The Death of Rock: The Chronology

2010 - Present

Artists are listed alphabetically within year of demise.

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015 - 2019

Key

Some entries have special notations prior to their names. They represent induction into one of the following Halls of Fame:

* denotes induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
# indicates induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
^ symbolizes induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.

2010

Ari Up: (Ariane Daniela Forster), breast cancer. Ari Up was a founder and lead singer of the punk band, The Slits. She died at the age of 48. Her step-father was The Sex Pistols' John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) and she supposedly was taught guitar by Joe Strummer of The Clash.
Jo Jo Billingsley: (Deborah Jo White), cancer; she was 58. Billigsley was one of The Honkettes, the trio of back-up singers for Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Billingsley had a dream prior to the 1977 plane crash in which she foresaw the tragedy. She was the only band member not on the fatal flight. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. For the entire story of the legendary plane crash, visit the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute. "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Simple Man"
Stuart Cable: aspiration of vomit. Cable was the drummer with British alternative band, Stereophonics, from 1992 until 2003 and was a member of Killing for Company at the time of his death. Cable had been drinking at a local Aberdare (Wales) pub, the Welsh Harp Inn, where he left his car and walked home with friends. He continued drinking and reportedly choked to death on his own vomit while asleep. He was 40. "Dakota," "Have a Nice Day," "The Bartender and the Thief"
Alex Chilton: (William Alexander Chilton), heart attack. Chilton was a member of Big Star, with Chris Bell (car accident, 1978) and Andy Hummel (cancer, 2010) and The Box Tops. Chilton was in a hospital emergency room when he suffered a heart attack at age 59. With The Box Tops: "The Letter," "Cry Like a Baby," "Soul Deep"
Rich Cronin: leukemia. He was 35. Cronin wrote LFO's (Lyte Funkie Ones) ubiquitous hit of 1999, "Summer Girls". Fellow band mates, Devin Lima (see 2018) and Brian Gillis (see 2023) also died at an early age.
Mike Edwards: (later known as Swami Deva Pramada). Edwards was killed on a highway in Devon, England, when a cylindrical bale of hay rolled down a hillside and collided with his van. He was 62. (Edwards's age would typically exclude him from The Archive, but I chose to include him because of the bizarre manner of his death.) Edwards played cello for Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and appeared on the albums, ELO II, On the Third Day, The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) and Eldorado. ELO: "The Dying Swan," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Evil Woman," "Strange Magic"
Doug Fieger: (Douglas Lars Fieger), cancer; he was 57. Fieger was the lead singer of The Knack, popular for their 1979 hit, "My Sharona" which experienced renewed popularity when it was prominently featured in the 1994 movie, Reality Bites. "Good Girls Don't," "Rocket O'Love"
James Freud: (Colin McGlinchey), suicide (method undisclosed). Freud, age 51, was the frontman for the Australian band, The Models. He was found dead in his home by family members; he had been struggling with drugs and alcohol for years. Just the week prior to Freud's death, The Models were inducted into the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame. Freud did not attend the ceremony, privately revealing that he could not be around alcohol. The Models had two huge hit singles in Australia: "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" and "Barbados." Freud also scored several solo hits and published two memoirs.
Pauly Fuemana: died after a brief illness; he was 40. Fuemana was the lead singer of the New Zealand group, OMC (Otara Millionaires Club). The duo was best known for their international hit, "How Bizarre" (1996). The song was named Single of the Year at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards, and reached number one in the U.S. (Billboard's Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks), Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
Paul Gray: drug overdose. Gray (also known as "#2" or "The Pig"), was bassist for the metal outfit, Slipknot. The band only appeared publicly wearing grotesque masks and jumpsuits. Gray was found dead with a hypodermic needle and a bottle of pills in a hotel room in Iowa. Reportedly, he and his wife were expecting their first child at the time of his death. He was 38. Slipknot was nominated for seven Grammy Awards and a Video Music Award; the group took home a Grammy in 2006 for Best Metal Performance ("Before I Forget"). (Fellow Slipknot member, Joey Jordison, died "in his sleep" in 2021.) "Wait and Bleed," "Psychosocial," "Duality"
Andy Hummel: cancer; he was 59. Hummel co-founded Big Star with Chris Bell (killed in an auto accident in 1978) and Alex Chilton (heart attack, 2010). Hummel also played in the bands Rock City and Ice Water. Big Star: "Thirteen," "September Gurls," "The India Song"
