A heart attack striking days before a tour. A cancer attacking the brain of a progressive rock
legend. These untimely deaths and more kept these music legends from hitting the road one more time.
Keyboardist Richard Wright was one of the original members of the legendary rock
band Pink Floyd and stuck with them throughout virtually their entire existence. In the 1970s,
Pink Floyd released arguably their greatest string of albums. These included "The Dark
Side of the Moon" in 1973, "Wish You Were Here" in 1975, "Animals" in 1977,
and what many consider to be their greatest work, "The Wall," in 1979.
Wright did not appear on the 1983 release "The Final Cut" after being let go from
the band following "The Wall," but he did appear on Pink Floyd's later 1987 and 1994
releases. He was also present at the Live 8 reunion in 2005. Besides playing keyboards,
Wright shared songwriting credits on several songs and provided backup vocals. Wright also released
two albums as part of a solo career, and shared producer credits with bandmate David Gilmour on
the 1970 album "Barrett," which was written by former Pink Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett.
Wright had three marriages and three children. He died in 2008 from cancer
at the age of 65, just two years after Barrett, who had died in 2006.
In late June 2002, just days before The Who was about to embark on a nationwide tour of the United
States, tragedy struck the band when longtime bass player John Entwistle was discovered dead
in his Las Vegas hotel room. Entwistle had been a founding member of the band, and had continued
to play with them during their successive reunions following their original split in the early-1980s.
During their heyday in the 1960s and 1970s,
The Who was one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Their performance
at the 1969 Woodstock festival set the stage for their superstardom of the '70s,
and they more than capitalized on their popularity with concept albums and rock operas including
"Quadrophenia," which was later turned into a feature film that starred Sting among others.
The Associated Press reported that Entwistle's death was a heart attack
related to the use of cocaine. His longtime cigarette habit was also a
contributing factor. He was just 57 years old at the time of his death.
"I found bass very boring. I wanted to turn it into a solo instrument."
For many young percussionists, Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones was the reason they got
into drumming. Watts joined the band in 1963 following the departure of their first drummer,
Mick Avory, and became the backbone of the group until his death in 2021.
Watts is considered by some to be among the greatest drummers in rock and roll history,
with Rolling Stone magazine ranking him at number 12. His unique sound instantly helped the band
become a success on the back of early singles like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," and helped power
their string of 1970s releases, including "Get Your Ya-Yas Out!" in 1970, "Sticky Fingers" in
1971, and 1972's "Exile on Main Street," which remains one of their most popular albums today.
Watts stayed with the band through their several lineup changes and experimental periods,
while also pursuing a solo career of his own, in which he primarily played jazz instead of rock and
roll. He was married and had a daughter, and he owned several horses. After previously surviving
a bout with throat cancer in the early 2000s, Watt died in 2021 at the age of 80. He had only
stopped touring with the Stones shortly before his death, and passed just prior to the beginning of
their "No Filter" tour, leaving fans and fellow rock icons like Paul McCartney to mourn the loss.
"Charlie was a rock, and a fantastic drummer.
Gregg Allman was most widely known for founding the Allman Brothers Band with
his brother Duane Allman. He played both organ and performed vocals on many songs,
and he was also the principal songwriter.
Though the Allmans had started to perform as a band in the late-1960s, their popularity really
took off in the 1970s following the release of the 1971 album "Live at the Fillmore East." The
album captured their unique sound, which combined southern rock, psychedelia, and jam rock together.
Duane Allman died in 1971 following a motorcycle accident. The group continued
on before eventually disbanding in 1976, though they later reunited several times,
playing their final concert in 2014. Following the dissolution of the Allman Brothers,
Allman collaborated with his wife, Cher, before their divorce in 1978. He also
released several solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated "Low Country Blues" in 2011.
Gregg Allman passed away on May 27, 2017 at the age of 69. According to The New York Times,
Allman died from complications due to liver cancer. He had overcome
struggles with substance and alcohol abuse, and had already received a liver transplant
a few years prior to his death. Gregg Allman left behind a wife and five kids.
On July 16, 2012, the world lost Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord,
who co-wrote the rock staple "Smoke on the Water."
Lord had originally taken up the piano as a kid. In 1968, he helped found Deep Purple,
and besides "Smoke on the Water" he was also responsible for helping
write several of their other hits. Lord was synonymous with the Hammond electric organ,
which he used to amplify through massive Marshall guitar speakers. Lord also had a solo career,
and played with other bands, including Whitesnake and The Kinks.
Lord's official cause of death was a pulmonary embolism, though he was also
reportedly dealing with pancreatic cancer at the same time. He was 71.
Blending jazz and rock and roll together with lyrics that spoke about everything
from the outlandish to the sensual, it's not hard to see why Steely Dan was at the top of
the charts throughout the 1970s. And much of that success was due to Walter Becker.
