Obituaries

From his seat at the piano, Andy Bey sang with a hushed interiority that could make a listener feel as if he were exchanging confidences. He died on April 26, at 85.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who served an influential tenure on the music faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Richard Wernick died on April 25 at his home in Haverford, PA. He was 91.

His wife, Fresh Air host Terry Gross, said the longtime contributor to The Village Voice and NPR had been living with emphysema and Parkinson's disease.

One of the first modern women composers to reach international acclaim, Gubaidulina wrote bold music, inspired by Eastern and Western philosophies, and the joy of sound itself.

The vibraphonist, composer and jazz-funk pioneer helped inspire the neo-soul movement, and his best-known song was sampled over 100 times.

Roberta Flack is the only solo artist to win two consecutive Record of the Year Grammys and she helped usher in an enduring style of R&B. Could she be pop music's most under-appreciated influence?

The Grammy Award-winning artist and educator had shared an ALS diagnosis in 2022. She was best known for ballads such as "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

Susan Alcorn, who devised a visionary lexicon for pedal steel guitar in creative and improvised music, died on Jan. 31 in Baltimore. She was 71.

A beloved fixture on the airwaves in Philadelphia, including a 25-year tenure at WRTI, Bob Perkins died on Jan. 19. He was 91.

It takes a village to make the music we love. We remember the singers, songwriters, composers, instrumentalists, producers and journalists that we lost in 2024.