1986 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.

Specific locations

• 1986 in British music
• 1986 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

• 1986 in country music
• 1986 in heavy metal music
• 1986 in hip hop music
• 1986 in jazz

Events

• January 30 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its first induction ceremony with many rock pioneers attending.^[1]
• May 28 – The Monkees held a press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City to officially announce that they would embark on a 100-plus city tour. The tour became one of the biggest grossing tours of the year.^[2]
• June 10 – Bob Geldof is awarded with a knighthood in recognition of his work in organizing Live Aid and other concerts that raised millions of dollars for the starving people of Africa.^[3]
• June 30 – Madonna releases her "True Blue" album, which tops the charts in over 28 countries & becomes the best selling album of 1986.^[4]
• September 27 – A tour bus carrying the heavy metal band Metallica crashes in Sweden, killing their influential bassist, Cliff Burton.^[5]
• November 17–18 – Billy Eckstine makes his final recordings, later released on his album Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter.^[6]
• December 12 – The Smiths play Brixton Academy, their last ever gig before their dissolution.^[7]
• Approximate date – Axé (music) originates in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Bands formed

• See Musical groups established in 1986

Bands disbanded

• See Musical groups disestablished in 1986

Albums released

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1986.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1	Falco	"Rock Me Amadeus"	1986		UK 1 – Mar 1986, US BB 1 – Feb 1986, Canada 1 – Dec 1985, Sweden 1 – Aug 1985, Sweden (alt) 1 – Sep 1985, Austria 1 – May 1985, Germany 1 – Jun 1985, Éire 1 – Apr 1986, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1986, France 2 – Nov 1985, Switzerland 2 – Jun 1985, Netherlands 3 – May 1986, South Africa 3 of 1986, Norway 6 – Apr 1986, Italy 18 of 1985, US CashBox 19 of 1986, Poland 24 – Jun 1985, POP 29 of 1986, US BB 30 of 1986, Germany 50 of the 1980s, RYM 63 of 1985, Scrobulate 65 of 80s, KROQ 74 of 1986
2	Madonna	"Papa Don't Preach"	1986		UK 1 – Jun 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Sweden 1 – Aug 1986, Norway 1 – Jul 1986, Italy 1 of 1986, Éire 1 – Jun 1986, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Mar 1987, Netherlands 2 – Jun 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jul 1986, Poland 2 – Aug 1986, Germany 2 – Jul 1986, Austria 4 – Aug 1986, Australia 9 of 1986, US CashBox 18 of 1986, US BB 19 of 1986, POP 35 of 1986, 37 in 2FM list, RYM 43 of 1986, Germany 215 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 761
3	Europe	"The Final Countdown"	1986		UK 1 – Nov 1986, Netherlands 1 – Aug 1986, Sweden 1 – May 1986, Austria 1 – Nov 1986, Switzerland 1 – Sep 1986, Poland 1 – Nov 1986, Germany 1 – Sep 1986, Éire 1 – Nov 1986, Italy 2 of 1987, Norway 4 – Jul 1986, South Africa 7 of 1987, US BB 8 – Feb 1987, France 9 – Apr 1986, Australia 10 of 1987, Europe 14 of the 1980s, US BB 19 of 1987, Scrobulate 20 of Swedish, POP 29 of 1987, Germany 90 of the 1980s, RYM 93 of 1986
4	Berlin	"Take My Breath Away"	1986		UK 1 – Oct 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Netherlands 1 – Sep 1986, Sweden 1 – Sep 1986, Éire 1 – Oct 1986, Oscar in 1986, Switzerland 2 – Oct 1986, Germany 3 – Sep 1986, Austria 4 – Nov 1986, Norway 4 – Oct 1986, Poland 4 – Nov 1986, Australia 6 of 1986, POP 7 of 1986, US BB 13 of 1992, RYM 16 of 1986, US CashBox 21 of 1986, Italy 37 of 1986, TOTP 37, Scrobulate 80 of 80s, OzNet 251, Germany 310 of the 1980s
5	Pet Shop Boys	"West End Girls"	1985		UK 1 – Nov 1985, US BB 1 – Mar 1986, Norway 1 – Jan 1986, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1986, US CashBox 2 of 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jan 1986, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1986, Sweden 3 – Jan 1986, Germany 3 – Jan 1986, Austria 5 – Feb 1986, France 7 – Oct 1985, KROQ 11 of 1984, Poland 14 – Jan 1986, RYM 15 of 1985, US BB 16 of 1986, South Africa 18 of 1986, Scrobulate 32 of 80s, POP 43 of 1986, Germany 232 of the 1980s, WXPN 478, OzNet 694, Acclaimed 890

