Soul and R&B artists from the 1960's & 1970's who have passed away:
| Artist | Group(s) | Born | Passed Away | Cause Of Death |
| Buddy Ace | 11/11/1936 | 12/26/1994 | Heart Attack | |
| Barbara Acklin | 02/28/1943 | 11/27/1998 | Pneumonia | |
| Johnny Adams | 01/05/1932 | 07/14/1998 | Cancer | |
| Arthur Alexander | 05/10/1940 | 06/09/1993 | Heart Attack | |
| Charlie Allen | Pacific Gas & Electric | ??/??/1942 | 05/07/1990 | |
| Papa Dee Allen | War | 07/19/1931 | 08/30/1988 | Brain Aneurysm |
| Richard "Pistol" Allen | The Funk Brothers | ??/??/1932 | 06/29/2002 | Cancer |
| Kip Anderson | 01/24/1938 | 08/29/2007 | ||
| Charles "Packy" Axton | The Mar Keys, The Packers | 02/17/1941 | 01/??/1974 | Heart Attack |
| Baby Huey (James Ramsey) | ??/??/1944 | 10/28/1970 | Heart Attack or Overdose | |
| J.R. Bailey | ??/??/1932 | ??/??/1980? | ||
| Ronnie Baker | MFSB | ??/??/???? | ??/??/1990 | Brain Cancer |
| Florence Ballard | Diana Ross & The Supremes | 06/30/1943 | 02/22/1976 | Cardiac Arrest |
| Darrell Banks | 07/25/1937 | 02/24/1970 | Gunshot Wound | |
| Homer Banks | 08/02/1941 | 04/03/2003 | Cancer | |
| Larry Banks | The Four Fellows, Lawrence & Jaibi | 10/03/1935? | 02/26/1992 | Liver Failure |
| Francine (Peaches) Barker | Peaches & Herb | 04/28/1947 | 08/13/2005 | Diabetes Complications |
| William "Benny" Benjamin | The Funk Brothers | ??/??/193? | 05/02/1969 | |
| Renaldo "Obie" Benson | The Four Tops | 06/14/1937 | 07/01/2005 | Lung Cancer |
| Brook Benton | 09/19/1931 | 04/09/1988 | Spinal Meningitis | |
| Buster Benton | 07/19/1932 | 01/20/1996 | ||
| Jesse Bolian | The Artistics | 06/08/1941 | 08/24/1994 | |
| Thomas "Beans" Bowles | Motown Sessions | ??/??/1927 | 01/28/2000 | Prostate Cancer |
| Eva Boyd (Little Eva) | 06/24/1943 or 1946 | 04/10/2003 | Brest Cancer | |
| Shirley Brickley | The Orlons | 12/09/1944 | 10/13/1977 | Murdered |
| Johnny Bristol | 02/03/1939 | 03/21/2004 | Natural Causes | |
| James Brown | 05/03/1933 | 12/25/2006 | Heart Failure | |
| Larry Brown | Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes | 11/05/1944 | 04/06/2008 | Respiratory condition |
| Sam "Little Sonny" Brown | The Intruders | ??/??/???? | 04/17/1995 | Jumped Off A Bridge (Suicide) |
| Larry Brownlee | The COD's, The Lost Generation | ??/??/???? | ??/??/1978 | Murdered |
| Frankie Brunson | People's Choice | 03/19/1929 | 11/24/2007 | Long Illness |
| Harold Burrage | 03/30/1931 | 11/25/1966 | Heart Attack | |
| Floyd Butler | The Friends Of Distinction | 06/05/1941 | 04/29/1990 | Heart Attack |
| Bobby Byrd | 08/15/1934 | 09/12/2007 | Cancer | |
| Ronnie Caldwell | The Bar-Kays | ??/??/1948 | 12/10/1967 | Plane Crash |
| Edgar Campbell | Eddie & Ernie | 12/23/1940 | 07/10/1994 | Cirrhosis of the Liver |
| James Carr | 06/13/1942 | 01/07/2001 | Cancer | |
| Bruce Carter | Pleasure | 12/08/1956 | 08/12/2006 | Heart Attack? |
