"If I could choose to believe or not to believe or not to believe, you know I would choose not to."
Ah, death, always an object of fascination for those of us who have yet to experience it. It's always fun to hear about your favorite musicians and the weird things they do, so it only makes sense that it's fun to hear about the weird ways they die. Here are a few of the more interesting.
Ah, death, always an object of fascination for those of us who have yet to experience it. It's always fun to hear about your favorite musicians and the weird things they do, so it only makes sense that it's fun to hear about the weird ways they die. Here are a few of the more interesting.
Terry Kath
Guitarist for the band "Chicago," and gun enthusiast, Kath died horsing around with a semi-automatic weapon. Without noticing a bullet still in the chamber of his 9mm after he removed the clip, he pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger to show that it wasn't loaded. Terry joins R&B singer Johnny Ace, who "aced" himself backstage at a concert with a pistol he also believed to be unloaded. Johnny's last word's before popping a cap in himself were nearly identical to Terry Kath's; "Don't worry, it's not loaded. See?"
Stiv Bators
The former Dead Boys singer was living in AParis when he has hit by a taxi, walking home drunk one night. He was taken to the hospital but grew impatient waiting to see a doctor, walked home and died in his sleep of a concussion.
The former Dead Boys singer was living in AParis when he has hit by a taxi, walking home drunk one night. He was taken to the hospital but grew impatient waiting to see a doctor, walked home and died in his sleep of a concussion.
Marvin Gaye
Another handgun casualty, the soul legend was fatally shot shot by his father,a former preacher and abusive alcoholic, the day before his 45th birthday. Marvin Jr. had given the murder weapon to his dad a few months earlier as a gift.
I also give honorable mention to Felix Pappalardi, bass player for the band Mountain. Felix's wife and frequent collaborator Gail Collins Pappalardi, (She designed several album covers and wrote lyrics for Mountain and also co-wrote "Strange Brew," for Cream with Felix and Eric Clapton) shot him in the throat "accidentally," in their Manhattan apartemnt. She claims he was giving her an impromptu shooting lesson, although she was also allegedly upset that Felix had recently begun seeing another woman. Hell hath no fury ...
Jeff followed in the footsteps of his father Tim Buckley checking out of the earth much too early. Jeff was 30 when he died, outliving his father by two years. Jeff drowned after making the unwise decision to take a swim, fully clothed in the Mississippi river in the middle of the night.
Bass virtuoso from the band Weather Report suffered from bi-polar disorder. His introduction to alcohol later in life caused him to become increasingly unstable and lead to him eventually living on the street.
After having been ejected from a Carlos Santana concert for sneaking onstage earlier in the evening, Jaco was refused entry into a Florida bar, became enraged and kicked in a glass door. He was then beaten to death by the club's bouncer.
Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag's was one of the new millennium's first untimely deaths when he was shot to death onstage along during a performance with his band Damageplan. Gunman Nathan Gale was a paranoid schizophrenic ex-Marine who believed Darrell's previous band, Pantera were stealing his thoughts and laughing at him. 2 audience members and Damageplan's head of security also died attempting to help Darrell.
Dimebag's was one of the new millennium's first untimely deaths when he was shot to death onstage along during a performance with his band Damageplan. Gunman Nathan Gale was a paranoid schizophrenic ex-Marine who believed Darrell's previous band, Pantera were stealing his thoughts and laughing at him. 2 audience members and Damageplan's head of security also died attempting to help Darrell.
Mark Sandman
Singer and bass player of the band Morphine, Sandman dropped dead of a heart attack onstage during a concert in Italy.
Keith Relf
Anyone who's played guitar for a decent amount of time has received some sort of shock from his amp. Of them, there's a small number of musicians who have actually been electrocuted to death by their gear. Keith Relf is likely the most famous. Keith, lead singer and harmonica player in the Yardbirds had played with a few guitar players in his day; Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page. His own playing was what finally did him in when he was fatally shocked by an improperly grounded amp in his home. I read somewhere that he was trying to play guitar in the bathtub when it happened but that's just stupid.
Took was "the other guy," in the original Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan, back when they were a
2- piece. He was in the midst of a morphine and magic mushroom binge when he choked to death on a cocktail cherry.
Leader of the "The Mentors," and perennial daytime talk show guest, Duce proved there is truth in the old saying; "If you fall asleep on train tracks, you might get hit by a train."
Of course if you buy the conspiracy theory, it's move like "If Courtney Love asks you to kill Kurt Cobain for $50,000 and you say no, she might have you murdered and make it look like you fell asleep on train tracks and got hit by a train." Either way, a valuable lesson.
