posted 05-15-2007 09:54 PM                  

Here Are Some Of The Members Of
Rock and Roll Heaven
Along With When and How They Got There

This list contains major artists who had hit records
during the classic rock era of 1955 to 1980.

Johnny Ace - accidently killed himself while on tour, backstage at the City Auditorium in Houston, Texas, on Christmas Eve 1954, while playing Russian Roulette. He was 25 years old. A month later, he had a Top 20 hit with "Pledging My Love"

Johnny Adams - who scored a US Top 30 hit with "Reconsider Me" in 1969, died of cancer on September 14th, 1998. He was 66

Bill Albaugh - drummer for The Lemon Pipers on their 1967 US #1 single "Green Tambourine", died on January 20th, 1999, at the age of 53

Duane Allman - of the Allman Brothers Band was killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29th, 1971, one month before his 25th birthday

Greg Arama - bassist for The Amboy Dukes on their 1968 hit, "Journey To The Center Of The Mind", was killed in a motorcycle accident on September 18th, 1979. He was 29 years old

Louis Armstrong - led the Billboard Hot 100 with "Hello Dolly" in 1964. Died of heart failure on July 6th, 1971, aged 69

Chet Atkins - legendary session guitarist, died of cancer on June 30th 2001 at the age of 77

Craig Atkinson - drummer for Count Five on their 1966, Top Ten hit "Psychotic Reaction", died on October 13th, 1998, at the age of 50

Paul Atkinson - guitarist for The Zombies, died April 2 nd, 2004, after losing his battle with liver and kidney disease. He was 58. The band's biggest hits included "She's Not There", "Tell Her No" and "Time Of The Season"

Oz Bach - bassist for Spanky and Our Gang, died of cancer on September 21st, 1998, at the age of 59. The band is most often remembered for their 1967 hit, "Sunday Will Never Be The Same"

Ross Bagdasarian - better known as David Seville, who had a hit with "Witch Doctor" and was the leader of The Chipmunks, died of a heart attack on January 16th, 1972, just days short of his 53rd birthday

LaVern Baker - R&B singer who placed 7 songs in the US Top 40 in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, including "Tweedlee Dee" and "I Cried A Tear", died of heart failure on March 10th, 1997, at the age of 67

"Long John" Baldry - British R&B artist died July 21st, 2005, after battling a chest infection for four months. He was 64. Baldry was one of the founding fathers of British rock'n'roll in the '60s. Eric Clapton has stated many times that he was inspired to pick up the guitar after seeing Baldry perform

Florence Ballard - one of the original Supremes, died of a heart attack on February 22nd, 1976 at the age of 32. After being dimissed from the group, Ballard separated from her husband and went on welfare after losing an $8.7 million suit for back royalties against Motown Records

Hank Ballard - placed seven songs in the Top 40 in 1960 and 1961 including "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go", died of cancer on March 2nd, 2003 at the age of 75

Carlton Barrett - drummer for Bob Marley and the Wailers, was shot and killed outside his home in Kingston, Jamaica on April 17th, 1987. Barrett's widow, her lover and an accomplice were charged with murder two weeks later

Syd Barrett - a founding member and driving force behind Pink Floyd, passed away on July 7th, 2006, at the age of 60. He had dropped out of the group in April of 1968 and by 1974 had turned his back on the music industry completely, choosing to retreat to the cellar of his childhood home in Cambridge where he shunned all contact with the outside world

Clyde "Skip" Batton - of Skip and Flip, died of Alzheimer's disease on July 6th, 2003, at the age of 69. The duo scored a pair of Billboard number eleven hits with "It Was I" and "Cherry Pie"

Earl Beal - of the Philadelphia vocal group, The Silhouettes, died on March 22nd, 2001, at the age of 76. The group topped the Billboard chart in 1958 with "Get A Job"

Cor van Beek - drummer for Shocking Blue on their 1969, number one hit, "Venus", died on April 2nd, 1998. He was 49

John Belushi - died of a drug overdose on March 5th, 1982, at the age of 33. He and his partner Dan Aykroyd placed four songs on The Billboard Top 40, including "Soul Man" in 1979, as The Blues Brothers

Jesse Belvin - who scored a 1956 hit with "Goodnight, My Love", was killed in an auto accident in Hope, Arkansas. His wife and the car's driver also died of their injuries. The three were trying to make a fast get-a-way from the first ever mixed race audience pop concert, in the town of Little Rock, after threats had been made against Belvin's life. The accident remains a contentious point, with many suspecting foul play.

Renaldo "Obie" Benson - bass vocalist for the legendary Motown singing group the Four Tops died of lung cancer on July 1st, 2005 at the age of 69

Brook Benton - best remembered for his 1970 hit, "A Rainy Night In Georgia", died of complications from spinal meningitis on April 9th, 1988 at the age of 56

Jan Berry - one-half of the duo of Jan & Dean, died March 26th, 2004, after after suffering a seizure at his home. Together, the pair sold more than 10 million records and placed 14 hits in the U.S. Top Forty. Jan was a week away from his 63rd birthday

Bill Black - backed Elvis Presley on his early hits before forming Bill Black's Combo and placing 8 hits in the US Top 40, including "White Silver Sands" in 1960, died of a brain tumor on November 21st, 1965. He was 39

Alan Blakely - rhythm guitar player for The Tremeloes who scored a pair of 1967 hits, "Here Comes My Baby" and "Silence Is Golden", died of cancer on June 1st, 1996 at the age of 54

Bobby Bloom - recorded the number 8 hit, "Montego Bay" died of an accidental gun shot wound on February 28th, 1974 at age 28

Mike Bloomfield - lead guitarist for The Electric Flag died of a drug overdose on February 15th, 1981 at the age of 38

Marc Bolan - of T. Rex was killed when the car he was riding in hit a tree on September 16th, 1977, just weeks before his 30th birthday

Tommy Bolin - the guitarist who took over when Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, died from a drug overdose on December 4th, 1976 at the age of 25

John Bonham - 32 year old drummer for Led Zeppelin, passed out and choked to death on his own vomit on September 25th 1980, following an all-day drinking binge. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, saying they could not continue without Bonham

Sonny Bono - of the sixties duo Sonny and Cher died in a skiing accident on January 6th, 1998 at the age of 62

Mike Botts - drummer for the soft rock band Bread, passed away in Burbank, California on December 9th, 2005, one day after his 61st birthday, having suffered from colon cancer

Tommy Boyce - singer / songwriter who teamed up with Bobby Hart on the #8 hit "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" in 1968, died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound on November 23rd, 1994. He was 55

"Little Eva" Boyd - whose version of "The Loco-Motion" went all the way to #1 in the U.S. in 1962, passed away April 10th, 2003, at the age of 59, from cervical cancer

Erik Braunn - the lead guitarist on Iron Butterfly's 1968 classic rock anthem "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" died of cardiac arrest Friday, July 25th, 2003. He was 52

Walter Brennan - a well known actor who reached number five on the Hot 100 in 1962 with "Old Rivers", died on September 21st, 1974, at the age of 80

Audrey Brickley - of The Orlons, who placed 5 songs in the Billboard Top 20 in the early 1960s, died of acute respiratory distress syndrome on July 3rd, 2005, at the age 58.

Shirley Brickley - of The Orlons was shot to death on October 13th, 1977, by an intruder in her home in Philadelphia. She was 35

Johnny Bristol - a writer and producer for Motown records during the 1960s who had a 1973 hit of his own with "Hang On In There Baby", died of natural causes on March 21st, 2004, at the age of 65

Donnie Brooks - who sang the 1960, Billboard Top 40 hits "Mission Bell" and "Doll House", died of congestive heart failure on February 23rd, 2007. He was 71

Danny Joe Brown - the original lead singer of Molly Hatchet, died March 10th, 2005 from renal failure due to complications from diabetes. He was 53. Brown was the frontman for the band's self-titled album in 1978, which went platinum. In 1979, the next album, "Flirtin' With Disaster" sold over 2 million copies

James Brown - known by all as the Godfather of Soul, died of pneumonia on December 25th, 2006, at the age of 73. He recorded more than 50 albums and had well over 100 songs that hit the US charts, including "I Got You", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Cold Sweat" and "Sex Machine"

Tim Buckley - a popular performer and song writer during the 1960s and early 70s, died from a drug overdose on June 25th, 1975 at the age of 28

Ronnie Bullis - drummer for The Troggs on their 1966 hit, "Wild Thing", died on November 13th, 1992, of an undisclosed illness at the age of 49

Dorsey Burnette - reached number 23 in 1960 with "There Was A Tall Oak Tree", suffered a fatal heart attack on August 19th, 1979. He was 46

Johnny Burnette - best remembered for the hits, "You're Sixteen" and "Dreamin'", drowned after a boating accident on August 14th, 1964 at age 30. His son, Rocky Burnette would have a Top Ten hit in 1980 with "Tired Of Toein' The Line"

Heinz Burt - the bassist for The Tornadoes died on April 7th, 2000, at the age of 57, after a long battle with motor neuron disease. The group's biggest hit was the 1962 instrumental, "Telstar".