Notable hits

• "Absolute Beginners" – David Bowie
• "Addicted To Love" (1985) – Robert Palmer
• "All Cried Out" – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
• "All I Ask of You" – Cliff Richard and Sarah Brightman
• "All I Need Is a Miracle" (1985) – Mike + The Mechanics
• "All The Things She Said" (1985) – Simple Minds
• "Amanda" (recorded 1981) – Boston
• "Baby Love" – Regina Richards
• "Bad Boy" – Miami Sound Machine
• "Be Good to Yourself" – Journey
• "Best of Both Worlds" – Van Halen
• "Brand New Lover" – Dead or Alive
• "Breakout" – Swing Out Sister (charted in 1987 in U.S.)
• "Bigmouth Strikes Again" – The Smiths
• "Big Time" – Peter Gabriel
• "Bizarre Love Triangle" – New Order
• "Brother Louie" – Modern Talking
• "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" – Juice Newton and Eddie Rabbitt
• "Burning Heart" – Survivor
• "Calling America" – Electric Light Orchestra
• "Can't Wait Another Minute" – Five Star
• "Candy" – Cameo
• "Capitaine abandonné" – Gold
• "The Captain of Her Heart" – Double (released in 1985)
• "Chain Reaction" – Diana Ross
• "Cheap Love" – Juice Newton
• "Coming Around Again" – Carly Simon (released in UK in 1987)
• "Conga" – Miami Sound Machine
• "Crush on You" – The Jets
• "Cry to Heaven" – Elton John
• "Dancing on the Ceiling" – Lionel Richie
• "Danger Zone" – Kenny Loggins
• "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" – Cutting Crew (charted in 1987 in the U.S.)
• "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" – Glass Tiger
• "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – The Police
• "Dreams" – Van Halen
• "The Edge of Heaven" – Wham!
• "En Rouge et Noir" – Jeanne Mas
• "Ève lève-toi" – Julie Pietri
• "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" – Wang Chung
• "The Final Countdown" – Europe
• "Flash" – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
• "Friends and Lovers" – Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
  • also recorded as "Both to Each Other" by country music artists Juice Newton and Eddie Rabbitt
• "French Kissin' In The USA" – Debbie Harry
• "Girl Can't Help It" – Journey
• "Glory of Love" – Peter Cetera
• "Go Home" – Stevie Wonder
• "The Greatest Love of All" – Whitney Houston
• "Harlem Shuffle" – The Rolling Stones
• "Heartbeat" – Don Johnson
• "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" – Alice Cooper
• "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood
• "Hip to Be Square" – Huey Lewis and the News
• "Holding Back the Years" (1985) – Simply Red (originally released in 1985, but flopped)
• "Human" – Human League
• "I Can't Wait" – Nu Shooz
• "I Want to Wake Up with You" – Boris Gardiner
• "If I Say Yes" – Five Star
• "If She Knew What She Wants" – Bangles
• "If You Leave" – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
• "In the Army Now" – Status Quo
• "Invisible Touch" – Genesis
• "In Too Deep" – Genesis (charted in 1987 in the U.S.)
• "Jody" – Jermaine Stewart
• "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – Aretha Franklin
• "A Kind of Magic" – Queen
• "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" — The Georgia Satellites
• "The Kid's American" – Jermaine Stewart
• "Kiss" – Prince and the Revolution
• "Kyrie" – Mr. Mister
• "La puerta de Alcalá" – Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel
• "The Lady in Red" – Chris de Burgh (charted in 1987 in the U.S.)
• "La Isla Bonita" – Madonna
• "Land of Confusion" – Genesis
• "Le Sixième Jour" – Dalida
• "Leave Me Alone" – Michael Jackson
• "Les Bêtises" – Sabine Paturel
• "Les Démons de minuit" – Images
• "Lessons in Love" – Level 42
• "Libertine" – Mylène Farmer
• "Live to Tell" – Madonna
• "Living In America" – James Brown
• "Living Doll" – Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank B. Marvin
• "Livin' On a Prayer" – Bon Jovi
• "Locked In" – Judas Priest
• "Love Touch" – Rod Stewart
• "Love Walks In" – Van Halen
• "Mad About You" – Belinda Carlisle
• "Manic Monday" – The Bangles
• "Master of Puppets" – Metallica
