Which artist/musician has the most tragic story? :(

Jay Bennett of Wilco. He changed the band for the better and started their upward trajectory, only to be fired right after making their most successful album which they reaped the benefits of.
Instead he was demonised in the film about its making and ended up dying broke while waiting for a hip replacement that he could not afford. Killed by an accidental overdose of the pain medication patch he was using.
His contributions to their sound and later success seem to have gone unnoticed by the masses.

 

Such a talented drummer, what happened to him was so terrible.

 

Tony Williams dying from a heart attack following routine gall bladder surgery. A tragic end to one of the greatest drummers ever.

 

Al Jackson (Booker T., Stax, Al Green, etc.) met a similar demise the following year. He was shot by "robbers", but it was most likely either his wife or her boyfriend who pulled the trigger.

 

Another one - Roy Orbison. An insanely tragic life, he finally gets back into the limelight with the Wilburys, and BAM - heart attack - right before his comeback album was due to be released. Dude couldn't catch a break.

 

I'm familiar with the sad tragedies that befell Badfinger, Nick Drake, and Chris Bell, but I just read about his life, and it's so devastating...

 

that was very sad and honestly kind of a strange tragic story on top of it.

 

"Though still legally married, Jackson was estranged from his wife. In July 1975, his wife had shot him in the chest. He decided not to press charges, but was in the process of a divorce and was planning to move to Atlanta, Georgia, to begin working with Stax singer/songwriter William Bell.

Jackson attended the screening with Eddie Floyd and Terry Manning. After the match, he returned home to find intruders in his house. He was reportedly told to get down on his knees and was then fatally shot five times in the back. Around 3:00 a.m. on October 1, Barbara Jackson ran out in the street, yelling for help. She told police that burglars had tied her up and shot her husband when he had returned home. Police found nothing out of place in the house, and Jackson's wallet and jewelry were still on him.

The man believed to have pulled the trigger had reportedly known someone in Memphis and after robbing a bank in Florida, told them to meet him over at Al Jackson's house. Tracked through Florida to Memphis and then to Seattle, Washington, the suspected triggerman, the boyfriend of Barbara Jackson's friend Denise LaSalle, was killed by a police officer on July 15, 1976 after a gun battle."

So she basically set him up?

 

There's John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis. I would say Big Star. Pretty much from the start they were having internal troubles, causing Chris Bell to leave after the first album. Then he got in that sudden car accident a few years later and passed away. Now knowing that two more of the original members have since passed, and that they never got the success they deserved, it's a pretty sad story. You can even hear some of the tension in the music. Very chilling and mysterious band and music. But very talented.

 

One more I thought of is Marvin Gaye. Sad story, that his father killed him just as he was making a big comeback.

 

The ones that come to mind immediately for me are Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Chris Bell, and Badfinger.

Bobby Fuller is a great one, as are Roky Erickson and Sam Cooke.

 

His older brother Merle from what I read put a hit of acid in GG's McDonald's hamburger meal and when the effects started he was freaking out and taking off his clothes. That can't be too good for his mental health and the outcome of his life either. A rather mean prank to do IMO if it is true. And yes, his parents were psychos.

 

Not a particularly famous band, but The Exploding Hearts were making a name for themselves when their van crashed coming home from a gig, killing 75% of the band.

Their 1st album is a fun Clashy romp.

 

Bob Marley died too young.

 

I don't think it's the most tragic by any stretch but I always find the story of Robbin crosby (ratt) as a sad tragic story that absolutely did not have to happen.

He was the big love able giant who put down the rhythms and helped write a lot of their music.

Rock star on mtv, making Jackson guitars a household name, marries a playboy playmate and moves into the Hollywood hills etc..

Nikki sixx introduces him to heroin and he never can kick the habit. the music landscape changes, mtv turns them away as does radio, his wife divorces him, gets all of his guitars he is known for stolen from his house, goes broke and gets HIV via sharing needles to shoot heroin, band reunites and rejects him, spends the better part of his final years alive lying on his back all day in a hospital filled with dying people and essentially has no friends or visitis. Gets out of hospital starts to get back on his feet and takes a lethal dose of heroin and dies alone in his apartment.

I have always felt like it is a tragic rock n roll story. It's a real rock n roll story and more in line with the outcome of heroin addiction. Nikki sixx's tales of heroine use are all interesting make for a good read but it kind of rubs me the wrong way and it sucks the king is just a footnote in his story. It's the yang to his yin.

I know many don't know him or respect the genre or band but if you grew up with MTV you would know him.

 

The Elliott Smith story was always very bittersweet for me.

 

Yes, I agree with you that his talent and musical contributions have not been fully acknowledged in retrospect, as if he is now considered as just a sideman.
It's disappointing to think what the music could have been with his contributions, but his death just elevates my own personal opinion to that of a larger undeniable tragedy.

 

Brian Jones' life ended tragically.

 

Buddy Holly. A major talent cut down right at the start of his career.

 

What about Dead from the band Mayhem? (story is a bit disturbing beware!) Had depression for most of his later but still young life, causing him to get involved with drugs and self harm. He was then driven to commit suicide by his bandmate and when he died his bandmate left the house and took pictures before making stew out of his brains and necklaces out of his skull. Doesn't get more messed up than that!

 

For Squirrels:


Fantastic 90s alternative rock band with so much potential, who had a minor hit with an eerie Kurt Cobain tribute song, "Mighty K.C." Unfortunately, half the band wasn't around to enjoy it--less than a month before their major label debut album was released, they were traveling from a show and a tire blew out, and their singer, bassist, and tour manager were all killed. I've been desperately trying to locate an affordable copy of their debut album with no luck...

Another one: Doug Hopkins from the Gin Blossoms. He wrote most of the best material from their major label debut album, but was such a hardcore alcoholic he was kicked out of the band before it was released--he wasn't credited for playing guitar on it, and had to sign away much of his royalties. As the Gin Blossoms became more and more successful, Doug became more and more depressed, and just after he was awarded a gold record for "Hey Jealousy," he committed suicide.

 

The Miami Showband in Ireland. Wiki it,

 

Yeah, but Bobby knew he was living on borrowed time and he managed to pack a whole lot of living into 37 short years.

 

Marvin Gaye.

 

I just mentioned Danny Gatton in another thread. An extremely talented guy that was all dressed up with no place to go.