Music Stars You May Not Know Are Dead

Many artists have left their mark on the music industry by recording hit songs that landed at the top of the charts. Nothing beats that feeling of recognizing those first few beats of one of your favorite jams and instinctively starting to groove. You probably know every single word (plus that air-guitar solo), but what you might not know is that some of the artists behind our favorite songs are no longer with us. 

Let's revisit the songs that thrust these artists into the spotlight before various events silenced their careers. From boy bands to girl groups and '80s rockers to '90s rollers, these music masters have passed away with little fanfare, unlike huge artists like Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, or George Michael. Here's a list of stars from around the world and around your playlist that you may not know are dead. May they rest — and rock on — in peace.

Melanie Thornton and bandmate Lane McCray formed the '90s group La Bouche, which translates into French for "the mouth." Ironically, neither Thornton nor McCray spoke the romance language, but they really loved the name after it was suggested by their producer. Their Euro-inspired pop songs boomed through the speakers of nightclubs across the globe, and their most popular hit, "Be My Lover," peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard charts. You may also recognize the dance tracks "Sweet Dreams" and "Fallin' in Love."

By 2000, Thornton decided to leave the group behind, and she released her first and last solo album called "Ready to Fly" in May 2001. On November 24, 2001, Thornton was aboard a plane traveling from Berlin to Zurich when the plane crashed just a few miles from the runway. The singer and 23 other passengers were killed. She was only 34 when she died.

Robin Antin, the founder of the Pussycat Dolls, was looking to create another group that could be just as successful as its predecessor. Using the same formula of beautiful women, skimpy outfits, and girl power-esque songs, she created the pop group G.R.L. Its members — Emmalyn Estrada, Paula van Oppen, Lauren Bennett, Natasha Slayton, and Simone Battle — began recording songs in 2013 and really broke out when they were featured on the Pitbull track "Wild Wild Love." Then, tragedy struck. 

Battle was found in her Hollywood home on September 5, 2014, and her death was ruled a suicide. Friends and family told investigators that Battle was reportedly suffering from depression and struggling with money issues. Though the group had just returned from a successful overseas tour, sources claimed that Battle feared G.R.L. would never become a huge hit in the States. The rest of the women attempted to continue performing after her death but disbanded nine months later.  

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)​.

Run up to any '80s or '90s baby and say, "New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits," and we guarantee they'll respond with, "Chinese food makes me sick!" For those of you who are still trying to figure out what NKOTB has to do with Asian cuisine, these lyrics are actually the chorus of the uber-popular 1999 hit "Summer Girls" by the boy band LFO. The group consisted of Devin Lima, Brad Fischetti, and Rich Cronin. They were "TRL" poster boys, and their catchy, fun-loving jam was on heavy rotation. The guys followed up "Summer Girls" with the equally successful song "Girl on TV."

After complaining of painful headaches, Cronin was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2005. That same year, he established the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to bring awareness to the importance of the volunteer bone marrow registry. He was able to bounce back from his health crisis, and in 2008, he released a solo album called "Billion Dollar Sound". He also appeared as a cast member on the VH1 reality show "Mission: Man Band". Cronin was back in the studio in 2010, according to one of his tweets, but we never got to hear what he was working on. He died September 8, 2010 after suffering a stroke at age 35.

Shamari Fears, Brandi Williams, and Natina Reed started the girl group Blaque in the '90s, and their most successful song, "Bring it all to Me," hit No. 5 on the Billboard charts. Many compared the group to a younger version of TLC, and Reed's style was similar to TLC group member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who took her under her wing as her protégée. In 2000, Reed starred in the hit Kirsten Dunst flick "Bring it On," but her future in the entertainment industry was cut short. 

On October 26 2012, Reed was reportedly staying at an extended-stay motel in Norcross, Georgia before making plans to transition into a new home. She left the motel late that night and was standing in the roadway when a vehicle struck her. The driver called 911, and Reed was transported to a hospital, where she died. She was 32 years old and left behind a 10-year-old son who was fathered by rapper Kurupt.

