The Cruelest and Saddest Deaths in Music History

Christina Grimmie's death literally shook me to the core when it happened. I had seen her on The Voice and watched her on YT. For her to be gunned down like that was heartbreaking, only 22 years old.

 

Selena (only 23, and bled to death at the hands of a greedy sociopath).

Dolores O'Riordan, of The Cranberries (had some rough things in her life and died too young).

 

or Terry Kath, who accidentally shot himself f'ing around with a gun.

 

Yes, and Bix Beiderbecke at age 28. Proudly sent home his 78s, father never listened to them, per Ken Burns' Jazz.

 

Eric Dolphy: Diabetic coma misdiagnosed as "drug overdose". Left to die in hospital by doctors (who apparently despised jazz musicians).
Sonny Bono: "Skiing accident". Blunt force trauma injuries on both front and back of body...that's a mighty agile "tree" he must have run into.
Bobby Fuller: Blunt force trauma injuries indicating a beating and large quantity of gasoline found in stomach. LAPD conclusion: "Suicide"

 

Mel Street- suicide
Faron Young- suicide
Mindy McCready- suicide
Keith Whitley- suicide

 

Bobby Fuller, who died under mysterious circumstances and whose autopsy was inconclusive. Murdered? Who knows for sure, but he was mixed up with Morris Levy...

 

John Denver - crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

 

I don't really think it gets any sadder than being tortured and killed by your government because of your music.

 

Nick Drake had to wait about 30 years.

 

Some tragic, some natural causes, some just plain stupid.
CHRIS ADAMS STRING DRIVEN THING
MARTY BALIN JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, JEFFERSON STARSHIP
PETER BANKS YES, FLASH
PETER BARDENS CAMEL
JIMMY CARL BLACK MOTHERS OF INVENTION
GLEN BUXTON ALICE COOPER
RANDY CALIFORNIA SPIRIT
ED CASSIDY SPIRIT
JOHN CIPPOLINA QUICKSILVER
RICHARD COUGHLAN CARAVAN
SIMON COWE LINDISFARNE
SANDY DENNY STRAWBS, FAIRPORT CONVENTION, SOLO
LEE DORMAN IRON BUTTERFLY
SPENCER DRYDEN JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
MIKE DUNFORD RENAISSANCE
JERRY EDMONTON STEPPENWOLF
GORDON EDWARDS PRETTY THINGS
KEITH EMERSON ELP
JOHN ENTWISTLE WHO
TOM EVANS BADFINGER
MIKE GIBBINS BADFINGER, NATURAL GAS
GEORGE GRANTHAM POCO
JIMMY GREENSPOON THREE DOG NIGHT
ROB GRILL GRASSROOTS
JOHN GUSTAFSON BIG THREE, QUATERMASS, HARD STUFF, ROXY MUSIC, EPISODE SIX, GILLAN
PETE HAM BADFINGER
EDDIE HARDIN SDG, AXIS POINT, HARDIN & YORK
GEORGE HARRISON BEATLES
TIM HART STEELEYE SPAN
DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH COLOSSEUM
JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, SOLO
ALAN HULL LINDISFARNE
BERT JANSCH PENTANGLE
JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER, SOLO
PAUL KANTNER JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, JEFFERSON STARSHIP
GREG LAKE KING CRIMSON, ELP
RONNIE LANE FACES, SMALL FACES, SLIM CHANCE
JOHN LENNON BEATLES
LYNN LINTON SOLO
JON LORD DEEP PURPLE, WHITESNAKE, PAICE ASHTON & LORD
GAYLE MCCORMICK A GROUP CALLED SMITH, SOLO
IAN MCLAGEN SMALL FACES, FACES
KEITH MOON WHO
KEVIN PEEK SKY
BRIAN PENDLETON PRETTY THINGS
PETE QUAIFE KINKS
CHRIS RAINBOW CAMEL
MAGGIE ROCHE ROCHES
CHRIS SQUIRE YES
PETE TOLSON PRETTY THINGS
JOHN TOUT RENAISSANCE
DINO VALENTI QUICKSILVER
BOB WELCH FLEETWOOD MAC
CORY WELLS THREE DOG NIGHT
JOHN WETTON KING CRIMSON, UK, ASIA
AL WILSON SOLO
FRANK ZAPPA MOTHERS OF INVENTION

 

OMG I just read his wiki page, literally WTF is wrong with human beings? Or should we even call them that...and them leaving his body on display afterwards...

