Born: April 20, 1923

Died: May 31, 2000

The "King of Latin Music," five-time Grammy-winning virtuoso vibraphonist, bandleader, songwriter and arranger in a 50-year career that brought mamba, cha-cha-cha and "salsa" music to mainstream audiences through albums, nightclubs, radio and movies, appeared in the TV sitcom The Cosby Show in 1983 and the film The Mambo Kings (1992), Latin rock Santana covered his "Oye Como Va" (#13, 1970), died following heart valve surgery on 5/31/2000, age 77.

Born: April 30, 1929

Died: May 31, 2015

Singer, songwriter, lyricist and librettist, best known for a variety of Broadway shows, including Over Here!, Me And Bessie and Music Is, and for penning the Latin-tinged folk-pop song "Lemon Tree," which was recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary (#35, AC #12, 1962), among others, and use as an advertising jingle by aerosol furniture polish Lemon Pledge, died from Alzheimer's disease on 5/31/2015, age 86

Born: August 04, 1936

Died: May 31, 1996

Bass vocals for Harlem-based R&B/doo wop The Five Crowns, the core of which became post-1958 R&B The Drifters, "Up On The Roof" (1963), died 5/31/1996, age 59

Born: May 05, 1937

Died: May 31, 2000

Gospel star, R&B/soul balladeer, funk-soul and disco man, "Disco Lady" (#1, 1968), died after a heart attack on 5/31/2000, age 63

Born: December 30, 1942

Died: May 31, 2004

Heralded punk-era guitarist with Richard Hell & The Voidoids, then collaborated with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Tom Waits and others, committed suicide on 5/31/2004, age 61

Born: February 12, 1947

Died: May 31, 2013

Original member in R&B/soul vocal quartet The Soul Children, "I'll Be The Other Woman" (#36, R&B #3, 1973), the group did not meet the expectations of Isaac Hayes and other Stax Records executives who created the group to offset the loss of departed duo Sam & Dave, died on 5/31/2013, age 66

Born: July 15, 1947

Died: May 31, 2019

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding member of legendary Austin, Texas acid/garage rock The 13th Floor Elevators (the first band to use the term "psychedelic rock" to describe their music - and their LSD/stoner lifestyle), the band's 3-year stint led to four albums, seven singles and a lone charting hit ("You're Gonna Miss Me," #55, 1966), became an early casualty of LSD and other hallucinogens and entered a state mental institution to avoid imprisonment on drug charges after the band broke up in 1969, fronted his own bands and recorded and performed with others over the ensuing decades, all the while suffering from schizophrenia and paranoia, died from undisclosed causes on 5/31/2019, age 71.

Born: September 01, 1957

Died: May 31, 2021

English record producer and songwriter, best known for his collaborative work with former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant, co-wrote "Heaven Knows" (Main #1, 1988) and most of the other songs on Plant's album Now And Zen (1988) and co-produced several other Plant 90s solo albums, later worked with singer Alannah Myles and pop-folk The Levellers, suffered from declining health for several years and died on 5/31/2021, age 63.

Born: April 02, 1950

Died: May 31, 2022

Business entrepreneur, electronics engineer, creator of the Prophet-5 in 1978, the world’s first polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory, and leader of the team that developed the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) protocol for linking electronic instruments and audio equipment, both of which were essential to the development of synthesized music, in particular the 80s-90s synth-pop sounds of A-Ha, Duran Duran, Madonna and many others, designed digital software synthesizers in the 90s creating music directly from a PC, returned to designing analog equipment in the 10s with new products and an updated version of the original Prophet-5, died from a heart attack while attending an electronic music industry convention in Detroit on 5/31/2022, age 72.

Born: November 30, -0001

Died: May 31, 2023

Teenaged drummer in pioneering rockabilly/rock ‘n’ roll band Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps and the early rock classic "Be-Bop-A-Lula" (#7, UK #16, 1956), left the band in 1958 when Vincent went solo, played in local bands in the Tidewater, Virginia area over the years and retired from a 37-year career in the U. S. Navy, died from undisclosed causes on 5/31/2023, age 82.

Born: January 14, 1955

Died: May 31, 2024

Percussionist best known for a long association with art-rock virtuoso Frank Zappa in the studio and on tour from 1978 through Zappa’s death in 1993, appeared on 25 albums through 1993 and another seven posthumous releases through 2010, toured with various Zappa backing bands in the 80s, issued five solo albums in the 90s, collaborated with numerous Zappa alumni and other artists into the 10s, died from undisclosed causes on 5/31/2024, age 69.

Born: August 13, 1938

Died: May 31, 2025

Pop and R&B keyboardist, first in Detroit-area doo wop groups in the mid-50s and then as musical director for Little Anhtony & The Imperials, gained fleeting fame in 1959 for his rendition of “The Happy Organ” (#1, R&B #5), the first pop/rock hit to feature an electronic organ as the lead instrument and the first instrumental No. 1 hit on the Billboard pop charts, after a second hit, “Rinky Dink” (#10, R&B #9, 1962) left the industry and led a reclusive life before dying from unknown causes at home in New York City on 5/31/2022, age 84. (At the time of his death, there were no known surviving family members. He was subsequently buried in a potter’s field on New York’s Hart Island. His death was not reported publicly until 2025.)