Lynch
Here for the cookies and the tunes
[soapbox]
My opinion on music "tragedies" differs from most. To me, people that die of excess (drug or alcohol abuse) or people that kill themselves don't die tragic deaths, they die stupid and in some cases very selfish deaths. Is their death a loss to the music community and to their fans? of course it is. Is their passing unfortunate. Absolutely.
What I consider to be tragic, is when someone dies due to circumstances out of their control. Being murdered, dying in an accident (plane, train or automobile), or someone dying of disease NOT caused by a lifestyle choice.
[/soapbox]
So, who do I think were the most tragic rock deaths?
John Lennon (murdered)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (helicopter crash)
Randy Rhoads (airplane crash)
Ronnie van Zandt / Steve Gains / Allen Collins (airplane crash)
Duane Allman (motorcycle accident)
Eric Carr (cancer)
Cliff Burton (tour bus accident)
Darryl Abbot (murdered)
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens (plane crash)
Robert Johnson (poisoned)
Sam Kinison (car accident)
Terry Kath (gun accident)
Marvin Gaye (murdered)
Cass Elliot (choked)
Otis Redding (airplane crash)
Sam Cooke (murdered)
Bobby Fuller (murdered)
The list would go on and on, but these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head that I would consider to be tragic losses and people dying before their time, not of old age or 20+ years after their career was over.
Stupid, unnecessary and preventable deaths?
Kurt Cobain (suicide)
Jimi Hendrix (OD)
Janis Joplin (OD)
Steve Clark (Booze)
Rory Gallagher (Booze)
Freddie Mercury (pneumonia related to aids)
Michael Hutchence (sex-related suicide)
Brian Jones (booze/drug related drowning)
Wendy O Williams (suicide)
Jim Morrison (heart attack caused by...?)
John Bonham (Booze)
Keith Moon (OD)
Bon Scott (booze)
Robin Crosby (aids-related illnesses)
Again, this list would be quite long if you listed everyone, but just a few of the bigger names
And for the record, my lists and my personal definitions are not meant to upset anyone who is a fan of any of these artists. All of those on the lower list, and so many more would have been preventable if not for indulgent lifestyle choices, or the selfishness and finality of suicide. It's just my opinion.
One last thing. I'm only going on "tragedies" as in deaths, not people that were nuts or simply removed themselves from the music scene (ie: Syd Barrett and Peter Green) Again, no offense to anyone who was fans of people with these types of issues, I just dont' consider that to be a 'tragedy'
My opinion on music "tragedies" differs from most. To me, people that die of excess (drug or alcohol abuse) or people that kill themselves don't die tragic deaths, they die stupid and in some cases very selfish deaths. Is their death a loss to the music community and to their fans? of course it is. Is their passing unfortunate. Absolutely.
What I consider to be tragic, is when someone dies due to circumstances out of their control. Being murdered, dying in an accident (plane, train or automobile), or someone dying of disease NOT caused by a lifestyle choice.
[/soapbox]
So, who do I think were the most tragic rock deaths?
John Lennon (murdered)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (helicopter crash)
Randy Rhoads (airplane crash)
Ronnie van Zandt / Steve Gains / Allen Collins (airplane crash)
Duane Allman (motorcycle accident)
Eric Carr (cancer)
Cliff Burton (tour bus accident)
Darryl Abbot (murdered)
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens (plane crash)
Robert Johnson (poisoned)
Sam Kinison (car accident)
Terry Kath (gun accident)
Marvin Gaye (murdered)
Cass Elliot (choked)
Otis Redding (airplane crash)
Sam Cooke (murdered)
Bobby Fuller (murdered)
The list would go on and on, but these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head that I would consider to be tragic losses and people dying before their time, not of old age or 20+ years after their career was over.
Stupid, unnecessary and preventable deaths?
Kurt Cobain (suicide)
Jimi Hendrix (OD)
Janis Joplin (OD)
Steve Clark (Booze)
Rory Gallagher (Booze)
Freddie Mercury (pneumonia related to aids)
Michael Hutchence (sex-related suicide)
Brian Jones (booze/drug related drowning)
Wendy O Williams (suicide)
Jim Morrison (heart attack caused by...?)
John Bonham (Booze)
Keith Moon (OD)
Bon Scott (booze)
Robin Crosby (aids-related illnesses)
Again, this list would be quite long if you listed everyone, but just a few of the bigger names
And for the record, my lists and my personal definitions are not meant to upset anyone who is a fan of any of these artists. All of those on the lower list, and so many more would have been preventable if not for indulgent lifestyle choices, or the selfishness and finality of suicide. It's just my opinion.
One last thing. I'm only going on "tragedies" as in deaths, not people that were nuts or simply removed themselves from the music scene (ie: Syd Barrett and Peter Green) Again, no offense to anyone who was fans of people with these types of issues, I just dont' consider that to be a 'tragedy'
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