Paul Butterfield - who fronted The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, died of drug-related heart failure, May 4th 1987. He was 45

Floyd Butler - of The Friends of Distinction, died of a heart attack on April 29th, 1990 at the age of 49. The band is most often remembered for two Top Ten hits, "Grazing In The Grass" in 1969 and "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" in 1970

Glen Buxton - the original lead guitarist for Alice Cooper, died of natural causes on October 19th, 1997, at the age of 49

David Byron - former lead singer of the 70's British heavy rock band Uriah Heep, was found dead in his home on February 28th,1985. He was 38

Alan Caddy - guitarist for The Tornados on their 1962 hit "Telstar", passed away on August 16th, 2000, at the age of 60

Steve Caldwell - sang "Double Shot Of My Baby's Love" with The Swingin' Medallions, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 55

Tommy Caldwell - bassist for The Marshall Tucker band was killed in a car accident on April 28th, 1980. He was just 30 years old

Toy Caldwell - guitarist for The Marshall Tucker band on their 1977 million seller, "Heard It In A Love Song", died in his sleep on February 25th, 1993 at the age of 45

Randy California - guitarist / singer / songwriter who is best known as the leader of the rock band, Spirit, died tragically on January 2nd, 1997, when he was gripped by an undertow while swimming on the coast of the Hawaiian island of Molokai. His body was lost at sea. Before he died, he was able to save his 12 year-old son, Quinn. His real name was Randy Wolfe, but was given his nickname by Jimi Hendrix. At the time of his death, he was six weeks shy of his 46th birthday

Jim Capaldi - drummer for Traffic, who released eleven classic rock albums in the late sixties and early seventies, died on January 28th, 2005, after a brief battle with stomach cancer. He was 60

Henson Cargill - who reached the top of the Country charts and #25 on the US Pop chart in 1968 with "Skip A Rope", died following complications from surgery on March 24th, 2007 at the age of 66

Eric Carr - who replaced Peter Criss as the drummer for KISS, died November 24th, 1991 in a New York hospital following a cerebral haemorrhage which complicated the cancer he was suffering from. He was 41

Karen Carpenter - died of heart irregularities caused by anorexia nervosa just days before her 33rd birthday on February 4th, 1983

Johnny Cash - died on September 12th, 2003, due to complications from diabetes, which resulted in respiratory failure. He was 71 years old. Johnny began his career as a rock-a-billy artist at Sun Records, along with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. After turning his attention to Country music, he went on to win 11 Grammy Awards and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992

June Carter Cash - who accompanied her husband Johnny many of his records, including their 1970, Top 40 Pop hit "If I Were A Carpenter", died of complications following heart valve replacement surgery on May 15th, 2003 at the age of 73

Danny Cedrone - the guitarist who played lead on Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock", died following a freak stairway fall on June 18th, 1954, less than a month after the recording session

Chas Chandler - bassist of The Animals and Jimi Hendrix manager, died of an aortic aneurysm on July 17th, 1996 at the age of 57

Harry Chapin - singer / songwriter who recorded "Taxi" was just 38 years old when he was killed in a car accident on July 16th, 1981

Ray Charles - singer / pianist who won twelve Grammy awards and is remembered for hits like "Hit the Road Jack", "What'd I Say" and "Georgia on My Mind", succumbed to complications from liver disease on June 10th, 2004, at the age of 73

Bill Chase - leader of the jazz / rock band Chase was killed in a plane crash in Jackson, Minnesota on August 9th, 1974 at the age of 39. Three members of the band where also killed. Chase reached #34 on the Billboard chart with "Get It On" in 1971

Arlester "Dyke" Christian - 28 year old leader of Dyke and the Blazers was shot to death in a bar-room altercation on March 30th, 1971. The shooter was arrainged on murder charges but the case was delayed several times and eventually dismissed because of evidence indicating self-defence. The band reached number 35 in 1969 with "We Got More Soul"

John Cipollina - guitarist for Quicksilver Messenger Service, died May 29th, 1989 after a lifelong battle with emphysema caught up with him at the age of 45

Gene Clark - lead vocalist of The Byrds, died of a heart attack May 24th 1991 at the age of 49

Dee Clark - best known for his hit "Raindrops" suffered a heart attack and died on December 7th, 1990 at age 52

Mike Clark - Owner / Manager of Atlanta's Southern Tracks Recording Studio, died February 1st, 2007 after an 8 month illness. He was 63. For many years he played drums with such popular 1960's artists as Tommy Roe, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, Ray Stevens and Roy Orbison and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1999

Michael Clarke - drummer for The Byrds and later Firefall, died of liver failure on December 19th, 1993. He was 47 years old

Patsy Cline - 30 year old country singer who sang "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy" was killed when her private plane crashed on March 5th, 1963

Ed Cobb - of The Four Preps, died of leukemia on September 19th, 1999, at the age of 61. The group placed seven songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1958 and 1961, including "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" and "Big Man"

Odia Coates - sang "You're Having My Baby" with Paul Anka, died of breast cancer on May 19th, 1991. She was 49

Brian Cole - bass guitarist and vocalist with The Association, died in Los Angeles of a heroin overdose on August 2nd, 1972. He was 28

Eddie Cochran - best known for his 1950's hit, "Summertime Blues", was killed in a car accident on April 17th 1960 at the age of 21

Nat King Cole - velvet voiced singer who is most often remembered for his hits, "Ramblin' Rose" and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer", died of lung cancer on February 15th, 1965 at age 47. In all, he placed 28 songs on Billboard's Top 40

Alan Collins - guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, died of pneumonia on January 23rd, 1990. He was 37

Arthur Conley - who recorded the 1967 hit, "Sweet Soul Music" died on November 17th, 2003 at his home in the town of Ruurlo, in the eastern Netherlands. The 57 year old singer had been suffering from intestinal cancer

Brian Connolly - vocalist for Sweet, who reached #3 in 1973 with "Little Willy", died of kidney failure on February 10th, 1997 at the age of 52

Sam Cooke - shot and killed by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles on December 11th, 1964. The manager claimed she acted in self-defence after Cooke raped a 22-year-old woman and then turned to attack her. The shooting was ruled a justifiable homicide. Sam Cooke was one month shy of his 34th birthday

Perry Como - who placed 31 songs in the Billboard Top 40 between 1954 and 1973, including "Catch A Falling Star" and "Hot Diggity", passed away at the age of 88, on May 12th, 2001

Carter Cornelius - of The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, died of a heart attack on November 7th, 1991. Their biggest hits were "Too Late To Turn Back Now" and "Treat Her Like a Lady"

Barbara Cowsill - vocalist for the family band The Cowsills, who scored a Billboard number two hit with "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" in 1967, died of emphysema on January 31st, 1985, at the age of 54

Barry Cowsill - bass guitarist for The Cowsills, died on or about September 1st, 2005 from injuries believed to be caused by Hurricane Katrina. His body was recovered December 28th, 2005, from the Chartres Street Wharf, New Orleans. He was 51

Bill Cowsill - lead singer for The Cowsills died February 17th, 2006 at the age of 58. He had been suffering from emphysema, osteoporosis and other ailments. News of his death came just after a memorial ceremony honoring his younger brother, Barry

Floyd Cramer - pianist who scored a Top Ten hit with "Last Date" passed away at the age of 64 on December 31st 1997

Vincent Crane - former keyboardist for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, died on February 14th, 1989 of an overdose of painkillers.

Papa John Creach - a fiddler who first came to the notice of rock fans when he joined Jefferson Airplane from 1970 to 1972. This veteran of jazz and blues groups was in his early 50s while his fellow bandmembers were still approaching 30. He died of heart failure on February 22nd, 1994 at the age of 76

Jim Croce - singer / songwriter who recorded "Operator" and "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" was killed when his chartered plane snagged a pecan tree during takeoff on September 20th, 1973. He was 30 years old

Chris Curtis - drummer and vocalist for the 1960s pop group The Searchers, passed away on February 28th, 2005 at the age of 63. His band placed seven songs in Billboard's Top 40 including "Love Potion Number Nine" and "Needles And Pins".

King Curtis - legendary session saxophonist who appeared on many hits in the 50's and 60's, including the Coasters' "Yakety Yak", died in a senseless occurrence in front of his home in New York on August 13th, 1971. He had been arguing with a group of men when one pulled out a six-inch dagger and stabbed Curtis in the heart. He was 37

Johnny Cymbal - had a number 16 hit with "Mr. Bass Man" in 1963, died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 48 on March 16th, 1993. He also had a 1969 hit with "Cinnamon", when he was known as "Derek"

Rick Danko - bass player of The Band died in his sleep on December 10th, 1999 at the age of 56

Bobby Darin - actor and singer whose hits included, "Splish Splash" and "Mack The Knife", died Dec. 20th, 1973 after unsuccessful heart surgery at the age of 37

Marlena Davis - of The Orlons, lost her battle with lung cancer on February 27th, 1993, at the age of 48

Sammy Davis Jr. - placed 8 songs on the Billboard Top 40 including the #1 hit "Candy Man" in 1972, died of throat cancer on May 16th, 1990. He was 64 years old

Skeeter Davis - who scored two top ten hits in 1963 with "The End Of The World" and "I Can't Stay Mad At You", passed away on September 19th, 2004, after a 16 year battle with cancer. She was 73

Tyrone Davis - best known for his hits "Turn Back The Hands of Time" and "Can I Change My Mind", died February 9th, 2005 in from complications following a stroke. He was 66

Bobby Day - known for his 1958 hit "Rockin' Robin," died of cancer on July 27th 1990. He was 60

Bill Deal - of Bill Deal & the Rhondels died of a massive heart attack at age 59, on December 10th, 2003. Deal and his eight-member group had five chart hits in 1969 and 1970, including "May I", "I've Been Hurt" and "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am?"