To capitalize on the popularity of the surge in boy bands in the '90s and early-2000s, the fictional group 2Gether was created. A self-titled MTV movie followed, along with a spin-off series that chronicled the formation of the band. The main characters included Evan Farmer (who played Jerry "The Hearthrob" O'Keefe), Noah Bastian (Chad "The Shy One" Linus), Kevin Farley (Doug "The Older Brother" Linus), Alex Solowitz (Mickey "The Bad Boy" Parke), and Michael Cuccione, who played Jason "Q.T." McKnight.

The movie was a parody that made fun of the boy band formula, but the made-for-TV film became so popular that the guys became real-life pop stars. They even went on tour with Britney Spears in 2000. When the MTV spin-off series began, Cuccione was noticeably absent from the last few episodes. His character suffered from a fictional ailment called "biliary thrombosis," but in real life, Cuccione was battling health issues, too. At the age of 9, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. After successful rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, his uncle said he was cancer-free in an interview with MTV News, but the treatments left him with respiratory issues that claimed his life just eight days after his 16th birthday. 

The boy band craze swept all four corners of the globe, and it didn't take long for the country of Ireland to also cash in on this sector of music. In 1993, Boyzone was created, featuring group members Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately. They released a series of chart-topping albums and singles, including "All That I Need" and "Love Me for a Reason." Gately embarked on a solo career and released the 2000 album "New Beginning," but he eventually rejoined his band mates in 2007 because "We never got to say goodbye to the fans," he said to the Independent.

The group released a compilation album in 2008 called "Back Again... No Matter What," but its dreams of continued international stardom were cut short when Gately was found dead in his home on October 10, 2009. His cause of death was listed as acute pulmonary edema.

Most people are familiar with the lip-syncing scandal that brought down the luxuriously dreadlocked and shoulder pad-clad duo Milli Vanilli — one-hit wonder singers of "Girl You Know It's True." In the aftermath of their breakup, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan took very different paths.

Morvan struggled to piece together a solo career within the European electronic music scene and became a spokesperson for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Pilatus did not fare so well. In the immediate aftermath of the scandal, he spoke out bitterly against music producer Frank Farian, telling the Los Angeles Times, "Our producer tricked us. We signed contracts as singers but were never allowed to contribute. It was a nightmare. We were living a lie. The psychological pressure was very hard. It was like we were trapped in some golden prison." The ensuing years were hard for Pilatus, who reportedly got involved in criminal activity, attempted suicide multiple times, and abused drugs before landing in rehab.

In 1997, things seemed to be turning around. Rob and Fab gave Farian another chance and collaborated on a new Milli Vanilli album called "Back and in Attack," with the guys actually singing this time. That album was never released because while prepping for its promotional tour in Germany, Pilatus died on April 2, 1998, reportedly of an accidental overdose of alcohol and pills. He was 33.

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)​.

Pauly Fuemana was the driving force behind OMC, which stands for Otara Millionaires Club and started as a hip-hop project featuring Fuemana. We can only speculate as to why Fuemana emerged as the singular talent. Maybe because he was the guy who helped write "How Bizarre," which includes the lyrics, "Ringmaster steps up, says the elephants left town / People jump and jive, found the clowns that stuck around." (Or something like that.) That sort of creative genius you don't question. Well, that and the fact that he was a pretty intimidating former gang member.

Anyway, we'll probably never know what Fuemana was talking about in that song, and we may never fully understand the neurological disease he suffered from called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The National Organization of Rare Disorders describes it as "a rare neurological disorder in which there is inflammation of nerve roots and peripheral nerves and destruction of the fatty protective covering (myelin sheath) of the nerve fibers ... This causes weakness, paralysis and/or impairment in motor function, especially of the arms and legs." He succumbed to pneumonia on January 31, 2010, leaving behind a wife and six children. He was 40 years old.

Shortly after the release of Blind Melon's sophomore album "Soup," lead singer Shannon Hoon was found dead of an accidental overdose on the band's tour bus on October 21, 1995. Though his death was certainly shocking, Hoon's drug use wasn't exactly a secret. During the band's 1994 Woodstock performance, Hoon famously stumbled around the stage wearing what appeared to be his girlfriend's dress and delivering what can best be described as a badly performed karaoke version of their hit song "No Rain." 

