Rockers We Lost in 2019
We look back at the musicians, producers and other industry figures who have died in 2019 in the below gallery.
Among the names who passed away in the early part of the year were Peter Tork of the Monkees; Pegi Young, who was married to Neil Young from 1978 until their 2014 divorce and sang backup on several of his records and tours; producer Joe Hardy, known for his work with ZZ Top, Alice Cooper and the Georgia Satellites; and backup singer Clydie King, heard on classics like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and the Rolling Stones' "Tumblin' Dice."
The fall of 2019 was particularly difficult for classic rock lovers, with Eddie Money and Cars frontman Ric Ocasek passing away within two days of each other in mid-September. Within a month, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker had also died.
Elsewhere in the year, we learned of the deaths artists as diverse as Peter Tork of the Monkees, surf guitar king Dick Dale, Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack and Larry Junstrom of .38 Special; legendary session musicians Hal Blaine of the Wrecking Crew and Reggie Young of the Memphis Boys; and Doug Sandom and Mike Grose, who played with the Who and Queen before those bands became famous.
In addition to the musicians, we lost many people behind the scenes, like synthesizer pioneer Alan R. Pearlman, guitar accessories manufacturer Jim Dunlop Sr., manager Eliot Roberts, rock documentarian D.A. Pennebaker and music industry executive Joe Smith.
Learn more about their lives and others below.