Tommy Dee - who reached #11 on the Billboard chart in 1959 with "Three Stars", a song dedicated to Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, died January 26th, 2007, at the age of 70, after a long illness

Brad Delp - the lead singer for the band Boston, was found dead in his home in southern New Hampshire on March 9th, 2007. He was 55

Sandy Denny - English contemporary folk rocker, died of a brain haemorrhage on April 21st, 1978 at the age of 31

Desmond Dekker - Jamaican reggae pioneer, famed for his worldwide hit "The Israelites", died of a heart attack at his home in England, on May 26th, 2006. He was 64

John Denver - starred in "Oh God" with George Burns and recorded a long string of hits that included "Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine On My Shoulders" and "Country Roads", was killed when the handmade, experimental airplane he was flying, crashed off the coast of Monterey Bay, CA. on October 12th, 1997. He was 53

Mark Dinning - whose only hit, "Teen Angel" was banned by many radio stations who called it "a death disc", died of a heart attack on March 22nd, 1986 at the age of 52

Denny Doherty - the angelic voice that carried the '60s folk-pop group the Mamas and the Papas through such memorable hits as "California Dreamin' " and "Monday, Monday", died January 19th, 2007, after suffering an aneurysm in his abdomen. He was 66

Lonnie Donegan - called "the king of skiffle", best known for the top ten hits, "Rock Island Line" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Over Night", died November 3rd 2002, at the age of 71, midway through a UK tour

Lee Dorsey - scored a pair of Billboard Top Ten hits with "Ya Ya" (#7 in 1961) and "Working In The Coal Mine" (#8 in 1966), died of emphysema on December 1st, 1986, three weeks shy of his 62nd birthday

Peter Doyle - of The New Seekers, died of cancer on October 13th, 2001, at the age of 52. The group scored two Top 20 hits, "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma" in 1970 and "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" in 1971

Ian Dury - English rocker who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s as founder and lead singer of the British band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, died of colorectal cancer on March 27th, 2000, just weeks short of his 58th birthday

Spencer Dryden - drummer for The Jefferson Airplane from 1966 to 1970, passed away on January 10th, 2005, after a brief battle with colon cancer. He was 66

Bernie Dwyer - drummer for Freddie and The Dreamers, died on December 4th 2002 at the age of 62

Ronnie Dyson - who had a Top Ten hit in 1970 with "Why Can't I Touch You", died of heart failure and lung disease on November 10th, 1990. He was just 40 years old

Linda Eastman - wife of Paul McCartney and member of Wings, died of breast cancer on April 17th, 1998 at the age of 56

Jerry Edmonton - drummer for Steppenwolf during their hit making years, was killed in a car crash, not far from his Santa Barbara, California home on November 28th, 1993. He was 47

Raymond Edwards - of the Philadelphia vocal group, The Silhouettes, died on March 4th, 1997, at the age of 74. The group topped the Billboard chart in 1958 with "Get A Job"

Tommy Edwards - best remembered for his number one 1958 hit "It's All In The Game" passed away on October 23rd, 1969, at the age of 47 after suffering a brain aneurysm

Duke Ellington - jazz band leader, died of cancer on May 24th, 1974 at the age of 75

Mama Cass Elliot - of The Mamas and Papas, succumbed to a heart attack on July 29th, 1974

John Entwistle - bassist for The Who, died of a heart attack on June 27th, 2002 at the age of 57

Brian Epstein - the manager of The Beatles who took the band from a quartet of rough-necks to being "the most successful rock band in history" in just over two years, died of a drug overdose on August 27th, 1967, three weeks short of his 33rd birthday

Janet Ertel - of The Chordettes, died of cancer on November 22nd, 1988, at the age of 75. The group made the Billboard chart nine times between 1954 and 1961 with songs such as "Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop"

Tom Evens - of Badfinger, died November 19th, 1983 at the age of 36. Like his bandmate, Pete Ham, Evens also hanged himself

Betty Everett - best remembered for her 1964 hit, "The Shoop Shoop Song", was found dead at her home in Beloit, Wisconsin on August 19th, 2001. She was 61

Adam Faith - was one of England's major pop stars in the early 1960s and enjoyed a run of eleven British Top 20 hits prior to the arrival of the Beatles. He suffered a fatal heart attack on March 8th, 2003 at the age of 62

Percy Faith - led his orchestra to the top of the US chart with "Theme From A Summer Place" in 1960, died of cancer on February 9th, 1976. He was 62

Leroy Fann - of Ruby and The Romantics died in November, 1973, at the age of 37

Edward Farran - of The Arbors, died of kidney failure on January 2nd, 2003, at the age of 64. The group reached number 20 on the Billboard chart in 1969 with their version of "The Letter"

Freddy Fender - The Tex-Mex hitmaker, known for such '70s jukebox standards as "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" died October 14th, 2006, of complications from lung cancer, at the age of 69

Manuel Fernandez - founding member and organist for Los Bravos on their 1966 hit "Black Is Black", committed suicide on May 20th, 1967. He was just 23 years old

Miss Toni Fisher - sang the number 3 hit "The Big Hurt" in 1959, died of a heart attck on February 12th, 1999 at age 67

Tom Fogerty - guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival, died on Sept 6th, 1990 of respiratory failure at the age of 48

Melvin Franklin - singer for the Temptations died of a brain seizure on February 23rd, 1995, at the age of 52

Alan 'Fluff' Freeman - One of the UK's most popular radio broadcasters, died after a short illness on November 27th 2006, at the age of 79

Mickey Finn - drummer for T Rex, died of kidney and liver problems on January 11th, 2002, at the age of 55. The band reached #10 in the US with "Bang A Gong" in 1972 and had over 20 other UK top 40 singles

Charles Fizer - of the R&B vocal group, The Olympics, who achieved a Top 10 hit in 1958 with "Western Movies", was killed during a race riot on August 14th, 1965. He was just 25 years old

Danny Flores - who played saxophone on The Champs' 1958, number one hit, "Tequila" passed away on September 19th, 2006 at the age of 77

Alan Freed - disc jockey who is often credited with popularizing the phrase "rock and roll" in the mid 1950s, died of cirrhosis of the liver on Jan. 20th, 1965 at the age of 43

Billy Fury - British rock-a-billy artist who scored a major hit in Great Britain in 1961 with "Halfway To Paradise". He was a major star in his homeland, but couldn't catch the break he needed to become a part of the "British Invasion". Billy died from heart and kidney problems on January 27th, 1983 at the age of 42

Bobby Fuller - 24 year old leader of The Bobby Fuller Four who scored a huge hit with "I Fought The Law", was found on the front seat of his mother's Oldsmobile, parked outside of a Los Angeles apartment building on July 18th, 1966. His death was ruled accidental even though gasoline was found on his body and in his lungs

Cassie Gaines - background singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd was killed on October 20th, 1977 when a plane carrying the band crashed into the Mississippi swamp lands, the result of a tragic pilot error. She was 29

Steve Gaines - guitarist who joined Lynyrd Skynyrd when Ed King left the band, was killed on October 20th, 1977 in the plane crash that also took the life of his sister Cassie and Ronnie Van Zandt. Steve Gaines was 28

Mike Gannon - Electric Prunes guitarist on their 1967 hit, "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night", died of a gunshot wound while on R&R in Hawaii after a tour of duty in Vietnam in the early 70s.

Mary Ann Ganser - of The Shangri-Las, died of encephalitis in 1971, at the age of 23. Her twin sister and bandmate, Marge, developed breast cancer and passed away in 1996, at the age of 48. The girls sang back-up vocals on the rock rebel classic, "Leader Of The Pack"

Frankie Garcia - lead singer for Cannibal and the Headhunters on their 1965, Top 30 hit "Land Of 1000 Dances" died on January 21st, 1996, at the age of 49

Jerry Garcia - leader of The Grateful Dead, died of a heart attack on August 9th, 1995, at the age of 53

Freddie Garrity - the lead singer of the 1960s pop band Freddie and the Dreamers died on May 19th, 2006, at the age of 65, after receiving treatment for what were described as "circulation problems"

Bruce Gary - drummer for The Knack on their mulit-million selling hit"My Sharona" passed away on August 22nd, 2006. He was 54

Marvin Gaye - shot and killed by his father during a family dispute, April 1st, 1984, one day short of age 45

Lowell George - slide guitarist who left The Mothers of Invention to form Little Feat, died of a massive heart attack, June 29, 1979, at the age of 34

Samuel George Jr. - lead singer of the Capitols, who had a 1966 hit with "Cool Jerk", died in Detroit after being stabbed with a knife during a family argument on March 17th, 1982. He was 39 years old

Andy Gibb - solo artist and brother of The Bee Gees died at the age of 30, on March 10th, 1988 of an inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a viral infection

Maurice Gibb - of The Bee Gees, brother of Barry Gibb and twin of Robin Gibb, died on January 12th, 2003 of a heart attack, following an operation for the removal of an intestinal blockage. He was 53

Michael Gibbins - drummer for Badfinger on their hits "Come And Get It","Day After Day" and "No Matter What", died in his sleep on October 4th, 2005, at the age of 56

John Fred Gourrier - who led John Fred and his Playboy Band to Billboard's #1 spot in December 1967 with
"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" - died April 15th, 2005, after a long bout with kidney disease. He was 63

Bill Graham - rock promoter who owned the legendary Fillmore theaters in San Francisco and New York was killed in a helicopter crash on October 26th, 1991. He was 60 years old

Rick Grech - bassist with Blind Faith, died of drug related causes in 1990

James Griffin - a founding member of the 70s soft rock group Bread, died of lung cancer on January 11th, 2005, at the age of sixty-one

Dave Guard - of The Kingston Trio, died of lymphoma on March 22nd, 1991, at the age of 56. The Trio landed ten songs in the Top 40 between 1958 and 1963, including "Tom Dooley" and "Reverend Mr. Black"

Cornelius Gunter - of The Coasters ("Charlie Brown", "Yakety Yak") was shot to death on February 26th, 1990, at the age of 51

Billy Guy - of The Coasters died of a heart attack on November 5th, 2002. He was 66

Ed Guzman - percussionist for Rare Earth ("Get Ready" - 1970), died on July 29th, 1993

Bill Haley - who helped start the early 50's rock and roll movement, died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on February 9th, 1981 at age 55

Malcolm Hale - of Spanky and Our Gang, died of liver failure on October 31st, 1968, at the age of 27. The group placed five songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1967 and 1968, including "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day"

Peter Ham - singer / guitarist for Badfinger, committed suicide on April 23rd, 1975. He was reported to be deeply depressed by financial problems the group was having. He was 27 years old

Dan Hamilton - of the soft rock trio Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, suffered a stroke and died on December 23rd, 1994

