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.

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.

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.

Name Age Date Location Cause of death
Kansas Joe McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		44January 28, 1950Chicago, Illinois, USHeart disease[1]
Bertha Hill45May 7, 1950New York City, New York, USHit and run accident[2]
Papa Charlie McCoy
Harlem Hamfats		41July 26, 1950Chicago, Illinois, USParalytic brain disease[1]
Al Jolson64October 23, 1950San Francisco, California, USHeart attack
Cecil Gant37February 4, 1951Nashville, Tennessee, USPneumonia and heart attack[3]
Luke Jordan60June 25, 1952Lynchburg, Virginia, US[4]
Hank Williams29January 1, 1953Oak Hill, West Virginia, USHeart attack[5]
Willie Love46August 19, 1953Jackson, Mississippi, USBronchopneumonia[6]
Carolina Slim30October 22, 1953Newark, New York, USHeart attack[7]
Danny Cedrone
Bill Haley & His Comets		33June 17, 1954Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USBroken neck from fall down stairs[8]
Lollypop Jones56August 22, 1954US[9]
Hot Lips Page46November 9, 1954New York City, New York, USHeart attack
Dink Johnson62November 29, 1954US[10]
Papa Celestin70December 15, 1954New Orleans, Louisiana, US[11]
Johnny Ace25December 25, 1954Houston, Texas, USAccidental shooting[12]
Cow Cow Davenport61December 12, 1955Chicago, Illinois, US
Tommy Johnson60November 1, 1956Crystal Springs, Mississippi, USHeart attack[13]
Ralph Willis47June 11, 1957New York City, New York, USLeukemia[14]
Walter Page57December 20, 1957New York City, New York, USKidney ailment and pneumonia
John Dolphin
Record label owner, concert promoter and music producer		55February 1, 1958Los Angeles, California, USGunshot[15]
W. C. Handy84March 28, 1958New York City, New York, USBronchial pneumonia[16]
Leroy Foster35May 26, 1958Chicago, Illinois, USHeart attack[17]
Chuck Willis32April 10, 1958Atlanta, Georgia, USPeritonitis[18]
Big Bill Broonzy65August 14. 1958Chicago, Illinois, USLaryngeal cancer[19]
Tiny Bradshaw51November 26, 1958Cincinnati, Ohio, USStroke[20]
Henry "Son" Sims68December 26, 1958Memphis, Tennessee, USFollowing renal surgery[21]
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly & The Crickets		22February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, USPlane accident[22]
The Big Bopper28February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, USPlane accident[22]
Ritchie Valens17February 3, 1959Clear Lake, Iowa, USPlane accident[22]
Guitar Slim32February 7, 1959New York City, New York, USPneumonia[23]
Billie Holiday44July 17, 1959New York City, New York, USPulmonary edema and heart failure caused by liver cirrhosis[24]
Al "Cake" Wichard41-40November 14, 1959Los Angeles, California, US[25]

See also

References
  1. Guarino, Mark (2010-10-01). "The Harlem Hamfats: Rediscovering the real McCoys of Chicago blues". Articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  2. Edward Komara; Peter Lee (July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 430–. ISBN 978-1-135-95832-9.
  3. "Cecil Gant : The Forgotten Pioneer". Home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
  4. "Luke Jordan — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  5. "Hank Williams — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  6. "Willie Love — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  7. "Carolina Slim - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  8. Eder, Bruce. Biography, Danny Cedrone at AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  9. The Pittsburgh Courier, September 4, 1954, p.3
  10. "Dink Johnson - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  11. "Oscar "Papa" Celestin - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  12. "Johnny Ace — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  13. "Tommy Johnson - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  14. "Ralph Willis - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  15. "John Dolphin - Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  16. "W.C. Handy, Blues King, Dies at 84". Associated Press. 28 March 1958. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  17. "Leroy Foster — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  18. Frank W. Hoffmann (2005). Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-hop. Infobase Publishing. pp. 280–. ISBN 978-0-8160-6980-4.
  19. "I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, an excerpt". Press.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  20. "Tiny Bradshaw — Biography & History — AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  21. Edward Komara; Peter Lee (1 July 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 882–. ISBN 978-1-135-95831-2.
  22. "1959:Buddy Holly killed in plane crash". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  23. Scott, Frank (1991). The Down Home Guide to the Blues. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 59. ISBN 1-55652-130-8.
  24. "July 17, 1959: With Police Armed Outside Her Hospital Room, Billie Holiday Died — Black Then". blackthen.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  25. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues — A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 58.
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