Cumartesi 9 Eki 2010, 11:01

This is an article in which I tried to bundle all the great losses of rock'n roll. That means all the musicians which are worldwide known and died at young age (before 54 years old). I tried to give a little information about the way they died. Most of the information I got from Wikipedia. When someone thinks I forgot an artist or that the information is incorrect… I'm open for new information.

The list is in order of age of dying
17
Ritchie Valens (1941-1959)
Plane crash. After a winning cointoss and despite of his fear to fly, together with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, he flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane that Holly had chartered. The plane flew into a blinding snowstorm and crashed shortly after takeoff. This is known as "The Day The Music Died".
21
Eddie Cochran (1938-1960)
Road accident in a taxi in United Kingdom. The taxi crashed into a lamp post. Cochran was thrown through the windscreen, and was taken to the hospital, where he died the following day of severe head injuries.
Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols) (1957-1979)
Suicide. After he was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, he had a small gathering to celebrate his detoxed from heroin a few months later. His mother delivered some heroin again. He overdosed himself too much of the nearly 100%-pure heroin to shoot up the third dose himself.
Stuart Sutcliffe (1940-1962)
Aneurysm, after bleeding in the right ventricle of his brain. Also known as the fifth Beatle, he began experiencing severe headaches and acute sensitivity to light and stated that some of the headaches left him temporarily blind. Doctors told that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. After collapsing again he was taken to hospital, but he died before the ambulance reached the hospital.
22
Darby Crash (The Germs) (1958-1980)
Suicide by drug overdose. He committed suicide for reasons unreported at the time. It was part of a suicide pact made with Casey Cola in which she survived and he did not. He overdosed on heroin under a sign taped to the wall, reading, ‘Here Lies Darby Crash.’ His death was largely overshadowed by John Lennon’s murder the next day.
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Buddy Holly (1936-1959)
Plane crash. Together with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, he flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane which flew into a blinding snowstorm and crashed shortly after takeoff. This is known as "The Day The Music Died".
Aaliyah (1979-2001)
Plane crash. After filming a music-video on The Bahamas. Against the advice of baggage handlers and the pilot, all the equipment from the shoot was loaded on to the plane. The group was unaware that the plane was unable to hold all the equipment. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
Charles Haddon (Ou Est Le Swimming Pool) (1988-2010)
Suicide. Jumped from a telecommunications mast in the backstage artists' parking area of Pukkelpop. Haddon was reported to have been distressed after he feared he had seriously injured a young girl earlier after a stagedive.
23
River Phoenix (1970-1993)
Heart attack after consuming a speedball. He was to perform with his close friend Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers onstage at the Viper Room, a Hollywood night club partly owned at the time by actor Johnny Depp. Despite of his squeaky-clean image, at some point in the evening he went to the bathroom to take drugs with various friends and dealers. He collapsed outside the club from a drug overdose of heroin and cocaine (known as a speedball) further amplified by the administration of diazepam.
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Ian Curtis (Joy Division) (1956-1980)
Suicide. Hanging. After a depression maybe caused by heavily epileptic seizures, just one day before going on a American tour, he hanged himself in the kitchen of his house.
Bobby Fuller (1942-1966)
Murdered. Found dead in his automobile, which was parked outside his Hollywood apartment, with multiple wounds all over his body and covered in gasoline, leading many to speculate that the perpetrators fled before they could set the car on fire. Some suspect that Charles Manson may have had something to do with it. There is also some speculation that the LAPD may have been involved because of his connection to a mafia related woman.
Mel Appleby (Mel & Kim) (1967-1990)
Pneumonia following treatment for metastatic paraganglioma. She was first diagnosed with cancer, prior to the success of Mel & Kim, when she had an operation to remove a large tumour on her liver. The cancer returned to her spine. During her lengthy health problems towards the end of her life, her condition was for some time rumoured to be a spinal disc herniation resulting from the energetic dance routines performed by the pair.
Selena (1971-1995)
Murdered by the president of her fan club. After she told Yolanda Saldívar that she could not be trusted anymore with money and fired her, Saldívar drew a gun from her purse, pointing it at Selena. As the singer turned and left the room, Saldívar shot her once in her right shoulder, severing an artery. Critically wounded, Selena ran towards the lobby to get help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911, with Saldívar chasing her, calling her a "bitch". Before collapsing to the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant.
24
Cliff Burton (Metallica) (1962-1986)
Road accident. The tourbus ran over black ice, skidded off of the road and flipped onto the grass in rural southern Sweden. Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him, crushing him to his death. James Hetfield later stated that he believed the bus flipped because the driver was drunk, claiming his breath smelled of alcohol after the accident. Hetfield also stated that he himself walked long distances down the road looking for black ice and found none.
Robbie McIntosh (Average White Band) (1950-1974)
Accidental heroin-overdose. McIntosh and fellow band-member Alan Gorrie took what they thought was cocaine, but was in fact heroin. The mistake cost McIntosh his life, while Gorrie was saved by the intervention of fellow party-goer Cher, who kept him conscious long enough to recover. The party host was subsequently indicted for murder by a grand jury.
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Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997)
Murdered and killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in his car while stopping at a red light. His murder has never been conclusively solved, though theories abound as to the motives and identities of the murderers. Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight and the Mob Piru Bloods gang with whom he associated are among the prime suspects for involvement.
Berry Oakley (The Allman Brothers Band) (1948-1972)
Motorcycle accident. Just 3 blocks away from where Duane Allman had his fatal motorcycle accident the year before.
Tammi Terrell (1945-1970)
Brain cancer. Her duet-partner, Marvin Gaye reacted to her death by taking a four-year hiatus from concert performance and went into self-isolation. Gaye never fully got over Terrell's death, according to friends, and several biographers stated Terrell's death led Gaye to depression and drug abuse.
Peter Laughner (Pere Ubu) (1952-1977)
Drug and alcohol abuse problems that ultimately led to his death by acute pancreatitis. Rumors to the effect that Laughner was despondent, even suicidal, at the time of his death have been contradicted by Laughner's last known message, written and mailed to Cleveland singer Ruby Port on the evening prior to his death. This letter revealed his intent to move to a retreat in the Ohio countryside, where he could write new music as well as rest and regain his health.