• "A Matter of Trust" – Billy Joel
• "Misfit" – Curiosity Killed the Cat
• "Modern Woman" – Billy Joel
• "Mountains" – Prince
• "Move Away" – Culture Club
• "My Hometown" (1984) – Bruce Springsteen
• "Nasty" – Janet Jackson
• "Never as Good as the First Time" – Sade
• "The Next Time I Fall" – Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
• "Nikita" – Elton John
• "No One Is to Blame" (originally recorded in 1985) – Howard Jones
• "No Promises" – Icehouse
• "Nobody's Fool" – Cinderella
• "Notorious" – Duran Duran
• "Now and Forever (You and Me)" – Anne Murray
• "Old Flame" – Juice Newton
• "On My Own" – Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
• "Open Your Heart" – Madonna
• "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" – Pet Shop Boys
• "Ouragan" – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
• "Overjoyed" – Stevie Wonder
• "Papa Don't Preach" – Madonna
• "Peace Sells" – Megadeth
• "Point of No Return" – Nu Shooz
• "Pressure Down" – John Farnham
• "Pretty in Pink" – The Psychedelic Furs
• "Private Number" – The Jets
• "A Question of Lust" – Depeche Mode
• "A Question of Time" – Depeche Mode
• "¿A quién le importa?" – Alaska
• "Raining Blood" – Slayer
• "Rain or Shine" – Five Star
• "Rock Me Amadeus" – Falco
• "Rough Boy" (1985) – ZZ Top
• "The Rumour" – Jeanette Jurado and George Michael
• "Rumors" – Timex Social Club
• "Ruthless People" – Mick Jagger
• "Sara" (1985) – Starship
• "Say You Really Want Me" – Kim Wilde (North American issue)
• "Schoolgirl" – Kim Wilde
• "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" – Mel and Kim
• "Silent Running" (1985) – Mike + The Mechanics
• "Skin Trade" (song) - Duran Duran
• "Sledgehammer" – Peter Gabriel
• "Slice of Heaven" – Dave Dobbyn
• "Slow Rivers" – Cliff Richard and Elton John
• "Small Town" (1985) – John Cougar Mellencamp
• "So Far, So Good" – Sheena Easton
• "Something About You" (1985) – Level 42
• "Sometimes" – Erasure
• "Somewhere" – Barbra Streisand
• "Stripped" – Depeche Mode
• "Stuck with You" – Huey Lewis and the News
• "Suburbia" – Pet Shop Boys
• "Sweet Freedom" – Michael McDonald
• "The Sweetest Taboo" (1985) – Sade
• "System Addict" – Five Star
• "Take Me Home Tonight" – Eddie Money
• "Take My Breath Away" – Berlin
• "Taken In" – Mike + The Mechanics
• "That Was Then, This Is Now" – The Monkees
• "Tender Love" – Force MD's
• "That's What Friends Are For" – Dionne Warwick (duets with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder)
• "The Rain" – Oran "Juice" Jones
• "The Themes from 'EastEnders' and 'Howards Way'" – The Shadows
• "Teenage Frankenstein" – Alice Cooper
• "(There's Gonna Be) A Showdown" – The Johnnys
• "These Dreams" (1985) – Heart
• "Throw Your Arms Around Me" – Hunters & Collectors
• "Throwing It All Away" – Genesis
• "Thorn in My Side" – Eurythmics
• "Turbo Lover" – Judas Priest
• "True Blue"- Madonna
• "True Colors" – Cyndi Lauper
• "Twist and Shout" – The Beatles
• "Two People" – Tina Turner
• "Two of Hearts" – Stacey Q
• "Typical Male" – Tina Turner
• "Venus" – Bananarama
• "Voyage, voyage" – Desireless
• "Walk Like an Egyptian" – The Bangles
• "Walk This Way" – Run DMC featuring Aerosmith
• "War" – Bruce Springsteen
• "Wasted Years" – Iron Maiden
• "The Way It Is" – Bruce Hornsby and the Range
• "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" – Jermaine Stewart
• "We're Ready" (recorded 1981) – Boston
• "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" – Metallica
• "What Have You Done for Me Lately" – Janet Jackson
• "What You Need" – INXS
• "When You Gonna" – Rick Astley
• "When I Think of You" – Janet Jackson
• "Who's Johnny?" – El DeBarge
• "Why Can't This Be Love" – Van Halen
• "Word Up!"- Cameo
• "Words Get in the Way" – Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
• "Wouldn't It Be Good" – Nik Kershaw
• "You Can Call Me Al" – Paul Simon
• "You Give Love a Bad Name" – Bon Jovi
• "You Got It All" – The Jets
• "You Keep Me Hangin' On" – Kim Wilde
• "Your Love" – The Outfield
• "Your Wildest Dreams" – The Moody Blues

