List of deaths in rock and roll (1950s)

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

• List of deaths in rock and roll (1960s)
• List of deaths in rock and roll (1970s)
• List of deaths in rock and roll (1980s)
• List of deaths in rock and roll (1990s)
• List of deaths in rock and roll (2000s)
• List of 2010s deaths in popular music
• List of 2020s deaths in popular music

References

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