Music Legends Who Died In 20122
The legendary singer's passing on February 11 shocked the world, in spite of her years battling addiction and health problems. She was only 48.
The hip-hop mogul, who represented such luminaries as Diddy, 50 Cent and Nas, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 44
The television icon exposed dozens of musicians to a national audience with "American Bandstand" and became a New Year's Eve fixture with his annual broadcasts from Times Square. He died at 82 from a heart attack.
A legend in the soul community, Dunn played bass for Booker T & the MGs, and performed on thousands of hits for artists like Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Eddie Floyd. He was also a member of the Blues Brothers, and died in Japan where he was performing with fellow soul legend Steve Cropper.
The founder of "Soul Train," the television show that brought many black performers to a wide audience, committed suicide on Feb. 1 following years of suffering seizures due to complications from brain surgery.
The 63-year-old disco queen died following a battle with lung cancer, which hadn't been announced to the public. She'll be forever remembered for her hits such as "Last Dance" and "Bad Girls."
The bluegrass legend, who popularized a unique brand of banjo picking that's become a staple of the genre, died of natural causes at 88
Best known for her hit song "At Last,"
the blues legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away at 73 due to Alzheimer's and leukemia
Wells became the first woman to top the Country charts with her song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." She died on July 16 due to complications from a stroke at the age of 92
The drummer for the Band and the singer for many of their hits, including "The Weight" and "Up on Cripple Creek," died from cancer at 71. He passed away days after making peace with bandmate Robbie Robertson, with whom he feuded for decades