List of musicians who died before the age of 60

27BOZOS Rock, pop and blues music has a long history of premature deaths of influential musicians.

May these musicians rest in peace.

Died in Teens

Artist	Notoriety	Age	Born	Died	Cause of Death
Ritchie Valens	Singer	17	May 13, 1941	February 3, 1959	Airplane Crash
Rina Matsuno	Japanese Idol and Member of Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku	18	July 16, 1998	February 8, 2017	Cardiac Arrhythmia
Yukiko Okada	Japanese Idol	18	August 22, 1967	April 8, 1986	Suicide
Hiromi Yanagihara	Singer	19	October 19, 1979	July 16, 1999	car crash
Yaki Kadafi	Rapper and Member of Outlawz	19	October 9, 1977	November 10, 1996	Shooting

Died in 20s

Artist	Notoriety	Age	Born	Died	Cause of Death
XXXTentacion	Rapper/Singer	20	January 23, 1998	June 18, 2018	Shot to death
Pop Smoke	Rapper	20	July 20, 1999	February 19, 2020	Gunshot wounds
Eddie Cochran	Rock and roll musician	21	October 3, 1938	April 17, 1960	Traffic accident
Sid Vicious	Bassist of Sex Pistols	21	May 10, 1957	February 2, 1979	Heroin overdose
Juice WRLD	Rapper/Singer	21	December 2, 1998	December 8, 2019	Codeine and Oxycodone Overdose
Lil Peep	Rapper/Singer	21	November 1, 1996	November 15, 2017	Accidental Drug Overdose
6Dogs	Rapper/Singer	21	May 5, 1999	January 26, 2021	Suicide
Agustin Briolini	Vocalist / Guitarist of Argentine band The Krebs	22	April 6, 1992	November 23, 2014	Electrocution via improperly grounded microphone.
Darby Crash	Vocalist of The Germs	22	September 26, 1958	December 7, 1980	Suicide
Buddy Holly	Vocalist of The Crickets	22	September 7, 1936	February 3, 1959	Airplane crash
Aaliyah	Singer	22	January 16, 1979	August 25, 2001	Plane crash
Ariel Camacho	Lead singer of Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho	22	July 8, 1992	February 25, 2015	Car accident
Per "Dead" Yngve Ohlin	Vocalist of Mayhem	22	16 January 1969	8 April 1991	Suicide
Christina Grimmie	Singer	22	March 12, 1994	June 10, 2016	Murdered - Gunshot
Bobby Fuller	Singer/Songwriter, member of The Bobby Fuller Four	23	October 22, 1942	July 18, 1966	Suicide or accident
Ian Curtis	Vocalist of Joy Division	23	15 July 1956	18 May 1980	Suicide
Selena	Singer	23	April 16, 1971	March 31, 1995	Gunshot wounds
Duane Allman	Guitarist and founder of the Allman Brothers Band	24	November 20, 1946	October 29, 1971	Motorcycle crash
Tammi Terrell	Singer	24	April 29, 1945	March 16, 1970	Complications Related To Brain Tumor
Cliff Burton	Bassist of Metallica	24	February 10, 1962	September 27, 1986	Bus Crash
Andrew Wood	Vocalist of Malfunkshun, Mother Love Bone	24	January 8, 1966	March 19, 1990	Hypoxic Encephalopathy caused by Heroin Overdose
Stefanie Sargent	Bassist of 7 Year Bitch	24	June 1, 1968	June 27, 1992	Drug and alcohol related asphyxia
The Notorious B.I.G.	Rapper	24	May 21, 1972	March 9, 1997	Gunshot wounds
Lil' Chris	Singer-songwriter	24	August 26, 1990	March 23, 2015	Suicide by hanging
Charlie Ondras	Drummer of Unsane and Boss Hog	25	October 5, 1966	June 22, 1992	Heroin Overdose
Tupac Shakur	Rapper	25	June 16, 1971	September 13, 1996	Gunshot wounds
Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth	Guitarist of Mayhem	25	March 22, 1968	August 10, 1993	Murder
Moon Bin	Singer, member of Astro	25	January 26, 1998	April 19, 2023	Suicide
Randy Rhoads	Guitarist of Quiet Riot	25	December 6, 1956	March 19, 1982	Plane Crash