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1993 (via MTV), his own mother outlined the problems he'd had with drugs as well as run-ins with the law. She also delivered this statement that would turn out to be a dark foretelling of her son's tragic future: "When he got into drugs I just gave up hope," she said. "He just turned 26 and there were times I didn't think he'd live that long." Sadly, Hoon barely made it to 28.

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).

Izora Armstead was a gospel singer recruited by her friend and fellow songstress, Martha Wash, to become a backup singer for disco star Sylvester. The ladies moved on to form The Weather Girls and released "It's Raining Men" in 1982. That tune became the anthem for moms' night out and for pride parades worldwide. But actually, the song was a phenomenal success and popular among virtually everyone. If it's playing and you see someone standing there with their arms crossed, you should avoid them because they're obviously allergic to fun. 

Wash and Armstead were The Weather Girls until 1990, when Wash left the group, and Armstead's daughter, Dynelle Rhodes, took up her mantle. This enabled the group to live on, just as the gods of bachelorette parties and wedding receptions would have wanted. Armstead died of heart failure on September 16, 2004, at age 62. Rhodes has kept The Weather Girls alive by forming its third iteration with Ingrid Arthur. Together, Rhodes and Arthur are continuing to rain men all over the world, and we just know Armstead is smiling down on them.

Tragedy struck twice for the rap group that invented a hip-hop dance craze with their hit song "Teach Me How to Dougie." The same year that Cali Swag District catapulted to stardom, 22-year-old Monte "M-Bone" Talbert was shot while sitting in his car in Inglewood, California. He died at the hospital on May 16, 2011. Rumored gang involvement (which was later dispelled by police) and conflicting accounts from eyewitnesses may have hindered the investigation into Talbert's death. Six months after the shooting, police offered a reward for any information, and at the time of this writing, the crime appears to remain unsolved.

Just three years later, 25-year-old Cahron "JayAre" Childs died of cardiac arrest on June 6, 2014. He had apparently gone to the hospital for unknown reasons. Fellow CSD member Corey "Smoove Da General" Fowler tweeted, "Sickle cell took my brother away from me today ... with that being said I'm proud to know that with that disease he made the best of his life."

It's probably safe to say that neither Chrissy Amphlett nor the rest of her band, the Divinyls, thought they were writing a song that would forever leave a mark on both the music and film world when they came up with "I Touch Myself." And yet, the scene from "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" where the title character dances to the track and kills Fembots using only his gyrating crotch serves as a powerful reminder of the pop culture punch a one-hit wonder can pack. Though "I Touch Myself" came out in 1991, the film utilized it perfectly six years later, and even today it's still a solid jam. 

Amphlett made five full-length albums with the Divinyls from 1982 to 1996, but they never created anything to rival the smash hit that somehow became an earworm, despite the fact that if you sang it out loud and made eye contact with literally anyone, things would get really uncomfortable really fast.

Amphlett died at home on April 21, 2013, from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. She was 53. 

Jermaine Stewart's "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" was such a quintessential '80s dance hit that it couldn't have been more perfect for its time if it was made entirely out of leg warmers and Tang. We're also confident that even though it doesn't really hold up outside of that decade, it probably enjoyed a second life as the anthem for both the Duggar kids and the Jonas Brothers in their purity ring phases. Stewart died on March 17, 1997 of AIDS-related liver cancer. He was 39.

Decades later, online conspiracy theories still abound alleging that basketball great Magic Johnson contracted HIV from Stewart. As with the vast majority of internet conspiracies, there's not a single shred of evidence for this. There is one thing that can be learned here, and it's that the internet is sometimes a dark and terrible place, so navigate your nostalgia with caution, folks.

Remember what we just got done saying about the internet and conspiracy theories? Well, Falco (born Johann Hölzel), the singer of "Rock Me Amadeus," has his own, and it's a doozy. One faction of the internet believes that Falco was murdered by the Illuminati for exposing Freemasonry practices in his songs. Wow. In reality, a 40-year-old Falco died in a vehicular accident in the Dominican Republic on February 6, 1998, so not exactly a demonic blood sacrifice as outlined by an animator who has way too much free time and a YouTube account.

