2015 In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost This Year

B.B. King

Legendary blues guitarist and singer, who belted out tunes from "The Thrill Is Gone" to "Love Comes to Town," died on May 14th after multiple strokes resulting from his diabetes. He was 89.

Lemmy Kilmister

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, longtime leader of hard-rock institution Motörhead and a true icon of heavy metal, died of cancer on December 28th. He was 70.

Lynn Anderson

Lynn Anderson the country singer best remembered for her 1970 hit "Rose Garden" died on July 30th from a heart attack she was 67 years old.

Brown, was the frontman for Hot Chocolate and singer of hits such as "You Sexy Thing" and "Brother Louie," he died from liver cancer on May 6th at the age of 71.

Errol Brown

Jack Ely

Singer and guitarist with the Kingsmen, immortal for the garage-rock hit "Louie Louie," died on April 28th, from skin cancer. He was 71.

The soul singer renowned for his work with the Drifters and famous for his solo smash "Stand by Me" died of natural causes on April 30th. He was 76.

Ben E. King

A.J. Pero

The Twisted Sister drummer died on a tour bus of a heart attack on March 20th. He was 55.

Guitarist for REO Speedwagon and the co-writer of their hit "Take It on the Run," died on September 13th at the age of 65.

Gary Richrath

The pop and country singer best remembered for the 1965 hit single "Down in the Boondocks" died on October 6th of undetermined causes, 73 years old.

Billy Joe Royal

Percy Sledge

The soul giant most famous for singing "When a Man Loves a Woman" died from liver cancer on April 14th. He was 74.

Bassist Chris Squire of Yes succumbed to leukemia on June 27th. He was 67.

Chris Squire

Scott WeilandRock singer most famous for fronting Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died in his sleep on December 3rd of an accidental overdose. He was 48.

Bobby Emmons

Nashville songwriter and in-demand keyboard player, he died February 23rd at 72 years old. He played on such iconic hits as Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." As a songwriter, he had cuts by George Strait, Waylon Jennings ("Luckenbach, Texas") and Tanya Tucker and many others.