The Dead Musician Directory

THE DEAD MUSICIAN DIRECTORY

Who died & how they died

I once did some research on that topic and looked fir causes of death for popular musicans betweet 1968 and 1978.

Murder and suicide ranked low. So did natural causes like heart attacks and meningitis. I expected drug abuse to take the lead.

However, thanks to Lynyrd Skynyrd, transportation accidents won out over drug abuse.

I’m a few issues behind in my Rolling Stone subscription, so I just recently saw a few mentions of Stairway to Heaven: The Final Resting Places of Rock’s Legends. Seems like a cool book. :slight_smile:

It doesn’t surprise me that the greatest percentage of rock and roll deaths is due to car and plane crashes. (Heck, this is an occupational hazard that goes way back to the February 3, 1959 plane crash in Iowa which killed 3 rock stars.) Let’s face it, no matter how popular a rock star or rock band may be, they have to travel to the fans and not vice versa.

In a somewhat related story, among scientists, being an astronomer ranks second in terms of most dangerous scientific occupations. (Geologist is number 1). Astronomers, like rock stars, have to do a lot of travelling (Gigantic radio or optical telescopes are not going to be found right next to an astronomer’s residence) and so they too die in a higher than average percentage of car and plane crashes.

I like The Dead Rock Stars Club