Another one of Falco's hit tunes was "Der Kommissar," so he was far from being a one-hit wonder. The handsome Austrian started out studying a different style of music: classical. He was very talented in the genre, but once he got a taste of pop music success, there was no turning back. He was part of a couple of bands until he broke out as a solo act, and the rest was history.

Maybe it's because the name Quiet Riot rhymes so nicely, or maybe it's because all of the '80s hair metal bands sort of just blend into one after a while, but it seems like this band had more than one hit song. Nope. Over the span of several decades, the glam-rock band with Kevin DuBrow on lead vocals only made it to No. 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 with "Cum On Feel the Noize," and that wasn't even an original. It's actually a cover of lesser known Slade's 1973 track. A 52-year-old DuBrow had just finished a tour with Quiet Riot in 2007, when he died of an accidental cocaine overdose. You may be thinking '80s hair band equals cocaine, right?

That was supposedly not the case for DuBrow. His pal and former Deep Purple bassist and singer Glenn Hughes told the Los Angeles Times, "I can report that I never saw Kevin out of control, ever." DuBrow was generally regarded as a good guy who had his stuff together, but like Quiet Riot once sang, "Every rose has its thorn." Wait, that wasn't them? It was Poison? How are we supposed to tell these guys apart?

"My Sharona" is the perfect example of one of those songs that everyone knows exactly two parts of — the first line and the chorus. We're all guilty of getting super excited when it comes on and belting out "Ooh, my little pretty one, my pretty one," then having to shamefully mumble until "MY SHARONA!" And we don't even know what that means, but we don't care, because that's how good of a song it is. This song also became a pop culture touchstone when comedic actor Will Ferrell used it on "Saturday Night Live" for his Janet Reno sketches.

According to Doug Fieger, lead singer and guitarist for The Knack, the song was written in 15 minutes, which makes its contagiousness even more amazing. Fieger, 57, died of lung cancer on February 14, 2010, but not before telling the Associated Press that "My Sharona" was inspired by an ex-girlfriend who was wildly irresistible in part because of her "overpowering scent" (via Billboard). You were an interesting dude, Fieger, and wrote one hell of a jam that one time.

Together with long-time collaborator and frontman Nick Van Eede, Kevin MacMichael formed Cutting Crew in 1985. By 1986, their debut single "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight" was at the top of the charts, and the album it was featured on had sold 3 million copies. But the guys weren't able to repeat that success with their next two albums, and the band broke up in 1993. MacMichael went on to land an impressive spot as musical director and guitarist for Robert Plant's backing band, until Jimmy Page came back into the picture and the seeds of Page and Plant were formed. MacMichael moved back to Canada for more modest pursuits. 

MacMichael died from cancer on December 31, 2002, at age 51. He didn't seem to mind his time away from the spotlight. "The nine years in England were almost like going to college," he said to The Independent. "Now I'm divorced from all that. I'm not looking at the charts in Billboard every week." He did organize a benefit show on behalf of cancer research, which he performed in just months before his death, thus pursuing his passion to the very end.

Right now, you may be thinking to yourself, I have no clue who Jimmy McShane, Baltimora, or "Tarzan Boy" are — but trust us, you do. If you never heard the actual song on the radio or in the club, you definitely heard it in the background while a Listerine bottle swung on vines through the jungle. The song has actually been used to sell other products, too, and was featured in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III," which is kind of strange considering the backstory of how it came about.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, McShane was cast as a frontman based solely on his looks and dancing abilities by producer Maurizio Bassi. Baltimora's debut song "Tarzan Boy" was a surprising success, but in an echo to the Milli Vanilli scandal, McShane was criticized for lip-syncing. Reportedly frustrated by the ruse, as well as the group's failure to land another hit, McShane left the business.

The Telegraph reported that he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1994. Knowing there was no cure (and with none of the HIV medicines available in more recent times), he returned to Northern Ireland to live out the rest of his life, dying at age 37 on March 29, 1995. 

The infectious 1988 dance track "It Takes Two" is another song that transcended music to become a stand-alone piece of pop culture. Not only was the single reborn when it was featured on the first volume of "Jock Jams", but it's also been endlessly sampled by other artists and even made its way into the Ryan Reynolds/Sandra Bullock romcom, "The Proposal." That's some impressive crossing of cultural lines, considering the song was birthed early in the hip-hop movement and long before the genre gained widespread acceptance. The track hit No. 3 on Billboard, but that was on the hot dance/club songs chart, so it's unlikely Harlem's DJ E-Z Rock and Rob Base were thinking to themselves, "I wonder if two lame white people are going to sing our song in the biggest romantic comedy of the year someday?" 

