Top 10 Rock Tragedies

[TrekkiELO]

Kelly Groucutt and Mike Edwards (both of Electric Light Orchestra)



Signed,

Rick Vendl II

 

[Hydrazoic Acid]

1.Freddie Mercury
2.John Lennon
3.Ronnie James Dio
4.Bon Scott
5.Steve Lee
6.Keith Moon
7.John Bonham
8.Randy Rhodes
9.Ray Gillen
10.Syd Barrett

It was a lot of deaths of talented great musicians...It's all is very sad.

 

[Rocket Roll]

[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)


'tragedy'

Allen Collins did not die in the plane crash. The crash probably played a role in his death a several years later though. Skynyrd alone could almost fill a top ten list.

The Skynyrd crash took the lives of:
Ronnie Van Zant
Steve Gaines
Cassie Gaines
Dean Kilpatrick (road manager)
2 pilots

Other southern rockers who went too soon:
Jakson Spires
Hughie Thomasson
Leon Wilkeson
Billy Powell
Ean Evans
Duane Roland
Danny Joe Brown
Duane Allman
Berry Oakley