Dominic Mallary (Last Lights) (1984-2008)
Brain aneurysm. Mallary had wrapped his microphone cord around his neck as part of his act, which temporarily stopped the blood flow to his brain. Mallary completed the show at Boston University and seemed fine for at least an hour or two, but after the last band played, he was feeling faint and couldn't feel his legs. At the hospital he started to go into seizures and he lost consciousness. Mallary was put on life support because he was unable breathe on his own, he was confirmed brain dead.
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Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band) (1946-1971)
Motorcycle accident. Allman was riding his motorcycle toward an oncoming truck that was turning well in front of him. The truck suddenly stopped in mid-intersection. Allman lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle while trying to swing left, possibly striking the back of the truck or its crane ball. He was thrown from his motorcycle, which landed on him and skidded with him under it, crushing his internal organs.
25
Scott La Rock (Boogie Down Productions) (1962-1987)
Shot to death while trying to defuse a violent situation. His friend and BDP associate D-Nice had been threatened by some local hoods, and asked him to try to help defuse the situation. Later that day, he, D-Nice and some friends, drove in their Jeep to the Highbridge Projects building where the offending parties lived on Morris Avenue in the South Bronx; his' intention, along with the rest of the crew, was to try to defuse the situation. As they were leaving, bullets ripped through the side and top of the Jeep. He was hit in the neck.
Frankie Lymon (1942-1968)
Heroin overdose. After he was signed by manager Sam Bray to his Big Apple label, he celebrated his good fortune by taking heroin, staying at his grandmother's house in Harlem where he had grown up.
Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple) (1951-1976)
Unspecified drug overdose. His death followed a night of hard partying that had involved beer, champagne, cocaine and finally, heroin.
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Johnny Ace (1929-1954)
Russian roulette. During a break between sets, he was playing with a .22 cal revolver. Members of his band said he did this often, sometimes shooting at roadside signs from their car. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette. Big Mama Thornton's bass player, who witnessed the event, said, "I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded…see?’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and ‘Bang!’ – sad, sad thing. Big Mama ran outta that dressing room yelling ‘Johnny Ace just killed hisself!"
2Pac (1971-1996)
Shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. While stopped at a red light, a vehicle occupied by two women pulled up on their right side. Shakur, who was standing up through the sunroof, exchanged words with the two women, and invited them to go to Club 662. Right after, a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac with an unknown number of occupants pulled up to the other side, rolled down one of the windows, and rapidly fired a volley of gunshots at Shakur; bullets hit him in the chest, pelvis, and his right hand and thigh. One of the rounds apparently ricocheted into Shakur's right lung. Because of the acrimony between Shakur and Biggie, there was speculation from the outset about the possibility of Biggie's involvement.
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Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot) & (Ozzy Osbourne) (1956-1982)
Plane crash. After joyriding a small plane. After driving with the band much of the night, they stopped on the property belonging to Jerry Calhoun, owner of "Florida Coach" . On it, there was a small airstrip lined with small helicopters and planes, and two houses. One belonged to the tour bus driver, Andrew Aycock. Aycock talked the band's keyboardist, Don Airey, into taking a test flight in a '55 Beechcraft Bonanza F-35. By some accounts the manager, Jake Duncan, was also on this first flight. The joyride ended, and the plane landed safely. Then Aycock took Rhoads and hairdresser/seamstress Rachel Youngblood on another flight. Airey persuaded Rhoads to go on the second flight, despite his fear of flying. Rhoads apparently agreed to go for two reasons: the seamstress had a heart condition so Aycock agreed to do nothing risky; also, Rhoads wanted to take an aerial photo as one of his hobbies was photography. During the second flight, attempts were made to "buzz" the tour bus where the other band members were sleeping. They succeeded twice, but the third attempt was botched. The left wing clipped the back side of the tour bus, tore the fiberglass roof then sent the plane spiraling. The plane severed the top of a pine tree and crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. Rhoads was killed instantly, as were Aycock, 36, and Youngblood, 58.
Paul Kossoff (Free) (1950-1976)
Heart failure. Kossoff's unhappiness with the end of Free and his drug addictions contributed to a drastic decline in the guitarist's health. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York, Paul Kossoff died from drug-related heart problems.
Clifford Brown (1930-1956)
Car crash. Brown and Richie Powell were being driven from Philadelphia to Chicago by Powell's wife Nancy for the band's next appearance. While driving on a rainy night, she lost control of the car and it went off the road. All three were killed in the resulting crash.
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Otis Redding (1941-1967)
Plane crash. Redding, his manager, the pilot, and four members of The Bar-Kays were killed when his Beechcraft 18 airplane crashed into Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin. Redding's body was recovered the next day when the lake bed was searched.
26
James Honeyman-Scott (The Pretenders) (1956-1982)
Cocaine-induced heart attack. During a sessions with Stephen Doster in Austin, Honeyman Scott was called back to London for a band meeting with Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers that resulted in the dismissal of Pete Farndon from the Pretenders, due to Farndon's increasing substance dependence. Two days after the dismissal of Pete Farndon, Honeyman Scott was found dead of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance.
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Nick Drake (1948-1974)
Anti-depressant overdose. Many stated that a result of "Acute amitriptyline poisoning — self-administered when suffering from a depressive illness", and concluded a verdict of suicide. Although there was no suicide note founded.
Jimmy McCulloch (Wings & Thunderclap Newman) (1953-1979)
He died of cardiac arrest due to acute morphine poisoning at his flat in Maida Vale, North West London, although he was not known to be a user of hard drugs.
Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (1962-1988)
Heroin overdose. Slovak and Anthony Kiedis became addicted to heroin early in their careers. Deciding to give sobriety a chance, both Kiedis and Hillel stopped using prior to their European tour in support of The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. During the tour both Kiedis and Hillel experienced intense heroin withdrawal - Hillel much more unstable than Kiedis - and upon returning home they both resumed their addictions. Little is known about his life the weeks following the tour, aside from a phone call to his brother, in which Hillel told him that he was taking medication to help alleviate his addiction. Slovak was found dead due to a heroin overdose, shortly after the band returned from the European tour.
Baby Huey (1944-1970)
Heart attack. James Ramey (aka Baby Huey) had developed an addiction to heroin, and his weight had increased to over 400 pounds. He began regularly missing gigs or turning up late, and, at the insistence of his bandmates, briefly entered rehabilitation in the spring of 1970. As as the heroin problem, Ramey was also drinking. Melvin Jones had described in his book an incident that took place, while pouring his breakfast cereal, Ramey's drug kit fell out of the box. James Ramey died of a heart attack and was found around noon in his hotel bathroom by his manager.
