Deaths That Shook The Pop Music World

Buddy Holly was shaping the way that music was viewed in pop culture. His iconic rock riffs that were the foundation to more doo-wop rock of the '50s and '60s gave the public high hopes for the young budding star. 

However, all that came to a halt when the young man, 22 years old at the time, suffered through a terrible plane crash in Iowa, just moments after taking off. The young man died instantly, and the news shocked the nation. 

Jimi Hendrix was making major waves in the psych-rock world, and it was widely known that he was changing the music industry as we all knew it. His impeccable skills on guitar were unmatched, and to this day, Hendrix is still regarded as one of the best guitarists of all time.

Unfortunately, we didn't get much of Hendrix, as the rock star passed away at just 27 years old in 1970. What's worse, Hendrix died from choking on his own vomit after getting high in his London apartment from Benzos. 

The first woman to be indicted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Patsy Cline was on the rise. Her beautiful vocals and catchy tunes were everywhere in the '50s, and she had so much promise!

Unfortunately, Cline is another one on the list that passed way too soon from a plane crash. She was just 33 at the time. 

The popular theme continues. Otis Redding was just 26 years old when he died in a plane crash during an ice storm in Wisconsin. 

The most heartbreaking part was Redding wasn't even famous yet, and his music was only hitting the Soul charts. After his death, the Billboard 100 chart-topping song "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay" was released post-humously, and Redding reached a fame that he couldn't even enjoy. 

Another member of the 27 club, Kurt Cobain. The lead singer of Nirvana was at the forefront of the '90s grunge movement and was a huge pop-culture icon during that time.

However, substance abuse and mental health got the better of Cobain, and in 1994 the world came crashing down in April when it was announced Cobain had killed himself with a  shotgun. 

Reggae king and Rastafarian Bob Marley passed away too soon at just 33 years old. Not only was Marley a major icon for the Black community, but he brought Rastas culture to America, and was a prolific songwriter.

Unfortunately, Marley passed from melanoma and became very weak and frail in the months leading up to his death. He never left a will behind, which caused some heartbreak and discourse for his 11 children. 

Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant frontman for Queen saddened the whole world when he passed away in 1991. Being probably one of the most widely recognized singers in the whole world, Mercury left behind a legacy unmatched.

Sadly, Mercury passed away from bronchial pneumonia, a result of his AIDS diagnosis. 

Jim Morrison is another 27 club member, and lead singer of the incredible band from the '60s, The Doors. Morrison, who was occasionally problematic and erratic, was still hugely involved in changing a decade, and his shaman beliefs and spiritual ways inspired a whole genre of music.

Passing away in his bathtub at his Paris apartment, it was never fully concluded what caused his death since it was not French law to perform an autopsy. It was written that he died from heart failure, and fans to this day still visit his grave. 

Judy Garland was not just a wonderful singer and performer, but a phenomenal actress as well, so it came as a huge shock to the public when her death was announced. 

The iconic performer died from an accidental barbiturate overdose when she was just 47 years old, leaving behind her children and a huge legacy that continues on to this day.

Everyone knows what happened to John Lennon, but at the time it was world news, and the whole globe was in mourning. The iconic Beatles member was shot dead just outside of his own apartment in New York.

To this day, the apartment still has people leaving flowers outside the front doors, and The Beatles' influence in music and pop culture has never wavered.