Published popular music

• "All I Ask of You" w.m. Andrew Lloyd Webber
• "Crush On You"     w.m. Jerry Knight & Aaron Zigman
• "I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm Alright Now" w.m. Eric Burdon
• "The Lady in Red"     w.m. Chris de Burgh
• "True Colors" Cyndi Lauper
• Montego Bay Amazulu – a minor hit in the U.S. in September.

Classical music

• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 9
• Pascal Bentoiu – Symphony No. 7 ("Volume"), Op.29
• Elliott Carter – String Quartet No.4
• George Crumb – An Idyll for the Misbegotten (Images III) for amplified flute and percussion (three players).
• George Crumb – Federico's Little Songs for Children for soprano, flute/piccolo/alto flute/bass flute, and harp
• Mario Davidovsky – Salvos for flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, violin and cello
• Jacob Druckman – Reflections on the Nature of Water, for solo marimba
• Ludovico Einaudi – Movimento
• Peter Eötvös – Chinese Opera
• Morton Feldman
  • For Christian Wolff, for flute and piano/celesta
  • For Stefan Wolpe, for choir and 2 vibraphones
• Lorenzo Ferrero
  • La fuga di Foscolo
  • Anemia (film score)
  • Passacaglia, for flute, clarinet, and string quartet
  • Intermezzo "Portella della Ginestra"
  • Ninna-nanna
• Karel Goeyvaerts –
  • De Heilige Stad (The Holy City), for chamber orchestra
  • De Zeven Segels (The Seven Seals), for string quartet
• Martun Israelyan
  • Violin Concerto
  • Sonata No. 2 for cello and piano
• György Kurtág – Three Ancient Inscriptions, for voice and piano
• Alvin Lucier – Hommage to James Tenney, for double bass and pure wave oscillator
• Witold Lutoslawski – Chain 3 for Orchestra
• Per Nørgård
  • Viola Concerto No. 1 Remembering Child
  • Najader (The Naiads)
• Krzysztof Penderecki – The Song of Cherubin
• Paul Schoenfield – Café Music for Piano Trio

Opera

• Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus is premiered in London, UK on May 21
• Rudolf Brucci – Gilgamesh
• Lorenzo Ferrero's opera Salvatore Giuliano is premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on January 25
• Lee Hoiby – The Tempest
• Gian-Carlo Menotti – Goya
• Michael Nyman – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Jazz

Musical theater

• La Cage aux Folles – London production
• Charlie Girl – London revival
• Chess – London production
• Me and My Girl – Broadway revival
• The Phantom Of The Opera – London production
• Time (musical) – London production
• Sweet Charity – Broadway revival

Musical films

• Absolute Beginners
• HMS Pinafore
• Long Da Lishkara
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Naam
• Otello