Toše Proeski (1981-2007)
Car crash. The Elvis Presley of the Balkans died in a car accident on the Zagreb–Lipovac highway, Croatia. He was a passenger along with his manager in a Volkswagen Touareg. The Touareg crashed into the back of a truck and then into the median barrier, killing Proeski instantly, crushing the third vertebrae of the neck, although the truck sustained no damage. Proeski was asleep in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash. The government organized an official state funeral.
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Gram Parsons (The Byrds) (1946-1973)
Morphine overdose. In the late 1960s, Parsons became enamored of Joshua Tree National Monument in southeastern California. Alone or with friends, he would disappear in the desert for days searching for UFOs while under the influence of psilocybin or LSD. After splitting from Burrell, Parsons would frequently spend his weekends in the area with Margaret Fisher and Phil Kaufman. Before his tour was scheduled to commence in October 1973, Parsons decided to go on one more excursion. Less than two days after arriving, Parsons died from an overdose of morphine and alcohol. The amount of morphine consumed by Parsons would be lethal to three regular users and thus he had likely overestimated his tolerance considering his experience with opiates. Parsons' body disappeared from the Los Angeles International Airport where it was being readied to be shipped to Louisiana for burial. Prior to his death, Parsons stated that he wanted his body cremated at Joshua Tree; however, Parsons' stepfather arranged for a private ceremony back in New Orleans and neglected to invite any of his friends from the music industry. To fulfill Parsons' funeral wishes, Kaufman and a friend stole his body from the airport and in a borrowed hearse drove it to Joshua Tree where they attempted to cremate it by pouring five gallons of gasoline into the open coffin and throwing a lit match inside. What resulted was an enormous fireball.
Fats Navarro (1923-1950)
He was a heroin addict with tuberculosis, and he died from complications of both in a New York City hospital.
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Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
Heroin overdose. The official cause of death was an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol. Presumably Joplin had accidentally been given heroin which was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week. Her last recording was a birthday greeting for John Lennon. Her taped greeting arrived at Lennon's home after her death.
Dave Alexander (The Stooges) (1947-1975)
Pulmonary edema. After he was fired from the band in August 1970 after showing up at a festival too drunk to play. He died of pulmonary edema in 1975 in Ann Arbor after being admitted to a hospital for pancreatitis, which was linked to his drinking.
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Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) (1967-1994)
Suicide. Death by self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Cobain's body was discovered at his Lake Washington home by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system. Apart from a minor amount of blood coming out of Cobain's ear, the electrician reported seeing no visible signs of trauma, and initially believed that Cobain was asleep until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found, addressed to Cobain's childhood imaginary friend "Boddah", that said, paraphrasing, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were also found in his body.
Robert Johnson (1911-1938)
Strychnine poisoning. A story often told is that one evening Johnson began flirting with a woman at a dance; the wife of the juke joint owner, unaware that the bottle of whiskey she gave to Johnson had been poisoned by her husband. In another version, she was a married woman unrelated to the juke joint owner. Johnson was allegedly offered an open bottle of whiskey that was laced with strychnine. Fellow blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson allegedly advised him never to drink from an offered bottle that had already been opened. According to Williamson, Johnson replied, "Don't ever knock a bottle out of my hand." Soon after, he was offered another open bottle of whiskey, also laced with strychnine, and accepted it. Johnson is reported to have begun feeling ill the evening after drinking from the bottle and had to be helped back to his room in the early morning hours. Over the next three days, his condition steadily worsened and witnesses reported that he died in a convulsive state of severe pain—symptoms which are consistent with strychnine poisoning.
Richey Edwards (Manic Street Preachers) (1967-1995)
Disappeared. In the two weeks before his disappearance, Edwards withdrew £200 a day from his bank account, which totalled £2800. He checked out of the Embassy Hotel in London at seven in the morning, and then drove to his apartment in Cardiff, Wales. In the two weeks that followed he was apparently spotted in the Newport passport office, and the Newport bus station. A taxi driver from Newport, supposedly picked up Edwards from the King's Hotel in Newport, and drove him around the valleys, including Blackwood (Edwards’ home as a child). Edwards' Vauxhall Cavalier received a parking ticket at the Severn View service station and 3 days later, the vehicle was reported as abandoned. Police discovered the battery to be flat, with evidence that the car had been lived in. Due to the service station's proximity to the Severn Bridge (which has been a renowned suicide location in the past) and Edwards' depressed state at the time, it was widely believed that he took his own life by jumping from the bridge. His status remained open as a missing person, until 2008, when he became officially "presumed dead".
Alan Wilson (Canned Heat) (1943-1970)
Unspecified drug overdose. Although Wilson had reportedly attempted suicide twice before and his death is sometimes reported as a suicide, this is not clearly established as he left no note.
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Brian Jones (The Rolling Stones) (1942-1969)
Death by misadventure in his swimmingpool, while his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Jones was living at Cotchford Farm in East Sussex, the residence formerly owned by Winnie-the-Pooh author A. A. Milne. Jones was discovered motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool. His Swedish girlfriend was convinced he was alive when they took him out, insisting he still had a pulse. However, by the time the doctors arrived, it was too late, and he was pronounced dead. In 2009 the Sussex Police had decided to review Brian Jones' death for the first time since 1969, after new evidence was handed to them by Scott Jones, an investigative journalist. Scott Jones has traced many of the people who were at Brian Jones' house the night he died, plus unseen police files held at the National Archives. He said a builder who had been renovating the house, Frank Thorogood, killed Brian Jones in a fight and the senior police officers covered up the true cause of death.
Jacob Miller (Inner Circle) (1952-1980)
Car accident. Jacob Miller went with Bob Marley and Chris Blackwell to Brazil to celebrate Island opening new offices in South America. Later the same month, he was killed in a car accident in Kingston, Jamaica.
Kristen Pfaff (Hole) (1976-1994)
Heroin overdose. Pfaff was found dead in her apartment by a friend with whom she had planned to leave for Minneapolis that day. On the floor there was a bag containing syringes and heroin paraphernalia. Sometime overnight, Pfaff had died from a heroin overdose.