Otis Redding	Singer/Songwriter	26	September 9, 1941	December 10, 1967	Plane accident
Nick Drake	Singer/Songwriter	26	June 19, 1948	November 25, 1974	Intentional Overdose (Disputed)
Hillel Slovak	Original Guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers	26	April 13, 1962	June 25, 1988	Overdose
Marília Mendonça	Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.	26	July 22, 1995	November 5, 2021	Plane Crash
Mac Miller	American rapper and record producer	26	January 19, 1992	September 7, 2018	Drug Overdose
Pete Ham	Vocalist and guitarist of Badfinger	27	April 27, 1947	April 24, 1975	Suicide
Audie Pitre	Bassist of Acid Bath, Vocalist of Shrüm	27	October 5, 1970	Jan 23, 1997	Killed by a drunk driver while at a stoplight
Kurt Cobain	Vocalist of Nirvana	27	February 20, 1967	April 5, 1994	Suicide
Mia Zapata	Vocalist of The Gits	27	August 25, 1965	July 7, 1993	Murder
Kristen Pfaff	Bassist of Hole and Janitor Joe	27	May 26, 1967	June 16, 1994	Heroin Overdose
Richey Edwards	Bassist of Manic Street Preachers	27	December 22, 1967	February 1, 1995	Suicide (Disputed)
Jim Morrison	Vocalist of The Doors	27	December 8, 1943	July 3, 1971	Drug overdose
Les Harvey	Guitarist of Stone the Crows	27	September 13, 1944	May 3, 1972	Electrocution via Improperly Grounded Microphone
Jimi Hendrix	Lead Guitarist, Vocalist of The Jimi Hendrix Experience	27	November 27, 1942	September 18, 1970	Drug and alcohol related asphyxia
Janis Joplin	Singer	27	January 19, 1943	October 4, 1970	Drug overdose
Amy Winehouse	Singer	27	September 14, 1983	July 23, 2011	Alcohol poisoning
Robert Johnson	Guitarist, singer	27	May 8, 1911	August 16, 1938	Syphilis
Brian Jones	Guitarist of The Rolling Stones	27	February 28, 1942	July 3, 1969	Drowning
Danny Wilder	Vocalist/Guitarist of Kings of the City	27	February 11, 1986	October 3, 2013	Lung cancer
Kim Jong-hyun	Main vocalist of SHINee	27	April 8, 1990	December 18, 2017	Suicide
The Big Bopper	Singer, songwriter	28	October 24, 1930	February 3, 1959	Plane crash
Steve Gaines	Guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd	28	September 14, 1949	October 20, 1977	Plane crash
Shannon Hoon	Vocalist of Blind Melon	28	September 26, 1967	October 21, 1995	Drug overdose
Big Pun	Rapper	28	November 10, 1971	February 7, 2000	Heart attack
Mitch Lucker	Vocalist of Suicide Silence	28	October 20, 1984	November 1, 2012	Motorcycle crash
Kyle Pavone	Co-Lead Vocalist/Keyboardist of We Came as Romans	28	June 5, 1990	August 25, 2018	Heroin overdose
Gabriel Diniz	Singer, Songwriter	28	October 18, 1990	May 27, 2019	Plane Crash
Avicii	DJ, Songwriter	28	September 8, 1989	April 20, 2018	Suicide
Tom Searle	Lead Guitarist/Keyboardist of Architects	28	October 23, 1987	August 20, 2016	Melanoma
Tim Buckley	Singer, Songwriter	28	February 14, 1947	June 29, 1975	Morphine Overdose
Takeoff	Rapper, member of Migos and Unc & Phew	28	June 18, 1994	November 1, 2022	Gunshot wounds
Hank Williams	Country musician	29	September 17, 1923	January 1, 1953	Heart failure
Marc Bolan	Vocalist of T. Rex	29	September 30, 1947	September 16, 1977	Car crash
Ronnie Van Zant	Vocalist and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd	29	January 15, 1948	October 20, 1977	Plane crash
Cristiano Araújo	Singer, Songwriter	29	January 24, 1986	June 24, 2015	Car Crash

