Notable Alumni of Berklee College of Music [Sorted List]

1. Reb Beach

1963-. (aged 63)

musician guitarist

Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. is an American hard rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake.

2. Elliot Easton

1953-. (aged 73)

songwriter guitarist musician

Elliot Easton is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the American new wave band the Cars. His melodic guitar solos are an integral part of the band's music. Easton has also recorded music as a solo artist, and has played in other bands. He is a left-handed guitarist. In 2018, Easton...

+ show more

3. Justin Tranter

1980-. (aged 46)

singer composer singer-songwriter

Justin Drew Tranter is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, Citizen Queen, Kesha, Imagine Dragons, Cynthia Erivo, The Knocks, Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds of Summer, Chappell Roan, Halsey, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Raye, Bea Miller,...

+ show more

4. Bill Frisell

1951-. (aged 75)

jazz guitarist composer

William Richard Frisell is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant in the Downtown Scene in New York City, where he formed a long working relationship with composer and saxophonist...

+ show more

5. Pedro Aznar

1959-. (aged 67)

singer guitarist pianist composer bassist

Pedro Aznar is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has musical experience in jazz, Argentine folk and rock music and has a successful career as a solo artist. He is well known for giving rock songs a jazz-oriented style, by playing the fretless bass, with a big influence from Jaco Pastorius.

+ show more

6. Lalah Hathaway

1968-. (aged 58)

singer recording artist jazz musician

Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Credited as the "First Daughter of Soul", she is the first-born daughter of musician and soul singer Donny Hathaway.

+ show more

7. Ashe

1993-. (aged 33)

musician recording artist singer-songwriter

Ashlyn Rae "Ashe" Willson is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for her 2019 single "Moral of the Story", which was featured in the Netflix film To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) and was produced by Noah Conrad with additional production from Finneas O'Connell.

+ show more

8. Bob James

1939-. (aged 87)

record producer composer jazz musician pianist keyboardist

Robert McElhiney James is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show Taxi. According to VICE, music from his first seven albums has often been sampled and believed to have contributed to the formation of hip hop. Among his most well known recordings are "Nautilus",...

+ show more

9. Jerry Heil

1995-. (aged 31)

singer-songwriter YouTuber

Yana Oleksandrivna Shemaieva, known professionally as Jerry Heil (JER-ree HAY-el, Ukrainian: Дже́ррі Гейл [ˈdʒɛr⁽ʲ⁾ːi ˈɦɛjl]), is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter and YouTuber. She began her career after launching her YouTube channel in 2012, publishing vlogs and musical covers.

+ show more

10. Fred Cheng

1983-. (aged 43)

television actor actor singer film actor

Frederick "Fred" Cheng is a Canadian-born Hong Kong musician and actor. He rose to fame after competing and winning the 2013 Hong Kong singing competition, Voice of the Stars. He is currently signed to TVB management.

+ show more

11. Reeves Gabrels

1956-. (aged 70)

singer songwriter guitarist

Reeves Gabrels is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. A member of The Cure since 2012, Gabrels is also known for his work with David Bowie and Tin Machine from 1988 to 1999. He also fronts the band Reeves Gabrels & His Imaginary Friends, which is based in Nashville.

+ show more

12. Cleo Laine

1927-2025 (aged 98)

autobiographer film actor jazz singer stage actor jazz musician

Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth was an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She was the wife of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec and singer Jacqui Dankworth. Laine had popular success with singles such as "You'll Answer To Me" and appeared in a range of musical theatre productions. She...

+ show more

13. Derek Sherinian

1966-. (aged 60)

session musician record producer guitarist composer pianist

Derek Sherinian is an American keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, and Joe Bonamassa, among others. He was also a member of Dream Theater from 1994 to 1999, is the founder of Planet X and also one of the founding members of Black Country Communion, Sons of Apollo, and Whom Gods Destroy. He has released...