| Alvin Cash | 02/15/1939 | 11/21/1999 | Stomach & Ulcer Problems | |
| Karl Chambers | MFSB | 09/09/1946 | 02/24/2002 | Cancer |
| Roland Chambers | MFSB | 03/09/1944 | 05/08/2002 | Heart Failure |
| Ray Charles | 09/23/1930 | 06/10/2004 | Acute Liver Disease | |
| Arlester "Dyke" Christian | Dyke & The Blazers | 06/13/1943 | 03/13/1971 | Murdered |
| Dee Clark | 11/07/1938 | 12/07/1990 | Heart Attack | |
| Doug Clark | Doug Clark & The Hot Nuts | 06/18/1936 | 09/16/2002 | |
| Jimmy (Soul) Clarke | ??/??/???? | ??/??/1974 | ||
| Tony Clarke | 04/13/1940 | 08/28/1971 | Murdered | |
| Judy Clay | 09/12/1938 | 07/19/2001 | Car Accident | |
| Bill Coday | 05/10/1942 | 06/07/2008 | Stroke | |
| Lyn Collins | 06/12/1948 | 03/13/2005 | Cardiac Arrest | |
| Arthur Conley | 04/01/1946 | 11/17/2003 | Intestinal Cancer | |
| Johnny "Clyde" Copeland | 03/27/1937 | 07/03/1997 | Heart Surgery Complications | |
| Doris Coley-Kenner/Jackson | The Shirelles | 08/02/1941 | 02/04/2000 | Breast Cancer |
| Sam Cooke | 01/22/1931 | 12/11/1964 | Gunshot Wound | |
| Carter Cornelius | Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose | ??/??/1948 | 11/07/1991 | Heart Attack |
| Hank Cosby | Motown Sessions | 05/12/1928 | 01/22/2002 | Long Illness |
| Carl Cunningham | The Bar-Kays | ??/??/1949 | 12/10/1967 | Plane Crash |
| King Curtis | 02/07/1934 | 08/13/1971 | Stabbed | |
| Geater Davis | 01/29/1946 | 09/29/1984 | ||
| Huey Davis | The Contours | 08/17/1938 | 02/23/2002 | |
| Mamie (Galore) Davis | 09/24/1940 | 10/06/2001 | Stroke | |
| Marlena Davis | The Orlons | 10/04/1944 | 02/27/1993 | Cancer |
| Raymond Davis | Parliament | 03/29/1940 | 07/05/2005 | Respiratory Complications |
| Tyrone Davis | 05/04/1938 | 02/09/2005 | Stroke | |
| Eugene "Bird" Daughtry | The Intruders | 10/29/1939 | 12/25/1994 | Cancer |
| Bill Deal | Bill Deal & The Rhondels | ??/??/1944 | 12/10/2003 | Heart Attack |
| Lee Dorsey | 12/24/1924 | 12/01/1986 | Emphysema | |
| Willis Draffen Jr. | Bloodstone | ??/??/1946 | 02/08/2002 | |
| Roger Durham | Bloodstone | ??/??/ca.1946 | 10/??/1973 | Internal Injuries From A Fall |
| Ronnie Dyson | 06/05/1950 | 11/10/1990 | Heart Failure | |
| Bernard Edwards | Chic | 10/31/1952 | 04/18/1996 | Pneumonia |
| Donnie Elbert | 05/25/1936 | 01/26/1989 | Stroke | |
| Lorraine Ellison | ??/??/1943 | 08/17/1985 | ||
| "Sweet" James Epps | The Fantastic Four | 03/30/1947 | 09/11/2000 | Heart Attack |
| Betty Everett | 11/23/1939 | 08/19/2001 | Heart Problems | |
| Yvonne Fair | ??/??/1942 | 03/06/1994 | ||
| Leroy Fann | Ruby & The Romantics | 11/09/1936 | 11/??/1973 | Heart Attack |
| Charles Fizer | The Olympics | 06/06/1940 | 09/14/1965 | Gunshot Wound |
| Phil Flowers | ??/??/1935 | 01/22/2001 | Cancer | |
| King Floyd | 02/13/1945 | 03/06/2006 | Stroke & Diabetes | |
| Eddie "Little Buster" Forehand | 09/28/1942 | 05/11/2006 | Stroke & Diabetes Complications | |