Died in 30s

Artist	Notoriety	Age	Born	Died	Cause of Death
Sean McDonnell	Vocalist/Guitarist of Surgery	30	October 2, 1965	January 11, 1995	Asthma Attack
Patsy Cline	Singer	30	September 8, 1932	March 5, 1963	Plane crash
Johnny Burnette	Singer/Songwriter	30	March 25, 1934	August 14, 1964	Drowning
Jim Croce	Singer-Songwriter	30	January 10, 1943	September 20, 1973	Plane crash
PnB Rock	Rapper/Singer	30	December 9, 1991	September 12, 2022	Shot to death
Criss Oliva	Lead guitarist and co-founder of Savatage	30	April 3, 1963	October 17, 1993	Car accident
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes	Singer, member of musical trio TLC	30	May 27, 1971	April 25, 2002	Car crash
Jeff Buckley	Singer–songwriter	30	November 17, 1966	May 29, 1997	Accidental drowning
Steve Clark	Guitarist of Def Leppard	30	April 23, 1960	January 8, 1991	a mixture of anti-depressants, painkillers and alcohol
Eazy-E	Member of N.W.A (West Coast)	30	September 7, 1964	March 26, 1995	AIDS
Satan Panonski	Croatian Punk Musician / Artist	31	June 4, 1960	January 27, 1992	Accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound
Terry Kath	Chicago guitarist, vocalist	31	January 31, 1946	January 23, 1978	Accidental suicide
Dwayne Goettel	Keyboardist of Skinny Puppy	31	February 1, 1964	August 23, 1995	Heroin overdose
Karen Carpenter	Vocalist of The Carpenters	32	March 2, 1950	February 4, 1983	Complications due to anorexia nervosa
Cass Elliot	Singer in The Mamas & the Papas	32	September 19, 1941	July 29, 1974	Contrary to popular belief: heart attack
Minnie Riperton	Singer-songwriter	32	November 8, 1947	July 12, 1979	Breast Cancer
John Bonham	Led Zeppelin drummer	32	May 31, 1948	September 25, 1980	Pulmonary edema
Keith Moon	Drummer of The Who	32	August 23, 1946	September 7, 1978	Chlormethiazole overdose
Bon Scott	Lead singer of AC/DC	33	July 9, 1946	February 19, 1980	Acute alcohol poisoning (disputed)
Sam Cooke	Gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter	33	January 22, 1931	December 11, 1964	Shot dead
Tom Parker	Singer, member of The Wanted	33	4 August, 1988	March 30, 2022	Brain cancer
Elliott Smith	Singer-songwriter	34	August 6, 1969	October 21, 2003	Stab wounds to the chest
Layne Staley	Lead singer of Alice In Chains	34	August 22, 1967	April 5, 2002	Overdose
Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly	Rapper, member of Kris Kross	34	August 11, 1978	May 1, 2013	Drug abuse
Stevie Ray Vaughan	Blues guitarist/singer	35	October 3, 1954	August 27, 1990	Helicopter crash
Jaco Pastorius	Jazz bassist	35	December 1, 1951	September 21, 1987	Brain hemorrhage
Jimmie Rodgers	Country musician	35	September 8, 1897	May 26, 1933	Tuberculosis
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	Austrian classical music composer	35	27 January 1756	5 December 1791	Disputed, possibly rheumatic fever
Blind Lemon Jefferson	Creator of the Texas Blues	36	September 24, 1893	December 12, 1929	Heart attack
Bob Marley	Singer, lead member of Bob Marley and the Wailers	36	February 6, 1945	May 11, 1981	Acral lentiginous melanoma
Ian Stuart Donaldson	Skrewdriver vocalist and Neo-Nazi Musician	36	August 11, 1957	September 24, 1993	Car crash
Renato Russo	Singer, songwriter, producer, vocalist of the band Legião Urbana	36	March 27, 1960	October 11, 1996	Complications caused by HIV
Bobby Darin	Singer-songwriter	37	May 14, 1936	December 20, 1973	Complications following heart surgery
Stephen Foster	American music composer	37	July 4, 1826	January 13, 1864	Starvation, fever, blow to head
Michael Hutchence	Lead singer of INXS	37	January 22, 1960	November 22, 1997	Suicide
Jam Master Jay	DJ, member of Run-DMC	37	January 21, 1965	October 30, 2002	Murder
Israel 'IZ' Kamakawiwoʻole	Singer, songwriter	38	May 20, 1959	June 26, 1997	Respiratory and cardiac issues
Paul Grey	Bassist of Slipknot	38	April 8, 1972	May 24, 2010	Overdose
Dennis Dannell	Social Distortion guitarist	38	June 24, 1961	February 29, 2000	Brain aneurysm
David Byron	Lead singer of Uriah Heep	38	January 29, 1947	February 28, 1985	Alcoholism
Dimebag Darrell	Guitarist of Pantera, Damage Plan	38	August 20, 1966	December 8, 2004	Shot to death
Harry Chapin	Singer-Songwriter, #1 Song (Cat's in the Cradle)	38	December 7, 1942	July 16, 1981	Car Accident
Rafael Orozco	Lead singer of El Binomio de Oro	38	March 24, 1954	June 11, 1992	Shot dead
Sarah Harding	Member of Girls Aloud	39	November 17, 1981	September 5, 2021	Breast Cancer