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Jim Morrison (The Doors) (1943-1971)
Official cause of death is recorded as heart failure. He was found in a Paris apartment bathtub. Pursuant to French law, no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner claimed to have found no evidence of foul play. The absence of an official autopsy has left many questions regarding Morrison's cause of death. His girlfriend Pamela Courson stated that Morrison had died of a heroin overdose, having inhaled what he believed to be cocaine. The second manager from The Doors Danny Sugerman added that Courson had given numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death, at times saying that she had killed Morrison, or that his death was her fault. Courson's story of Morrison's unintentional ingestion of heroin, followed by accidental overdose, is supported by the confession of Alain Ronay, who has written that Morrison died of a hemorrhage after snorting Courson's heroin, and that Courson nodded off, leaving Morrison bleeding to death instead of phoning for medical help.
D. Boon (The Minutemen) (1958-1985)
Road accident. Because he had been sick with fever, Boon was lying down in the rear of the van of the Minutemen, without a seatbelt when the van ran off the road. Boon was thrown out the back door of the van and died instantly from a broken neck.
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (The Grateful Dead) (1945-1973)
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage. McKernan had a short relationship and longer friendship with Janis Joplin. While his friends were experimenting with LSD and other psychedelics, McKernan stuck to Thunderbird wine and Southern Comfort. In 1970, McKernan began experiencing symptoms of congenital biliary cirrhosis. After a hospitalization, doctors requested that he stop touring indefinitely. On March 8, 1973, he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at his home in Corte Madera, California.
Leslie Harvey (Stone the Crows) (1944-1972)
Electrocuted. It was while on stage with Stone the Crows at Swansea Top Rank in 1972 that he was killed, elecrtocuted by touching a microphone that was not earth grounded with his wet hands (an ungrounded metal mic will not cut the power by tripping a breaker or blowing a fuse and it then becomes part of the energized circuit and a shock or electrocution hazard).
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Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
Respiratory arrest caused by alcohol and barbiturate overdose and vomit inhalation. Jimi Hendrix died in London. He had spent the latter part of the evening at a party and was picked up by girlfriend Monika Dannemann and driven to her flat at the Samarkand Hotel, Notting Hill. Dannemann claimed in her original testimony that after they returned to her lodgings the evening before, Hendrix, unknown to her, had taken nine of her prescribed Vesperax sleeping pills. The normal medical dose was half a tablet, but Hendrix was unfamiliar with this very strong German brand. According to the doctor who initially attended to him, Hendrix had asphyxiated in his own vomit, mainly red wine which had filled his airways, as the autopsy was to show.
Chris Bell (Big Star) (1951-1978)
Road accident. Bell dies when he lost control of his small Triumph TR-7 sports car. He was on his way home from his father's restaurant in East Memphis. The car struck a wooden light pole on the side of the road, killing him instantly.
Pete de Freitas (Echo & the Bunnymen) (1961-1989)
Motorcycle accident. He died in a motorcycle accident on his way to Liverpool from London.
Peter Ham (Badfinger) (1947-1975)
Suicide. During the Warner Bros. Records era from 1973–75, Badfinger became embroiled in many internal, financial and managerial problems and their music was stifled. By 1975, with no income and the band's business manager non-communicative, Ham became despondent and he hanged himself in the garage of his Surrey home. His blood alcohol was .27%. He left behind a pregnant girlfriend (his daughter was born one month after his death). Ham was a sensitive man. His suicide note had the statement "I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody. This is better." And an accusatory blast toward Badfinger's business manager, Stan Polley, with Ham writing: "P.S. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me." Others of Polley's artist and business clients accused him of corruption over the years.
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Jimmy Fernandez (The God Machine) (1966-1994)
Brain tumor. He suddenly died from a cancerous brain tumour after recording their second album in Prague.
Jason Thirsk (Pennywise) (1967-1996)
Suicide. Thirsk, who had been in rehabilitation for alcoholism and also suffered from depression, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bradley Nowell (Sublime) (1968-1996)
Heroin overdose. Seven days after Nowell's marriage, Sublime embarked on a five-day tour through Northern California cities. The following morning, in San Francisco, drummer Bud Gaugh woke up to find Nowell lying half way across a bed, with his knees and feet on the floor. At first, Gaugh assumed he had been too intoxicated to get into bed; however, further inspection allowed him to notice a green film around his mouth, and it became obvious that he had overdosed on heroin. Gaugh called for paramedics, but Nowell had died several hours earlier, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon) (1967-1995)
Cocaine overdose. Hoon had no squeaky-clean image; he was arrested for indecent exposure after he disrobed onstage and urinated on a fan at a show in Vancouver. While opening for Lenny Kravitz, Hoon came onstage in Orlando, Florida openly smoking marijuana. When Blind Melon appeared at Woodstock '94, Hoon went onstage wearing his girlfriend's dress, while tripping on acid. Throughout the performance, Hoon baited the audience and ended the set by tossing a set of conga drums into the crowd. Also in 1994, Hoon went on a drug-induced rampage at the Billboard Music Awards when he attacked a security guard. After the birth of his daughter, Hoon entered rehab. When he planned to tour with Blind Melon Hoon negotiated an early release from his drug rehab program with the stipulation that his drug counselor would accompany him on the road. The counselor, however, was unable to keep Hoon from falling back into a pattern of drug use and was dismissed from the tour after less than a month. Without the counselor, Hoon's use of drugs escalated. After a performance in Houston in which Hoon was not proud of, Hoon launched into an all-night drug binge. The next day, Blind Melon was scheduled to play a show in New Orleans at Tipitina's. When one of the band's roadies went to the tour bus to wake Hoon up for a sound check, he was unable to wake him. An ambulance was summoned and Hoon was pronounced dead on the scene. The cause of death was attributed to a drug overdose.
Tim Buckley (1947-1975)
Heroin/morphine overdose. Buckley celebrated the culmination of the tour with a weekend of drinking with his band and friends, as was his normal routine. In the evening, Buckley decided to accompany long-time friend Richard Keeling back to his house in the hope of obtaining some heroin. After spending an hour or so at the house, Buckley, in his inebriated state, walked in on Keeling while he was having sex, causing an argument between the two. Keeling, with the aim of placating him, handed Buckley a large dose of heroin and challenged him to "Go ahead, take it all". Given Buckley's contrary and rebellious nature, he duly snorted all the drug laid out for him. Following this, Buckley was in such a bad condition that friends chose to take him home rather than leave him to his own devices. Upon his return home, his wife Judy, seeing his inebriated state, laid him down on a pillow on their living room floor and proceeded to question his friends as to what had happened. Soon Judy moved Buckley into bed. Checking on him later, she found he had turned blue and was no longer breathing. Attempts by friends and paramedics to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead on arrival.