 

They had some bad leaders in South America back then. Quite a few of the governments cracked down on "popular music" during the seventies because they deemed it too radical and anti-government.

 

Tonny Koeswoyo From Koes Plus - only in his 40’s when he died in 1987 From cancer.
Chrisye - another too young, in his 50’s
Yon Koeswoyo
Murry from Koes Plus
Nike Ardilla - died too young right in the middle of her music career
Honey Sri-Isan - same as above
Ritchie Valens - ^^^
In case you don’t know them
Chrisye:
Tonny Koeswoyo: Performance : TONNY KOESWOYO II
Nike Ardilla: THE BEST OF NIKE ARDILLA - 10 Lagu Hits Paling Dikenang Sepanjang Masa!!!
Honey Sri-Isan: รวมเพลง ฮันนี่ ศรีอีสาน By พิทักษ์

 

Otis Redding indeed. Only 26 and taken by an airplane accident.

 

Harry Chapin was a tragic loss. Killed in a car crash the day he was supposed to perform in Eisenhower Park on Long Island

 

I was incredibly sad when Eric Clapton’s young son died in tragic circumstances and still am. Truly awful, and the overwhelming empathic pain I feel when I listen to the songs that came after. I can’t imagine how Eric went on after that. So sad.

Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Before we had a house phone when I lived in Macclesfield in 1978-1980 my mum would push me down the road in a pram past Ian’s house to use the phone box. She said we used to hear them rehearsing in a garage. I can’t remember sadly. My mum and dad saw them play in a local pub.

Kurt Cobain. I was about 14 and me and my friends were all huge fans. When he died I stole a big iron sign from a local manor house called “Nirvana”. I took it back a few years later as I was leaving the area although I wish I still had it. Kurt dying was a tragedy for music as I believe he had so much more to offer.

 

If someone has not yet named Sam Cooke, his loss by murder (that self defense story was off the mark, I believe) was terribly tragic. He was taken right before his great era had really begun, just before the whole world became obsessed with soul music.

 

Stevie Ray Vaughn for me. It seems ridiculously cruel that he fought so hard and pulled himself back from the brink of drug/alcohol induced oblivion just in the nick of time to go down in flames in a helicopter.

 

Carl Wilson from Cancer. The day the Beach Boys officially died IMO

 

If I recall, a tire on the back of a delivery truck on the opposite side of the highway fell off and bounced through Harry Chapin's windshield.

 

Most of the band The Exploding Hearts, all in their early 20s, were tragically killed in a car accident right after recording their first album. Huge loss.

Gram Parsons, only 26. Yeah, he did it to himself but the loss of his talent isn't lessened in the slightest.

Arthur Alexander, after spending years driving a bus, was finally rediscovered and recorded his first album in 21 years, started performing live again only to die at the cusp of his newfound fame of a heart attack at 53.

Roy Orbison. After being a huge hitmaker in the 60s he disappeared from the charts until the late 80s when his music started appearing in popular films. Then he was in the Travelling Wilburys, the ultimate super group. Recorded a solo album then died of a heart attack at 52. He had a posthumous top 10 hit with "You Got It" Still had so much music in him.

 

A list of dead musicians. How very interesting.

 

I loved Eric! He was taken in 1964, some years before the great revival in interest in jazz (after 1970) when he would have been revered as a giant

 

Karen Carpenter.