Club Dead Rock

Nirvana

Nirvana guitarist Kurt Cobain died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound April 5, 1994 (by coroners estimate, as his body was not discovered until April 8) At his side, police found a suicide note addressed to his wife and daughter. The medical examiner found "large amounts of heroin" in his system.

FROM BURNOUT.COM: Cobain was for most his childhood a sickly bronchitic child. Matters were made worse when Cobain's parent's divorced when he was seven and by his own account Cobain said he never felt loved or secure again. He became increasingly difficult, anti-social and withdrawn after his parent's divorce. Cobain also said that his parent's traumatic split fueled a lot of the anguish in Nirvana's music

Cobain bio at burnout.com"

News coverage of the death of Kurt Cobain

Kirk Hammett of Metallica talks about meeting a young Kurt Cobain

The Doors

THE DOORS

Jim Morrison died July 3, 1971 in Paris. Rumors of a drug overdose persist to this day, but in accordance with French law, no autopsy was performed, as the coroner had found no evidence of foul play.

A look at the Paris grave of Jim Morrison

THE LAST 24 HOURS OF JIM MORRISON

Def Leppard

DEF LEPPARD

Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark had a history of alcoholism, and had been in rehab several times, with mixed results. He was on a six-month leave of absence from the band when he died January 8, 1991 from a combination of alcohol and legally prescribed painkillers.

The members of Def Leppard reminisce about Steve Clark

Here is a beautiful Steve Clark tribute site

Creedence Clearwater Revival

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

CCR guitarist Tom Fogerty, brother of John, had split from Creedence in 1971. Having been the featured performer in earlier bands, Tom was unhappy with his secondary role in CCR, which was generally percieved as "John's group." He had a undistinguished solo career, and eventually filed suit against Fantasy Records for royalties earned as a member of CCR. Tom Fogerty died September 6, 1990 of AIDS. He had contracted the disease from a blood tranfusion while under treatment for tuberculosis.

Tom Fogerty tribute

Thin Lizzy

THIN LIZZY

Thin Lizzy vocalist and bass player Phil Lynott died January 4, 1986 from heart failure and pneumonia. He had been admitted to the hospital with a kidney and liver infection on Christmas Day, after he collapsed from a drinking and drug binge at his home.

In his last televised interview, just days before his death, Phil Lynott talks about the origins of Thin Lizzy

Guitarist Gary Moore died of an apparent heart attack on February 6, 2011, while on vacation in Spain.

In a 2004 interview, Gary Moore discusses his guitar technique.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN

Stevie Ray Vaughan died in the early morning hours of August 27, 1990 in a helicopter crash in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He had played in an all-star blues concert featuring, among others, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Buddy Guy. After the show, he was scheduled to travel to Chicago by helicopter. Lifting off in dense fog, the pilot did not allow enough clearance for the surounding terrain, and crashed into a hillside, killing all on board. The National Transporation Safety Board found that "improper planning-decision" by the pilot was the principal reason for the crash.

Coverage from Entertainment Tonight

VH-1 Profile of the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan

Lynyrd Skynyrd

LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and road manager Dean Kilpatrick died October 20, 1977 when Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashed in a swamp near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Guitarist Gary Rossington and bass player Leon Wilkeson were critically injured in the accident. The band was cruising at 10,000 feet when they heard a startling announcement. Their plane was beginning to run out of fuel.

Captain Walter W. McCreary and First Officer William J. Gray, Jr. of Falcon Aviation, operators of the charter flight, also died in the crash.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was en route from Greenville, South Carolina to play a Friday night show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The members of the band had already decided that when their flight reached Baton Rouge, they would take a vote. The question: Whether that trip would be the last in their plane. The Convair 240 was almost 30 years old, and had been having mechanical problems. One of the band's techs had seen a six-foot trail of fire coming from an engine, and there had been considerable debate about whether the plane should have ever taken off from Greenvile.

They never had the chance to take that vote. A defective engine part resulted in an inproper fuel mix. The mixture was so rich that it literally used up all the fuel in the tank. Three band members, their road manager, and both pilots died when the plane glided down from 10.000 feet. The NTSB later determined the probable cause of the crash was "fuel exhaustion and total loss of power on both engines due to crew inattention to the fuel supply."

Local article from nearby MacComb, Mississippi about the accident FULL STORY

The aviation site Check-Six.com provides a detailed look at the flight and its aftermath from an aviation perspective. FULL STORY

The band's name was inspired by Leonard Skinner, a coach and teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Lynyrd Skynyrd's home town of Jacksonville, Florida. Skinner had once sent Gary Rossington to the principal's office for violating the school's dress code. The slight change in spelling and pronounciation came at the request of the band's lawyers, who worried that Skinner might sue if he took offense at the use of his name.

For his part, Skinner consistently said he would never have thought of such a thing. He later became friends with the band, and allowed them to photograph his "Leonard Skinner Realty" sign for use in the artwork on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Second Helping" LP.

Skinner's son recalls his father's role in rock history. FULL STORY

In a newspaper article two days after the crash, Skinner said he was "just sick over this tragedy." FULL STORY

Guitarist Allen Collins died January 23, 1990 from chronic pneumonia, a result of a 1986 car accident which left him paralyzed and unable to perform.

Bassist Leon Wilkeson died July 27, 2001 due to complications from chronic liver and lung disease.

Guitarist Hughie Thomasson died September 9, 2007 of an apparent heart attack.

Keyboardist Billy Powell died January 28, 2009, of an apparent heart attack.

Bassist Ean Evans died May 6, 2009 of cancer.

The real estate sign he alllowed the band to use on its album bore Leonard Skinner's phone number, and not unexpectedly, Skinner's sleep was interrupted more than once by late night phone calls from fans wanting to know if he was THE Leonard Skinner. Skinner said that when he responded that he was, their reply was invariably "Far out!" Leonard Skinner died peacefully in his sleep on September 20, 2010 at age 77.