Editing 1966 in music (section)

==Deaths==
* [[January 29]] – [[Pierre Mercure]], Canadian [[bassoon]] player and composer, 39
* [[February 9]] – [[Sophie Tucker]], blues singer, 82
* [[February 10]] – [[Billy Rose]], impresario, 66
* [[February 13]] – [[Marguerite Long]], pianist, 87
* [[February 23]] – [[Billy Kyle]], jazz pianist, 51
* March – [[Mohamed El Qasabgi]], composer
* [[March 29]] – [[Jazz Gillum]], harmonica player, 61 (shot)
* [[March 30]] – [[Jelly d'Arányi]], violinist, 72
* [[April 3]] – [[Russel Crouse]], librettist, 73
* [[April 19]] – [[Javier Solís]], Mexican ranchera and bolero singer, 34 (complications following gall bladder surgery)
* [[April 30]] – [[Richard Fariña]], folk singer, 29 (motorcycle accident)
* [[May 13]] – [[Henrik Adam Due]], violinist, music teacher, 75
* [[June 1]] – [[Papa Jack Laine]], bandleader, 92
* [[June 12]] – [[Hermann Scherchen]], conductor, 74
* [[June 17]] – [[Johnny St. Cyr]], jazz musician, 76
* [[July 3]] – [[Deems Taylor]], composer and music critic, 80
* [[July 18]] – [[Bobby Fuller]], singer and guitarist, 23 (possible suicide or murder)
* [[July 31]] – [[Bud Powell]], jazz pianist, 41
* [[August 2]] – [[Boyd Raeburn]], jazz musician, 52 (heart attack)
* August 2 or 3 – [[Tristan Klingsor]], poet, painter and musician, 91
* [[August 4]] – [[Helen Tamiris]], dancer and choreographer, 61
* [[August 15]] – [[Jan Kiepura]], Polish tenor and actor, 64
* [[September 17]] – [[Fritz Wunderlich]], tenor, 35 (fell downstairs)
* [[September 26]] – [[Helen Kane]], singer, 62
* [[September 28]] – [[Lucky Millinder|Lucius "Lucky" Millinder]], US bandleader, 56 (liver disease)
* [[October 3]] – [[Dave Lambert (American jazz vocalist)|Dave Lambert]], jazz musician, 49 (road accident)
* [[October 7]]
** [[Johnny Kidd (singer)|Johnny Kidd]], British singer, 30 (car accident)
** [[Smiley Lewis]], R&B musician, 53 (stomach cancer)
* [[October 12]] – [[Arthur Lourié]], composer, 74
* [[October 26]] – [[Alma Cogan]], English singer, 34 (stomach cancer)
* [[October 17]] – [[Karel Hruška]], operatic tenor, 75
* [[October 29]] – [[Wellman Braud]], jazz musician, 75
* [[November 1]]
** [[Alexis Roland-Manuel]], composer, 75
** [[Dick Roberts (musician)|Dick Roberts]], guitar and banjo player, 69
* [[November 2]] – [[Mississippi John Hurt]], blues musician, 73 or 74
* [[November 6]] – [[Washboard Sam]], blues musician, 56 (heart disease)
* [[November 12]] – [[Quincy Porter]], composer, 69
* [[November 28]] – [[Vittorio Giannini]], opera composer, 63
* [[December 1]] – [[Carter Stanley]], bluegrass musician, half of [[The Stanley Brothers]], 41 (alcohol-related)
* [[December 3]] – [[Kui Lee]], singer-songwriter, 34 (gland cancer)
* [[December 9]] – [[Yuri Shaporin]], composer, 79
* [[December 12]] – [[Nellie Briercliffe]], singer and actress with the D'Oyly Carte company, 77
* [[December 14]] – [[Shailendra (lyricist)|Shailendra]], lyricist, 43
* [[December 24]] – [[Gaspar Cassadó]], cellist and composer, 69