Stevie Ray Vaughan was a musician that died well before his time. Stevie made
a name for himself as a blues guitarist at a time when blues music wasn’t all that popular,
but the star’s charisma allowed him to pave the way for a blues revival. Sadly, Stevie’s meteoric
rise to the top was halted when he passed away in a tragic helicopter accident. For many years,
the public was left guessing as to what had made the 1990 crash occurred. In 2020,
a lawyer who worked on the case revealed the details of the crash to the public for the first
time, finally answering the question of who was responsible for Stevie’s death. Join Facts Verse
as new details of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s helicopter crash change everything.
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Untimely End
Music fans were taken aback when the death of blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was announced
in the summer of 1990. The guitarist had only been a figure in the music scene for around a decade
and was just recently starting to find mainstream success. Not only was Stevie’s star on the rise,
but the musician had also recently given up drugs and alcohol. Stevie had been plagued
by substance-abuse issues during his early touring years and became more popular than
ever once he set them aside. Stevie spent the last years of his life making rock-and-roll music
that preached about the values of living a clean and sober lifestyle. While this message might’ve
seemed cheesy coming from anyone else, Stevie had the musical chops to keep the people invested.
No one knows what might’ve waited for Stevie in the future if it hadn’t been for the tragic
1990 helicopter crash that put his life to an end all too early. The guitarist was
35 years old at the time and was just starting to reap the rewards of his years of hard work. The
crash occurred in Wisconsin, where Stevie was performing with elder blues legend,
Eric Clapton. For many years, the details of the helicopter crash that killed Stevie Ray Vaughan
remained a mystery to the public. However, a lawyer that worked on the case has recently come
forward with details that show exactly what caused the helicopter carrying the musician to crash.
In addition to Stevie Ray Vaughan, the helicopter that crashed was also carrying a few other people.
One of those people was a man by the name of Bobby Brooks, who was Eric Clapton’s manager.
Bobby had a very large estate, and the man’s surviving family members were adamant about
getting justice. Because of this, Bobby’s estate ended up hiring some pretty expensive lawyers to
try and sue whoever was responsible for the crash. The man who ended up getting to the
bottom of the reason behind the helicopter crash was a lawyer working for the manufacturer of some
of the helicopter’s parts. Other parties that were being sued included the business responsible for
organizing the helicopter flight. The helicopter that crashed was one
of four helicopters that took off from the same location at the same time, with the
other three helicopters containing Eric Clapton and other members of the guitarist’s entourage.
The Surviving Family Members Wanted Answers Stevie Ray Vaughan’s brother and his brother’s
wife were meant to fly on the helicopter with Stevie, but there ended up being not enough room.
This meant that the pair thankfully survived. However, like much of the public, they were
desperate for answers about who was responsible for the crash. As the lawsuits went underway,
it was eventually revealed which party was responsible for the accident. However,
much of the public wasn’t given the opportunity to find out until decades later. Now,
it’s finally clear who was responsible for the accident that killed Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie both started out as guitarists in Texas.
Stevie was the much more talented of the two brothers, though that didn’t mean that Jimmie
didn’t know what he was doing. Jimmie Ray Vaughan is still alive today, at the age of 71. In
addition to being known as Stevie Ray Vaughan’s brother, Jimmie is also known for his work with
the band the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Both Stevie and Jimmie were blues musicians to their core,
which made them think that it was unlikely that they would ever find
mainstream popularity. However, they quickly became legends in their home state of Texas.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother could be found gaining popularity in Texas over the course of the
1970s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that one of them finally managed to break into
the mainstream. Of course, the first of the two brothers to break into the mainstream was Stevie,
who took the world by storm with his incredible guitar playing. Sadly,
Stevie would only see a handful of years in the spotlight before his
life came to an untimely and tragic end. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be
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Stevie Overcame Substance-Abuse Issues
Soon after breaking into the mainstream, Stevie Ray Vaughan fell victim to the excessive and
debaucherous rock-and-roll lifestyle. Stevie’s talent behind the guitar wasn’t enough to keep him
safe from the dangers of the industry, and things got worse and worse for the musician until he was
finally forced to take a trip to rehab during the mid-1980s. Stevie Ray Vaughan was far from
the first rock-and-roll musician to enter into rehab by that time, and stints in rehab weren’t
known for being very successful in the long term. However, Stevie’s ended up being one of the few
rock-and-roll rehab success stories. When Stevie came out of rehab, he seemed like completely
different, although he was still clearly the same person when he got behind the guitar.