E-Z Rock died at age 46 of complications from diabetes on April 27, 2014, but there's no doubt that "It Takes Two" will live forever.

Pete Burns was the gender-bending face of Dead or Alive who transitioned from '80s dance music icon to reality TV star with multiple appearances on the U.K. version of "Big Brother." Through his unabashed love of plastic surgery, his look would also go through various transformations over the years, leaving him hardly recognizable from the wacky video for the song that skyrocketed him to fame. "You Spin Me Round" has resurfaced in various incarnations, including heavy sampling on Flo Rida's "You Spin My Head Right Round," and of course, in the intro to Adam Sandler's rom-com "The Wedding Singer," in which Alexis Arquette plays a mashed-up version of Burns and Boy George.

A 57-year-old Burns died on October 23, 2016 of cardiac arrest, but make no mistake: He lived it up while he was alive. In a 2012 interview with Ponystep, Burns expressed his utter lack of regrets. "I've sold 17 million albums and 36 million singles so I've had a good career. I spent it all, but I've had a ball spending it." 

As a solo singer, Dan Hartman hit the Billboard Top 100 Chart multiple times, though his most well-known jam, "I Can Dream About You," was his only song to crack the Top 10. That was in 1984, and the video for Hartman's hit single was so '80s that it featured both men and women wearing blazers with the sleeves rolled up. Ten years after that, he died from a brain tumor, which was a complication from AIDS.

According to an interview with The Associated Press (via the Mojave Daily Miner,) Hartman may be dismissed by some as a one-hit wonder, but he was actually an accomplished producer and songwriter who penned hits for James Brown, Tina Turner, and Joe Cocker. Hartman also wrote songs for movies such as "Rocky IV," "Bull Durham," and "Oliver and Company." 

That said, the singer clearly craved the spotlight. "I got tired of cranking out pop songs that end up over the credits at the end," he told the AP. So, let's remember the man as he would have wanted — as the curly-mulleted bartender who becomes a rock star thanks to a magical jukebox from "Tron." Seriously, watch that video up there. It's something else.

Long before Mariah Carey blew listeners away with her nearly ear-piercing high-octave range, singer/songwriter Minnie Riperton secured her place in vocalist history with the often copied but never repeated high note in "Lovin' You." According to the liner notes for "Petals," written by Riperton's husband, singer/songwriter Richard Rudolph, "Lovin' You" originated from a melody Riperton was humming over a samba he was playing while she cooked a meal. They recorded the lyric-less melody to use as a distraction for their new baby, Maya, who was very attached to her mom. The new parents then placed the recorder near Maya's swing so that they could enjoy some private time. In case you're wondering, yes, that would be Maya Rudolph of "Saturday Night Live" fame. Rudolph told udiscovermusic, "I didn't really put together that 'Lovin' You' was for me and my brother. I heard my name and was kind of like, 'Oh that's cool, it's for us,' but we didn't really know."

Riperton died of breast cancerjust four years after "Lovin' You" made it all the way to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was by far her biggest success, turning "Perfect Angel," the album on which it originated, into a certified platinum seller.

Stuart Adamson was the lead singer of Big Country, the U.K. pop band that found international success with the track "In a Big Country." Big Country was actually the second band Adamson created, having previously recorded three albums with the punk band Skids. MTV's heavy rotation of the music video for "In a Big Country" catapulted the tune onto the Billboard Hot 100, despite the fact that it received little radio airplay.

The band continued making albums for more than a decade after its smash debut, but the group never repeated its initial success. In 1997, Adamson moved to Nashville. It was on hiatus after a brief reunion tour when Adamson, 43, was found dead in a hotel room in Hawaii after being declared missing for more than a month, and his death was ruled a suicide. His blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

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)​.

Marcel Theo Hall — better known as Biz Markie — was an American rapper. When talking about his music, most people remember him for his single "Just a Friend," which came out in 1989 and became No. 100 on VH1's Greatest Hip-Hop Songs in 2008.

