Most Shocking Rockstar Deaths


The Top Ten


The most brilliant, humane, kind, progressive, forward thinking musician and human being. Love you, john Lennon. Can't describe how much you are missed, every single day!

A big fat idiot shot him. - PizzaGuy

OMG! at first I thought it was just a big hoax - munkeelinc97

Not sure if John Lennon was the most talented Beatle, but he was certainly the most intriguing. I often wish we had his voice around today.

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I agree with you guys. His death is the most tragic and should have never happened. No musician deserves to be murdered, especially not while on stage. - Gg2000

Actually this is the most shocking one :(
While you are performing a live song you die by getting 4 shots by a stupid fan called Nathan Gale this accident proves that getting on the stage is very very dangerous.. Like Randy Blythe (my favourite groove metal vocalist) he did a manslaughter by pushing a 19 years old crazy fan (i call that fan crazy because he jumped 3 times and randy blythe keep pushing keep to get down and even randy blythe has very weak sightness) but cliff burton death is the 2nd most shocking rockstar death getting crushed by a bus - nooreldeen

He was killed on the stage for god's sake - gemcloben

This is number 1... if anyone actually knew this story before voting.

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Michael Jackson's a rockstar? Pretty sure he is a popstar, but Kurt is the most shocking though - roflcash4

suicide at the age of 27! can it get any more shocking than this?

Though I wasn't born back then I am a HUGE Nirvana fan and will miss Kurt - PanthersFTWpatriotsFTL


I cried, when he died all night...

We lost the best voice of all time.

Never have I heard anyone with such talent as Freddie. So sad and tragic that he died. Absolutely unique and irreplaceable. RIP, Fred. You legend.

One of the saddest deaths in rock history. A beautiful voice was lost and will continue to be missed till this day.

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Elvis, the KING of Rock ranked beneath the non-rocker Michael Jackson? Is this list serious?

6 Randy Rhoads Randy Rhoads Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He was killed in a plane crash.

That bus driver was a ' dick! He made us all lose one of the greatest guitarists ever born!

he is one of the greatest guitarists of all time and he died in a plane crash (how I think Bruce Dickinson will go BTW). everyone was shocked at his death. - fireinside96

8 Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) raised as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. more.

Painful. - DaringXx

it was such a freak accident... died in a bus crash and the whole band could have died, but he was the only one - Okami

This was the best bassist ever. R. I. P Cliff - dragon13304


its a year later and it still hasn't sunk in that I can't hear Thriller live anymore

He's not a rockstar - he's a popstar. - Metal_Treasure

I still cannot come to terms with this. It hurts so bad! - 4TheLoveofMichael

MJ isn't a rockstar, what

The Contenders

11 Bon Scott Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He was born in Forfar and lived in Kirriemuir, Scotland, for 5 years before moving to Melbourne, Australia, more.
12 Jim Morrison Jim Morrison James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of the Doors.

I love this guy :(

14 John Denver John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, actor, activist and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, starting in the 1970s.

He had been clean for a year and was doing great until that horrible crash - InsertCleverName


Legend! :( - axgelique

17 Chris Cornell Chris Cornell Christopher John "Chris" Cornell was an American rock musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as former lead vocalist and songwriter for the supergroup Audioslave. His vocal range was C2 to A5, while more.
18 Marc Bolan Marc Bolan Marc Bolan, born Mark Feld (30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, guitarist, and poet. He was best known as the lead singer of the glam rock band T. Rex. Bolan was one of the first pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s. He died at age 29 in a more.

When his manager once told him jokingly the Rockies way for him to die was at the wheel of a white roller marc joked back... no I'm too small for a rolls Royce it'll have to be a Mimi... a little purple mini...

19 Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan Jimmy James Owen Sullivan (February 9th, 1981 - December 28th 2009), better known by his stage name "The Rev" (Short for "The Reverend Tholomew Plague") was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the former drummer, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American alternative metal/ metalcore more.
20 Paul Gray Paul Gray Paul Dedrick Gray, also known as The Pig or by his number #2, was an American musician, best known as the bassist and one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning metal band Slipknot.
21 Randy California

The fact that he saved his son and sacrificed his life for him tears me up...:(

23 Brian Connolly
24 Sid Vicious Sid Vicious John Beverly, born John Simon Ritchie, later named Sid Vicious, was an English musician, most famous as the bass guitarist of the influential punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and notorious for his arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.
25 Joey Ramone Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman, professionally known by Joey Ramone, was an American musician and singer-songwriter, lead vocalist of the punk-rock band The Ramones.
26 Klaus Nomi Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.

Stupid cancer has taken the life of one of the greatest pop stars of all time. He left the Blackstar album so that he will always be remembered 100 years after his death. R.I.P. DAVID BOWIE!

That breaks me down the most

29 Maurice Gibb
30 Paul Hester

C'mon Australia was shocked by this death

31 Steve Gilpin

He was the lead singer of Mi-Sex, he was murdered - ac1348


I'm pretty sure Johnny Cash is more country than he is rock. His death was still tragic though.

33 Michael Hutchence Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician and actor. He was a founding member, lead singer and lyricist of rock band INXS from 1977 until his death in 1997.
34 Keith Relf Keith Relf Keith Relf was an English musician, well known as the lead singer for the psychedelic band The Yardbirds.

Electrocuted while rehearsing with his plugged-in electric guitar in the bathtub!


Died too soon - InsertCleverName

36 Johnny Thunders Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale Jr. (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), better known by his stage name Johnny Thunders, was an American rock and roll/punk rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with The Heartbreakers and more.
37 GG Allin GG Allin Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; 1956-1993) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. He was best known for his graphic live performances which included self-mutilation, parading around the stage naked, fighting more.
38 Malcolm Owen


40 Chuck Schuldiner Chuck Schuldiner Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder and vocalist, guitarist and bassist of the American heavy metal band Death. He is considered the most influential figure in Death Metal, with some publications referring to Chuck more.
41 Euronymous Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (1968-1993), who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Euronymous was stabbed to death by band member Varg Vikernes in August 1993. more.

I don't care for him because he wasn't much better than his murderer (Varg Vikernes). But he died brutally.

42 Rozz Williams Rozz Williams Rozz Williams was an American vocalist and musician most known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project, and with the industrial project Premature Ejaculation.

An Inspiration to Young Kindred Spirits of the Eternal Nocturne. A Poet, a Visionary, a Showman and, Yes, a Rebel. His Soul Shall be Tormented Nevermore and Live on in Spirit Forever More.

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List Stats

500 votes
43 listings
9 years, 239 days old

Top Remixes

1. Dimebag Darrell
2. John Lennon
3. Jeff Buckley
1. John Lennon
2. Dimebag Darrell
3. Kurt Cobain
1. Dimebag Darrell
2. Kurt Cobain
3. Jimi Hendrix


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