If you like ominous and macabre theories, the you’ll love the ’27 Club.’
It refers to the dark and unnatural cluster of artists passing away at 27, of which Amy Winehouse is now a member. ‘The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock and Roll’ even offers a scary laundry list of artists that just missed 28.
Just a flimsy theory? The biggest 27-ers include Robert Johnson, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Janis Joplin, a group whose causes of death span poisoning, suicide, and overdoses. But there may be more than just an eerie coincidence going on here – one astute executive noted that it takes time for artists to gain notoriety, and the late-20s allows a greater demographic spread and time for audience-building.
On top of that, there may be biological aspects in play. A body can weather endless hard-partying and extreme drug use at 21, but by 27, some ageing has occured. The system collapses, which fits the situations of Morrison and Winehouse.
Still not buying it? Then there’s the anti-theory, which finds a huge number of artists dying young – at ages other than 27. In fact, there’s quite a large number of artists that crashed-and-burned prematurely, but not at this perilous age. And here are 27 of them…
(1) Tupac Shakur, died at age 25.
(2) Notorious B.I.G., age 24.
(3) Bradley Nowell (Sublime), 28.
(4) Keith Moon, 32.
(5) Bob Marley, 36.
(6) Mozart, 35.
(7) Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers), 26.
(8) Selena, 23.
(9) Karen Carpenter, 32.
(10) Aaliyah, 22.
(11) Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, 30.
(12) Dimebag Darrell, 38.
(13) Randy Rhoads, 25.
(14) Layne Staley (Alice In Chains), 34.
(15) Jeff Buckley, 30.
(16) Sid Vicious, 21.
(17) Big Pun, 28.
(18) Ritchie Valens, 17.
(19) Buddy Holly, 23.
(20) John Lennon, 40.
(21) Stevie Ray Vaughan, 36.
(22) Cliff Burton (Metallica), 24.
(23) Otis Redding, 26.
(24) Duane Allman, 24.
(25) John Bonham, 32.
(26) Jim Croce, 30.
(27) Elvis Presley, 42.