The Death of Rock: The Chronology

The Sixties

Artists are listed alphabetically within year of demise. Feel free to scroll, or click the year you wish to view and skip ahead.

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.

1960

Jesse Belvin: car accident - suspected murder. He was 27. Belvin was a soulful crooner, marketed as "the black Elvis" to a still-segregated South. While leaving his first integrated concert, in Little Rock, Belvin's car was involved in a head-on collision. One of the first state troopers on the scene stated that both of the rear tires on the black cadillac had been "obviously tampered with." Belvin and his driver died at the scene (Hope, AR); his wife Jo Ann (age 23) succumbed to her injuries after being denied treatment at Hope Hospital until payment could be secured. Belvin was co-author of The Penguins' hit, "Earth Angel," and his recording of "Goodnight My Love" was the closing theme for Alan Freed's rock & roll radio show for several years. Visit Jesse Belvin's Tribute, which expands on his his career and offers other suspicious details surrounding his death.
*Eddie Cochran: (Raymond Edward Cochran), car accident; he was 22. Fellow rocker Gene Vincent (see 1971), and several others were injured when their taxi skidded into a lamppost. Cochran was thrown through the windshield and survived his brain injuries less than a day. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the greatest guitarists of all time (ranking #84). Cochran was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and he is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Read about Cochran's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly. "Summertime Blues," "Sittin' in the Balcony," "Three Steps to Heaven" (posthumous release)
Johnny Horton: (John Gale Horton), automobile crash; he was 35. Country singer whose song, "The Battle of New Orleans" was a huge hit in 1959; it won the 1960 Grammy for Best Country & Western Recording and the Grammy Hall of Fame Award. In 2001, the song was named one of the "Songs of the Century." In 1960, Horton was driving home from the Austin Skylight Club when his car was struck head-on by a drunk driver. Ironically, this was also the last place Hank Williams played before his alcohol-related death in 1953 (and both musicians died in Cadillacs). Horton had married Williams's widow, Billie Jean Jones Eshlimar. He was returning from a performance when he heard on the radio about Hank Williams's death, on Highway 79 going through Milano, Texas - the same town where Horton would have his fatal accident seven years later. Horton was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was posthumously inducted into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Louisiana. "Sink the Bismarck," "North to Alaska"
(Rocco) Scott LaFaro: automobile accident. LaFaro was an influential jazz bassist and worked with such luminaries as Chet Baker (see 1988), Benny Goodman, Percy Heath, and Bill Evans. LaFaro was 25 at the time of his death. "Bohemia After Dark," "Cherokee," "Scene is Clean"
"Stick" McGhee: (Granville "Stick" McGhee), lung cancer. McGhee was an American guitarist (Walter "Brownie" McGhee's younger brother) best known for "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", later covered by Jerry Lee Lewis. The alcoholic fruit drink "spodi" supposedly takes its name from the song. He earned the nickname "Stick" by pushing his polio-stricken older brother, "Brownie" (died 1996, age 80; stomach cancer), on a cart that he propelled with a stick. "Drinkin' Wine," first recorded in 1947 and remade in 1949, became a huge R&B hit for "Stick." He died at the age of 44. "Tennessee Waltz Blues," "Jungle Juice," "Double Crossin' Liquor," "Six to Eight," and "Head Happy with Wine."
Ronnie Smith: suicide. Smith was lead vocalist for the Poor Boys, which included drummer Carl Bunch. Bunch replaced Buddy Holly's regular drummer on the ill-fated Winter Dance Party tour (see the Buddy Holly Tribute). (Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup substituted for Holly's regular bassist and guitarist, respectively.) After Holly's fatal plane crash, Ronnie Smith replaced him on the remainder of the tour. Smith, Bunch, Jennings, and Allsup later formed the Jitters. In 1962, Smith was committed to a state hospital for drug abuse; he hanged himself in one of the bathrooms. His age at the time of his death was 21. Read about Smith's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly.
Stuart Sutcliffe: cerebral hemorrhage. Early member of The Beatles, famous for quitting right before their massive popularity so he could spend time with his girlfriend. Sutcliffe was 21. "Hard Day's Night," "Eight Days a Week"
