27 Club: Stars Who Died at Age 27, From Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain (Photos)

Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Amy Winehouse all died before they reached 28.

Robert Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938)  The American blues legend made the Mississippi Delta style famous, but his premature death near Greenwood, Mississippi, remains as mysterious as much of his short life.  

Rudy Lewis (August 23, 1936 – May 20, 1964)  The R& B singer for the Drifters sang lead on such hits as “Some Kind of Wonderful, ” “Up On The Roof” and “On Broadway. ” That he was found dead in a Harlem hotel room of a suspected drug overdose.

Brian Jones (February 28, 1942 – July 3, 1969)  The founder and original leader of the Rolling Stones drowned in the swimming pool of his home in East Sussex, England.

Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)  The rock guitarist died in London of asphyxiation while intoxicated on barbituates.

Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970)    The blues singer died of a heroin overdose at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood.

Jim Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971)  The singer, songwriter and frontman for The Doors was within the bathtub of a Paris apartment, apparently from an accidental heroin overdose.

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973)  A founding member of the Grateful Dead, McKiernan died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at his home in Corte Madera, California.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988)  The American graphic artist famous for graffiti-inspired paintings died of a heroin overdose in his Manhattan studio.

Reggie Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993)  A small forward for the Boston Celtics, he suffered a sudden coronary attack on the court at an off-season practice.

Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) The singer-songwriter and frontman for the grunge band Nirvana died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Richey James Edwards (December 1967, – February 1, 1995)    The Welsh guitarist and lyricist for the Manic Street Preachers missed a flight for a U. S. promotional tour on February 1, 1995 and that he functionally disappeared near the Wales-England border soon after that. In 2008, he was declared “presumed dead. ”

Jonathan Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003)  A child actor most widely known for the NBC sci-fi series “SeaQuest DSV” committed suicide in his L. A. apartment building.

Pat Tillman (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004)  The star safety for the Arizona Cardinals who left the NFL after 9/11 to enlist in the U. S. Army. He died in Afghanistan in a case of friendly fire in the midst of a firefight.  

Tyler Skaggs (July 13, 1991 – July 1, 2019)  The professional pitcher, who debuted with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012 and later played for the Los Angeles Angels, was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, in July 2019. No foul play was suspected, authorities said.