20 Musicians Who Died At The Age Of 27
ValentÃn Elizalde
ValentÃn Elizalde was a popular Mexican singer and band leader whose lyrics portrayed life on the Mexican border with visceral honesty. Controversy was sparked when supporters of Los Zetas, Mexico’s most powerful criminal syndicate, interpreted his song “A Mis Enemigos” as an insult to the group. While leaving a concert, Elizalde’s suburban was hit with automatic gun fire. The assailants killed him, his assistant, and his chauffeur.
Dave Alexander (The Stooges)
Few musical acts have been as influential as The Stooges. Leading audiences by the nose with pure aggression, attitude and snark, the band single-handedly paved the way for punk and hard rock. Their original bassist, Dave Alexander, proved to be somewhat of a weak link. His frequent and heavy imbibing stalled one too many performances, leading to his firing from the group in 1970. Complications from his excessive drinking would kill him five years later at the age of 27.
Jacob Miller (Inner Circle)
Things were looking up for Jacob Miller, lead vocalist for the seminal reggae group Inner Circle. His musical career had taken off in the mid ’70s, and he was preparing to tour with Bob Marley and the Wailers. Tragically, he lost his life in a car accident in 1980. Inner Circle would reunite some seven years later to record the hit song “Bad Boys”, later used as the theme song for the long-running television series COPS.
Chris Bell (Big Star)
For being one of the most influential and critically acclaimed rock bands of all time, Big Star enjoys little adulation in the annals of popular culture. After releasing three groundbreaking records that would go on to inspire bands like R.E.M. and The Replacements, lead singer Chris Bell was killed when he lost control of his sports car and hit a wooden pole. He died on December 27th, one day before bandmate Alex Chilton’s birthday.
