The 27 Club
- Amy Winehouse – Image via Wikipedia
Another Demise of a Brit Talent – Amy Winehouse, died Today at the age of 27. Though she became Controversial in Paparazzi, but she was DAMN talented singer. Her powerful deep contralto vocals reminds that ole school Real Jazz Music. As a matter of fact, I could say proudly, unquestionably, undoubtedly and 100% Surely that She was One of the Best Female Singers ever heard of all Time.
Tragically but Magically, She eventually joins the famous “27 Club”. The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club, Club 27 or the Curse of 27, is the title for an epitomic group of influential musicians who all died at the age of 27. They are generally considered to have led a “rock and roll” lifestyle.
The original “27 club” was Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, who died within 2 years of each other in 1969-1971. To these is usually added Kurt Cobain (1994). Many other notable people, some well-known, others less so, also died at the age of 27. I have omitted some other musicians and actors (who would otherwise dominate the list) to make a broader and (hopefully) more interesting list. The “biographies” are necessarily short and cannot go into the speculations and conspiracy theories that have arisen around some of the deaths. Plus, Their deaths during this ripe age are either known or shrouded in mystery.
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (8 May 1911 – 16 August 1938). American singer and guitarist.
Drank whiskey laced with strychnine at a country crossroads near Greenwood, Mississippi. The details are unknown, and there are a number of accounts and theories. Researcher Mack McCormick claims to have interviewed Johnson’s alleged poisoner in the 1970s, and obtained an implicit admission of guilt. When Johnson was offered an open bottle of whiskey, his friend and fellow blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson knocked it out of his hand, and told him that he should never drink from an open bottle. Johnson allegedly said, “Don’t ever knock a bottle out of my hand”. Soon after, he was offered another open bottle and accepted it. That bottle was laced with strychnine. Johnson is reported to have started to feel ill throughout the evening and had to be helped back to his room in the early morning hours. Over the next three days, his condition steadily worsened and witnesses reported that he died in a convulsive state of severe pain—symptoms which are consistent with strychnine poisoning. Strychnine was readily available at the time as it was a common pesticide and, although it is very bitter-tasting and extremely toxic, a small quantity dissolved in a harsh-tasting solution such as whiskey could possibly have gone unnoticed but still produced the symptoms and eventual death that Johnson experienced.
Brian Jones
Drowned in a swimming pool. The coroner’s report stated “death by misadventure.” He was a Rolling Stones founder and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist…His age was 27 years & 125 days old and he died on July 3, 1969.
Brian Jones was the founder of a little known band named The Rolling Stones. While on the phone to secure a gig with a venue owner, Brian came up with the name “Rollin(g) Stones” by reading it off an album that was laying around. Their music consisted mostly of R&B covers and it wasn’t until Andrew Loog Oldham joined that they began shifting their focus to newer, more original material. This transition reduced Jones’ role in the band which was further accelerated with his drug habit and alcohol abuse. He became alienated from The Rolling Stones and eventually, he was no longer a member of the band he helped form. One month later, he was found face down in his swimming pool.
Jimi Hendrix
Autopsy showed he asphyxiated on vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine. He was a Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys. His age was 27 years & 295 days old and he died on September 18, 1970.
There was nothing about Jimi Hendrix that didn’t stick out; from his flamboyant outfits, to his left-handed guitar, or his use of amp overdrive. After being turned down by The Rolling Stones, Jimi was introduced to Chas Chandler via Keith Richard’s girlfriend. They went on to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience a rock band that would revolutionize the genre forever. In 1969, he headlined the biggest music festival of all time, Woodstock. One year later, Jimi Hendrix was found dead after overdosing on pills and drowning in his own vomit (asphyxiation).
Janis Joplin
She died of a probable heroin overdose..She was a lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band. Her age was 27 years & 258 days old and she died on October 4, 1970.
Janis’ big break came in 1966 when she became the lead vocalist of the psychedelic hippie rock band, Big Brother and The Holding Company. She was renowned for her strong powerful vocals during a male-dominated rock era. Janis Joplin performed at Woodstock after having several shots of heroin and being highly inebriated. In 1970, she flew to Brazil where she cleaned up her act and remained sober for a while. She would later return to the US where her drug habits would resurface and ultimately, get the better of her as she died from an apparent heroin overdose in October 1970.
Jim Morrison
His cause of death listed as “heart failure”; however, no autopsy was ever performed. He was the lead singer, songwriter and video director for The Doors.. His age was 27 years & 207 days old and he died on July 3, 1971.