Sadly, Biz Markie passed away in 2021 at the age of 57. He was hospitalized at Baltimore Hospital, and the cause of death was due to a series of complications from Type 2 Diabetes. He had been hospitalized the previous summer, and a rep told TMZ, "He is receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals and we remain positive about the outcome."

Although he was transferred to a physical rehab facility, these same ailments are the ones that resulted in his death about a year later. This time around, his team sent out a statement via TMZ thanking fans for the support and the prayers. "Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years. He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter."

The COVID-19 pandemic took the life of many famous and non-famous people alike. Songwriter, composer, and producer Adam Schlesinger was one of them. The Fountains Of Wayne musician was 52 years old when he passed away in April 2020.

Schlesinger was survived by his parents, daughters, a sister, and his partner. It was his mother that honored him with a quote that showcased how his desire to be a musician had been present since he was a child, telling The New York Times, "Every time we drove past [an eye-catching lawn ornament shop], Adam would say, 'Fountains of Wayne. That would be a great band name.'"

Not long after his death, his girlfriend honored him through an Instagram post, sharing the last photo taken of them as they enjoyed a walk around Poet's Walk. She mentioned how scary it was to drop him off at the hospital, unable to go in with him. "We spent the night texting, making cute jokes, confident he'd be ok. He kept telling me how much he loved me and thanked me for "saving [his] life." The next morning he was intubated. I never got to hear his voice again."

Most people remember Mark Hollis for his extraordinary career as lead singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the band Talk Talk. The English musician was 64 years old when he died in 2019. His manager Keith Aspden confirmed his passing with NPR, saying it was due to  "a short illness from which he never recovered."

Hollis' talent and experience left a mark in the industry that was palpable as many musicians took to social media to honor his life. One of them was his bandmate Paul Webb, who wrote on Instagram: "I have not seen Mark for many years, but like many musicians of our generation I have been profoundly influenced by his trailblazing musical ideas. He knew how to create depth of feeling with sound and space like no other. He was one of the greats, if not the greatest."

Another great example was a tweet by Duran Duran in which the band honored Hollis for having been an innovator in the music industry and the songwriter of some of the most memorable songs such as "It's My Life" and "It's A Shame." Rick Savage, from Def Leppard, also took to Twitter and wrote: "It's with some sadness that I heard today of the passing of Mark Hollis. A great singer and true master of the well crafted yet soulful pop song."

Jim Post was an American folk singer and songwriter who was better known for being half of the Friend & Lover duo. He and his wife at the time, Cathy Post, are remembered for their hit song "Reach out of the Darkness" which hit the No. 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

Post died on September 16, 2022 at the age of 82. Another ex-wife, Janet Smith Post, explained to The New York Times that Post had been in hospice care and died of heart failure.

Bonnie Koloc, a folk singer, remembered Post as a character with a wide vocal range, telling The New York Times, "He was such an enthusiastic performer. We all loved him." His friend Bob Postel reminisced on the success of "Reach out of the Darkness." "Two months ago, he got a check for $6,000 ... He was always proud that he wrote it, and it surprised the hell out of him that it was a hit. That song paid for a lot of gas," Postel said in the same NYT article.

On May 1, 2013, at the age of 34, rapper Chris Kelly passed away in his home in Atlanta, Georgia. The Fulton County medical examiner determined the cause of death had been a combination of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ethanol, hydrocodone, and alprazolam. The police had previously stated that a friend of Kelly's told them she had brought him home to recover from a mix of heroin and cocaine.

Kelly's team released a statement saying, "To millions of fans worldwide, he was one half of the trendsetting, backward pants-wearing Kris Kross, who loved making music, but to us, he was just Chris — the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party. Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music."

Kelly was part of the rap duo known as Kris Kross, partnering with Chris Smith. The two made it into the industry in 1992 and were known for their gimmick of wearing their clothes backwards. "Jump," "Warm It Up," and "Tonite's tha Night" were some of their biggest hits.

It took over a decade for Mia Zapata's murderer to be brought to justice and found guilty of her death. In 1993, the lead singer of The Gits was found murdered on the street. The Deputy Coroner in charge of her autopsy was a fan of the band and was able to identify the body. 

