Top 10 Musicians Who Died in Their 30s
Many rock stars are known for dying at age 27 and joining the unofficial "27 Club." However, what I'm trying to show is that even though you may get past age 30, you're not completely out of the woods yet. Having said that, there are a lot more cases here of lives being lost to external circumstances than to drug or alcohol abuse. May all these musicians rest in peace. Feel free to add more examples.Better than most artists today for sure. People be shaking booties to get someone to listen to them. Really disgusting. No class.
Thanks for adding him, Metal_Treasure. It's crazy to think that a musician so prodigious and accomplished died so young.
How can he even be compared to today's musicians? Their work pales in comparison to his masterpieces.
What a guitarist! He figured life out, didn't he? Stop aging, but still live on. He and his music will always be here while he is fondly thought of and remembered.
He died at age 35 in a helicopter crash. The sad thing about his death was that he had sobered up a few years earlier and was playing better than ever.
Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in 1990 at the age of 35.
One of the greatest. His songs never get old. Every time I listen to his songs, it's like I am hearing them for the first time.
He's pretty good. My dad really likes him.
Marley should at least be in the top 5.
Like Keith Moon, Bonzo was also 32 when he died. According to his autopsy, he died after consuming 40 shots of vodka and choking on his own vomit.
Poor guy went out like a drunk Russian, drinking 40 shots of vodka and choking on his vomit.
Possibly the best drumming style ever.
Right after number 4 on this list.
Keith died after taking 32 clomethiazole tablets, pills designed to alleviate alcohol withdrawal. He was 32 years old.
Most metal fans would know that he was "The Godfather of Death Metal." Died at the age of 34 from pneumonia while dealing with a brain tumor. Tragic loss in the metal community.
Music trends didn't bother him or his songwriting. He was a self-taught guitarist and had such an original and driving musical vision.
Such a shame he died so young. One of the biggest musical geniuses of all time!
Most soulful, talented, and underrated singer of my generation - that's why he's number 13 on this list. Unforgivable! There will never be another close to Layne's power and range. AIC died on April 5, 2002, with Layne. RIP Layne. Can't wait to hear you sing in person when I get there.
Layne Staley died from a speedball overdose on April 5th, 2002 (eight years to the day after Kurt Cobain committed suicide on April 5th, 1994. Kurt was only 27 years old when he died). Layne was 34 years old when he died.
Layne Staley died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine on April 5th, 2002, eight years to the day after Kurt Cobain's death.
I completely forgot about Jim Croce. Thanks for adding him to the list.
Died in a plane crash while on tour. He was 30 years old.
One of my favorite singers ever.
One does not simply forget "The Godfather of Gangsta Rap." Rest easy, Eazy (1964-1995).
Eazy-E was 30 years old when he died of AIDS.
Godfather of Gangsta Rap. Rest in peace.
I love Pantera. I buy every Dimebag shirt I can find, just in memory of him. I've been searching for a Vinnie item but can't find anything. I must say, Patsy Cline is a close second for me!
As most metal fans know, Dimebag was murdered while performing on stage. He was only 38 years old.
The most shocking musician death.
She died in her sleep at the age of 32 from heart failure. She ended up dying in the same room and at the same age as Keith Moon did a few years later.
Cass Elliot is considered one of the greatest female singers of the 1960s.
He left us a lot of beautiful music, much of which was only discovered years later! Illegal drugs aren't the only addictions that have cost the world a lot.
He died at almost 32 and left more than 900 works. Many of them have been used in movies - both arthouse and blockbusters. For example, the Rosamunde-Quartet D 804 was used in the first Avengers movie, and the 2nd movement of the Trio D 929 was used in Hunger Games, among others. The String Quintet D 956 is widely seen as one of the greatest chamber compositions of all times.
Breathtaking music. True talent.
One of the first preeminent blues-rock guitar players. He was found dead in his car in 1981, sitting in the driver's seat. What exactly happened to him is unknown, except for two unnamed sources who claimed that he died during a party in San Francisco and was driven to another location by two of his fellow partygoers. He was 37.
After collapsing in his home and being rushed to the hospital, Phil Lynott died in the ICU at the age of 36. He was a frequent user of heroin during his last years.
Thanks to whoever added him. He deserves to be way higher up this list, as does Franz Schubert.
Killed in a plane crash, aged just 30.
For those of you who don't know, Lowell George was the original vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for Little Feat. He died from a heart attack caused by an accidental cocaine overdose. He was only 34.
Yes, great singer and songwriter. Jackson Browne's song "Of Missing Persons" was written after Lowell George's death. Tragic loss.
Keith Relf died from an electric shock at the age of 33 while playing a guitar that wasn't properly grounded. He suffered from emphysema and asthma, which hampered his ability to survive the shock.
Died in a car accident at the age of 38.
One of the best voices of all time.
One of the best bassists of all time and one of the biggest figures in jazz fusion. He died from a brain hemorrhage that resulted from a bar fight he had with a bouncer at the Midnight Bottle Club. He was 35.
Jeff Buckley was born in Anaheim, California, from musical lineage. His mother, Mary Guibert, was a classically trained musician, and his father, Tim Buckley, was a well-known folk singer. Buckley, however, only met his father one time; the two spent a week together when Jeff was 8. The elder Buckley died of a heroin overdose at age 28, less than a year after the pair's meeting. ...read more.
Tommy Caldwell was the original bassist for the Marshall Tucker Band. He died at the age of 30 due to a car accident.