Music world rocked by 9 deaths already in 2025 – PennLive.com

FILE – Singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow, of the 1960's era musical trio "Peter Paul and Mary," performs during a memorial tribute concert for folk icon and civil rights activist Pete Seeger in New York on July 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)AP
Just two weeks into the new year, and the list of notable musician and music industry figures who have died is up to nine names.
The most recent name to join the list were country music star Buck White, whose daughters announced his death on Monday. He was 94.
The following is a quick look at the artists and influencers from the music industry who have already lost their lives in 2025:
Ed Askew, a cult folk music singer/songwriter and painter, died on Jan. 4.
He was 84.
PEOPLE Magazine reported that Askew had been battling “ongoing health struggles” and had been in hospice.
“Ed was a brave gay songwriter from the beginning and I hope more come to know this,” Jay Pluck, Askew’s manager and friend, told PEOPLE. “Ed’s music changed the lives of people from many generations and continues to do so.”
Askew was a native of Stamford, Connecticut, and according to PEOPLE he studied paining at Yale Art School. The site said Askew was called up for the draft in 1966, but ended up teaching at a prep school in Connecticut instead. It said that is when he began writing his songs.
PEOPLE said Askew released 11 albums during his career. His first album “Ask The Unicorn” came in 1968 and his final, “London” came in 2020. PEOPLE said he also “had a prolific painting career.”
Beej Chaney, described as a punk rock hero in Minnesota, died on Jan. 5.
Chaney, 68, who played with the band The Suburbs, was reportedly found after he went for a swim in the Pacific Ocean.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Chaney had a daily routine of swimming in the ocean, and that he went out around sunset. Friends and bandmates reportedly found his body on Hermosa Beach later that night.
The newspaper said that the Hermosa Beach Police Department said crews responded to a call at around 7 p.m. after Chaney’s body washed up. His death was ruled accidental. The Suburbs drummer Hugo Klaers told the newspaper that Chaney survived a near-death experience during a swim last year. On that occasion, he said, the musician collapsed on the beach.
“His body temperature had dropped to like 75 degrees,” Klaer told the newspaper. “They put him in an induced coma for three days and he actually came back, and the doctor called him ‘her little miracle’ because she said most people when their body temperature gets this low don’t survive. They told him he couldn’t swim for a month and any future swimming he had to wear a wet suit because he was only wearing swim trunks when he was swimming in the ocean.”
Chaney helped found The Suburbs in 1977 and played with the band through 2014.
Jackie Farry, who hosted an MTV show and rubbed shoulders with some legendary rock acts, died on Jan. 12.
She was 58.
Variety reported that she died from a lung disease. The site also noted that she had battled cancer for more than 20 years.
The site said that Farry “worked closely with Nirvana,” and was the first nanny for Frances Bean Cobain. She later served as a tour manager for Elliott Smith, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Lemonheads, according to Variety.
The site also said that, following Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, Farry hosted the MTV show “Super Rock,” although it described that as “short-lived.”
She reportedly got into the industry as a receptionist for Homestead Records.
“Jackie’s love for music was matched only by her sharp wit, humor, and magnetic personality,” Janet Billig Rich, a friend and associate, told the Hollywood Reporter. “She was a beacon for friends and strangers alike, drawing people with infectious energy.”
Owen Leahy might not have been a household name, yet, but if you Google his name you will see the stories.
A report on PopCulture.com referred to Leahy, a founding member and bassist for This Is Pointless, as an “undeniable talent.” Sadly, that same report featured Leahy because, it said, he “passed away suddenly,” on Jan. 6.
He was just 28.
Leahy was a native of Winchester, Massachusetts.
“Owen was so many things to so many people,” his obituary read. “To his family, he was a loving son, a protective brother, and the family prankster. To his DIY Emo Band, This Is Pointless, he was a co-founder and a bass player.
“In the community of recovery, Owen was a mentor, a support system, and dedicated to helping those looking to change their lives for the better,” it continued. “Owen was proud to have celebrated 10 years of his own sobriety. If you had the privilege of becoming a friend of Owen’s, you were a friend for life. He would do anything for those he loved and those in need.”
A GoFundMe launched to help pay for his funeral and other expenses has raised nearly $30,000.
Legendary soul singer Sam Moore died on Jan. 10, according to multiple reports.
