Several performing artists enjoyed long, almost epic in magnitude, careers. But for some, cultural significance was achieved in a short, meteoric explosion. Some fade away, some burn out. If you are a frequent CultCase reader you may have already stumbled the first article in this topic. It was only thank to our devoted readers, who protested the omission of their favorite under-30 dead artists, that we managed to assemble this complementary list. Before we begin, based on 40 examined cases, the following is a non exhaustive list of recommendations for our young, under 30, artistically inclined readers:
If you do drugs not to overdose (8 didn't). Stay away from guns, mainly held by others but also by yourself (7 didn't). Diseases such as Influenza, Tuberculosis and Typhoid often disagree with you (6 didn’t realize it in time). Modern transportation arrangements such as cars and buses (4) or planes (4) can be extremely dangerous, especially when their drivers are heavily sedated or alcohol intoxicated. Avoid fluids in your respiratory system (3 didn't) and try to stay away from wars (2 didn't). Artists can bleed. here they are, 20 more culturally significant artists that never made 30.
Hank Williams (29)
Age: 29
Cause of death: Morphine overdose
Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer and songwriter and musician who has become an icon of country music and one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century. Above Image: Williams on stage at the Midnight Jamboree broadcasting from the Ernest Tubb Record Store.
On January 1, 1953, a 17-year-old chauffeur named Charles Carr pulled over at an all-night service station in Oak Hill, West Virginia and discovered that Hank Williams was dead in the back seat. Controversy has since surrounded Williams' death, with some people claiming Williams was dead before leaving Knoxville on his way to Oak Hill. In the above image: Hank giving a concert from the back of a flatbed truck in his hometown of Georgiana, Alabama. Audrey, Hank's first wife, is the woman in sunglasses in the foreground. Copyright: Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum
Alain Fournier (28)
Age: 28
Cause of death: War
Henri-Alban Fournier, who wrote under the pseudonym Alain-Fournier,was born October 3, 1886 at the Chapelle d’Anguillon in France. In 1910, he went to work as a journalist for the Paris Journal and fell in love with Jeanne Bruneau who was later the basis for the character of Valentine in his book "le Grand Meaulnes (The Wanderer)". The creation was first published in the July-October 1913 issue of the "Nouvelle Revue française" and later on as a book. Although nominated for the prestigious Goncourt Prize, The Wanderer narrowly lost the prize to Marc Elder's "Le Peuple de la Mer".
In 1914, Alain-Fournier started work on a new book "Colombe Blanchet", which remained unfinished as he had to join the army in August 1914 and got killed only one month later. His body remained unidentified until 1991, at which time he waslaidtorest in the cemetery of Saint Remy la Colonne. Above: Alain-Fournier, 19 years old.
Bradley Nowell (28)
Age: 28
Cause of death: Heroin overdose
Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician who served as lead singer and guitarist of the popular genre transcendent band Sublime. He died at 28 from a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's self-titled major label debut. Shown above (center) with his Sublime mates and below, young and happy.
Bradley Nowell (28)
Age: 28
Cause of death: Gunshot while filming
Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was a Chinese-American actor and the son of the late legendary martial arts film star Bruce Lee. Lee followed in his father's footsteps, starting a promising career in action movies and signing a multi-film contract with 20th Century Fox. He was accidentally shot and killed while filming The Crow (1994). Leading critic Roger Ebert wrote that "Lee clearly demonstrate[d] that he might have become an action star, had he lived."
Heath Ledger (28)
Age: 28
Cause of death: Toxic combination of prescription drugs
Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian television and film actor. His work includes 19 films, most notably 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), Monster's Ball (2001), A Knight's Tale (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and The Dark Knight (2008). In addition to his acting, he produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.
Ledger died at the age of 28 from an accidental "toxic combination of prescription drugs." A few months before his death, he had finished filming his penultimate performance, as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (27)
Age: 27
Cause of death: Cocaine and heroin mix ("speedballing) overdose
Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was a Haitian American artist. He gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York City, and then as a successful 1980s-era Neo-expressionist artist. Basquiat's paintings continue to influence modern-day artists and command high prices. He died accidentally of mixed-drug toxicity, combining cocaine and heroin, a mix known as "speedballing" at his studio in 1988. Above: Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1987 in a photo portrait by Ari Marcopoulos.