*Marvin Isley: complications from diabetes. He was 56. Isley was a member of the Isley Brothers, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and Isley-Jasper-Isley, who had a #1 hit with "Caravan of Love". Isley had both legs removed because of his diabetes in 1997. The Isleys: "Fight the Power," "I Wanna be With You," "The Pride," "Take Me to the Next Phase," "Between the Sheets"
Mark Linkous: self-inflicted gunshot wound to the heart; he was 47. Linkous was a singer, songwriter and frontman of the group, Sparklehorse. He was staying with two friends, drinking heavily, and became upset after trading text messages with an unknown person. Linkous told his friends that he was going for a walk and exited through a back door. A witness saw him sit down in an alley, pull out a rifle, and fire into his own chest. He was declared dead at the scene. This is not the first time Linkous had attempted suicide. In 1996 while touring with Radiohead, he overdosed on pills, alcohol and anti-depressants. He lost consciousness for 14 hours, with his legs pinned beneath him and suffered a heart attack that left him legally dead for several minutes. The time he spent without circulation to his legs put him in a wheelchair for six months. "Someday I Will Treat You Good," "Rainmaker," "Sick of Goodbyes"
Teddy Pendergrass: (Theodore DeReese Pendergrass), colon cancer. He was 59. Pendergrass was a powerful R&B singer, beginning his career as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me By Now") and continuing on to an equally successful solo career. (Pendergrass replaced Melvin as lead singer in 1970. Melvin died in 1997 from heart problems at the age of 57.) Between 1979 and 1994, Pendergrass earned five Grammy nominations. In 1982, he was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident. "Turn Off the Lights," "Love TKO," "Wake Up Everybody," "Close the Door," "I Can't Live Without Your Love"
Jay Reatard: (Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr.), "cocaine toxicity". Reatard was a prolific garage/punk musician, who released albums with The Reatards, The Lost Sounds, Bad Times, The Final Solutions, Angry Angles, Terror Visions, and Destruction Unit. Reatard also released numerous singles and two albums (Blood Visions and Watch Me Fall) as a solo artist. Reatard was discovered dead in his bed by a roommate. He was 29.
*Garry Shider: cancer of the brain and lungs; he was 56. Shider was musical director, songwriter and guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic. He was referred to by fans as "Starchild" or - because he often wore a loincloth while performing - "Diaperman." Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Shider was predeceased by fellow band members, Glenn Lamont Goins (1978) and Eddie Hazel (1992). "Flash Light," "One Nation Under a Groove," "Aqua Boogie," "(Not Just) Knee Deep"
Gregory Slay: Slay was co-founder of the band, Remy Zero, who scored hits with their songs, "Prophecy" and "Save Me". (The latter became the theme song for the television series, Smallville.) The group disbanded in 2003. That same year, Slay and two former bandmates formed Engine Room. They recorded "A Perfect Lie", which Slay co-wrote, the theme for the television series, Nip/Tuck. "A Perfect Lie" was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2004. Slay succumbed to cystic fibrosis on New Year's Day, 2010. He was 40. Albums with Remy Zero: the self-titled Remy Zero and Villa Elaine.
Remo Spadino: cause of death undisclosed; he was 57. Spadino was bassist for Swiss metal band, Krokus, from 1975 to 1976 (with Hansi Droz, see 1999). Krokus: "Midnite Maniac," "Our Love," "Screaming in the Night"
Peter Steele: (Petrus T. Ratajczyk), sepsis caused by diverticulitis. Steele was the bassist, composer and lead singer of "Gothic metal" band, Type O Negative. He stood an imposing 6' 8" tall and appeared as a nude centerfold in Playgirl in 1995. Type O Negative's dark metal appeared on the soundtracks of several horror movies, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Blair Witch Project, Nosferatu (1922 silent film re-released in 1998), Bride of Chucky, and Freddy vs. Jason. Steele was 48 at the time of his death. "Black No. 1," "Bloody Kisses," a particularly disturbing version of Seals & Crofts's "Summer Breeze"
Teena Marie: (Mary Christine Brockert), "natural causes". She was 54. Marie, a protege of Rick James (died 2004), was a white R&B singer who was noted for her soulful "black" vocals. The "Ivory Queen of Soul" was found dead in her home; she apparently passed away in her sleep. Marie had suffered a grand mal seizure just a month prior. Her biggest hit, "Lovergirl," reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1984). "I'm a Sucker for Your Love" (with Rick James), "Square Biz," "Ooh La La La"
Robert Wilson: heart attack; he was 53. Wilson was a member of The Gap Band, an R&B trio popular in the late '70s and early '80s, which consisted of Robert and his brothers Charlie and Ronnie. "You Dropped A Bomb on Me," "Shake," "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops Upside Your Head)"
Tom "T-Bone" Wolk: heart attack in 2010; he was 58. Wolk was bassist for Hall & Oates and a former member of the Saturday Night Live Band. He also worked with Daryl Hall on solo projects, and he collaborated with Carly Simon, Squeeze, Elvis Costello and Billy Joel. With Hall & Oates: "One on One," "Maneater," "Out of Touch," "Method of Modern Love," "So Close"

