NPR

In Memoriam 2018: The Musicians We Lost

A look back at the extraordinary creative souls we lost in 2018, from producer Richard Swift and opera singer Montserrat Caballé to rapper Mac Miller and, of course, Aretha Franklin.

From standard-bearing singers and instrumentalists to genre innovators, from businesspeople who introduced new ways of listening and sharing to activists who made performance their platform, vital voices from all over the music map left us this year — some far too soon.

Hear a few of their legacies discussed in this episode of All Songs Considered, featuring NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and Robin Hilton, and explore many more in the list below.


Robert Mann

July 19, 1920 – Jan. 1, 2018

A violinist and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, Mann was a performer, composer, educator, conductor and mentor to generations of musicians. (Read the full obituary)


"Fast" Eddie Clarke

Oct. 5, 1950 – Jan. 10, 2018

Clarke was responsible for the punk chugs and cascading, peak-metal riffs within some of Motörhead's most enduring songs, including "Ace of Spades," "Capricorn," "Overkill" and "Fast and Loose." (Read the full obituary)


Dolores O'Riordan

Sept. 6, 1971 – Jan. 15, 2018

O'Riordan defined the sound)

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