Musical television

• Barnum

Music festivals

• Inaugural Festival International de Louisiane

Births

• January 2 – Trombone Shorty, American trumpet and trombone player
• January 3 – Lloyd Polite, American singer (N-Toon)
• January 5 — Teppei Koike, Japanese singer and actor
• January 6 – Alex Turner, singer and guitarist (Arctic Monkeys)
• January 7 – Megan Washington, Australian musician and singer-songwriter
• January 11 – Mithoon, Indian film score composer and singer
• January 17 – Chloe Rose Lattanzi, American singer and actress
• January 20
  • Victoria Asher, American keyboard player
  • Kevin Parker (musician), Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
• January 26 – Katie Waissel, English singer-songwriter
• January 26
  • Hero, Korean singer (TVXQ)
  • Matt Heafy, singer, and guitarist (Trivium)
• January 28 – Michael Paynter, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
• February 2 – Blaine Larsen, US country singer
• February 6 — U-Know, Korean singer (TVXQ)
• February 14 – Tiffany Thornton, American actress
• February 15 – Amber Riley, American actress, stage performer, singer and author
• February 19 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer
• February 21 – Charlotte Church, Welsh singer
• February 23 – Skylar Grey, American singer songwriter
• February 25 — Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer
• February 26
  • Crystal Kay, Japanese singer, songwriter, radio host and actress.
  • Juliet Simms, American Singer-songwriter, model and former front woman of the band Automatic Loveletter..
• March 3 – Stacie Orrico, American singer, songwriter and occasional actress
• March 6 – Maya Postepski, Canadian musician and producer
• March 9
  • Brittany Snow, American actress, producer and singer
  • Young Fyre, American record producer (Britney Spears, Tech N9ne, Jaden Smith)
• March 12 – Danny Jones, British musician, singer and guitarist (McFLY)
• March 13 – Rose Elinor Dougall, English singer, songwriter and musician (Mark Ronson, The Pipettes)
• March 14 – Este Arielle Haim, Multi-instrumentalist, and singer, member of sisterhood and band Hiam (Haim, American pop rock band from Los Angeles)
• March 15
  • Adrianne Leon, American actress and singer
  • Natalie Prass, American singer-songwriter
• March 17 – Andrew Goldstein (musician), American singer, songwriter and record producer
• March 18 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer, songwriter and model
• March 20
  • Ruby Rose, Australian model, DJ, recording artist, actress, television presenter, and former MTV VJ
  • Dean Geyer, South African–Australian singer-songwriter and actor
  • Oscar Görres, Swedish songwriter, record producer and musician
• March 22 – Amy Studt, English singer, songwriter and musician
• March 26
  • Jonny Craig, Canadian singer and songwriter
  • Jonathan Groff, American singer and actor
• March 28 – Lady Gaga, American singer, songwriter, activist and pianist
• April 2
  • Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter
  • Mykki Blanco, American rapper, performance artist, poet and activist.
• April 4 — Eunhyuk, Korean singer (Super Junior)
• April 8
  • Bridget Kelly, American singer-songwriter
  • Erika Sawajiri, Japanese actress and singer
• April 28 – Jenna Ushkowitz, South Korean-born American actress, singer, and podcast host
• April 30 – Dianna Agron, American actress, singer, and dancer.
• May 13 — Alexander Rybak, Norwegian singer
• May 14
  • Alyosha, Ukrainian singer
  • Joseph Attieh, Lebanese singer
  • Amy Shark, Australian indie singer-songwriter and producer
• May 17 – Hannah Lux Davis, American music video director
• May 21
  • Myra, American singer
  • Da'Vine Joy Randolph, American actress and singer
• May 30 – Claudia Beni, Croatian pop singer.
• May 31 — Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian musician
• June 5 – Gin Wigmore, New Zealand singer-songwriter
• June 10 — Tinchy Stryder, English rapper and producer
• June 13 – DJ Snake, French DJ and record producer
• June 24 – Solange Knowles, American singer, songwriter, activist, model, and actress (Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams)
• June 25 – Aya Matsuura, Japanese singer
• June 27 – Drake Bell, American actor/singer/musician
• June 28 – Kellie Pickler, American Idol singer
• June 29 – Austin Drage, British actor and singer
• July 2 – Lindsay Lohan, American actress, musician, singer/songwriter, businesswoman and model
• July 5 – Adam Young, American singer-songwriter and producer (Owl City and Sky Sailing)
• July 21 – Rebecca Ferguson (singer), British singer and songwriter
• August 1 – Marissa Paternoster, American artist, singer and guitarist (Screaming Females)
• August 19 – Christina Perri, American singer/songwriter, musician and artist
• August 26
  • Laza Morgan, singer
  • Cassie, American singer, dancer
• August 28 – Florence Welch, English musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, author, poet and performer, (Florence and the Machine).
• August 29 – Lea Michele, American singer, actress
• September 12 – Emmy Rossum, American actress and singer
• September 19 – Ilya Salmanzadeh, Swedish music producer
• September 21 – Lindsey Stirling, American violinist, dancer, youtuber, record producer and performance artist
• September 27 – Alison Wonderland, Australian electronic dance music DJ, producer and singer
• October 6 – Meg Myers, American singer-songwriter
• October 22 – Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, actress
• October 24 – Drake, Canadian rapper, actor, entertainer.
• October 29 – Nataly Dawn, American musician
• November 3 – Jasmine Trias, Filipino-American singer-entertainer
• November 5 – BoA, South Korean singer
• November 8 – Nikola Rachelle, British recording artist and songwriter
• November 15 – Jerry Roush, American singer-songwriter (Of Mice & Men, Sky Eats Airplane, and Glass Cloud)
• November 20 — Oliver Sykes, English heavy metal vocalist (Bring Me the Horizon)
• November 21 – Colleen Ballinger, American comedian, actress, singer and YouTube personality
• November 25 – Katie Cassidy, American actress, singer, voice actress
• December 8 – Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter and actress
• December 15 — Xiah, Korean singer (TVXQ)
• December 20 — Anoop Desai, American singer-songwriter
• December 30
  • Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter
  • Caity Lotz, American singer, dancer, actor, martial artist
• unknown:

