The 27 Club: 20 Legends Who Shaped Music And Left Us At 27
The 27 Club remains one of rock and roll’s most haunting mysteries, forever etched in music history. This term refers to the uncanny pattern of talented artists who passed away at the age of 27, leaving fans and critics alike stunned by the eerie coincidence.
Names like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain stand at the forefront of this mysterious phenomenon. While their lives were often marked by brilliance and struggle, their untimely deaths turned them into legends.
1. Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson, one of the greatest talents of Delta blues, left a lasting mark on music with his haunting songs about hellhounds, the Devil, and despair. His unique, offbeat guitar style has influenced rock & roll for decades.
Though he recorded fewer than 50 songs, classics like “Cross Road Blues,” “Terraplane Blues,” and “Love in Vain” have been covered by legends like Cream, the Rolling Stones, and Captain Beefheart.
Known for performing with icons like Howlin’ Wolf and Elmore James, Johnson’s life ended tragically in August 1938, just after his 27th birthday. Allegedly poisoned after flirting with the wife of a roadhouse owner, he passed away three days later.
2. Brian Jones
Brian Jones’ tragic death in 1969 at his home in England is believed the result of his foolish behavior. While it seems that he drowned after mixing drugs and alcohol, many still question the circumstances surrounding his passing. Even some of his bandmates have expressed uncertainty, casting doubt on the official story.
“And still the mystery of his death hasn’t been solved,” Keith Richards has said. “I don’t know what happened, but there was some nasty business going on.”
3. Alan Wilson
Canned Heat found both commercial and artistic success, highlighted by their performance at Woodstock in 1969. However, guitarist Alan Christie Wilson, known as “Blind Owl,” struggled with personal demons.
Like many members of the 27 Club, he had a strained relationship with his family, battled low self-esteem, and dealt with depression. One of his odd habits was sleeping outside, which he did at vocalist Bob Hite’s house in Los Angeles on the night he passed away.
Wilson was found dead in Hite’s yard on September 3, 1970, with a Seconal pill bottle nearby. While his death was ruled an accidental overdose, drummer Fito de la Parra believed it may have been suicide.
4. Jimi Hendrix
On the morning of Friday, September 18th, 1970, Jimi Hendrix was staying with a girlfriend in London when he took sleeping pills. It’s unclear how many he took or if he fully understood the medication he was using.
The drug was Vesparax, a strong barbiturate. Half a tablet was enough to keep someone asleep for eight hours, but Jimi may have taken up to nine, along with alcohol.
This was reckless behavior, but it was typical for Jimi, who had developed a habit of using drugs carelessly during his time on the road. His friend Deering Howe said, “Jimi would take a handful of shit, not even knowing what it was.”
5. Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin felt lonely after her last recording session, returning to her Hollywood hotel room. She had just sung “A Woman Left Lonely,” reflecting on how her boyfriend was taking her for granted. Around 1 a.m. on October 4th, 1970, she used heroin, injecting it into her left arm.
She went to the hotel lobby for a pack of cigarettes, then returned to her room. As she undressed and reached for the nightstand to place her pack, she collapsed, hitting her face on the table and falling to the floor. She was found dead the next day.
6. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison’s legend grew after his death, especially in 1979 when Francis Ford Coppola used “The End” in Apocalypse Now. Part of his myth was the coincidence of him dying at the same age as other music icons, like Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin.
The fact that Morrison’s girlfriend also died at 27 added to the eerie connection. By 1994, this strange coincidence had become part of music history, and when Kurt Cobain joined the club, the 27 Club myth was solidified.
7. Ronald McKernan
Ronald McKernan, known as Pigpen, was a troubled but talented musician with a drinking problem. In 1964, he teamed up with Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir to form a jug band, which later became the Grateful Dead.
Pigpen started drinking at the age of twelve and by his mid-twenties, he was battling serious health issues, including cirrhosis of the liver and ulcers. Tragically, Pigpen passed away alone at his apartment in Corte Madera, California, on March 8th, 1973. He had been dead for up to two days when his landlady discovered him.
