The Forever 27 Club

This concept was highlighted in the news a few weeks ago and had piqued my interest......and then I forgot all about it until I started the research for this theme. The 'Club' relates to a notional group of musicians who have died at the age of 27. If you can be bothered, here are some 'members' below.

I went to a cemetary today with the idea of taking a spooky sepia shot of gravestones for this theme. As wondered around I noticed that this tree had the strangest bumps on it and walked over for a closer look. That is when I noticed the words. I don't know if the RIP is for A Neil or if it is a general wish for everyone in there from an A Neil........who knows.......I just found it very poignant.


'Club' Members
Louis Chauvin - Ragtime musician
Born: 13 March 1881
Died: 26 Mar 1908
Cause: Syphillis

Robert Johnson - Ragtime Musician.
Born: 8 May 1911
Died: 16 Aug 1938
Cause: Unknown, but thought to have been strychnine poisoning - possibly shot

Jesse Belvin - R&B singer and songwriter.
Born: 15 Dec 1932
Died: 6 Feb 1960
Cause: Car accident

Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson - Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat.
Born: 4 July 1943
Died: 3 Sep 1970
Cause: Barbiturate overdose, possible suicide

Brian Jones - rhythm guitarist/multi-instrumentalist
Born: 28 Feb 1942
Died: 3 July 1969
Cause: Drowned in swimming pool

Jimi Hendrix - Pioneering electric guitarist, singer, and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Band of Gypsys.
Born: 27 Nov 1942
Died: 18 Sep 1970
Cause: Asphyxiated on vomit after accidental overdose of sleeping pills

Janis Joplin - Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band.
Born: 19 Jan 1943
Died: 4 Oct 1970
Cause: Possible heroin overdose

Jim Morrison - Poet, lead singer, songwriter, and video director for The Doors.
Born: 8 Dec 1943
Died: 3 Jul 1971
Cause: Official cause of death listed as "heart failure" but, as no autopsy was performed, the actual cause remains mysterious. Possible accidental overdose

Les Harvey - Guitarist of Stone the Crows.
Born: 13 Sept 1944
Died: 2 May 1972
Cause: Electrocuted by a microphone

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - Founding member and keyboardist of the Grateful Dead.
Born: 8 Sept 1945
Died: 8 March 1973
Cause: Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism

Dave Alexander - Bassist for The Stooges.
Born: 3 June 1947
Died: 10 Feb 1975
Cause: Pulmonary edema

Peter Ham - Keyboardist/Guitarist, leader of Badfinger.
Born: 27 Apr 1947
Died: 24 Apr 1975
Cause: Suicide by hanging

Gary Thain - Former bassist of Uriah Heep
Born: 15 May 1948
Died: 8 Dec 1975
Cause: Drug overdose

Chris Bell - Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star.
Born: 12 Jan 1951
Died: 27 Dec 1978
Cause: Car accident; drove into a telegraph pole

Jacob Miller - Reggae artist & Lead Singer of Inner Circle
Born: 4 May 1952
Died: 23 Mar 1980
Cause: Car crash

D. Boon - Guitarist, lead singer of punk band the Minutemen.
Born: 1 April 1958
Died: 22 Dec 1985
Cause: Lying down in the back of a van when it left the road, he was thrown from the van and broke his neck

Pete de Freitas - Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen.
Born: 2 Aug 1961
Died: 14 Jun 1989
Cause: Motorcycle accident returning from filming a music video

Mia Zapata - Lead singer of The Gits.
Born: 25 August 1965
Died: 7 Jul 1993
Cause: Murdered

Kurt Cobain - Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for Nirvana.
Born: 20 Feb 1967
Died: 8 Apr 1994
Cause: Officially recorded as suicide by self inflicted gun shot, although there remains much speculation.

Kristen Pfaff - Bass guitarist for Hole
Born: 26 May 1967
Died: 16 Jun 1994
Cause: Heroin overdose

Fat Pat - Rapper and member of Screwed Up Click
Born: 21 Feb 1970
Died: 3 Feb 1998
Cause: Shot

Sean Patrick McCabe - Lead singer of Ink & Dagger
Born: 13 Nov 1972
Died: 28 Aug 2000
Cause: Choked on his own vomit after ingesting too much alcohol

Jeremy Michael Ward - The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator
Born: 5 May 1976
Died: 25 May 2003
Cause: Heroin overdose

Bryan Ottoson - Guitarist for American Head Chargez
Born: 18 Mar 1978
Died: 19 Apr 2005
Cause: Accidental prescription drug overdose

Amy Winehouse - Singer/Songwriter
Born: 14 Sep 1983
Died: 23rd July 2011
Cause: Alcohol poisoning

Richard Turner - Trumpet player, musician
Born: 30 Jul 1984
Died: 11 Aug 2011
Cause: Heart attack while swimming


Famous Deaths on this date in history
2009 - John Updike, American Novelist (b. 1932)
2010 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist (b. 1919)
2010 - Zelda Rubinstein, American actress (b. 1933)