50 Soul Music Stars who died during 2016

Share this article

    One of our saddest jobs at SoulTracks is to inform SoulTrackers about the deaths of soul music artists.  And 2016 was a devastating year, with the death of dozens of artists who were part of the fabric of our lives.

    We feel it is part of our mission to pay tribute to the legacies of thest all time greats. On this page we provide a list of those artists who have died during 2016, and a link to our tributes to them. They are shown in the order of the date we reported on their deaths during the year. Each artist's name is a link to our written tribute to him or her.

    Rest in Peace, friends. 

     

    One of our saddest jobs at SoulTracks is to inform SoulTrackers about the deaths of soul music artists.  And 2016 was a devastating year, with the death of dozens of artists who were part of the fabric of our lives.

    We feel it is part of our mission to pay tribute to the legacies of thest all time greats. On this page we provide a list of those artists who have died during 2016, and a link to our tributes to them. They are shown in the order of the date we reported on their deaths during the year. Each artist's name is a link to our written tribute to him or her.

    Rest in Peace, friends. 

     

      Natalie Cole
      Nicholas Caldwell of The Whispers
      Otis Clay (blues legend)
       Norman Mayers (writer and multi-faceted artist)
       Clarence "Blowfly" Reid (singer and songwriter)
       Glenn Frey of The Eagles
       TJ Tindall (MFSB guitarist)
       Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire
       Willie B Holland of The Persuaders
       Denise Matthews aka Vanity
       Gavin Christopher (singer and songwriter)
       Daryl Coley (Gospel great)
       Lee Andrews (Doo wop legend)
       Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest
       James Jamerson, Jr. (renowned bassist)
       Larry Payton of Brass Construction
       Leon Haywood (singer and songwriter)
       Doug Banks (radio legend)
       Prince
       Billy Paul (singer)
       Franklin Kennedy of Frankie and the Spindles
       Reginald Torian, Sr. of The Impressions
        Marshall "Rock" Jones of the Ohio Players
        Bernadette Randle (pianist)
        Nate Neblett (session drummer)
       Prince Be of PM Dawn
       Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns
       Jerome Teasley (Motown drummer)
       Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic
       Sir Mack Rice (singer and songwriter)
       Allan Barnes of the Blackbyrds
       Kenny Kelly of Riff
       Jimmy Levine (musician and producer)
       David Camon (singer and songwriter)
       Toots Thielemans (legendary harmonica player)
       Edward "Dwight" Fields of the Manhattans
       Fred McFarlane (producer and musician)
       Clifford Curry (Southern Soul singer)
       Trisco Pearson of the Force MDs
       Kashif (singer, songwriter and producer)
       Little Royal Torrence (singer)
       Rod Temperton (legendary songwriter)
       Sonny Sanders (songwriter and producer)
       Larry "Bingo" Marcus of the Rude Boys
       Jimmy Williams of Double Exposure
       Victor Bailey of Weather Report
       Leon Russell (singer and songwriter)
       Rod Wayne of Blue Magic
       Sharon Jones (singer)
       Colonel Abrams (singer)
       Joe Ligon of the Mighty Clouds of Joy
       George Michael (singer and songwriter)
       Alphonse Mouzon (legendary drummer)
       
       
     Other Deaths

    Gato Barbieri (jazz saxophonist)

    David Bowie (rock singer) 

    Cecil Bustamente Campbell (ska music star)

    Bill Carey of the 4 Fellows

    Leonard Cohen (songwriter and artist)

    Frances Collins of the Crystals (aka Fatima Johnson)

    Dennis Davis (drummer)

    Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer)

    David Gest (producer)

    Mic Gillette of Tower of Power

    Merle Haggard (country singer)

    BJ Jackson (Go Go musician)

    Terry Johnson of the Mar-Keys

    Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane

    DJ Dave Mancuso

    George Martin (Beatles' producer)

    Scotty Moore (rock guitarist)

    Bobby Peterson of the Magnetics/The Volumes

    Lewie Steinberg of Booker T and the MGs

    Robert Stigwood (manager and RSO label owner)

    Bongo Eddie Folk of Kid Creole and the Coconuts

    Troy Shondell (rock singer)

    Eddie Sullivan of the Desideros

    Joe Temperley (jazz saxophonist)

    Rudy Van Gelder (audio engineer)

    Papa Wemba (conga star)