| James Fountain | ??/??/???? | 09/??/2005 | ||
| Charlie Foxx | 11/23/1939 | 09/19/1998 | Leukemia | |
| Carolyn Franklin | 05/13/1945 | 04/25/1988 | Cancer | |
| Erma Franklin | 03/13/1938 | 09/07/2002 | Cancer | |
| Melvin Franklin | The Temptations | 10/12/1942 | 02/23/1995 | Brain Seizure |
| Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood | Parliament/Funkadelic | 05/23/1944 | 11/29/1979 | Stomach Cancer |
| Johnny Funches | The Dells | 07/18/1935 | 01/23/1998 | Emphysema |
| Marvin Gaye | 04/02/1939 | 04/01/1984 | Murdered | |
| Barbara George | 08/16/1942 | 08/10/2006 | ||
| Samuel George | The Capitols | 01/23/1942 | 03/17/1982 | Stabbed |
| Master Henry Gibson | Curtis Mayfield Band | 08/09/1942 | 12/18/2002 | Heart Attack |
| Freddie Gorman | The Originals | ??/??/ca 1939 | 06/13/2006 | |
| James Graves | Jr. Walker & The All-Stars | 08/08/1941 | 11/??/1967 | Car Accident |
| Doc Green | The Drifters | 11/08/1934 | 03/10/1989 | Cancer |
| Herman Griffin | 11/25/1936 | 11/11/1989 | Heart Attack | |
| Johnny Griffith | The Funk Brothers | 07/10/1936 | 11/10/2002 | Heart Attack |
| Vernon Guy | The Sharpees | 11/20/1944 | 09/10/1998 | |
| Ed Guzman | Rare Earth | 03/10/1944 | 07/29/1993 | |
| Addie "Micki" Harris | The Shirelles | 01/22/1940 | 06/10/1982 | Heart Attack |
| Norman Harris | MFSB | 02/10/???? | 03/21/1987 | Heart Attack |
| Bobby Hatfield | The Righteous Brothers | 08/10/1940 | 11/05/2003 | Heart Attack? |
| Donny Hathaway | 10/01/1945 | 01/13/1979 | Suicide | |
| Isaac Hayes | 08/20/1942 | 08/10/2008 | Stroke | |
| Eddie Hazel | Parliament/Funkadelic | 04/10/1950 | 12/23/1992 | Liver Failure |
| Donald Height | 01/26/1940 | 07/02/1999 | ||
| Billy Henderson | The Spinners | 08/09/1939 | 02/02/2007 | Diabetes Complications |
| Margie Hendrix | The Raelettes, The Cookies | 03/13/1935? | 07/14/1973? | Heroin Overdose |
| Monk Higgins | 10/03/1930 | 07/03/1986 | Respitory Disease | |
| Jesse Hill | 12/09/1932 | 09/17/1996 | Kidney and Heart Failure | |
| Z.Z. Hill | 09/30/1935 | 04/27/1984 | Heart Attack | |
| Eddie Hinton | 06/15/1944 | 07/28/1995 | Heart Attack | |
| Joe Hinton | 11/15/1929 | 08/13/1968 | Skin Cancer | |
| Elsbeary Hobbs | The Drifters | 08/04/1936 | 05/31/1996 | Throat and Lung Cancer |
| Jimmy Holiday | 07/24/1934 | 02/15/1987 | Heart Failure | |
| Cleveland Horne | The Fantastic Four | ??/??/???? | 04/13/2000 | Heart Attack |
| William (Wee Gee) Howard | The Dramatics | 07/13/1950 | 02/22/2000 | Heart Attack |
| Joe Hunter | The Funk Brothers | 11/19/1927 | 02/02/2007 | |
| Ty Hunter | Glass House, The Originals | 07/14/1940 | 02/24/1981 | Lung Cancer |
| Willie Hutch | 12/06/1944 | 09/19/2005 | ||
| Phyllis Hyman | 07/06/1950 | 06/30/1995 | Suicide | |
| Luther Ingram | 11/30/1944 | 03/19/2007 | Heart Failure | |
