Inspired by a recent discussion on the Beatles. They all did drugs, but Lennon & Harrison did not OD (murder & lung cancer).
Neither did Dennis or Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys (drowing & lung cancer).
To qualify, the group must have members who died, but no death by drug overdose.
As far as I can tell, all the original members of Bill Haley and his Comets are gone except for one guy.
None of them appear to be drug overdoses.
:eek: Is there some kind of curse at work on 50s rock and roll groups?
Would Metallica qualify? As far as I know, the only dead member is the guy who died in a car accident.
the Mamas & the Papas:
Cass Elliot - died of heart attack, '74 (legends about the ham sandwich are unfounded.)
John Phillips - died of heart failure, '01.
Denny Doherty - died of kidney failure, following surgery, '07
Michelle Phillips - still alive & kicking.
In the case of this group, it’s amazing that nobody O.D.'d, considering the amount of recreationals they were said to have consumed (particularly John Phillips.)
Out of 25 all time members, Black Sabbath has only had two deaths, Ray Gillen (AIDS), and Cozy Powell (auto accident). Neither were currently in the band at the time of death.
Twenty years ago, this would’ve been hard. Back then, if a rock star died, you assumed it was drugs.
But today? All the Sixties rockers are plenty old enough to die of heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, whatever.
I didn’t know Denny had died…bummer.
The only dead member of Queen is Freddy Mercury, who died of AIDS.
The Allman Brothers lost Duane to a motorcycle accident. Just over a year later, Berry Oakley died the same way.
Michael Hutchence of INXS, suicide or auto-erotic asphyxiation, depending on who you believe.
Joe Strummer, The Clash, congenital heart defect.
Joe Strummer from The Clash died of natural heart failure, Stiv Bators from Dead Boys was hit by a car, Dave Alexander from The Stooges died from pneumonia, Bob Quine from the Voidoids hung himself same as Ian Curtis of Joy
Division and Micheal Hutchence from INXS.
As far as I can tell, no one in Lynyrd Skynyrd has died of a drug overdose.
I think this’ll be a long list, frankly. Drugs were always overrated as a way out. Flashy and headline making, sure, but there are a lot more ways for people to die over the course of forty or fifty years.
Rush is a band that qualifies. The original drummer, John Rutsey, is dead of heart failure related to diabetes. Happened just last year.
Hell, Nirvana. Cobain’s dead but a non-accidental overdose of ballistically delivered lead ain’t drugs.
Crashed planes took out a few, for instance Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. I think there’s another major plane crash, but I can’t think who that was.
ETA: Ahah, I think I was thinking of Otis Redding (though admittedly, that’s not quite rock).
A slight nitpick, while Powell didn’t die of an overdose, he did die while driving drunk which. Link.
Marshall Tucker Band–Tommy Caldwell, car crash and Toy Caldwell suffocated in his sleep.
SSG Schwartz
I thought death from drug overdose by a rock star was considered “natural causes”.
Two members of the Rolling Stones have died, one being Ian Stewart who succumbed to a heart attack.
The demise of Brian Jones is more difficult to assess. The coroner’s verdict was ‘Death by Misadventure’, with an added comment that Jones died while under the influence of drink and drugs. However, the relatively small quantities of these items found in his system render this verdict questionable. He certainly drowned, but whether or not somebody held him under water in order to achieve this result is a moot point.
Didn’t Syd Barret die from complications of diabetes?
Yes, and the only other deceased member of Pink Floyd died of cancer, so they count.
Also, Randy Rhoads.