Original name: Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994), was an American musician who served as lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Seattle-based rock band Nirvana.

 

Cobain formed Nirvana in 1987 with Krist Novoselic. Within two years, the band became a fixture of the burgeoning Seattle grunge scene. In 1991, the arrival of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" marked the beginning of a dramatic shift of popular rock music away from the dominant genres of the 1980s (glam metal, arena rock, and dance-pop) and toward grunge and alternative rock. The music media eventually awarded the song "anthem-of-a-generation" status, and, with it, Cobain was labeled a "spokesman" for Generation X.

 

On April 8, 1994, Cobain's body was discovered at his Lake Washington home by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system. Apart from a minor amount of blood coming out of Cobain's ear, Smith reported seeing no visible signs of trauma, and initially believed that Cobain was asleep until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin. A suicide note was found that said, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now". A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were also found in his body. Kurt lives on here.

 

Original name: Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was a musician, songwriter, artist, and lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. Though he vehemently disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group. One of the original founders of the Grateful Dead, Garcia performed with the Dead for its entire three-decade career (which spanned from 1965 to 1995). On August 9, 1995, at 4:23 AM, Garcia's body was discovered in his room at the rehabilitation clinic. The cause of death was a heart attack. Garcia had long struggled with tobacco, drug addiction, weight problems, and sleep apnea, all of which contributed to his physical decline. Jerry is waiting for you here.

 

Original name: Michael Kelland John Hutchence (January 22, 1960 – November 22, 1997) was an Australian singer-songwriter, most famous for his work with rock band INXS. Hutchence became the main spokesperson for the band, and gained a reputation as a confident, sexy frontman, although his close friends and family always maintained he was much more introverted than his on-stage persona. A talented lyricist, he co-wrote almost all of INXS's songs with Andrew Farriss, who has attributed his own success as a songwriter to Hutchence's 'genius.' The new INXS album, Elegantly Wasted, was released in April 1997. Hutchence and INXS went on a world tour. The final leg of the tour was to be in Australia in November and December. However, on the morning of November 22, 1997, Hutchence, aged 37, was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Double Bay, Sydney (now the Stamford Plaza). A belt found at the scene suggested that he had died by hanging. Get "Kicked" here!

 

Original name: Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American blues-rock guitarist, whose broad appeal made him an influential electric blues guitarist. Known for his warm blues rock tone, Vaughan characteristically used very heavy strings on his guitar ranging from 11 to 56-gauge sets to give a fuller sound which he tuned down a half-step to the key of E flat. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

 

On August 26 and 27, 1990, Vaughan and Double Trouble finished the summer portion of the In Step Tour with shows at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, just outside of East Troy, Wisconsin. Double Trouble drummer, Chris Layton, recalls his last conversation with Vaughan backstage. He then remembers Vaughan saying he had to call his girlfriend, Janna Lapidus, in Chicago, before heading out the door to the helicopters. At 12:44 am pilot Jeffrey Browne guided the helicopter off the ground. Moments after takeoff the helicopter crashed into a ski slope and all five on board were killed. Although the crash occurred only 0.6 miles from takeoff, it went unnoticed by those at the concert site. You Can Stand The Weather here.

 

Original name: Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa established himself as a prolific and highly distinctive composer, electric guitar player and band leader.Frank Zappa died on December 4, 1993, age 52, from prostate cancer. Visit Montana here.

 

 

Original name: Richard Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995) was an American singer/songwriter and musician. He rose to fame as frontman and lead singer of the band Blind Melon.

 

After a particularly disastrous performance in Houston, Hoon launched into an all-night cocaine binge. The next day, on October 21, 1995, Blind Melon was scheduled to play a show in New Orleans at Tipitina's. When one of the band's roadies went to the tour bus to wake Hoon up for a sound check, he was unable to rouse him. An ambulance was summoned and Hoon was pronounced dead on the scene near Bourbon Street, New Orleans, at the age of 28, one month into Blind Melon's 1995 tour, mere blocks from where he recorded Soup. The cause of death was attributed to an accidental cocaine overdose. Weather forcast is - No Rain.