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10 Most Tragic Music Icon Deaths

Posted Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:16pm PDT by Robert of the Radish in The Y! Music Playlist Blog

Every death is a tragedy, but in the world of music when an icon dies too young, it sends reverberations throughout the whole world. We saw it this week with the death of Michael Jackson at the age of 50. Those who have reached the pinnacle of success in the music business always see an outpouring of sympathy when they die because of the sheer number of fans they leave behind. But there is more to it. It also reminds us all that life is short and all the money and fame in the world won't stop death. In the most tragic cases it also proves that money and fame cannot buy happiness. To the contrary, sometimes the star simply cannot deal with the trappings of fame and self-destructs. For this playlist I've selected what I feel are the 10 most tragic music icon deaths. These are all artists who have reached millions of people with their music, but died much too young under tragic circumstances.

May they all rest in peace and may their deaths remind the stars of the future that they too are only human.

10 Most Tragic Music Icon Deaths 

   1. Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley   

   2. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly   

   3. (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon   

   4. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - Michael Jackson   

   5. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix   

   6. Riders On The Storm - The Doors(Jim Morrison) 

   7. Piece Of My Heart - Janis Joplin   

   8. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana(Kurt Cobain) 

   9. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye   

   10. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd(Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines)

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219 Comments

41. goselle -
You must rewrite this, no Bob Marley no way!

42. KIRK B -
what about dimebag,more tragic,maybe not iconic

43. tracy -
How about Selena Quintanilla Perez? She was certainly an icon of crossover music, especially as a female.

44. T -
Uh, what about Layne Staley from Alice in Chains!! Can you say ROCKGOD!!!

45. Lilly -
The people leaving comments on here are complete idiots! Do any of you know what an ICON is? Left eye? Aailyah? are you kidding me?!! And for the guy complaining that Buddy Holly isn't on the list, LOOK at the list you moron!

46. noname -
i came to read the list expecting aaliyah to be on here! with all these people asking for aaliyah, obviously you don't really know 'the' top 10. i don't even know 1/2 the people on that list. what kind of an icon are they?!?

47. Meils -
bonhommmmmm

48. Kathi -
MJ was a guy who had a great talent. He is not a god of any sorts and people are treating him like that. Its sad. He lived, he died, life goes on. He is a human being just like all of us. Get over it.

49. Wyatt -
Hey give this guy a break this is his list not anyone of ours. Hey I would have left Cobain off and put Freddie Mercury, George Harrison, Selena, Ritchie . . . the list could go on and on, Sadly the list will grow as we lose our Icons and Idols, I still remember August16th,1977, December 8th,1980. those are the days music died for me and I will remember June 25th, 2009 too. But don't rip this Radish guy, IT'S HIS LIST!!!! not ours.

50. Justin -
TUPAC SHAKUR- June 16, 1971- September 13th, 1996.

51. Terrell -
Aaliyah should be on this list. But then again it is just one journalist/bloggers opinion

52. Layla -
Good list except you forgot AALIYAH!

53. jess h -
i think the only one that should be added is johnny cash. and yea death is sudden but jackson is no king. elvis is the king! and Aaliyah was very hard dont get me wrong but she was not known as much as elvis and jackson!

54. Skeeter -
On a list with names like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon you want to bring up Aaliyah? Its bad enough they have Kurt Cobaine on there. Aaliyah was not a musical icon.

55. Kerry -
People this is about people who were icons to the music world and the people he mentions our icons not just entertainers that lasted only a year. Elvis, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson will never be forgotten and the live on with there music still selling.

56. Cynthia -
i agree with "camashe"!!! RIP MICHEAL JACKSON- WE WILL SURELY MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

57. true -
WHERE IS 2PAC?!!! HOW THE HELL YOU GONE HAVE A LIST UP TALKING ABOUT TRAGIC DEATHS & NOT HAVE 2PAC UP THERE? WHO EVER WROTE THIS IS A LAME!

58. adam o -
ok lets straighten some of you people out... first of all Aaliyah was not an ICON you could mention her name to a diverse range of people and maybe 50 percent of people even know who she is... was her death tragic? Absolutely. was she an ICON? absolutely not.

59. Yahoo! Music User -
what the helll....Dimebag Darrell, give it up, Pantera and Damage Plan

60. Yahoo! Music User -
what the helll....Dimebag Darrell, give it up, Pantera and Damage Plan
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