Most Shocking Deaths in Music History

By “most shocking” deaths, we’re not referring to the typical rock star drug overdose or alcohol induced death (Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Layne Staley, Shannon Hoon, Bradley Nowell, etc.) This list is strictly based on shocking, unexpected deaths that took the entire world by complete surprise.

 

 

10. Jeff Buckley: Although Jeff Buckley wasn’t nearly as mainstream as most of the other artists mentioned here, he did have a large dedicated fan base that was completely devoted to his work. Needless to say, when his body was discovered on June 4th, 1997 after an accidental drowning in the Mississippi River, fans were both shocked and horrified. The autopsy confirmed that Buckley had taken no drugs before his swim, and a drug overdose was ruled out as the cause of death. He was 30 years old. Considering the fact that he was one of the most emotionally inspiring musicians to ever perform, his death is a truly a loss to the world.

9. Notorious BIG: Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls, was a Brooklyn based rapper who started dominating the hip hop scene in the early 90’s. On March 9, 1997, he was shot by an unknown assassin in a drive by shooting in Los Angeles, CA, just two week before the release of his album Life After Death, leaving rap fans all over the world in shock and grievance. He died at the age of 24. The murder to this day still remains unsolved. Many songs have been released in his remembrance, the most popular being “I’ll Be Missing You” featuring Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112.

8. Tupac Shakur: Tupac Shakur was one of the most successful rappers to date and is also recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest selling rap artist to date, with over 75 million albums sold worldwide. On September 7, 1996 Shakur was shot four times in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas, NV and died 6 days later on September 13, 1996 at the age of 25, due to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. Many theories have emerged related to Shakur’s death, including the involvement of Biggie Smalls, but the case also remains unsolved.

7. Elvis Presley: Most often known as the King of Rock and Roll, Presley was the one who started it all. In the late 1950’s, he became one of the first performers of rock and roll mixed with rhythm and blues, soon turning into a cultural icon for music lovers everywhere. By the early 1970’s, Presley’s had become increasingly overweight and prescription drugs had affected his health and stage performance. Although his health seemed to have been on a downward spiral, his premature death on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42 was still a shock to the nation. He was scheduled to begin a tour the very next day, but was found on the floor by his fiancé Ginger Alden. It was ruled that he died of a heart attack due to a combination of multiple prescriptions drugs.

6. Selena: Selena Quintanilla-Perez was a Mexican American singer known as the “queen of Tejano music”. In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Yolanda Saldívar, the manager of Selena’s boutiques, was embezzling money from the boutiques and decided to fire her. Selena met Saldívar at the Days Inn hotel in Cropur Christi on the morning of March 31, 1995 where she confronted her about the embezzlement. Saldívar drew a gun from her purse and shot Selena in the back. After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital. She died there from loss of blood at the age of 23. The movie “Selena” starring Jennifer Lopez was made based on the story about Selena’s life and murder.

5. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes: Lisa Lopes, best known as “Left Eye” (because she was known for wearing glasses that displayed a condom covering the left eye), was a member of the R&B group TLC. One of Left Eye’s claims to fame was when she burned her boyfriend Andre Rison’s house to the ground, claiming it was accidental. She had just begun working on TLC’s 4th album when she was killed in a car crash in Honduras on April 25, 2002 at the age of 30, leaving behind a trail of shocked R&B fans all over the world.

4. Aaliyah: Aaliyah Haughton was also a famous R&B singer who became well-known during the early 90’s, and she starred in a few films as well. On August 25, 2001 after filming the music video to her hit single “Rock the Boat”, Aaliyah and her record label staff boarded a twin engine Cessna 402B in the Bahamas to head back to Miami, FL, bringing aboard their equipment which caused the aircraft to be well over the weight limit. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, leaving no survivors. Aaliyah was 22 years old. Following her death, Jay-Z recorded a remix of her single “Miss You” along with other members of the hip hop community and her most recent movie “Queen of the Damned’ was dedicated to her memory.

3. Marvin Gaye: Marvin Gaye was a well-known Motown singer during the 1960’s and 1970’s. On April 1, 1984, the day before his 45th birthday, Gaye’s father shot and killed him with the same handgun that his son had given him several months prior after an argument about business documents. His father pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received 6 years of probation. Charges of first degree murder were dropped after the discovery of Marvin Sr.’s brain tumor. Numerous tribute albums have been released in Gaye’s remembrance, specifically Inner City Blues featuring artists such as Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Arrested Development, and Marvin is 60 featuring D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Brian McKnight.

2. Kurt Cobain: Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the alternative rock group Nirvana that swept the nation in the early 90’s. Nirvana had a big impact on the 90’s music scene, setting the tone for the Seattle grunge rock era. Shortly after his marriage to Hole vocalist Courtney Love and the birth of their daughter Frances Bean, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 8, 1994 at the age of 27 due to a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Traces of heroin and valium were found in his body and a suicide note was left, stating that he hadn’t felt the excitement of creating and writing music for the past few years. Cobain is now often remembered as one of the most iconic musicians in the history of alternative rock. A documentary titled Kurt Cobain: About a Son was recently released in his honor.

1. John Lennon: Here it is: The #1 most shocking moment in music history: the murder of The Beatles frontman John Lennon. Lennon was one of the most influential artists in the music industry and was ranked #38 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of “The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time” (The Beatles was also ranked #1). On the evening of December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot 4 times in the back at the Dakota in New York City by Mark Chapman, who Lennon had signed an autograph for earlier that evening. He died at the age of 40. Chapman was charged with 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. To this day, after 28 years, he is still in prison. Lennon continues to be mourned throughout the world and there have been many memorial tributes to him, specifically at Strawberry Fields in New York City, located across the street from where Lennon was killed.