| Big Dee Irwin | 07/08/1939 | 08/27/1995 | Heart Failure | |
| O'Kelly Isley | 12/25/1937 | 03/31/1986 | Heart Attack | |
| Al Jackson Jr. | Booker T & The MG's | 11/27/1935 | 10/01/1975 | Murdered |
| Walter Jackson | 03/19/1938 | 06/20/1983 | Cerebral Hemorrhage | |
| James Jamerson | The Funk Brothers | 01/29/1938 | 08/02/1983 | Pneumonia |
| Rick James | 02/01/1948 | 08/06/2004 | Heart Attack | |
| Ernie Johnson | Eddie & Ernie | 10/22/1943 | 08/20/2005 | Hit & Run Incident |
| Herb Johnson | 12/26/1935 | 01/19/2004 | Cancer | |
| Hubert Johnson | The Contours | 01/14/1941 | 06/11/1981 | Suicide |
| Marv Johnson | 11/15/1938 | 05/16/1993 | Heart Attack | |
| Ruby Johnson | 04/19/1936 | 04/??/1999 | ||
| Joe Jones | 08/12/1926 | 11/27/2005 | Complications From Surgery | |
| Linda Jones | 01/14/1944 | 03/14/1972 | Diabetes | |
| Phalon Jones | The Bar-Kays | ??/??/1949 | 12/10/1967 | Plane Crash |
| Valerie Jones | The Jones Girls | 04/17/1956 | 12/02/2001 | Brain Aneurysm |
| Don Julian | Don Julian & The Meadowlarks, The Larks | 04/07/1937 | 11/06/1998 | Pneumonia |
| Ernie K-Doe | 02/22/1936 | 07/05/2001 | Liver Failure | |
| Eddie Kendrick(s) | The Temptations | 12/17/1939 | 10/05/1992 | Lung Cancer |
| Brian Keenan | The Chambers Brothers | 01/28/1944 | ??/??/1985 | Heart Attack |
| Chris Kenner | 12/25/1929 | 01/25/1976 | Heart Attack | |
| Theola Kilgore | ??/??/ca.1926 | 05/15/2005 | ||
| Anna King | 12/09/1937 | 10/21/2002 | ||
| Earl King | 03/17/1934 | 04/17/2003 | Diabetes | |
| Jean King | The Blossoms | 10/12/1938 | 03/28/1983 | Heart Attack |
| Jimmy King | The Bar-Kays | ??/??/1949 | 12/10/1967 | Plane Crash |
| Robbie King | Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers | ??/??/ca. 1947 | 09/17/2003 | Throat Cancer |
| Major Lance | 04/04/1942 | 09/03/1994 | Heart Disease | |
| Hoagy Lands | 05/04/1936 | 01/12/2002 | ||
| Emanuel Lasky | 06/20/1945 | 06/23/2006 | ||
| Otis Leavill | 02/08/1937 | 07/17/2002 | ||
| Jimmy Lewis | 11/19/1937 | 09/11/2004 | Cancer | |
| Rudy Lewis | The Drifters | 08/23/1936 | 05/20/1964 | Asphyxiation |
| Little Milton (Campbell) | 09/07/1934 | 08/05/2005 | Stroke | |
| Hattie Littles | ??/??/1938 | 06/??/2000 | Heart Attack | |
| Shorty Long | 05/20/1940 | 06/29/1969 | Drowned | |
| Ed Logan | Hi Rhythm Section, The Memphis Horns | 02/12/1945 | 04/13/2000 | Cancer |
| Johnnie Mae Matthews | 12/31/1922 | 01/06/2002 | Cancer | |
| Curtis Mayfield | The Impressions | 06/03/1942 | 12/26/1999 | Diabetes |
| Lenny Mays | The Dramatics | 04/05/1951 | 11/08/2004 | Heart Failure |
| Bobby McClure | 04/21/1942 | 11/13/1992 | Brain Aneurysm | |
| Van McCoy | 01/06/1944 | 07/06/1979 | Heart Attack | |
| Gene McFadden | The Epsilons, McFadden & Whitehead | ??/??/1949 | 01/27/2006 | Cancer |
| Donald McPherson | The Main Ingredient | 07/09/1941 | 07/04/1971 | Leukemia |
| Robbie McIntosh | Average White Band | 04/25/1950 | 09/23/1974 | Drug Poisoning |
