Female Singers Who Died Too Soon

1. Minnie Riperton

   

   Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 - July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single "Lovin' You," her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. Riperton also sang lead for... read more

   The most musical 5-octave+ singer that I'm aware of to date. She had excellent motor control, was able to clearly enunciate lyrics in the whistle register, and could sustain notes for an extended period in all parts of that register. Her ability to do a walk down and up with seemingly effortless clarity is just one example of the skill she held.

   It was indeed her vocal skill that gave power to her voice. It allowed her to switch from upper to lower ranges with a quintessential dexterity that can render one to an Adventure in Paradise. Her lower range attributes were equally compelling, displaying emotive abilities like no other than the inimitable Minnie Riperton.

2. Janis Joplin

   

   Janis Joplin (1943-1970) was an American singer who rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. She was known for her powerful voice, emotive performances, and distinctive hippie style. Joplin remains an iconic figure in 1960s counterculture and... read more

   Incomparable. People voting on this list are too young to appreciate how magnificent and once in a lifetime she was!

   The greatest singer of all time!

3. Whitney Houston

   

   Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. Guinness World Records recognized her as the most awarded female artist of all time, with 411 career awards as of 2006, and named her the most awarded female act in 2009.... read more

4. Amy Winehouse

   

   Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and eclectic blend of soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. She is a well-known member of the 27 Club, having died from alcohol poisoning at age 27 on July 23, 2011. Her album Back to Black remains influential... read more

5. Aaliyah

   

   Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, and died on August 25, 2001. She was a dancer, actress, model, and R&B singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and died in a plane crash near Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.... read more

6. Selena

   

   Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Known as the Queen of Tejano music, she was one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. She was murdered in 1995 at the age of 23.

7. Lisa Lopes

   

   Lisa Nicole Lopes, better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, musician, actress, and songwriter. She was a member of the girl group TLC, one of the best-selling female groups of all time. Lopes died in a car accident in Honduras in 2002.

8. Christina Grimmie

   

   Christina Victoria Grimmie (March 12, 1994 - June 10, 2016), known on YouTube as zeldaxlove64, was an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence by posting covers of popular songs and gained wider recognition as a finalist on season 6 of The Voice in 2014. Grimmie was shot and killed during... read more

9. Karen Carpenter

   

   Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard Carpenter, formed the 1970s duo Carpenters. Known for her contralto vocals, Karen Carpenter is widely regarded as one of the greatest female vocalists of all time.

10. Mama Cass Elliot

    

    Ellen Naomi Cohen, known professionally as Mama Cass and later as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas and the Papas. After the group disbanded, Elliot released five solo albums and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall... read more

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Sinead O'Connor

    

    Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor was an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. She gained global recognition with her 1990 cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U. Throughout her career, she was known for her powerful voice and outspoken... read more

12. ?

    Lisa Marie Presley

    

    Lisa Marie Presley was an American singer-songwriter. She was the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, and she became the sole heir to her father's estate following the deaths of her grandfather and great-grandmother. Presley released three studio albums during... read more

    A totally unexpected death from sudden cardiac arrest on January 12th 2023. A truly horrible way to start 2023. She would've turned 55 3 weeks later (which's too young anyway). R.I.P. (1968-2023).

The Contenders

13. Billie Holiday

    

    Eleanora Fagan, professionally known as Billie Holiday, was an American jazz and swing singer whose career spanned nearly 30 years. She was known for her emotive voice and unique phrasing. Holiday's most famous recordings include Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, and Lover Man.

14. Patsy Cline

    

    Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virginia. She became a professional country singer in the 1950s and emerged as one of the most important artists in American music history. Patsy died on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee. She was... read more

15. Bessie Smith

    

16. Judy Garland

    

    Judy Garland, born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, was an American singer, actress, and vaudevillian. She rose to international fame with her performance as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and had a career spanning over four decades... read more

17. Olivia Newton-John

    

    Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British-Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner who amassed five number-one and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, along with two number-one Billboard 200 solo albums. She died of breast cancer on August 8, 2022, in Santa... read more

    She had breast cancer & passed away on August 8th 2022 at 73 years & nearly 8 months. She could've lived quite longer. She was an icon for not only Australia, but all of the world & she spent more than 5 decades making music & acting. She was 1 of the best selling music artists of all time (with over 100M records sold). Entertainment will never be the same again, R.I.P. (1948-2022).

18. Mindy McCready

    

    Malinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded five studio albums, including the platinum-selling debut "Ten Thousand Angels." Her career was marked by both success and personal struggles that received public attention.

19. Christine McVie

    

20. Irene Cara

    

    Known for Fame & Flashdance (What a Feeling). She passed away the day after Thanksgiving 2022. 65 is too young. R.I.P. (1959-2022).

21. Tammi Terrell

    

    Tammi Terrell was an American recording artist best known as a Motown singer during the 1960s. She gained fame for a series of hit duets with Marvin Gaye, including Ain't No Mountain High Enough and You're All I Need to Get By. Her career was tragically cut short by her death at the age of 24.

22. Mary Wells

    

23. Florence Ballard

    

24. Edith Piaf

    

    Édith Piaf was a French cabaret singer, songwriter, and actress who became widely regarded as France's national chanteuse and one of the country's greatest international stars. Her signature songs include La Vie en Rose, Non, je ne regrette rien, and Hymne à l'amour. Piaf's music and life have continued... read more