20 Music Legends We Lost in 2026

Known for his soaring lead vocals on Ah! Leah! and Love Is Like a Rock, Donnie Iris was a beloved figure of American power pop who also contributed to classic rock hits with The Jaggerz and Wild Cherry.

Pete Byrne brought emotional depth to early 1980s MTV with synth-pop staples like Always Something There to Remind Me and Promises, Promises, defining an era of English new wave innovation.

Armed with a gritty, blues-soaked voice, Sass Jordan conquered rock radio with breakthrough anthems like Make You a Believer and High Road Easy, earning lasting acclaim as a powerhouse vocalist.

With his unmistakable shaved head and raw vocal delivery, Angry Anderson steered Rose Tattoo through four decades of street-level hard rock, influencing bands from Guns N Roses to AC/DC.

As a founding member and chief songwriter of New Found Glory, Chad Gilbert helped ignite the late 1990s and early 2000s pop-punk explosion with energetic riffs and heartfelt anthems.

Matti Caspi bridged classical complexity, bossa nova rhythms, and rock sensibility, writing hundreds of compositions that fundamentally reshaped Israeli popular music over five decades.

Rising from humble beginnings in Manzanares to international stardom, Yeison Jiménez popularized contemporary música popular colombiana with deeply personal, passionate ranchera ballads.

Jim McBride crafted some of modern country music most enduring standards alongside Alan Jackson, co-writing iconic classics like Chasin That Neon Rainbow, Someday, and Chattahoochee.

One of the most recorded drummers in modern history, James Gadson laid down the timeless pocket grooves behind Bill Withers Lean on Me, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and The Temptations.

For over sixty years, Ebo Taylor stood at the forefront of West African musical fusion, blending Ghanaian highlife with jazz and funk to create timeless Afrobeat rhythms celebrated across the globe.

Dash Crofts defined 1970s soft rock with intricate acoustic mandolin picking and lush vocal harmonies, propelling timeless radio favorites like Summer Breeze and Diamond Girl to multi-platinum heights.

Born Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow dominated Caribbean music for decades, winning eight Carnival Road March titles and elevating calypso into an internationally celebrated art form.

Freddie Jackson ruled 1980s R&B charts with velvety soul anthems including You Are My Lady and Rock Me Tonight, producing ten number-one hits that defined the quiet storm radio era.

With his unmistakable gravel-toned drawl, John Anderson revitalized traditional honky-tonk country in the 1980s and 1990s with chart-topping favorites like Swingin and Seminole Wind.

Country Joe McDonald galvanized the 1960s counterculture with his unforgettable solo performance of The Fish Cheer at Woodstock in 1969, blending sharp anti-war satire with psychedelic folk-rock.

Cassandra Wilson expanded the vocabulary of modern jazz by weaving deep Mississippi delta blues, folk, and soul into critically acclaimed masterworks like Blue Light Til Dawn and New Moon Daughter.

A cornerstone of the legendary Fania All-Stars, Willie Colón revolutionized Latin music by infusing traditional Puerto Rican rhythms with gritty New York urban edge alongside Héctor Lavoe and Rubén Blades.

Neil Sedaka penned more than 500 songs over seven decades, from early pop gems like Breaking Up Is Hard to Do and Calendar Girl to massive comeback hits like Laughter in the Rain and Bad Blood.

Blessed with one of the most distinctive raspy voices in rock, Bonnie Tyler scored global chart-toppers with Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, captivating arena audiences worldwide.

As co-founder of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir spent six decades redefining American rock guitar playing with inventive jazz-informed chord inversions and guiding generations of Deadheads on an endless tour.