# Extraordinary musicians who died before their time **URL:** \ **Category:** Everything Else\ **Created:** [April 26, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509 "2025-04-26T05:16:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/1 "2025-04-26T05:16:01Z")
Was reflecting on this after listening to a few great albums by Michael Hedges. It’s crazy how many great musicians have tragically died before their time. To name a few: John Lennon Stevie Ray Vaughan Micheal Hedges Prince Micheal Jackson Tom Petty Jim Morrison Jimi Hendrix Janis Joplin Bob Marley Elvis Presley John Denver Buddy Holly Ronnie Van Zant Glenn Miller ---
**Author:** ![lonson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/lonson/32/249792_2.png) [@lonson](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/lonson)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/2 "2025-04-26T10:32:42Z")
I’ll add Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker, Herbie Nichols, Ernie Henry, Bix Beiderbecke ---
**Author:** ![DavidF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/davidf/32/292515_2.png) [@DavidF](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/DavidF)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 10:40am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/3 "2025-04-26T10:40:29Z")
Eva Cassidy ---
**Author:** ![tmcqueen](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/tmcqueen/32/80321_2.png) [@tmcqueen](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tmcqueen)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 10:45am UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/4 "2025-04-26T10:45:55Z")
Frank Zappa Keith Whitley Otis Redding Duane Allman Berry Oakley Steve Gaines George Harrison ---
**Author:** ![Elk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/elk/32/1240_2.png) [@Elk](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Elk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/5 "2025-04-26T13:07:50Z")
What is the cutoff? E.g., George Harrison was 58 when he died. I would include Mendelsohn and Mozart. Schubert, Chopin. Many died while still productive and relevant. ---
**Author:** ![RonP](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/ronp/32/213555_2.png) [@RonP](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/RonP)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/6 "2025-04-26T13:16:31Z")
Lee Morgan Michael Bloomfield ---
**Author:** ![jghughes2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@jghughes2](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/jghughes2)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:17pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/7 "2025-04-26T13:17:43Z")
Ron Mckernan, Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, Jerry Garcia, Lee Morgan, Herbie Nichols, Peter Laughner, Tom Cora, Sandy Denny, Tina Brooks. ---
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/8 "2025-04-26T13:34:02Z")
Some of these musicians died because of their own overindulgence in recreational drugs or alcohol, but it seems a very high percentage of them died suddenly and tragically due to outside circumstances beyond their control, like in plane crashes. Another musician just came to mind. Dolores O’Riordan lead singer of the Cranberries. I enjoyed her unique vocal style. ---
**Author:** ![Elk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/elk/32/1240_2.png) [@Elk](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Elk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/9 "2025-04-26T13:48:36Z")
Musicians die no more suddenly than the population as a whole. We just do not become aware of them. No one muses over the deaths of young plumbers. ---
**Author:** ![Audioholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Audioholic](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Audioholic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 1:58pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/10 "2025-04-26T13:58:35Z")
That’s probably the case. ---
**Author:** ![Elk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/elk/32/1240_2.png) [@Elk](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Elk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/11 "2025-04-26T14:02:50Z")
I have long found this interesting: > **[27 Club](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club)** > > The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, often expanded by artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific research, it remains a common cultural conception that the phenomenon exists, with many celebrities who die at 27 noted for their high-risk lifestyles. > Beginning with the deaths of several 27-year-old popular musicians between 1969 an... ---
**Author:** ![Wimek](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/wimek/32/233888_2.png) [@Wimek](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Wimek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/12 "2025-04-26T14:54:51Z")
I would like to add: Jeff Beck Gary Moore Eddie van Halen ---
**Author:** ![adimon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/adimon/32/178064_2.png) [@adimon](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/adimon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/13 "2025-04-26T15:26:21Z")
Freddie Mercury ---
**Author:** ![pmotz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/pmotz/32/269612_2.png) [@pmotz](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/pmotz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/14 "2025-04-26T15:28:09Z")
I will second Michael Hedges, that was a gut blow for me. Still remember where I was when I heard it (can’t say the same for when JFK died). I’ll add Jacqueline du Pré to the list. An absolutely phenomenal cellist and by all accounts a wonderful person. There was a recent PBS documentary that was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![bootzilla](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/bootzilla/32/1598_2.png) [@bootzilla](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/bootzilla)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/15 "2025-04-26T15:56:52Z")
Walter Becker Kurt Cobain Bill Evans Scott LaFaro ---
**Author:** ![tmmuchcox-net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@tmmuchcox-net](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/tmmuchcox-net)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 4:22pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/16 "2025-04-26T16:22:29Z")
Clifford Brown ---
**Author:** ![Clarity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Clarity](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Clarity)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/17 "2025-04-26T17:47:03Z")
Mrs. Miller ---
**Author:** ![2muchgear](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/2muchgear/32/94340_2.png) [@2muchgear](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/2muchgear)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/18 "2025-04-26T19:10:18Z")
Nick Drake Jeff Buckley Robert Johnson Amy Winehouse Brian Jones Ritchie Valens Randy Rhoades Carlos Gardel ---
**Author:** ![Elk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/elk/32/1240_2.png) [@Elk](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/Elk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/19 "2025-04-26T19:48:51Z")
> [@pmotz](#): > > Jacqueline du Pré Yes! ---
**Author:** ![adimon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.psaudio.com/adimon/32/178064_2.png) [@adimon](https://forum.psaudio.com/u/adimon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509/20 "2025-04-26T21:22:36Z")
Tim Bergling Michel Petrucciani [Next page](https://forum.psaudio.com/t/extraordinary-musicians-who-died-before-their-time/41509.md?page=2)