Nick Drake (26)
Age: 26
Cause of death: Suicide by acute amitriptyline poisoning
Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, though he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, and saxophone. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake now ranks among the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years. During the night of 24/25 November 1974 Drake died at home in Far Leys from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of antidepressant. The cause of death has been stated as a result of "Acute amitriptyline poisoning - self administered when suffering from a depressive illness", and concluded a verdict of suicide.
Tose Proeski (26)
Age: 26
Cause of death: Car accident
Todor "Toše" Proeski (January 25, 1981 – October 16, 2007) was a famous Macedonian pop singer. He was popular across the entire Balkan area and further north, and locally he was considered a top act of the Macedonian music scene. Proeski was known for his trademark quote "Ve sakam site" (I Love You All), and was called "Elvis Presley of the Balkans" by BBC News. He died in a car crash in Croatia on October 16, 2007.
Aubrey Beardsley (25)
Age: 25
Cause of death: Tuberculosis
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 1872 – 16 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. Beardsley was active till his death in Menton, France, at the age of 25 on 16 March 1898, of tuberculosis.
John Keats (25)
Age: 25
Cause of death: Tuberculosis
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet who became one of the key poets of the English Romantic movement during the early nineteenth century. During his very short life, his work received constant critical attacks from periodicals of the day, but his posthumous influence on poets such as Alfred Tennyson has been immense. In 1820, Keats began showing serious signs of tuberculosis, the disease that had plagued his family. On the suggestion of his doctors, he moved into a house in Rome, Italy (today a museum dedicated to his life and work) where despite attentive care the poet's health rapidly deteriorated. He died in 23 February 1821 and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome.
Randy Rhoads (25)
Age: 25
Cause of death: Plane crash
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. Despite his short career, he is cited as an influence by many contemporary heavy metal guitarists. Rhoads was killed instantly in a plane crash along with 2 of his friends, including the pilot of the plane Andrew Aycock who was also the Blizzard of Ozz group tour bus driver. All three bodies were burned beyond recognition, and were identified by dental records. It was later revealed in an autopsy that Aycock's system showed traces of cocaine at the time; Rhoads' toxicology test revealed only nicotine.
Tupac Shakur (25)
Age: 25
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshot
Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was also a promising actor and a social activist. Most of Shakur's songs are about growing up amid violence and hardship in ghettos, racism, problems in society and conflicts with other rappers. On the night of September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and was admitted to University of Nevada Medical Center. He died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center. 2Pac became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, and a tragic symbol of the toll its lifestyle exacted on urban black America.
2Pac died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center and became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, and a tragic symbol of the toll its lifestyle exacted on urban black America.
Cliff Burton (24)
Age: 24
Cause of death: Bus accident
Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was a bassist best known for his work with the American heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. As a bassist he made heavy use of distortion and effects (several of which are usually associated with non-bass guitars), best exemplified on his signature piece, "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth".
On the evening of September 26, 1986, Burton was asleep when at several minutes before 7 am (on the 27th), according to the driver, the band's tour bus ran over a patch of black ice, skidded off of the road and flipped onto the grass in Ljungby Municipality, near Dörarp in rural southern Sweden. Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him causing his death. James Hetfield later stated that he first believed the bus flipped because the driverwasdrunk,claiming he had smelled alcohol on the driver's breath after the accident. Above: Metallica. Left to right - Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (23)
Age: 23
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshot
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), best known as Selena, was an American singer who has been called "The Queen of Tejano music". The youngest child of a Mexican couple, Selena released her first album at the age of 12(!). She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later. Her fame grew throughout the early 1990s, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.
