Billboard remembers the artists who left us this year.
Musician Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth performs during the Under The Sun Tour at The Greek Theatre on Aug. 12, 2014, in Los Angeles.
Tommaso Boddi/WireImage
It’s always a big loss when the world loses a talented artist, and unfortunately, 2023 kicked off with several notable deaths in music. It began with Gangsta Boo, the pioneering Southern female rapper formerly of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, who was found dead on New Year’s Day at age 43.
The next day, Alan Rankine of post-punk New Wave act The Associates, who also produced the Cocteau Twins and pursued his own solo music, died at age 64. Since then, we’ve also lost rock guitar legend Jeff Beck — who died at age 78 on Jan. 10 — and singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, who suffered cardiac arrest and died on Jan. 12 at age 54.
Since then, the world has lost musical greats including Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Gordon Lightfoot, David Crosby and more.
While their loved ones and fans around the globe mourn the loss of these artists, they will not be forgotten. Here, Billboard remembers the musicians who left us in 2023.
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Steve Harwell
Image Credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images -
Jimmy Buffett
Image Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty Images -
Jack Sonni (center)
Image Credit: Getty Images -
Faye Fantarrow
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo -
Bernie Marsden
Image Credit: Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images -
Ray Hildebrand (left)
Image Credit: Photo Courtesy of Ray Hildebrand Music -
Gary Young (far left)
Image Credit: David Corio/Redferns -
Chris Peluso
Image Credit: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images -
Robbie Robertson
Image Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images -
Sixto Rodriguez
Image Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns via Getty Images -
DJ Casper
Image Credit: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images -
John Gosling (second from left)
Image Credit: GAB Archive/Redferns -
Magoo
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage -
Ray “August 08” Jacobs
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella -
Bob Feldman
Image Credit: PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Young Capone
Image Credit: Prince Williams/WireImage -
Sinead O’Connor
Image Credit: David Corio/Redferns -
Randy Meisner
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/WireImage -
Brad Houser
Image Credit: Harmony Gerber/WireImage -
Tony Bennett
Image Credit: WireImage -
Jane Birkin
Image Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images -
Peter Nero
Image Credit: Marc Andrew Deley/FilmMagic -
Coco Lee
Image Credit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images for TRANS4M -
Bobby Osborne
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Variety -
Sheldon Harnick
Image Credit: Walter McBride/Getty Images -
Choi Sung-bong
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo -
Teresa Taylor (second from left)
Image Credit: Marc Broussely/Redferns -
Big Pokey
Image Credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images -
Johnny “Blackie Onassis” Rowan
Image Credit: Bob Berg/Getty Images -
Astrud Gilberto
Image Credit: PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
George Winston
Image Credit: Michael Schwartz/WireImage -
Kaija Saariaho
Image Credit: Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images -
Cynthia Weil
Image Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage -
Pacho El Antifeka
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo -
Joy McKean
Image Credit: Photo credit: David Parker -
Bill Lee (right)
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage -
Ed Ames
Image Credit: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic -
Tina Turner
Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images -
Pete Brown
Image Credit: Howard Denner/Avalon/Getty Images -
Andy Rourke (right)
Image Credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images -
Rita Lee
Image Credit: Rui M. Leal/Getty Images -
Young Lo
Image Credit: Screenshot -
Grace Bumbry
Image Credit: Jack Mitchell/Getty Images -
Rob Laakso
Image Credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images -
Linda Lewis
Image Credit: Easy Action Records -
Gordon Lightfoot
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image -
Tim Bachman
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
MoneySign Suede
Image Credit: Screenshot -
Harry Belafonte
Image Credit: Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/GI -
Otis Redding III
Image Credit: Chris McKay/GI -
Moon Bin
Image Credit: FANTAGIO -
Ahmad Jamal
Image Credit: CBS Photo Archive/GI -
Mark Sheehan
Image Credit: Kieran Frost/Redferns via Getty Images -
Lasse Wellander
Image Credit: Gus Stewart/Redferns -
Ian Bairnson
Image Credit: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Edward “Kidd” Jordan
Image Credit: Erika Goldring/WireImage -
Paul Cattermole
Image Credit: Dave J. Hogan/GI For XIX Management -
Vivian Trimble (right)
Image Credit: Getty Images -
Brian Gillis
Image Credit: Nuts-Heinacker/ullstein bild via Getty Images -
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Image Credit: Joel Saget/AFP via GI -
Keith Reid
Image Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns -
Tom Leadon
Image Credit: Harmony Gerber/WireImage -
Wayne Swinny
Image Credit: Scott Legato/GI -
Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins (center)
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Bobby Caldwell
Image Credit: C Flanigan/WireImage -
Paul Beasley
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Jim Gordon
Image Credit: Jim McCrary/Redferns -
Costa Titch
Image Credit: Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images via Getty Images -
Chaim Topol
Image Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/GI -
Gary Rossington (right)
Image Credit: Denise Truscello/Getty Images -
Michael Rhodes
Image Credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images -
David Lindley
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images -
Wayne Shorter
Image Credit: Keith Tsuji/GI for Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz -
Steve Mackey
Image Credit: Shirlaine Forrest/GI -
Tom Whitlock
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via GI -
Kyle Jacobs (right)
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT -
Gerald Fried
Image Credit: Amy Graves/WireImage -
Chuck Jackson
Image Credit: Ray Tamarra/GI -
Huey “Piano” Smith
Image Credit: Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images -
Dave Jolicoeur
Image Credit: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images -
Burt Bacharach
Image Credit: Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GI -
Barrett Strong
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Tom Verlaine
Image Credit: Darren Eagles/Getty Images -
David Crosby
Image Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns -
Van Conner (right)
Image Credit: Gie Knaeps/GI -
C.J. Harris
Image Credit: FOX via Getty Images -
Lisa Marie Presley
Image Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic -
Robbie Bachman
Image Credit: Fin Costello/Redferns -
Jeff Beck
Image Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/GI -
Gordy Harmon of The Whispers
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Alan Rankine
Image Credit: David Corio/Redferns -
Gangsta Boo
Image Credit: Lee Shaner
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