The 10 most important musical deaths of the decade

[Brian Damage]

Michael Jackson (June 25, 2009)

Just like Elvis Presley a generation before, we will always remember where we were when the first fateful words began disseminating from Los Angeles. It began with Michael Jackson in the hospital with an unnamed emergency illness, and ended two hours later with the world blaring "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" from every car and rooftop in memorial of the Gloved One. People will be studying his dance routines and music until the end of time.

[Brian Damage]

Johnny Cash (September 12, 2003)

The passing of the Man In Black was a not an entirely sad moment, even as we mourned our loss of him. His wife June Carter had passed just months before and the look in Cash's eyes those weeks and months after was purely heartbreaking. When they were reunited in September 2003 after Cash lost his battle with Peripheral neuropathy, they were at peace together once again.

[Brian Damage]

James Brown (December 25, 2006)

Christmas 2006 will forever be remembered as the night we lost James Brown. Instantly every single one of his moves and nuances were under the microscope again as a whole new generation discovered that slick pompadour and purple cape for themselves. Simply put, artists like Black Joe Lewis and King Khan would have never been possible without the hardest-working man in show business.

[Brian Damage]

Joe Strummer (December 22, 2002)

It's hard to think of many deaths that hit the punk rock world as deep and crushing as the tragic passing of Joe Strummer. The former Clash front man was felled by a congenital heart defect, making the 50 years we had with him all the more precious. A documentary about his life, The Future Is Unwritten, is crucial and recommended viewing, as our the albums he made with his band the Mescaleros.

[Brian Damage]

The Ramones (April 15, 2001; June 5, 2002; September 15, 2004)

Within the span of three years, the world lost the lifeblood of the monolithic Ramones. Joey, Dee Dee and Johnny died in succession from 2001 to 2004 forever putting an end to the order of the Brudders. Joey fought valiantly against lymphoma, Dee Dee overdosed sadly (and predictably) overdosed on heroin, and Johnny was finally felled by prostate cancer after a five-year struggle. Original drummer/producer Tommy Ramone remains the band's last surviving member.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/..._top_ten_b.php

[Brian Damage]

George Harrison (November 29, 2001)

Arguably the most innovative and spiritual Beatle passed onto the new stage of life at the end of 2001. It's still hard to believe that only two of the Fab Four survive, seeing that the entire mob of the Rolling Stones is still stomping the earth and tour with unsettling regularity. "The Quiet Beatle" succumbed to lung cancer, and his ashes were scattered into the Ganges River in keeping with his Hindu faith.

[Brian Damage]

Dimebag Darrell (December 8, 2004)

No musical death came was more shocking than the murder of former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell. During a gig with his new band Damageplan in December 2004, crazed fan Nathan Gale rushed the stage in Columbus, Ohio, and planted five bullets into Dimebag, killing him instantly. The shooter ended up killing four others and injuring two more before being killed by police officers. Next time you are at the Mink on Main, be sure to order up a "Far Beyond Driven" in Dime's honor.

[Brian Damage]

Syd Barrett (July 7, 2006)

Few people showed as much promise in the early '60s than former Pink Floyd lead singer Syd Barrett. He had a strange grace and force to him that mystified crowds and made for intriguing albums, including the Pink's debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. By that decade's end, he would be forever scarred by the hallucinogens he took at nearly hourly intervals. He was soon forced out of the band, and released the stellar, if damaged, solo outing The Madcap Laughs in 1970. He lived out the rest of his days as a sad testament to the dangers of drug use, becoming a reclusive painter and gardener.

[Brian Damage]

Elliott Smith (October 21, 2003)

If James Brown was the godfather of soul, then Elliott Smith was the same for sad-bastard rock, making his shadowy telegraphed death all the more surreal. The indie icon passed into legend after he was found with two self-inflicted wounds to his chest by girlfriend Jennifer Chiba after the couple had an argument. It's hard to go wrong with any Smith release, but our money is on 1997's phenomenal Either/Or. The voices he uses on his albums still have the ability to heal, torture and stun you all in the same breath.