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Steve Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (1949-1977)
Plane crash. Aircraft stalled due to fuel exhaustion during emergency landing attempt. Three days after a new album was released (and four dates into the band's most successful tour yet), a plane carrying the band between shows from South Carolina to Louisiana, crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Steve Gaines was killed on impact. The crash also killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve's sister, the assistant road manager, as well as the pilot and the co-pilot.
The Rev (Avenged Sevenfold) (1981-2009)
His body was found in his home. His death was reported as due to natural causes. The results of the autopsy performed however, were inconclusive. The cause of death was revealed to have been an acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of oxycodone (OxyContin), oxymorphone (a metabolite of oxycodone), diazepam (Valium), nordiazepam (a metabolization of diazepam) and alcohol.
Big Bopper (1930-1959)
Plane crash. Together with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, he flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane that Holly had chartered. The plane flew into a blinding snowstorm and crashed shortly after takeoff. This is known as "The Day The Music Died". Buddy Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, was scheduled to fly on the plane but gave his seat up to the Big Bopper, who was suffering from the flu.
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Hank Williams (1923-1953)
Heart failures caused by overdose. Williams was due to play at a New Year's Day concert in Canton, Ohio, but he was unable to fly due to weather problems with snow and ice in Ohio. He hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts he was to perform during the few final days of 1952 and early 1953. Upon leaving in Knoxville, Tennessee, Williams apparently had injected himself with some pain-killers which included a morphine/Vitamin B-12 combination. Also found in the Cadillac convertible were some empty beer cans and the handwritten lyrics to a song yet to be recorded. According to some, Williams was carried semi-conscious to his automobile by Carr and a hotel employee, who wondered about Williams' condition, and later believed he might have been dead at that point.
Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (1948-1977)
Plane crash. Aircraft stalled due to fuel exhaustion during emergency landing attempt. Three days after a new album was released (and four dates into the band's most successful tour yet), a plane carrying the band between shows from South Carolina to Louisiana, crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Van Zant was killed on impact. The crash also killed Steve Gaines, Steve's sister, the assistant road manager, as well as the pilot and the co-pilot.
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Jay Reatard (1980-2010)
He was found in his bed in his home in Memphis by a roommate. A statement was posted on the website of Goner Records, that Reatard had died in his sleep. Friends of Lindsey stated that he had recently complained of flu-like symptoms. An autopsy was performed by the medical examiner. Memphis's Commercial Appeal reported that he had died of "cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death."
Danny Whitten (Neil Young and Crazy Horse) (1943-1972)
Drug and alcohol overdose. As did so many other rock musicians in the late 1960s, Whitten began using heroin and quickly became addicted. Although he participated in the early stages of Neil Young's next solo effort, Whitten and the rest of Crazy Horse were dismissed about halfway through the recording sessions, in part because of Whitten's heavy drug use. Young wrote and recorded "The Needle and the Damage Done" during this time, with direct references to Whitten's addiction and its role in the destruction of his talent. Unfortunately, Whitten continued to drift, his personal life ruled almost totally by drugs which lead to kicking out of Crazy Horse. Neil gave Danny $50.00 and a plane ticket back to Los Angeles. Later that night Danny overdosed on a mixture of Valium and Vodka.
Ingo Schwichtenberg (Helloween) (1965-1995)
Suicide. Schwichtenberg was ejected from the band during a tour. The dismissal was reportedly due to Ingo's dependence on alcohol and drugs (most notably cocaine and hashish). Ingo also suffered from schizophrenia, and his refusal to take his medication would lead to bizarre episodes such as uncontrollable sobbing, which made it impossible for him to take the stage. After his ejection from the band, Schwichtenberg slid further and further into his schizophrenic episodes, culminating in his suicide by jumping in front of a subway train.
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Marc Bolan (T. Rex) (1947-1977)
Road accident. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275GT driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones as they headed home from a drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. Jones lost control of the car and it struck a sycamore tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, southwest London. Bolan died instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and spent time in hospital.
Helno (Les Négresses Vertes) (1963-1993)
Drug overdose. Helno was struggling with serious heroin addiction. He died at his parents' house.
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Jim Croce (1943-1973)
Plane crash. Croce had just completed a concert Louisiana and was flying to Texas for a concert at Austin College. The pilot and all passengers were killed instantly, less than an hour after the end of the concert. Upon takeoff from the airport, despite excellent visibility, the small commercial plane did not gain enough altitude to clear a pecan tree at the end of the runway, which investigators said was the only tree for hundreds of yards. The official report hints that the charter pilot, who had severe coronary artery disease and had run a portion of the three miles to the airport from a motel, may have suffered a heart attack. A later investigation, placed sole blame for the accident on pilot error.
Andy Gibb (1958-1988)
Heart failure. Also known as "the baby-brother of The Bee Gees" he died as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection.
Jeff Ward (Nine Inch Nails & Revolting Cocks & Ministry) (1962-1993)
Suicide. He locked himself in his car in his garage and started it, dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Patsy Cline (1932-1963)
Plane crash. The plane flew into severe weather, however, and according to Cline's wristwatch, crashed in a forest outside of Camden, Tennessee, 90 miles from the destination. There were no survivors. Throughout the night, reports of the missing plane flooded the radio airwaves.
Chris Acland (Lush) (1966-1996)
Suicide. After Lush had completed their tour and music festival appearances, and two days after bandmate Emma Anderson announced a desire to quit the band, Acland committed suicide by hanging himself in his parents' house. His bandmates in Lush were devastated and disbanded after a period of mourning.
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Jeff Buckley (1966-1997)
Drowned. On the same evening Buckley's band flew to Memphis intending to join him in his studio there to work on the newly-written material, Buckley went swimming in Wolf River Harbor, a slackwater channel of the Mississippi River, while wearing boots, all of his clothing, and singing the chorus of the song "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. Buckley had gone swimming there several times before. A roadie in Buckley's band, Keith Foti, remained on shore. After moving a radio and guitar out of reach of the wake from a passing tugboat, Foti looked up to see that Buckley had vanished. Despite a determined rescue effort that night, Buckley remained missing. Five days later his body was spotted by a tourist on a riverboat and was brought to land.
Steve Clark (Def Leppard) (1960-1991)
Drug overdose. Clark was found dead on his settee by his girlfriend. The autopsy revealed he had died from an overdose of codeine and had Valium, morphine and a blood alcohol level of .30, three times the British legal driving limit. There was no evidence of suicidal intent. Clark's drinking companion the night before, testified that the two went to the local pub and returned to the guitarist's home at midnight to watch a video.
