Of course this is inspired by the death of Amy Winehouse.
I was never a fan or a follower of Amy other than what was thrust in my face by the popular media. I purchased and downloaded one of her albums on the recommendation of a friend. Based on that, she obviously had a unique talent. Shooda been, cooda been. Even not being a fan, her death seems like a huge tragedy. So much wasted talent.
Which brings me to the question: What musical artist that has died well before their years most troubles you?
My answer is Marvin Gaye. When I hear his songs I almost want to cry. If you don’t know what I am talking about read “Marvin Gaye My Brother” by Frankie Gaye (Marvin’s brother) who has since passe away.
There are a lot of other tragic, early deaths in the music business. There’s Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and a bunch of others.
While Marvin Gaye tops my list I have to be saddened by Amy’s death. She obviously had a lot more to contribute.
** Jimi Hendrix** I love him as if he’s my personal close friend I’ve known since childhood or a brother. I’m happy to have what we have but I would’ve loved to have heard of what might have came after… the things he was doing on Electric Ladyland… or just to hear his voice some more.
If I may add more…
Jon Bonham Led Zeppelin runs in my blood as if it is a part of me. I would’ve loved to have, at least, a few more albums from them.
Shawn Lane I’m no shredder or into that stuff but this guy was special. He should’ve been continuing on with his exploration.
No, just kidding, I wasn’t alive when he died. Actually, the most profoundly devastating loss of my generation was Kurt Cobain. He was our voice. Well, to be fair, Kurt, Biggie and Tupac were, but that’s just being inclusive since I wasn’t (and still am not) a rap/R&B fan.
He killed himself around 2 months before I graduated high school. The shock reverberated through the school that day, and everyone I know watched MTV’s tributes to him (back when MTV was actually relevant and cared about music). It was devastating. In some ways it still is. Maybe if he hadn’t died we would have had more of his influence, and we wouldn’t have been drowned with flavor-of-the-month pop divas and manufactured boy bands over the last decade. That’s wishful thinking, of course, but who knows.
I was thirteen when Kurt Cobain died, so it’s tough for anything else to affect me that much. I wasn’t especially sad or anything, but it definitely affected me. I still clearly remember the moment my mom told me. I remember thinking what a shame it was that he only got to make those three albums. I remember hearing every jackass adult in my life give their ignorant, judgemental opinion and realizing how dumb adults were. Which turned out to be a very good lesson.
John Lennon. I was maybe 10. Mom came in and woke me up in the morning, said, Honey, I have something very sad to tell you…
Jerry Garcia. End of…a lot.
Curt Cobain, especially. This is what I felt: “Oh God, he felt just like me.” I was very preoccupied with his suicide, because I couldn’t get off heroin myself and I wanted to eat a gun also. I was very preoccupied with what happened to his soul…with speculations about it.
My responsibility to my kids kept me on this rock, and I did get off the shit.
A beautiful voice, a lovely person, a genius songwriter - easily the equal of Elvis Costello or Lennon/McCartney - and in her tragic and senseless death, a hero.
For those of you who are unaware, Kirsty had a long career, starting with singles on Stiff Records going on to produce a wonderful string of records in a wide range of styles. But the average person only knows her for two things - the song “The Don’t Know”, otherwise known as “Tracy Ullman’s theme song” and her duet with Shane McGowan on “Fairytale of New York”.
Her last album was the result of a new relationship and falling in love with the music and people of Cuba. Which led her to developing an interest in diving.
She was diving with her children in the Gulf of Mexico in a clearly marked diving zone when a speed-boat piloted by the son of the owner of Mexico’s biggest grocery chain came barreling towards Kirsty and her family. She pushed her children out of the way, saving their lives, but being hit on the head and killed.
The worst part of the whole thing is the rich little shit managed to get a boat hand to claim that he had been driving. And Mexican law allows people to pay a percentage of their yearly income and buy their way out of jail. Justice, in this case, meant 1034 pesos, or roughly $90.
The combination of her brilliant talent, tragic death, gross injustice and dying saving the life of a child…I can’t type this out, or even think about it a decade later without tears welling up in my eyes. I’m sitting here sobbing.
i wish i could say elliott smith or nick drake, but it doesn’t feel right seeing as i didn’t know them when they were alive (or in drake’s case neither was i)
mark linkous’s suicide made me very depressed because he seemed like he was on his way back… trish keenan’s death i also found devastating. i mean, pneumonia, really? also i’m not a fan of jay reatard’s, but his death made me sad because he just didn’t have it coming to him at all.
kind of surprised no one has mentioned michael jackson yet?
I love that picture because we were standing on either side of her. I’ll never forget meeting and interviewing her for my radio show. She was so sweet, so funny, so kind, generous, beautiful, beyond her amazing talent, a wonderful person.