We don’t know him personally, but sometimes it feels like we do because we research them, look up their music, watch their interviews, and we actively be part of their lives. If you grew up listening to music, it might hit you harder than you think when you find out your favorite musicians, drug addiction treatment who inspired you and you looked upon, have passed away. Here’s a list of famous musicians who have also lost their lives to drugs or alcohol. Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the INXS, died at the age of 37.
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He was a talented and innovative guitar player who impressed the likes of Eric Clapton and Wilson Pickett. He challenged Clapton but instead of competing and trying to upstage each other, they complemented one other – therefore taking the LP to the next level in terms of guitar work. Even though the 1970s is considered the golden era of rock, the decade also had its share of losses. Each death shook rock music to its core but while they were gone way too soon, their influence reached far and wide & can be felt even today. They shared their talent to the world and left a rich and stunning legacy that made them legends.
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On August 4, 1962, at age 36, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bedroom in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Her death was ruled a suicide from an overdose of barbiturates and chloral hydrate. However, her death is still a mystery, and many are convinced that she was murdered by organized crime, the FBI, or the CIA. Elvis had visited the dentist the day before for a temporary crown and was given codeine.
A Tumultuous Relationship With Alcohol And Drugs
Anna Nicole Smith overdosed on prescription drugs and died in a hotel room in Florida. In the months leading up to her death, Smith was what female singer died of an overdose the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel who had died a year before. She also left behind her newborn daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead. He had apparently been feeling rather well up until the day before he died.
- Highly addictive substances like heroin and cocaine have been drugs of choice by celebrities for decades.
- Another musical writing, arranging and singing genius, Prince had an on and off history of drug abuse.
- He later admitted to introducing Winehouse to crack cocaine and heroin.
- “I could get on a soapbox all day long about all these greedy people who are selling soft porn, as I call it, to kids buying records,” he said during a 1991 interview (via Variety).
- Some estimates have her taking as many as 44 different prescription meds.
Most of the celebrities on this list you likely have already heard of, either as singers, musicians, or television and movie entertainers. Hotels are often a common place to go when on tour, but as you read the stories of many of these celebrities who decided to take their own lives, a hotel seemed to be the place of choice. Several of the celebrities actually called a hotel their home, while for others it was a place to party. At the age of 47, the Wizard of Oz actress died of Secobarbital overdose. Her death certificate states it was accidental, however, there is speculation it was intentional.
- Winehouse’s father said that, in the time leading up to her death, she was the “happiest she has been for years” and had even recently gone three weeks alcohol-free.
- His untimely demise at age 34 has inspired several songs, such as Bleeding The Orchid, and a couple of biographies.
- Dolores O’Riordan is one of the most famous celebrities that overdosed and died in the 2010s.
- Despite the coroner determining she had died of accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine abuse were also contributing factors.
- Frankie Lymon, an R&B singer who rose to fame as the lead singer in the 1950’s group The Teenagers, died of a heroin overdose in 1968 at the age of 25.
- Enchanting began pursuing music at 18, but found that she “had to get comfortable” with her voice, which she did by spending a lot of time in the studio and “constantly recording.”
- Even though the 1970s is considered the golden era of rock, the decade also had its share of losses.
- But they both achieved more success on the singles charts in death than they ever did while alive.
- There have been no arrests in connection with this incident,” Police Superintendent Raj Kohli told reporters outside her home.
Called “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Hendrix complimented his great guitar playing with moving vocals. His death at age 27 came from an overdose of barbiturates, leading to suffocation. The daughter of Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Christina Onassis had an unhappy life. She lost both her parents shortly after her brother’s accidental death.
Clearly intoxicated, Winehouse couldn’t remember the words to her songs or even what city she was in. Before long, the audience of 20,000 people was “booing louder than the music” — and she was forced offstage. No one knew it then, but it was the last show she would ever perform. Perhaps most devastating of all, Amy Winehouse’s death came a mere month after she canceled what was supposed to be a comeback tour — in order to save her own life. As the Academy Award-winning documentary Amy explored, her own father once famously hesitated to send her to rehab when she needed it most. But he wasn’t the only person in Winehouse’s circle who was blamed for her downward spiral.