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The Death of Rock: The Alphabetical Archive

R

Musicians are listed individually. Search by the artist's last name. Artists commonly referred to by a stage or street name (such as "The Big Bopper," Freddie Mercury, and Jam Master Jay) are listed under those names. Musicians who performed under a single name (like Aaliyah, Nico, and Selena) will be found under those single names. There are a few instances where two or more members of the same band perished in a single incident; you will find those artists listed under the group's name. (Examples are Banda Fugaz, The Bar-Kays, Chase, Passion Fruit, and The Reba McEntire Band.) One notable exception to this rule is Lynyrd Skynyrd. Members of Skynyrd are listed individually; although three perished in the 1977 plane crash, others have since died in unrelated incidents. (The three who died in the crash are grouped as "Lynyrd Skynyrd" on the Causes of Death and Chronology pages.)

Key

R

Eddie Rabbitt

Eddie Rabbitt

lung cancer; he was 56. Rabbitt was a country singer who scored several crossover hits in the early 1980s. He died in 1998. "I Love A Rainy Night," "Drivin' My Life Away"

Carl Radle

kidney infection (1980) as a result of long-term alcohol and drug abuse. Radle was the bassist for Derek and the Dominos, George Harrison (see 2001), and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen. He was 37. Radle was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Ma Rainey

*^Ma Rainey

(Gertrude Pridgett), heart attack in 1939 at the age of 53. Rainey was "Mother of the Blues." She was the first woman to incorporate blues into vaudeville, minstrel and tent shows, and it is believed that she coached a young Bessie Smith (see 1937) while touring with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Rainey was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. "C.C. Rider," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "Broken Hearted Blues"

Bobby Ramirez

murdered in 1972. Ramirez was the drummer for Edgar Winter's White Trash. While in a Chicago bar, a man made a derogatory comment about Ramirez's long hair. Ramirez replied and the man hit the drummer, drawing blood. When a request for law enforcement was refused, Ramirez followed his attacker outsider. When fellow band member Jerrry LaCroix next saw Ramirez, he was bloody and lifeless in their road manager's arms. His assailant had used a pointed steel-tipped shoe as one of his weapons and had not engaged Ramirez alone. The drummer was 23 when he was killed. "Give It Everything You Got," "I've Got News For You," "Fly Away"

*Dee Dee Ramone

(Douglas Colvin), drug overdose in 2002. He was 49. Bassist for The Ramones. All three founding members would die within four years of one another. Punk pioneers, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Teenage Lobotomy"

The Ramones: Johnny, Dee Dee, Joey & Marky

*Joey Ramone

(Jeffrey Hyman), lymphoma, 2001; he was 49. Vocalist for The Ramones. All three founding members would die within four years of one another. (Dee Dee Ramone would die the following year from a drug overdose and Johnny Ramone would succumb to prostate cancer in 2004.) Punk pioneers, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Teenage Lobotomy"

*Johnny Ramone

(John Cummings), prostate cancer (2004); he was 55. Guitarist for the Ramones. All three founding members would die within four years of one another. (Joey Ramone died in 2001 from lymphoma and Dee Dee Ramone in 2002 from a drug overdose.) In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named Johnny Ramone one of the greatest guitarists of all time (ranking #16). Punk pioneers, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Teenage Lobotomy"

Danny Rapp

suicide. He was the Danny in Danny and The Juniors, who scored two hits in 1957: "At The Hop" and "Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay." Rapp died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1983. He was 41.

Doug Rauch

(Douglass Haywood Rauch), drug overdose in 1979. He was 28. Rauch was the bassist for Santana in the early 1970s, playing on the albums, Caravanserai and Welcome. He also played with David Bowie, Carly Simon, and Papa John Creach.

Jay Reatard

(Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr.), died in 2010 of "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.

The Reba McEntire Band

On 15 March 1991, country crooner Reba McEntire finished a show in California. While she decided to stay the night in San Diego, her band piled into two Hawker-Siddeley planes destined for Indiana. Unfortunatley, one of the aircraft slammed into a mountain moments after take-off. On board were Chris Autin (vocals, guitar, mandolin), age 27; Kirk Capello (keyboards), age 28; Joey Cigainero (synthesizer), age 27; Paula Kaye Evans (vocals), age 33; Terry Jackson (bass), age 28; Tony Saputo (drums), age 34; Michael Thomas (guitar), age 34; Jim Hammond (road manager), age 40; and two others, including the pilot. View the National Transportation and Safety Board report which includes photos of the musicians. McEntire dedicated her 1991 album, From My Broken Heart, to the fallen musicians.

Mitch Mitchell (d. 2008), Jimi Hendrix (d. 1970) and Noel Redding (d. 2003).

*Noel Redding

cirrhosis of the liver (2003). He was 57. Redding was the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Jimi Hendrix (see 1970) died from aspiration of vomit while under the influence and drummer Mitch Mitchell died in 2008 at age 61 from apparently natural causes. "Purple Haze," "Foxy Lady," "Crosstown Traffic"

Otis Redding

*Otis Redding

drowned and/or froze to death when his plane crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin during 1967; 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"

Jim Reeves; Reeves's memorial.

#Jim Reeves

plane crash in 1964. 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."