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s big break had come in 1982 when the musician was
given the chance to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Stevie’s blues playing put off many
attendees at the festival. Still, the majority fell in love with the guitarist for his passion
and technical ability. Stevie’s appearance at the festival led to him getting a record deal,
and he went on to tour the world over the course of the next few years. Stevie was
in Europe when it became clear that his substance abuse was becoming an issue. He suffered a mental
breakdown on the stage in 1986, and this is what resulted in the guitarist going to rehab.
Following Stevie’s successful stint in rehab, the guitarist went on to
release the most successful album of his career. That album was 1989’s In Step,
which Stevie and his band were touring in support of in the days leading up
to the guitarist’s tragic death. The title of the album referred to the Twelve Steps of AA,
which was how Stevie got sober. The album was a massive success despite featuring songs espousing
the message of staying clean and sober, which wasn’t very popular in rock and roll at the time.
Stevie’s Final Night Was One to Remember Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tour in support of the
album In Step ended with a two-night gig opening up for Eric Clapton. The helicopter crash that
killed Stevie occurred after the second night. On the final night of Stevie’s life, he got to
play on the stage alongside not only Eric Clapton, but also Robert Cray and Buddy
Guy. Stevie’s brother Jimmie was also part of the performance, and all of the musicians
being on the stage together was quite a sight to behold. Both of Stevie and Eric’s performances
sold out, and the 40,000 people that were in attendance each night certainly got a show.
After the incredible performance that Stevie and Eric gave that
second night, no one would’ve predicted that the former figure’s life was about to end in tragedy.
However, that’s exactly what happened. Eric and his entourage were meant to fly to Chicago,
and Stevie went with them. Four helicopters took off, but only three ended up making it
to Chicago. It was later revealed that the helicopter carrying Stevie had crashed almost
immediately after takeoff, killing every single person that was on it.
What Caused the Helicopter Crash? The four helicopters took off from a
parking lot, and the helicopter carrying Stevie crashed into a hill a short distance away.
There was no clear reason why the pilot would’ve been heading straight into a hill,
so it was assumed that the incident had been caused by some mechanical issue. This is where
the lawyer who solved the case came in. The lawyer ended up figuring out that it wasn’t a
mechanical issue that had been at fault the night of Stevie’s death, but a lack of proper experience
from the helicopter’s pilot. The pilot flying the helicopter wasn’t licensed
to operate the aircraft in conditions that required him to use radar displays.
It was found that the pilot that was responsible
for the helicopter crash that killed Stevie Ray Vaughan had been blinded by the lights
of the parking lot that the four helicopters had taken off from. The pilots that were in the other
three helicopters were all licensed to use radar displays, so they were able to maneuver their
aircrafts despite losing visibility. Because of this, they were able to make the journey
safely while the helicopter containing Stevie crashed shortly after taking off.
At the end of the day, it was the business that organized the helicopter flight that was held
responsible for the crash, and they ended up settling out of court with the victims’
surviving family members for an undisclosed amount. Though the surviving family members
eventually got justice, the world was still deprived of a legendary blues guitarist.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was mourned profusely, though the true story of what caused the helicopter
crash that killed him remained a mystery for many years. Now, fans finally know the truth.
If Stevie Ray Vaughan’s life hadn’t been tragically cut short, who knows what would’ve
waited in the future for the popular blues guitarist. Now it’s time to hear from you:
did you know that Stevie Ray Vaughan’s final album was named after the Twelve Steps of AA and that he
got to perform alongside both Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy on the night of his death? As always,
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