Pete Farndon (The Pretenders) (1952-1983)
Drowned after a heroin overdose. By 1982, Farndon caused increasingly strained relations with his bandmates due to his drug use. He became increasingly belligerent, and he, according to Hynde, "was in bad shape. He was really not someone you could work with." Two days after Farndon's dismissal from the band, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott was found dead of heart failure caused by a cocaine overdose. Meanwhile, Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash drummer Topper Headon - who was also battling heroin abuse, and left his band unable to cope with it - when Farndon was found dead by his American model wife, Conover, after passing out and drowning in his bathtub after a heroin overdose. This left The Pretenders with only two of their original four members.
Lisa Lopes (TLC) (1971-2002)
Road accident. She died in a car accident in Honduras. She was the sole fatality in the accident. Driving a Mitsubishi Pajero, Lopes allegedly tried to swerve around a truck, but there was another vehicle heading toward them in the opposite direction. To avoid a head-on collision, Lopes swerved all the way off the road. The vehicle rolled several times after hitting two trees, throwing Lopes and three others out the windows. She died of severe head trauma and neck injuries. The passenger in the front passenger seat was videotaping at the time, so the last seconds leading up to the swerve that resulted in the fatal accident were recorded on video.
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Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) (1947-1978)
Cerebral hemorrhage. While on holiday with her parents in Cornwall, Denny was injured when she fell down a staircase. A month after the fall she collapsed at a friend's home; four days later she died in a hospital. Her death was ruled to be the result of a traumatic mid-brain haemorrhage.
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Zac Foley (EMF) (1971-2002)
Overdose. Heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, barbiturates and alcohol were found in his blood. The remaining members of EMF played just four more gigs in late 2002, before deciding to split up.
Easy-E (N.W.A) (1963-1995)
Complications from AIDS. He was admitted into a Medical Center in Los Angeles with what he believed to be asthma. Instead he was diagnosed with AIDS, and announced his illness in a public statement. He died due to "complications from AIDS" one month after his diagnosis. During his last week, having already made amends with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E drafted his last message to fans. One week after making that announcement, he succumbed to the disease.
Dwayne Goettel (Skinny Puppy) (1964-1995)
Heroin overdose. Goettel died of an apparent heroin overdose in a bathroom at his parents' home in Edmonton, Alberta. As a bandmate told Rolling Stone magazine, Goettel had just returned to his parents' house to kick his habit.
Minnie Riperton (1947-1979)
Breast cancer. In 1976 Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. Riperton was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose that she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became spokesman for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, Riperton also received the American Cancer Society's Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. She died at age 31 in 1979
Bobby Sheehan (Blues Traveler) (1968-1999)
Unspecified drug overdose.
Robert Burås (Madrugada) (1975-2007)
Presumed suicide. Burås was found dead in his apartment by a friend, with his guitar in his hand.
Little Willie John (1937-1968)
Heart attack. Willie John was known for his short temper and propensity to abuse alcohol, and was dropped by his record company in 1963. In 1966, he was convicted of manslaughter and sent to Washington State Penitentiary for a fatal knifing incident following a show in Seattle. He appealed against his conviction and was released while the case was reconsidered, during which time he recorded what was intended to be his comeback album, but due to contractual wrangles, and the failure of his appeal, it was not released. Little Willie John died in 1968 at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. Despite counter claims, the official cause of death was listed in his death certificate as a heart attack.
Lynden David Hall (1974-2006)
Hall was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma; he died from complications resulting from the stem cell transplant he received in January 2005. Hall was in remission at the time of his death.
Terry Kath (Chicago) (1946-1978)
Russian roulette. Kath reportedly had a history of using alcohol and other drugs, including cocaine. He struggled with weight problems, and by 1976 he was quite overweight. Chicago bandmates have indicated that he was also increasingly unhappy. Bassist Peter Cetera even went so far as to say that Kath would have been the first to quit Chicago had he lived; and according to then-producer, Kath was working on a solo album before he died. Despite his personal problems, this was not the cause of his accidental death. After a party at roadie/band technician Don Johnson's home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Johnson had warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to both his wife and Johnson, "Don't worry, it's not loaded". After showing the empty magazine to Johnson, Kath replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. There was a bullet in the chamber, and he died instantly.
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Keith Moon (The Who) (1946-1978)
Overdose on anti-seizure medication prescribed for alcoholism. After dining with Paul McCartney, Moon and his girlfriend, returned to a flat on loan from Harry Nilsson, Shepherd Market, Mayfair in which Cass Elliot had died four years earlier. Moon then took 32 tablets of Clomethiazole (Heminevrin). The medication was a sedative he had been prescribed to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms as he tried to go dry on his own at home; he was desperate to get clean, but was terrified of another stay in the psychiatric hospital for in-patient detoxification. However, Clomethiazole is specifically contraindicated for unsupervised home detox because of its addictiveness, tendency to rapidly induce drug tolerance and dangerously high risk of death when mixed with alcohol. The pills were also prescribed by a new doctor, who was unaware of Moon's recklessly impulsive nature and long history of prescription sedative abuse. He had given Moon a full bottle of 100 pills, and instructed him to take one whenever he felt a craving for alcohol (but not more than 3 per day). The police determined there were 32 pills in his system, with the digestion of 6 being sufficient to cause his death, and the other 26 of which were still undissolved when he died.
Ricky Wilson (The B 52's) (1953-1985)
AIDS. During recording sessions for the band's third studio album Whammy!, Wilson discovered he had contracted AIDS/HIV-related health complications. In 1985, during recording for their album Bouncing off the Satellites, Wilson's illness became more severe; despite this, he kept his illness secret from the other members of the band[ says Keith Strickland; in an interview, fellow band member Kate Pierson stated that Wilson had kept his illness secret from his fellow band members because he "did not want anyone to worry about him or fuss about him."
Later that year, in the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, Wilson finally succumbed to the illness, at the age of 32.
