The Cruelest and Saddest Deaths in Music History

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tribute, Dec 13, 2018.

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  1. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    There was, and still is, a myth that it was jazz stars that died young and that it was through their own self-abuse.

    But we see that it was not only jazz musicians, but musicians from all styles, including classical musicians, that left us too early. And many of those, including jazz musicians, lost their lives from accidents (or worse) and diseases over which they had little control.

    But there may be some truth to that old adage that "only the good die young". That does not contradict a statement that "many of the good enjoy a long life".

    Here is to those who made it! I'll name two grand masters still with us: Sonny Rollins and Bob Dylan
     
    HenryFly likes this.
  2. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    Holdsworth didn't but Chad Wackerman did. Wackerman played from for Allan Holdsworth and Allan appeared on some of Wackermans albums.
     
  3. YMC4

    YMC4 EVthing or Nothing

    Location:
    The Valley, CA.
    i hope his name came up already within the 28 pages but...Prince.
    dying alone in the elevator, not even getting discovered for many hours...The Man certainly deserved better.
    also, not leaving a will caused all sorts of 'chaos & disorder' among family leeches...which makes his death even more tragic.
     
  4. Guy E

    Guy E Senior Member

    Location:
    Antalya, Turkey
    I never met D. Boon, but he left an impression on me when The Minutemen played at Maxwell's. It was a great show, for a packed house. After their performance Boon was hanging out in Poser Alley, the corridor between the front bar and the back [live music] room. The Women's Room was on Poser Alley and there was always a line on crowded nights. Boon was leaning against the opposite wall with a big smile on his face, drinking a cold beer. People were giving him Big Ups for a great show and he was just enjoying the vibe and all the cool chicks. The man enjoyed life, it was clear.
     
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  5. Pierino

    Pierino Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canonsburg
    I'm not actually from Canonsburg. Yes, several of Perry Como's records remain out of print, but some progress has been made. All of Perry's Christmas recordings are now available, thankfully. And, although Perry lived to almost 89 years old, his passing was sad, too. In his final days he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
     
  6. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    Prince certainly should be celebrated here!

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    Musicman1963, Ant G, nytechy and 8 others like this.
  7. broshfab4

    broshfab4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    John Lennon. The things that could have been if it wasn't for one selfish peace of scum. May that murderer rot forever.
     
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  8. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    Has anyone mentioned the sad fate of Vivian Stanshall?
     
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  9. snepts

    snepts Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eugene, OR
    When I think of RnR deaths, usually I think of what for me were the First Four (although they def weren't, considering Buddy, Valens, et al), Brian, Jimi, Jim, and Janis.
    I kind of feel that Morrison and Jones brought their own demises on themselves, as if they had an inescapable dark cloud pursuing them. Jones always looked so tired, and he just wasn't as talented as The Glimmer Twins while this was the band he founded (I believe). And Morrison had gained a lot of weight, grew a beard to hide it, and on the cover of LA Woman he looks sad. He was out of control with his substance abuse, and his live performances were sung with an abandoning despair. He had a Hellhound On His Trail.
    Then there's Jimi. I think his talent was well-realized. He was incredibly prolific and influential. I feel like he was sailing through life and simply didn't think his drug use would culminate in an early untimely death. But the guy left a legacy no one has come close to touching so far.
    But I feel Janis was different. She didn't seem unhappy. Her music and photographs of her seem to show a woman who was having fun and her career was in fell swing. I believe she had difficulties as a young woman, living in Texas and not being terribly attractive, but at the time of her death I doubt anyone thought poorly of her. (Sorry if my Texas remark doesn't land well.) I think she just effed up and didn't know what she was doing. I have to acknowledge that as an active heroin user she should have been savvy to the risks, but I imagine most junkies don't weigh death against the high. Idk, for some reason I feel among the four, Janis had the most to live for.
    Sorry for the long ramble. All the artists mentioned are very much treasured. Duane, Emerson, Sandy Denny, Strummer, both Buckleys, my goodness. At least most of them left a good body of work.
     
    highway chile likes this.
  10. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    Maybe you wish to add some detail or photo...its fun
     
  11. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    Rambling is good.

    If anyone sees Janis Joplin as a guest on TV shows like The Dick Cavett Show, they realize she was a very sweet person!

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  12. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    Glenn Miller's sudden death in WWII had such an enormous effect on people that tribute bands to his memory thrived for decades and still are active today.

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  13. snepts

    snepts Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eugene, OR
    So many names, so much to say.
    As a young person I did not, nor am I currently inclined to, appreciate the Carpenters, but Karen's contralto was so warm and she really exuded this wholesome girl-next-door cuteness, I've become rather fond of her. Totally missed that she was a drummer, and that only adds to her charm. Really a shame she had body image issues, just baffling.

    And on a completely different plane, I din't think I've seen the leader of Thin Lizzy mentioned. Didn't Phil Lynott die young and unexpectedly? I'm through 9 pages and don't recall seeing his name.
     
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  14. Bill

    Bill Senior Member

    Location:
    Eastern Shore
    Mike Smith, the musical voice and soul of the Dave Clark Five, two weeks before the group was finally inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, virtually penniless while the talentless Clark is a multimillionaire.
     