+ show more

14. Daniel Platzman

1986-. (aged 40)

singer record producer songwriter

Daniel James Platzman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and composer. He is best known as the former drummer for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

+ show more

15. Betty Who

1991-. (aged 35)

singer songwriter

Jessica Anne Newham, known by her stage name Betty Who, is an Australian musician and singer. After independently releasing her debut single, "Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut extended play, The Movement (2013), she signed with RCA Records and later released her debut studio album, Take Me When You Go (2014). Her second studio album, The Valley (2017), saw...

+ show more

16. Leah LaBelle

1986-2018 (aged 32)

singer

Leah LaBelle Vladowski was an American singer. She rose to prominence in 2004 as a contestant on the third season of American Idol, placing twelfth in the season finals. In 2007, LaBelle began recording covers of R&B and soul music for her YouTube channel. These videos led to work as a backing vocalist starting in 2008 and a record deal...

+ show more

17. Daniel Wayne Sermón

1984-. (aged 42)

singer songwriter guitarist

Daniel Wayne Sermon is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead guitarist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

18. John Scofield

1951-. (aged 75)

guitarist composer jazz musician designer jazz guitarist

John Scofield is an American guitarist and composer. His music blends jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention as part of the band of Miles Davis.

+ show more

19. Branford Marsalis

1960-. (aged 66)

jazz musician saxophonist composer recording artist actor

Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque. From 1992 to 1995 he led The Tonight Show Band.

+ show more

20. Esther Ofarim

1941-. (aged 85)

singer

Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim, is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. After marrying Abi Ofarim in 1958, she was half of the husband-and-wife folk duo Esther & Abi Ofarim in the 1960s. After the couple divorced, she undertook a successful...

+ show more

21. Qveen Herby

1986-. (aged 40)

songwriter rapper entrepreneur singer

Amy Renee Heidemann Noonan, better known professionally as Qveen Herby, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Seward, Nebraska, she first gained fame as part of the music duo Karmin, with which she released two studio albums. Following the duo's hiatus in 2017, she began the solo project, Qveen Herby, which incorporated R&B and hip-hop...

+ show more

22. Brendon Small

1975-. (aged 51)

voice actor composer television actor guitarist television producer

Brendon Small is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer, director, producer, and musician who is known for co-creating the animated series Home Movies (1999–2004, with Loren Bouchard) and Metalocalypse (2006–2013, with Tommy Blacha). He also writes the music, and is the main performer for the fictional melodic death metal band Dethklok, which began as the subject of Metalocalypse but has...

+ show more

23. Joey Kramer

1950-. (aged 76)

songwriter rock drummer

Joseph Michael Kramer is an American musician best known as the drummer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

+ show more

24. André Manoukian

1957-. (aged 69)

jazz pianist radio personality songwriter

André Antranik Manoukian is a French songwriter, arranger, jazz musician and actor of Armenian descent.

25. Gillian Welch

1967-. (aged 59)

singer guitarist singer-songwriter composer recording artist

Gillian Howard Welch is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, country and Americana, is described by The New Yorker as "at once innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms."

+ show more

26. Vinnie Colaiuta

1956-. (aged 70)

session musician drummer jazz musician

Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Colaiuta is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014. Colaiuta has won one Grammy Award and has been nominated twice. Since the late 1970s, he...

+ show more

27. John Myung

1967-. (aged 59)

composer bassist lyricist musician

John Ro Myung is an American bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater.

28. Jan Hammer

1948-. (aged 78)

pianist composer recording artist record producer jazz musician

Jan Hammer is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He rose to prominence while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as with his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the 1980s television program Miami Vice. He has continued to work as both a musical performer...

+ show more

29. Brad Whitford

1952-. (aged 74)

guitarist songwriter

Bradley Ernest Whitford is an American musician who is best known as a guitarist for the hard rock band Aerosmith for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He has also worked as a songwriter for the group, co-composing well-received tracks such as 1976's "Last Child".

