Rockers We’ve Lost in 2026

As the year starts to wind down, it’s time to reflect on some of the amazing rock and metal talent that we’ve lost over the past calendar year.

One of the first deaths of the year came on Jan. 10 when Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead died at the age of 78. The guitarist and singer left behind an incredible legacy of music and helped to keep the spirit of the Dead alive after the death of singer Jerry Garcia in the ’90s.

This year also saw the heartbreaking death of 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold, who died on Feb. 7 at the age of 47 after being diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma in 2025.

READ MORE: Rockers Pay Tribute to Late 3 Doors Down Singer Brad Arnold

This year also saw the death of ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, Venom pioneer and legend Cronos, ’70s and ’80s star Bonnie Tyler and such key movers and shakers in the music industry as Clive Davis, Peter Katsis and Doug Goldstein.

You can scroll through the gallery to see some of the incredible musicians and industry pros that we’ve lost in 2026 and we encourage you to return as we’ll continue to update this post throughout the year as sadly more deaths are added.

And below our 2026 list of rock and metal deaths, you can check out our In Memoriam for the musicians we lost in 2025.