What music artists death affected you the most ? I’ll start ..
Posted by FreedomExpress747@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1169 comments
Prince was a big one for me but the one, but the one I can’t really explain was Amy Winehouse !
Maybe coz my dad listened to the classic blues singers like Billie Holiday etc or maybe just the realisation of the waste of so much talent !
How about you all ?
Ihaveaboot@reddit
I didn't realize how much I appreciated Tom Petty until his passing.
Simple, tasteful, and iconic song writer with no frills attached.
TurboJorts@reddit
Tom Pettys back catalog is something else. Man... his big hits are all so well deserved but when you go a bit deeper... wow.
John Denver is the only person I can compare to that
Zombiiesque@reddit
Hate hate hate that I never got to see him live. Big regret I live with. I was heartbroken when he died, and I still am.
jimbopalooza@reddit
I have so much regret for never seeing him in concert. Had so many chances and always put it off.
SidewaysTugboat@reddit
I saw him twice, and he was incredible live. He played his hits like they were brand new. The last time I saw him was at the ACL Festival. It was raining all day and they had to stop the show because of lightning. I sat there in the pouring rain and waited for 45 minutes for him to come back out because he had only played half his set and I knew damn well he wouldn’t leave without playing American Girl. At least half the crowd left, and a lady walked by at one point and told my day and I to leave because they were striking the stage. We told her we were good. Sure enough, he came back and finished the show. Tom Petty never finished a show without playing American Girl as an encore. Those of us who stayed were rewarded with a soggy treat.
I cried twice the night he died. First, when we got the erroneous news that he died, then when it was confirmed. I listened to all of Wildflowers and bawled. Tom Petty’s music was part of every stage of my life, from childhood through my early forties. It’s hard to lose a friend.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Whew. Absolutely sobbing because of that last paragraph, because I grieved him so hard. So much of his music was deeply a part of my life.
Normal-Belt3089@reddit
I never particularly cared for Tom Petty....until I saw him live. Magical.
DaisyMaeDogpatch@reddit
I hasn't really thought much about him, aside from liking a couple of his hits. But then I saw him with Dylan & the Dead when I was 16 in 1986, and he blew me away. I was an avowed fan after that and was devastated when he died. Fentanyl sucks, man. It took him and Prince.
wutwutsugabutt@reddit
I saw him at Jones Beach back in what must have been ‘99, that was a real era for me. My parents were so strict, I got permission to do to a house party weekend with my friend on Long Island then mentioned the concert and my mother almost didn’t let me go at all, fought tooth and nail to be able to go. I graduated college in ‘99 - the parental unit was just insane. The only show I’ve ever seen at Jones Beach and I’ll never forget it.
Fluffy_Tap_935@reddit
Same!!!!!!!! :(
RedCelt251@reddit
My wife has the same regret. We had tickets and she had a work trip make it so she couldn’t go to the show. My son and I got to see Tom Petty. She never did.
letshopethis1works@reddit
Tom Petty was my first-ever concert. I was 14 and have been to so many live music shows since. Tom Petty is always playing in the back ground when I think back on my junior high school days.
IdaDuck@reddit
I saw him live once and he put on a great show. Just a solid reel of hits and very engaged.
FluffyPuffkin@reddit
I was going to see him in Seattle. I had tickets but I wasn't feel I ng well. I figured I would just see him next time....
There would never be a next time
Backyardt0rnados@reddit
Me too, lots of chances, but something else won out every time.
2Dogs3Tents@reddit
I had the opportunity to see Tom and The Heartbreakers at Irving Plaza in NYC on the 4th night of their warm up shows for a world Tour. I think it was April of 1999. It was a top 3 show. The band was so tight. Every song was perfection.
mizzannthrope05@reddit
I came here to say this. Damn the Torpedoes defined my 13th summer. It's just the normal noises in here.
neverinamillionyr@reddit
He was one of my bucket list concerts. I enjoyed his music as a teen but I was a metalhead so I didn’t go to any concerts. Now that I’m older I appreciate his music even more and I’m really sad that I never got to see a show.
Invisibella74@reddit
This was a biggie for me, too! Such a loss of a great talent.
GrumpyMonk3742@reddit
Like Prince and Bowie were both iconic and I totally understood my reaction to both. The rumors about Bowie's impending demise had been circulating for a while. But Tom Petty, my emotional reaction to his death was totally unexpected. It was like the music equivalent to Harold Ramis...I didn't realize I'd be sad until I was.
fake-august@reddit
Same.
Also, David Bowie.
I was such an INXS fan in middle and high school - Michael Hutchence made me sad.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Michael death just plain sad 😞
Cool-Mortgage6495@reddit
I saw him at The Woodlands, Texas shortly before he passed. I had been a fan for years but had never seen him before. I was crushed when I heard the news.
gatorgopher@reddit
This is mine. I cried like I'd lost a close family member. You know how certain periods of your life are set to different music? Maybe just me. But my soundtrack from 1980 to about 1998 was mostly Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
lazysunday2069@reddit
I cried too. I never identified them as my favorite band but they were always there from middle school through my early adulthood, making great, relatable music and it really hit me when he passed. For about a year afterwards I teared up whenever I heard one of his songs.
huron9000@reddit
I was lucky to see him once from great seats at the Garden in Boston. Petty was smiling ear-to ear the entire time. He radiated good vibes. The Heartbreakers were tight & sounded amazing. Still one of the best shows I’ve been to in my life.
gatorgopher@reddit
They were amazing live! I saw them September 1989 at the Hampton Coliseum, VA. I was told I was glowing for days after. Damn near a religious experience.