+ show more

30. Jerry Only

1959-. (aged 67)

bassist singer

Gerard Caiafa Jr., better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the Misfits and later the vocalist as well. He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup except the original.

+ show more

31. Kiesza

1989-. (aged 37)

dancer model singer-songwriter beauty pageant contestant multi-instrumentalist

Kiesa Rae Ellestad, known professionally as Kiesza, is a Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist from Calgary. In 2017, she was involved in a car accident in Toronto, suffering severe injuries that required her to take several years off to recover. During her career, she has released multiple singles, including "Hideway" and "Giant in My Heart", as well as the albums Sound...

+ show more

32. Roy Wang

2000-. (aged 26)

singer singer-songwriter recording artist actor musician

Roy Wang, also known as Wang Yuan is a Chinese singer-songwriter, television host, actor, and member of boy band TFBoys. He was named by Time as one of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017. Wang has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2018. He set up his own charity foundation, the Yuan Foundation, that focuses on helping the elderly and...

+ show more

33. Adrianne Lenker

1991-. (aged 35)

composer guitarist singer musician

Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of the band Big Thief, as well as an established solo artist. She has released several solo albums, including Abysskiss (2018), Songs and Instrumentals (both 2020), and Bright Future (2024), the latter of which earned her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best...

+ show more

34. Julia Wu

1994-. (aged 32)

singer

Julia Wu is a Chinese Australian R&B singer based in Taiwan.

35. Paula Cole

1968-. (aged 58)

singer-songwriter singer

Paula Dorothy Cole is an American singer and songwriter. After gaining attention for her performances as a vocalist on Peter Gabriel's 1993–1994 Secret World Tour, she released her first album, Harbinger, which suffered from a lack of promotion when the label, Imago Records, folded shortly after its release. Her second album, This Fire (1996), brought her worldwide acclaim, peaking at...

+ show more

36. Tim "Ripper" Owens

1967-. (aged 59)

singer guitarist

Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and "The Tim Ripper Monster Energy Big Band". He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time...

+ show more

37. Ingrid Andress

1991-. (aged 35)

country singer singer-songwriter recording artist singer

Ingrid Elizabeth Andress is an American country pop singer-songwriter. She has released two albums: Lady Like (2020) and Good Person (2022). She has achieved commercial success with "More Hearts Than Mine" (2019), which peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100; "The Stranger" (2020), which peaked at number 49 on Country Airplay; "Wishful Drinking" (2021), which peaked at number...

+ show more

38. Al Kooper

1944-. (aged 82)

songwriter guitarist pianist music educator record producer

Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song "Like a Rolling Stone", French horn and piano on the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and lead guitar on Rita Coolidge's "The Lady's Not...

+ show more

39. Cindy Blackman

1959-. (aged 67)

jazz musician

Cindy Blackman, known as Cindy Blackman Santana since she married guitarist Carlos Santana in 2010, is an American jazz and rock drummer performing since the 80s. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Buckethead, Bill Laswell, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Henderson, Joss Stone...

+ show more

40. Susan Tedeschi

1970-. (aged 56)

composer singer-songwriter guitarist singer

Susan Tedeschi is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks' band, and other musicians.

+ show more

41. Al Di Meola

1954-. (aged 72)

jazz musician guitarist jazz guitarist composer recording artist

Albert Laurence Di Meola is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, he had his breakthrough after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a successful and critically acclaimed solo career, noted for his technical mastery, complex compositions and explorations of Latin music. Highlights of his work...

+ show more

42. Kelly Yu

1989-. (aged 37)

singer actor

Kelly Yu Wenwen is a Chinese-Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, music producer and director. She is famous for starring in the romantic film The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes and for singing and composing the film song OST "Decency" (Chinese: 体面; pinyin: Tǐmiàn).

