Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Forever 27 Club, Rock Stars Who Died at 27 Years Old


The Forever 27 Club is a term that refers to the strangely large number of rock stars who died at the tender age of 27 years. It makes for a pretty tragic list


1. Kurt Cobain: he was made into a popular saint after his death from a self-inflicted gun shot wound in 1994. Bizzarely he expressed a desire to join the 27 club as a young teenager


2. Janis Joplin: Heroin overdose, a magical singer, originally with Big Brother and the Holding Company, her version of Summertime is incredible


3. Jim Morrisson: listed as dying from heart failure but almost definitely OD'd, massively influential, including inspiration for Iggy Pop


4. Brian Jones: drowned in his swimming pool under mysterious circumstances; one of the most dangerous characters around if you were his girlfriend, lots of domestic violence and paranoia overshadowed his brilliance as a musician. Predicted the world music scene with his Moroccan experiments


5. Jimi Hendrix: asphyxiated in his own vomit after an OD on sleeping pills


6. Robert Johnson: pneumonia from strychnine poisoning, 1938; the Father of the Blues would never see 30


7. Alan Wilson: Possible sucide, leader of blues outfit Canned Heat


8. Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan: alchohol related hemorrage, founding member of the Grateful Dead


9. Gary Thain: Bassist of Uriah Heep


10. Peter Ham: Keyboardist and singer from Badfinger, hanged himself.

Image: Courtesy Columbia

2 comments:

Samadhi said...

We're in the process of finishing up a book about The 27s. Collectively they tell the story of rock & roll and its myriad of subgenres. Most of the thirty-five 27s have left lasting marks on fans and artists. Add D. Boon of the Minutemen, Zander of the original Stooges, Chris Bell of Big Star, Mia Zapata of The Gits, Jeremy Ward of The Mars Volta, and so on... Thanks for letting me post!
Nord @ The27s.com

Meagan said...

Bradley Nowell, 27
Amy Winehouse, 27