Bird_Watcher1234@reddit
I choose Tom Petty too. I have liked his music for a very long time. My husband and I were fortunate to get to see him live in concert not long before he died. I’m so glad we did.
chickamonga@reddit
Same for me. And not just his own music. I started listening to his Buried Treasure show on Sirius XM, and he played some amazing music on there. Really old blues and jazz and early rock from his own collection. He was still doing it when he died, and there were three shows completed that had an aired yet. He was a great DJ. I was able to find and download almost the entire show, 10 or 11 "seasons" I think? I still listen to it a lot.
Phinster1965@reddit
Tom Petty Radio has a preset on my XM radio. This morning I was thinking about what a huge music fan he must have been. He talked about listening to so many genres, and his band still always has stories about listening to music or talking music with Tom. I guess you don't become "The world's greatest cover band" by accident. He also sounds like a cool guy - funny too. RIP Tom.
diamondgreene@reddit
Oh me too. I was like OMG I NEVER GOT TO SEE HIM. But I never once thought about actually going…. If I had my life to live over, I’d go to all those outrageously overpriced $25 concert I skipped because $$$$. Lolz.
SardonicusR@reddit
I loved the Bloom County memorial to him.
https://iloveclassicrock.com/this-comic-strips-brilliant-tribute-to-tom-petty-will-make-you-smile-through-the-pain/
slr0031@reddit
I also choose Tom
NeedleworkerCivil534@reddit
Omg same😭 I will forever kick myself that I didn’t make it a priority to see him in concert. He is one of my all-time favorites.
Apoptosis-Games@reddit
Was just reminiscing him while "Mary Jane's Last Dance" played this morning
PleasantStatement327@reddit
Same. I was so shocked! And when the news of his death came out it wasn’t confirmed. So I had a little hope that he would pull through. Then the next day it was confirmed. It was an emotional roller coaster. Does anyone else recall how this news was rolled out?
Haunting_Bottle7493@reddit
Yeah-they said he was dead. Then no it was a heart attack. Then later he died. It was horrible.
Haunting_Bottle7493@reddit
Totally mine. My brother died in May. I was OK. Tom died same year-cried for days.
Euphoric_League8971@reddit
This indeed. I miss his work.
tequilasundae@reddit
He had the misfortune of dying during the Las Vegas massacre
NotSureNotRobot@reddit
I was about to look it up because I remembered those two things together and was sure that things were getting timey-wimey
Baumer1975@reddit
Yeah, this made it harder for me to grieve him because it felt so trivial by comparison.
Icy-Dependent6908@reddit
I still miss Tom. His album Wildflowers helped me through my parent’s deaths. I miss him everyday.
GArockcrawler@reddit
Same. I learned that day that his music was an integral part of my life’s soundtrack from high school, through college, and into my early married years.
kdbpfr@reddit
Best concert I ever saw was Tom Petty at the Fillmore in San Francisco. About 2000 people. If you are ever in Austin and can see the Damn Torpedos cover band, it will soothe your ache for a bit…
Divtos@reddit
I dunno. I can’t help thinking he went out the way he wanted to. Retired as planned.
Adorableviolet@reddit
I saw him in Boston a few weeks before he passed. He was great which was why I was shocked.
Primary-Cattle-636@reddit
Petty was a great show too. Had hoped to see him live again :(. Awesome memories though!
GrumpyHomotherium@reddit
Same.
deadbeef4@reddit
I’d just taken our then 13 year old song to see him that July. His sudden passing hit me like a ton of bricks
Comedywriter1@reddit
Edward Van Halen for sure.
AllMyChannels0n@reddit
Recommend Alex’s book “Brothers” about him and Ed. I listened to the audiobook and it was like listening to an old guy on a barstool reminiscing.
Comedywriter1@reddit
Thanks. I’ve got it. Hopefully will read it in the next week or so. (I’ve heard it’s a quick read.)
Strong_Comedian_3578@reddit
I was not affected initially, but it wasn't until a couple of days after his passing when I saw a stage interview he did in front of a college student audience (?) that I realized how much he did actually mean to so many people, and I just lost it.
Comedywriter1@reddit
Was that the one where they asked him what musician would you like play with (living or dead)? And Ed was very thoughtful and said “I’d love to jam with my father again.” 😢
Strong_Comedian_3578@reddit
Probably
Kimura-Sensei@reddit
This is the one. I’m such a big fan I had old friends calling me to let me know.
InstantlyTremendous@reddit
Still can't believe he's gone
AllMyChannels0n@reddit
George Michael for sure. I regret not seeing him in concert, same with Freddie and EVH.
MicheleNP@reddit
Chester Bennington... I don't think I'll ever be over that one.
Ravenloff@reddit
Niel Peart, no question.
Ok-Satisfaction3857@reddit
This one was the hardest for me. Lost my favorite drummer, lyricist, and author all at once and with that came the end of my favorite band.
Ravenloff@reddit
Yep. And because all of my lifelong friends knew I was a lifelong Rush fan, it was the only celebrity death that I can remember where my friends reached out to me to gently see if I knew and got I was taking it.
Niel would approve :)
onexyonexx@reddit
George Michael. I still feel this one.
amnichols@reddit
Joe Strummer from The Clash and Carrie Fisher. She was MY Disney princess.
FlopShanoobie@reddit
Edward Van Halen.
TabsAZ@reddit
This is down way too far. I still can’t believe he’s gone.
FlopShanoobie@reddit
When I was still a teenager I can remember thinking, "Someday, Eddie Van Halen is going to die..." I distinctly remember believing he was just as immortal as I am (at that time).
The day he died, I took my old guitar out of the closet for the first time in decades. Today I played Panama start to finish for the first time.
