In art, death equals fame. This is a quick look at some of the often-overlooked musicians as well as platinum-selling artists from all genres, who gave their souls to music or killed themselves trying.
Why is it that our favorite musicians do heroin and die mysterious deaths?
Erik Satie (Honfleur, May 17, 1866- Paris July 1, 1925):
In the years before and after the First World War, Paris was the cultural hub for the arts. Yet in music, bombastic Germanic traditions still cast a shadow over France. So when Erik Satie composed his simple and sensitive Trois Gymnopedies, he anticipated the minimalist movement. The first to invent ambient music, Satie was also a humorist, collector and heavy drinker who eventually drank himself to death, dying of cirrhosis of the liver. And so it was, when Satie died in 1925, he kept in his apartment wardrobe 84 identical handkerchiefs, along with 12 identical velvet costumes and dozens of umbrellas. He was 69.
Elliott Smith (Omaha, NE August 6, 1969- Los Angeles, CA Oct. 21, 2003):
Perhaps the reason why Elliott Smith is one of the most important singer/songwriters our generation has seen thus far is his ability to give a voice to the out-crowd. He possessed a unique talent to hide heart-wrenching lyrics with beautiful pop melodies like in "The White Lady Loves You More" and "Rose Parade." Drawing influences from his early years in Texas, Smith sounds like the love child of Hank Williams, Elvis Costello and flamenco guitar. A longtime drug user, Smith died of two seemingly self-inflicted stab wounds to the heart and lacerations on his forearms and hands. He was found in his apartment in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. He was 34.
Miles Davis (Alton IL May 26, 1926- New York, NY September 28, 1991)
Often referred to as the “Picasso of Jazz,” Miles Davis reinvented the genre seemingly every decade. Armed with his trumpet and composing skills, Davis was the first one to make jazz cool with the release of "The Birth of Cool" in 1957. After a brief stint with heroin in the 1950’s, Davis cleaned up and was the first to go electric with "Bitches Brew" in 1970. "Bitches Brew" went on to sell over 400,000 copies, making it the best-selling jazz album of all time. Davis worked with Herbie Hancock and John Coltrane, until he died of a stroke at 65.
Sam Cooke (Clarksdale, MI January 22, 1931- Los Angeles December 11, 1964)
Steve Perry, Rod Stewart and The Animals all site gospel singer/songwriter-turned-1950’s-pop-icon Sam Cooke as major influences in their music. As one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame, Cooke is considered the father of soul music, with number one hits like “Chain Gang” and “Cupid.” He died at age 33 under shady circumstances. Cooke was shot three times with a .22 by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, after he broke into the motel’s office wearing only one shoe and an overcoat. Forty years later, questions remain about his obscure death and there is talk of re-opening the case.
Patsy Cline (Winchester, VI September 8, 1932- Camden, TN March 5, 1963)
The mainstay at the Grand Ole’ Opry in the 1960’s was Patsy Cline. As the original rockabilly chick, Cline got her big break with “Walkin’ After Midnight” and the present-day karaoke favorite “Crazy,” written by Willie Nelson. She rocketed to icon status when she died in a plane crash at age 30.
Ian Curtis (Manchester, UK July 15, 1956- Macclesfield, UK May 18, 1980)
It is impossible to not have heard the indie classic “Love Will Tear us Apart,” by new wave inventors Joy Division. In an era of disco and hippie rock, front man Ian Curtis’ rockin' dance tunes and signature deep, airy voice set the stage for much of the crap rip-off that are coming around today. He danced like he was having seizures, and well, sometimes he was — he was epileptic. Curtis committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his home days before Joy Division was to tour the US. Troubled by depression his whole life, it is rumored that he slit the sides of his mouth upward before so he would be smiling while dead. He was 23.
Bon Scott (Kirriemuir, Scotland July 9, 1946- South London, UK February 19, 1980)
Bon Scott, lead vocalist for legendary AC/DC, is the reason the word "rockstar" was invented and capitalized. Scott joined AC/DC in 1974, and is the gem of Australian rock. Now, it’s impossible to turn the radio to the classic rock station and not hear Scott’s ball-gripping high screams. At age 33, Scott took the "Highway to Hell" and choked on his own vomit after a night of partying hard. The official cause: "Death by Misadventure."
Eazy-E (Compton, CA September 7, 1963- Compton, CA march 26, 1995)
Former drug dealer/pimp, Eric Wright decided to try hip hop on for size and thus gansta rap was born. With his high-pitched voice, Eazy-E outlined life as a young, black man living in a ghetto town outside of Los Angeles, and reminded us all that “the boys in the 'hood are always hard.” As a member of N.W.A. Eazy gave law enforcement lovers a new anthem with “Fuck the Police.” In early 1995, he went to the hospital with what he thought was bronchitis. As it turned out, it was full blown AIDS. Shouldn’t a had your nuts on her chin, man. He was 31.
Aaliyah (Brooklyn, NY January 16, 1979-Bahamas August 25, 2001)
At age of 15, Aaliyah Dana Haughton released her first album “Age Aint Nothing But a Number,” with the help of R&B heavyweight R. Kelly. Shortly there after, it was revealed that Aaliyah and the esteemed R. Kelly were married and that she had falsified documents to make herself 18 and legal. She worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott for the rest of her albums, starred in two movies and had international number one songs like “Try Again” and “Are you That Somebody?”. She died in a plane crash when she was returning from a video shot in the Bahamas. Why couldn’t it have been Mariah Carey?
Nick Drake (Rangoon, Burma June 19, 1948- Tanworth-in-Arden, UK November 25, 1974
Though he died in the mid-70’s, Nick Drake has only recently gained popularity, thanks to a spot on the incredibly popular “Garden State” movie soundtrack and Brad Pitt’s narration on a BBC documentary about the artist. A painfully shy and depressed musician, Drake hated touring and thus received little attention during his lifetime. He committed suicide by taking sleeping pills and was found dead in his bedroom at his parents house. He was 26.
Tupac Shakur (Brooklyn NY, June 16, 1971- Las Vegas, NV September 13, 1996)
The weird thing about Tupac Shakur is that he has released more albums after he died than he did when he was living—each one getting progressively worse. Living the ghetto fab life, Tupac’s lyrics were poetic and prodigious. Some might even say his rhyming skills are unparalleled. With hits like “To Live and Die in L.A.” and “California Love,” Tupac was big in the East Coast vs. West Coast feud. He was gunned down in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas after watching the big Mike Tyson fight.
