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List of deaths in rock and roll (1950s)

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The following is a list of notable performers of rock and roll music or rock music, and others directly associated with the music as producers, songwriters or in other closely related roles, who have died in the 1950s. The list gives their date, cause and location of death, and their age.

Rock music developed from the rock and roll music that emerged during the 1950s, and includes a diverse range of subgenres. The terms "rock and roll" and "rock" each have a variety of definitions, some narrow and some wider. In determining criteria for inclusion, this list uses as its basis reliable sources listing "rock deaths" or "deaths in rock and roll", as well as such sources as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Preceded by
— 		List of deaths in popular music
1950s 		Succeeded by
1960s
Name Age Date Location Cause of death
Jaybird Coleman 53 January 28, 1950 Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S. Cancer[1]
Kansas Joe McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		 44 January 28, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart disease[2]
Ada Brown 59 March 30, 1950 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. Kidney disease[3]
Bertha Hill 45 May 7, 1950 New York City, New York, U.S. Hit and run-related accident[4]
Fats Navarro 26 July 7, 1950 New York City, New York, U.S. Tuberculosis[5]
Papa Charlie McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		 41 July 26, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Paralytic brain disease[2]
Al Jolson 64 October 23, 1950 San Francisco, California, U.S. Massive heart attack
Cecil Gant 37 February 4, 1951 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Pneumonia[6]
Sid Catlett 41 March 25, 1951 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart attack[7]
Jimmy Yancey 56 September 17, 1951 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Diabetes-induced stroke.[3]
Black Boy Shine 43 March 28, 1952 Sugar Land, Texas, U.S. Tuberculosis[8]
John Kirby 43 June 14, 1952 Hollywood, California, U.S. Unknown causes[9]
Luke Jordan 60 June 25, 1952 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. Unknown causes[10]
Fletcher Henderson 55 December 29, 1952 New York City, New York, U.S. Unknown causes[11]
Willie Brown 52-53 December 30, 1952 Tunica, Mississippi, U.S. Heart disease[3]
Hank Williams 29 January 1, 1953 Oak Hill, West Virginia, U.S. Acute right ventricular dilation[12]
Big Maceo Merriweather 47 February 23, 1953 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart attack[13]
Django Reinhardt 43 May 16, 1953 Fontainebleau, France Brain hemorrhage[14]: 160 
Willie Love 46 August 19, 1953 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. Bronchopneumonia[15]
Carolina Slim 30 October 22, 1953 Newark, New York, U.S. Heart attack[16]
Sol Hoʻopiʻi 50-51 November 16, 1953 Either Los Angeles, California, U.S., or Seattle, Washington, U.S. Unknown causes[17]
Lil Green 34 April 14, 1954 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Pneumonia[18]
Alger "Texas" Alexander 53 April 18, 1954 Richards, Texas, U.S. Syphilis[19]
Danny Cedrone
Bill Haley & His Comets		 33 June 17, 1954 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Broken neck from falling down stairs[20]
Lollypop Jones 56 August 22, 1954 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Lengthy illness [21]
Washington Phillips 74 September 20, 1954 Teague, Texas, U.S. Head injury[22]
Hot Lips Page 46 November 9, 1954 New York City, New York, U.S. Unknown causes
Dink Johnson 62 November 29, 1954 Portland, Oregon, U.S. Unknown causes[23]
Papa Celestin 70 December 15, 1954 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Unknown causes[24]
Lee Morse 57 December 16, 1954 Rochester, New York, U.S. Unknown causes
Johnny Ace 25 December 25, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S. Accidental suicide by gunshot[25]
Charlie Parker 34 March 12, 1955 New York City, New York, U.S. Pneumonia[26]
Wardell Gray 34 May 25, 1955 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Heroin overdose[27]
Frank Stokes 67 or 78 September 12, 1955 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Stroke[28]
Bessie Brown 65 November 12, 1955 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Heart attack[29]
James P. Johnson 61 November 17, 1955 Queens, New York City, U.S. Unknown causes
Cow Cow Davenport 61 December 12, 1955 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Atherosclerosis
Oscar "Buddy" Woods 52 December 14, 1955 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. Unknown causes[30]
Clifford Brown 25 June 26, 1956 Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S. Car crash[31]
Richie Powell 24 June 26, 1956 Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S. Car crash[32]
Tommy Johnson 60 November 1, 1956 Crystal Springs, Mississippi, U.S. Heart attack[33]
Art Tatum 47 November 5, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Uremia[34]
Tommy Dorsey 51 November 26, 1956 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. Choking in sleep[35]
Ralph Willis 47 June 11, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S. Unknown causes[36]
Serge Chaloff 33 July 16, 1957 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Spinal cancer[37]
Joe Hill Louis 35 August 5, 1957 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Tetanus[38]
Walter Page 57 December 20, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S. Kidney ailment and pneumonia
Ernie Henry 31 December 29, 1957 Heroin overdose[39]
John Dolphin
Record label owner, concert promoter and music producer		 55 February 1, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Murdered[40]
W. C. Handy 84 March 28, 1958 New York City, New York, U.S. Bronchial pneumonia[41]
Chuck Willis 32 April 10, 1958 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Peritonitis[42]
Leroy Foster 35 May 26, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Heart attack[43]
Big Bill Broonzy 65 August 14, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Cancer[44]
Tiny Bradshaw 51 November 26, 1958 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Stroke[45]
Julia Lee 56 December 8, 1958 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. Heart attack[46]
Henry "Son" Sims 68 December 26, 1958 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Complications from renal surgery[47]
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly & The Crickets		 22 February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash[48]
The Big Bopper 28 February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash[48]
Ritchie Valens 17 February 3, 1959 Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S. Plane crash[48]
Guitar Slim 32 February 7, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S. Pneumonia[49]
Lester Young 49 March 15, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S. Bleeding from alcoholism[50]
Sidney Bechet 62 May 14, 1959 Garches, France Lung cancer[51]
Billie Holiday 44 July 17, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S. Liver cirrhosis[52]
Blind Willie McTell 61 August 19, 1959 Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.