Jack Anglin: car accident. He was 5 days shy of his 47th birthday. Anglin was a member of country music's Anglin Brothers, who are members of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He later teamed up with his brother-in-law, forming Johnnie and Jack. Anglin was killed in a car crash while heading to the funeral of singer Patsy Cline (also 1963). Singer Jim Reeves (see 1964) was a pallbearer at Anglin's funeral. With the Anglin Brothers: "They Are All Going Home But One" With Johnnie and Jack: "Poison Love," "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight, "Stop the World and Let Me Off"
#Patsy Cline: (Virginia Patterson Hensley), plane crash in Tennessee; she was 30. Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas were returning from a benefit for the widow of a local disc jockey who died in a car crash. Randy Hughes, both Copas's son-in-law and Cline's manager, was piloting the plane; he was also killed in the crash. While on the way to Cline's funeral, another country musician, Jack Anglin (also 1963), was killed. Cline was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973 and she is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. She was also honored on a United States postage stamp. Proceed to the Patsy Cline Tribute, which details the crash and includes photos and the official crash report. "Crazy," "I Fall To Pieces," "Leavin' on Your Mind" (the single at the time of her death)
Cowboy Copas: (Lloyd Estel Copas), "The Oklahoma Cowboy," plane crash in Tennessee. Copas was 49. Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Patsy Cline, were returning from a benefit for the widow of a local disc jockey who died in a car crash. Randy Hughes, both Copas's son-in-law and Cline's manager, was piloting the plane; he was also killed in the crash. Proceed to the Patsy Cline Tribute, which details the crash and includes photos and the official crash report. You can also read about Copas's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly. "Filipino Baby," "Signed, Sealed and Delivered," "Alabam'," "Goodbye Kisses" (posthumous release)
Hawkshaw Hawkins: Hawkshaw Hawkins (Harold Franklin Hawkins), plane crash in Tennessee. Hawkins was 41. Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline, were returning from a benefit for the widow of a local disc jockey who died in a car crash. Randy Hughes, both Copas's son-in-law and Cline's manager, was piloting the plane; he was also killed in the crash. Proceed to the Patsy Cline Tribute, which details the crash and includes photos and the official crash report. "Lonesome 7-7203" (entered US charts three days prior to his death), "I Love You A Thousand Ways," "Slow Poke," "Bad News Travels Fast," "Soldiers Joy"
Edith Piaf: (Edith Giovanna Gassion), possibly liver failure (secondary to liver cancer and cirrhosis); she was 47. Piaf, who took her stage name from the nickname she was given, La Momme Piaf (The Little Sparrow), was a French singer who rallied her country during World War II and became a French icon and international figure. Her life ws plagued by tragedy - her mother abandoned her, she was raised in her paternal grandmother's bordello, a teenage pregnancy resulted in a daughter who died at the age of two, and she endured numerous disastrous love affirs, culminating in the death of the love of her life, middleweight world boxing champion, Marcel Cerdan, in a plane crash. Piaf was also seriously injured in three separate automobile accidents. Her dependence on alcohol and the large amount of medications that she was taking for health conditions and her injuries, led to several surgeries for stomach ulcers. Piaf drifted in and out of consciuosness for months before dying of presumed liver failure, although an autopsy was never performed. (Interesting aside: in 1982, a Soviet astronomer discovered a small planet, naming it after Piaf.) "La Vie en rose," "Non, je ne regrette rien," "Hymme a l'amour"
*^Dinah Washington: (Ruth Jones), a lethal combination of secobarbital and amobarbital, prescriptions for her insomnia and diet. She was 39. Washington was the most popular black female artist of the 1950s, with several top 10 R&B hits. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003. "Wheel of Fortune," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Baby Get Lost," "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (with Brook Benton)
