Sure, plenty of bands came to an early end due to untimely deaths. But what about an epic
backstage fight between siblings that started with a plum? Turns out, we should have seen
some of these legendary breakups coming. As of early 1994, Nirvana had released three
studio albums, with their iconic sophomore effort, "Nevermind," kickstarting the grunge revolution,
and the third one, "In Utero," also topping the album charts following its 1993 release. While
the Seattle-based power trio was sitting comfortably on top of the rock scene,
an incident on March 18th, 1994 served as an eerie harbinger of things to come.
As reported by Rolling Stone, frontman Kurt Cobain's wife, Courtney Love,
summoned the police to their residence because he'd locked himself in a room with a gun and
was threatening to kill himself. No arrests were made, but they did end up confiscating three guns
and an unidentifiable bottle of pills. The outlet went on to note that soon after, on March 25th,
a two-day intervention was attempted by Love and numerous people close to Cobain. In the end,
despite offering to attend rehab in Los Angeles right alongside him to deal with
her own addiction problem, Love wound up flying to the city of lights without him.
On April 5th, less than two weeks later, Cobain died by suicide in his home in Seattle.
"He's dead of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head. Police found what
is said to be a suicide note at the scene, but have not yet divulged its contents."
This marked the end of Nirvana and their brief,
yet groundbreaking run as one of the most influential bands that ever existed.
You likely know the Yardbirds as the band that jump-started the careers of three iconic lead
guitarists — Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Clapton's exit wasn't too detrimental,
as he was replaced by Beck in 1965. When it was Beck's turn to depart more than a year later,
Page — who originally joined on bass — took over on lead guitar.
Ultimately, it wasn't frequent lineup changes that stalled the Yardbirds' momentum,
but rather their 1967 album, "Little Games." Thanks to Page's innovative playing style,
the band was transitioning to longer, more experimental songs,
including a version of Jake Holmes' "Dazed and Confused" — which Page would later rework again
with Led Zeppelin. But "Little Games" offered little of that experimentation, as producer
Mickie Most seemingly pushed for a poppier, more commercial direction. Page told Reverb in 2020:
"You have no idea how quickly that was recorded. Right, red light's on,
take — next! Mickie Most didn't like albums, he only liked singles."
Unfortunately, none of the singles from "Little Games" did much on the charts, with the title
track peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 — which is a little more than ironic, isn't it?
The Yardbirds pushed forward until the summer of 1968, when vocalist Relf and drummer Jim
McCarty announced they were leaving the band. After the dissolution of The Yardbirds, you could
say that Jimmy Page most certainly landed on his feet. Originally named the New Yardbirds,
Led Zeppelin had a legendary run that ended abruptly in 1980 with drummer John Bonham's
death. Mere months before that, he notably collapsed during a tour date at Nuremberg,
Germany. At that point, the band had only performed three songs, and Plant had just
introduced "In the Evening," a song from their 1979 album "In Through the Out Door." There was
a long period of silence before Plant asked the audience to be patient due to a "slight technical
problem." That problem was anything but technical, and Bonham's collapse ended the show prematurely.
As claimed by the band's tour manager Richard Cole in Mick Wall's Led Zeppelin biography
"When Giants Walked the Earth," Bonham was indulging in heroin ahead of the tour. While
Wall theorized that "Bonzo" might have been going through withdrawal when he collapsed,
Robert Plant told the author a totally different story. Pointing out that the band didn't pay much
attention to health or basic medical concerns when they were touring, the frontman said:
"I know he had to eat 50 bananas immediately. He had no potassium in him."
On July 7, 1980, the band played what would turn out to be their last ever concert, and on
September 25, Bonham died at the age of 32 after choking on his own vomit while asleep; according
to the coroner's report, the drummer consumed 40 shots of vodka in a span of 12 hours.
Being the oldest member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Fogerty was the band's leader when
they were known as the Blue Velvets, and later the Golliwogs. As the group developed
their sound into the signature swamp rock that made them superstars in the late '60s,
he ceded leadership to his younger brother, John Fogerty. But as the hits kept coming,
John's grip on CCR grew tighter and tighter, and by the early '70s, Tom and his other bandmates
were reaching their breaking point. After being talked out of it multiple times, Tom Fogerty
finally quit CCR in 1971. Apparently, Tom wanted to contribute some lead vocals and flex more of
his creative muscle on their album "Pendulum," but his little brother wasn't willing to budge.
