What makes a musician want to create unforgettable melodies, beautiful lyrics, and insanely catchy
choruses?
Many artists hope to cement a lasting legacy that will inspire fans for generations to
come.
Sadly, we were forced to say goodbye to some seriously groundbreaking performers in 2018.
Let's take a moment to reflect on the legacy of these talented artists, and celebrate their
lives and remarkable musical achievements.
Dolores O'Riordan
The Cranberries' exuberant, melancholy pop helped define the '90s musical landscape.
Much of the band's success can be attributed to the haunting voice of lead singer Dolores
O'Riordan, the Irish-born artist whose incredible talent helped propel songs like "Linger",
"Zombie", and "Dreams" into the international charts.
O'Riordan was only 21 when "Linger" became the band's first hit single.
As an adult, she was open about her struggles with depression, anorexia, and bipolar disorder,
issues that were reportedly exacerbated by the band's success.
In 2007, she explained to FaceCulture how music helped her confront her demons:
"It's like therapy, kind of, yeah, it's comforting.
It's … it's a heartbeat, you know, you just express your emotions."
Due to health reasons, O'Riordan cancelled several Cranberries tour dates in 2017 and
took off most of the year off to recover.
Sadly, on January 15, 2018, the artist's body was found in a London hotel room.
She was only 46 years old.
Mark E. Smith
Born in Manchester, caustic musician Mark E. Smith gained notoriety for his influential
band The Fall.
The project formed in 1978, blazing new musical trails for the next 40 years.
While his lyrics often boasted wit, wordplay, and complex concepts, Smith's sound constantly
morphed from one year to the next.
Smith was notoriously difficult to work with, going through 66 band members during his career.
Over the course of 32 albums, The Fall flirted with elements of punk, dance, garage rock,
and reggae, laying the groundwork for New Wave and alternative rock.
Smith passed away quietly at home on January 24 at 60 years old.
According to Manchester Evening News, his wake was "total disrespect" with "bottles
thrown and drinks poured over people."
Fast Eddie Clarke
In 1976, guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke teamed up with Motörhead singer Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister
and together they pioneered their uniquely blissed-out, distorted take on heavy metal.
Clarke joined the legendary British band in 1976, playing on some of the band's best known
albums, including their self-titled 1977 debut, Overkill, Bomber, and Ace of Spades.
Drummer Phil Taylor passed in 2015, and Lemmy passed away soon after, so Clarke was the
last surviving member of the classic Motörhead lineup.
In an interview with Rock Pill, Clarke looked back fondly on his time with the band.
"For me, they were the best times, and I can only assume that for them, it must be pretty
much the same, you know?
You only get that sort of thing once -- on the way up."
Clarke passed in a London hospital on January 10, 2018 while being treated for pneumonia.
He was 67 years old.
Yvonne Staples
Family bands like the Jackson Five and the Partridge Family were all the rage in the
1970s, but none were as polished as the Staple Singers.
In 1972, the band produced their best-known song "I'll Take You There," which quickly
rocketed to the top of the Billboard R&B and Billboard Hot 100 Charts.
Yvonne Staples sang backup vocals for the band's most popular numbers.
She also acted as the group's manager.
In 1999, The Staple Singers were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and every
member was present to receive the honor.
Remembering Yvonne Staples, family friend Bill Carpenter told The New York Times:
"She had no desire to be a front singer, even though people in the family told her she had
a great voice."
On April 10th, the musician passed of colon cancer at the age of eighty.
Danny Kirwan
Before Fleetwood Mac became soft-rock superstars with Stevie Nicks, they were just one of many
1960s English blues-rock bands.
In 1968, founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie recruited guitarist Danny Kirwan, who
became a member of the band at age 18 thanks to his prodigious guitar skills.
Kirwan came out of the gate strong.
The song "Albatross" was his first recording with the band, and it hit Number One on the
English singles chart.