Chalino Sánchez (1960-1992)
Murdered. He made his breakthrough, in terms of publicity, in January 1992. That evening, he was performing at a club in Coachella, California when a patron came up to the stage, pulled a gun, and shot Chalino in the side. Chalino immediately pulled a gun of his own and returned fire. By the end of the evening, the would-be killer was shot to death with his own gun, one other person died on the way to a hospital, and at least five others were wounded. (It was generally believed in Sinaloa that the death toll was higher.) At a concert in Mexico, Chalino Sanchez received a letter containing a death threat and walked off stage immediately. In May 1992, Chalino was being transported in a Chevy Suburban through the streets of Culiacán, Mexico. After about 20 minutes, the Suburban was driving near a secluded location when an unmarked Federal Police Vehicle intercepted them and forced them to the side of the road. At approximately 06:00 in the morning, Chalino's lifeless body was discovered on the side of a road with two gunshot wounds to the back of the head. The next day, newspapers in Sinaloa read, "Chalino Sánchez, Secuestrado, y Ejecutado" (Chalino Sánchez, Kidnapped and Executed).
Proof (D12) (1973-2006)
Murdered. Proof was killed by a gunshot wound to the head at a club by club bouncer Mario Etheridge on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan after fatally shooting U.S. military veteran Keith Bender Jr. While playing a game of pool, Proof and Bender got into a heated argument. After a physical altercation, Etheridge fired his gun into the air to try to stop the situation, but Proof shot Bender in the head. Etheridge, who was Bender's cousin, then shot Proof three times in the head and chest. Proof was killed, and Bender died a week later. Proof's blood alcohol content at the time of his death was 0.32 percent, four times the level that qualifies someone for a drunken driving conviction; he had no other drugs in his system.
Rob Collins (The Charlatans) (1963-1996)
Car crash. Collins began to record keyboard and organ parts for the Charlatans 5th album but was killed in a car crash on a country road in Wales just before sessions were completed. An investigation into the accident showed that Collins had consumed a sizable amount of alcohol and was not wearing a seatbelt. He died from head injuries on the roadside shortly after the accident having been thrown through the windscreen. Investigators concluded that he probably would not have died had he worn a seatbelt.
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Divine (1945-1988)
Sleep apnea. One week after Hairspray was released, Divine was staying at the Regency Hotel in Los Angeles. The next day, he auditioned for a part in the Fox network's television series Married… with Children. After dining with friends and returning to the hotel, he died in his sleep of sleep apneu and an enlarged heart.
Florence Ballard (The Supremes) (1943-1976)
Coronary thrombosis. Ballard entered the hospital, complaining of numbness in her extremities. The next day, she died of coronary thrombosis, a blood clot in one of her coronary arteries.
Cass Elliott (The Mamas and the Papas) (1941-1974)
Heart attack. At the height of her solo career in 1974, Elliot performed two weeks of sold-out concerts at the London Palladium. She telephoned Michelle Phillips after the final concert, utterly elated that she had received standing ovations each night. She then retired for the evening, and died in her sleep. Sources state her death was due to a heart attack. Elliot died in a London flat, which was on loan from singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson. Four years later, The Who's drummer Keith Moon died in the same flat. Despite the cause of death being a heart attack, an oft repeated urban myth states that Elliot died choking on a ham sandwich. The story, which started following the discovery of her body, was based on speculation in the initial media coverage. Police had told reporters that a partly eaten sandwich found in her room might have been to blame even though an autopsy had not been conducted. Despite the post-mortem examination finding that Elliot had in fact died of a heart attack and no food was found in her windpipe, the story that she had choked has persisted in the years following her death.
Keith Relf (The Yardbirds) (1943-1976)
Electrocution. He died from electrocution, at his home while playing his improperly grounded electric guitar.
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Karen Carpenter (The Carpenters) (1950-1983)
Complications from anorexia nervosa. The autopsy stated that Karen's death was the result of emetine cardiotoxicity due to anorexia nervosa. Under the anatomical summary, the first item was heart failure, with anorexia as second. The third finding was cachexia, which is extremely low weight and weakness and general body decline associated with chronic disease. Emetine cardiotoxicity implies that Karen abused ipecac syrup, an easily obtained emetic medicine that is only meant to be taken by persons who have accidentally swallowed poison.
Doug Hopkins (Gin Blossoms) (1961-1993)
Suicide. Hopkins had suffered from chronic depression since childhood and had been battling alcoholism for several years. However, in 1990, the Gin Blossoms were one of the hottest local bands in Tempe and the surrounding areas, and they signed a contract with A&M Records. He was resistant to signing to a major label, feeling like its property, and reacted with stubbornness and more drinking. When the band recorded its debut album "New Miserable Experience", it was reported that Hopkins was unable to stand during his recording sessions. Faced with the prospect of firing Hopkins or being dropped by A&M, the band terminated Hopkins. Doused in aftershave and mouthwash to cover the effects of his days-long drinking binge, he was flown back to Arizona. He was replaced by Scott Johnson. As a result, the band withheld $15,000 owed to Hopkins until he agreed to sign over half of his publishing royalties. While "New Miserable Experience" did not make a strong debut, it went on to become a multi-platinum album. As the Gin Blossoms experienced mounting success, performing songs he had written, Hopkins became increasingly despondent. Though he had always dreamed of having a gold record, when he received one for the song "Hey Jealousy", he hung it up for two weeks before taking it down and then destroying it. Nine days later, during an intake consultation in the detox, Hopkins snuck out and bought a .38 caliber pistol. The next day Hopkins committed suicide.
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John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) (1948-1980)
Alcohol overdose. Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for an upcoming tour of the U.S.; the band's first since 1977. During the journey, Bonham had asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodkas (sixteen shots, amounting to about 480 ml). He then continued to drink heavily when he arrived at the rehearsals. A halt was called to the rehearsals late in the evening and the band retired to Jimmy Page's house. After midnight, Bonham had fallen asleep and was taken to bed and placed on his side. John Paul Jones found him dead the next afternoon. Weeks later at the coroner's inquest, it emerged that in the 24 hours before he died, John Bonham had consumed forty shots of vodka which resulted in him vomiting and subsequent aspiration (inhaling) of his vomit, causing asphyxiation. A verdict of accidental death was returned at an inquest held. An autopsy had found no other drugs in Bonham's body.
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John Belushi (Blues Brothers) (1949-1982)
Speedball. Belushi was found dead in his room in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was a speedball, a combined injection of cocaine and heroin. On the night of his death, he was visited separately by friends Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, each of whom left the premises, leaving Belushi in the company of assorted others, including Cathy Smith. His death was investigated by a forensic pathologist among others, and while the findings were disputed, it was officially ruled a drug-related accident. Two months later, Smith admitted in an interview with the National Enquirer that she had been with Belushi the night of his death and had given him the fatal speedball shot. After the appearance of the article "I Killed Belushi" in the Enquirer, the case was reopened. Smith was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. A plea bargain reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter, and she served 15 months in prison.