TabsAZ@reddit
That’s awesome. He actually died on my birthday, which just felt insane to me. Massive fan and he’s the reason I started playing guitar as a kid and have spent countless hours chasing his tone and learning his songs.
FlopShanoobie@reddit
Have you read Al’s book? It’s great. Unvarnished and bare bones. He’s a lot more intelligent than the dude in the loin cloth (Pretty Woman video) would’ve led you to believe.
AllMyChannels0n@reddit
Agreed! I listened to him narrate it!
Sweetydarling77@reddit
Kurt Cobain. I remember hearing about it on the radio and was in shock.
I think his was probably the first celebrity death that registered with me personally as a teen.
equal_poop@reddit
I was going to say him as well. Nevermind came out in 1991 and I was 19. Really got me into grunge. His passing was hard on me, wrecked my 20s. I just couldn't believe it. Goes to show depression is a monster that can take even the rich and talented.
heffel77@reddit
I saw an unknown Nirvana a month before Nevermind dropped and they didn’t really make an impression on me. I came to love them but I didn’t really know who they were when I saw them. I thought I was seeing my friends’ band. They got pushed out for Nirvana.
crucial_geek@reddit
Yeah, saw them pre Nevermind as well. Maybe 50 people in the audience, including other band members.
GhostWriter888@reddit
His death wrecked your 20s? Why?
Short_Advance_7843@reddit
(the wife did it)
Kurt & Courtney is a 1998 British documentary film by Nick Broomfield investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain, and allegations of Courtney Love's involvement in it.
MaleficentMousse7473@reddit
It was such a messy choice of methods too
agentmkultra666@reddit
I wasn’t quite a teen yet (i’m older millenial) but Kurt’s death hit me so hard. My friends and I used to write “KDC 67-94” with sad hearts and stuff all over our folders and I even wrote it on the bottom of my Docs.
Seattle_Lucky@reddit
Surprised how far I had to scroll for this one. Most shocking celebrity death of my lifetime.
jennibear310@reddit
I was more shocked by Kurt’s death, but so saddened by Layne’s death eight years later on the same day (April 5), finding out he had been gone for two weeks before they found his remains. 😔
Most-Confusion-417@reddit
This one still hurts. Layne 🥺❤️
Florianemory@reddit
Yeah. This one hit hard. I was a huge Alice In Chains fan at the time and it was just so sad.
KatSull1@reddit
Me too. I was wondering when his name would come up. It was hard, it hit a lot of us hard. We all still were in our younger years, as was Kobain. His music defined a generation. He was on this planet too briefly.
TheDoorViking@reddit
Yep. I remember where I was when I heard it on the radio.
RupeThereItIs@reddit
This is the only one that ever, really, effected me.
I was still young enough (15) that that I cared about celebrities, especially those in my favorite band.
Death continues to be a sad thing, but these famous people aren't a meaningful part of my life anymore, even if their music still is.
exp397@reddit
Yeah.. St. Cobain for me.
Also Yauch, Trugoy aka Dove from De La Soul, Phife from Tribe Called Quest.
Counter-Fleche@reddit
I still remember exactly where I was when I heard it announced over the radio. Kurt's death was, by far, the most impactful for me.
A lot of posts mention musicians who died much older, which I am surprised by. Perhaps it feels more impactful because it was more recent? Or perhaps because we are getting older and thus the loss of musicians from our youth reminds us more of our own mortality?
WimpyZombie@reddit
What is it with being 27 years old? Is that like the absolute low point of a rock star's life?
Counter-Fleche@reddit
I think that's mostly due to it being a few years after the age in which young musicians first typically gain massive popularity. That sudden, massive lifestyle change can enable / exacerbate addiction and it catches up with them after a few years. Sure, it's probably a statistical anomaly that so many are 27, but I would expect these deaths to peak around that age.
mrhemisphere@reddit
I was going to a Smashing Pumpkins concert when the news broke. Corgan was openly hostile to the crowd and they played like shit. It was bad vibes galore.
Unable_Sweet_3062@reddit
I was in middle school when he passed and my parents weren’t real pleased with my music choices… but damn was my dad super concerned when he saw his death announced in the newspaper knowing I probably didn’t know yet and he opted to tell me. My dad has never been super big about being kind about feelings and this stuck with me because he was so super kind about it, checked on me regularly for quite a while and made it clear that I had to do absolutely nothing (no school, no chores, nothing) if I needed time to process. Oddly, Kurt cobains death is why my dad started to listen to music/bands I was listening to, though he never has been able to listen to nirvana on his own (and I don’t dare ask him why)
SidewaysTugboat@reddit
I saw Nirvana’s first performance on SNL and thought they were weird, but the next week I couldn’t get Smells Like Teen Spirit out of my head. I ended up becoming a huge fan, and they defined high school for me. Kurt died my sophomore year, and it was devastating. I had some experience with suicide, and it felt so personal. His angst fit our generation perfectly. It was like a note of doom.
AccomplishedIgit@reddit
Same, I remember where I was and everything. Kurt Loder was breaking the news on MTV.
Prestigious_Stay7162@reddit
I was in college at the time and people were sitting in the dorm room hallways sobbing and holding each other. It was such a blow.
SandyBullockSux@reddit
I remember Tabitha Soren coming on MTV and telling us.
And the footage of Courtney reading the “suicide note”, at his funeral.
Woof.
Terrorcuda17@reddit
I was at Steve's guitar store in Toronto when I heard the news.
mocha_addict_@reddit
Kurt for me, too. 🥺
EvolutionaryLens@reddit
Same
billyhank@reddit
Strummer. That hole in the world will never be filled.