He was 89.
Moore reportedly died from complications while recovering from a surgery.
Moore was best known as one-half of the R&B group Sam & Dave. His partner in that group, Dave Prater, died in 1988.
Together, Sam & Dave had such hits as “Soul Man,” “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” “You Don’t Know Like I know,” “I Thank You,” “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby,” and “Wrap It Up.”
“Soul Man” hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967 and won the duo a Grammy for Best R&B group performance. They were nominated for three more Grammy awards and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
“It means more to me than anything in the world,” Moore said at the time. “It means my work — what I’ve done and what I’m going to do in the near future — is not in vain.”
Although the duo had near unparalleled success, they had a tumultuous relationship that led them to a breakup in 1970. Bruce Springsteen was among those memorializing Moore.
“Over on E Street, we are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sam Moore, one of America’s greatest soul voices,” he said on Instagram. “He was filled with stories of the halcyon days of soul music, and to the end had that edge of deep authenticity in his voice I could only wonder at.”
Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Wayne Osmond, the second oldest in the Osmond Brothers band, died on Jan. 1.
He was 73.
His daughter, Amy Cook, shared the news on Facebook.
“Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children,” Cook wrote. “His legacy of faith, music, love and laughter have influence the lives of many people around the world. He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly.”
Cook wrote that she was “having a hard time expressing the depth of my sadness that I won’t have my ‘twin’ in my life for a while.”
“But I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with him,” she continued. “I am grateful for the incredible memories. I am grateful for his strength, loyalty to our family, incredible talent and energy, and most of all, his love. I look forward to the day when I can see him again on the other side.
“I love you, Dad.”
His younger brother, Donny Osmond, posted about his death on Instagram and said that he “passed away peacefully last night from a stroke.”
“Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me,” he wrote. “He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone.”
The Los Angeles Times noted that Osmond also had surgery for a brain tumor in 1997, and had another stroke in 2012 “that left him unable to play guitar.”
Osmond was a native of Ogden, Utah.
Along with his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay, he started The Osmond Brothers. They were considered teen idols.
Country music legend Buck White died this week
He was 94.
The news of his death was relayed from his four daughters by another country music legend, Ricky Skaggs, on his Facebook page.
“The Lord answered our prayers and took our daddy, Buck White, home peacefully this morning at 8:00 a.m.,” the message from the daughters — Sharon, Cheryl, Rosie and Melissa — read. “We are so thankful for his 94 years on this earth. He was a great dad who taught us by example to put Jesus first always. His great loves were the Lord, our mother, his family, and music. Most people will remember him not only for being a great musician and entertainer, but also for being fun-loving and full of mischief. He lived a full life and finished well.
White, along with his daughters Sharon and Cheryl, formed the Grammy Award-winning trio The Whites. Per Taste of Country, the group had several top 10 and Top 20 singles in the 1980s. The Whites were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1984, and in 2008 they were inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
According to Taste of Country, the group was nominated for five Grammys and won two.
The Grand Ole Opry posted about White’s death on X.
“Thank you for all the music, memories, laughs and for ‘Doing It By The Book,’ Buck White,” the post read. “We will miss you.”
Legendary soul singer Brenton Wood died on Jan. 3.
He was 83.
His manager, Manny Gallegos, told Variety that he died from natural causes and was surrounded by family at home.
Per Variety, Gallegos said Wood had a final message for fans: “Catch you on the rebound.”
That, the site said, was a reference to his 1967 song.
Wood, whose real name is Alfred Jesse Smith, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1941.
He is perhaps best known for his 1967 hit “The Oogum Boogum Song,” which rose to No. 19 on the Billboard R&B charts. Variety noted that the song “found new audiences” throughout the years as it was used in films and TV shows including “Almost Famous,” and “The Umbrella Academy.”
Another of his 1967 songs, “Gimme Little Sing,” hit No. 9 on the pop charts.
Variety reported that Wood launched a farewell tour called “Catch You on the Rebound: The Last Tour,” recently but that was paused when he had to be hospitalized.
Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, died on Jan.7 at 86 after a battle with bladder cancer.
Yarrow was best known for writing the hit song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
His life was not without controversy, though, as he was convicted in 1970 of molesting a 14-year-old girl. He served three months in prison before he was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
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