January 13 – Teddy Pendergrass, American R&B and soul singer (b. 1950) Died
February 6 – John Dankworth, British jazz musician and composer (b. 1927) Died
February 17 – Kathryn Grayson, American singer (b. 1922) Died
March 28 – Herb Ellis, American jazz guitarist (b. 1921) Died
April 8 – Malcolm McLaren, British musician and manager (b. 1946) Died
April 14 – Peter Steele, American musician (b. 1962) Died
April 19 – Guru, American rapper (b. 1966) Died
May 9 – Lena Horne, American singer and actress (b. 1917) Died
May 16 – Ronnie James Dio, American musician (b. 1942) Died
May 24 – Paul Gray, American musician (b. 1972) Died
September 22 – Eddie Fisher, American entertainer and singer (b. 1928) Died
October 10 – Solomon Burke, American soul musician (b. 1940) Died
October 22 – The International Space Station surpasses the record for the longest continuous human occupation of space, having been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000 (3641 days).
October 25 – An earthquake and consequent tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, kills over 400 people and leaves hundreds missing.
October 25 – Gregory Issacs, Jamaican musician (b. 1951) Died
November 28 – WikiLeaks releases a collection of more than 250,000 American diplomatic cables, including 100,000 marked “secret” or “confidential”
December 17 – Captain Beefheart, American musician (b. 1941) Died
December 26 – Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter (b. 1956) Died