Wednesday, July 27, 2011

RIP Amy... and RIP rest of you

Another musician dies a pre-mature death this weekend - Amy Winehouse.

Frankly speaking, I hadn't listened to much of her music, and I didn't even care if she had a great voice (as critics claim) while she was alive. I am the kind of guy who doesn't like expanding his horizons beyond his pre-set bounds as far as music is concerned. And my bounds are limited to British Rock from the 60s, 70s and 80s. So any news about the likes of Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Eminem, and even the modern rock bands like Green Day and Linkin Park, doesn't excite me much.

However, the news of Winehouse's pre-mature death made me stop and think for a while - Why is it that musicians become easy target to an early death as compared to other celebrities?

Its not the first time that a famous musician has died at a young age while he / she was at the pinnacle of his / her career in music. It is in fact a very strange thing that the mortality rate at a pre-mature age amongst musicians is much higher as compared to that in other similar professionals - painters, sportspersons, actors, all of them have a greater chance of living a long life as compared to musicians.

The causes of these musicians' pre-mature deaths are also not the same always. Here are some of the ways I remember some of the well-known musicians died -
1. Over consumption of alcohol / drugs
2. Over consumption of sleeping pills
3. Heart failure, cancer, Aids
4. Accident
5. Murder
6. Suicide

And here is the list of famous musicians I remember who died quite early (not in any specific order), and the causes of their deaths -

1. Jimi Hendrix - Died at age of 27 due to over-consumption of sleeping pills.

2. Janis Joplin - She was 27 when she died. The cause is reported to be overdose of heroin.

3. John Lennon - Former member of "The Beatles". Murdered at the age of 40.

4. John Bonham - Led Zeppelin drummer. Died aged 32, due to over-consumption of alcohol.

5. Keith Moon - Drummer in the band "The Who". Died at age 32 due to over-consumption of a prescribed drug.

6. Dimebag Darrell Abbot - Guitarist in the heavy metal band "Pantera". Murdered while carrying out a live performance at the age of 38.

7. Brian Jones - Founder and former guitarist of "The Rolling Stones". Died at age of 27 when he was found drowned in swimming pool. It is uncertain whether it was an accident or a murder.

8. Jim Morrison - Lead singer of band "The Doors". Died at age 27. Found dead in his bathtub. However, it is uncertain whether it was due to drug overdose or a case of murder.

9. Kurt Cobain - Lead singer of "Nirvana". Killed himself with a shotgun at age of 27.

10. Michael Jackson - At the age of 50, suffered cardiac arrest due to overdose of propofol - an intravenous hypnotic agent he had been using for getting sleeps.

11. Cliff Burton - Bassist of "Metallica". Died aged just 24 when Metallica's tour bus met with an accident.

12. Bon Scott - Lead singer for band AC/DC, died at the age of 33 due to heavy drinking.

13. Bob Marley - Died due to skin cancer at the age of 36.

14. Dave Williams - Lead singer of the Alternative Rock band "Drowning Pool" died due to a heart disease at the age of 30.

15. Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines - Lead vocalist, guitarist and backup singer respectively of the American rock band "Lynyrd Skynyrd", all died in a plane crash. They were 29, 28 and 29 respectively.

16. Tommy Bolin - Guitarist for "Deep Purple". Died aged 25 because of drug overdose.

17. Elvis Presley - Died aged 42 due to continuous abuse of prescription drugs.

18. Hillel Slovak - Guitarist and founding member of "Red Hot Chilli Peppers". Died at the age of 26 due to heroin addiction.

19. Paul Gray - Bassist for band "Slipknot". Died aged 38 due to accidental overdose of morphine.

20. Freddie Mercury - Lead singer of "Queen", died at 45 due to Aids.

21. Randy Rhoads - The guitarist died in an airplane crash when he was just 25.

22. Amy Winehouse - Died at an age of 27 due to reasons which are still to be explained.

The list doesn't end here. These are the musicians that came to my mind instantly. If you refer the Google, you may find scores of more musicians. If you know any other musician whom I have missed out, and who makes to this list, please put his / her name in the comments.