Died in 40s

Artist	Notoriety	Age	Born	Died	Cause of Death
Glenn Miller	Swing-era bandleader and Trombonist	40	March 1, 1904	December 14, 1944	Airplane crash over the English Channel
John Coltrane	Jazz Saxophonist	40	September 23, 1926	July 17, 1967	Liver Cancer
John Lennon	Singer-songwriter. Founding member of The Beatles	40	9 October 1940	8 December 1980	Shot dead
Nate Dogg	Rapper	41	August 19, 1969	March 15, 2011	Heart failure
Chester Bennington	Lead vocalist of Linkin Park	41	March 20, 1976	July 20, 2017	Suicide by hanging
Freddie King	Blues Guitarist	42	September 3, 1934	December 28, 1976	Acute Pancreatitis
Rich Mullins	Contemporary Christian music singer and composer	41	October 21, 1955	September 19, 1997	Ejected from a Jeep and run over by a truck
Karl Mueller	Bassist of Soul Asylum	42	July 27, 1963	June 17, 2005	Throat Cancer
Elvis Presley	Singer, actor and musician. "The King of Rock and Roll".	42	January 8, 1935	August 16, 1977	Heart attack
Prodigy	Rapper, member of Mobb Deep	42	November 2, 1974	June 20, 2017	Accidental choking, complications of sickle cell disease
Bessie Smith	Blues Singer	43	April 15, 1894	September 26, 1937	Car Crash
Charley Patton	Delta Blues Singer	43	April 1891	April 23, 1891	Mitral Valve Disorder
Seth Putnam	Vocalist of Anal Cunt	43	May 15, 1968	June 11, 2011	Heart attack
Amédé Ardoin	Cajun/[Creole singer	44	March 11, 1898	November 3, 1942	Venereal disease
Marvin Gaye	Singer-songwriter	44	April 2, 1939	April 1, 1984	Shot dead by his father
Billie Holliday	Singer-songwriter	44	April 7, 1915	July 17, 1959	Cirrhosis of the liver
Raul Seixas	Singer, songwriter, producer and pioneer of Brazillian Rock	44	June 28, 1945	August 21, 1989	Pancreatitis
Nat King Cole	Singer, jazz pianist	45	March 17, 1919	February 15, 1965	Lung cancer
Elmore James	Blues Guitarist	45	January 27, 1918	May 24, 1963	Heart Attack
Freddie Mercury	Vocalist / Pianist of Queen.	45	September 5, 1946	November 24, 1991	Died due to complications of AIDs and pneumonia
Ricky Nelson	Singer, musician and actor	45	8 May 1940	31 December 1985	Airplane crash
Phife Dawg	Rapper, member of A Tribe Called Quest	45	November 20, 1970	March 22, 2016	Diabetes
Dolores O’Riordan	Lead Singer Of The Cranberries	46	September 6, 1971	January 15, 2018	Accidental drowning
Craig Mack	Rapper	46	May 10, 1971	March 12, 2018	Heart failure
John Panozzo	Drummer of Styx	47	September 20, 1948	July 16, 1996	Gastrointestinal hemorrhanging and cirrhosis due to years of excessive drinking
Scott Joplin	Ragtime Composer and Pianist	48	November 24, 1868	April 1, 1917	Dementia caused by Neurosyphilis
Whitney Houston	Singer-songwriter	48	August 9, 1963	February 11, 2012	Drowning due to coronary artery disease and cocaine intoxication
Wayne Static	Lead vocalist/guitarist of Static-X	48	November 4, 1965	November 1, 2014	Combined drug and alcohol intoxication
Peter Steele	Vocalist / Bassist of Type O-Negative	48	January 4, 1962	April 14, 2010	Sepsis caused by Diverticulitis
Joey Ramone	Singer for Ramones	49	19 May 1951	15 April 2001	Lymphoma
Daniel "MF Doom" Dumile	Rapper	49	July 13, 1971	October 31, 2020	Angioedema

