Artists We Lost in 2018

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From jazz trumpeters and blues guitarists to genre-defining soul singers and avant-garde soothsayers, DownBeat presents a look back at some of the talented performers who passed away during 2018. DB

Eddie C. Campbell (1939–2018)

Ndugu Chancler (1952-2018)

Eddy Clearwater (1935-2018)

Bob Dorough (1923–2018)

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)

Roy Hargrove (1969–2018)

Hugh Masekela (1939-2018)

Randy Weston (1926-2018)

Nancy Wilson (1937–2018)

Otis Rush (1935-2018)

Tomasz Stańko (1942-2018)

Cecil Taylor (1929-2018)



  • Jack_DeJohnette_by_Steve_Sussman.jpg

    ​Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.

  • Don_and_Maureen_Sickler_by_Richard_Halterman_copy_2.jpg

    Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.

  • Trio_aRT_courtesy_Trio_aRT_copy_3.jpg

    Trio aRT with its avalanche of instrumentation: from left, Pheeroan akLaff, Scott Robinson and Julian Thayer.

  • KurtElling_6.2.25_by_ElliotMandel-REV-6.jpg

    “Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.

  • Pat_Metheny_Side-Eye_III_Jimmy_Katz.jpg

    Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at ​Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.


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November 2025
Gary Bartz
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