PreferenceNo7524@reddit
Adam Yauch. He's one of the main reasons I got into Buddhism and meditation, which ultimately was a lifesaver for me. I feel like one minute I heard the cancer was easily treatable, and he'd be fine, and the next he was dead. When I read the Rolling Stone article about monks chanting him through the bardo for 49 days, I cried.
crucial_geek@reddit
Definitely. He turned his life around for the positive and then ....
hemppy420@reddit
Yauch is mine as well.
"Too sweet to be sour, too nice to be mean. On the tough guys tip, I'm not too keen. To try to change the world, I'll plot and scheme"
OutrageousPersimmon3@reddit
I was on the way out to meet some friends and had to cry and catch my breath and redo the makeup. We all ended up at the bar drinking to him like an old friend, because that’s how it felt.
Helpful_Librarian_87@reddit
‘I wanna say a little something that long overdue The disrespect to women has got to be through. To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends I want to offer my love and respect to the end’
BlueAndMoreBlue@reddit
That is a very good line
bubblesnap@reddit
There are so many! My brain goes to Prince and Bowie first, then it always settles on Adam Yauch. The Beasties have been such a huge part of my life for so long. I was a little kid when I bought their (bootlegged) tape from the flea market and listened to it over and over on the little tape deck, not understanding any of the lyrics.
MurderedRemains@reddit
RIP MCA
davster99@reddit
Four and three and two and one
Helpful_Librarian_87@reddit
What up?
MurderedRemains@reddit
When I'm on the mic, the suckas run.
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
Yep I cried
spabettie@reddit
this is mine as well. RIP MCA. I miss the beastie boys.
SandyBullockSux@reddit
I was lucky enough to be at the final Beastie Boys show (Bonnaroo 2009). They brought NAS out. It was an amazing show.
I wish I had known is was my one and only time seeing them
Helpful_Librarian_87@reddit
Same. I’ve only cried over 2 celeb deaths - Adam Yauch and Marco Pantani.
BahBahSMT@reddit
Scott Hutchison - Frightened Rabbit. One of my all time favorite bands. He wrote songs about his depression/anxiety and future “potential” suicide. Then he ended it exactly how he said he would in the song “Floating on the Forth”. They are a Scottish band. I’m Scottish. He was a beautiful soul with an amazing voice and the lyrics in every song resonated with me so much having grown up there. And I never got the chance to see them live. I live in the US. I’m still sad that he is gone.
Mr_Stimmers@reddit
Same for me too. Frightened Rabbit got me through some dark times after I moved to the US in 2006, mostly after their second album released (Midnight Organ Fight).
I was fortunate enough to get to see them in San Francisco a couple of times, they were amazing. The Twilight Sad supported at one of them and it’s one of my favorite gigs ever.
Anecdotally, the first time I ever heard Frightened Rabbit was a pre-release promo copy of their first album (Sings the Greys). My boss at the time was married to Scott and Grant’s cousin, and she worked in the entertainment/events industry. She gave me her car when I passed my test and I’ve always wondered whether Scott and Grant had ever been in the car.
fartfilledLLV@reddit
Nature G (Ganganbaigal) from Tengger Cavalry. He was such a sweet young man that took his time out every show to talk with people and get to know them. We never missed a show when he came into town and my son‘s just loved his music as did I. It was a tragedy that his demons overcame him and his first recording company screwed him because he was so Talented and put out so many albums during his short time on earth.
Expat111@reddit
Prince. It was so unexpected and that once in a century talent was gone too soon.
Spiritual_Victory541@reddit
We were so lucky to have Prince.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Still the best show I've ever seen. Hands down. A whole caravan of us hopped in to 3 cars and drove 3 hours from Raleigh to Charlotte. He was playing by himself. Literally nobody sat down from the very first notes. He played for 3 hours straight, and the energy! He was an incredible artist. 💜
Efficient-Career-829@reddit
This. Prince. I was devastated. And I’d never seen him perform live so it’ll be my one death bed regret.
Tim-no@reddit
Apparently Eric Clapton was once asked what it felt like to be the greatest guitarist of all time and his response was something like, I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Prince.
quiet_contrarian@reddit
yes, rest in peace.
heffel77@reddit
I wasn’t the biggest Prince fan but one of the first 78’s I played on my Fisher-Price record player was Purple Rain. It came in a paisley sleeve
carrndriver@reddit
I had the purple 45 of Purple Rain:)
Jasong222@reddit
A joke I always used to like saying: The artist once again known as Prince
username11585@reddit
I wish he and Kendrick had stopped talking and started recording in the studio. That shit woulda been amazing.
2Dogs3Tents@reddit
My first major concert was Prince on the Purple Rain tour March 1985. Still probably the best show i've ever seen.
amelie_789@reddit
I saw him on that tour too and agree. Best show I’ve experienced.
solsticesunrise@reddit
Such an incredible talent, gone too soon. 2016 took both Prince and Bowie. Still gutted.
CASUALxCHICKEN@reddit
I was able to catch him 3 times later on. I was just a kid in the 80s, but I would've loved to see that tour! Last time I saw him, I was right at the stage and did the Housequake with him when he played it. Amazing
NoChipmunk8780@reddit
Have you ever had a chance to visit Paisley Park in Minnesota? It's not exactly cheap, but you definitely get your money's worth out of the tour. My wife and I went there in October 2023, and they had this display of all his various show shoes (the man had TINY feet!) in this 3d printed clear plastic baby grand piano. Standing in that place, you get just a sense of awe and wonderment, realizing what an amazing talent he truly was!
Sleeplessmi@reddit
I saw Purple Rain in the theaters with my best friend. She developed brain cancer and went there while she was in remission. She died a year later. I can’t think of Prince without thinking of her.
supernovaj@reddit
He's my favorite artist of all time. I was devastated.