Died in 50s

	Notoriety	Age	Born	Died	Cause of Death
Jelly Roll Morton	Ragtime and Jazz Pianist	50	September 20, 1890	July 10, 1941	Heart Failure
Michael Jackson	Singer, member of Jackson 5, "King of Pop"	50	August 29, 1958	June 25, 2009	Cardiac Arrest
Earl "DMX" Simmons	Rapper	50	December 18, 1970	April 9, 2021	Cocaine Induced Heart Attack
Joe Strummer	Lead singer of The Clash	50	August 21, 1952	December 22, 2002	Congenital heart defect
Dee Dee Ramone	Bassist of Ramones	50	September 18, 1951	June 5, 2002	Heroin overdose
Taylor Hawkins	Drummer of Foo Fighters	50	February 17, 1972	March 25, 2022	Chest pain
Chris Cornell	Lead singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave	52	July 20, 1964	May 18, 2017	Suicide by hanging
Frank Zappa	Singer/Songwriter/Multi-Instrumentalist	52	21 December 1940	4 December 1993	Prostate cancer
John Denver	Country music/folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician	53	December 31, 1943	October 12, 1997	Plane crash
Maurice Gibb	Member of the Bee Gees	53	22 December 1949	12 January 2003	Volvulus
Jerry Garcia	Founder of the Grateful Dead	53	1 August 1942	9 August 1995	Heart Attack
George Michael	Singer-songwriter	53	25 June 1963	25 December 2016	Heart disease
Oliver	Singer	54	February 22, 1945	February 12, 2000	Lymphatic cancer
Vinnie Paul	Drummer of Pantera and Hellyeah	54	March 11, 1964	June 22, 2018	Coronary artery disease
Héctor Jorge Ruiz	Singer-songwriter	54	12 September, 1951	16 October, 2005	Lung cancer
Brad Delp	Lead singer of Boston	55	12 June 1951	9 March 2007	Charcoal-burning suicide
Johnny Ramone	Guitarist for Ramones	55	8 October 1948	15 September 2004	Prostate cancer
Woody Guthrie	Folk Singer-Songwriter	55	July 14, 1912	October 3, 1967	Huntington's Disease
Roger Miller	Singer/Songwriter	56	January 2, 1936	October 25, 1992	Lung and throat cancer
Dave Peverett	Lead vocalist and guitarist of Foghat	56	April 16, 1943	February 7, 2000	Renal cancer
Rick James	Singer/songwriter	56	1 February 1948	6 August 2004	Heart Attack
Diomedes Díaz	Singer-songwriter	56	May 26, 1957	December 22, 2013	Cardiorespiratory arrest
Warren Zevon	Singer-songwriter	56	January 24, 1947	September 7, 2003	Mesothelioma
Mark Lanegan	Singer / Songwriter Vocalist of Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Gutter Twins	57	November 25, 1964	February 22, 2022	Not Yet Known
Biz Markie	Rapper/DJ/Producer	57	April 8, 1964	July 16, 2021	Complications from type 2 diabetes
Jimmy Yancey	Boogie-Woogie Pianist	57	February 20, 1895	September 17, 1951	Diabetes induced Stroke
Scatman John	Singer-songwriter	57	March 13, 1942	December 3, 1999	Lung cancer
Prince	Singer-songwriter	57	June 7, 1958	April 21, 2016	Fentanyl overdose
Doris Coley	Lead singer of The Shirelles	58	August 2, 1941	February 4, 2000	Breast Cancer
George Harrison	Lead Guitarist for The Beatles	58	21 February 1943	29 November 2001	Throat cancer
Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Gospel Blues Singer and Guitarist	58	March 20, 1915	October 9, 1973	Diabetes induced Stroke
Coolio	Rapper	59	August 1, 1963	September 28, 2022	Drug overdose

See also

• 27 Club
• List of entertainers who died before the age of 60
• List of musicians who died because of alcoholism
• Lists of people by cause of death
• List of unusual deaths