+ show more

43. Billy Squier

1950-. (aged 76)

musician composer guitarist songwriter singer

William Haislip Squier is an American rock musician, singer, and songwriter who had a string of hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include "The Stroke", "Lonely Is the Night", "My Kinda Lover", "In the Dark", "Rock Me Tonite", "Everybody Wants You", "Emotions in Motion", "Love Is the Hero", and "Don't Say You Love Me". Squier's best-selling album, 1981's...

+ show more

44. Allison Scagliotti

1990-. (aged 36)

television actor film director actor film actor

Allison Scagliotti is an American actress, musician and director. Her television roles include appearing in Drake & Josh, Warehouse 13, and Stitchers. She performs as a musician under the name La Femme Pendu.

+ show more

45. Esperanza Spalding

1984-. (aged 42)

librettist composer jazz musician singer double-bassist

Esperanza Emily Spalding, sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and two honorary doctorates: one from her alma mater Berklee College of Music and one from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

+ show more

46. Ximena Sariñana

1985-. (aged 41)

singer songwriter television actor jazz musician film actor

Ximena Sariñana Rivera is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. In 2009, she received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for her debut album, Mediocre.

+ show more

47. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez

1991-. (aged 35)

singer actor model

Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez, formerly known as Mj Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several performing arts schools in her youth before being cast in a theater production of Rent as Angel Dumott Schunard, winning the 2011 Clive Barnes Award for her performance.

+ show more

48. Bruce Hornsby

1954-. (aged 72)

singer-songwriter pianist jazz musician singer

Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from a wide range of traditions — folk, jazz, modern classical, bluegrass, rock, and jam band styles.

+ show more

49. John Petrucci

1967-. (aged 59)

singer record producer guitarist composer lyricist

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with Mike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023) all of Dream Theater's albums from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999), and has been the sole producer of the band's albums released...

+ show more

50. Loren Allred

1989-. (aged 37)

composer pianist actor singer

Loren Rachel Allred is an American singer. She made her Billboard Hot 100 debut with the RIAA-certified platinum-selling "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman musical. She is featured on Michael Bublé's Love album in a duet of "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and alongside David Foster as part of his An Intimate Evening PBS concert special and album....

+ show more

51. Billy West

1952-. (aged 74)

voice actor

William Richard Werstine, known professionally as Billy West, is an American voice actor and musician. His voice roles include Bugs Bunny in the 1996 film Space Jam, the title characters of Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show, and several subsequent projects. He also voiced Disney characters, including Ellyvan the Elephant in Jungle Junction, Bashful in The 7D, as well...

+ show more

52. Sid Sriram

1990-. (aged 36)

songwriter

Sidharth "Sid" Sriram is an Indian Carnatic musician, music producer, playback singer. He is an R&B songwriter and has been working in the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and English music industry. He regularly collaborates with his sister Pallavi Sriram, a Bharatanatyam dancer, and music director.

+ show more

53. Laufey

1999-. (aged 27)

singer guitarist pianist multi-instrumentalist cellist

Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir OTF, known mononymously as Laufey, is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician. Her musical style blends genres such as jazz pop, classical and bossa nova. Laufey began performing as a cello soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at age 15. She then emerged as a finalist in the 2014 edition of Ísland Got Talent (Iceland's Got Talent)...

+ show more

54. Pat Metheny

1954-. (aged 72)

musician composer guitarist jazz musician songwriter

Patrick Bruce Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.

55. Keith Jarrett

1945-. (aged 81)

composer recording artist pianist jazz musician

Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a group leader and solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. His improvisations draw from the traditions of jazz and other genres, including...

+ show more

56. Alan Silvestri

1950-. (aged 76)

composer voice actor conductor film score composer

Alan Anthony Silvestri is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer of film scores. He has received two Grammy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

+ show more

57. Aimee Mann

1960-. (aged 66)

television actor actor composer singer-songwriter recording artist

Aimee Elizabeth Mann is an American singer-songwriter. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often describing underdog characters. She has released ten albums as a solo artist.