Embarrassed-Paper588@reddit
I was messed UP. I couldn’t listen to him for a good two years after. I can now, but there are still some songs that if they come on the radio I have to leave.
New-Geezer@reddit
I’m even more sad about his passing since it came out that Diddy had him murdered. I hope that guy gets life.
Unlikely-Draft@reddit
That was a false claim. Nothing like that was played at the trial, he is a horrible monster of a human but he didn't murder Prince.
TrumpTheAntichrist@reddit
Uhhh what?
str8outtaconklin@reddit
Yeah I’d have to agree. The other big ones I can think of were either not unexpected or not shocking. Prince’s immense talent and his impact on a generation coupled with the complete shock of his death, it was a tough one to take.
kittymcsquirts@reddit
Same. I miss him all the time
empress_jae@reddit
Same.
jax_988@reddit
This
ShadowsPrincess53@reddit
Michael Jackson hands down. I had seen him in “The Wiz” as a kid, saw him perform on the Victory tour, an was saving up to see him on his “This Is It” tour.
agentmkultra666@reddit
I still remember where I was when I found out. I had just hitchhiked into Oakland and was walking down the street when my friend texted me the news.
greyleef@reddit
My first thought was MJ. His talent was immeasurable. He had a tragic life. Lots of speculation over his death.
christianjagga@reddit
THIS is the right answer. Why on earth is it so far down? Bowie is a strong second place for me though.
Zehava2022@reddit
I was in LA and remember my husband at the time telling me to pull over, so he could tell me the news. I parked in a grocery store parking lot, and I was WEEPING. Getting out of the car, everyone was playing his music. I held hands with a complete stranger, and we were consoling each other. It was that heavy.
ninde_inglorion@reddit
I cannot for the life of me cannot believe I had to scroll this far to see Michael Jackson. He and Prince were both musical geniuses. His songs ran the gamut of life, I will never not miss him. 😭
Boring_Kiwi_6446@reddit
Michael Hutchence hit me. He seemed to have a fine life and he tickled my pink bits. I worked in two establishments just doors away from the hotel he was at in Sydney so was reminded of it a number of times a day.
Subject-Drop-5142@reddit
My apartment overlooked the entrance to the Double Bay hotel. My roommate and I watched from our window all the first responders out front whilst it all played out live on the TV news at the same time. We saw them roll the body in the bag out on the stretcher and into the ambulance. I'll never forget it!
Thatstealthygal@reddit
Probably Sinead O'Connor. Her life always seemed like a slo mo struggling slide towards an early demise, so when she actually died it felt both inevitable and so unfair.
AMTL327@reddit
Finally! Had to scroll down too far to find her. She is literally the only musician who I really felt it when she died. The rest were all drugs or just old. And let me take this moment to remind the world, SINEAD WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
RIP Sinead.
agentmkultra666@reddit
For real! She was saying all the important things and was shunned for it. And she was damn right about every single thing. Way ahead of her time
Nitzelplick@reddit
I really felt her death like an absence. Like she held a place no one else did. I don’t want to live in a world without her voice, but luckily she left some of it behind.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
🙏🏼
Sure_Warning4392@reddit
Bonn Scott
Ok-Rock2345@reddit
Dolores O'Riordan, she had such an angelic voice.
Joey Ramone too. I remember telling my ex he died and she goes. "Oh, did he OD?" With a smirk on her face. I go, "No, cancer..." she shut the fuck right up.
agentmkultra666@reddit
The Cranberries was my first cd I ever got. I was shocked when Dolores died
jburton24@reddit
I cried the day Joey Ramone died.
ZooterOne@reddit
I did too. Hearing that news felt like a punch to the face.
orsonsperson@reddit
Agreed. Then Joe Strummer not long after. Lux Interior. Dave Brockie. MCA. If I last longer than Jello Biafra don't even tell me about it.
chrispd01@reddit
There were some jokes about how the reunion tour was ready to kick off when Tommy died. Some thought it was in bad taste but I always thought they might have laughed at it …
Apart_Culture_3564@reddit
Bowie and Leonard Cohen.
Subject-Drop-5142@reddit
Christine McVie
AardvarkGal@reddit
Bowie's passing hit me the hardest. But Sinéad, Michael Hutchence, Shane McGowan, and Chester Bennington are still raw as well. I'm a Monkees fan too, so I'm in this depressing limbo waiting for Mickey Dolenz to leave us.
titaniac79@reddit
Selena. Because it was so cold and senseless. There is no reason Selena should be deceased. None!
Del_Duio2@reddit
Neil Peart
Junkman3@reddit
Robin Williams Chris Farley John Candy Prince Stevie Ray Vaughn
I'm getting older, so my heroes are dying on the regular.
Hoon0967@reddit
Shannon Hoon. When Elvis died I was just a little boy and I cried my eyes out. When Shannon died I was 28 years old and it shook me. Still carry a very somber memory of his death and Blind Melon is still my favorite band. I was born the same year as Shannon and my youngest son shares his birth date.
Most-Confusion-417@reddit
John Lennon was murdered when I was 9. My mom was sobbing in the living room. I was sobbing in my bedroom. Just had tears well up right now. Dimebag hurt a lot and was murdered on the anniversary of Lennon's death. Prince crushed me.
justjessica79@reddit
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. I live in Buffalo,NY and we have so many ties to Canada because of its proximity. I had seen them many times. The moment I found out he was dying my heart started breaking. Their final concert was broadcast in multiple areas around town. The one we went to was outdoors with giant screens scattered around. So many people were crying. I still can't listen to certain songs without crying.
whereisthequicksand@reddit
I watched that final show from Oregon. He was such class.
Quiet-Lobster-6051@reddit
Bradley Nowell. Loved me some Sublime. I’m a late X, born in 1976.
