MUSICIANS WITH MYSTERIOUS DEATH RECORDS

 

Some musicians go out on the road and never return. But there are nearly always concerns when a well-known musician passes away at a young age. Numerous "27 Club" members committed suicide or overdosed on drugs. Incredibly mysterious deaths of musicians have occurred frequently throughout history. Some of the biggest mysteries in music, like the gunshot murders of Sam Cooke, Biggie, and Tupac, as well as the alleged suicide of Elliott Smith, have become the stuff of mythology.

 

Music lovers continue to wonder why some things don't make sense, even though the most enigmatic deaths in music history may long haunt us.

 

1. ELLIOTT SMITH

Age: Dec. at 34 (1969-2003)

Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Despite the singer's history of suicide attempts and substance abuse, Elliott Smith's death continues to raise questions years later. Smith's girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, found the musician in their Los Angeles apartment in October 2003. He had two stab wounds in his chest and a nearby note. Although authorities ruled his death a suicide, some believe Smith may have been murdered. Smith's friends, including club owner Mark Flannigan, have expressed suspicions over his death. "I don't believe the guy stabbed himself in the chest," Flannigan said in an interview with The Guardian. "It just doesn't add up. I wouldn't be surprised if someone else did this. He was doing drugs with lowlife scum. He was around a lot of creepy people - some very negative, dangerous people." After reviewing the coroner's report, many began to wonder whether Chiba stabbed him to death. The couple was in the middle of an argument when Smith allegedly committed suicide. The coroner noted wounds on his hands that could indicate defensibly and also said there were no "hesitation wounds" before the chest trauma that took his life. Chiba insists that she locked herself in the bathroom while they were arguing, opening the door when she heard a scream to find him with a knife in his chest. Authorities still consider Smith's death a suicide.

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2. BOOBY FULLER

Age: Dec. at 23 (1942-1966)

Birthplace: Baytown, Texas, USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bobby Fuller, whose band The Bobby Fuller Four famously covered "I Fought The Law," died under suspicious circumstances on July 18, 1966. The singer's mother found him unresponsive in the front seat of her car. Authorities ruled the death accidental asphyxiation, though fans continue to debate whether it was a tragic mishap or something more sinister. Fuller's body had been doused in gasoline and there was a gas can nearby. The medical examiner marked both accident and suicide on the death report, though several questions about Fuller's suspicious state remained unanswered. Years later, Fuller's brother and bass player, Randy, claimed Roulette Records owner Morris Levy, who had mafia ties, was responsible for Bobby's death. Randy Fuller believes his brother was trying to get out of a deal with the label and lost his life because of it.

 

3. SAM COOKE

Age: Dec. at 33 (1931-1964)

Birthplace: Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States of America

 

 

 

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Hostel director Bertha Franklin shot and killed fabulous R&B songster Sam Cooke under suspicious circumstances at a Los Angeles motel in 1964. Franklin claimed Cooke slogged into the event office and attacked her- causing her to shoot him in tone-defense. On the night of the firing, a youthful woman named Elisa Boyer met Cooke at an eatery and accompanied him to the Hacienda Motel, where she claimed the songster tried to sexually assault her. She allegedly fled to the director's office with Cooke in pursuit. He demanded that Franklin tell him where the youthful woman went. When a fight broke out, Franklin fired three times, shooting Cooke formerly in the casket. Authorities ruled the death a maintainable homicide. After Cooke's death, numerous questioned the delicacy of the sanctioned interpretation of events. A month latterly, Boyer was arrested for harlotry. Franklin, whose own felonious record included time as a Mrs., unsuccessfully sued Cooke's family. To this day, numerous believe Cooke's death was apre-planned murder. Some suspect his woman, Barbara, of being involved, while others suppose that Boyer and Franklin colluded to kill the songster together.

 

4. BRIAN JONES

Age: Dec. at 27 (1942-1969)

Birthplace: Cheltenham, United Kingdom

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Former Rolling monuments rocker Brian Jones was famously set up dead in a swimming pool at his home in Sussex, England, in 1969, shortly after the band boggled him. At the time, medical observers ruled the incident" death by adversity," citing a liver swollen from times of alcohol and medicine abuse as a partial factor. One proposition among suckers asserts that Frank Thorogood, a builder working on Jones's property, may have killed him. The proposition gained fashionability after Thorogood allegedly confessed to the murder on his deathbed in 1993. Investigators reviewed the disquisition in 2009 after intelligencer Scott Jones( no relation to the musician) handed over 600 runners of documents related to Brian Jones's death. The journalist asserted the death" was not completely delved.

