Top 10 Musicians Who Died Before Reaching Their Peak
Everyone is going to die someday. You (yeah, the guy who's reading this), me, and everyone else. No matter how much you love a certain music artist or band, you have to accept the fact that they will eventually pass away, which understandably sucks.What does a musician want as their lasting legacy before they die? An obvious answer would be to be remembered for their music, personality, and, of course, their accomplishments.
Then there are those who died having never reached the full potential of their talents.
This list is about any artist you could think of who had so much promise, so much potential, so much success, and new experimentation left to explore, and then - BAM! They suddenly pass away, and there's literally nothing you can do about it.
Lastly, I want everyone to honor these music artists and for their fans to cherish them for a lifetime. After all, someone's favorite music artist may be someone who is no longer with us.
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton (February 10th 1962 - September 27th 1986) was an American musician, best known as the second bass guitarist for the American thrash metal band Metallica, recording three studio albums... read more Orion is a masterpiece, but Cliff still had a long way to go. He was 24, for God's sake! He could have made something bass-related that was better than Orion, and many of the songs he wrote are considered some of the best metal songs ever made.
He never saw Metallica receive platinum statuses on each of their albums. Anyway, RIP Bass Master.
He should have stayed alive. He would have made Metallica the best metal band in history.
Christina Victoria Grimmie (March 12th 1994 - June 10th 2016), known on YouTube as zeldaxlove64, was an American singer-songwriter known for participating in The Voice and for her covers of hit songs by contemporary pop musicians. She was shot dead during a meet-and-greet in Orlando, Florida, by fan... read more I've seen many of her covers on YouTube, which were consistently great. She also came across as very likable in her brief interactions with the audience (introducing the song, etc.).
After her death, many famous music artists dedicated performances to her or otherwise expressed their sadness. One thing that still strikes me was how easily she was shot while signing autographs after a concert. Something like this could literally happen any day. Indeed, the very next day there was a mass shooting at a nightclub only 6 kilometers away.
Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down at age 22... read more Obviously, he was famous, and people had high expectations for what he would do. Then he died.
Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known as Ritchie Valens, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted eight months, as it abruptly ended when he died (aged 17) in... read more
Jimi Hendrix (born November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most... read more
True, he's the most influential guitarist ever, but he only recorded three studio albums in four years. Sadly, we may never get to see the full potential of Jimi Hendrix due to his untimely death.
With a four-year career, he could have been so much more.
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He was killed in a plane crash. He is influential and an inspiration nowadays. When you find out he was only 25 during that plane crash, you know there was a lot left for Randy Rhoads.
Interestingly, his last conversation with Ozzy Osbourne went like this: "You'll kill yourself, you know. One of these days," regarding Osbourne's habit of drinking alcohol. It's quite ironic how after leaving those words to him, nobody would have known he'd get killed really soon.
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) raised as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist... read more
Timothy Charles "Tim" Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music and style changed considerably through the years; he began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde... read more
Edward Raymond "Eddie" Cochran (October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American musician. Rock and roll pioneer, he was only 21 years old when he died in a car crash... read more
Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1987, he started the grunge band Nirvana, which became one of the most successful bands ever. He was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. Kurt Cobain became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band. He committed suicide at his... read more I think Nirvana is overrated (I don't hate them, mind you, they just get too much credit), but I think Kurt was a really good songwriter.
He could have probably made an album that was better than "Nevermind" and "In Utero" if he had chosen not to commit suicide. But then again, Cobain might have just quit Nirvana for a simpler job and lifestyle. His death is still tragic, though.
The Newcomers
Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999), best known by his stage name Big L, was an American hip hop recording artist, born and raised in Harlem, New York City, New York. Coleman embarked on his career in rapping, with the hip hop trio, Three the Hard Way. His first notable appearance came... read more He was so young, underrated, and part of the underground hip-hop scene.
He was the first singer of the nu metal band Drowning Pool. He had such an incredible voice.
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. She is also a well-known member of the 27 Club, as she overdosed on alcohol at age 27. She was already influential and did hit big, but there's no denying she had a lot more to achieve.
Many artists, such as Green Day, paid tribute to her, and even Metallica cited her as an influence for one of their songs "Moth into Flame." Hopefully, she'll get inducted into something in the future.
James Joseph Croce was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and singles. His songs "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
James Owen Sullivan (February 9th, 1981 - December 28th 2009), better known by his stage name "The Rev" (Short for "The Reverend Tholomew Plague") was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former drummer, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American alternative metal/ metalcore... read more He was a great drummer. Definitely not as good as Dave Lombardo or Mike Portnoy, but he was very accomplished without a doubt.
If he were still alive, The Rev would possibly be much better than what he was capable of in A7X's first four albums. He died at 28, older than some listed here, but he was still young and I think he was a lot more capable than what he played.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave... read more I really don't know where his peak would be. I'm quite sure he would have done more operatic things.
No, he didn't reach his peak. He had a lot of potential when he died.
Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was an American rapper and actor born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide and has been referred to in multiple major publications such as Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music artists of all time. 2Pac was... read more
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. She managed to achieve such massive success, and then she was shot by her friend and manager just as she was about to reach her peak.
She has a Hollywood Star on the Walk of Fame due to her accomplishments, but seeing as she was just 23, you could guarantee she could have done a lot more for the music industry.
Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division... read more
Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones was an English musician, the founder and the original leader of the Rolling Stones.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, born May 21, 1972, better known by his stage name The Notorious B.I.G (sometimes Biggie Smalls or just simply Biggie), is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. On March 9, 1997, he was murdered in a drive by shooting in Los Angeles, California at the age of only... read more
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of the Doors. RIP Lizard King. He could have been so much more if he hadn't overdosed...
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He was born in Forfar and lived in Kirriemuir, Scotland, for 5 years before moving to Melbourne, Australia,... read more
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. A singular talent who passed almost unnoticed during his brief lifetime, his work has posthumously achieved wider notice and recognition.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th 1979 and died August 25th 2001. She was a dancer, an actress and an R&B singer. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Detroit, Michigan and died at Marsh Harbour, Bahamas... read more
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 - 25 September 1980) was an English musician best known as the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Born in Redditch, Worcestershire, Bonham, nicknamed "Bonzo," is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drummers in history. Noted for his speed, power, fast... read more
Janis Joplin (1943-1970) was an American singer who rose to fame as the main singer of acid band Big Brother and the Holding Company. She was known for her eccentric hippie style and psychedelic rock music.