ParsleyMostly@reddit
Same with Amy. She had been self destructing for years and everyone around her seemed to capitalize from it. Squeezed every penny out of her that they could. It’s like people wanted her to flame out by 27, they wanted to add her to the list of talented freaks gone too soon.
And yeah, my dad listened to the old stuff, too, and made us listen along. Amy felt like a cool renaissance.
Routine_Breath_7137@reddit
Taylor Hawkins. His passing felt like the beginning of the end for FF and end of a band that I held close since the beginning. It made me realize my own mortality is closer than I'd like. Watching his son play drums as tribute hit hard to having a son the same age.
Competitive_Damage23@reddit
David Bowie
ThumbsUp2323@reddit
Chris Cornell. He outlived all the other grunge pioneers and pushed forward into newer innovative projects. I thought he was the one guy from the scene who escaped the industry grindhouse.
His death came out of nowhere. Shocking, unexpected, and a foundational shift in the industry. What a fucking shit-show.
Sukenis@reddit
Cornell was who I was going to say as well. I thought he had escape the demons that got so many before him, but he did not. His death has become wrapped up with a childhood friend who I also thought escaped his demons but ultimately in-Alice’s himself as well. Their deaths made me realize that nobody truly heals from the scars of your youth and I should give more grace to those that “seem” to have it figured out. People never stop fighting their demons, so never stop helping them in the fight.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Beautifully said. And so, so true.
Weird-Ninja8827@reddit
Yes. This is mine. It smacked me harder than Kurt's, which surprised me.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Right?!
severedsoulmetal@reddit
Same here. Although not a musician, I will say Anthony Bourdain is right there too.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Agreed. And Robin Williams.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
This man’s voice was always amazing
tuttyeffinfruity@reddit
“Hunger Strike” was playing on one of the Sirius channels yesterday. I flipped from my car to my phone as I took the groceries in and just stood there, almost in tears. His voice will affect me for the rest of my life.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Completely agree. Crying just thinking about it.
Short_Advance_7843@reddit
I've loved that song always. My whole life I thought that was Eddie's vocals.
InWaves72@reddit
They trade off in the verses, and for the chorus, Eddie is the low, Chris is the high.
Short_Advance_7843@reddit
Thank you for explaining. I never played an instrument. I hear music as just one whole thing, not the parts.
tuttyeffinfruity@reddit
It IS! Mostly Eddie, but Chris is all the high notes. It’s perfection.
LookParty5244@reddit
That song always hits hard.
anderssewerin@reddit
I re-examined his lyrics after his death. Most of them are about depression and suicidal ideation in one way or another. That or about how meaningless life is (“the day I tried to live…”)
I honestly think he was just the kind of guy who woke up in the morning EVERY MORNING and asked himself “why WOULDN’T I kill myself today?” whereas the rest of us instead ask “why WOULD I kill myself today?” if we even think about it at all.
Swimming_Tennis6641@reddit
Yeah the first time I heard Pretty Noose afterwards it was like a gut punch. Burden in My Hand as well.
Zombiiesque@reddit
Both of those, yes.
DR34MGL455@reddit
I woke the same… As any other day, except A voice was in my head.
Ridere_et_nutu@reddit
The lives we make... Never seem to ever get us anywhere but dead.
No-Baker-4543@reddit
I came to the same conclusion...
Zombiiesque@reddit
I totally believed it too! I finally got to see him, with Soundgarden, and NIN the same night. First concert I went to with my husband and his daughter. I was absolutely devastated. Truth be told, I still am. He was always my favorite. Took me a while before I could listen to his music without absolutely losing my collective shit.
ahotpotatoo@reddit
My friend and I had been drinking the night before and went to his place and had a whole Chris Cornell jam sesh, showing each other our favorite Soundgarden, Audioslave, TotD songs.
Next day I woke up and the first thing my dad said to me was “Do you want me to tell you, or do you want to find out from the internet?”
What do you mean??
“Chris Cornell is dead”
otter_mayhem@reddit
He was mine as well. I was at work when I heard. The rest of my shift I listened to nothing but his music. Luckily I worked pretty much by myself so I could cry a little without it being noticeable.
Invisibella74@reddit
Somewhat related... Chester Bennington. CRUSHED me.
Equivalent-Dig-7204@reddit
Saw him perform shortly before his death. It was surreal. I took a picture of him at that show and now that’s not something I can look at.
Rowaan@reddit
His death made me cry like I've never cried over someone I did not know. It took me at least a year to listen to his music again.
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
Yeah that was tough. He always seem like the most grounded in the grunge era (Eddie was a little erratic in the 90’s having nervous breakdowns over fear of selling out…he eventually came around but hindsight looking back..he was gojng through it). When Chis killed himself, I think it floored a lot of people
BookMobil3@reddit
Immense talent and soul. And he knew the power of music to help deal with grief, as evidenced by his cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” when Prince died, and even moreso: when Jeff Buckley died, he helped produce all JB’s unreleased material
HolyShitidkwtf@reddit
I came here to say this. His vocals were amazing. Such a big part of my younger years.
Interesting-Pin7506@reddit
Came out of absolute no where is right. This one gutted me for sure
Hot_Molasses_4006@reddit
Seen chris a few times.This one hurt.Depression is fucking real.