Becker began playing with Donald Fagan in 1972, and the two ultimately co-wrote all of Steely
Dan's songs, including their massive 1970s hits "Reelin' In the Years," "Rikki Don't Lose that
Number," and "Do It Again." They briefly split in the 1980s, during which time Becker released
multiple solo albums, but by the 1990s they were back in full swing as if they had not missed
a beat; both their 2000 album "Two Against Nature" and 2003's "Everything Must Go" hit
the Billboard Top Ten, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Becker passed away from esophageal cancer in 2017 at the age of 67 years old,
just four months after first being diagnosed with cancer.
Bursting onto the scene in the early 1970s, Blue Öyster Cult are the authors
behind one of the most famous songs in rock history, "(Don't Fear) the Reaper,"
which was parodied in the iconic "Saturday Night Live" sketch featuring Will Ferrell.
"I'll be honest, fellas, it was sounding great. But I could have used a little more cowbell."
The one band member who wasn't portrayed in that sketch was founding member Allen
Lanier. Lanier was a member of Blue Öyster Cult from 1972 through 2006, interrupted by
only a brief hiatus in the 80s. In the 1970s alone, Blue Öyster Cult put out eight albums,
of which Lanier's guitar and keyboards were an integral part. Several of their albums were
certified gold during the decade, and many of them also broke into the Top 100 and even the Top 40.
During his career, Lanier not only was not only an integral part of Blue Öyster Cult,
but he also recorded with legends like Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and Jim Carroll. He and Smith
were also in a serious relationship, for a time, and their breakup devastated him.
The musician died on August 14, 2013, when he was 67 years old. The cause
of Lanier's death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Always memorable due to his black plastic sunglasses and massive beard,
ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill died on July 28,
2021, leaving behind bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard to continue ZZ Top alone.
The band's first album, cleverly named "ZZ Top's First Album," came out in 1971
and featured Hill on the bass. He appeared on every other album during their career,
and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with them in 2004. ZZ Top and Hill had some
of their biggest hits in the 1970s, including "La Grange" in 1973 and 1979's "Cheap Sunglasses."
A specific cause of death was not announced, but Gibbons told Variety that Hill had dealt
with a number of health issues before his passing, including a broken shoulder and
broken hip. Ultimately, Hill died of natural causes in his sleep, at the age of 72.
Neil Peart joined the prog rock band Rush in 1974 and became widely regarded as one of the most
technically precise and innovative drummers in rock and roll history. But he was much more than
just a percussionist. He influenced generations of younger drummers who looked up to him as a legend,
and he contributed to other areas of the rock world, too. He came up with lyrics
to many of Rush's songs, was a music producer, and even a published author.
According to NPR, some of Peart's lyrics were influenced by real-life events,
like the Second World War, but science fiction was also a prominent theme. He was
known for having an absolutely massive drum kit, including many cymbals, and he combined complete
technical precision with fun and laughter. In 2013, in recognition of their impact,
Peart and the rest of Rush were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Peart experienced serious tragedy in his life, including the death of
his daughter Selena and wife Jackie in successive years in the late-1990s. He
was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2016, and he died on January 7, 2020 at age 67.
The eccentric style of The Cars was showcased on their 1978 debut album, which introduced
hordes of fans to a brand new style of music to be known as New Wave. By the 1980s, The Cars and
their frontman Ric Ocasek were huge successes, but despite this, they ultimately disbanded in 1988.
Still, Ocasek stuck with music, producing numerous albums for bands like Wheezer
and Bad Brains. In 2010, Ocasek briefly resurrected The Cars for another album,
and in 2018 they made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even while a member of The Cars,
Ocasek was releasing solo albums, and he also made spoken word recordings.
Ocasek was married to his third wife, model Paulina Porizkova,
for more than 30 years, and he also left behind six children,
all of them boys. Ocasek died of heart disease on September 15, 2019, at the age of 75.
Originally known for his tenure in Rainbow and Black Sabbath in the 1970s, Ronnie James
Dio's voice was long one of the most distinctive voices in rock. After leaving Black Sabbath, he
formed his own band, Dio, which is probably most well known for the 1983 single "Holy Diver." He
also had a memorable role playing himself in the 2006 film "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny."
Dio was 67 years old when he died in 2010 due to stomach cancer in Los Angeles, California, where
he was surrounded by his family, including his longtime wife Wendy Dio. Prior to his death, Dio
had been canceling shows due to his illness, and reportedly underwent seven chemotherapy sessions.
His passing was met with an outpouring of love from many within the metal community,
who praised not only his incredible vocal chops and lyrical prowess but
also his musical impact and personal warmth.
"Life goes through great waves of emotion and passion,
and great lows of despair and whatnot, that's the way life is."
Brad Delp and Boston originally debuted in 1976, and soon established themselves as one
of the top-billed acts in rock and roll. Originally from Danvers, Massachusetts,
it was Delp's falsetto voice that gave Boston their unique sound,
and helped transform the music into radio-friendly ballads. Their first two albums, "Boston" in 1976
and "Don't Look Back" in 1978, are still two of the most popular in their entire catalog.
Though he briefly left in the early-1980s and mid-1990s, Delp rejoined the band in
2002 and was still fronting the group when he died by suicide in 2007 at the age of
55. Following his untimely death, his vocals appeared on the 2013 Boston album "Life,
Love & Hope," which was recorded just prior to his passing.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.