| Harold Melvin | 06/25/1939 | 03/24/1997 | Stroke | |
| Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks | Ohio Players | 08/20/1939 | 11/??/1997 | |
| Buddy Miles | 09/05/1947 | 02/26/2008 | Congestive Heart Failure | |
| Charles Miller | War | 06/02/1939 | 06/??/1980 | Murdered |
| James Mitchell | Hi Rhythm Section, The Memphis Horns | 05/15/1931 | 12/18/2000 | Heart Failure |
| McKinley Mitchell | 12/25/1934 | 01/18/1986 | Heart Attack | |
| Bobby Moore | Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces | ??/??/ca.1930 | 02/01/2006 | Kidney Failure |
| Johnny Moore | The Drifters | 12/15/1934 | 12/30/1998 | Heart Attack |
| Johnny Moore | ??/??/???? | 05/08/2005 | ||
| Jimmy Nolen | James Brown Band | 04/03/1934 | 12/18/1983 | Heart Attack |
| Bernard Odum | James Brown Band | ??/??/1932 | 08/17/2004 | Kidney Failure |
| Ricky Owens | The Vibrations | 04/24/1939 | 12/06/1995 | Diabetes |
| Gene Page | 10/13/1938 | 08/24/1998 | Long Term Illness | |
| Edward Patten | Gladys Knight & The Pips | 08/02/1939 | 02/25/2005 | Stroke |
| Clarence Paul | 03/19/1928 | 05/06/1995 | Heart Disease & Diabetes | |
| Brenda Payton | Brenda & The Tabulations | ??/??/ca.1946 | 01/14/1992 | Cancer |
| Lawrence Payton | The Four Tops | 03/02/1938 | 06/20/1997 | Liver Cancer |
| Eugene Pearson | The Drifters, The Cleftones, The Rivileers | 09/15/1935 | 04/06/2000 | Lung Cancer |
| Esther Phillips | 12/23/1935 | 08/07/1984 | Liver, Kidney Failure | |
| Jasper "Jabo" Phillips | The Temprees | ??/??/ca.1949 | 02/21/2001 | Kidney Failure |
| Wilson Pickett | 03/18/1941 | 01/19/2006 | Heart Attack | |
| June Pointer | The Pointer Sisters | 11/30/1953 | 04/11/2006 | Cancer |
| Ray Pollard | 08/25/1940 | 01/26/2005 | ||
| Joseph Pope | The Tams | 11/06/1933 | 03/16/1996 | Heart Failure |
| William Powell | The O'Jays | 12/09/1941 | 05/26/1977 | Cancer |
| Dave Prater | Sam & Dave | 05/09/1937 | 04/09/1988 | Auto Accident |
| Billy Preston | 09/09/1946 | 06/06/2006 | Kidney Failure | |
| Jimmy Radcliffe | 11/18/1936 | 07/02/1973 | Kidney Failure | |
| Barbara Randolph | 05/05/1942 | 06/15/2002 | Cancer | |
| Lou Rawls | 12/01/1935 | 01/06/2006 | Lung & Brain Cancer | |
| Harry Ray | The Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown | 12/15/1946 | 10/01/1992 | Stroke |
| Eugene Record | The Chi-Lites | 12/23/1940 | 07/22/2005 | Cancer |
| Otis Redding | 09/09/1941 | 12/10/1967 | Plane Crash | |
| Herbert Reeves | The Sharpees | ??/??/???? | ??/??/1972 | |
| Bob Relf | Bob & Earl | 01/10/1937 | 11/21/2007 | |
| Herbert "Tubo" Rhoad | The Persuasions | 10/01/1944 | 12/08/1988 | Stroke |
| Tommy Ridgley | 10/30/1925 | 08/11/1999 | Lung Cancer | |
| Minnie Ripperton | The Gems, Rotary Connection | 11/08/1947 | 07/12/1979 | Breast Cancer |
| Ed Roberts | Ruby & The Romantics | 04/24/1936 | 08/15/1993 | Cancer |