+ show more

58. Melissa Etheridge

1961-. (aged 65)

singer guitarist singer-songwriter composer recording artist

Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in 1989. Her second album, Brave...

+ show more

59. Park Bom

1984-. (aged 42)

singer

Park Bom, also known mononymously as Bom, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group 2NE1, which became one of the most popular South Korean girl groups worldwide.

+ show more

60. Howard Shore

1946-. (aged 80)

composer conductor saxophonist film score composer

Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, conductor, and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He is a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979, and collaborated...

+ show more

61. Eric André

1983-. (aged 43)

film actor comedian television actor actor television producer

Eric Samuel André is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim surreal comedy series The Eric Andre Show (2012–2023). His other notable roles include Mike on the FXX comedy series Man Seeking Woman (2015–2017), Luci on the Netflix series Disenchantment (2018–2023), and the...

+ show more

62. Diana Krall

1964-. (aged 62)

songwriter jazz singer jazz pianist singer

Diana Jean Krall OC OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the U.S. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second-greatest jazz artist of the decade (2000–2009), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

+ show more

63. Mike Portnoy

1967-. (aged 59)

record producer composer songwriter drummer recording artist

Michael Stephen Portnoy is an American musician best known as the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater.

+ show more

64. Rivers Cuomo

1970-. (aged 56)

singer guitarist composer

Rivers Cuomo is an American musician and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities around the northeast US until the age of 5, when his family settled in Pomfret, Connecticut. He played in several bands in Connecticut and California before forming Weezer...

+ show more

65. Catriona Gray

1994-. (aged 32)

model beauty pageant contestant singer actor

Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray is a Filipino model, singer, actress and beauty queen best known for winning Miss Universe 2018. The fourth Filipina to win Miss Universe, Gray was previously crowned Miss World Philippines 2016 and Miss Universe Philippines 2018, and reached the top five at Miss World 2016.

+ show more

66. Johnny Ramone

1948-2004 (aged 56)

guitarist songwriter

John William Cummings, better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Until the band's disbandment in 1996, Johnny, along with the lead vocalist...

+ show more

67. Jason Mraz

1977-. (aged 49)

composer guitarist singer mandolinist

Jason Thomas Mraz is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" that peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His second studio album Mr. A-Z (2005) peaked at number five on...

+ show more

68. Sheila E

1957-. (aged 69)

singer-songwriter percussionist singer drummer

Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Regarded as one of the greatest percussionists of her generation, she is a multi-instrumentalist known for playing drums and percussion. She is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Percussion". Her music incorporates a wide variety of styles, including R&B, funk, jazz,...

+ show more

69. Wyclef Jean

1969-. (aged 57)

singer guitarist songwriter rapper record producer

Nelust Wyclef Jean is a Haitian rapper. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a New Jersey–based hip hop trio he formed in 1990 with Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, serving as the group's lead producer and guitarist. Their second album The Score (1996) became...

+ show more

70. Ramin Djawadi

1974-. (aged 52)

composer conductor record producer film score composer

Ramin Djawadi is a German film score composer, conductor, and record producer. He is known for his scores for the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which he received two Emmy Awards and two Grammy Award nominations. He is also the composer for the HBO Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon (2022–present).

+ show more

71. Wang Leehom

1976-. (aged 50)

film director actor recording artist guitarist singer

Wang Leehom, sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. His music is known for fusing hip-hop and R&B, with traditional Chinese music.

+ show more

72. Henry Lau

1989-. (aged 37)

musician composer dancer record producer songwriter

Henry Lau, known mononymously as Henry, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M and launched his solo career in 2013 with Trap. His song "It's You", released in 2017, became the most streamed Korean original soundtrack song on Spotify for two consecutive years...

