The 27 Club consists of actors and musicians who passed away at the age of 27. The cause of death either was from an overdose, accident or under mysterious circumstances. Some of the members of the club are well known, some others are people who may have had a couple of hits or a short lived career and just got to ahead themselves and lived like they were a HUGE deal in the industry. If I’m being honest, I haven’t heard about some of the people and I’m like a music whisperer. I know more about music then a lot of people and some of them grew up with a lot of these people on the list.
Here’s just a few of the members of the 27 Club.
The club dates back to the late1960s with the death of Rolling Stones member, Brian Jones when he was found at the bottom of a pool, cause of death was drowning, but it was later stated that his passing was “death by misadventure,” and because of his history of drug and alcohol abuse his liver and heart were greatly enlarged.
Jimi Hendrix joined the club in 1970 when he died from an overdose of sleeping pills. It’s unknown how much he took or if he knew what he was taking as the drug was a strong barbiturate called “Vesparax.” It only takes half a pill to make a grown man fall asleep for eight hours. Jimi also was drinking at the time he took the pills which in its self isn’t the best thing to do.
Later that same year, Janis Joplin overdosed in her hotel room after spending time in the recording studio. She injected herself with heroin, went to the lobby to get a pack of cigarettes. When she returned to her room, she fell over as she was placing the cigarettes in her pocket, hitting her head on the table. She was found the next day.
Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the Doors died in France from an overdose in 1971. His girlfriend died at the same age which made the whole situation weird and a coincidence.
Alan Wilson was the guitarist of Canned Heat, and he was a troubled man. He had depression, was estranged from his family and lacked confidence. He had some habits that may have been considered eccentric. Alan liked to sleep outdoors, which he was doing on the night he passed away. He was staying at Bob Hite’s house in Los Angeles. Bob was a vocalist. On September 3, 1970, Alan’s body was found in Bob’s house. A bottle of the barbiturate, Seconal was found next to his body and his hands were placed over his chest. Accidental overdose was the cause of death, but Fito de la Parra, the drummer of the band, believes it was suicide.
Ron “Pigpen” McKernan alongside Jerry Garcia formed a band that went on to be The Grateful Dead. When he was 12, he started drinking and had developed cirrhosis of the liver, ulcers and other health issues by the time he was in his mid-twenties. On March 8, 1973, Ron died from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage in his apartment in San Francisco. By the time, he was found, he had been dead for two days.
Pete Ham was in the band, Badfinger and his death came after the death of Kurt Cobain. It could to the point for Pete, that death was his only solution. Just three days before his 28th birthday, Pete told a friend that he found a way out. Pete hung himself in his garage. 7 years later, his friend who he saw that night he died, committed suicide.
The death of Kurt Cobain has started a debate on if he did it himself or if Courtney Love did it since the writing on the note didn’t much. Either way you look it, his death was a shock to the music community. He was found by an electrician in April of 1994. Cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot. He left being a young daughter.
Jonathan Brandis was a teen heart throb in the late 1980s and the 1990s. He was just 6 years old when he began to act. He starred in various films and guest starred in numerous TV shows. As he had older, his career shifted, and he wasn’t able to maintain that same level of success. In 2002, Jonathan appeared in a film with Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell, but eventually all his scenes were cut from the film, he thought this film was going to be his comeback. In 2003, Jonathan Brandis hung himself in his apartment building in Los Angeles.
Amy Winehouse struggled with alcohol which led to her death in 2011.
Anton Yelchin had a bright career and who knew what he would have done if he were still here. Anton’s death was a freak accident. His car pinned the young actor against a pillar. His injuries were too severe for him to survive.
It’s sad to think that there are so many talented people who didn’t make it to 30 years old. A lot of the time, people take fame way too far and they think they can beat their addiction or take their addiction too far. In other ways, the stress and the pressure of fame gets too much and using drugs is their way of coping. Mental health plays a role too as they are trying to mask the pain by using and abusing. They can’t find the peace and they need to find it in non-healthy ways. Which in the long run, doesn’t work. You play a risky game. It’s not worth your life.
Comments