Creedence Clearwater Revival continued as a three-piece with John Fogerty, Cook,
and Clifford, and recorded one final album, "Mardi Gras," in 1972. While each member was
given a chance to contribute equally as singers and songwriters, Rolling Stone gave it a savage
review, accusing John Fogerty of exposing his bandmates' perceived mediocrity by allowing
them to write and sing on their own songs. Cook's compositions were particularly roasted,
as the outlet's Jon Landau wrote that his songs were, quote, "bad enough to qualify as offensive."
"Wow."
Following the critical disappointment that was "Mardi Gras," CCR announced
their breakup on October 16, 1972. They were the "only band that matters" ... until
they didn't. The Clash disbanded in 1986 as a shadow of their hard-hitting old selves, and while
it's easy to blame their poorly received final album, 1985's "Cut the Crap," for their breakup,
the lineup changes that preceded the album were arguably bigger red flags for the punk icons.
Although nowhere as visible as frontman Joe Strummer or guitarist Mick Jones,
drummer Topper Headon was an integral part of the Clash's classic lineup,
and his 1982 firing due to his heroin use was a huge setback for the band. In fact,
Uncut referred to his sacking as the "beginning of the end" of the Clash,
and Strummer still felt bad about the decision when he spoke to the outlet for its September 1999
issue. Jones was the next member of the classic lineup to go, as he was fired in September 1983
because he had "strayed from the original idea of The Clash," per a press release. Strummer told
Uncut that he felt responsible for the firings as he had allowed manager Bernie Rhodes to take
too much control over the band. Which, not surprisingly, included mixing "Cut the Crap"
in a manner that Uncut called "atrocious." One would think that Pixies should have been so
much bigger than they were and more than just a band that influenced countless alternative
rockers through their classic late '80s and early '90s albums. Theoretically,
their big break could have come when they were chosen to open for U2 during their 1992 tour,
but as guitarist Joey Santiago revealed to Spin in 2004, he was the only one who was excited to open
for one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Apparently, frontman Black Francis and bassist
Kim Deal were less than thrilled to be U2's opening act. Drummer David Lovering told Spin:
"That was probably the biggest tour we opened. It was also the
only tour where no one knew who we were."
In that same feature, Francis hinted at the inter-band turmoil that was brewing
during that "boring" tour. The frontman said:
"Nothing against U2, but an opening slot is
thankless. We were not getting much of a reaction and feeling a little tense,
especially me. I needed to get away from that band and those people."
According to Deal, Francis told her in April 1992, not long after their stint on the U2 tour, that he
wanted Pixies to, quote, "take a sabbatical." In January 1993, Pixies was officially done. However,
at the time of the Spin feature it was still heavily debated whether Francis, as he claimed,
really announced the breakup to his bandmates via fax — save for Santiago, whom he called.
Either way, it would seem that he didn't tell anybody in person about the difficult news.
"Sure seems fishy."
No, the Doors did not break up right after frontman Jim Morrison's death.
But it was Morrison's tragic passing on July 3, 1971, that was, by far,
the biggest blow to the iconic band. Without their charismatic,
oftentimes controversial lead singer, the Doors had some giant-sized shoes to fill...
...so they decided to fill those shoes themselves. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger,
and drummer John Densmore decided to push forward with the album they were recording at the time
of Morrison's death, which was aptly titled "Other Voices" and released in October 1971.
Although all three men were talented musicians, it just wasn't the same without the Lizard King,
and contemporary reviews of the album have said as much. Manzarek and Krieger both shared lead vocals
on "Other Voices," but neither of them could measure up to the lofty standards set by Morrison.
The Doors released a second post-Morrison studio album, "Full Circle," in the summer of 1972,
but much like its predecessor, it didn't garner as much attention from the public
as the Morrison-era albums did. On August 30, 1973, the Doors wisely decided to call it a
day... until they briefly reunited in 1978 to record "An American Prayer," which consisted of
Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore playing over Morrison's spoken-word poetry recordings.
