The 27 death phenomenon started to become prevalent during the years 1969-71. During that period the rock & roll world lost the following musicians due to death: Dickie Pride, Brian Jones, Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Arlester 'Dyke' Christian.The term 'Forever 27 Club' was not coined to refer to the list of musicians who died at the age of 27 until after Kurt Cobain's death on April 5th, 1994. Since the death of Cobain, there has been a greater focus in the media surrounding the 27 death phenomenon. Also, the high-profile death of Amy Winehouse on July 23rd, 2011 once again brought renewed interest concerning the 27 club.With the June 19, 2016 death of actor Anton Yelchin (Pavel Checkov in the reboot of the Star Trek movie series), the 27 Club once again was starting to make the news. With his death, the media started to include young actors, and other notable artists as part of the 27 Club. Even though their deaths were equally tragic, this article is focusing on musicians that died at that age. It was after Kurt Cobain's death on April 5th, 1994 which really started to generate interest in the 27 Club phenomenon.
A group of local performers, including Kelly-Ann Evans and Jody Richardson, are travelling to Arts and Culture Centres across the province with Forever 27, a production that pays tribute to famous musicians who died at 27. Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse — these artists all belong to the infamous 27 Club. Aug 24, 2016 One of the most infamous members of The 27 Club, thanks to his unusual death happening within a month of cutting ties with The Rolling Stones, who were hitting their peak of success, Brian Jones was the founder and original leader of the iconic British rock group and specialized in playing the guitar, harmonica and keyboards.
It was after the death of the Nirvana's frontman that the term 'Forever 27 Club' (also referred to as the 27 Club, Club 27 and the Curse of 27) started to be used.Like many of the previous members of the 27 Club, Cobain was deeply troubled and struggled with drug addiction and the burden of being seen as the voice of a generation. The official cause of death was suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but there are those that feel he was murdered. There are also theories that Cobain intentionally timed his death so that he could join his musical idols as a member of the 27 Club.This theory started when Cobain's mother was interviewed by a local newspaper after his death, saying that “Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to join that stupid club.” By club, many people thought she was referring to the 27 Club. Jimi Hendrix is widely considered to be the greatest guitarist of all time and is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock.
One of the remarkable aspects of Hendrix's recording career is that his rich legacy was primarily established during a three year period from 1966 to 1969. After spending years toiling away in obscurity as a sideman, Hendrix was discovered by Chas Chandler of the Animals, who convinced him to come to England in 1966. While there, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed, and the rest is history.Jimi Hendrix died at the age of 27, on September 18th, 1970. The official cause of death has been cited as asphyxiation caused by an overdose of painkillers. That being said, conspiracy theorists have also cited the possibility of suicide and murder. Like many of the great rock & roll casualties, the mysterious circumstances behind his death have added to his legacy.
When Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on July 23rd, 2011 she became the most high-profile member of the 27 Club since the death of Kurt Cobain. Winehouse's death renewed interest in the curse of 27.Just like the other more well-known members of the 27 Club, Winehouse was deeply troubled, and she lived a hard life which lead to her premature demise.
Winehouse struggled with substance abuse, eventually succumbing to alcohol poisoning.Her throwback style was considered to be an inspiration to many female artists who would go on to achieve substantial success. Despite her brief career, Winehouse became a critical and commercial success after the release of her highly influential album Back to Black in 2006.
'The Queen of Psychedelic Soul' died just 16 days after Jimi Hendrix on October 4, 1970. The official cause of death was cited as a heroin overdose which may have been exasperated by the abuse of alcohol.Joplin had fronted the San Francisco band Big Brother and the Holding Company before embarking on a solo career of her own. Her trademark bluesy singing style made her into one of the most iconic singers of the era.
She also is widely considered one of the most influential female vocalists of all time.Like many of the members of the 27 Club, she was a deeply troubled artist who lived a hard life. Joplin struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, with both worsening as her career began to take off.
Because there has been so little that has been properly documented about the influential blues artist Robert Johnson, he has developed an almost mythic legend around him. His death at the young age of 27 also added to his mythology. He died on August 16th, 1938. At the time his death was attributed to strychnine poisoning, but this is also widely disputed. The mystery surrounding his death also contributes to his significant legacy. Even though his recordings consisted of a scant 29 songs that were recorded during 1936-37 his music was an essential part of the fabric of rock & roll.
While he was initially underappreciated at the time of his death, many famous blues guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards discovered his music and were influenced by his playing style.It was said that Johnson went down to the crossroads in rural Mississippi one night and met a large black figure, the devil, exchanging his eternal soul to become a great guitar player.This myth began because when Johnson had started playing around the deep south and was not known as a good guitar player. One day he suddenly showed up as an expert player, with technical skills that no one else could match. Many people thought that his rapid development was due to some supernatural influence and thus the crossroads myth was born. Brian Jones was a founding member and guitarist for the Rolling Stones. Due to developing a serious drug addiction, he was kicked out of the Rolling Stones in 1969, being replaced by Mick Taylor. Less than a month later he died on July 3rd, 1969 due to a tragic drowning accident which took place at his swimming pool. While Jones had played a prominent role in founding the band, eventually Mick Jagger and Keith Richards became the dominant musical forces in the Rolling Stones, relegating Jones to a lessened position in the group.