Cool_Dark_Place@reddit
Amen! As someone who's battled it for most of their adult life, I know it all too well. To quote another Redditor, "Depression isn't a battle... it's a war. And the only way to win is to die of something else."
neddiddley@reddit
Yeah. I think of all the grunge guys, he was the most shocking. He survived the age where you’re not totally shocked by a rock star death and at least to me, he seemed healthy and in a good place with all the stuff he was doing. Maybe there was stuff out there that was known, but I wasn’t really scouring the depths of social media and the Internet at the time, so I wasn’t aware.
temerairevm@reddit
Same. Such a beautiful man with a beautiful voice. I’m just so sad there won’t be more music.
phlebonaut@reddit
My Mom died one week earlier to the day. I was on bereavement and woke up reading a headline about a Chris Cornell tribute. I thought cool an album is coming out. Nope. Shocked and very sad. Been following Chris since Soundgarden's Louder Than Love. He did leave an impressive catalog of albums. And that haunting line in Black Hole Sun...No One Sings like you anymore. RIP Chris.
RootHogOrDieTrying@reddit
Same for me. And news of his suicide hit when I was at a low point in my life, so it really got in my head.
EvolutionaryLens@reddit
✊
JelloButtWiggle@reddit
Prince.
And now to hear Diddy might have done it…fury.
Efficient-Spirit-380@reddit
Neil Peart and Gord Downie. 🇨🇦
whereisthequicksand@reddit
You got his name right, thank you 🖤
Which-Inspection735@reddit
Insane that no one has mentioned Mark Lanegan.
Ornery-Egg9770@reddit
I am truly not intending to be insensitive but….who is he??
whereisthequicksand@reddit
He collaborated with more artists than anyone I can think of. Chances are that he worked with some of your favorite musicians. He was the very roots of music in the PNW in the ‘90s, absolutely gifted.
Which-Inspection735@reddit
He was the lead singer of the screaming trees, was in queens of the Stone Age, gutter twins, and an incredible solo artist. He had one if the most distinct voices in the last 50 years. If you’re a joy division fan, he has some amazing covers on YouTube.
whereisthequicksand@reddit
Omg right?! I had to scroll way too far. I still have trouble with it.
Ridere_et_nutu@reddit
Oh, shit! I didn't know that he'd died 😩 I've loved so many of his bands. His vocals on Hanging Tree never fail to move me. RIP Mark.
Which-Inspection735@reddit
In the fade gets me every time
habu-sr71@reddit
Wow. I hadn't heard of his passing. Dollar Bill is one of my all time favorite songs. The Screaming Trees were so good and his solo stuff too. What a voice he had.
LoveTheBlueSky@reddit
Hit me hard for sure, I know he had so much more music in him. Inspired my first tattoo in memoriam, wish I had seen him more live when I had the chance.
Which-Inspection735@reddit
I saw him a few times with the trees back in the day, and saw him on his blues funeral tour. I wish I could have seen him more.
LoveTheBlueSky@reddit
I am a late-era fan (was into other music during the grunge days) but that is cool you saw the trees! I only saw him a few times with guest spots on Twilight Singers/solo Dulli stuff…wish I had seen a “real” show but timing never worked. Blues Funeral is one of my fav albums, bet it was amazing live.
Which-Inspection735@reddit
Also if you like joy division, check out his covers on YouTube.
Which-Inspection735@reddit
It was one of those shows that you don’t realize how important and amazing it is until later. Very fortunate to have been there. And yes, blues funeral is an amazing album. If you haven’t read his autobiography, you should. It amazes me that he lived as long as he did.
Fire_Trashley@reddit
Tiny Tim
christianjagga@reddit
Underrated
No_Salt5374@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Edward Van Halen
Disembodied_Head@reddit
Micheal Hutchence from INXS was one of the first to really hit me. I loved his voice and the band's music when I was growing up. I was driving down Lakeshore Drive in Chicago that night and listening to WXRT play INXS's new albumn in its entirety when the DJ announced that the band was probably coming to Chicago as part of their tour next summer. No dates had been announced yet, but I was really excited at the prospect of seeing them in concert as an adult.
So I pulled over and called a friend who was also a big fan of the band, and we agreed to get tickets when and if the time came. It turned out that she was sitting in her apartment listening to XRT play the new albumn, so I just sat in that parking lot listening to the new music, looking out on the Chicago downtown city skyline and talking with her during the commercials. Back then, you paid for cell phone service by the minute, but I didn't care what it cost. We were having this really cool shared experience, and I knew it would stay with me forever.
I woke up the next day with this warm afterglow of the whole thing. A band I loved had realeased a new albumn, my friend and I were going to see them in concert and I had this really cool shared experience. Cell phones weren't as common as they are now, and I had never had a shared experience at a distance before. Then I turned on the radio and heard Michael Hutchence had hung himself the night before in a hotel in Australia and the floor just dropped out from under me.
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a super fan who knew everything about the band and their collective lives, but the previous night's experience had just been so cool and unique for me. I felt like a real adult leading my own life and making plans for another cool experience when the freight train of absolute reality showed up and ran right over the whole thing.
I don't know if his death would have hit me as hard as it did without that night's experience, but either way, it did. Losing other famous musicians like Prince has also hit home, but not like this one did.
Happy_Cat_3600@reddit
Neil Peart from Rush hit me hard. Neil was a stellar drummer and a great lyricist. So much of their music resonated with my 70’s/80’s youth, and still resonates today.
HalFWit@reddit
"I turn my back to the wind
To catch my breath
Before I start off again
Driven on
Without a moment to spend
To pass an evening
With a drink and a friend I let my skin get too thin
I'd like to pause,
No matter what I pretend
Like some pilgrim
Who learns to transcend
Learns to live
As if each step was the end
Time stand still
I'm not looking back
But I want to look around me now
Time stands still
See more of the people
And the places that surround me now
Summer's going fast
Nights growing colder
Children growing up
Old friends growing older Freeze this moment
A little bit longer
Make each sensation
A little bit stronger Experience slips away
Experience slips away
The innocence slips away"
whereisthequicksand@reddit
One of their greatest, highly underrated
NocturnalPermission@reddit
Goddamn. Those lyrics hit SO MUCH HARDER than ever before. Right?
neverinamillionyr@reddit
I was going to say the same thing. I don’t understand the meaning when I first heard them, but I was a young man. Now that I’m much older those lyrics are crystal clear.
