3 Forever Artists Who Died Too Soon in the 1960s

The 1960s were a tough time for many. While the Flower Power and Free Love movements were growing, the great impact of drugs and the Vietnam War took over the United States. From residents to popular music artists, people were dying left and right.

Here below, we wanted to explore the lives of three such songwriters and performers who died too soon during the 1960s. These three artists left the Earth way too early and deprived the world of perhaps a century of great art. Sad to say.

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: Behind the Mysterious Death of Sam Cooke]

Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963)

Despite passing away at just 30 years old, the Winchester, Virginia-born Patsy Cline is one of the most distinct and distinguished singers in country music history. She was one of the first female stars in the genre and thanks to hits like “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight,” she remains one of its iconic voices. To wit, Cline is the first woman in country music to garner a double-Platinum album. And her greatest hits album to date has sold more than 10 million copies. All of this after suffering a big health scare and throat infection at just 13 years old. Upon emerging from it, she would go on to be known for her “booming voice.”

Sam Cooke (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964)

Born in the historic blues city of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Sam Cooke would go on to showcase one of the most brilliant voices in all of music during the middle of the 20th century. With songs like “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “You Send Me” and “Another Saturday Night,” Cooke was able to display both joy and sadness within a few given notes. He enlivened with his emotion and inspired with his joy on the microphone. Sadly, though, Cooke died at just 33 years old amidst some mysterious circumstances. Cooke was shot and killed on December 11, 1964. Some are still trying to piece together who killed him and the context of the violence. But regardless of the circumstances, the world lost one of the most important singers ever on that cold December day.

Brian Jones (February 28, 1942 – July 3, 1969)

The founder of the British-born band The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones has an important place in music history. Sadly, though, he developed a drug and alcohol problem and was asked to leave the band in 1969. A month later, Jones died after drowning in a pool. He was just 27 years old. Of course, many since him have died too soon in rock and a stunning portion of them were also 27 (hence the tragic “27 Club,” which features names like Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain). The silver lining is that 20 years after his death, Jones, along with the rest of The Rolling Stones, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

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