Zapata's death brought an uproar to the streets with women protesting and demanding justice for what had happened. Inga Muscio seemed to be at the lead of the protest, taking matters into her own hands by writing a book on feminist theory, discussing how important it was to mention that Zapata had also been raped and why many rushed to make this fact disappear from the news.

Even though there was DNA evidence, the technology of the time wasn't developed enough to find a match. However, nine years later, with the evolution of resources given to crime investigators, they were able to find a match in CODIS. The DNA belonged to Jesus Mezquia, who in 2004 was convicted and sentenced to 37 years in prison. Mezquia died in prison in 2021, having served 17 years of his sentence.

At first glance, the marriage between Felix Pappalardi and Gail Collins seemed perfect. He was the bassist for Mountain, and the two of them collaborated, producing and writing lyrics for the band Cream. However, things took a turn for the worst in 1983 when Pappalardi was found dead. Leslie West, the guitarist and singer for Mountain, told Louder: "He and Gail were a great couple. She wrote songs with him, she did the artwork. But as time went on I realised there was more to it than met the eye."

Collins was sentenced to four years in prison due to criminal negligence after claiming the gunshot wound to the neck had been accidental. Even though the jurors came to an unanimous verdict, the judge recalled, "She called her attorney instead of calling for help — she was concerned with her own well-being." Prior to this, Collins had been jealous of some of Pappalardi's lovers as the two of them led an open marriage. The 911 transcript call Collins placed on August 17, 1983, shows she said she had killed her husband without meaning to. When the operator asked how she had done it, Collins said, "Anger ... but, ah, not intentional, never, never, never."

Collins only served two years of her sentence and died in 2013.

In 1994, Kristen Pfaff was found dead in her bathtub in Seattle by a friend. Pfaff was known for being the bassist for the Courtney Love-led rock band Hole. Reports stated that even though there had been syringes and drug paraphernalia found at the scene, the corner couldn't determine a cause of death. The band released a statement in which they remembered Pfaff and said, "We are deeply anguished over the loss of an extremely talented musician, beautiful soul and a great friend" (via the Los Angeles Times).

A few weeks later, it was established that the cause of death was an overdose. Not surprisingly, with Pfaff's death following Kurt Cobain's death just a couple of months afterward, the internet buzzed with yet another conspiracy theory about the two tragedies being related. Pfaff's mother told The Buffalo News, "After Kurt committed suicide, Kristen and I talked every day by phone. I asked her please to come back home, to get out of Seattle." Pfaff's mother added, "In this brief time in her life, for the first time, Kristen had a fling with drugs. I think it was peer pressure. I think it was part of a music scene in Seattle where drug use is glamorized and emphasized."

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).

Dave Alexander joined Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, and Ron Asheton in 1967 as they became the Stooges. Alexander played the bass and was part of the band for their first album "The Stooges," and their second album "Fun House." However, he was kicked off the band after missing rehearsals and being inebriated at a gig which prevented him from playing. His drinking led to complications with his pancreas, and in 1975 he passed away at the age of 27 because of an inflamed pancreas. It was also revealed that he suffered from pulmonary edema after being admitted to the hospital.

Even though things weren't perfect with his bandmates when he left the Stooges, his former bandmates recognize his part in composing songs such as "We Will Fall," "Little Doll," "Dirt," and "1970." Unfortunately, his death at such a young age made him part of the 27 Club, joining the likes of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse.

Layne Staley was the lead singer for Alice in Chains, and like many musicians, dealt with drug addiction. At one point in his career, he told Rolling Stone, "Drugs worked for me for years, and now they're turning against me, now I'm walking through hell, and this sucks. I didn't want my fans to think that heroin was cool. But then I've had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me they're high. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen."

The band stopped touring after releasing their third album due to infighting and Staley's addiction issues. In 1994, the musician joined a few others in the grunge scene to form Mad Season, which recorded an album, "Above." But he rejoined Alice in Chains for a fourth album, and afterward, they stopped touring altogether.

In 2002, after his accountants realized no movements had happened for two weeks on his bank accounts, his body was found at home. The cause of death was determined as an overdose, a mixture of heroin and cocaine.

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).