Jim Morrison was a poet, a writer, a filmmaker, and of course, the lead singer for the rock band, The Doors. Controversy surrounded The Doos when they were asked to perform on the Ed Sullivan show. Fearing that the lyric “Girl We Couldn’t Get Much Higher” was too risqué for television, Ed Sullivan requested that the band modify the sentence to be more TV friendly to which they agreed. When they played, Jim proceeded with original wording which infuriated Ed Sullivan. The Doors had great success in the late 60s but Jim Morrison started to get out of control. He was constantly drugged or drunk and would oftentimes show up late for live performances. In 1971, he moved to Paris and a few months later, Jim Morrison was found dead in his apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear as an autopsy was never performed.
Kurt Cobain
He was the founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Nirvana. His age was 27 years & 44 days old and he committed suicide on April 5, 1994.
In an era where rock music was all about long hair and leather jackets, Kurt Cobain sported short hair and wore flannel clothing. Nirvana became an overnight success when they took Michael Jackson off the number one slot in the Billboard music charts with their smash hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit. Grunge music would go on to flood the radio airwaves throughout the early nineties. In 1992, Cobain wed the equally unorthodox Courtney Love with whom they had daughter Frances Bean Cobain. In 1993, Nirvana, known for their grungy loud music, were approached by MTV and asked to perform a quieter, more intimate acoustic set. Kurt Cobain’s emotional performance in Where Did You Sleep Last Night still sends chills down our spines.
Amy Winehouse
Her cause of death has yet to be determined. She was a multiple award-winning English singer-songwriter.. She was 27 years & 312 days old and she died on July 23, 2011.
Ironically, Amy Winehouse owed much of her popularity to her song Rehab which contained the lyric “They tried to make me go to rehab but I said ‘no, no, no.’” After struggling with drug addiction, Amy Winehouse finally went against those same words and checked into rehab in 2011. After a short stay, the singer checked herself out of rehab and began a new European tour. She was booed off stage after showing up at her first gig intoxicated and unable to remember the lyrics to her famous songs. Her tour was cancelled following the incident to give her more time to recover. She was found dead in her London home a few weeks later.
For More Details Visit :- The 27_Club
Apart from the above mentioned famous musicians, there are some other famous personalities from various fields who died on the same age. However, they are not counted among The Club 27.
Lea De Mae
Andrea Absolonová (aka Lea De Mae and other pseudonyms) (26 December 1976 – 9 December 2004). Czech athlete, model and pornographic actress.
Died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Absolonová was a member of the Czech diving team and injured her spine in an accident while training for the 1996 Olympics. She partially recovered and qualified for the 2000 Olympics, but persistent problems forced her to retire. She was later persuaded by a photographer to pose nude and eventually to participate in the adult film industry. She appeared in over 80 adult films. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma in July 2004. During her battle for life, fans from around the world and fellow porn actors supported a medical fund that had been set up for her in Prague, but she died 17 days short of her 28th birthday.
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915). English poet, known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War.
Died of sepsis from an infected mosquito bite on a British navy ship off Lemnos in the Aegean Sea, en route to Gallipoli, Turkey. As the expeditionary force had orders to depart immediately, he was buried the same night on Skyros. His most famous line of poetry, perhaps fittingly, is: “If I should die, think only this of me: / That there’s some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England.” (Australian and New Zealand readers will understand the significance of the date and his destination.)
Jean-Michael Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat (22 December 1960 – 12 August 1988). American artist.
Died of mixed-drug toxicity (he had been combining cocaine and heroin, known as “speedballing”) in his Manhattan loft/studio. In 1982, Basquiat became friends with pop artist Andy Warhol and the two made a number of collaborative works. They also painted together, influencing each others’ work. By 1984, many of Basquiat’s friends were concerned about his excessive drug use and increasingly erratic behavior, including signs of paranoia. Warhol died in 1987 and Basquiat the following year. (In the 1996 film Basquiat, Warhol was played by David Bowie (see no 15).)
Patrick Daniel Tillman (6 November 1976 – 22 April 2004). American football player and soldier.
Killed by “friendly fire” in Afghanistan. In May 2002 Tillman turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from his team and enlisted in the US Army. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite holding views critical of the Iraq war. On 22 April 2004 he was killed, along with an Afghan militiaman, in a “friendly fire” incident while on patrol. The specific details of his death and its aftermath are currently being investigated by the US Congress. The Army initially claimed that Tillman and his unit were attacked in an apparent ambush. After a lengthy investigation, the US Department of Defense concluded that the deaths were due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight. A more thorough investigation concluded that no hostile forces were involved in the firefight and that two allied groups fired on each other in confusion after a nearby explosive device was detonated. Claims, counter-claims, accusations (including that he was deliberately targeted (ie murdered)) and investigations continue.
For more details visit : 20 Notable People Who Died at 27
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27 might be The Age of Deadly,
But still those who died are Born Legendary.
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Ash Bee Zone 