He played guitar on five Fleetwood Mac albums, but was eventually kicked out of the band
in 1972 due to issues with alcohol.
Kirwan struggled with mental health issues and homelessness for most of his life.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac,
but he didn't attend the ceremony.
When he passed away on June 8, Kirwan was 68 years old.
Ray Thomas
Founded in 1964, The Moody Blues came to epitomize groovy prog-rock, and the band couldn't have
existed without Ray Thomas.
As the band evolved and settled into its classic lineup with Justin Hayward in 1966, Thomas's
role evolved, too.
Thomas started out as one of the band's first singers, but eventually added flute to the
mix.
His contributions can be heard all over classic tunes like "Days of Future Passed" and "Nights
in White Satin."
Thomas passed at his home on January 4 at the age of 76.
Three months later, The Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Former bandmate John Lodge paid tribute to Thomas shortly after his death, saying in
a statement:
“We are deeply shocked by his passing and will miss his warmth, humor and kindness."
Randy Scruggs
"I'm Randy Scruggs."
Before starting his career as a songwriter and producer, Randy Scruggs had a name to
live up to.
His father was legendary bluegrass banjo player Earl Scruggs of Flatt and Scruggs fame, a
band best known for their 1949 classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown".
During the course of his career, Randy Scruggs produced songs for everyone, from Emmylou
Harris to Waylon Jennings.
He also performed session work for Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Wilco.
Scruggs helped define the Nashville sound for almost 40 years, writing over 100 songs
in his lifetime.
He passed on April 17 at the age of 64.
Avicii
Short for "electronic dance music," EDM has become extremely popular thanks to artists
like Calvin Harris, Skrillex, and Tim Bergling, the Swedish DJ and producer who became known
by his stage name, Avicii.
A superstar DJ in every sense of the term, Avicii knew how to keep the party going, and
when to drop the bass.
He parlayed his success as a masterful live entertainer into short-form radio hits like
"Levels," "You Make Me," and "Wake Me Up," a country-tinged banger that hit No. 4 on
the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013.
But his hard-partying lifestyle caught up with Avicii at an early age.
The musician was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis at 21, a condition he attributed to excessive
drinking.
By the time he was 25, the producer had had his appendix and gallbladder removed.
In the wake of these health troubles, he announced he was quitting touring, but promised to continue
creating music in the studio.
In 2015, he explained his decision to The Telegraph:
"Cuz, you know, I was getting skinny.
I was getting everything, you know.
I need a break.
Just to be home."
The artist passed away on April 20, 2018, at 28 years of age.
Scott Hutchison
Scottish musician Scott Hutchison was revered for his emotionally naked, brutally vulnerable
songs, which he performed with his folk-rock outfit Frightened Rabbit.
Over the course of five studio albums, Hutchison's lyrics explored themes of depression, anxiety,
and other mental health issues.
The artist had an uncanny knack for turning personal heartbreak into powerful works of
art.
2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of the band's critically-acclaimed sophomore album
The Midnight Organ Fight.
The record charts the emotional aftermath of a breakup, and songs like "Floating in
the Forth" explore feelings of abandonment and suicide.
Thinking back on the album in March 2018, Hutchison told Google Talks that he'd turned
a corner in the last decade, and fans didn't need to worry about his emotional well-being:
"Emotionally, in ten years, one would have hoped to have moved on, and I have … it's
okay, it's cool."
Tragically, in May 2018, Hutchinson's body was discovered in Edinburgh only a few months
later.
No cause of death has been confirmed.
The singer-songwriter was 36 years old.
In memoriam
Sadly, these aren't the only musicians who have left us in 2018.
Here's a look at some of the other stars who enhanced our lives before leaving us all too
soon.
Jim Rodford
Lari White
Hugh Masekela
Dennis Edwards
Lovebug Starski
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Josh Martin
Vic Damone
Daryle Singletary
Craig Mack
Glenn Branca
Vinnie Paul
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.