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

(Jean Baptiste Reinhardt), brain hemorrhage. He was 43. Reinhardt was a French Gypsy (Manouche). After surviving a house (caravan) fire which disfigured two of his fingers, he created a revolutionary technique for fingering guitar. He formed the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. In 1953, he suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage. "Tiger Rag," "I Saw Stars," "Minor Swing," "Belleville," "Nuages"

*Keith Relf

electrocution in 1976; he was 33. Relf was the lead singer for the Yardbirds, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and he founded the band Armageddon. He was electrocuted when the electric guitar he was playing was not properly grounded. "For Your Love," "Over Under Sideways Down"

*Randy Rhoads

(Randall William Rhoads), airplane crash in 1982. Andrew Aycock, the band's tourbus driver, took Rhoads and Rachel Youngblood up in a 1955 Beechcraft Bonanza F-35 for kicks, buzzing the band's tour bus. The plane's wing clipped the vehicle and crashed into a nearby house. All three were killed; Rhoads was 25. He founded Quiet Riot with Kevin DuBrow (see 2007) and later gained celebrity as Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the greatest guitarists of all time (ranking #85). He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. "Crazy Train," "Revelation (Mother Earth)," "Suicide Solution"

Greg Ridley

succumbed to pneumonia in 2003. He was 56. Ridley was the bassist and co-founder of Humble Pie. "Black Coffee," "30 Days in the Hole," "I Don't Need No Doctor," "Natural Born Bugie"

Minnie Riperton

breast cancer (1979); she was 31. Riperton was originally part of the singing group the Gems, who provided background vocals for artists including Etta James and the Dells. Her 1975 single, "Lovin' You," went to #1 in the US (#2 in the UK). Also in 1975, Riperton was attacked by the lion displayed on the cover of her album, "Adventures in Paradise"; she avoided serious injury. Riperton recorded with Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, and others. "Young, Willing, and Able," "Can You Feel What I'm Saying?"

#Marty Robbins

(Martin David Robinson), heart attack in 1982. He was 57. Robbins was a popular singer/songwriter who recorded various styles of music, from country-western to Hawaiian to gospel to pop. Robbins was inducted into the Country Hall of Fame in 1982. "A White Sports Coat (and a Pink Carnation)," "El Paso," "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife," "You Gave Me a Mountain"

Matt Roberts

former lead guitarist and backing vocalist (1996-2012) for 3 Doors Down. Prescription drug overdose in 2016; he was 38. Roberts was a founding member of the group. "Kryptonite," "When I'm Gone," "Here Without You"

Vicki Sue Robinson

cancer (2000). She was 45. Disco diva who appeared on Broadway in "Hair," "Soon", and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Session vocalist and solo artist, famous for her club hit, "Turn the Beat Around."

Duane Roland

died of "natural causes" at his home in 2006. Roland was the guitarist for Molly Hatchet. He was 53. "Flirtin' with Disaster," "Bloody Reunion," "Satisfied Man"

Mick Ronson

(Michael Ronson), liver cancer in 1993. He was 46. Ronson was a guitarist heavily associated with glam rock. He played with David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, and Lou Reed (appearing on Reed's album, Transformer). Ronson was named the 64th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. Albums with Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane, and Pin Ups. Solo albums: Slaughter in 10th Avenue, Play Don't Worry, and Heaven and Hull (which was released posthumously).

Frank Rosolino

suicide in 1978. He was 52. Rosolino was a highly-regarded trombonist, and his song "Blue Daniel" became a jazz standard. After learning that he had been carrying on an affair, his third wife (and mother to his two sons) committed suicide via carbon monoxide inhalation in their garage. Supposedly, Rosolino was unable to cope with her death, so he shot both of his sons (ages 9 and 7), killing the older son and blinding the other, before killing himself.

Andy Rourke

pancreatic cancer (2023) at the age of 59. Rourke was the bassist for The Smiths and he played with lead singer, Morrissey, on his solo projects. Rourke formed the group, Freebass, in 2005. The Smiths: "How Soon Is Now?", "What Difference Does It Make?", "Sheila Take a Bow"

Johnny "Blackie Onassis" Rowan

cause of death not disclosed (2023); he was 57. Rowan was the drummer for '90s alternative group, Urge Overkill. The band's biggest hit was a cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", which was featured in the film, Pulp Fiction. Other singles include "Sister Havana" and "Positive Bleeding".

The Temptations, 1964-68: David Ruffin (d. 1991), Paul Williams

(d. 1973), Eddie Kendricks (d. 1992), Melvin Franklin (d. 1995),

& Otis Williams (clockwise from bottom left).

*David Ruffin

found at the emergency entrance of a Philadelphia hospital, dead of a cocaine overdose in 1991. Ruffin sang tenor for the Temptations, replacing Elbridge Bryant in 1963. (Bryant died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1975, Paul Williams committed suicide in 1973, Eddie Kendricks succumbed to lung cancer in 1992 and Melvin Franklin died after a seizure in 1995.) Ruffin was 50 at the time of his death. The Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and both the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999. "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"

Joel Rundell

suicide in 1990; he was 24. Rundell was a founding member and the guitarist for alternative band, Better Than Ezra. The group would later have success with their 1993 multi-platinum album, Deluxe, featuring the single, "Good".

David "Chico" Ryan

heart failure in 1998; age 50. Member of New Jersey's The Happenings and bassist for nostalgic "Greaser" band, Sha Na Na (with Vinnie Taylor, see 1974). Appeared with Sha Na Na in the 1978 movie, Grease, and on the band’s hit television series (1977-81). With The Happenings: "See You in September,""I Got Rhythm."With Sha Na Na: "Good Night, Sweetheart"

Paul Ryder

reportedly ischaemic heart disease and diabetes (2022); he was 58. Ryder was the bassist for the British alternative group, the Happy Mondays. Their 1990 album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, was certified platinum and featured the hit, "Step On".