Al "Cake" Wichard 41-40 November 14, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Unknown causes[53]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "Jaybird Coleman – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Guarino, Mark (2010-10-01). "The Harlem Hamfats: Rediscovering the real McCoys of Chicago blues". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  3. ^ a b c "The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 50s and Earlier". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ^ Edward Komara; Peter Lee (July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 430–. ISBN 978-1-135-95832-9.
  5. ^ "Fats Navarro: 'The Fats Navarro Story'". NPR. August 1, 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Cecil Gant : The Forgotten Pioneer". Home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  7. ^ "Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett: Busting Open Doors To The Modern Drumming Age". Modern Drummer. May 2010.
  8. ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 393. ISBN 9780313344237.
  9. ^ Larkin 1992, pp. 241.
  10. ^ "Luke Jordan — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 198/9. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  12. ^ "Hank Williams — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Big Maceo". AllAboutJazz.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  14. ^ Delaunay, Charles (1961). Django Reinhardt. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80171-X.
  15. ^ "Willie Love — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Carolina Slim - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  17. ^ Ruymar, Lorene (1996). The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Anaheim Hills, California: Centerstream Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 1-57424-021-8.
  18. ^ "Lil Green Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  19. ^ "Texas Alexander". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  20. ^ Eder, Bruce. Biography, Danny Cedrone at AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  21. ^ The Pittsburgh Courier, September 4, 1954, p.3
  22. ^ "TSHA | Phillips, George Washington". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Dink Johnson - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Oscar "Papa" Celestin - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Johnny Ace — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  26. ^ cofresi, diana (2003-10-19). "Charlie Parker ~ Charlie Parker Biography | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  27. ^ Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop. San Francisco: Miller Freeman. p. 115. ISBN 0879306084.
  28. ^ "Frank Stokes". Thebluestrail.com. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  29. ^ "Bessie Brown". Red Hot Jazz Archive. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  30. ^ Lewis, Uncle Dave. "Buddy Woods: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  31. ^ Catalano, Nick (2001-01-01). Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter. Oxford University Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 9780195144000.
  32. ^ Yanow, Scott "Richie Powell". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  33. ^ "Tommy Johnson - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  34. ^ Lester, James (1994). Too Marvelous for Words: The Life and Genius of Art Tatum. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509640-8.
  35. ^ Levinson, Peter J. (March 25, 2009). Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way, A Biography. Hachette Books. p. 303. ISBN 9780786734948. Retrieved July 26, 2021 – via Google Books.
  36. ^ "Ralph Willis - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  37. ^ Larkin 1992, pp. 82.
  38. ^ Harris, 1989, p. 337.
  39. ^ Larkin 1992, pp. 199.
  40. ^ "John Dolphin - Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  41. ^ "W.C. Handy, Blues King, Dies at 84". Associated Press. 28 March 1958. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  42. ^ Frank W. Hoffmann (2005). Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop. Infobase Publishing. pp. 280–. ISBN 978-0-8160-6980-4.
  43. ^ "Leroy Foster — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  44. ^ "I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, an excerpt". Press.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  45. ^ "Tiny Bradshaw — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  46. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Julia Lee". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  47. ^ Edward Komara; Peter Lee (1 July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 882–. ISBN 978-1-135-95831-2.
  48. ^ a b c "1959:Buddy Holly killed in plane crash". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  49. ^ Scott, Frank (1991). The Down Home Guide to the Blues. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 59. ISBN 1-55652-130-8.
  50. ^ "Lester Young | Encyclopedia.com". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  51. ^ YUDKIN, JEREMY (2010). "Review of Sidney Bechet: Treat It Gentle; The Life and Times of a Jazz Master". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 42: 237–238. doi:10.1017/S0740155800013023. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 41201416. S2CID 251633340.
  52. ^ Carletta Smith (July 17, 2017). "July 17, 1959: With Police Armed Outside Her Hospital Room, Billie Holiday Died". Black Then. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  53. ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues — A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 58.
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