Editing 1985 in music (section)

==Deaths==
*[[January 3]] – [[Lucien Cailliet]], clarinetist, conductor, arranger and composer, 87
*[[January 4]] – [[Lovro von Matačić]], Croatian conductor, 85
*[[January 10]] – [[Anton Karas]], [[Austrians|Austrian]] [[zither]] player and composer, 78
*[[January 25]] – [[Paul Smith (film and television composer)|Paul Smith]], American film and television composer, 78
*[[January 30]] – [[Ivar Haglund]], folk singer and restaurateur, 79 (heart attack)
*[[February 7]] – [[Matt Monro]], English singer, 54 (liver cancer)
*[[February 11]] – [[Heinz Eric Roemheld]], American composer, 83
*[[February 12]] – [[Leslie Sarony]], English singer, comedian and songwriter, 87
*[[February 18]]
**<!--February 18-->[[Willy Alberti]], Dutch singer, 58 (liver cancer)
**<!--February 18-->[[Gábor Darvas]], composer and [[musicologist]], 74
*[[February 22]] – Delores Marie "D'Marie" Warren, founding member of [[Alton McClain & Destiny]], 32 (car crash)
**<!--February 22-->[[Efrem Zimbalist]], violinist, 94
*[[February 28]] – [[David Byron]], vocalist of [[Uriah Heep (band)|Uriah Heep]], 38 (alcohol-related)
*[[March 1]] – [[Eugene List]], American classical pianist, 66
*[[March 16]] – [[Roger Sessions]], American composer, 88
*[[March 23]] – [[Zoot Sims]], jazz saxophonist, 59
*[[March 31]] – [[Jeanine Deckers]], known as [[The Singing Nun]], 51 (suicide)
*[[May 2]] 
**[[Bridget D'Oyly Carte]], opera impresario, 77
**[[Leonard Falcone]], baritone/[[euphonium]] virtuosos and director of bands at [[Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band|Michigan State]], 86
*[[May 8]] – [[Karl Marx (composer)|Karl Marx]], composer and conductor, 87
*[[May 12]] – [[Rodolfo Arizaga]], Argentinian composer
*[[May 19]] – [[Hilding Rosenberg]], composer, 92
*[[July 23]] – [[Kay Kyser]], US [[bandleader]], 80
*[[July 30]] – [[Peter Knight (composer)|Peter Knight]], conductor, arranger and composer, 68
*[[August 11]] – [[Nick Ceroli]], jazz drummer, 45
*[[August 12]] – [[Kyu Sakamoto]], Japanese singer, 43 (plane crash)
*[[August 13]] – Jimmy Stokley [[Exile (American band)|(Exile)]], American singer, 41
*[[August 24]] – [[Paul Creston]], American composer, 78
*[[September 6]] – [[Little Brother Montgomery]], [[jazz]] and [[blues]] pianist and singer, 79<ref>{{cite book| first1= Bob| last1= Eagle| first2= Eric S.| last2= LeBlanc| year= 2013| title= Blues: A Regional Experience| publisher= Praeger | location= Santa Barbara, California| pages=106–107 | isbn= 978-0313344237}}</ref>
*[[September 8]] – [[Frederick May (composer)|Frederick May]], Irish composer, 74
*[[September 11]] – [[William Alwyn]], English composer, 79
*[[September 13]] – [[Winifred Cecil]], American operatic soprano, 78<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|date=2002|entry=Cecil, Winifred  |encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O009914|author=Philip L. Miller}}</ref>
*[[September 18]] – [[Ed Lewis (musician)|Ed Lewis]], jazz trumpeter, 76
*[[September 19]] – [[Rockdrigo González]], folk & rock singer-songwriter, 34 ([[1985 Mexico City earthquake]])
*[[October 6]]
**[[Lola Gjoka]], Albanian pianist, 75
**[[Nelson Riddle]], American conductor, composer and [[arranger]], 64
*[[October 11]] – [[Tex Williams]], American [[Country music|country]] singer, 68
*[[October 12]] – [[Ricky Wilson (American musician)|Ricky Wilson]], American guitarist ([[The B-52's]]), 32 (AIDS Related) 
*[[October 14]] – [[Emil Gilels]], Soviet pianist, 68
*[[October 18]] – [[Stefan Askenase]], Polish-born Belgian pianist, 94
*[[October 20]] – [[Boris Lisanevich]], dancer, 80
*[[October 22]] – [[Viorica Ursuleac]], Romanian operatic soprano, 91
*[[November 15]] – [[Seán Ryan (Irish fiddler)|Seán Ryan]], Irish fiddler and whistler
*[[November 18]] – [[Stephan Henrik Barratt-Due]], Norwegian violinist and music teacher, 66
*[[November 24]] – [[Big Joe Turner]], blues singer, 74
*[[December 12]] – [[Ian Stewart (musician)|Ian Stewart]] ([[The Rolling Stones]]), 42 (heart attack)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.out-take.co.uk/ot/ray_connelly.php |title=Stu |last=Ray Connelly |year=2003 |publisher=Out-Take Limited |access-date=July 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222190116/http://www.out-take.co.uk/ot/ray_connelly.php |archive-date=February 22, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
*[[December 22]] – [[D. Boon]], lead singer of [[Minutemen (band)|Minutemen]], 27 (car accident)
*[[December 30]] – [[Bob Pearson]], pianist and singer (Bob and Alf Pearson), 78
*[[December 31]] – [[Ricky Nelson]], singer, former [[teen idol]], 45 (plane crash)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ricky-nelson|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Ricky Nelson|year=1987|publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=July 15, 2008}}</ref>