Some of the greatest musicians of all time, became rich and famous, experimented with drugs and died too young. Is it a coincidence that five great musicians died at the age of 27? For whatever reasons, it seems that rock stars can’t get high on their own success. They left behind a legacy of songs that will relish with every generation. Here are the Club 27 musicians.
Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest electric guitarist of all times. Hendrix headlined the world famous Woodstock in 1969. A great deal has been written about the mysterious death of Jimi Hendrix who died on September 8, 1970 in London. While the details are fuzzy, Hendrix died by taking an overdose of Vesperax sleeping pills and a mixture of alcohol.
Janis Joplin, who also headlined Woodstock, rose to fame as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Co., and then later she ventured out as a solo artist. She died of a drug overdose on October 4, 1970. Some of her greatest hits were “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry Baby” and “Mercedes Benz.”
Jim Morrison was the lead singer of The Doors. In addition to being the lead singer, he added to his resume, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker. He wrote four books and two movies. Another mysterious death until this day, Morrison overdosed on heroin thinking it was cocaine. His success came to a halt on July 3, 1971.
Kurt Cobain took his own life on April 5, 1994. Cobain was known for the success of the band Nirvana. The band has sold over 25 million records in the U.S. and over 50 million worldwide. Cobain’s life was full of ups and downs. His long addiction to drugs, especially heroin, led to his demise.
Brian Jones founder/guitarist of the Rolling Stones is also in Club 27. His death was a mystery when he died on July 3, 1969. He drowned in a swimming pool.
While those talented rock stars belonged in Club 27, there was the well-known bassist for the band Sex Pistols who took his life at the tender age of 21. Sid Vicious made headlines back in 1978, when Nancy Spungen was found dead by Vicious in his hotel room in Manhattan. Spungen was stabbed to death with a knife that was purchased by Sid. Conflicting accounts given by Vicious led to his arrest for the murder. After he posted bail, Vicious attempted suicide and was later placed in Bellevue Hospital. After another incident that landed him in Riker’s Island for 55 days, he celebrated his release at a small party thrown by family and friends. It was at that party that Sid Vicious subsequently overdosed and died on February 2, 1979. He left behind a suicide note, which was found days later after he was cremated. In the note he said he wanted to be buried with Nancy Spungen.
While Tyler Clementi was not a rock star, he made headlines nationwide, even worldwide. The suicide of the 18-year-old Rutgers University student, who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in New York, touched many hearts. His roommate allegedly streamed his gay tryst online using a webcam. The cruel act was hurtful and inexcusable. Celebrities such as talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Abdul, Ciara, Nicki Minaj and Margaret Cho voiced their outrage condemning teen bullying. Clementi died on September 22 after witnesses saw him jump to his death. Two fellow students, 18-year-olds Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, were charged with two counts of invasion of privacy. Tyler Clementi was a talented violinist who typed to millions on Facebook, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.” Doesn’t anyone monitor Facebook or Twitter, and shouldn’t someone be looking into how to stop public suicides on the George Washington Bridge? According to published reports, Facebook movie “The Social Network” made $23 million at the boxoffice its opening weekend.
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