Tim Hardin - singer / songwriter who is best remembered for "Bird on a Wire" died of a drug overdose on December 29th, 1980. He was 39

Slim Harpo - sang the 1966 hit "Baby, Scratch My Back", suffered a fatal heart attack on January 31st, 1970 at the age of 46

Addie "Micki" Harris - of The Shirelles, died of a heart attack after a performance in Atlanta, Georgia on June 10th, 1982. She was 42

Richard Harris - actor / singer who took "MacArthur Park" to number 2 in the US in 1968, died of cancer on October 25th, 2002. He was 72

Thurston Harris - recorded the Top Ten hit "Litle Bitty Pretty One" in 1957, died of a heart attack on April 14th, 1990 at the age of 58

George Harrison - The Beatles' lead guitarist lost his battle with cancer at the age of 58, on November 29th, 2001

Wilbert Harrison - who scored a 1959 chart-topper with "Kansas City", died of a stroke on October 26th, 1994 at the age of 65

John Hartford - the songwriter who wrote Glen Campbell's hit "Gentle On My Mind" and recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums, winning Grammy awards in three different decades, died on June 4th 2001, after a long battle with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 63

Alex Harvey - leader of the 1970s glam rockers, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, died on the eve of his 47th birthday, February 4th, 1982, after suffering two heart attacks

Bobby Hatfield - of The Righteous Brothers, died November 5th, 2003, at the age of 63. His was the voice that was featured on the 1965 hit, "Unchained Melody"

Donny Hathaway - who achieved his greatest commercial success as Roberta Flack's duet partner on 1972's R&B chart topper, "Where Is the Love?" He was found dead on the sidewalk below the 15th-floor window of his New York apartment, a victim of an apparent suicide at the age of 33

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - died of a haemorrhage in a Paris hospital on February 12th, 2000, at the age of 70. He is most often remembered for his 1956, US Top 40 hit "I Put a Spell on You", which has been selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

Bobby Helms - best known for his perennial Christmas hit, "Jingle Bell Rock", died of emphysema at his home in Martinsville, Indiana on June 19th, 1997. He was 63

Billy Henderson - of The Spinners, who placed 18 songs on Billboard's Top 40, including 7 Top 10 hits, passed away of Feb 2nd, 2007 from complications of diabetes. He was 67

Jimi Hendrix - died September 18th, 1970 from what the coroner's report called 'inhalation of vomit after barbiturate intoxication'. He was 27

Jim Henson - the creator of The Muppets, scored two US Top 30 hits with "Rubber Duckie" in 1970 and "Rainbow Connection" in 1979, died of a sudden virus on May 16th, 1990, at the age of 53

Bob "The Bear" Hite - vocalist for Canned Heat, died of a heart attack in Venice, California on April 6th, 1981. The 36 year old weighed nearly 300 pounds at the time of his death

Randy Hobbs - bassist for The McCoys on their 1965 hit, "Hang On Sloopy", passed away on August 5th, 1993, at the age of 45

Jim Hodder - the original drummer for Steely Dan drowned in his swimming pool on June 5th, 1990. He was 42. Jim worked on the "Can't Buy a Thrill" and "Countdown to Ecstasy" albums as well as part of "Pretzel Logic". After leaving Steely Dan in 1974, he continued working as a session musician for other acts, including Sammy Hagar and David Soul

Buddy Holly - died when his chartered plane crashed shortly after takeoff on February 3rd, 1959. He was just 22 years old

John Lee Hooker - a legendary blues pioneer who had recorded an estimated 100 albums, died of natural causes at his Los Altos home, June 21st, 2001 at the age of 83

Johnny Horton - country singer who hit the Billboard Pop chart with "The Battle Of New Orleans" (#1), "Sink The Bismarck" (#3) and "North To Alaska" (#4) died in a car accident on November 5th, 1960. He was just 35

William Horton - of the Philadelphia vocal group, The Silhouettes, died on January 23rd, 1995, at the age of 65. The group topped the Billboard chart in 1958 with "Get A Job"

Alphonso Howell - of The Sensations, who reached #4 in 1962 with "Let Me In", died on May 7th, 1998, at the age of 61

Pookie Hudson - lead singer and songwriter for the doo wop group The Spaniels, who lent his romantic tenor to hits like "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" and influenced generations of later artists, died of complications from cancer of the thymus on January 16th, 2007, at the age of 72

Gene Hughes - lead singer of The Casino's on their #6, 1967 hit, "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", passed away February 3rd, 2004, just one week before a fundraising concert was to be held in Nashville to help pay for his medical and hospital expenses. He was 67 years old

Glen Hughes - the moustachioed, leather-clad biker of The Village People, died of lung cancer on March 4th, 2001

Ivory Joe Hunter - died on November 8th, 1973 of lung cancer at the age of 60. Hunter was best known for his R&B hits, "Since I Lost You Baby", "I Almost Lost My Mind" and "I Need You So"

Joe Hunter - of The Funk Brothers was found dead in his Detroit apartment on Februay 2nd, 2007. The 79 year old pianist had just returned five days earlier from a European tour with fellow band member Jack Ashford

Marvin Inabnett - of The Four Preps, died of a heart attack on March 7th, 1999, at the age of 60. The group placed seven songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1958 and 1961, including "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", a number 2 hit in 1958

Luther Ingram - the Soul singer who reached #3 on the Billboard Pop chart with his hit "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" and wrote the Staple Singers' hit "Respect Yourself", died of a heart attack on March 19th, 2007. He was 69

Doris Kenner-Jackson - of the Shirelles, whose soaring harmonies can be heard on "Soldier Boy" and a number of other hits in the early 1960s, died of breast cancer on Feb. 4th, 2000 at age 58

Tony Jackson - bass player for The Searchers, a Liverpool band best known for the 1964 song "Needles and Pins", died August 18th, 2003 of cirrhosis of the liver. He was 63

Rick James - most often remembered for the 1981, #16 hit "Super Freak", died on August 6th, 2004, at the age of 56. An autopsy revealed that there were at least nine drugs in his system including cocaine, valium, vicodin, and methamphetamine. Because none of the substances were found in lethal quantities, his death was ruled as accidental

Waylon Jennings - a member of Buddy Holly's band who gave up his plane seat to The Big Bopper just moments before their doomed flight took off. He went on to become a major Country star and died of diabetes on February 13th, 2002. He was 64

Little Willie John - died in prison under mysterious circumstances on March 26th, 1968, after being convicted of manslaughter two years earlier. He had fourteen hits on the R&B charts and the same number on the Pop charts, including "Fever", "Sleep", and "Talk To Me, Talk To Me"

Claude Johnson - "Juan" of Don and Juan, who reached number 7 with "What's Your Name" in 1962, died on October 31st, 2002, at the age of 67

Johnnie Johnson - a rock 'n' roll pioneer who teamed with Chuck Berry on "Roll Over Beethoven" and "No Particular Place to Go", died of natural causes on April 15th, 2005 at the age of 80

Barbara Lee Jones - of the mid-60s girl group, The Chiffons, ("He's So Fine") died of a heart attack on May 15th, 1992. She was 44

Brian Jones - the original lead guitarist of The Rolling Stones, drowned in his swimming pool on July 3rd, 1969

Joe Jones - a musician-turned producer who sang the 1961 Billboard #3 hit "You Talk Too Much" and went on to become an independent music publisher and advocate for black artists' rights, died on November 27 th, 2005. He was 79

Will "Dub" Jones - of The Coasters ("Charlie Brown") died on January 16th, 2000. He was 71

Janis Joplin - died on October 4th, 1970 from an overdose of heroin at age 27

Terry Kath - guitarist with Chicago, accidentally shot and killed himself with a pistol on January 23rd, 1978. He was 32

Ernie K-Doe - remembered for his 1961 novelty hit, "Mother-In-Law", died of liver failure on July 5th, 2001 at the age of 65

Murray "The K" Kaufman - pioneer rock and roll disc jockey, died of cancer at the age of 60 on February 21st, 1982

John "Speedy" Keene - vocalist and drummer for Thunderclap Newman, died on March 21st, 2002, at the age of 56. The band's biggest hit came in 1969 with "Something In The Air"

Wells Kelly - drummer for Orleans on their hits "Still The One" and "Love Takes Time" died on October 29th, 1984. He was found laying on his back, asphyxiated, in front of the front door of where he was staying while on tour with Meatloaf. He was 35

Eddie Kendricks - formerly of the Temptations before launching a solo career, died of lung cancer on October 5th, 1992, at the age of 52

Chris Kenner - who reached number two in 1961 with "I Like It That Like", suffered a fatal heart attack on January 28th, 1976

Terry Knight - who fronted the Michigan based Terry Knight and The Pack ("I, Who Have Nothing") before going on to manage Grand Funk Railroad, was stabbed to death at his Temple, Texas home during a domestic dispute on November 1st, 2004. He was 61. Police charged his daughter's boyfriend with murder

Buddy Knox - best remembered for his 1957 hit, "Party Doll", died of cancer on February 14th, 1999, at the age of 65

Keith Knudsen - longtime Doobie Brothers drummer who was part of the band during their string of hits in the 1970s, died of pneumonia on February 8th, 2005. He was 56

Cub Koda - the leader of Brownsville Station and composer of their hit "Smokin' in the Boys Room", passed away from complications arising from kidney dialysis on July 1st, 2000, at the age of 51

Paul Kossoff - of the rock band "Free", died of heart failure while sleeping during a flight across the U.S. on March 19th, 1976. The 26 year old had played guitar on the group's biggest hit "All Right Now"

Phil Kramer - who took Lee Dorman's place when Iron Butterfly re-formed in 1975, was found in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, on May 31st, 1999, over four years after he called a police to say he was going to commit suicide. At the time of his death, he was 42

Frankie Laine - suffered complications after hip-replacement surgery and died February 6th, 2007 at the age of 93. The big voiced singer sold over 100 million records and placed seven songs on Billboard's Top 40 between 1955 and 1969, including "Moonlight Gambler" and "Love Is A Golden Ring"