  15. unclefred

    unclefred Coastie with the Moastie

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Definitely tragic, when you consider that he was taken off a plane and hospitalized for an OD just days earlier it seems more so.
     
    YMC4 likes this.
  16. sons of nothing

    sons of nothing Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    (Marion Jacobs) Little Walter. Died at 37. He was one of the first, and possibly the first to intentionally use distortion, and it was done on a harmonica. He suffered from alcoholism, and would get in quite a few fights. He died from a blood clot on his heart. If you've seen the movie Cadillac Records, then that gives you a better picture on how Marion lived.

     
  17. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member Thread Starter

    Little Walter

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  18. Farmer Mike

    Farmer Mike Forum Resident

    I met him on 3 different occasions and he was pretty approachable, even after issue with venue change and equipment issues. Someone remarked about all of the empty chairs, he grimaced a little about that. There were still people showing up from Ann Arbor and getting refunds as we were leaving the show.
    I'm in the same boat, not being a fan of technical proficiency for it's own sake. Loved the Replacements ,which reminds me that Bob Stinson and Steve Foley are no longer with us and Slim Dunlap has been in a bad way since his stroke.

    At age 54, this "Circle of Life" thing is getting to be a real S.O.B.!

    Holdsworth didn't play on any Zappa records, but he had some nice things to say about Frank

    Frank Zappa - Allan Holdsworth Information Center
     
  19. jeddy

    jeddy Forum Resident

    This!
    So horrible
     
  20. bloodisthin

    bloodisthin And after all, we're only ordinary men

    Location:
    Australia
    Dallas "Digger" Royall, powerhouse drummer for Rose Tattoo, finally kicked his heroin habit in the late '80s and was recovering on methadone when cancer exploded through his body — cancer that had been suppressed by the heroin addiction. Within months he was dead.

    In all, five former members of Rose Tattoo have died of cancer — Dallas Royall (1989), Peter Wells (prostate cancer 2006), Ian Rilen (bladder cancer 2006), Lobby Loyde (lung cancer 2007) and Mick Cocks (liver cancer 2009).
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2018
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  21. drum_cas

    drum_cas Forum Resident

    Yes, I've read that as well. And I can imagine the company that manufactured the pesticides was keen on that story too. I have no doubt Jeff used blow and that it messed with his system. I guess being in that scene, in that period... In Steve Lukather's bio he states that Jeff already suffered from symptomes that can be related to his heart comdition. And yeah, his story is biased too.
    Whatever the real cause......a sad death and a great loss.
    "Our love doesn't end here. It lives forever on the wings of time."
     
  22. bloodisthin

    bloodisthin And after all, we're only ordinary men

    Location:
    Australia
    It's been a year today since Ralph Carney tragically, pointlessly passed away after falling down steps in his home and breaking his neck; he was only 61. I fleetingly knew him on Facebook and he was just such a sweet guy, and a real musical spirit. His friends and those he mentored have never stopped loving and missing him.

    As far as cruel and sad deaths, that one still stings and always will.
     
  23. Six Bachelors

    Six Bachelors Troublemaking enthusiast

    Based on what we know about each of the first three you list, it seems at least possible, if not probable, that Jones was murdered and that, due to those with them panicking and not doing the responsible thing in order to ensure they didn’t get in any trouble, neither Jim nor Jimi received straightforward medical attention that would have prevented their deaths. I don’t know if it’s fair to attribute the deaths of those three solely to themselves.

    Anorexia is not having “body image issues”. It’s a severe psychological disorder.
     
  24. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    Zola Taylor, a beautiful woman that gained fame for being in The Platters and one time
    marrying Frankie Lymon:
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    Once so gorgeous, but time/age and a number of strokes diminished her before death.
    Her last on stage performance:
     
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  25. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I have had to mention near 50 I feel sorrowful about................

    Paul Kossoff
    Tammi Terrell
    Cynthia Robinson
    Les Harvey
    Buddy Holly
    Jimi Hendrix
    Brian Jones
    Otis Redding
    George Harrison
    Albert King
    Janis Joplin
    Richie Valens
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Alexis Korner
    Keith Moon
    Ian Stewart
    Freddie King
    Mama Cass
    Pete Quaife
    Florence Ballard
    Robert Johnson
    Duanne Allman
    Roy Buchanan
    Noel Redding
    Chris Cornell
    Otis Rush
    Muddy Waters
    Jaco Pastorius
    Bessie Smith
    Aretha Franklin
    Amy Winehouse
    Etta James
    Bob Welch
    Al The Owl Wilson
    Jack Bruce
    Charlie Parker
    Mitch Mitchell
    King Curtis
    Stu Sutcliffe
    Frank Zappa
    Paul Butterfield
    Laura Nyro
    Jeff Buckley
    Steve Marriott
    Otis Spann
    Chas Chandler
    Keith Relf
    Micky Waller
    Rory Gallagher
    Berry Oakley
    Hubert Sumlin
    Willie Dixon
    Tommy Bolin
    Butch Trucks
    James Honeyman-Scott
    Bob Marley
    Curtis Mayfield
    Little Walter
    Andy Fraser
    Michael Bloomfield
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2018
    highway chile likes this.
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