Sadly, many music fans know of the dreaded “27 Club.” It’s that collection of artists who died from devastating circumstances all at the age of 27 years old. Strangely, the club doesn’t just have a few members from a specific era in music, but there are many that span decades, well into the 21st century.
Here below, we wanted to explore the lives of three of the club’s members, three artists who died at 27 in the 1970s, as well as another influential rocker who passed away too early in the decade, though at a different age than the others.
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[RELATED: The Stories Behind Seven Deaths of the Infamous “27 Club”—Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and More]
Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)
The Seattle-born blues-rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix wowed the world with his solos, song interpretations, and his seemingly out-of-this-world talent. For the artist who rose to fame in the UK before finding it in the United States, his death remains a bit of a mystery. His girlfriend Monika Dannemann found him breathing but unresponsive at around 11 a.m. and called an ambulance. Coroners determined he had taken nine of her prescribed Vesparax sleeping tablets, which was nearly 20-times the recommended dosage, and he died of asphyxiation. In the wake of his passing, though, some have suggested he was murdered. No matter what, the result is that the world lost one of its greatest musical voices.
Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970)
Another tragic member of the “27 Club,” the Port Arthur, Texas-born Janis Joplin boasted one of the most guttural and impressive singing voices in the history of rock and roll. Her voice was like an avalanche of sound that could reshape entire landscapes. Sadly, though, like so many stars of the 1960s, she died as a result of drug use. For as powerful as she was an artist, she also suffered from depression. Nevertheless, her death was ruled accidental, perhaps the result of taking heroin that was stronger than she was used to.
Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971)
The frontman for the Los Angeles-born rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison is another artist who died at 27. And like Hendrix, there remains some unsolved mysteries surrounding his passing, too. After recording the album L.A. Woman, Morrison flew to Paris where he seemingly embraced a healthier lifestyle. But on July 3, 1971, the singer/songwriter was found dead in the bathtub of his apartment. Some say his heart failure was the result of heroin use. But no autopsy was performed, as the act is not required by French law. And with that, one of the symbols of the psychedelic 1960s was gone.
Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971)
The founder of the blues-rock Allman Brothers Band, Duane Allman had an incredible uppercut of a voice and was perhaps an even more talented guitar player. For the Nashville-born artist, music seemed to come effortlessly and he gained a great deal of fans as a result. Sadly, though, he died at just 24 years old, killed in a motorcycle crash. The accident was gruesome, culminating in his bike crushing him. Though he was still alive when he was taken to the hospital, he died shortly thereafter. Sadly, the world lost a great artist, all thanks to a meaningless joyride.
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