2011

Lisa Fay Beatty: motorcycle accident. She was 47. Beatty was the final guitarist for all-female Seattle punk group, 7 Year Bitch. A previous guitarist, Stefanie Sargent, died in 1992 from a heroin overdose at the age of 24. Read about their involvement with the Shadows of Seattle. "Tired of Nothing," "You Smell Lonely," "Dead Men Don't Rape"
Scott Columbus: suicide; he was 54. Columbus was the drummer for the mythology- and fantasy-inspired metal act, Manowar. The group was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for giving the loudest performance, and they hold the record for the longest heavy metal concert - 5 hours and 1 minute (Bulgaria, 2008). Manowar's albums include Battle Hymns, Into Glory Ride, Sign of the Hammer, and The Triumph of Steel.
Andrew Gold: heart failure; he was 59. Gold was a composer and performer. He had a top ten hit with "Lonely Boy" and composed the song "Thank You for Being a Friend" which later became the theme song to the television series, The Golden Girls. He collaborated with numerous artists including Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, Carly Simon, Brian Wilson, John Lennon (see 1980) and Paul McCartney. Gold died in his sleep from heart failure while being treated for renal cancer. "Never Let Her Slip Away"
Heavy D: (Dwight Arrington Myers), respiratory ailment. Heavy D was was returning home when he experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed in the hallway of his condominium. He died at the hospital, approximately 90 minutes later. The singer was 44, weighing almost 350 pounds. Heavy D was nominated for four Grammy Awards and four Soul Train Awards (one of which he won, for the 1990 album, Big Tyme). Heavy D & the Boyz: "Now That We Found Love" and themes for the TV programs, In Living Color and MADtv. Heavy D also appears on Michael Jackson's (see 2009) single "Jam" and Janet Jackson's single "Alright".
Jani Lane: (John Kennedy Oswald), acute alcohol poisoning; found dead in a Los Angeles hotel. Lane, age 47, was the lead singer for '80s hair-metal band, Warrant. The group had six Top 40 singles: "Heaven," "Cherry Pie," "Sometimes She Cries," "Down Boys," "I Saw Red," and "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Gary Moore: (Robert William Gary Moore), suffered a heart attack in his sleep. Moore, 58, was the guitarist for Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy. He was found dead in his hotel room while vacationing in Spain; it was suspected that his heart attack was caused by the high level of alcohol in his blood. (Lead singer, Phil Lynott, died in 1986 from drug- and alcohol-related compliations.) "The Boys Are Back in Town," "Whiskey in the Jar"
Jesus Adolfo Rayos Otanos: murdered. Otanos was the clarinetist for the Mexican group, Hermanos Baldenegro. Three men pulled up next to the band's tour bus in Nogales, Mexico and requested that the group play a song. When the lead singer refused, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired into the bus. Otanos, who was sleeping, was shot twice, in the right leg and ankle. He later died at the hospital from heart failure. He was 30.
Dan Peek: found dead in his bed by his wife. Cause of death was fibrinous pericarditis. He was 60. Peek was a founding member of the vocal/folk group, America. He performed lead and backing vocals, and played guitars, bass, keyboards, and harmonica during his tenure with the band (1970 - 1977). "A Horse with No Name," "I Need You," "Ventura Highway," "Sister Golden Hair," "Tin Man"
Gerard Smith: lung cancer. Smith was the bassist and keyboardist for TV On The Radio. Smith played on the albums Dear Science and Nine Types of Light, the latter of which was released just one week prior to his death. He was 34.
Cory Smoot: coronary artery thrombosis. Smoot played the character, Flattus Maximus, in the metal band, Gwar. Several guitarists have portrayed the character; it was retired when Smoot (the most recent Maximus) was found dead on the band's tour bus. He was 34. Gwar were nominated for two Grammy Awards. "Endless Apocalypse," "If I Could Be That," "The Performer"
Phoebe Snow: (Phoebe Ann Laub), effects of a brain hemorrhage. She was 60. Snow's 1975 song, "Poetry Man," reached Billboard's Top Five in the Hot 100. She was nominated for a Grammy as Best New Artist, was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, and appeared several times as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Snow endured a brain hemorrhage in January 2010 and slipped into a coma. She died over a year later, in April of 2011. "I Don't Want the Night to End," "Harpo's Blues"