David Box: (Harold David Box), plane crash; he was 21. Box was one of several lead singers employed by The Crickets, Buddy Holly's backing band, after Holly's death. Box also worked with Roy Orbison, and had a regional hit with "Little Lonely Summer Girl" by his group, the Ravens. On 23 October 1964, Box was a passenger in a small Cessna 172 Skyhawk when the plance crashed, according to authorities, because of pilot error. (Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, and at the same age (see 1959).) Read about the connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly. David Box was inducted into the West Texas Music Hall of Fame. "Peggy Sue Got Married"
Johnny Burnette: boating accident. Johnny, along with his brother, Dorsey (see 1979), enjoyed success as a teen-idol crooner during the early 1960s. Johnny was boating after dark when a cabin cruiser rammed his unlit fishing boat. The impact threw him from the boat and he drowned. He was 30. (Johnny's son, Rocky, would have a hit in 1980 with "Tired Of Toein' The Line.") Burnette was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. "Dreamin'," "You're Sixteen," "Little Boy Sad," "God, Country and My Baby"
*Sam Cooke: murdered. Member of the gospel group, the Soul Stirrers, and wildly successful solo artist. Cooke was staying in a LA motel with a woman he had picked up. He realized his money and clothes were stolen and assumed the manageress of the motel was in on the scam. Cooke, half-naked, accosted her. She brandished a gun and a struggle ensued. Cooke was fatally shot; he was 33. Over 200,000 fans payed their respects in Chicago. Cooke was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1986; the Soul Stirrers were inducted in 1989. Visit Sam Cooke's Tribute for details about his career and suspicious death. You can also read about Cooke's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly. "You Send Me," "Twisting the Night Away," "Chain Gang," "Bring It On Home"
*Rudy Lewis: drug overdose. He was 28. Lewis sang lead for the Drifters from 1960-64. His vocal credits include "Up On the Roof" and "On Broadway." Lewis was found dead in his hotel room, having overdosed the night before the group was supposed to record "Under the Boardwalk." The Drifters were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
#Jim Reeves: plane crash; he was 40. Reeves was a popular country artist who enjoyed cross-over success. He and his manager, Dean Manuel, were killed when the small aircraft Reeves was piloting crashed during a thunderstorm near Nashville. He had been a pallbearer at singer Jack Anglin's funeral, 18 months earlier. (Anglin was killed in a car crash on his way to Patsy Cline's funeral; she perished in a plane crash - with Cowboy Cowpas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cline's manager/Copas's son-in-law, Randy Hughes - leaving a benefit for the widow of "Cactus" Jack Call, who died in an automobile accident - all in 1963.) Reeves was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998. "He'll Have To Go," "Welcome to My World," "Am I Losing You," "Adios Amigo" Jim Reeves is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, Goodlettsville, Tennessee (along with Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Randy Hughes and Jack Anglin). The inscription on his memorial reads, "If I, a lowly singer, dry one tear, or soothe one humble human heart in pain, then my homely verse to God is dear, and not one stanza has been sung in vain."
Bill Black: brain tumor. He was 39. Black backed Elvis Presley (see 1977) before forming Bill Black's Combo and placing eight hits in the US Top 40. "White Silver Sands," "Josephine," "Smokie - Part 2"
*Nat "King" Cole: (Nathaniel Adams Cole), lung cancer. He was 45. Cole sang and hosted a weekly variety show, The Nat King Cole Show, on NBC in 1957. It lasted for 64 episodes; Cole was the first black man to host a program on televison. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Alabama Hall of Fame in 1985. Cole was also named an Icon and awarded the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005. "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa"
Charles Fizer: shot by the National Guard during the Watts Riots. He was 24. Fizer was a member of the vocal quartet, The Olympics. Friday, the 13th of August, marked the third day of rioting in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. President Lyndon B. Johnson had sent in the National Guard to quell the hostilities. Thirty-four people would be killed and over 1,000 injured before the violence ceased. Fizer was on his way to rehearsal on the 13th when he was struck and killed by a National Guard bullet. Also killed was the sister of Melvin King, who had replaced Fizer in The Olympics for a year while Fizer served a jail sentence for drug possession. King, devastated by the loss of his sister, played only one more show with the group. He was replaced by Mack Starr, who was killed in a motorcylce accident (see 1981). "Western Movies" (which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100), "(Baby) Hully Gully," "Big Boy Pete," "Good Lovin'"