On the morning of March 31, 1995 at a hotel room, Selena and Yolanda Saldívar - the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques - had a fight over some missing financial papers. At 11:48 am, Saldívar drew a gun from her purse, pointing at Selena. As the singer turned and left the room, Saldívar shot her once in the back. Critically wounded, Selena ran towards the lobby to get help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911, with Saldívar chasing her, calling her a bitch. Before collapsing to the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant and gave the room number where she had been shot. After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital and died there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m. She was 23.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (22)
Age: 22
Cause of death: Plane crash
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah, was an American recording artist and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting-production team of Missy Elliott and Timbaland. She found success with her debut album Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, while introducing a "street but sweet" style which would become her trademark throughout her career followed by two more albums, One In a Million and the eponymous Aaliyah.
In addition to Aaliyah's commercial success, collaborations with Timbaland helped shape the sound of R&B in the later half of the 1990s. She also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, appeared in a Victoria Secret ad and starred in two motion pictures, Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, before she and 8 other people died in a small plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat".
Darby Crash (22)
Age: 22
Cause of death: Heroin overdose
Darby Crash (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear, co-founded the music band The Germs. Crash committed suicide on December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey Cola, who ended up surviving. She insists that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. As he lay dying, he attempted to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall, but did not finish.
Rebecca Schaeffer (21)
Age: 22
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshot
Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer (November 6, 1967 – July 18, 1989) was an American actress who was best known for her role in the sitcom My Sister Sam. Schaeffer was stalked and then murdered by an obsessed fan, prompting the passage of anti-stalking laws in California. On July 18, 1989, Schaeffer was murdered by Robert John Bardo, an obsessed fan who had been stalking her for three years. Bardo pulled out a gun from a brown paper bag and shot her once at point-blank range in the chest in the doorway of her apartment building in Los Angeles, California. Schaeffer screamed and collapsed in her doorway as Bardo fled. The following day, Bardo was arrested in Tucson, after motorists reported a man darting through traffic on Interstate 10. He immediately confessed to the murder.
Raymond Radiguet (20)
Age: 20
Cause of death: Typhoid fever
Raymond Radiguet (June 18, 1903 – December 12, 1923) was a French author. He associated himself with the Modernist set, befriending Picasso, Max Jacob, Juan Gris and especially Jean Cocteau, who became his mentor. Radiguet also had several well-documented relationships with women. An anecdote told by Ernest Hemingway has an enraged Cocteau charging Radiguet with decadence for his tryst with a model: "Bébé est vicieuse. Il aime les femmes." ("Baby is depraved. He likes women.") Radiguet, Hemingway implies, employed his sexuality to advance his career, being a writer "who knew how to make his career not only with his pen but with his pencil." Above: left - Raymond Radiguet. Right: Jean Cocteau, Georges Auric, Raymond Radiguet at John Russell Bibliothèque Jacques Doucet, Paris.
Radiguet had died December 12, 1923 aged 20, of typhoid fever, which he contracted after a trip he took with Cocteau. In reaction to this death Francis Poulenc wrote, "For two days I was unable to do anything, I was so stunned". Alongside these two novels, Radiguet's works include a few poetry volumes and a play. Above: Portrait de Raymond Radiguet by Jacques-Emile Blanche.
Ritchie Valens (17)
Age: 17
Cause of death: Plane crash
Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela; May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months. During this time, however, he scored several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which was originally a Mexican folk song that Valens transformed with a rock rhythm and beat that became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement.
On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as The Day the Music Died, Valens was killed in a small-plane crash in Iowa, an event that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Above: Valens with Bob Keane.
Heather O'Rourke (12)
Age: 12
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest caused by septic shock due / medical misdiagnosis
Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American child actress who played Carol Anne Freeling in the Poltergeist film trilogy and made several television guest appearances. O'Rourke became ill in early 1987, and was misdiagnosed by Kaiser Permanente Hospital as having Crohn's disease. She was prescribed medicine to treat the Crohn's, which allegedly "puffed up her cheeks".
On January 31, 1988 O'Rourke was ill again, vomiting and unable to keep anything down. The next morning she collapsed while trying to leave for the hospital and her step-father called paramedics. She suffered a cardiac arrest en route to the hospital, and after resuscitation was airlifted by helicopter to Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, where she died.