Mike Starr: (Michael Christopher Starr), suspected drug overdose; he was 44. Starr was the bassist for grunge icons, Alice in Chains. He was replaced in the group in 1993 after the release of the album, Dirt, because of his addiction to heroin. In February 2011, he was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance in Salt Lake City, Utah. A month later, he was found dead in a Salt Lake City home of a suspected overdose. (Some sources site a prescription drug overdose.) In 2010, Starr appeared on the television series, Celebrity Rehab for heroin addiction. He remembered Alice in Chains lead singer, Layne Staley, and his death in 2002. Starr was the last known person to see Staley alive; he spent time with the singer the day before his death. He stated that Staley was extremely ill, but would not call 911. The two argued and Starr stormed off with Staley calling after him, "Not like this, don't leave like this." Starr regretted not calling 911 to save his friend's life and blamed himself for Staley's death. Read about his involvement with the Shadows of Seattle.AIC had the heaviest sound of the early '90s Grunge movement, with songs like "Would?", "Rooster", "Them Bones", "No Excuses", "Down in a Hole", "Got Me Wrong", and "Angry Chair"."
Poly Styrene: (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said), songwriter and vocalist for pioneering British punk band, X-Ray Spex. (She also released a single in 1976, as Mari Elliot, called "Silly Billy".) Styrene was diagnosed with breast cancer that eventually spread to her spine and lungs. She died at the age of 53. With X-Ray Spex: "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" "I Am A Cliche," "The Day The World Turned Day-Glo"
David "Frankie" Toler: died after a liver transplant. He was 59. Toler played drums for The Allman Brothers Band, The Gregg Allman Band and The Marshall Tucker Band.
Mikey Welsh: (Michael Edward Welsh), suspected heroin overdose. Welsh, 40, was the bassist for Weezer. He left the band because of a nervous breakdown and he attempted suicide the same year Weezer's debut album, Weezer (The Blue Album), was produced. Read about Welsh's connection to The Curse of Buddy Holly. "Undone - The Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly," and "Say It Ain't So."
Amy Winehouse: found dead in her apartment, acute alcohol poisoning. She was 27. Winehouse, a Grammy-winning soul singer with a retro sound, very publicly battled with drug addiction. She often made headlines for her erratic behavior and her shockingly thin and dissheveled appearance. At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, Winehouse's second (and final) album, Back to Black, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album (and was nominated for Album of the Year). The single, "Rehab," won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year; Winehouse won Best New Artist. (In "Rehab," she refers to fellow soul singer, Donny Hathaway, who committed suicide in 1979.) "Tears Dry on Their Own," "You Know I'm No Good," "Back to Black"
Chrissy Amphlett: breast cancer; she was 58. Amphlett was the lead singer of Australian group, The Divinyls. Although popular in Australia, their only major US hit was 1991's "I Touch Myself," which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Amphlett disclosed in 2010 that she had been diagnosed with cancer, but since she was also suffering from multiple sclerosis, she would be unable to undergo any radiation treatment. "Pleasure and Pain," "Make Out Alright," "Boys in Town"
Lorne Black: (Lorne Stuart Doyle), original bassist for '80s hair band, Great White. It is rumored that his death in 2013 was from congestive heart failure. Black was 49. He appeared on the group's album Once Bitten. . . which included the hits "Rock Me" and "Save Your Love." (Black left the band in 1987. In 2003, the group made national headlines when pyrotechnics at one of their club shows started a fire which killed over 100 people, including guitarist Ty Longley.) Post-Black, Great White had their biggest hit with "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."
Clive Burr: multiple sclerosis; 2013. Burr was the original drummer for metal band, Iron Maiden. He joined the group in 1979 and appeared on the band's first three albums. He was 56. Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast
Chi Cheng: complications from a 2008 car accident; he was 42. Cheng was the bassist for the Grammy-winning Deftones. He was involved in an automobile accident, colliding with another car, and was ejected from the vehicle (he wasn't wearing a seatbelt). He was in a coma until 2009, when it was reported that he was in a "semi-conscious state". He remained that way until he died of cardiac arrest in 2013. "Elite," "Change (In the House of Flies)," "Minerva"