+ show more

73. Psy

1977-. (aged 49)

dancer actor television producer rapper singer

Park Jae-sang, better known as Psy, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has received numerous accolades, including an American Music Award, a World Music Award, 10 MAMA Awards. He is the founder of the talent agency P Nation.

+ show more

74. Trey Parker

1969-. (aged 57)

film producer screenwriter theatrical director voice actor showrunner

Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III is an American animator, writer, producer, director, actor, and songwriter. He is best known for co-creating the animated television series South Park (since 1997) and the stage musical The Book of Mormon (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. Parker was interested in film and music as a child and at high school, and attended...

+ show more

75. Chaka Khan

1953-. (aged 73)

singer singer-songwriter composer recording artist jazz musician

Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer and songwriter. Known as the "Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. With the band she recorded the notable hits "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do...

+ show more

76. Steve Vai

1960-. (aged 66)

composer songwriter guitarist record producer

Steven Siro Vai is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and played in Zappa's band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released 11 solo albums to...

+ show more

77. Bebe Rexha

1989-. (aged 37)

composer singer-songwriter singer songwriter

Bleta "Bebe" Rexha is an American singer and songwriter. She began her mainstream recording career as a vocalist for the pop band Black Cards in 2010, during and after which she was credited with co-writing releases for other artists—such as Eminem's Grammy Award-winning single "The Monster". She signed with Warner Records to release her debut extended play (EP), I Don't...

+ show more

78. Meghan Trainor

1993-. (aged 33)

singer record producer television personality composer singer-songwriter

Meghan Elizabeth Trainor is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold 11 million copies worldwide. Trainor has released six studio albums with the label and has received various...

+ show more

79. St. Vincent

1982-. (aged 44)

film director composer singer-songwriter recording artist multi-instrumentalist

Anne Erin Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Her guitar-playing has been praised for its melodic style and use of distortion, and she has been listed among the best guitarists of the 21st century by publications. Rolling Stone named Clark the 26th-greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.

+ show more

80. Sofia Boutella

1982-. (aged 44)

dancer actor

Sofia Boutella is an Algerian-French actress, dancer and model. Born in Algiers, she emigrated to Paris at the age of 10. Shortly thereafter, she started rhythmic gymnastics, joining the French national team at the age of 18. She began dancing in film and television shows, as well as in commercials and concerts. She was one of Madonna's backup dancers for...

+ show more

81. Charlie Puth

1991-. (aged 35)

songwriter YouTuber singer musician

Charles Otto Puth Jr. is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his song covers uploaded to YouTube. Puth signed with the record label eleveneleven in 2011.

+ show more

82. John Mayer

1977-. (aged 49)

record producer blogger guitarist music artist artist

John Clayton Mayer is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-lived rock duo Lo-Fi Masters. After their split, Mayer continued to play at local clubs, refining his skills and gaining a minor following. He performed...

+ show more

83. Quincy Jones

1933-2024 (aged 91)

jazz trumpeter music arranger jazz musician humanitarian pianist

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was an American record producer, composer, arranger, record executive, conductor, trumpeter, film and television producer and bandleader. During his seven-decade career, he received dozens of accolades, including 28 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for seven Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

+ show more

84. DJ Khaled

1975-. (aged 51)

actor radio personality memoirist disc jockey music executive

Khaled Mohammed Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry artists to perform on singles and albums, for which he often serves as producer and hype man. Known as the "Anthem King", his distinctions are his booming voice presence, "motivational" abstractions, maximalist production style and...

+ show more

85. Steven Tyler

1948-. (aged 78)

pianist actor banjoist composer singer-songwriter

Steven Victor Tallarico, known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, harmonica and percussion. He has been called the "Demon of Screamin'" due to his high screams and his wide vocal range. He is also known...

+ show more

86. James Valentine

1978-. (aged 48)

guitarist composer musician

James Burgon Valentine is an American musician who is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the pop band Maroon 5.