| Alvin "Shine" Robinson | 12/22/1937 | 01/25/1989 | ||
| Rudy Robinson | 12/21/1940 | 02/18/2002 | Heart Attack | |
| Lee Rogers | 12/??/1942 | 10/01/1990 | ||
| David Ruffin | The Temptations | 01/18/1941 | 06/01/1991 | Drug Overdose |
| Patty Russell/Hamilton | Patty & The Emblems | ??/??/ca.1942 | ??/??/1998 | Leukemia |
| Oliver Sain | 03/01/1932 | 10/28/2003 | Bone & Bladder Cancer | |
| Clarence "Satch" Satchell | Ohio Players | 04/14/1940 | 12/30/1995 | Brain Aneurism |
| Freddie Scott | 04/24/1933 | 06/04/2007 | Heart Attack | |
| George "King" Scott | The Hesitations | 03/18/1929 | 02/??/1968 | Shot |
| Walter Scott | Bob Kuban and the In-Men | ??/??/ca.1945 | 12/27/1983 | Murdered |
| Timmy Shaw | ??/??/???? | 03/29/1984 | Throat Cancer | |
| Bobby Sheen | ??/??/1943 | 12/23/2000 | Pneumonia | |
| Roscoe Shelton | 08/22/1931 | 07/27/2002 | ||
| Tony Silvester | The Insiders, The Main Ingredient | 10/07/1941 | 11/26/2006 | Cancer |
| Nina Simone | 02/21/1933 | 04/21/2003 | Long Illness | |
| Charles (Claydes) Smith | Kool & The Gang | 09/06/1948 | 06/20/2006 | Long Illness |
| Jessie Smith | The Marvelows | 08/??/1942 | 09/04/2007 | Cancer |
| George "Smitty" Smith | The Manhattans | 12/18/1939 | 12/16/1970 | Cerebral Hemorrhage |
| O.C. Smith | 06/21/1932 | 11/23/2001 | Heart Attack | |
| Annette Snell | ??/??/???? | 04/04/1977 | Plane Crash | |
| C.P. Spencer | The Originals | ??/??/1938 | 10/20/2004 | Heart Attack |
| Dusty Springfield | 04/16/1939 | 03/02/1999 | Breast Cancer | |
| Roebuck "Pops" Staples | The Staple Singers | 12/28/1915 | 12/18/2000 | Heart Attack |
| Edwin Starr | 01/21/1942 | 04/02/2003 | Heart Attack | |
| Billy Stewart | 03/24/1937 | 01/17/1970 | Auto Accident | |
| Joe Stubbs | The Falcons, 100 Proof Aged In Soul | ??/??/ca.1943 | 02/05/1998 | Heart Failure |
| Edmund Sylvers | The Sylvers | 01/25/1957 | 03/11/2004 | Lung Cancer |
| Johnnie Taylor | 05/05/1938 | 05/31/2000 | Heart Attack | |
| Little Johnny Taylor | 02/11/1943 | 05/17/2002 | ||
| Richard Taylor | The Manhattans | ??/??/ca.1940 | 12/07/1987 | Lengthy Illness |
| Ted Taylor | 02/16/1937 | 10/22/1987 | Auto Accident | |
| Willie Tee | 02/06/1944 | 09/11/2007 | Colon Cancer | |
| Tammi Terrell | 01/24/1946 | 03/16/1970 | Brain Tumor | |
| Joe Tex | 08/08/1933 | 08/13/1982 | Heart Attack | |
| Cal Thomas | T.S.U. Toronadoes | 12/23/1944 | 05/25/2004 | Ruptured Aorta & Congestive Heart Failure |
| Rufus Thomas | 03/16/1917 | 12/15/2001 | Heart Failure | |
| Terry Thompson | Fame Rhythm Section | ??/??/1941 | ??/??/1965 | |
| Georgeanna Tillman | The Marvelettes | ??/??/1944 | 01/06/1980 | Lupus |
| Abrim Tilmon | Detroit Emeralds | 01/12/1945 | 07/06/1982 | Heart Attack |
| Ron Townson | The 5th Dimension | 01/20/1941 | 08/02/2001 | Renal Failure |
| Roger Troutman | Zapp | 11/29/1951 | 04/25/1999 | Murdered |