Eddie Sulik: car crash; he was 36. Sulik was a songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rockabilly duo the Echoes. The Echoes appeared with perfomers like Johnny Burnette (see 1964), Johnny Tillotson, and the Temptations. In 1960, the Echoes embarked on a brief tour with the Miss Universe Pageants, and appeared on radio and TV. Sulik went solo in 1961, garnering the attention of record executive Archie Bleyer. Bleyer invited Sulik to his office in New York City two weeks before Christmas, 1965; Chet Atkins was going to be in town. Sulik was killed in a car accident just hours before the meeting. Sulik was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Vist The Archive's Tribute to Eddie Sulik. "Bye-Bye My Baby," "Ecstasy," "Bounty Hunter Dale," "Anna Marie"
Bobby Fuller: (Robert Gaston Fuller), murdered in 1966. Leader of the Bobby Fuller Four. Their biggest hit, "I Fought the Law," was penned by Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly's Crickets. (Read about Fuller's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly.) Fuller's body was found in his car at his house. He had been severely beaten, one of his right fingers was broken, and he was drenched in gasoline. Friends stated that Fuller had recently been harassed by local mobsters, possibly in connection with a woman. But the police judged his death a suicide. His death certificate states the causes of demise as asphyxia and inhalation of gasoline, ruled as an "accident." Fuller was 23. Vist The Archive's Tribute to Bobby Fuller. "I Fought the Law," "Love's Made a Fool of You," "Never to Be Forgotten"
Leroy Griffin: incinerated. Lead singer of the '50s doo-wop group, The Nutmegs. Originating from New Haven, Connecticut, the group charted several regional hits ("Ship of Fools", "Let Me Tell You", "The Way Love Should Be", "Why Must We Go to School", "Down in Mexico", and "You're Crying"). In 1955, The Nutmegs gained national attention with "Story Untold", which reached #2 on the charts. In 1966, Leroy Griffin had returned to the Koppers coke factory where he occasionally worked. Sadly, on September 1st, he had an altercation with a colleague and his body was later found in one of the facility's large furnaces. He was 32. (Fellow Nutmeg, Leroy McNeil, was also murdered. See 1975.)
LaVerne Andrews: cancer; she was 55. LaVerne was a member of the singing trio, The Andrews Sisters. The Andrews Sisters were among the first artists to be inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. The ladies also accompanied such distinguished musicians as Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller (see 1944), Guy Lombardo, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey (see 1957 and 1956, respectively). The ladies also appeared in 17 films. Their hits include "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (Means That You're Grand)," "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)," and "Rum and Coca-Cola".
The Bar-Kays: The original Bar-Kays were James Alexander (bass), Ronnie Caldwell (organ), Ben Cauley (trumpet), Phalon Jones (saxophone), Carl Cunningham (drums), and Jimmy King (guitar). Chosen by Otis Redding as his backing band, the group (minus James Alexander) was en route to a show with Redding when the plane crashed into Lake Monona, Wisconsin. Ben Cauley was the only survivor. Caldwell, Jones, and Cunningham were 19 years old; King was 18. (Visit Otis Redding's Tribute for photos and detailed information about the plane crash.) "Soul Finger"
John Coltrane: liver cancer at age 40. Coltrane was once a member of Miles Davis's group, and is arguably the greatest jazz saxophonist on record. It was rumoured that his liver problems were caused by a lengthy addiction to alcohol and heroin. In 1965, Coltrane was inducted into the Down Beat Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. In 2007, he was awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prize Committee. His legendary albums include My Favorite Things, Live at the Village Vanguard, and A Love Supreme.
