Pick a Day

Music History Events: Crashes

November 23, 2001 Juan Hinojosa (drummer for Los Fabulosos Cuatro), along with his 28-year-old son, dies in a car crash in Texas.

December 11, 1998 Lynn Strait (lead singer for Snot) dies in a car accident in Santa Barbara, California, at age 30.

April 5, 1998 Prolific rock drummer Cozy Powell, who did time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, dies at 50 when he crashes his car on the M4 near Bristol, England. He was racing to his girlfriend's house, who had called him distraught.

February 6, 1998 Austrian singer-songwriter Falco (Hans Hölzel) dies in a car crash while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, just two weeks shy of his 41st birthday.

February 5, 1998 Tim Kelly (guitarist Slaughter) dies in a car accident in Arizona at age 35.

September 19, 1997 Christian singer-songwriter Rich Mullins dies in an automobile accident in Illinois while en route to a benefit concert at Wichita State University in Kansas. Mullins, age 41, was thrown from the vehicle and hit by an oncoming semi-trailer truck.

July 8, 1997 Weezer fan club founders Mykel Allan, 31, and her sister Carli, 29, are killed along with their younger sister, Trysta, in a car accident in Colorado on the way back from one of the band's shows. The girls, who had befriended many up-and-coming Los Angeles-based bands, are honored through many tribute songs, including Weezer's "Mykel and Carli" and Jimmy Eat World's "Hear You Me."

July 23, 1996 Rob Collins (keyboardist for The Charlatans UK) dies in a car crash at age 33.

June 18, 1995 Louise Dean (singer for Shiva) dies in a hit-and-run accident at age 24. Shiva's single "Freedom" peaks at #18 on the UK charts shortly after.

June 2, 1995 Stone Roses guitarist John Squire smashes his collarbone in a cycling accident, causing the band to pull out of major gigs.

January 29, 1994 Mary Wilson (of The Supremes) is injured and her 14-year-old son is killed in a California auto accident.

November 28, 1993 Jerry Edmonton (drummer for Steppenwolf) dies in a car accident in Santa Ynez, California, at age 47.

October 17, 1993 Criss Oliva (lead guitarist for Savatage) is killed by a drunk driver in Zephyrhills, Florida, at age 30.

April 10, 1992 Brash stand-up comedian Sam Kinison, who also appeared in several music videos ("Bad Medicine," "Kickstart My Heart," "Wild Thing"), dies at age 38 when his car is hit by a teenage drunk driver.

January 6, 1992 Steve Gilpin (vocalist for MI-sex) dies after a severe car accident leaves him in a coma in Southport, Queensland, Australia, at age 42.

October 25, 1991 The renowned concert promoter Bill Graham, who ran the Fillmore and Fillmore East venues, dies in a helicopter crash returning home from a Huey Lewis & the News concert. Graham, 60, provided a more intimate and elegant concert experience with improved sound and even light shows. Some of his bigger productions included The Band's "Last Waltz" final concert and the Grateful Dead's New Year's Eve shows.

March 17, 1991 Seven members of Reba McEntire's band, as well as her road manager and two pilots, are killed when their plane crashes near the Mexican border after a performance in San Diego. McEntire, along with two members of her band and some of her road crew, were on a different plane that took off before the one that crashed.

November 17, 1990 While speeding without a helmet, David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) crashes his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Los Angeles, breaking his shoulder, left leg, and ankle.

June 14, 1989 Pete de Freitas (drummer for Echo And The Bunnymen) dies in a motorcycle accident en-route to Liverpool from London at age 27.

March 21, 1987 Dean Martin's son Dean Paul Martin (of Dino, Desi & Billy) dies in a plane crash in California's San Bernardino Mountains at the age of 35 while serving in the Air National Guard.

December 31, 1985 Rick Nelson dies in a plane crash at age 45. A child star on The Ozzie and Harriet Show, he became a teen idol as a singer, charting 36 hits on the Top 40.

August 12, 1985 Singer/actor Kyu Sakamoto dies in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 crash at age 43.

October 2, 1983 ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog is involved in a car crash in Skane, Sweden, and suffers a concussion but soon recovers.

April 15, 1982 Billy Joel breaks his left wrist when a car slams into his motorcycle in Long Island. He has surgery on his hand and stays in the hospital for over a month.

March 18, 1982 Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes is partially paralyzed following a car accident in Philadelphia, where his Rolls Royce skids off a road and crashes.

January 15, 1982 Harry Casey (the KC in KC and the Sunshine Band) is badly injured in a head-on collision in Hialeah, Florida. After a long rehab, he returns to action and lands another hit in 1984 with "Give It Up."

October 5, 1981 Jud Strunk, comedian and singer/songwriter, crashes his private plane when he suffers a heart attack while taking off in Maine. The 45-year-old Strunk and his passenger are both killed. Known for the 1973 hit ballad "Daisy A Day."

April 28, 1981 Original T. Rex bass player Steve Currie dies in a car accident at age 33, four years after the group's lead singer Marc Bolan met his demise in a similar fashion.

March 5, 1981 Songwriter E.Y. "Yip" Harburg ("Over The Rainbow") dies in a car accident at age 81.

January 24, 1981 Aerosmith's Steven Tyler gets in a nasty motorcycle accident with his 17-year-old babysitter riding on the back. He spends the remainder of the year recovering, which delays the band's next album, Rock In A Hard Place.