A cultural phenomenon in the music industry lies within the suspicious age of 27. For decades, rockstars, singers, and artists have suspiciously dropped like flies once they hit 27. What is it about this age? Are musicians meeting their due dates? Here are some artists that met their untimely deaths.
Substance Abuse
Janis Joplin (1943-1970) was a singer in music groups Big Brother and the Holding Company, Kozmic Blues Band, and Full Tit Boogie Band, and was found dead after a heroin overdose. In Hollywood, other musicians along with Joplin fall short to drugs and narcotics since it is so popular in that scene. Because of this, other artists have also passed at 27 because of drug overdose: Kristen Pfaff (1967-1994), Alan Wilson (1943-1970), and Jim Morrison (1943-1971). Brian Jones (1947-1969) a musician and founder for The Rolling Stones mixed both narcotics and alcohol before deciding to go for a swim which led to his demise. Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) was a jazz singer in London. Towards the end of her life Winehouse was facing an eating disorder while finding solace in alcohol; She was found dead by paramedics with 416mg of alcohol per deciliter in her system.
Foul play
Robert Johnson (1911-1938) is an American blues singer who supposedly sold his soul to the devil. In August of 1937, Johnson’s cause of death was thought to have been syphilis but others believe it might have been a poisoning. Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) was an artist in Nirvana and Fecal Matter. An electrician had found Cobain shot and dead, believed to have been a suicide, but no hardcore evidence rules out the possibility of it being murder. Patrick Lamark Hawkins, also known as Fat Pat, (1970-1998) was a rapper in Texas who was assassinated by an unknown shooter in February.
Is there a conspiracy against all artists who reach 27, or is the music industry cursed to begin with? What is it to say specifically that 27 is dangerous when artists of all ages die frequently?
Not Quite 27
Mac Miller (1992-2018) died at 26 due to a drug overdose, mixing cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol. Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) was an influential, American rapper who was 25 when he died from four rounds in a drive-by shooting. Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) went for a mysterious swim in the Mississippi River sober, but still never came up; He was 31.
Is it just a coincidence that artists have died at 27 if they die at all ages? The real blame cannot be placed on a phenomenon, but instead on the risks of driving life in the fast lane as these artists do. Eventually, the race comes to an end.
Sources:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/the-27-club-a-brief-history-17853/
https://www.ranker.com/list/members-27-club/famous-celebrity-deaths-list