*Woody Guthrie: (Woodrow Wilson Guthrie), Huntington's Chorea; 1967. Folk hero. Wrote over 1000 songs, folksy-protest ballads. By the mid-1940s, Guthrie began experiencing bouts of depression and disorientation that signaled the onset of Huntington's Chorea (a genetic disorder that had afflicted his mother). His health slowly deteriorated and he was eventually confined to hospitals. He died at the age of 55, leaving behind 3 wives and eight children, including folk singer Arlo Guthrie. Woody Guthrie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He was honored again in 1996 with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame American Music Masters Series. In 1997, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. "This Land is Your Land," "Dust Bowl Refugees," "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You," "Grand Coulee Dam"
Joe Meek: (Robert George Meek), self-inflicted gunshot wound. Meek was a pioneering record producer and songwriter. Meek's works include The Tornados' "Ridin' the Wind" and "Telstar," which was the first song by a British act to reach #1 on the US Hot 100. Meek suffered from bouts of rage, paranoia and depression which were exacerbated by his drug use. He became obsessed with fallen rocker Buddy Holly (see 1959), whom Meek claimed visited him in dreams. On the eighth anniversary of Holly's death (3 February 1967), Meek shot and killed his landlady before turning the single-barreled shotgun on himself. He was 37. Read about Meek's involvement in the Curse of Buddy Holly.
*Otis Redding: drowned and/or froze to death when his plane crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin; he was 26. All but one member of Redding's backing band, The Bar-Kays, also perished. Redding was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Visit the Archive's Tribute to Otis Redding. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" released posthumously, "These Arms of Mine," "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)," "That's How Strong My Love Is"
Malcolm Hale: carbon-monoxide poisoning, the result of a faulty space heater. He was 27. Hale was the lead guitarist for Spanky and Our Gang. He had gone to bed drunk at a girlfriend's, and even though the band called her to wake him, she refused. Twenty-eight hours later, she discovered that he was dead. You can read about Hale's connection to the Curse of 27. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Like to Get to Know You," "Lazy Day"
*Frankie Lymon: heroin overdose at age 25. Lymon was only 13 when "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" reached #1 on the R&B charts. Within ten years, three members of the group would be dead: Lymon, Sherman Garnes (see 1977), and Joey Negroni (see 1978). Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000. "I Want You to Be My Girl," "Who Can Explain?"
Nervous Norvus: (James Drake), cirrhosis of the liver. He was 56. Norvus reached #8 with the 1956 novelty tune, "Transfusion."
Luther Perkins: house fire. He was 40. Perkins was a guitarist with the Tennessee Three, Johnny Cash's backing band. He is credited with creating Cash's signature "boom-chicka-boom" music style. On 3 August 1968, Perkins fell asleep in his living room with a lit cigarette. His daughter awoke to find the room engulfed in flames and her father collapsed by the door. He was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later. He is buried near Johnny and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Hendersonville, TN. (Both Johnny and June Carter Cash died in 2003; Johnny of complications from diabetes at the age of 71 and June of complications from heart surgery at the age of 73.) Luther Perkins was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. With Johnny Cash: "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire," "In the Jailhouse Now," "I Walk the Line"
Tommy Edwards: cerebral aneurysm. He was 47. Edwards had the #22 hit song of the decade (1950s), with "All In The Game." ("Many a tear have to fall, but it's all in the game...")
Judy Garland: (Frances Ethel Gumm), barbituate overdose; she was 47. Singer/actress from Hollywood's Golden Age. Appeared in several hit musicals, including "The Wizard of Oz" (for which she won a special juvenile Academy Award), "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Easter Parade," and "A Star is Born." Mother to entertainers Liza Minelli and Lorna Luft. "Over the Rainbow"
*Brian Jones: (Lewis Brian Hopkins-Jones), drowned. He was 27. Jones was a co-founder of the Rolling Stones, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Speculation remains that Jones may have been murdered. For the whole story, and to read about the renewed investigation into his death in August of 2009, follow this link. You can also read about Jones's connection to the Curse of 27. "Satisfaction," "Red Door," "Sympathy for the Devil"

The Death of Rock: The Chronology

The Sixties

Key

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969