27 Club

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The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club, is a popular culture name for a group of influential rock and blues musicians who all died at the age of 27, sometimes under mysterious circumstances.[1][2][3]

[edit] Musicians usually included in the 27 Club

There is some debate as to the criterion used to include musicians who died at the age of 27 in the "27 Club". The impetus for the Club's creation were the deaths of an unusual number of prominent 27 year old musicians within a two year period of time. Lists include Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. All four of these musicians died between 1969 and 1971. Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison all died within a ten month period. Morrison and Jones died on the same date two years apart. Kurt Cobain, who died in 1994, was later included by some, probably due to his popularity and his death occurring at the pinnacle of his career. (According to the book Heavier Than Heaven, when Cobain died, his sister claimed that as a kid he would talk about how he wanted to join the 27 Club.)[4]

Name Date of death Cause of death Fame
Brian Jones July 3, 1969 Drowned in swimming pool. Rolling Stones founder and rhythm guitarist/multi-instrumentalist.
Jimi Hendrix September 18, 1970 Asphyxiated on vomit after accidental overdose of sleeping pills. Pioneering electric guitarist, singer, and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Band of Gypsys.
Janis Joplin October 4, 1970 Possible heroin overdose after misjudging the purity of the drug. Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band.
Jim Morrison July 3, 1971 Official cause of death listed as "heart failure" but, as no autopsy was performed, the actual cause remains mysterious. Possible accidental overdose. Poet, lead singer, songwriter, and video director for The Doors.
Kurt Cobain c. April 5, 1994 Although there is much speculation about the manner of his death, it was officially ruled as caused by a self inflicted gun shot. Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for Nirvana.

[edit] Other well-known musicians who died at 27

Some lists include other musicians who died at age 27. Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross writes, "The number of musicians who passed away at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. [Although] humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27."[3]

Name Date of death Cause of death Fame
Louis Chauvin March 26, 1908 Syphilis. Ragtime musician.
Robert Johnson August 16, 1938 Unknown, but typically credited to strychnine poisoning. Possibly shot. Bluesman. Recorded very famous and influential set of 29 songs that influenced many famous musicians after him.
Jesse Belvin February 6, 1960 Car accident. R&B singer and songwriter
Johnny Kidd October 7, 1966 Motor Car Accident. Leader, singer and songwriter for Johnny Kidd and The Pirates
Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson September 3, 1970 Barbiturate overdose, possible suicide. Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat.
Les Harvey May 2, 1972 Electrocuted by a microphone. Guitarist of Stone the Crows.
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan March 8, 1973 Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism. Founding member and keyboardist of the Grateful Dead.
Dave Alexander February 10, 1975 Pulmonary edema. Bassist for The Stooges.
Peter Ham April 24, 1975 Suicide by hanging. Keyboardist/Guitarist, leader of Badfinger.
Gary Thain December 8, 1975 Drug overdose. Former bassist of Uriah Heep.
Chris Bell December 27, 1978 Car accident; ran into a telephone pole. Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo.
D. Boon December 22, 1985 Lying down in the back of a van when it veered off road, he was ejected from the vehicle and broke his neck. Guitarist, lead singer of punk band the Minutemen.
Pete de Freitas June 14, 1989 Motorcycle accident on his way back from filming a music video Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen.
Mia Zapata July 7, 1993 Murdered. Lead singer of The Gits.
Kristen Pfaff June 16, 1994 Heroin overdose. Bass guitarist for Hole.
Fat Pat February 3, 1998 Shot. Rapper and member of Screwed Up Click.
Sean Patrick McCabe August 28, 2000 Choked on his own vomit after ingesting too much alcohol Lead singer of Ink & Dagger.
Jeremy Michael Ward May 25, 2003 Heroin overdose. The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator.
Bryan Ottoson April 19, 2005 Accidental prescription drug overdose. Guitarist for American Head Charge.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The 27 Club from BBC Radio 2. Access date 19 June, 2007
  2. ^ Malu, Berges Y, "The 27 Club" in Split Magazine, May 20, 2007. Access date 19, June, 2007
  3. ^ a b Cross, Charles R., "P-I's Writer in Residence Charles R. Cross explores the darker side of 'only the good die young'" in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 23 February, 2007. Access date 19, June, 2007
  4. ^ Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. HyperionBooks.com.

[edit] External links