Coupled with a bad drug addiction, this made it impossible for Jones to remain in the band.When people refer the 27 Club, Jones is quite often is referred to as the start of that movement. His death was the beginning of a two year period which also marked the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison at the age of 27. Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan was a founding member of the Grateful Dead. On March 3rd, 1973 he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage which was complicated by alcohol abuse.Much like Brian Jones, McKernan was one of the early leaders of the band, steering them in a more R&B direction early on.
Eventually, guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir decided to take the band in an improvisational and psychedelic direction, a style that the group became known for. This caused McKernan to take a back seat at concerts, and his role continued to diminish until he was forced to step down from the Grateful Dead due to his worsening health.McKernan also had a brief relationship with fellow 27 Club member Janis Joplin. On a couple of occasions, the two dueted together on the Dead's live standard 'Turn on Your Lovelight.'
Chris Bell was the lead guitarist, and along with Alex Chilton, he was the primary songwriter for Big Star. Bell left the band after their influential but commercially overlooked power pop gem #1 Record. He went on to release two songs in 1978, 'I Am the Cosmos' and 'You and Your Sister.' These two songs were also included in his posthumous debut solo, I Am the Cosmos, which wasn't released until 1992.Bell died on December 27th, 1978 when he lost control of his Triumph TR7 sports car. His funeral took place the next day on December 28th, which sadly coincided with the birthday of former bandmate Alex Chilton. Bell continues to be an influential figure in the development of power pop and indie rock.
Boon was the guitarist, lead vocalist and one of the primary songwriters (along with Mike Watt) for the influential hardcore punk band the Minutemen. Boon was listed as #89 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. His guitar style, which had a heavy funk and blues feel, helped make the Minutemen more diverse than the average band from the '80s hardcore scene.Boon died on December 22nd, 1985 due to a Van accident. Because he had a fever, he was laying in the back recuperating when the van crashed, sending him flying through the back of the van.Since D. Boon's tragic death, Mike Watt and George Hurley of the Minutemen continued on as fIREHOSE, where Watt continued to develop his highly influential style of bass playing.Every album Mike Watt has put out, either solo or as part of fIREHOSE as been dedicated to his fallen bandmate.
He has also written a number of songs as a direct tribute to D. The rhythm guitarist and main lyricist of UK alternative band Manic Street Preachers is one of the more mysterious additions to the list. Edwards went missing on February 1st, 1995 and he was presumed dead on November 23rd, 2008. Because his car was found abandoned on February 17th, 1995 in proximity to Severn Bridge, it is widely believed that he committed suicide.Before these events, Edwards was known to be deeply disturbed. One of the more obvious signs was when he took a photo of himself with the words '4 Real' carved into his arm.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance have helped cement his cult status within the UK.The ninth album recorded by the Manic Street Preachers, Journal for Plague Lovers was released on May 18th, 2009 and feature previously unused lyrics written by Edwards. One of the questions that remain is why have so many musicians died at the age of 27. There is no shortage of theories. There are numerologists that feel that 27 is a significant number, there are theories concerning the number of 27 club members that owned white lighters, and so on.
Many dismiss the 27 death phenomenon as just simply an unexplained coincidence.One factor that is widely noted is that many of the members of club 27 have lived lifestyles that have contributed to dying at a young age. Of course, this doesn't fully explain why not 26 or 28. But part of the mystique of the 27 mythology is the fact that we don't have clear answers. It is the unexplained nature that helps ensures the Forever 27 Club a place in rock & roll folklore. Janis Joplin died from a heroin overdose, due to the greed and incompetence of her supplier. The amount was a 'normal' dose, but the supplier's 'chemist' wasn't availabe, so he cut it himself, badly.
Besides Janis, six other people died, due to the supplier's avarice.The same guy sold Pam, Jim Morrison's girlfriend, the heroin Jim died from. It was the first, and last, time he took the stuff. He died from 'acute heroin toxicity.'
If one were to use the term 'heart failure' as the ultimate cause of death, then everyone could be said to die from heart failure. Jim died from a lot of things, but excess was the deciding factor.Having offered the world nothing but misery and death, the supplier killed himself three years after Jim died, and four after Janis. In other words, he died four and a half years too late. MarleneB, that is an interesting point. In the case of Cobain he was aware of the 27 club and there is rumors he may of timed events in order to be included in the club. Not sure I entirely buy that, but the sad thing is an artist could make the list by making a conscious decision to end it all at 27. But I guess it could go the other way as well.
It might motivate some to clean up their act and get help, because they don't want to be another rock & roll causality. Thanks for the read and the comment. For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: Show Details NecessaryHubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site.
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