Deaths

• January 4 – Phil Lynott, bassist/singer and co-founder of Thin Lizzy, 36 (heart failure & pneumonia)
• January 6 – Joe Farrell, jazz saxophonist, 48 (bone cancer)
• January 8 – Pierre Fournier, cellist, 79
• February 2 – Francisco Mignone, composer, 88
• February 14 – Edmund Rubbra, composer, 84
• February 15 – Galliano Masini, operatic tenor, 90
• March 4
  • Richard Manuel (The Band), 42 (suicide)
  • Howard Greenfield, songwriter, 49 (AIDS)
• March 11 – Sonny Terry, blues musician, 74
• March 21 – Raymond Burke, jazz clarinetist, 81
• March 22 – Mark Dinning, US singer, 52 (heart attack)
• March 30 – James Cagney, US actor, singer and dancer, 86
• March 31 – O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers, 48 (heart attack)
• April 1 – Donald Grobe, operatic tenor, 56
• April 3 – Peter Pears, opera singer and partner of Benjamin Britten, 75
• April 6 – Boris Gutnikov, violinist, 54
• April 8 – Yukiko Okada, singer, 18 (suicide)
• April 13 – Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer, 53 (cancer)
• April 19
  • Dag Wirén, composer, 80
  • Estelle Yancey, blues singer, 90
• June 3 – Anna Neagle, actress, singer and dancer, 81
• June 13 – Benny Goodman, bandleader, 77
• June 14 – Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist, 67
• June 16 – Maurice Duruflé, composer, 84
• June 17 – Kate Smith, singer, 79
• June 29 – Dusolina Giannini, operatic soprano, 83
• July 3 – Rudy Vallee, singer, 84
• July 18 – Don Wilkerson, saxophonist
• July 31 – Teddy Wilson, jazz pianist, 73
• September 27 – Cliff Burton (Metallica), 24 (tour bus accident)
• September 28 – Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer, 77
• October 16 – Arthur Grumiaux, violinist, 65
• October 22 – Thorgeir Stubø, Norwegian jazz guitarist, 42
• November 1 – Sippie Wallace, blues singer, 88
• November 3 – Eddie Davis, saxophonist, 64
• November 6 – Elisabeth Grümmer, operatic soprano, 75
• November 7 – Tracy Pew, bass guitarist, 28 (brain hemorrhage)
• November 13 – Rudolf Schock, operatic tenor, 71
• November 18 – Lajos Bárdos, composer and conductor, 87
• November 22 – Scatman Crothers, singer, dancer and musician, 76
• December 1 – Horace Heidt, pianist and bandleader, 85
• December 10 – Kate Wolf, folk singer and songwriter, 44 (leukemia)
• December 30 – Charles Magnante, accordionist, composer, arranger, author, and educator, 81

Awards

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened; the following artists were the first inductees: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and record producer Sam Phillips.
• Grammy Awards of 1986
• Eurovision Song Contest 1986
• 28th Japan Record Awards

Charts

See also

• Record labels established in 1986

References