By 1975, Deep Purple had already survived a few significant lineup shakeups — singer Rod Evans and
bassist Nick Simper were replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, who were later replaced by David
Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. But when guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left the band that year to team
up with a little-known singer named Ronnie James Dio and form a new group called Rainbow, one had
to wonder how much Deep Purple had left to offer with what would become their "Mk. IV" lineup.
Blackmore's replacement, Tommy Bolin, was a similarly talented individual who recorded
two albums with the James Gang and had played with jazz fusion legend Billy Cobham. However,
his debut album with the group, the R&B and funk-tinged "Come Taste the Band,"
peaked at an unremarkable No. 43. Worse, Bolin and Hughes were using a lot of drugs
as they toured behind the album, and by March 1976, Coverdale had seen enough,
walking out after a disastrous show in Liverpool and effectively quitting Deep Purple.
Four months later, Deep Purple officially announced their breakup, and on December 4,
1976, Bolin died of a drug overdose at the age of 25. Deep Purple would reunite in 1984,
with Blackmore quitting for a second — and final — time in 1993.
It was logical to think Oasis would keep on playing indefinitely, considering how long
they'd lasted despite the band's central figures, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher,
having practically been at each other's throats from day one. As such,
it came as a bit of a surprise when it was all over toward the end of the summer of 2009.
At first, it didn't seem that out of the ordinary when Oasis announced on August 23 that they would
be canceling their scheduled performance at the Chelmsford, England, leg of the V Festival.
According to the band, Liam had come down with a case of viral laryngitis. Noel wasn't feeling
well either, as he blogged about having a bad stomach ache after the previous night's
Staffordshire leg. Five days later, though, the brothers got into a violent argument backstage
as they were preparing to play a show in Paris, with Noel throwing a plum at Liam.
"It was a run by fruiting!"
Liam fittingly retaliated by attempting to bash his big brother with a guitar.
The day after, on August 29,
Noel issued a statement announcing he had just quit the band. He said:
"People will write and say what they like,
but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."
As reported by The Guardian, Liam sued Noel in 2011 for claiming in a BBC interview that the
real reason behind the V Festival cancellation was that Liam was too hung over to play. If
only the Gallagher boys could do as their song says and not look back in anger.
The Eagles were undeniably flying high after the release of their 1976 magnum opus "Hotel
California." So how do you top a banger of an album and keep that positive momentum going?
That was actually the quandary the Eagles faced as they spent 18 months recording
what would become "The Long Run." In a 1977 interview, singer-drummer Don Henley said
that he wanted to be like the Beatles in the sense that deadlines and pressure made them as
prolific as they were, but the exact opposite happened. Glenn Frey recalled separately:
"There was so much pressure that Don and I didn't have time to enjoy
our friendship. We always had to worry about doing this or living up to that."
Instead of being a double album as originally planned, "The Long Run" featured only 10 songs
when it finally arrived in September 1979. Through it all, the stress took its toll on
the Eagles, and it didn't help that the record got middling reviews following its release.
All that stress led to band dysfunction, and that dysfunction was on full display during a
1980 benefit concert for California Senator Alan Cranston, which saw guitarist Don Felder and Frey
exchanging threats onstage. Days later, Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk informed Felder that,
quote, "there is no band at this time," and it would take another 14 years before the group
would reunite and make new music once again. While there are still plenty of card-carrying
members of the "Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles" camp, in the years since it's become clear
that John Lennon's relationship with — and later marriage to — his second wife should
not be considered a red flag that hinted at the impending disbandment of the Fab Four.
Midas touch as they kept putting out hits on the singles and album charts. But without Epstein's
guidance and business acumen, the Beatles ended up making some questionable decisions,
such as the 1967 film "Magical Mystery Tour," which was a flop with fans and critics alike.
The album of the same name thankfully didn't suffer the same fate. Without Epstein to serve
as a cooler head, tensions rose within the Beatles' camp as they created what
would become the "White Album" in 1968. And one year later, the Beatles couldn't quite
decide on whether they wanted Allen Klein or Paul McCartney's soon-to-be brother-in-law
John Eastman to manage them. Much to McCartney's chagrin, the other three Beatles favored Klein.
All this happened after Epstein's death, and much of it played a significant part
in the Beatles' breakup, which the band announced to the public on April 10, 1970.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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)​.