Music History Events: Died Young
June 11, 2016 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, known for placing third on Season 6 of The Voice, is killed when gunman Kevin James Loibl opens fire at a meet-and-greet at The Plaza Live theater in Orlando, Florida. The singer's brother, Marcus Grimmie, tackles Loibl, who fatally shoots himself during the scuffle.
July 13, 2013 Glee star Cory Monteith is found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after accidentally ingesting a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol. The 31-year-old actor played Finn Hudson on the popular FOX musical series.
May 4, 2012 Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) dies of cancer at age 47 in New York City.
July 23, 2011 Amy Winehouse dies in London of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.More
April 25, 2002 30-year-old Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (of TLC) dies in a car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras, after swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle and losing control. The only passenger fatally injured, she's thrown from the car and dies instantly.
April 19, 2002 Alice In Chains lead singer Layne Staley is discovered dead in his Seattle apartment after police break down his door to investigate reports that he is missing. Staley, whose addictions led him to cut off contact with friends and family, had died on April 5 of a drug overdose. He was 34.
April 5, 2002 Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley dies after overdosing on heroin and cocaine. The 34-year-old singer had fallen into addiction and lost most contact with the outside world. His body isn't discovered until two weeks later, when police enter his apartment on April 19 after friends and associates report him missing.
August 25, 2001 After shooting the music video for "Rock The Boat" in The Bahamas, 22-year-old Aaliyah dies in a plane crash along with eight others when the overloaded aircraft goes down shortly after takeoff.More
November 22, 1997 Michael Hutchence of INXS dies in a Sydney hotel room in what the coroner rules a suicide. The famous frontman was just 37.More
May 29, 1997 Jeff Buckley drowns while swimming in Wolf River in Tennessee. The singer/songwriter/guitarist known for his version of "Hallelujah" is 30 years old at the time of his death.More
March 9, 1997 Beloved New York rapper Biggie Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G.) is gunned down in Los Angeles streets just six months after his rival Tupac Shakur met the same fate.More
September 13, 1996 Tupac Shakur, age 25, dies six days after being shot while riding in a car driven by his label boss, Suge Knight. No arrests are made in the case.
May 25, 1996 Sublime frontman Brad Nowell dies of a heroin overdose at age 28, just one week after marrying Troy Dendekker, the mother of his 11-month-old son, Jakob.More
October 21, 1995 Blind Melon lead singer Shannon Hoon dies of a drug overdose at age 28.
March 31, 1995 23-year-old Tejano singer Selena dies after being shot by her former personal assistant and former fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Jennifer Lopez stars in a movie about her life that is released in 1997.
March 26, 1995 Eazy-E (Eric Wright) dies of AIDS-related complications at age 31.More
April 8, 1994 Kurt Cobain's body is found in his Seattle home by an electrician sent to install a burglar alarm. He is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound three days earlier. The Nirvana song "Come As You Are" takes on new meaning with the line, "I swear that I don't have a gun."More
April 5, 1994 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana kills himself with a shotgun at age 27. His body isn't discovered until three days later when an electrician enters to install an alarm.
December 5, 1993 Onetime Gin Blossoms guitarist Doug Hopkins commits suicide at age 32. Hopkins was fired from the group before the release of their debut album, New Miserable Experience, but the biggest hits from that album, "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You," were songs he wrote.
January 8, 1991 Steve Clark of Def Leppard dies of an accidental drug overdose at age 30.
August 27, 1990 35-year-old Stevie Ray Vaughan dies in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, following a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theater where earlier in the evening he appeared with Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and his older brother, Jimmie Vaughan.
March 19, 1990 Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, dies of a heroin overdose at age 24. Members of the band go on to form Pearl Jam.More
March 10, 1988 Andy Gibb, whose three older brothers are the Bee Gees, dies of heart failure at age 30. Gibb had three #1 hits in the late '70s, including "I Just Want To Be Your Everything."
September 27, 1986 Cliff Burton (Metallica's second bassist) dies in a bus crash in Sweden during Metallica's Damage Inc. tour in support of the Master of Puppets album. Burton, age 24, is asleep in his bunk when the bus skids off the road. He is thrown from the window and crushed when the vehicle rolls over him.
January 4, 1986 After a long battle with addiction, Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott dies at age 36.
December 28, 1983 Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys dies after diving into very cold water from a boat slip in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles.
November 19, 1983 Tom Evans of Badfinger commits suicide. Eight years earlier, his bandmate Pete Ham died in similar fashion. The acclaimed band had extraordinary bad business dealings with their record labels, Apple and Warner Bros., which were a contributing factor in their deaths.
February 4, 1983 Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters dies at age 32 of complications from anorexia.
July 16, 1981 Harry Chapin dies in a car crash at age 38.
May 11, 1981 Bob Marley dies at age 36 after a long battle with cancer.More
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