• John "Moon" Martin - May 11; Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter penned "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" (watch below) and "Cadillac Walk" and had hits with "Rolene" (No. 30, 1979) and "No Chance" (No. 50, 1979); cause undisclosed; was 69.
• Paul Matters - Oct. 14; played bass with AC/DC in 1975 before being fired from the group; cause and age undisclosed.
• Phil May - May 15; co-founder and lead singer of the British blues-rock band the Pretty Things; they recorded 13 albums from 1965-2015 and had U.K. hits with "Don't Bring Me Down" (No. 10, 1964) and "Honey I Need" (No. 13, 1965, watch below); suffered complications from hip surgery after a cycling accident; was 75.
• Lyle Mays - Feb. 10; pianist in the Pat Metheny Group, who won 11 Grammy awards; cause undisclosed; was 66.
• Sid McCray - Sept. 9; original lead singer with the punk-rock band Bad Brains; cause and age undisclosed.
• William E. "Bill" McEuen - Sept. 24; original manager of and songwriter with the Nitty Gritty Dirty Band; also produced albums by Steve Martin and Steven Wright and The Jerk; cause undisclosed; was 79.
• MF Doom (nee Daniel Danile) - Oct. 31; enigmatic, masked British-American rapper known best for his solo album Operation: Doomsday (1999, watch "Doomsday" below) and Madvillainy with Madlib in 2004; collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan, Gorillaz, Danger Mouse and many others; his death was announced on Dec. 31; cause undislosed; was 49.
• Jawara McIntosh - July 17; Peter Tosh's youngest son was also a performer and ganja advocate; arrested for marijuana possession with intention to distribute in 2013, he pled guilty in 2016 and went to jail in 2017 where he was badly beaten, leaving him with a serious brain injury; was 40.
• Nikki McKibbin - Nov. 1; Texas-born American Idol alumnus (she placed third in the first season in 2007); her album Unleashed came out that year; suffered a brain aneurysm; was 42.
• Meen Green (nee Darrin Johnson) - Aug. 15; Los Angeles-based rapper known in the cannabis community for songs like "Fat Sacks" and "L.A. Finest" pressed on green vinyl and his 1997 album The Smoking Section; owned Swish StreetWear and was sales manager for Seedless Clothing; suffered from cancer; age unknown.
• Aaron Melzer - Nov. 25; frontman of San Diego post-hardcore band Secrets; cause and age undisclosed.
• Alan Merrill - Mar. 29; co-wrote "I Love Rock 'n Roll" with the Arrows, which was a No, 1 hit for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1982; his mother was jazz singer Helen Merrill; had Covid-19; was 69.
• Miss Mercy (nee Judith Peters) - July 27; member of the girl group the GTOs during the band's run in Los Angeles from 1968-1970; Frank Zappa produced their only album Permanent Damage; cause undisclosed; was 71.
• Ian Mitchell - Sept. 2 - Irish born bassist of Scottish rock band Bay City Rollers only played on Dedication 1976; the band had Top 10 hits with "Saturday Night" and "Money Honey" in 1976; cause undisclosed; was 62.
• Mo3 (nee Melvin Noble) - Nov. 11- Dallas rapper was shot and killed on Interstate 35 by an assailant who's since been arrested; Noble was 28.
• Erick Morillo - Sept. 1; New York born DJ had international club hits as Reel 2 Real with "I Like to Move It" (1993) and "Muevelo" (1992); charged with sexual battery in 2020; cause undisclosed; was 49.
• Ennio Morricone - July 6; Italian composer scored more than 400 movies, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (watch below), The Battle of Algiers, Once Upon a Time in America, The Untouchables and all three La Cage aux Folles films; inducted into the Grammys Hall of Fame; death caused by a fall; was 91.
• Reed Mullin - Jan. 27; drummer in the heavy-metal band Corrosion of Conformity; suffered a seizure in 2016; cause undisclosed; was 53.
