Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Rick Diamond/Getty Images2016 has just arrived, but let’s take a look at some of the many beloved music artists we said goodbye to during the previous year. Among them were three performers who sang some of the most memorable pop hits of the 1960s — Ben E. King, Percy Sledge and Lesley Gore.
King died April 30 in Hackensack, New Jersey at age 76 after a brief illness. He first made his mark in the late 1950s as lead singer of The Drifters, crooning such hits as “There Goes My Baby,” “This Magic Moment” and the chart-topping “Save the Last Dance for Me,” but it’s his enduring 1961 solo hit “Stand by Me” for which he’s best known. King co-wrote “Stand by Me” with the famed songwriting team of Lieber & Stoller, and the tune peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also returned to the top 10 of the chart in 1986, after it was featured on the soundtrack of the film of the same name. King’s other memorable solo hits include 1961’s “Spanish Harlem” and 1975’s funky “Supernatural Thing.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Drifters in 1988.
Sledge passed away April 14 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, of cancer. He was 74. The R&B singer released many successful singles during the 1960s, but he’ll always be best remembered for his first and biggest hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman.” The song, which topped both the pop and R&B charts in 1966, was co-written by two band mates of Sledge’s — Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright — and inspired by breakup Percy had recently gone through. The song reached #1 again on the Hot 100 in 1991, when it was covered by Michael Bolton. Sledge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Gore died February 16 from lung cancer in New York City at the age of 68. In 1963, when she was just 16, she topped the pop singles chart with the catchy gem “It’s My Party.” That same year she had top five hits with “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and “She’s a Fool,” and reached #2 in 1964 with the ballad “You Don’t Own Me.” Later on, she co-wrote the song “Out Here on My Own,” which was sung by Irene Cara in the 1980 film Fame, and received an Oscar nomination.
Here are some of the other people from the music world who died in 2015:
Jeff Golub — January 1 — Session guitarist who recorded with Rod Stewart, Billy Squier and many others. He was 59.
Tim Drummond — January 10 — Played bass with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, James Brown, Crosby, Stills & Nash and many other artists. He was 74.
Kim Fowley — January 15 — Songwriter, manager of The Runaways. He was 75.
Dallas Taylor — January 18 — Played drums on first albums by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He was 66.
Danny McCulloch — January 29 — Bass player with Eric Burdon and the Animals. He was 69.
Rod McKuen — January 29 — Performer, poet, wrote the song “Seasons in the Sun.” He was 81.
Don Covay — January 31 — Soul singer and songwriter, wrote Aretha Franklin‘s classic hit “Chain of Fools.” He was 76.
Joe B. Mauldin — February 7 — Bassist with Buddy Holly‘s group The Crickets. He was 74.
Sam Andrew — February 12 — Guitarist for Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company. He was 73.
Albert Maysles — March 5 — Documentary filmmaker, Gimme Shelter. He was 88.
Jimmy Greenspoon — March 11 — Keyboardist for Three Dog Night. He was 67.
Mike Porcaro — March 15 — Toto bass player. He was 59.
Andy Fraser — March 16 — Free bassist, co-wrote “All Right Now.” He was 62.
Bruce Crump — March 16 — Drummer for Molly Hatchet. He was 57.
Michael Brown — March 19 — Songwriter and keyboardist for The Left Banke, wrote the band’s hit “Walk Away Renee.” He was 65.
Preston Ritter — March 30 — Drummer for The Electric Prunes. He was 65.
Cynthia Lennon — April 1 — The first wife of John Lennon and mother of Julian Lennon. She was 75.
Bob Burns — April 3 — Original drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was 64.
Jack Ely — April 27 — Singer for The Kingsmen, with whom he recorded “Louie Louie.” He was 71.
Errol Brown — May 6 — Lead singer of Hot Chocolate. He was 71.
B.B. King — May 14 — King of the Blues. He was 89.
Louis Johnson — May 21 — Bassist with The Brothers Johnson. He was 60.
Ronnie Gilbert — June 6 — Folk singer and activist, member of the famed quartet The Weavers. She was 88.
Ornette Coleman — June 11 — Innovative jazz saxophone player. He was 85.
Chris Squire — June 27 — Bassist and co-founder of the progressive-rock band Yes. He was 67.
Ernie Maresca — July 8 — Songwriter, wrote Dion‘s hits “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer.” He was 76.
Buddy Buie — July 18 — Co-wrote hits for Tommy Roe, Classics IV and The Atlanta Rhythm Section.
Bobbi Kristina Brown — July 26 — Daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. She was 22 years old.
Lynn Anderson — July 30 — Country singer, “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden.” She was 67.
Cilla Black — August 1 — British pop singer and TV presenter. She was 72.
Bob Johnston — August 14 — Producer who worked on classic albums by Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen. He was 83.
Gary Richrath — September 13 — Founding lead guitarist of REO Speedwagon. He was 65.
Ben Cauley — September 21 — Member of Memphis soul group The Bar-Kays, only survivor of 1967 plane crash that killed Otis Redding. He was 67.
Frankie Ford — September 27 — “Sea Cruise” singer. He was 76.
Phil Woods — September 29 — Jazz saxophonist who played on well-known recordings by Steely Dan, Paul Simon and Billy Joel. He was 83.
Billy Joe Royal — October 6 — “Down in the Boondocks” singer. He was 73.
Gail Zappa — October 7 — Widow of Frank Zappa who oversaw her late husband’s catalog and legacy. She was 70.
Cory Wells — October 20 — Founding member and singer of Three Dog Night. He was 74.
Raul Rekow — November 2 — Longtime percussionist with Santana. He was 61.
Andy White — November 9 — Veteran session drummer who played on some early Beatles songs. He was 85.
Allen Toussaint — November 10 — Influential R&B musician, songwriter and producer from New Orleans. He was 77.
P.F. Sloan — November 15 — Songwriter who penned Barry McGuire‘s 1965 hit “Eve of Destruction” and co-wrote Johnny Rivers‘ 1966 hit “Secret Agent Man.” He was 70.
Cynthia Robinson — November 23 — Founding Sly and the Family Stone trumpet player. She was 69.
Carson Van Osten — December 22 — Bassist for Todd Rundrgren‘s early band Nazz. He was 70.
William Guest — December 24 — Founding member of Gladys Knight and the Pips. He was 74.
Stevie Wright — December 27 — Lead singer of The Easybeats, who had a top 20 hit in 1966 with “Friday on My Mind.” He was 68.
Lemmy Kilmister — December 28 — Frontman of influential U.K. heavy-metal band Motorhead and ex-bassist of space-rock group Hawkwind. He was 70.
Natalie Cole — December 31 — Grammy-winning R&B singer, daughter of Nat “King” Cole. She was 65.
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