Musicians Who Died in 2006

2006 has been a year of death, really. International conflicts and natural disasters kept death in the news all year, and cast a very dark pall over New Year's celebrations.

Yet it was also a year to lose some significant musicians and artists, many of whom spent their careers trying to inspire and move people. Here's a short list of some artists that passed on in 2006.

The list could have been far more extensive, but I chose to only post about those people who moved me directly. Obviously, another writer could have a very different list.

Most notably, in 2006 we lost James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. Dutch Mason, the Canadian blues guitarist, died late in the year. Sid Barrett, the original singer of Pink Floyd and a notable solo artist in his own right also died this past year.

Ahmet Ertegun, while not a musician, was a force behind artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis and Ray Charles. He died from injuries sustained backstage at a Rolling Stones concert. While sad, it could probably make some other list of "best ways to go".

Robert Lockwood, Jr, like all blues guitarists, died described as "a legend". Billy Preston, (see image above) was described by many, including himself, as the 5th Beatle.

Ali Farka Toure, guitarist and singer, achieved some commercial success in his later years, whereas J. Dilla, hip hop producer and DJ (and some would say genius) created an indelible mark despite his young age.

It is no exageration to say that scrolling through the seemingly endless lists of notable deaths in 2006 made for one of the hardest posts I've had to write (and took much longer than expected). Seeing all the "notable" people made me think of how we'll each be remembered. And obviously, addressing the death of others can often inspire thoughts on one's own mortality. Not fun when scanning hundreds of names of the deceased.

However, I can take some solace in listening to the works of the above artists, or the artists they were most associated with, as we move forward in 2007.