[Brian Damage]

Bo Diddley (June 2, 2008)

No man was badder than Bo Diddley. With his signature square guitar and slithery vocal style, the man would prove to be the bridge between traditional blues and rock and roll. Diddley's music came directly from the pelvic region, and not in the fuzzy and poppy Elvis kind of way. His theme song, "Bo Diddley," was pure masculine force, drenched in reverb and his own come-hither lines. Incidentally it's also quite possible that his track "Say Man" birthed hip-hop over its three minutes of raunchy talk and loping beats.

[MickeyMac]

What about Isaac Hayes???

Levi Stubbs???


Ahmet Ertegun????

Jerry Wexler???


Tom Dowd???

Arif Madin????


Maurice Gibb????


Nina Simone????

[JT]

Aaaaaaaaand they lose me at "Most important deaths." It is so TACKY to rank people's deaths.

[ABlairican Pie]

Chuck Schuldiner, guitarist of the extreme metal band Death (December 13, 2001)
A very talented player with intelligent social commentary about medical ethics and the like in his lyrics on albums such as "Spiritual Healing" and "Individual Thought Patterns", his untimely passing due to cancer fit with his song topics. The music and metal community gave benefits to raise money for his mounting medical bills.

Dave Williams, vocalist of metal band Drowning Pool (August 14, 2002)
Texas singer whose band made its initial mark with the popular track "Bodies", an anthem singing the praises of moshpit mayhem ("Let the bodies hit the floor"), he was found dead during the band's stint with Ozzfest due to heart disease. The band has continued on with new vocalists.

Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, guitarist of the progressivethrash metal band Voivod (August 26, 2005)
Quebecois guitarist of the French Canadian band who, like Death, sang about topics of scientific ethics and rather sci-fi themes on albums such as "Dimension Hatröss", "Nothingface", and "The Outer Limits", died of colon cancer at the age of 45. The band, whose lineup included in recent years former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, decided to breakup following the final
album "Infini", which includes posthumously recorded tracks by Piggy.

[ABlairican Pie]

Benjamin Orr, bassist for new wave band The Cars, (October 3, 2000)
The bassist for the hit-making new wave band of the late 70's and throughout the 80's also sang on a number of the group's top songs including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go", and "Drive". He died from pancreatic cancer, though continued to perform in spite of his illness.

Kirsty MacColl, British singer-songwriter (December 18, 2000)
The aspiring vocalist sang folk-oriented pop and rock tunes including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", "They Don't Know", and others during the 80's. Married to famed producer Steve Lillywhite, she was tragically killed when a speedboat struck her in Mexico.
Outrage ensued when the millionaire owner of the speedboat received what amounted to merely a legal slap on the wrist for his reckless driving which took the life of the singer.

"Lonesome" Dave Peverett, vocalist for 70's arena band Foghat (February 7, 2000)
The vocalist-rhythm guitarist for the blues-based British rock band played such hits as a cover of Willie Dixon's "I Just Wanna Make Love To You", "Fool For the City", and the rocker anthem, "Slow Ride". While being a wild man onstage, he never succumbed to the typical rock and roll vices during the band's stay at the top. The band played clubs and re-ignited interest among younger fans in the 90's. He died of cancer in early 2000.

[ABlairican Pie]

Aaliyah, r & b singer, (August 25, 2001)
The beautiful young singer of songs such as "Try Again", "If Your Girl Only Knew", and albums including 'Age Ain't Nothing But a Number' died at the young age of 22 in an air crash on an overloaded plane flight. The vocalist also was an aspiring actress who appeared in a few films including 'Romeo Must Die' and 'Queen of the Damned'.

Stuart Adamson, lead singer of 80's band Big Country (December 16, 2001)
The vocalist for the popular Scottish new wave band in the early 80's committed suicide in Hawaii after a bout with heavy drinking. The band was known for its radical sound with guitars resembling bagpipes on such rousing hits as "In a Big Country" and "Fields of Fire".

John Lee Hooker, blues legend (June 21, 2001)
The elderly bluesman was instrumental in the roots of rock and roll with his earthy style of blues in the 50's with songs such as "Boom Boom", "Boogie Chillen", and "It Serves You Right (To Suffer)".
He remained hugely popular throughout the decades, even collaborating with 60's rockers Canned Heat
('Hooker n' Heat'), and well into the 90's on albums such as 'The Healer'. He even appeared on the
1980 movie 'The Blues Brothers' with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Hooker died at the age of 83 while still actively touring and performing.