Ever hear of the “27 Club”, the name given to a group of influential rock musicians all of whom died at the tragically young age of 27?
There are a few who are always listed in “27 Club” groupings—such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain—and members to come later like Amy Winehouse. However, there’s plenty of other less-notable musicians who were 27 at the time of their death.
Here’s a short list:
Janis Joplin
Jim Morrison
Amy Winehouse
Jimi Hendrix
Kurt Cobain
Robert Johnson
Brian Jones
“Pigpen” McKernan
D. Boon
Many more are less well known.
Though the official causes of death for these famous people vary—drug and alcohol abuse is often cited as a primary cause. Everyone on this list will be forever 27.
Who would you like to hear more of?
Wikipedia says that there was a British scientific study that found conclusively that there was no increased risk of death for 27 yr old musicians. Phew!
Coincidences are weird things. Remember a couple of years ago when we lost Prince, Tom Petty, David Bowie, and others all in the same year?
If you could have one of the 27 Club back, who would you choose? I’d like to hear more Amy Winehouse and Jimi Hendrix. Choosing between the two I’m not sure…
So many
I’d’ve liked to hear Amy Winehouse as she got older. And Jeff Buckley. Brian Jones would be 77 now, or probably dead by some other misadventure. I can’t imagine many of them as old folks.