Gerald
12. Jimi Hendrix
November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970 (age 27)
From one of the greatest singers to the man who is universally acclaimed as the greatest guitarist of all time. In his short career Jimi Hendrix did things with his guitar that still haven’t been equaled to do this day and possibly never will be, and his death is seen by many as the real end of the 60’s. The exact cause of Jimi’s untimely death in 1970 are disputed, but the coroner’s opinion was that he aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates – although he officially left an open verdict.
This photo of Hendrix was taken by his girlfriend Monika Danneman, in the garden behind her apartment, on the day before he died. Jimi was of course another member of the ’27 club’.
13. Buddy Holly
September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959 (age 22)
Buddy Holly’s death in a plane crash was of course immortalised in the song ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean and will forever be known as ‘the day the music died’. The American musician and songwriter was one of the pioneers of ‘rock and roll’ and influenced much of what came after him, from the 60’s right through to the present day. Indeed, in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Holly at number 13 in their list of the greatest artists of all time.
This photograph of Buddy was taken shortly before he boarded the fateful plane, which would crash shortly after take off on the morning of February 3rd 1959. Tragically Buddy Holly was just 22 years old on the day the music died.
