In Memoriam 2019: The Musicians We Lost
Heroes of alt-rock and idols of classic Hollywood, jazz luminaries and Pulitzer-winning composers, cult legends and rule-breakers, rising stars and old masters: Music communities around the globe lost dozens of shining voices this year. Here's NPR Music's celebration of some of the musicians who left the world in 2019.
Clydie King
Aug. 21, 1943 – Jan. 7, 2019
King began her career by leading her own doo-wop group, but the Dallas native found her way to greater renown as an in-demand backup singer, recording with the likes of Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steely Dan and Bob Dylan.
Joseph Jarman
Sept. 14, 1937 – Jan. 9, 2019
An integral member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago who later was ordained as a Buddhist priest, the saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist pushed experimental jazz, and the sounds he coaxed from his instruments, toward new horizons. (Read the NPR essay)
Carol Channing
Jan. 31, 1921 – Jan. 15, 2019
Though she'll always be identified with Hello, Dolly!, Channing's prolific career in theater, film, television and recording spanned more than six decades. (Read the full obituary)
Oliver Mtukudzi
Sept. 22, 1952 – Jan. 23, 2019
Known as "Tuku" to his legion of fans, Mtukudzi often aimed his songwriting at the politics of his native Zimbabwe — celebrating the country's new independence in the early 1980s and)
