People in our lives come and go, impacting us whether we like it or not. For some of us, music has had a huge impact; here are some of the legendary musicians who lived and graced us with their amazing talents.
10- Tupac Shakur
The notorious rapper released more albums dead than he did alive. He rose to fame with the popular group De La Soul. He later became famous as a solo artist with hits such as “Hail Mary,” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” Tupac leaves behind a legacy. His life ended September 1995 during a fatal drive-by on Hollywood Blvd, down the road after a Mike Tyson PPV. Tupac has been rumored to be living in the Bahamas with his biotches; his death faked in order to avoid the gangs of the West Coast, and, oh yeah, the IRS.
9- Kurt Cobain
Grunge rock began and ended with Kurt Cobain. As the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Nirvana, Cobain became the voice of “Generation X”. His song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became an anthem for young people everywhere who were tired of the ways of the older generation. Throughout his entire life, Cobain suffered from severe depression and anxiety. The problem only worsened when he became famous. He started using heroin to escape his unwanted popularity. On April 5th, 1994 he was found dead in his home in Seattle. The cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while high on an enormous dose of heroin.
8- Freddie Mercury
Everyone must know who Freddie Mercury is by now. He was the Asian-born British lead singer of Queen who dressed up like woman at times and painted his face all psychedelic colours. Some of the hits that Mercury wrote were “We Are the Champions,” “Changes,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” During the late 80’s, Mercury ventured into many Russian bathhouses and he met various people that later became his drinking buddies. In 1991, he was diagnosed with HIV and later died at the age of 44.
7- Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest British guitar players, dubbed as the ‘Left Handed Guitarist’ and he also happened to have an amazing afro. known for “Purple Haze”, sadly his life was cut short when he died in London from a drug overdose. Like Elvis, he was found naked, sitting on the toilet. How embarrassing! Some skeptical fans believe he died from having sex with his current girlfriend and had a heart attack. I guess we’ll never know the real story.
6- Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison was the brilliant frontman for the Doors, and he was also an excellent poet, writer and lyricist. Some say he was one of the greatest rock singers ever. He was later given the name “The Snake King” because of his love for reptiles. He moved to Paris for a while, recorded songs with street performers. known for “People are Strange”, “Riders on the Storm”, one day while touring in New Jersey, his car mysteriously went off the Stainton Memorial Causeway. The body of Jim Morrison was never found and the police declared him dead. There is a memorial of Jim Morrison in Paris in honor of the 70’s singer.
5- Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley was the most important reggae musicians in Jamaica if not the world. Bob was part of the reggae/rocksteady group the Wailers and recorded such hits as ” Jammin’,” “One Love” “No Women No Cry” and the cover of Eric Clapton’s hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” Bob Marley lived 9 years without taking a bath and had many children with various women including Rita Marley, one of his backup singers. Marley was only 35 when he passed away from cancer. His music is still quite popular to this day and lives on through his 20 children like Ziggy, Damien, Stephen, Jacob, Ky-Mani, Julian, and Billy.
4- Elvis Presley
Hail to the King, baby! Elvis was the world’s greatest rock musician and actor who released tons of classic albums and movies. Elvis was mostly popular in Las Vegas and played at many casinos in the 1960s. Elvis was found dead in his Vegas apartment, naked on the toilet. He apparently died from an accidental overdose and combined too many anti-anxiety pills and painkillers with sleeping pills. Taking that many over-the-counter drugs would kill anybody! Elvis fans believe to this day that he walks among us.. but usually it’s just a fat guy in an Elvis jumpsuit.
3- John Lennon
John Lennon was originally a member of the Beatles, but went on to become one of the biggest names in music, ever. An amazing singer and songwriter, known for “Give Peace a Chance,” “Imagine,” and “Band on the Run.” He was the father of two sons, Julien and Sean. On December 7, 1981, John Lennon was gunned down in the Village of NYC while standing in front of his home. It was a senseless death, caused by an even more senseless reason: The shooter, David Graham Chapman, was an obsessed fan. Not surprisingly, he was committed to a mental institution and remains there to this day.
2- Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, one of the best, known for “I Will Always Love You”, on February 11, Houston was found unconscious in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub; she was later pronounced dead. The cause of death was not immediately known. It was later ruled by the coroner to have been an “accidental drowning.”
1- Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson, What can I say about this great man besides that he is the King of Pop loved all around the world in the 90s? He had a big heart, a bigger one for his young fans, and in his defense not a pedophile, known for “Thriller”, “Smooth Criminal” , “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” On June 25, 2009, Jackson died in his bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Conrad Murray, his personal physician, were unsuccessful.