Guitarist Jeff Beck was gone just 10 days into the new year at the age of 78, a victim of a sudden onset of bacterial meningitis. A member of early groundbreaking rock act The Yardbirds, Beck continued to push the boundaries of rock guitar throughout his long and prolific career. He put out 14 albums, won 8 Grammy Awards, and was a favorite collaborator of many high profile rockers, including Ozzy Osbourne and Jon Bon Jovi.
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the one and only Elvis Presley, died a couple days after Beck. Rushed to the hospital after a cardiac event, doctors were unable to save her.
Musical and cultural icon David Crosby passed at 81 on Jan. 19. He, along with Crosby, Stills & Nash and sometimes Young, helped write the musical story of the '60s and '70s. His songwriting and harmonies were woven into the soundtrack for a generation.
As the year went on, we saw the deaths of such legends as Tina Turner, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gary Rossington, singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, Sinead O’Connor, Robbie Robertson, Jimmy Buffett, Steve Harwell, Shane MacGowan, Denny Laine and Detroit rocker Rodriguez