27 Club


The 27 Club is a list consisting mostly of popular musicians, artists, or actors who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been repeatedly disproved by research, it remains a cultural phenomenon, documenting the deaths of celebrities, some noted for their high-risk lifestyles. Names are often put forward for inclusion, but because the club is entirely notional, there is no official membership.

Cultural phenomenon

The 27 Club includes popular musicians, artists, actors, and athletes who have died at age 27, often as a result of drug and alcohol abuse or violent means such as homicide, suicide, or transportation-related accidents. The deaths of several 27-year-old popular musicians between 1969 and 1971 led to the belief that deaths are more common at this age. Statistical studies have failed to find any unusual pattern of musician deaths at this age, comparing it to equally small increases at ages 25 and 32, with a 2011 BMJ study noting instead that young adult musicians have a higher death rate than the rest of the young adult population, concluding: "Fame may increase the risk of death among musicians, but this risk is not limited to age 27".
The "club" has been repeatedly cited in music magazines, journals and the daily press. Several exhibitions have been devoted to the idea, as well as novels, films and stage plays. There have been many different theories and speculations about the causes of such early deaths and their possible connections. Four years before the BMJ study was published, Cobain and Hendrix biographer Charles R. Cross wrote: "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27."

History

, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison all died at the age of 27 between 1969 and 1971. At the time, the coincidence gave rise to some comment, but it was not until Kurt Cobain's 1994 death, at age 27, that the idea of a "27 Club" began to catch on in public perception. Blues musician Robert Johnson, who died in 1938, is the earliest popular musician who has been included in the members of the 27 Club.
According to Hendrix and Cobain's biographer Charles R. Cross, the growing importance of the media—Internet, magazines, and television—and the response to an interview of Cobain's mother were jointly responsible for such theories. An excerpt from a statement that Cobain's mother, Wendy Fradenburg Cobain O'Connor, made in the Aberdeen, Washington, newspaper The Daily World—"Now he's gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to join that stupid club."—referred to Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison dying at the same age, according to Cross. Other authors share his view. On the other hand, Eric Segalstad, writer of , assumed that Cobain's mother referred to the death of his two uncles and his great-uncle, all of whom had also committed suicide. According to Cross, the events have led a "set of conspiracy theorists the absurd notion that Kurt Cobain intentionally timed his death so he could join the 27 Club".
In 2011, seventeen years after Cobain's death, Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27, prompting a renewed swell of media attention devoted to the club once again. Three years earlier, she had expressed a fear of dying at that age.
An individual does not necessarily have to be a musician to qualify as a member of the 27 Club. Rolling Stone included television actor Jonathan Brandis, who committed suicide in 2003, in a list of "members" of the 27 Club. Anton Yelchin, who had played in a punk rock band but was primarily known as a film actor, was also described as a member of the club upon his death in 2016. Likewise, Jean-Michel Basquiat has been included in 27 Club lists, despite the relative brevity of his music career, and his prominence as a graffiti artist and painter.

Scientific studies

A study published in the British Medical Journal in December 2011 concluded that there was no increase in the risk of death for musicians at the age of 27. Although the sampled musicians faced an increased risk of death in their 20s and 30s, this was not limited to the age of 27. A 2015 article in The Independent also provided statistical evidence that popular musicians are not more likely to die at the age of 27.

In popular culture

Music

Cartoonist Luke McGarry created The 27 Club comic series for MAD Magazine #1 in 2018. The comics featured Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Robert Johnson, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain as paranormal popstars descending from Rock & Roll Heaven to save the planet with the aid of mortal medium Keith Richards. The series continued in subsequent issues until the print version of MAD stopped publishing new content in 2019.

