3 Great Singers Who Died Too Soon in the 2010s

It seems that with each decade, the world loses talents too early. In the classic rock era of the 1960s and 1970s, it was artists like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. In the 1990s, it was Kurt Cobain, The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Indeed, all these people were giants in their field, legends in their genres.

But into the 21st century, this trend has sadly continued. Whether it’s a result of depression or drug use or some combination of both, it seems like some of the best and brightest artists continue to succumb to that which pulls them under. Even in the 2010s, the music world lost some of the greatest singers ever. Here below, we wanted to examine the lives of three such artists. Three icons who went too soon.

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Amy Winehouse

Born September 14, 1983, in London, Amy Winehouse released her first album Frank in 2003. Immediately noticeable was her talent, beauty and connection to sounds and styles that went in myriad directions, from hip-hop to big band and everything in between. For those who have seen the 2015 documentary Amy, it’s clear Winehouse, upon reaching superstardom, began to wilt under the hot light of stardom thanks to a potent combination of addiction, depression, and rabid paparazzi. She released her classic LP Back to Black in 2006 and sadly, there is little else to remember her by despite her dynamic skills. It’s ironic that perhaps her most famous song is about being dismissive of going to rehab. She died on July 23, 2011, at just 27 years old.

Chester Bennington

The frontman for the nu metal group Linkin Park, Chester Bennington was born March 20, 1976, in Phoenix. With a voice that embodied rage, he led the rap-rock group to superstardom in the 2000s thanks to their breakout album Hybrid Theory, which dropped in 2000. But on July 20, 2017, Bennington was found dead at 41 years old after committing suicide by hanging. His death came just two months after Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell killed himself by suicide and Bennington had sung Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the grunge artist’s funeral. Both men suffered deeply from depression and substance abuse.

Juice Wrld

Born December 2, 199,8 in Chicago, Juice Wrld seemed to either be drinking and doing drugs or singing about drinking and doing drugs (or doing both simultaneously). In the song below, in fact, he talks about dying young and always being “f—-d up.” The Platinum-selling artist, who released his first album Goodbye & Good Riddance in 2018, was one of the brightest stars in the music world when he passed away of a drug overdose at just 21 years old on December 8, 2019. Perhaps more than anyone else on this list, his addiction seemed to have an intense stronghold on him. Still, his loss is felt deeply and the words “what if” continue to ring out when his name is mentioned.

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