| Doris Troy | 01/06/1937 | 02/16/2004 | Emphysema | |
| Tommy Tucker | 03/05/1939 | 01/22/1982 | Poisoning | |
| Ike Turner | 11/05/1931 | 12/12/2007 | ||
| Earl Van Dyke | The Funk Brothers | 07/08/1930 | 09/18/1992 | Prostate Cancer |
| Luther Vandross | Change | 04/20/1951 | 07/01/2005 | Stroke Complications |
| Don Varner | 06/25/1943 | 10/07/2002 | Heart Disease | |
| Junior Walker |
Jr. Walker & The All-Stars |
06/14/1931 or 1942 | 11/23/1995 | Cancer |
| Walter Ward | The Olympics | 08/28/1940 | 12/11/2006 | Illness |
| Johnny "Guitar" Watson | 02/03/1935 | 05/17/1996 | Heart Attack | |
| Mary Wells | 05/13/1943 | 07/26/1992 | Throat Cancer | |
| Barry White | 09/12/1944 | 07/04/2003 | Kidney Failure | |
| Danny White | 07/06/1931 | 01/06/1996 | ||
| Robert White | The Funk Brothers | 11/19/1936 | 10/27/1994 | Heart Failure |
| Ronnie White | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles | 04/05/1939 | 08/26/1995 | Leukemia |
| John Whitehead | The Epsilons, McFaddeen & Whitehead | 07/02/1948 | 05/11/2004 | Gunshot Wound |
| Jewel Whittaker | Vernon & Jewel | ??/??/???? | ??/??/1968 | Brest Cancer |
| Alexander Wilde | Patty & The Emblems | 06/19/1938 | 11/13/1998 | |
| Johnny Wilder | Heatwave | 07/03/1949 | 05/13/2006 | |
| Elbert Wilkins | The Dramatics | ??/??/???? | 12/13/1992 | Heart Attack |
| Fleming Williams | The Hues Corporation | ??/??/1953 | 09/??/1992 | |
| George Williams | The Tymes | 12/06/1935 | 07/28/2004 | Cancer |
| Johnny Williams | 01/15/1942 | 12/??/1986 | ||
| Larry Williams | 05/10/1935 | 01/07/1980 | Suicide | |
| Louis Williams | The Ovations | 02/24/1941 | 10/13/2002 | |
| Milan Williams | The Commodores | 03/28/1948 | 07/09/2006 | Cancer |
| Paul Williams | The Temptations | 07/02/1939 | 08/17/1973 | Suicide |
| Al Wilson | 06/19/1939 | 04/21/2008 | Kidney Failure | |
| Jackie Wilson | 06/09/1934 | 01/21/1984 | Stroke | |
| Harry Womack | The Valentinos | 06/25/1945 | 03/09/1974 | Stabbed |
| Willie Woods | Jr. Walker & The All-Stars | 09/05/1936 | 05/27/1997 | Lung Cancer |
| Harold Worthington | The Unifics | ??/??/ca.1948 | 02/20/1990 | Murdered |
| O.V. Wright | 10/09/1939 | 11/16/1980 | Heart Failure | |
| Syreeta (Rita) Wright | 02/28/1946 | 07/06/2004 | Bone Cancer | |
| Johnny Wyatt | 10/06/1938 | 12/??/1983 | ||
| Phillippé Wynne | The Spinners | 04/03/1941 | 07/14/1984 | Heart Attack |
| Eldee Young | Ramsey Lewis Trio, Young-Holt Unlimited | 01/07/1936 | 02/12/2007 | Heart Attack |
| Timi Yuro | 08/04/1940 | 03/30/2004 | Brain Cancer |
R&B and Doo-Wop artists from the 1940's & 1950's who have passed away:
| Artist | Group(s) | Born | Passed Away | Cause Of Death |
| Johnny Ace | 06/09/1929 | 12/25/1954 | Gunshot Wound | |
| Ernestine Allen (Annisteen Allen) | 11/11/1920 | 08/10/1992 | Heart Attack | |
| Lee Allen | 07/02/1926 | 10/18/1994 | Lung Cancer | |
| Gene Allison | 08/29/1934 |