Identified members

NameDate of birthDate of deathOfficial cause of deathFameAgeReferences
UnknownComposer, pianist and conductor
TyphusBelgian Fauvism artist
Neurosyphilitic sclerosisRagtime musician
UnknownBlues singer and musician
Complications from high blood pressureSwing jazz pianist
Traffic collision R&B singer, pianist and songwriter
Drug overdoseVocalist of the Drifters
Heart attackR&B and gospel singer
Car crashOriginal member and singer of The Fabulous Wailers
Poisoning Original member and lead guitarist of Spanky and Our Gang
Drug overdose Rock and roll singer
Drowned in a swimming pool; coroner's report states "death by misadventure"Rolling Stones cofounder, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist
Road accidentGerman schlager vocalist
Drug overdose, possible suicideLeader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat
AsphyxiationPioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys
Drug overdose Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band
MurderedFrontman, vocalist and bassist of Dyke and the Blazers
Heart failureSinger, lyricist, and leader of the Doors
Complications from diabetesSoul singer
ElectrocutionGuitarist for Stone the Crows and brother of Alex Harvey
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholismFounding member, keyboardist and singer of the Grateful Dead
Fell off a horse and died from the injuriesSinger and percussionist of Bloodstone
Plane crashOrgan player of Chase
Pulmonary edemaBassist for the Stooges
Suicide by hangingKeyboardist and guitarist, leader of Badfinger
Drug overdose Former bassist of Uriah Heep and the Keef Hartley Band
Traffic collision Singer
Poisoning Bassist for 1970s prog rock band Triumvirat
Traffic collision Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo
Traffic collision and subsequent medical complicationsGuitarist for the Count Bishops
Traffic collision Reggae artist and lead singer for Inner Circle
Acute myeloid leukemiaActress
Traffic collision Guitarist, lead singer of punk band Minutemen
Fall from a height, probable suicidePoet, rock musician and songwriter
Drug overdose Painter and graffiti artist; formed the band Gray
Traffic collision Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen
Drowning accidentSinger with Five Go Down to the Sea?
Plane crashCountry singer and guitarist/fiddle player for Reba McEntire
CancerPoet, founder of the Bulgarian new wave band New Generation
MurderedLead singer of the Gits
c.Suicide by gunshotFounding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Nirvana c.
Drug overdose Bass guitarist for Hole and Janitor Joe
Disappeared; officially presumed dead November 23, 2008Lyricist and guitarist for Manic Street Preachers
MurderedRapper
MurderedAmerican rapper and member of Screwed Up Click
MurderedAmerican rapper and member of the hip hop group Lost Boyz
Subarachnoid hemorrhageDrummer for Malice Mizer
Traffic collision Cuarteto singer
AsphyxiationLead singer of Ink & Dagger
Plane crash Background singer for Passion Fruit
Jonathan BrandisApril 13, 1976November 12, 2003Suicide by hangingAmerican actor27 years, 212 days
Drug overdose The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator
Drug overdoseOriginal member and lead rapper of
Drug overdose Guitarist for American Head Charge
MurderedMexican banda singer
Traffic collision Member of Australian deathcore band The Red Shore
Kidney failureFounding member of the R&B group 702
MurderedSinger-songwriter
Cervical cancerReality-television personality
Drug overdoseArtist
GastritisZambian pop singer
Road accidentBassist of numerous punk rock bands
Road accidentMember of the Malaysian pop group Spin
Alcohol poisoningSinger-songwriter
Cardiac arrestTrumpet player, collaborator with Friendly Fires
Undisclosed illnessSinger for Visions of Atlantis
Heart failureDrag queen, singer, television personality, and classically trained dancer
MurderedGuitarist of Iranian-American band The Yellow Dogs
Road accidentBosnian pop singer and actress
Road accidentBassist for Viola Beach
CancerGuitarist for Surfer Blood
Accidental blunt traumatic asphyxiaActor, Chekov in the Star Trek reboot series, guitarist for The Hammerheads
Suicide by carbon monoxide poisoningLead vocalist and lyricist for Shinee
Fredo SantanaCardiovascular disease and idiopathic epilepsyAmerican rapper
Lil MarloMay 1, 1993July 11, 2020MurderedAmerican Rapper27 Years, 71 days