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.

Preceded by
—		 List of deaths in popular music
1950s		 Succeeded by
1960s
Name Age Date Location Cause of death
Jaybird Coleman53January 28, 1950Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.Cancer[1]
Kansas Joe McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		44January 28, 1950Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart disease[2]
Ada Brown59March 30, 1950Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.Kidney disease[3]
Bertha Hill45May 7, 1950New York City, New York, U.S.Hit and run-related accident[4]
Fats Navarro26July 7 1950New York City, New York, U.S.Tuberculosis[5]
Papa Charlie McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		41July 26, 1950Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Paralytic brain disease[2]
Al Jolson64October 23, 1950San Francisco, California, U.S.Massive heart attack
Cecil Gant37February 4, 1951Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.Pneumonia[6]
Sid Catlett41March 25, 1951Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack[7]
Jimmy Yancey56September 17, 1951Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Diabetes-induced stroke.[3]
Black Boy Shine43March 28, 1952Sugar Land, Texas, U.S.Tuberculosis[8]
John Kirby43June 14, 1952Hollywood, California, U.S.Unknown causes[9]
Luke Jordan60June 25, 1952Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.Unknown causes[10]
Fletcher Henderson55December 29, 1952New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes[11]
Willie Brown52-53December 30, 1952Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.Heart disease[3]
Hank Williams29January 1, 1953Oak Hill, West Virginia, U.S.Acute right ventricular dilation[12]
Big Maceo Merriweather47February 23, 1953Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack[13]
Django Reinhardt43May 16, 1953Fontainebleau, FranceBrain hemorrhage[14]: 160 
Willie Love46August 19, 1953Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.Bronchopneumonia[15]
Carolina Slim30October 22, 1953Newark, New York, U.S.Heart attack[16]
Sol Hoʻopiʻi50-51November 16, 1953Either Los Angeles, California, U.S., or Seattle, Washington, U.S.Unknown causes[17]
Lil Green34April 14, 1954Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Pneumonia[18]
Alger "Texas" Alexander53April 18, 1954Richards, Texas, U.S.Syphilis[19]
Danny Cedrone
Bill Haley & His Comets		33June 17, 1954Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.Broken neck from falling down stairs[20]
Lollypop Jones56August 22, 1954Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.Lengthy illness [21]
Washington Phillips74September 20, 1954Teague, Texas, U.S.Head injury[22]
Hot Lips Page46November 9, 1954New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes
Dink Johnson62November 29, 1954Portland, Oregon, U.S.Unknown causes[23]
Papa Celestin70December 15, 1954New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.Unknown causes[24]
Lee Morse57December 16, 1954Rochester, New York, U.S.Unknown causes
Johnny Ace25December 25, 1954Houston, Texas, U.S.Accidental suicide by gunshot[25]
Charlie Parker34March 12, 1955New York City, New York, U.S.Pneumonia[26]
Wardell Gray34May 25, 1955Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Heroin overdose[27]
Frank Stokes67 or 78September 12, 1955Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Stroke[28]
Bessie Brown65November 12, 1955Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.Heart attack[29]
James P. Johnson61November 17, 1955Queens, New York City, U.S.Unknown causes
Cow Cow Davenport61December 12, 1955Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.Atherosclerosis
Oscar "Buddy" Woods52December 14, 1955Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.Unknown causes[30]
Clifford Brown25June 26, 1956Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S.Car crash[31]
Richie Powell24June 26, 1956Bedford, Pennsylvania, U.S.Car crash[32]
Tommy Johnson60November 1, 1956Crystal Springs, Mississippi, U.S.Heart attack[33]
Art Tatum47November 5, 1956Los Angeles, California, U.S.Uremia[34]
Tommy Dorsey51November 26, 1956Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.Choking in sleep[35]
Ralph Willis47June 11, 1957New York City, New York, U.S.Unknown causes[36]
Serge Chaloff33July 16, 1957Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.Spinal cancer[37]
Walter Page57December 20, 1957New York City, New York, U.S.Kidney ailment and pneumonia
Ernie Henry31December 29, 1957Heroin overdose[38]
John Dolphin
Record label owner, concert promoter and music producer		55February 1, 1958Los Angeles, California, U.S.Murdered[39]
W. C. Handy84March 28, 1958New York City, New York, U.S.Bronchial pneumonia[40]
Chuck Willis32April 10, 1958Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.Peritonitis[41]
Leroy Foster35May 26, 1958Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Heart attack[42]
Big Bill Broonzy65August 14, 1958Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Cancer[43]
Tiny Bradshaw51November 26, 1958Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.Stroke[44]
Henry "Son" Sims68December 26, 1958Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.Complications from renal surgery[45]
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly & The Crickets		22February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S.Plane crash[46]
The Big Bopper28February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S.Plane crash[46]
Ritchie Valens17February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, U.S.Plane crash[46]
Guitar Slim32February 7, 1959New York City, New York, U.S.Pneumonia[47]
Billie Holiday44July 17, 1959New York City, New York, U.S.Liver cirrhosis[48]
Al "Cake" Wichard41-40November 14, 1959Los Angeles, California, U.S.Unknown causes[49]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen. "Jaybird Coleman – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Guarino, Mark (2010-10-01). "The Harlem Hamfats: Rediscovering the real McCoys of Chicago blues". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  3. 1 2 3 "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. ↑ Larkin 1992, pp. 199.
  39. ↑ "John Dolphin - Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  40. ↑ "W.C. Handy, Blues King, Dies at 84". Associated Press. 28 March 1958. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  41. ↑ Frank W. Hoffmann (2005). Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop. Infobase Publishing. pp. 280–. ISBN 978-0-8160-6980-4.
  42. ↑ "Leroy Foster — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  43. ↑ "I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, an excerpt". Press.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  44. ↑ "Tiny Bradshaw — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  45. ↑ Edward Komara; Peter Lee (1 July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 882–. ISBN 978-1-135-95831-2.
  46. 1 2 3 "1959:Buddy Holly killed in plane crash". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  47. ↑ Scott, Frank (1991). The Down Home Guide to the Blues. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 59. ISBN 1-55652-130-8.
  48. ↑ Carletta Smith (July 17, 2017). "July 17, 1959: With Police Armed Outside Her Hospital Room, Billie Holiday Died". Black Then. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  49. ↑ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues — A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 58.
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