Major Lance - who had many hits on the R&B charts as well as placing "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" and "Monkey Time" on the Pop charts, died of heart failure on September 3rd, 1994 at the age of 55

Jackie Landry - of The Chantels, who placed four songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1958 and 1961, including "Maybe", died of cancer on December 23rd, 1997, at the age of 56

Ronnie Lane - of The Small Faces, died from multiple sclerosis on June 4th 1997. He was 51

Nicolette Larson - most often remembered for her 1978, number 8 US hit, "Lotta Love", died on December 16th, 1997 after suffering massive liver failure. She was 45

Arthur Lee - singer and guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Love, died of leukemia on August 3rd, 2006, at the age of 61

Peggy Lee - jazz vocalist who reached the Pop charts with "Fever" and "Is That All There Is", died of a heart attack on January 21st, 2002 at the age of 81

Marshall Leib - of the Teddy Bears, died of a heart attack on March 15th, 2002, at the age of 63. Leib, along with Carol Connors and Phil Spector scored a Billboard chart topper in 1958 with "To Know Him Is To Love Him"

John Lennon - murdered by Mark David Chapman , December 8th 1980. He was 40 years old

Derek Leckenby - lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits, died of cancer on June 4th, 1994, at the age of 51

Rudy Lewis - lead singer of The Drifters on their hits "On Broadway" and "Up On The Roof", died under mysterious circumstances on May 20th, 1964, the night before the group was set to record "Under the Boardwalk". He was 28 years old

Peter Lucia - the drummer for Tommy James and the Shondells, died of a heart attack while on a golf course in Los Angeles in 1987. He was 40 years old

Frankie Lymon - who led the 1950's doo-wop group 'The Teenagers' to fame with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", was found dead of a drug overdose in a friend's apartment in Harlem on February 28th, 1968. He was 25 years old

Phil Lynott - bassist for Thin Lizzy, lost his battle with drugs and died of heart failure and pneumonia on January 4th, 1986 at the age of 34

Byron MacGregor - whose spoken word rendition of "The Americans" became a Billboard number four hit in January 1974, passed away on January 3rd, 1995, at the age of 46

Bryan MacLean - guitarist and singer-songwriter for the '60s rock act "Love" died of an apparent heart attack on Christmas Day, 1998 at the age of 52. The band is mostly remembered for their 1966 hit "My Little Red Book"

Richard Manuel - of "The Band", hanged himself in his hotel room on March 4th, 1986, after a performance in Florida. He was 56

Bob Marley - the uncontested King of Reggae, died of melanoma, (skin cancer) that metastasized to his lungs and brain, on May 11th, 1981, at the age of 36

Steve Marriott - formerly of The Small Faces and Humble Pie, was killed in a fire at his home in April 20th 1991. He was 44

Fred Marsden - drummer for Gerry and The Pacemakers died of cancer on December 9th, 2006, at the age of 66

Dean Martin - recorded such standards as "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", died at the age of 78, on December 25th, 1995, of acute respiratory failure

Dino Martin Jr. - of Dino, Desi and Billy, was the son of crooner Dean Martin, died when the Air National Guard jet he was piloting crashed into a mountain on March 21st, 1987. He was 35

Nick Massi - of the Four Seasons died of cancer on December 24th, 2000. He was 73

Curtis Mayfield - best known for his early 1970s hits, "Freddie’s Dead" and "Superfly" passed away on December 26th, 1999 at the age of 55

Lenny Mays - of The Dramatics, passed away of heart failure on November 7th, 2004 at the age of 53. The group cracked the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971 with "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" and again in 1972 with "In The Rain"

Bob McBride - lead singer of Lighthouse, died February 20th, 1998. He was 51. The Toronto band cracked the Hot 100 with "One Fine Morning" and "Sunny Days"

Van McCoy - who had a number one disco hit with "Do The Hustle", died of a heart attack at the age of 39, on July 6th 1979

Jimmy McCulloch - guitarist for Wings and Thunderclap Newman, died of heart failure on September 28th, 1979. He was 26

Butch McDade - drummer for The Amazing Rhythm Aces on their 1975 hit, "Third Rate Romance" died of cancer on November 29th, 1998, at the age of 52

Gene McFadden - R&B vocalist / songwriter, best known as half of the Philly soul duo McFadden & Whitehead, died of cancer January 27th, 2006, at the age of 56. He and John Whitehead reached number 13 on the Billboard chart in 1979 with "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"

Robbie McIntosh - drummer for The Average White Band died of a drug overdose on Sepember 23rd, 1974

Clyde McPhatter - died of a heart attack on June 13th, 1972 at the age of 39. He had been the original lead singer with The Drifters before having solo hits like "A Lover’s Question" and "Lover Please"

Tony Meehan - drummer for The Shadows on their UK number one hit, "Apache", died in hospital on November 28th, 2005, from head injuries sustained in a fall. He was 62. "Apache" spent twenty-one weeks at the top of the British music charts in 1960

Harold Melvin - leader of the Philadelphia soul group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, died of heart related problems on March 24th, 1997 at age 57. The group is best remembered for the hit, "If You Don't Know Me By Now"

Freddie Mercury - lead singer of Queen died on November 24 th, 1991 at age 45 of AIDS

Roger Miller - who rose to fame in the mid 1960's with hits like "King Of The Road" and "Dang Me" died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California, on October 25th, 1992, at the age of 56

Sal Mineo - a singer and actor who reached number nine on the Billboard chart in 1957 with "Start Movin' In My Direction", was stabbed to death on February 12th, 1976. He was 37

Guy Mitchell - who scored two number one U.S. hits with "You Got Me Singing The Blues" in 1956 and "Heartaches By The Number" in 1959, died on July 1st, 1999 at the age of 72, from complications following surgery

Domenico Modugno - the Italian singer whose recording of "Volare" topped the North American charts in 1958, died of a heart attack near his home on the island of Lampedusa on August 6th, 1994. He was 66

Keith Moon - drummer for The Who, died of an overdose of the sedative Heminevrin on September 7th, 1978, at the age of 31

Johnny Moore - lead singer for The Drifters on their 1960s hit "Under The Boardwalk" died Dec. 30th, 1998, at the age of 64

Rushton Moreve - Steppenwolf bassist who co-wrote "Magic Carpet Ride" with John Kay, was killed in a car crash on July 1st, 1981. He was 32

Jim Morrison - lead singer of the Doors, died July 3rd 1971. The 27-year-old was found dead in his bathtub. Speculation abounded as to the exact cause of death, but no autopsy was performed. His 27 year old widow, Pamela, died of a heroin overdose in April, 1974

Dee Murray - bassist for Elton John during the 1970s and '80s and appeared on the albums "Tumbleweed Connection", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy". Dee battled skin cancer for a number of years and died after suffering a stroke on January 15th, 1992. He was 45

Don Murray - drummer for The Turtles, died on March 22nd, 1996 at the age of 50

Rick Nelson - scored a string of hits in the late 1950's including "Hello Mary Lou", "Poor Little Fool" and "Travelin' Man", was killed on December 31st, 1985, when his private plane crashed. He was 45

Harry Nilsson - remembered for "Everybody's Talkin' At Me", died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure on January 15th, 1994, in his 53rd year

Bobby Nunn - vocalist for The Coasters on their 1958 hit, "Yakety Yak", died of a heart attack on November 5th, 1986. He was 61

Nervous Norvus - whose real name was James Drake, reached #8 in 1956 with a novelty tune about bloody accidents called "Transfusion". Died of liver failure on July 24th, 1968 at the age of 56

Berry Oakley - bassist for The Allman Brothers Band. A year after Duane Allman was killed, Oakley was riding his motorcycle with a member of band's road crew when they collided with a bus just three blocks from where Allman met his fate. Friends took Oakley to the same hospital Allman was treated at, but he died from head injuries and internal bleeding later that night. The 24 year old Oakley was buried next to Allman with matching tombstones, in the Civil War section of Macon's Rose Hill Cemetery

Roy Orbison - one of classic rock's greatest voices was silenced when the 52 yr old Orbison died of a heart attack the night of December 6th, 1988

Phil Ochs - 1960s singer/songwriter who concentrated on topical, folk and protest style songs, suffered from manic-depression and hanged himself on April 9th, 1976, at the age of 35

Oliver - singer of "Jean" and "Good Mornin' Starshine" died of cancer at the age of 54, February 13th, 2000

Benjamin Orr - bassist / vocalist for the Cars lost his fight with pancreatic cancer on October 5th, 2000 at the age of 53. Orr sang lead vocals on some of the band's most recognizable hits, such as "Just What I Needed", "Bye Bye Love", "Drive" and "Let's Go"

Bruce Palmer - bassist for Buffalo Springfield on their classic protest song "For What It's Worth", died on October 11th, 2004 of an apparent heart attack. He was 58

Robert Palmer - reached number 14 in the US in 1979 with "Bad Case Of Loving You", died of a heart attack at the age of 54 on September 26th, 2003

John Panozzo - of Styx, died of a haemorrhage brought on by alcoholism, on July 16th, 1996, at the age of 48. The band had a string of hits that included "Grand Illusion", "Mr. Roboto", "Come Sail Away" and "Babe"

Felix Pappalardi - bassist for the group Mountain, one of America's first hard rock acts. He was shot and killed by his wife, Gail Collins on the night of April 17th, 1983, when they argued over his long-standing affair with a younger woman. She was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to four years in prison. Felix was 43

Gram Parsons - one time member of The Byrds & The Flying Burrito Brothers, he became a cult figure that influenced countless musicians. Parsons was found dead at Joshua Tree, Ca. Sept 19th, 1973 of an alcohol and drug overdose at the age of 27

Jon Paulos - drummer for The Buckinghams on their string of 1967 hits, including "Kind Of A Drag" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", died of a drug overdose on March 26th, 1980. He was 32

