# Causes of death of deceased rock/rock 'n roll/pop musicians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495 "2002-06-22T20:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/41 "2002-06-24T01:30:59Z")
Bobby Fuller _I Fought the Law_, was ruled to have commited suicide by “asphyxiation due to inhalation of gasoline”, despite the fact that he would have had to drive himself to where his body was found **after** killing himself. ---
**Author:** ![Ave\_Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@Ave\_Minerva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ave_Minerva)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/42 "2002-06-24T01:49:44Z")
I had no idea that Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane were dead…jeez. I don’t believe that Johnny Thunders of the NY Dolls was mentioned. He died in a New Orleans hotel room of a heroin OD. People were mostly surprised that he lived to the ripe old age of 38. Jerry Nolan, also of the Dolls, died of a drug OD. The Dolls original drummer, I think his name was Billy Mercer, died during their 1st tour of the UK. IIRC he choked on vomit while passed out in a bathtub in London. There was some substance abuse involved but I don’t remember whether it was drugs, alcohol, or a combination of the two. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/43 "2002-06-24T02:05:15Z")
Eddie Cochran died in a car accident in Britian. He was on his way to a concert with Gene Vincent (who was seriously injured.) ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/44 "2002-06-24T02:09:33Z")
Doug Sahm (The Sir Douglas Quintet) - heart disease Skip Spence - lung cancer Johnny “Guitar” Watson - heart attack on stage although drug use or smoking could have been contributing factors in any of these over time. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/45 "2002-06-24T02:12:19Z")
How did we all forget Eric “Stumpy Joe” Childs? ---
**Author:** ![spiceprincess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@spiceprincess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spiceprincess)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/46 "2002-06-24T02:32:59Z")
Didn’t Jeff Buckley drown or was that ruled something else? His musician father also died young but I don’t recall how. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/47 "2002-06-24T02:55:20Z")
A few more: Gene Vincent died of a ruptured stomach ulcer. Del “Runaway” Shannon shot himself, days after orally accepting Tom Petty’s invitation to join the Travelling Wilburies, as Roy Orbison’s replacement. Drummer Jeff Porcaro (best known as a member of Toto, but he played for MANY major acts as a session man) died of… well, depending which source you believe, a heart attack, a cocaine overdose, or an allergic reaction to pesticides. Bill “Rock Around the Clock” Haley died of a heart attack at age 56. Florence Ballard of the Supremes died at the age of 32 (the Rock and Roll Encyclopedia says it was cardiac arrest). She was flat broke, and some sources say she was on welfare when she died. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/48 "2002-06-24T03:17:51Z")
I think Tim Buckley died of a drug overdose, but I’m not for sure. As far as I know Jeff’s death was ruled an accident drowning. Two greats talents lost way too soon. ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/49 "2002-06-24T05:24:29Z")
Razzle (Hanoi Rocks) died in a car crash driven by that fat drunk Vince Neil of Motley Crue. Didn’t the original bass player from Styx die from AIDS a few years back? Berry Oakley of the orignal Allman Brothers died in a motorcycle crash about a year after Duane crashed. Stu Sutcliff (The Beatles) died of a brain hemmorage…rumored due to a stomping from some German hooligans. Glenn Buxton (Alice Cooper Group) died a few years ago from poor health. Most likely alcohol related. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/50 "2002-06-24T11:30:48Z")
technically not rock: Patsy Cline Stevie ray Vahn (sp?) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/51 "2002-06-24T11:42:13Z")
Kirsty MacColl - hit by a motorboat while swimming on holiday. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/52 "2002-06-24T12:27:00Z")
Bob Marley - cancer John Cippolina (Quicksilver Messenger Service) - asthma Slovak Hillel (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - heroin overdose Roy Buchanan - heart attack Rick Danko (the Band) - heart attack with possible drug connection ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/53 "2002-06-24T12:34:01Z")
What about the original guitarist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers? I can’t remember his name…but as another fan of Behind the Music, I learned that he died from a heroin overdose. One of the members of the 80s hair band Slaughter was killed in a car (or motorcycle?) accident in 98 or 99. ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/54 "2002-06-24T12:40:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by plnnr \* > \*\*Slovak Hillel (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - heroin overdose > \*\* Yeah, that’s who I was trying to think of. Thanks plnnr for answering my question before I posted. I should preview more often. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/55 "2002-06-24T12:45:09Z")
## _Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph_ **What did Jerry Garcia die of? That site indicates it was drug-related, but I don’t remember hearing that.** _Originally posted by Ripple_ **Jerry died of a heart attack in a detox center the night he checked in. Certainly years & years of abusing heroin played a major part in this. He was in extremely poor health for a long time, and his continuing drug use didn’t help.** IIRC, _Rolling Stone_ suggested that the death wasn’t so much from drug use directly, as the fact that he would get high, _forget that he was diabetic_, then kill a quart of ice cream in one sitting. The heart attack was brought on by complications from diabetes more than anything. ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/56 "2002-06-24T12:46:26Z")
Also, was the name Hillel Slovak (Hillel being the first name)? ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/57 "2002-06-24T13:09:23Z")
Yes, I transposed the name (where the hell is my coffee?) ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/58 "2002-06-24T13:38:37Z")
Pigpen (Ron McKernan) had serious liver disease, but he actually died of a stomach hemorhage. ---
**Author:** ![MarkF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MarkF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkF)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/59 "2002-06-24T13:55:19Z")
Stuart Adamson (Big Country / Skids) Suicide Phil DeFreitas (Echo & the Bunnymen) Bike Crash ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495/60 "2002-06-24T14:34:16Z")
**Joey Ramone** - Lymphoma **Jaco Pastorius** - beaten to death **The Drummer for Spinal Tap** - spontaneous combustion [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-death-of-deceased-rock-rock-n-roll-pop-musicians/115495.md?page=4)