 

5. DONNY HATHAWAY

Age: Dec. at 33 (1945-1979)

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

 

 

 

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Soul Songster Donny Hathaway had a long life ahead of him when he failed at age 33. The songster earned notoriety for his collaborations with Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield before releasing his first solo single in 1969. The coroner's office ruled his January 1979 death a self-murder, though rumors snappily swirled that he may not have killed himself. Hathaway, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, allegedly jumped from the 15th bottom of the Essex House hostel in New York, dying upon impact. musketeers said he was in good spirits that day after working with his frequent collaborator Roberta Flack. " We had just left her Central Park West apartment and were back in our apartments for the evening. He had not been drinking heavily or taking medicines of any kind," Hathaway's business associate Edward Howard said at the time.

 

6. TUPAC SHAKUR

Age: Dec. at 25 (1971-1996)

Birthplace: East Harlem, New York City, New York, United States of America

 

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One of the most notable unsolved murders in history, Tupac Shakur's death is still a fascinating episode in the East Coast-West Coast rap feud. Shakur was shot and killed in a hail of gunfire in Las Vegas in 1996 by an unidentified assailant. There have been many theories put forth to explain the murder, but just one confession has provided new information.

 

Former gang member Keffe D, real name Duane Keith Davis, asserts that the murderer was in the car with him the night that Assata Shakur was killed.

 

"I've been sought after for twenty years. Because I have cancer and have nothing to lose, I'm coming out now. The truth is all I care about right now "He gave an interview explanation. Davis remained silent when asked who fired the rifle.

 

Going to keep it for the street code, he declared. "Bro, it just emerged from the backseat."

 

6. NOTORIOUS B.I.G

Age: Dec. at 24 (1972-1997)

Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York, Clinton Hill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Biggest nemesis of Tupac Shakur, Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., was mercilessly killed only a few months after his former friend. Even though his mother claimed the Daily Mail she knows who killed her son, Biggie's case has also gone unsolved:

“Christopher's murderer is someone I know for sure, and I firmly believe the LAPD is also aware of this. Despite having completed their inquiry, they simply refuse to proceed. Why they haven't detained those responsible is beyond me. I get the impression that it's all part of one big conspiracy, and someone is undoubtedly being shielded at some point".

Despite the numerous conspiracy theories, no one has ever been found guilty of killing rapper Biggie, and the investigation is still open.

 

7. DARRELL BANKS

Age: Dec. at 32 (1937-1970)

Birthplace: Mansfield, Ohio

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Darrell Banks, a recording artist for Stax Records, was assassinated in 1970 by a police officer who was not on duty. Officer Aaron Bullock, who was allegedly having a sexual relationship with Banks' girlfriend, shot the soul singer. Bullock and Banks met when Marjorie Bozeman was dropped off at work by the police, and Banks was waiting for her. Bullock fatally shot the singer in the neck following a fight. Banks passed away in a hospital while he was ascending the Billboard charts and had two full-length albums available at the time.

Before 2004, when the owner of a website dedicated to soul music gathered funds to erect a headstone, the singer's burial went unmarked.

 

8. GARY DRISCOLL OF RAINBOW 

Age: Dec. at 41 (1946-1987)

Birthplace: Ithaca, New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gary Driscoll, the drummer for Rainbow, was discovered dead in 1987 at a friend's cottage in upstate New York. According to a number of sources, Driscoll's body had been flayed and probably dismembered.

 

Other stories include a botched drug trade or satanic ritual. After being questioned, the murder's primary suspect departed the country, and the case is still open.

 

9. PAUL WILLIAMS OF THE TEMPTATION

Age: Dec. at 34 (1939-1973)

Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Temptations co-founder Paul Williams passed away in 1973, just as he was getting ready to record a solo album. He was discovered in an alleyway in Detroit, with a gun close by. Although the authorities determined that he committed suicide, there have long been rumors that he was killed.

 

Williams, who had sickle cell anemia, ultimately turned to alcohol abuse. His demise is still a mystery, but some speculate that, if it was suicide, it may have been caused by his health issues and alcohol abuse.