Dennis Payton - saxophonist for The Dave Clark Five died of cancer on December 17th, 2006, at the age of 63

Carl Perkins - writer of Elvis Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes" and a pioneer rock-a-billy guitarist, died on January 19th, 1998 at the age of 65 after a long series of illness

Ray Peterson - who scored a pair of US Top Ten hits with "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corinna, Corinna" in 1960, died of cancer on January 25th, 2005, at the age of 69

Lonesome Dave Peverett - lead singer with Savoy Brown and Foghat, suffered from cancer and died of from double-pneumonia on February 7th, 2000, at the age of 56

John Phillips - leader of The Mamas and Papas died of heart failure on March 18th, 2001 at the age of 65

Sam Phillips - the man who discovered Elvis Presley and owner of the legendary Sun Records, passed away July 30th, 2003, at the age of 80. Phillips also helped launch the careers of Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, Conway Twitty and Jerry Lee Lewis. He sold Elvis' contract to RCA in November, 1955, for $40,000. Sam was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986

Bobby "Boris" Pickett - whose Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem "The Monster Mash" to the top of the Billboard Pop chart in 1962, died of leukemia on April 25th, 2007. He was 69

Wilson Pickett - suffered a fatal heart attack on January 19th, 2006. During his career, he placed 16 hits on Billboard's Pop chart, including "Land Of 1000 Dances" (#6) and "Funky Broadway" (#8)

Gene Pitney - who had a string of hits in the early and mid-sixties, including " The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (#4), "Only Love Can Break A Heart" (#2) and "It Hurts To Be In Love" (#7), was found dead on April 5th, 2006, at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff, Wales. He was 65

Cozy Powell - touted as one of Britain's best session drummers, died in a car accident near Bristol, England on April 5th, 1998. at the age of 50

William Powell - an original member of the O'Jays, died at the age of 35 on May 26th, 1977, after a long bout with cancer

June Pointer - the youngest of the four Pointer Sisters who went from teenage gospel singers to the top of the Pop charts with such hits of the 1970s and 80s as "Fire", "Slow Hand" and "I'm So Excited", died of cancer at the age of 52 on April 11th, 2006

Jannie Pought - of The Bobbettes, who reached number six in 1957 with "Mr. Lee", was stabbed to death by a total stranger as she walked down the street in September, 1980, at the age of 36

Dave Prater - of the soul duo Sam and Dave, was killed in a car accident in Georgia on April 9th, 1988. He was 50 years of age

Elvis Presley - the King of Rock and Roll, died of heart failure at his Graceland mansion on August 16th, 1977

Billy Preston - keyboardist who had a series of hit singles in the 1970s, including "Will It Go 'Round In Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing", passed away on June 6th, 2006, at the age of 59

Rod Price - a founding member of Foghat died March 24th, 2005, after suffering a heart attack. The 57 year old guitarist was with the band for three platinum and eight gold records including their highest charting US single "Slow Ride" in 1976

Barry Pritchard - vocalist and guitarist for The Fortunes, died of heart failure on January 12th, 1999. The group reached the Billboard Top 20 with "You've Got Your Troubles" in 1965 and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" in 1971

Clarence Quick - of The Dell-Vikings, suffered a heart attack and died on May 5th, 1983 at the age of 46. The group reached number four with "Come Go With Me" and number nine with "Whispering Bells" in 1957

Eddie Rabbitt - country star whose hits included "I Love A Rainy Night" and "Drivin' My Life Away", died on May 7th, 1998 of lung cancer at the age of 56

Carl Radle - bassist for Eric Clapton's Derek & The Dominoes, Delaney & Bonnie and many others, died on May 30th, 1980 of kidney failure at the age of 37

Teddy Randazzo - a rock icon from the 1950s who composed classic hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head" and "Hurt So Bad", died November 21st, 2003. He was 68

Dee Dee Ramone - bassist for the 70s punk rock band The Ramones died from a drug overdose on June 7th, 2002. His real name is Douglas Colvin

Johnny Ramone - co-founder of The Ramones, passed away September 15th, 2004 after a five year battle with prostrate cancer. The 55 year old guitarist's real name is John Cummings

Joey Ramone - singer for The Ramones, died of lymphatic cancer at the age of 49 on April 15th, 2001. His real name is Jeff Hyman

Danny Rapp - of Danny and The Juniors, scored two 1957 hits with "At The Hop" and "Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay", died of a self inflicted gunshot wound on April 4th, 1983. He was 41

Lou Rawls - passed away on January 6th, 2006, at the age of 72, after a long battle with cancer. The velvet voiced singer placed six songs on the Billboard Top 40 Pop chart, including the number two hit, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" in 1976

Harry Ray - of the R&B trio, The Moments, died of a stroke on October 1st, 1992, at the age of 45. The group's biggest hit was "Love On A Two Way Street", which reached number 3 in 1970

Bill Read - the bass singer who was featured during the talking portion of The Diamonds' 1957 hit "Little Darlin", passed away on October 26th, 2004, at the age of 68

Noel Redding - the bass player with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, died May 11th, 2003 of natural causes. He was 57

Otis Redding - was killed in a plane crash in December 10th, 1967. Four members of his backup band, The Bar-Kays were also killed

Keith Relf - former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted on May 14th, 1976, while tuning his guitar at home. He was 33 years old

Jimmy Reed - Blues singer / guitarist who reached the Billboard Pop chart with "Honest I Do" in 1957 and "Baby What You Want Me To Do" in 1960, died following an epileptic seizure on August 29th, 1976, just days shy of his 51st birthday

Jim Reeves - Country artist who reached the Pop charts four times, including the #2 hit, "He'll Have To Go" in 1960, was killed in a plane crash on July 31st, 1964. He was three weeks short of his 40th birthday

Randy Rhoads - guitarist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne, was killed on March 19th, 1982, when the small plane he was riding in crashed while buzzing Osbourne's tour bus. He was 25

Buddy Rich - often called the world's best drummer, died of a brain tumour on April 2nd, 1987 at the age of 69

Charlie Rich - started out as a song writer for Sam Phillips' Sun Records before becoming a country star and later crossed over to the Pop charts with two big 1973 hits, "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl". He developed a blood clot in his lung and died July 25th, 1995, at the age of 62

J.P. Richardson - known as The Big Bopper on his hit "Chantilly Lace", died in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens on February 3rd, 1959

Minnie Riperton - died of breast cancer on July 12th, 1979 at the age of 31, four years after her number 1 hit, "Lovin’ You". She had also been a member of Stevie Wonder's backup group, Wonderlove

Marty Robbins - Country singer who put 13 songs on the Billboard Pop chart including the 1959, #1 smash "El Paso", died following a heart attack on December 8th, 1982. He was 57

Vicki Sue Robinson - who scored the US Top 10 Disco hit "Turn The Beat Around" in 1976, died of cancer at the age of 46 on April 27th, 2000

Ed Roberts - of Ruby and The Romantics, died of cancer on August 10th, 1993. He was 57

Mick Ronson - guitarist for David Bowie's band Ziggy Stardust's Spiders From Mars, died of liver cancer on April 29th, 1993 at the age of 46

Dave Rowberry - keyboardist who joined the Animals in May of 1965 and played on several major hits, including "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place", "It's My Life" and "Don't Bring Me Down", passed away of an apparent heart attack on June 6th, 2003, one month shy of his 63rd birthday

David Ruffin - former lead singer of the Temptations died of an overdose of crack cocaine on June 1st, 1991 at the age of 50

John Ryanes - of The Monotones, died on May 30th, 1972. The group had one big hit, "Book Of Love", which reached number 5 in 1958

Warren Ryanes - of The Monotones, died in June, 1982

Doug Sahm - leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet, succumbed to a heart attack November 18th, 1999, just days shy of his 58th birthday. The band had three Billboard Top 40 hits with "She's About A Mover" (#13 in 1965), "The Rains Came" (#31 in 1966) and "Mendocino" (#27 in 1969)

Kyu Sakamoto - the first Japanese artist to have a number one hit in the United States with "Sukiyaki" (June 1963), was killed in a Tokyo airplane crash on August 12th, 1985. He was 43

Joe Santollo - of The Duprees, suffered a fatal heart attack on June 3rd, 1981, at the age of 37. The group is most often remembered for their 1962 hit, "You Belong To Me"

Bon Scott - of AC/DC, died of alcohol poisoning on February 19th, 1980. He was 33

Walter Scott - lead singer of Bob Kuban & the In-Men, who scored a 1966 hit with "The Cheater", was reported missing shortly after Christmas, 1983. His body however, wasn't found until 1987, floating in a cistern with a gunshot wound to the back. A neighbour named Jim Williams, who had starting dating Scott's wife Joanne shortly after the disappearance, was found guilty of murder. Joanne Scott was sentenced to five years for hindering the investigation

Joe Schermie - original bassist of Three Dog Night died of a heart attack March 26th 2002 at the age of 55

Del Shannon - died of a self inflicted gun shot wound on February 8th, 1990 at age 55

James "Shep" Sheppard - of Shep and The Limelites, was found murdered in his car on the Long Island Expressway on January 24th, 1970 after being robbed and beaten. The group is best remembered for their 1961 hit, "Daddy's Home"

Allan Sherman - recorded the comedy tune, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh", died of respiratory ailments at the age of 48 on November 21st, 1973

John Siomos - played drums on countless albums and singles with a host of bands and in studio recordings for artists such as Peter Frampton, Todd Rundgren, Mitch Ryder and Carly Simon, died January 16th 2004, at the age of 56

Frank Sinatra - died of natural causes May 14th 1998 at the age of 83

The Singing Nun - whose given name was Jeanine Deckers, committed suicide on March 23rd 1985 after the center for autistic children in Belgium that she helped to found had closed due to lack of funds. Her 1963 hit "Dominique" went to number one in the U.S. and sold over 1.5 million copies, winning a Grammy Award for the year's best gospel song. At the time of her death, she was 52 years old

Claydes Charles Smith - a co-founder and lead guitarist for Kool & the Gang died on June 20th, 2006 after a long illness. He was 57

Fred Smith - guitarist for the MC5 on their shock rock hit "Kick Out The Jams", died of heart failure on November 4th, 1994 at the age of 46

Frank Smith - of The Monotones, who reached number 5 in 1958 with "Book Of Love", died of cancer on November 26th, 2000. He was 61

Jerome Smith - former rhythm guitarist and founding member of KC & the Sunshine Band, died July 28th, 2000 after he fell off the bulldozer he was driving and was crushed by the machine. The 47 year old Smith was working in the building and construction trades as a heavy-equipment operator after leaving the music business

Mike "Smitty" Smith - drummer for Paul Revere and the Raiders during their prime hit making years, died of natural causes at his home in Hawaii on March 6th, 2001, at the age of 58

O.C. Smith - best remembered for "Little Green Apples" and "Hickory Hollar's Tramp" died in his sleep on November 24th, 2001 at age 65

Sammi Smith - best known for the 1971, Billboard number 8 hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", died February 12th, 2005 at the age of 61. She won a Grammy award for her rendition of the song written by Kris Kristofferson, establishing him as a leading Nashville songwriter.

