The 27 Club is the infamous group of musicians who died at the age of 27. The name was invented after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994. As of today, there are 45 known members of the Forever 27 Club.
The 27 death phenomenon started during the 1969 following the deaths of famous rock & roll artists. Fans believed that the number 27 is mythical giving reference to the Bible — 27 books of New Testament; Jesus Christ was the 27th generation from David.
Astrologists held that Saturn’s Return comes between the age of 27 and 30. Saturn is associated with sorrow and regret and the door to infinite wisdom.
Here is the list of famous members of 27 Club:
Alexandre Levy
Composer, pianist, conductor
Born: 10 Nov 1864
Died: 17 Jan 1892
Louis Chauvin
Ragtime musician
Born: 13 March 1881
Died: 26 Mar 1908
Cause: Syphillis
Robert Johnson
Ragtime Musician.
Born: 8 May 1911
Died: 16 Aug 1938
Cause: Unknown, but thought to have been strychnine poisoning – possibly shot
Nat Jaffe
Swing jazz pianist
Born: 1 Jan 1918
Died: 5 Aug 1945
Cause: High blood pressure
Jesse Belvin
R&B singer and songwriter.
Born: 15 Dec 1932
Died: 6 Feb 1960
Cause: Car accident
Rudy Lewis
R&B Swinger
Born: 23 Aug 1936
Died: 20 May 1964
Cause: Probable drug overdose although his family think otherwise
Malcolm Hale
Guitarist and trombonist in Spanky and the Gang
Born: 17 May 1941
Died: 20 May 1964
Cause: Carbon monoxide poisoning
Dickie Pride
Rock n Roll Singer
Born: 21 October 1941
Died: 26 March 1969
Cause: Overdose of sleeping pills
Brian Jones
Rhythm guitarist/multi-instrumentalist
Born: 28 Feb 1942
Died: 3 July 1969
Cause: Drowned in swimming pool
Jimi Hendrix
Pioneering electric guitarist, singer, and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Band of Gypsys.
Born: 27 Nov 1942
Died: 18 Sep 1970
Cause: Asphyxiated on vomit after accidental overdose of sleeping pills
Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson
Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat.
Born: 4 July 1943
Died: 3 Sep 1970
Cause: Barbiturate overdose, possible suicide
Janis Joplin
Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band.
Born: 19 Jan 1943
Died: 4 Oct 1970
Cause: Possible heroin overdose
Arlester “Dyke” Christian
American Soul Singer
Born: 13 June 1943
Died: 13 March 1971
Cause: Shot
Jim Morrison
Poet, lead singer, songwriter, and video director for The Doors.
Born: 8 Dec 1943
Died: 3 Jul 1971
Cause: Official cause of death listed as “heart failure” but, as no autopsy was performed, the actual cause remains mysterious. Possible accidental overdose
Linda Jones
Bassist in Dyke and the Blazers
Born: 14 December 1944
Died: 14 March 1972
Cause: Diabetes
Les Harvey
Guitarist of Stone the Crows.
Born: 13 Sept 1944
Died: 2 May 1972
Cause: Electrocuted by a microphone
Ron “Pigpen” McKernan
Founding member and keyboardist of the Grateful Dead.
Born: 8 Sept 1945
Died: 8 March 1973
Cause: Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism
Roger Lee Durham
Vocalist and percussionist in Bloodstone
Born: 14 Feb 1946
Died: 27 July 1973
Cause: Riding accident
Wallace Yohn
Organist for the jazz-rock band Chase
Born: 12 Jan 1947
Died: 12 Aug 1974
Cause: Plane crash
Dave Alexander
Bassist for The Stooges.
Born: 3 June 1947
Died: 10 Feb 1975
Cause: Pulmonary edema
Peter Ham
Keyboardist/Guitarist, leader of Badfinger.
Born: 27 Apr 1947
Died: 24 Apr 1975
Cause: Suicide by hanging
Gary Thain
Bassist in Uriah Heep
Born: 15 May 1948
Died: 8 Dec 1975
Cause: Drug overdose
Cecilia
Europop Singer
Born: 11 Oct 1948
Died: 2 Aug 1976
Cause: Car accident
Helmut Köllen
Bassist in Triumvirat
Born: 2 Mar 1950
Died: 3 May 1977
Cause: Carbon monoxide poisoning
Chris Bell
Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo.
Born: 12 Jan 1951
Died: 27 Dec 1978
Cause: Drove a car into a telegraph pole
Jacob Miller
Reggae artist & Lead Singer of Inner Circle
Born: 4 May 1952
Died: 23 Mar 1980
Cause: Car crash
D. Boon
Guitarist, lead singer of punk band the Minutemen.
Born: 1 April 1958
Died: 22 Dec 1985
Cause: Lying down in the back of a van when it left the road, he was thrown from the van and broke his neck
Alexander Bashlachev
Russian Poet, Musician, Singer Songwriter
Born: 27 May 1960
Died: 17 Feb 1988
Cause: Probable suicide
Pete de Freitas
Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen.
Born: 2 Aug 1961
Died: 14 Jun 1989
Cause: Motorcycle accident returning from filming a music video
Mia Zapata
Lead singer of The Gits.
Born: 25 August 1965
Died: 7 Jul 1993
Cause: Murdered
Kurt Cobain
Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for Nirvana.
Born: 20 Feb 1967
Died: 8 Apr 1994
Cause: Officially recorded as suicide by self-inflicted gunshot, although there remains much speculation
Kristen Pfaff
Bass guitarist for Hole
Born: 26 May 1967
Died: 16 Jun 1994
Cause: Heroin overdose
Fat Pat
Rapper and member of Screwed Up Click
Born: 21 Feb 1970
Died: 3 Feb 1998
Cause: Shot
Freaky Tah
MC and hype man with Lost Boyz
Born: 14 May 1971
Died: 28 Mar 1999
Cause: Shot
Rodrigo Bueno
Arentine cuarteto singer
Born: 24 May 1973
Died: 24 June 2000
Cause: Road rage car accident
Sean Patrick McCabe
Lead singer of Ink & Dagger
Born: 13 Nov 1972
Died: 28 Aug 2000
Cause: Choked on his own vomit after ingesting too much alcohol
Maria Serrano Serrano
Europop Singer
Born: 26 Nov 1973
Died: 24 Nov 2001
Cause: Plane crash
Jeremy Michael Ward
The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator
Born: 5 May 1976
Died: 25 May 2003
Cause: Heroin overdose
Bryan Ottoson
Guitarist for American Head Chargez
Born: 18 Mar 1978
Died: 19 Apr 2005
Cause: Accidental prescription drug overdose
Valentín Elizalde
Mexican Singer
Born: 1 Feb 1979
Died: 25 November 2006
Cause: Gunned down in an ambush
Lily Tembo
Composer, pianist, conductor
Born: 20 Nov 1981
Died: 14 Sep 2009
Cause: Severe gastritis
Amy Winehouse
Singer/Songwriter
Born: 14 Sep 1983
Died: 23 July 2011
Cause: Alcohol poisoning
Richard Turner
Trumpet player, musician
Born: 30 Jul 1984
Died: 11 Aug 2011
Cause: Heart attack while swimming
Tomas Lowe
Bass Player
Died: 14 February 2016
Cause: Car accident
What added to the mystery is the stories that Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin and Jones have a white lighter when they died.
Source: Forever 27 Verbici Magazine UP Venue
Further Readings
LIFE Gone Too Soon
Heavier Than Heaven
The post 27 Club: The Curse in the Rock & Roll World appeared first on Scary Side of Earth.