87. Robert Moog

1934-2005 (aged 71)

musical instrument maker inventor university teacher musician

Robert Arthur Moog was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesizer, which debuted in 1964. In 1970, Moog released a more portable model, the Minimoog, described as the most famous and influential synthesizer in history. Among Moog's honors are...

+ show more

88. Brad Mehldau

1970-. (aged 56)

composer jazz pianist recording artist music arranger

Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

89. Roy Hargrove

1969-2018 (aged 49)

brass player trumpeter jazz musician

Roy Anthony Hargrove was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved critical acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles of jazz in 1998 and 2002. Hargrove primarily played in the hard bop style for the majority of his albums, but also had a penchant for genre-crossing exploration and collaboration...

+ show more

90. Gavin DeGraw

1977-. (aged 49)

singer-songwriter pianist guitarist musician

Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album Chariot (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/CW drama series One Tree Hill. Other notable singles from his debut album were the title track and "Follow Through".

+ show more

91. Donald Fagen

1948-. (aged 78)

singer record producer jazz musician singer-songwriter pianist

Donald Jay Fagen is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his contributions to Steely Dan, Fagen has released four solo albums, beginning with The Nightfly in 1982, which was nominated for seven Grammys.

+ show more

92. Ouyang Nana

2000-. (aged 26)

television actor voice actor cellist actor film actor

Ouyang Nana is a Taiwanese singer, musician and actress. A member of the Ouyang family, known for its artistic background in Taiwan, she has primarily focused her career in mainland China, known for films Beijing Love Story (2014) and Secret Fruit (2017), TV series Yes! Mr. Fashion (2016), and variety show The Birth of An Actor (2017).

+ show more

93. Lisa Loeb

1968-. (aged 58)

composer actor women's rights activist guitarist singer-songwriter

Lisa Anne Loeb is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with "Stay (I Missed You)" (1994) from the film Reality Bites, the first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for an artist without a recording contract. She achieved additional top-20 singles with "Do You Sleep?" in 1996 and "I Do" in 1998. Her albums...

+ show more

94. Natalie Maines

1974-. (aged 52)

singer-songwriter guitarist

Natalie Louise Maines is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks.

95. Hiromi Uehara

1979-. (aged 47)

pianist composer jazz musician

Hiromi Uehara, often known mononymously as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blending of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical, nu jazz and fusion in her compositions. In 2021, she performed at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

+ show more

96. David Marks

1944-. (aged 82)

singer songwriter guitarist

David Francis Marks is a psychologist, author and editor of numerous articles and books concerned mainly with five areas of psychological research – judgement, health psychology, consciousness, parapsychology and intelligence. Marks is also the originator of the General Theory of Behaviour and has curated exhibitions and books about artists and their works.

+ show more

97. Tiwa Savage

1980-. (aged 46)

actor musician singer-songwriter

Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage (listen), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop and hip-hop. Savage's contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several recognitions.

+ show more

98. Marina Satti

1986-. (aged 40)

composer singer record producer orchestrator

Marina Satti is a Greek singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, and actress. Her music fuses traditional Greek and Balkan sounds with modern pop, hip-hop, and electronic production. She graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2012. She released her first single, "Koupes", in 2016; and her first album, YENNA, in 2022. Her albums P.O.P and POP TOO have reached...

+ show more

99. Joe Zawinul

1932-2007 (aged 75)

composer jazz musician pianist keyboardist organist

Josef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist and composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, a musical genre that combined jazz with rock. He co-founded the groups Weather Report and The Zawinul Syndicate. He pioneered the...

+ show more

100. Juan Luis Guerra

1957-. (aged 69)

singer songwriter composer recording artist record producer

Juan Luis Guerra Seijas is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards including 31 Latin Grammy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and one Latin Billboard Music Award. He won 3 Latin Grammy Awards in 2010, including Album of the Year. In 2012, he won the Latin Grammy Award for Producer of the...

+ show more