Donny Hathaway (1945-1979)
Suicide. During the best part of his career, Hathaway began to suffer from severe bouts of depression. It was found that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was known to take strong medication daily to try and control the illness. However, Eulaulah Hathaway has said that her husband was frequently less than diligent about following his prescription regimen. Donnita Hathaway has said that her mother gave her similar information about her father, saying that when he took his medication, he was generally fine, but that when he did not, it was impossible for her to deal with him. Sessions for a second album of duets were underway in 1979. Hathaway began a recording session at which Eric Mercury and James Mtume were present. They reported that although Hathaway's voice sounded good, he began behaving irrationally, seeming to be paranoid and delusional. According to Mtume, Hathaway said that "white people" were trying to kill him and had connected his brain to a machine, for the purpose of stealing his music. Given Hathaway's behavior, Mercury said that he decided the recording session could not continue, so he aborted it and all of the musicians went home. Hours later, Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk below the window of his 15th-floor room in New York's Essex House hotel. The glass had been neatly removed from the window and there were no signs of struggle, leading investigators to rule Hathaway's death a suicide.
Stephen Gately (Boyzone) (1976-2009)
Pulmonary edema. Gately was found in a appartment in Majorca's capital Palma, squatting in an awkward way on a sofa, dressed in his pyjamas. Police said they had no reason to believe the death was related to abuse of substances such as drugs or alcohol and no suicide note or signs of violence were located on the corpse. A post-mortem and toxicology tests later took place, and this examination showed that Gately died of natural causes. He died as a result of a congenital heart defect. Toxicology also confirmed the statement by Gately's partner Cowles that he had been smoking cannabis that evening.
Bon Scott (AC/DC) (1946-1980)
Alcohol overdose. He passed out after a night of heavy drinking in a London club. He was left to sleep in a Renault 5 owned by an acquaintance named Alistair Kinnear in South London. The following afternoon, Kinnear found Scott lifeless, and alerted the authorities. Scott was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Pulmonary aspiration of vomit was the cause of Scott's death, and the official cause was listed as "acute alcohol poisoning" and "death by misadventure".
Rory Storm (Rory Storm and The Hurricanes) (1939-1972)
Suicide. When Storm's father died, he returned to Liverpool to be with his mother. Storm developed a chest infection and could not sleep properly, so he took sleeping pills. On one evening, Storm and his mother were both found dead. The post mortem revealed that Storm had alcohol and sleeping pills in his blood (as had his mother) but not enough to cause his death, which was ruled accidental, although it could not be proven that his mother had committed suicide after finding Storm's body.
Eva Cassidy (1963-1996)
Melanoma. In 1993, Cassidy had a malignant mole removed from her back. Three years later, during a promotional event for the Live at Blues Alley album, Cassidy noticed an ache in her hips, which she attributed to stiffness from painting murals while perched atop a stepladder. The pain persisted and a few weeks later, X-rays revealed that the melanoma had spread to her lungs and bones. Her doctors estimated she had three to five months to live. Cassidy opted for aggressive treatment, but her health deteriorated rapidly.
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Sam Cooke (1931-1964)
Murdered. The details of the case involving Cooke's death are still in dispute. The official police record states that Cooke was shot dead by Bertha Franklin, manager of the Hacienda Motel, where Cooke had checked in earlier that evening. Franklin claimed that Cooke had broken into the manager's office-apartment in a rage, wearing nothing but a shoe and a sports coat demanding to know the whereabouts of a woman who had accompanied him to the hotel. Franklin said that the woman was not in the office and that she told Cooke this, but the enraged Cooke did not believe her and violently grabbed her, demanding again to know the woman's whereabouts. According to Franklin, she grappled with Cooke, the two of them fell to the floor, and she then got up and ran to retrieve her gun. She said that she then fired at Cooke in self-defense, because she feared for her life. Cooke was struck once in the torso, and according to Franklin, he exclaimed, "Lady, you shot me," before mounting a last charge at her. She said that she beat him over his head with a broomstick before he finally fell, mortally wounded by the gunshot. According to Franklin and the motel's owner, Evelyn Carr, they had been on the telephone together at the time of the incident. Thus, Carr claimed to have overheard Cooke's intrusion and the ensuing conflict and gunshots. Carr called the police to request that they go to the motel, informing them that she believed a shooting had occurred. A coroner's inquest was convened to investigate the incident. The woman who had accompanied Cooke to the motel was identified as Elisa Boyer, who had also called the police that night shortly before Carr. Boyer had called the police from a telephone booth near the motel, telling them she had just escaped being kidnapped. Later that year Boyer was arrested for prostitution. This invited speculation that Boyer may have gone willingly to the motel with Cooke, then slipped out of the room with Cooke's clothing in order to rob him, rather than to escape an attempted kidnapping.
Lowell George (Little Feat) (1945-1979)
Unspecified drug overdose. George fell ill in his Arlington, Virginia hotel room and died. An autopsy showed that he died of an accidental drug overdose.
Lee Morgan (1938-1972)
Murdered. He was murdered in the early hours a jazz club in New York where his band was performing. After a fight with his drugdealer, he phoned up his girlfriend and ordered her to come to the club and bring his pistol with her. When she arrived see saw Morgan flirting with another woman, and shot him in the chest, killing him within moments.
Paul Chambers (1935-1969)
Tuberculosis. He suffered from alcoholism, heroin addiction, and tuberculosis, and died from complications after a short illness.
Rob Pilatus (Milli Vanilli) (1965-1998)
Prescription drug and alcohol overdose. Despite the enormous success of Milli Vanilli, the duo were a frequent target of rumours and allegations of on-stage lip-synching and not having sung on the album. Charles Shaw, one of the actual vocalists of Milli Vanilli, told a reporter about the truth of the group's secret, but later retracted his statement after producer Frank Farian paid him $150,000. When Pilatus and Morvan pressured Farian to let them sing on the next album, Farian revealed the truth to reporters, that Pilatus and Morvan did not actually sing on the records and their voices were dubbed. Milli Vanilli's Grammy award was withdrawn four days later. In the years following the demise of Milli Vanilli, Pilatus struggled with substance abuse and suicide attempts. Pilatus served three months in jail for assault, vandalism, and attempted robbery. He also spent six months in drug rehabilitation, before returning to Germany from the United States.
Pilatus was found dead of a suspected alcohol and prescription pill overdose in a Frankfurt hotel room. Pilatus' death was ruled accidental.