Philip Chevron: (Philip Ryan), esophageal cancer. He was 56. Chevron was a singer-songwriter and guitarist, member of the Irish punk band, The Pogues. "Sunny Side of the Street," "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah," "Tuesday Morning"
Dani Crivelli: found dead after falling from a bridge; he was 53. Crivelli was drummer for Swiss metal band, Krokus, from 1989 to 1989. Krokus: "Midnite Maniac," "Our Love," "Screaming in the Night"
Ricardo da Force: (Jervis Ricardo Alfonso Lyte), cause of death unknown. He was 45. Da Force died while in Barbados. A vocalist and DJ, he appeared on hits including The KLF's "3 a.m. Eternal" and "Justified & Ancient", the latter of which also featured Country icon, Tammy Wynette (see 1998).
Jeff Hanneman: alcohol-related cirrhosis. He was 49. Hanneman was co-founder and guitarist for the thrash metal band, Slayer. The group won two Grammy Awards for "Best Metal Performance" for 2007's "Eyes of the Insane" and 2008's "Final Six". "Hate Worldwide," "World Painted Blood"
Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly: drug overdose. He was 34. Kelly, who was half of the hip hop duo, Kris Kross, gained massive popularity with 1991's "Jump". At the time of his death, Kelly was determined to have multiple drugs in his system, including both heroin and cocaine.
La Reyna de Monterrey: La Reyna de Monterrey was a group affiliated with the Banda genre of music. On 27 April 2013, the band was returning from a gig at a bar in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. At Sabinas Hidalgo, on the outskirts of Monterrey, the driver of the band's van dozed off, hitting the side of a truck then crashing head-on with a tractor-trailer. The force of the impact was so powerful that several band members were thrown from the vehicle. Ten band members were killed; another five were injured. Reports are scarce, but among those killed were: Antonio de Jesús Torres Arellano, age 22; José Guadalupe Flores Rosales, age 21; Diego Armando Vázquez Vázquez, age 20; Edwin Arturo Luna López, age not disclosed; Miguel Angel Torres Arellano, age 19; Rubén Paz Martínez, age 28; Luis Antonio Arellano Ortega, age 22; Alberto López Vázquez, age 22. Photos of the accident scene are viewable, but be warned: the images may be disturbing to some individuals.
Alan Myers: stomach cancer, age 58. Meyers was drummer for the New Wave group, Devo ("De-evolution") from 1976 until 1986, their most successful period. "Whip It," "Working in the Coal Mine," "Theme from Doctor Detroit"
Dave Brockie: heroin overdose; age 50. Brockie was the lead singer of Gwar, "earth's only openly extraterrestrial rock band." His body was found at his home in Richmond, Virginia by a band mate. Brockie performed in costume as Gwar's frontman under the persona of "Oderus Urungus." The group was nominated for two Grammy Awards. "Sammy," "If I Could Be That," "Mary Anne"
Wayne Static: (Wayne Richard Wells), multiple prescription drug toxicity. He was 48. Static was the lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist for metal band Static-X. Static died peacefully in his sleep. "Push It," "The Only," "I'm the One"
^Johnny Winter: cause of death not officially released (2014); Winter's guitarist said he died of a combination of emphysema and pneumonia. Winter was 70. (Although Winter's age would normally omit him from The Archive, I included him because I was able to visit his gravesite.) Winter was a Blues-guitar legend. He produced three Grammy Award-winning albums by Muddy Waters and was nominated for several Grammy Awards for his own work. (He posthumously won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album for Step Back, which also won the 2015 Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album.) In 2015, at the Maple Blues Awards, Winter was awarded the B.B. King International Artist of The Year Award. In 1980, Winter was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the first Caucasian performer to be inducted. In 2003, he was ranked 63rd in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Robert "Throb" Young: found dead in his flat. The cause of death was not disclosed, although a manager of the group suggested that drugs or alcohol were involved. Young was 49. He was a member of the alternative rock band, Primal Scream, from 1984 to 2006. "Movin' On Up," "Come Together," "Loaded"

Navigation

The Death of Rock: The Chronology

2010 - Present

Key

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014