William Smith - vocalist and keyboard player for Motherlode, died of a heart attack on December 1st, 1997, at the age of 53. The Canadian group hit number 18 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1969 with "When I Die"

Jimmy Soul - whose real name was James McCleese, hit #1 in 1963 with the novelty tune "If You Wanna Be Happy", died of a heart attack on June 25th, 1988. He was 45

Skip Spence - the original drummer for Jefferson Airplane who left to form Moby Grape, died of lung cancer on April 16th, 1999 at the age of 52

Jakson Spires - drummer and founding member of Blackfoot, died March 16th, 2005, at the age of 53, after suffering a brain aneurysm. The band reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August, 1979 with "Highway Song"

Dusty Springfield - who scored a Top Ten U.S. hit with "I Only Want To Be With You" in 1963, died March 2nd, 1999, at the age of 59 after a five year battle with cancer

Dick St. John - half of the singing team of Dick & DeeDee, who recorded such hits as "The Mountain's High" (1961), "Young And In Love" (1963) and "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (1965), died on December 27th, 2003, from complications suffered in a fall from the roof of his home two weeks earlier. The 63 year old singer had continued to record and performed regularly until his death

Edwin Starr - soul singer who had hits with "War", "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Twenty-five Miles", died of a heart attack on April 1st, 2003 at the age of 61

Terry Stafford - whose Elvis-like voice help make a hit out of "Suspicion" in 1964, died March 17th 1996 at age 54

B.W. Stevenson - who had a 1973 hit with "My Maria", died after heart surgery on April 28th, 1988, at the age of 38. The "B.W." reportedly stood for "Buckwheat"

Ian Stewart - played piano in the original line-up of The Rolling Stones and predates both Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts as a member of the band. Because the group's manager Andrew Loog Oldham did not think Stewart's looks were right for publicity purposes, Stewart officially "left the group", but continued to work with them as a road manager and played keyboards on most of the Stones' essential albums from the 1960s until the 1980s. While waiting to see a doctor about respiratory problems, Stewart suffered a heart attack and died in the waiting room on December 12th, 1985

Mike Stewart - drummer for We Five on their 1965, number one hit "You Were On My Mind", died on November 13th, 2002, at the age of 57

Rory Storm - who led The Hurricanes, the group that Ringo Starr quit to join the Beatles, died of an overdose of sleeping pills on September 27th, 1972

Joe Strummer - lead singer for the landmark British punk band The Clash, suffered a fatal heart attack on December 22nd, 2002, at the age of 50

Jud Strunk - comedian and singer/songwriter who appeared on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and scored a number 14 hit with "Daisy A Day" in 1973, died in a small plane crash in Maine on October 5th 1981. He was 45

David 'Screaming Lord' Sutch - British shock-rocker was found hanged at his London home, apparently committed suicide on June 17th, 1999, at the age of 58

Stuart Sutcliffe - played bass guitar for The Beatles before Paul McCartney took over in 1961. After leaving the group, he died on April 10th, 1962 of a brain haemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany. Sutcliffe was in his 22nd year

Niki Sullivan - one of Buddy Holly's original Cricketts, died on April 6th, 2004 at the age of 66. He joined Holly in 1956 and played on most of the hit songs the band recorded. The hassel of touring forced him to drop out in 1957

Edmund Sylvers - lead singer of the Sylvers on their 1975 number one hit, "Boogie Fever", died on March 11th, 2004, after a ten month battle with cancer. He was only 47 years old

Margo Sylvia - of The Tune Weavers, died of a heart attack on October 25th, 1991, at the age of 55. The group topped the Billboard chart in 1957 with "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby"

Johnnie Taylor - best remembered for his 1968 hit, "Who's Makin' Love To Your Old Lady?" died of a heart attack on May 31st, 2000, shortly after his 62nd birthday

Richard Taylor - of the R&B vocal group, The Manhattans, died on December 7th, 1987 at the age of 47

Zola Taylor - who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group The Platters, singing on their hit "The Great Pretender", died from complications of pneumonia on April 30th, 2007. She was 69

Tammi Terrell - sang many duets with Marvin Gaye, died of a brain tumour on the 16th of March, 1970, at the age of 24

Peter Tetteroo - vocalist for The Tee Set, died of cancer on September 5th, 2002, at the age of 55. The Dutch band reached number five on the Billboard Pop chart in 1970 with "Ma Belle Amie"

Joe Tex - soul singer whose hits included "I Gotcha" and "Skinny Legs and All" died of a heart attack, August 12th, 1982 at the age of 49

Gary Thain - former bassist of the British band Uriah Heep, died December 8th, 1975 of a heroin overdose. He was 27

Rufus Thomas - R&B singer whose biggest Pop hit was "Walkin' The Dog" in 1963, died on December 15th, 2001, following a short illness. He was 84

Tony Thompson - drummer for Chic, passed away on November 12th, 2003 from renal cell cancer at the age of 48. Thompson played on all the Chic hits, including "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love" and "Good Times".

Sonny Til - lead singer of The Orioles died of a heart attack on December 9th, 1981 at the age of 51. His group had a hit with "Crying In The Chapel" in 1959

Georgeanna Tillman - of The Marvelettes, who scored a number one hit with "Please Mr Postman" in 1961, died on Jan 6th 1980 of sickle cell anemia at the age of 35

Tiny Tim - who reached number 17 in 1968 with "Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips", had a heart attack while on stage and died shortly after on November 30th, 1996 at age 63

Mel Tormé - passed away on June 5th 1999, at the age of 73, from complications caused by a stroke

Ed Townsend - who scored a #13 hit with "For Your Love" in 1958, died of heart failure on August 13th, 2003, at the age of 74

Ron Townson - vocalist with The Fifth Dimension, died in his home in Las Vegas on August 2nd, 2001 at age sixty-eight. He suffered renal failure after a four-year battle with kidney disease

Roland Trone - "Don" of Don & Juan, who reached number seven with "What's Your Name" in 1962, died in May 1982, at the age of 45

Domenic Troiano - guitarist for The Guess Who and The James Gang, died of cancer on May 25th, 2005. He was 59

Doris Troy - the big voiced singer of the 1963 hit "Just One Look", died of emphysema on February 16th, 2004 at the age of 67

Mick Tucker - drummer for Sweet, who hit #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1975 with "Ballroom Blitz", died of leukemia on February 14th 2002. He was 53

Tommy Tucker - who hit number eleven in 1964 with "Hi-Heel Sneakers", died of poisoning on January 22nd, 1982, at the age of 42

Conway Twitty - had an early pop hit with "It's Only Make Believe", died of a heart attack after stomach surgery in Springfield, Missouri, June 5th, 1993

Rob Tyner - lead singer of the MC5, died of heart failure at the age of 46, on September 18th, 1991

Gary Usher - led the studio group The Hondells to the Top 10 in 1964 with "Little Honda", died of cancer on May 25th, 1990. He was 51

Ritchie Valens - singer of "Oh Donna" and "La Bamba", died in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson on February 3rd, 1959

Luther Vandross - the silky smooth voiced R&B singer died on July 1st, 2005 at the age of 54, two years after suffering a major stroke.

