A beloved East Nashville singer-songwriter. A fix-it man known as the “Music City MacGyver.” The former president of the NAACP’s Nashville branch. The co-owner of The 5 Spot. The co-owner of Vinyl Tap. A onetime Hee Haw star. A character actor from the Ernest universe. Two of the women behind Sperry’s Restaurant. Public servants, journalists, athletes, chefs and entrepreneurs.
This is just a small selection of the many Nashvillians, former Nashvillians and other locally significant figures who died over the course of 2025. In our annual In Memoriam issue, the Nashville Scene’s staff and contributors — along with other community members we’ve reached out to — remember some of the irreplaceable figures who passed away over the past year.
Join us in celebrating their legacies.
Remembering John Carney Jr., state Sen. Frank Niceley, Judge Randall Wyatt and more
Remembering Kathleen Cotter, ‘Santa’ Irwin, Jim Ayers and more
Remembering Jerry Strobel, Dolores Seigenthaler and more
Remembering Todd Snider, Raul Malo, Steve Cropper and more
Remembering Larry Cantrell, Dick Barnett and more
Remembering Dot Dobbins, William Cooper and more