8. Dave Alexander
Dave “Zander” Alexander, the founding bassist of The Stooges, was known for his unpredictable nature even before the band formed. He famously dropped out of high school 45 minutes into his senior year after winning a bet, and he once traveled to England with guitarist Ron Asheton in hopes of meeting The Beatles.
Alexander brought unique ideas to the group, including the Indian-influenced “We Will Fall” and the intense “Dirt” on their 1970 album Fun House. However, his struggles with addiction caught up with him when he was fired from the band after taking too many downers before a festival performance, just before Fun House was released.
The rest of his life was marked by ongoing battles with addiction and health issues. He eventually developed pancreatitis from heavy drinking and died of pulmonary edema in 1975. “He was the catalyst for so much of the Stooges,” Ron once said. “He was so ahead of his time.”
9. Pete Ham
Pete Ham was a member of the band that the Beatles signed to their Apple label in the 1960s. Like many who struggle with depression, Ham felt that death was his only escape. On April 24, 1975, just days before his 28th birthday, he met his bandmate Tom Evans at a pub and told him, “Don’t worry, I know a way out.” After drinking, Ham went home, wrote a note expressing his anger towards his manager, and tragically hanged himself in his garage. Seven years later, Evans took his own life in the same way.
10. Chris Bell
Chris Bell’s career was as tragic as his death. The talented musician was a key member of the power pop band Big Star, co-writing much of their album #1 Record with singer Alex Chilton and playing guitar.
Despite critical praise, especially for Chilton, the album flopped upon release. Over the next six years, Bell left Big Star, fell deeper into depression and drug addiction, and struggled to restart his career. He even had to work at his family’s restaurant.
In December 1978, Bell tragically died in a car crash when his Triumph TR-7 hit a pole after a band rehearsal. Much of his solo work was released after his death.
11. D. Boon
Singer-guitarist D. Boon helped broaden punk and hardcore by incorporating funk, jazz, and improv while playing incredibly fast. Along with Black Flag, the Southern California band defined the DIY ethos of the Eighties.
They released four full-length albums, including the iconic double-LP Double Nickels on the Dime, along with several singles and EPs. They gained some famous fans, including Michael Stipe, who invited them to open for R.E.M. on a three-week North American tour.
After returning from the tour in December 1985, Boon fell ill with a fever. Still, he chose to visit his girlfriend’s parents in Arizona and rested in the back of the band’s van while she drove. She fell asleep at the wheel, causing the van to flip.
Boon flew out of the back door, broke his neck, and died. “That was the worst,” bandmate Mike Watt said in Our Band Could Be Your Life. “No more of him. No more Minutemen…. I miss him.”
12. Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat became a major figure in the art world by the time he was 20. After dropping out of high school, the self-taught artist from Brooklyn spent the late 1970s creating graffiti under the name “SAMO” in SoHo.
By 1980, he was featured in a group art show with his colorful, jagged paintings often combining images and words.
He later collaborated with Andy Warhol, dated Madonna, appeared in Blondie’s “Rapture” video, and played into the image of the temperamental artist, even destroying some of his work and pouring dried fruit on an art dealer’s head.
His battle with drugs became more serious, and in the months leading up to his death in 1988 from a drug overdose, he claimed to be using a hundred bags of heroin a day.
13. Mia Zapata
Mia Zapata, the lead singer of the Gits, was a powerful punk presence and one of the top female voices in Seattle’s grunge scene. The band’s first album, Frenching the Bully, made them local favorites.
But as they worked on their second album, Zapata was tragically beaten, raped, and strangled to death in July 1993. Major grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam raised money to hire a private investigator, but her killer wasn’t caught until 2003.
In response to her death, friends started Home Alive, a self-defense group, and organized benefit concerts with Seattle bands. The band 7 Year Bitch honored Zapata with their 1994 album ¡Viva Zapata!, while Joan Jett toured with the Gits under the name Evil Stig to support the investigation and remember their friend.
14. Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain’s body was found on Friday, April 8th, 1994, by an electrician. The question of who killed Kurt Cobain is answered simply: Kurt Cobain took his own life. He ended it with sudden, self-inflicted violence, leaving behind written proof of his troubled state.
His substance abuse counselor, Nial Stimson, recalled how concerned Kurt had been about losing his home in a lawsuit. “Suicidal people tend to want to make a statement,” Stimson said. “I just kind of felt he killed himself in his house [as if to say], “You’re not going to take my house, no matter what. . .'”
15. Kristen Pfaff
At Kurt Cobain’s Seattle memorial, one of the mourners was Kristen Pfaff, a member of Courtney Love’s band Hole and a former girlfriend of bandmate Eric Erlandson.
Just two months after Kurt’s death, Pfaff died of a heroin overdose in her Seattle apartment in 1994, in a bathtub, similar to Jim Morrison’s death. She was also 27, making her the third musician from the Seattle music scene to die at that age within a year.
16. Randy “Stretch” Walker
At the peak of Tupac Shakur’s fame, just being near him could make someone famous. Randy “Stretch” Walker was one of those people, but his talent went far beyond simply being in Tupac’s circle.
A skilled producer and rapper, Stretch was often featured on Tupac’s albums after his time with his group, Live Squad. Whether producing or rapping, Stretch had the genuine gangsta style that made him popular in the ‘90s.
Sadly, his authenticity also made him a target, and in November 1995, he was assassinated in Queens, just months before Tupac’s own death. Now, both are remembered together.
17. Jeremy Michael Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward died from a heroin overdose in May 2003, just weeks before the debut album of his band, the Mars Volta, was set to be released. De-Loused at the Comatorium was their first LP, but it was already one of the most anticipated albums of the year.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, founding members of At the Drive-In, had disbanded their band in 2001 at the height of their success to explore more experimental sounds. They teamed up with their childhood friend Ward, who played a key role as the band’s “sound manipulator,” helping bring their bold ideas to life.
The album, produced by Rick Rubin, was a prog-punk journey through the mind of a drug-induced coma patient, loosely inspired by the tragic story of their friend Julio Venegas, who died by suicide in 1996.
Despite his wild personality and innovative talent, Ward performed offstage, using pedals and a Korg Kaoss pad to control the music. After his death, the Mars Volta went on to release more albums, though none matched the success of their debut.
18. Jonathan Brandis
Brandis’ suicide in 2003 reflects the tragic fate of many former child stars. He began acting at just six years old, landing small roles in soap operas and sitcoms before starring in Stephen King’s It.
But his big break came in 1993 at age 17, when he joined the popular series SeaQuest DSV. Brandis quickly became a teen idol, drawing massive attention from fans. However, when the show was canceled in 1996, his career started to fade.
In 2002, he thought a role in Hart’s War alongside Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell could be his comeback, but all his scenes were cut. A year later, Brandis tragically took his own life in his Los Angeles apartment and died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
19. Amy Winehouse
It’s impossible to know exactly what Amy’s state of mind was when she took her final sips of vodka at home in London in July 2011. She had mentioned wanting to accomplish more in her life, yet seemed unable to act on it.
While she was usually honest and open, she kept much of her inner life private. From what we can see, it seemed like she was tired of her career. She had become trapped by her own image. Moreover, she was alone at the end, with her man and others she relied on no longer around.
20. Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin packed a lot into his 27 years. Between 2011 and 2015, he starred in 18 films and worked on various voice projects. He collaborated with acclaimed directors like Jim Jarmusch, Drake Doremus, and Jeremy Saulnier.
His breakout years were tragically cut short when he died in a freak accident, crushed by his own car. His filmography reflects his range, from blockbuster hits like Star Trek to the Fright Night remake, where he brought depth to horror, and the heartfelt romance Like Crazy alongside Felicity Jones.