Joey Vann - of The Duprees, died on February 28th, 1984 at the age of 40. The group had four Top 40 hits, including 1962's "You Belong To Me"

Randy VanWarmer - who reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1979 with "Just When I Needed You Most" died of leukemia on January 12th, 2004, at the age of 48

Ronnie Van Zant - member of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose single "Sweet Home Alabama" reached number 8 in 1974, died with several other band members in a small plane crash on October 20th, 1977. He was just 29

Stevie Ray Vaughan - guitarist whose highly charged and expressive solos turned a new generation on to Rock / Blues in the 1980s, was killed on August 27th, 1990, when the helicopter he was taking from a gig in East Troy, Wisconsin to a show in Chicago, crashed in dense fog, killing everyone on board. Vaughn was 35 years old

Henry Vestine - guitarist for Canned Heat, died on October 20th, 1997 at the age of 52 from heart and respiratory failure

Sid Vicious - bassist for the punk rock group the Sex Pistols, died from an accumulation of fluid on the lungs, characteristic of heroin abuse, on February 2nd, 1979. He was just 21 years old

Gene Vincent - recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" in 1957, died at the age of 36 following a seizure brought on by a bleeding ulcer on October 12th, 1971 at his parent's California home. Sadly, no one in his family had any money and the city of Los Angeles had to bury him

Janet Vogel - sang soprano for The Skyliners on their 1959, US number one hit, "Since I Don't Have You", committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on February 21st, 1980. She was 37

Junior Walker - leader of the All-Stars on "Shotgun", "What Does It Take" and "Roadrunner", died of cancer on Nov 23rd, 1995 at the age of 64

Clint Warwick - the original bass player for The Moody Blues died from liver disease on May 18th, 2004 at the age of 63. Clint left the band in 1966 after playing on their only number one hit, "Go Now"

Muddy Waters - blues guitarist whose real name was McKinley Morganfield, died of a heart attack at the age of 68 on April 30th, 1983

Thomas Wayne (Perkins) - who reached #5 in the US in 1959 with "Tragedy", died on August 15th 1971 at the age of 31 when he drove his car across four lanes of traffic, over a median and slammed into an oncoming car. Some believe he committed suicide as he had earlier confessed to a friend that he once parked his car across both lanes of an interstate highway at night and turned off his lights. Fortunately the first person on the scene was a highway patrolman who arrested him

Laura Webb - of the R&B quintet The Bobbettes, who scored a Billboard number six hit with "Mr. Lee" in 1957, died of cancer on January 8th, 2001

Charlie Webber - of The Swingin' Medallions, died of cancer on January 17th, 2003, at the age of 57. The group is best known for their 1966 hit, "Double Shot Of My Baby's Love"

Mary Wells - known for her hits "My Guy" and "You Beat Me To The Punch," died of cancer at age 49 on July 26th, 1992

Clarence White - guitarist with the Byrds, died on July 14th, 1973, after being hit by a car in Lancaster, California. He was 29. White joined the Byrds in 1968, after the group had recorded their hits as "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Eight Miles High"

Barry White - known for his lush baritone voice and lyrics that oozed sex appeal on the hits "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" and "You're The First, The Last, My Everything", died following kidney failure on Thursday, July 4th, 2003, at the age of 58

Ronnie White - of The Miracles, died of leukemia on August 26th, 1995. He was 56

Rick "Tim Tam" Wiesend - lead singer of Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons, died of cancer on October 22nd, 2003 at the age of 60. The band's only U.S. chart appearance was "Wait A Minute" in 1966

Leon Wilkeson - bassist for the 70's southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was found dead on July 27th, 2001 in a Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida hotel room. Allegedly suffering from chronic liver and lung disease, the actual cause of death was deemed "from natural causes". He was 49

Flemming Williams - lead singer for The Hues Corporation on their 1974 hit "Rock The Boat", died of drug related causes in September, 1992

Larry Williams - had hit songs with "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" and "Bony Maronie", was found dead on January 7th, 1980 at his Los Angeles home of a gunshot wound to the head. The medical examiner called the death a suicide, but rumours persisted for years after his death that he was murdered because of his involvement in drugs and crime

Milan B. Williams - one of the founding members for the Commodores, died on July 9th, 2006 after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 58. He wrote the band's first hit, "Machine Gun"

Paul Williams - of The Temptaions, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound on August 17th, 1973 at the age of 34. Williams had left the Temptations in 1971 because of poor health

Tony Williams - of The Platters died of emphysema at the age of 64 on August 14th, 1992. He sang most of the group’s hits up until 1961 when he was replaced by Sonny Turner

Wendy O. Williams - lead singer of the late 70s / early 80s punk band The Plasmatics, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head on April 6th, 1998. She was 48

Al Wilson - vocalist and harmonica player for Canned Heat on their hits "On The Road Again" and "Going Up The Country", committed suicide on September 3rd, 1970, in Topanga Canyon, California, when it turned out that he couldn't save a redwood forest from being cut by a timber company. He was 27

Barry Wilson - drummer for Procol Harum, died on October 8th, 1990 after months in a coma following a car accident. He was 43

Carl Wilson - lead guitar player of The Beach Boys, died of cancer, with his family at his bedside on February 7th, 1998. He was 51

Dennis Wilson - drummer for The Beach Boys, jumped over board from his yacht at Marina Del Ray Harbour in Los Angeles and drowned, on Dec. 28th, 1983. He was 39

J. Frank Wilson - One of rock's eeriest stories began on October 23rd, 1964. While his teenaged death song, "Last Kiss" was in the US Top Ten, Wilson, his bandmates and the record's producer, Sonley Roush, were involved in a head-on collision that killed Roush. Wilson never recorded a hit song again and died in a nursing home on October 4th, 1991, a few months shy of his fiftieth birthday

Jackie Wilson - passed away on January 21st, 1984, in Mount Holly, NJ, at Burlington County Memorial Hospital, at the age of 49. He had suffered a heart attack while singing "Lonely Teardrops" at the Latin Casino in New Jersey during a performance in 1975 and hit his head in the fall. Wilson suffered brain damage and required permanent care the rest of his life

Ron Wilson - The Surfaris' drummer who recorded rock and roll's most influential drum solo, "Wipe Out", died of a brain aneurysm on May 19th, 1989, at the age of 49

Kurt Winter - guitarist who replaced Randy Bachman in The Guess Who, died after a longtime illness of complications from bleeding ulcers. He is best remembered for his contributions and writing credits on the hits "Clap For the Wolfman", "Hand Me Down World" and "Rain Dance".

Wolfman Jack - the disc jockey featured in the movie "American Graffiti", died of a heart attack on July 1st, 1995 at the age of 57. He had just completed a 20-day trip to promote his new book "Have Mercy, The Confession of the Original Party Animal", about his early career and parties with celebrities. He walked up the driveway of his home, went inside to hug his wife and collapsed. The Wolfman's real name was Bob Smith

Chris Wood - a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason. He died of pneumonia on July 12th, 1983 at the age of 39

Sheb Wooley - best remembered for his 1958 #1 tune, "The Purple People Eater", died of leukemia on September 16th, 2003, at the age of 82. He charted a total of nine times, with many of his hits being parodies of other popular songs. As an actor, he appeared in more than 60 films, including "High Noon" and "Giant." He also appeared as Pete Nolan in the U.S. television series "Rawhide"

Link Wray - the electric guitar innovator who is often credited as the father of the power chord, died at his home in Copenhagen on November 5th, 2005, of natural causes. He was seventy-six. His 1959 instrumental, "Rumble" was banned by many radio stations, even thought it had no lyrics what so ever

Syreeta Wright - who teamed up with Billy Preston on the 1980, number 1 US hit "With You I'm Born Again", passed away on July 6th, 2004 after a two-year battle with bone cancer. She was 58

Philippe Wynne - former lead singer of the Spinners, suffered a fatal heart attack while on stage in Oakland California on July 14th, 1984. He was 43

Zal Yanovsky - guitarist for The Lovin' Spoonful, suffered a fatal heart attack on December 13th, 2002 at his Kingston, Ontario, Canada farm. He was 58

Eldee Young - bass player with the Ramsey Lewis Trio on the instrumental smash "The In Crowd" in 1965 and who later formed Young-Holt Unlimited and reached #3 with "Soulful Strut" in 1968, died of an apparent heart attack on February 12th, 2007, in Thailand, where he was performing. He was 71

Faron Young - who reached number 12 on the US pop chart in 1961 with the country cross-over hit "Hello Walls", died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on December 10th, 1996, at the age of 64

Timi Yuro - was just 18 years old when she reached #4 on the US charts in 1961 with a song called "Hurt", succumbed to brain cancer March 30th, 2004. She was 62

Frank Zappa - died of prostate cancer on December 4th, 1993 at the age of 52

Warren Zevon - singer / songwriter best remembered for his 1978 breakthrough album "Excitable Boy", which contained his only hit single, "Werewolves Of London", died of lung cancer on September 7th, 2003 at the age of 56

"damn, my paws hurt"

posted 05-15-2007 10:33 PM                  

Duane Allman was killed after the Allman Brother's album "Fillmore East" had been certified gold. He was hit by a peach delivery truck while riding his motorcycle.

Thus, the next album released by the Allman Brothers Band was called "Eat A Peach."

posted 05-15-2007 11:14 PM                  

Mark Norton, also known as Mark St. John, one of several KISS guitarists during the "non-makeup" era of the 1980's and a former member of White Tiger. Norton died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 5, 2007. He only played on one KISS album and only two live shows before being diagnosed with Reiter's Syndrome, a form of arthritis, making it impossible for him to play guitar. He is the only member of KISS never to appear on a front album cover.

posted 05-20-2007 07:39 AM                  

quote:

---

Originally posted by cheavens:
What a list of Rock & Roll Heaven members . Del Shannon (hit songs " Runaway " , " Stranger In Town " , " Keep Searchin / We'll Follow The Sun ")on the list ... use to have breakfast almost every morning at this little hole in the wall restaurant (The Way Station) that I dined at . Us regulars at the diner where shocked to hear of his suicide and not see him at his usual bar stool counter seat . He was a very nice guy ... yet a sadness about him maybe over the lost of the limelight . There was almost a Roy Orbison quality about his voice .

---

...Del Shannon was one of my favorite artists of the time....."Runaway" and "Keep Searchin" are still among my favorites

posted 05-20-2007 10:09 AM                  

For 50+ years, I have mesmerized by the quality & strength of "the Voice". Last year I read his biography that I thought I knew. Even Hollywood could not write a script like that. No one before OR since has equaled (the voice or the life) much less surpassed either..........

Jackie lay in a fetal position & comatose for the last 9 1/2 years of his life. Not much of an ending for such greatness, but it got worse. While his wives fought over his estate, he lay in an unmarked paupers grave for over 10 years until fellow R&B singers heard about it. His stone now reads "NO more Lonely Teardrops".

For all of the "bio pics" Hollywood has done over the years (Johnny Cash, Frankie Lyman, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Richie Valens), Ray serves as the only exception to a display of lame movies about singers..........

Those not familiar with Jackie's voice/life would never believe it........

JMO

posted 05-20-2007 04:37 PM                  

Once married to Stevie Wonder, she was told by her husband "forget a career as a singer, you have no quality in your voice."