his longtime bandleader. Read our tribute.
Sam Rivers
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The founding bassist of Limp Bizkit was mourned by the band: “Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat.” Read our tribute.
Gary “Mani” Mounfield
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The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist was revered by artists like Oasis’s Liam Gallagher. Read our tribute.
Brent Hinds
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The co-founder of the heavy-metal band Mastodon played with the group for 25 years before his departure earlier this year. Read our tribute.
Garth Hudson
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The Band’s keyboard player was a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist who remained an in-demand player among young musicians. Read our tribute.
Dave Burgess
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The guitarist and leader of the Champs helped displace Elvis Presley from the Number One position on Billboard with their song “Tequila.” Read our tribute.
Wayne Osmond
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The member of the Osmonds singing family was a singer and guitarist who performed alongside his musical siblings for nearly 50 years. Read our tribute.
Barry Goldberg
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Joe Ely
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The progressive country singer, also a member of the Flatlanders, was at the forefront of Austin’s eclectic country-rock scene and toured with the Clash. Read our tribute.
Rick Davies
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Supertramp’s singer and keyboardist co-wrote many of the pop-rock group’s biggest songs, including “Goodbye Stranger,” “Breakfast in America,” and “Bloody Well Right.” Read our tribute.
Brenton Wood
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The soul singer had a hit with 1967’s “The Oogum Boogum Song,” which has featured on films and television shows including Almost Famous and Don’t Worry Darling. Read our tribute.
Sam Moore
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One half of the duo Sam & Dave was the powerful vocalist behind hits like “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and helped Stax Records become a massively influential and revered soul music label. Read our tribute.
P. Fluid
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Peter Forrest, known ontage as P. Fluid, was a key player in the Black rock movement of the Eighties. Read our tribute.
Roy Ayers
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The jazz-funk virtuoso and vibraphonist behind “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” paved the way for neo soul and became sampling fodder for hip-hop producers. Read our tribute.
Wayne Lewis
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The founding member of Atlantic Starr scored several hits with the group, including “Always” and “Secret Lovers.” Read our tribute.
Joseph Byrd
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The leader of the pioneering psychedelic rock band the United States of America combined avant-garde and American folk music elements with acid rock on the group’s 1968 self-titled debut. Read our tribute.
Rafael Ithier
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The salsa great and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico leader inspired generations of Latin artists, including Bad Bunny. Read our tribute.
DJ Unk
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The Atlanta rapper behind “Walk It Out” also scored a hit in the mid-2000s with “2 Step,” and collaborated with artists like Outkast, Three 6 Mafia, and Ying Yang Twins. Read our tribute.
Mike Ratledge
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The Soft Machine keyboardist and co-founder was a Canterbury scene icon. Read our tribute.
Paquita la del Barrio
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The Mexican singer and actress, often called the “Warrior of Bolero,” was known for powerful feminist anthems that railed against machismo and misogyny. Read our tribute.
Rick Buckler
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The drummer for the Jam helped the Paul Weller-led group top the U.K. charts with tracks like “Going Underground,” “Start!” and more. Read our tribute.
Jellybean Johnson
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The multi-instrumentalist and Prince associate was a pioneer of the Minneapolis sound and served as the drummer in the Time. Read our tribute.
Jerry Butler
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Dubbed “the Iceman,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Impressions lead singer scored solo hits with “He Will Break Your Heart,” “Make It Easy on Yourself,” and “Only the Strong Survive.” Read our tribute.
Bill Fay
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The cult British singer-songwriter released two albums in the early Seventies before falling into obscurity. Decades later, famous fans like Jeff Tweedy and Nick Cave helped spark Fay’s late-career resurgence. Read our tribute.
Mike Peters
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As frontman of the Alarm, he helped the New Wave band score big hits in the Eighties with “Sixty Eight Guns,” “Strength,” and “Rain in the Summertime.” Read our tribute.
Robert John
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The singer-songwriter, who began his career at just 12 years old, was known for the Number One hit “Sad Eyes” and also had a Top 10 hit with a version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Read our tribute.
David Johansen
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The New York Dolls frontman, punk pioneer, and actor also scored a hit with “Hot Hot Hot” as his alter ego Buster Poindexter. Read our tribute.
Angie Stone
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The neo-soul singer was a member of pioneering all-female hip-hop group the Sequence. Read our tribute.
Amadou Bagayoko
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The singer and guitarist helped bring Malian music to the world stage as part of the duo Amadou & Mariam. Read our tribute.
Joey Molland
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The Badfinger guitarist was the last surviving core member of the Beatles-signed rock band and played on singles like “Day After Day,” “Baby Blue,” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” Read our tribute.
Brian James
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The founding guitarist of the Damned had the distinction of writing the first British punk single, 1976’s “New Rose.” Read our tribute.
D’Wayne Wiggins
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The co-founder of the band Tony! Toni! Toné! started the seminal Nineties R&B group with his brother, Raphael Saadiq, and their cousin Timothy Christian. Read our tribute.
Larry Tamblyn
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The keyboardist of the garage-rock group the Standells helped give Boston its unofficial anthem with the song “Dirty Water.” Read our tribute.
Jack DeJohnette
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The jazz drummer played with Miles Davis during his “electric period” band, in addition to stints with Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, Charles Lloyd, and his own lengthy career as bandleader. Read our tribute.