NocturnalPermission@reddit
Goddamn. Those lyrics hit SO MUCH HARDER than ever before. Right?
motorctyninja@reddit
One of my all time favorite songs.
Drums-n-rockets@reddit
Same here. I’m a drummer, and I started at a very young age. My dad was a huge music lover, and so I got exposed to guys like Carl Palmer, John Bonham, Ringo, Phil Collins, Bill Bruford, and Keith Moon right from the get go. A few years later, he copied Rush’s A Show of Hands VHS, and made sure I watched that as well. I was hooked!!
Neil and my Dad were the same age. I think my Dad was about three weeks older than Neil, actually. Ironically, they died about three weeks apart as well. My Dad died in December, 2019, and then word came out about Neil’s passing 3 weeks later. I was gutted!! Two of my cornerstones gone, right before the COVID shit hit the fan. I don’t know that I’ve recovered from that fully.
Invisibella74@reddit
Neil reminded me of my dad, too.
❤️
afarkas2222@reddit
I still cry from this loss. Like now for instance.
Invisibella74@reddit
I'm sitting in a truck stop in KY waiting for my van to charge crying like a bitch. I miss that man.
davster99@reddit
Have you or anyone here read his books? I started Ghost Rider but put it aside for some reason and haven’t gone back to it.
Invisibella74@reddit
I've read all of them, many times. When I need comfort, I reread his books.
fusionsofwonder@reddit
Yeah, I've read all his books. Which made his passing hit me even harder.
Happy_Cat_3600@reddit
I read it a long while ago. It was a good book and as I get older I connect with it more.
Invisibella74@reddit
This! I had never cried due to a celebrity dying, but I was bawling in the middle of a Firehouse Subs, which is where I was when I saw the news. I respected the hell out of that man.
motorctyninja@reddit
I saw Rush every time they played in Detroit. I’ll never forget his incredible drum solos, he was the drum God. His book “Ghost Rider” was really good, too.
dog-pussy@reddit
I saw them at least once every tour from Presto to R40, had been listening since Permanent Waves. Over the years his lyrics have found a way to resonate with me deeply through all phases of my life from grade school to being in my early 50s.
discussatron@reddit
RIP, Professor.
Expensive_Fennel_88@reddit
I'm with you. Neil was a huge influence on me, musically and intellectually. I cried like a lost a close family member when he passed.
vankirk@reddit
I knew it was coming though. There were some indicators. It softened the blow for me. They are my favorite band. Saw them in '11 on the Time Machine tour. So glad I got to see them play Witch Hunt.
Kvenya@reddit
His passing left a huge void in the music world. Rush has been with me most of my life.
Every time I hear a Rush song I feel his loss all over again.
waters_run_deep@reddit
Same. Neil’s death floored me. And yea, it still resonates today. Hit me harder than even some people I knew IRL who passed away.
jitterbugperfume99@reddit
That was a rough one.
-justkeepswimming-@reddit
Such a great dude.
mistertireworld@reddit
He's mine, too.
whereisthequicksand@reddit
Mark Lanegan.
Twentysix7@reddit
Chester Bennington
DiamondEyesFlamingo@reddit
Chester is mine too. His music hit even harder.
tvjunkie87@reddit
Chester was such an amazing talent, I am gutted that I never got to see him sing live in concert. I was planning on going to a show on that last tour, but it got cut tragically short 😢
Invisibella74@reddit
I saw them once. I wish it had been more! He was electric.
tvjunkie87@reddit
So jealous!
Spare-Set-8382@reddit
Agreed!
motorctyninja@reddit
Same. I cried the whole day while listening to my LP collection. I’m still crushed that I’ll never hear him perform live again, LP’s concerts were some of the best I’ve ever been to.
Horror-Final-Girl@reddit
I agree. LP's shows were so electric with Chester's incredible voice and presence on stage. At least we can take heart in the fact that we were lucky enough to see him alive. I still can't bring myself to listen to any of LP's new music. It just feels wrong.
Invisibella74@reddit
I will say, the new stuff is really good! Emily has a killer voice and can scream ALMOST as well as Chester. Almost. She's got her own energy, which is great. I would recommend the new stuff.
motorctyninja@reddit
I do feel lucky, very true. And I agree - can’t listen to their new stuff.
Horror-Final-Girl@reddit
I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. Everyone around me is like "Get over it, it's just music". They just don't get it. Their music helped me get through some really dark shit in my past.
Invisibella74@reddit
Chester.
Man.
It took me years to be able to listen to Linkin Park again without crying. I related to his lyrics SO much. ❤️
dystopika@reddit
Both Chester and Chris Cornell before him. People ending their own lives always hits me harder, since it’s something I’ve struggled with. And Chester is my age.
row462@reddit
That's the name I was looking for. I heard about it on my way to work and was devastated
MrBones2k@reddit
I didn’t know much of his music at the time, but definitely recall when Elvis died.
Ammortalz@reddit
Elliott Smith
bannedByTencent@reddit
Peter Steele
CheetahNo9349@reddit
This is the one that shook me the most because I had met him. I was in a TON cover band, the club we were playing would have cover bands playing the same night the real bands were playing nearby. To try and cash in on those who couldn't get to the real shows. If the owners knew the promoters of the real show, they would try and get the real band to make an appearance. We were closing our second set, and I saw this mountain of a man walk in. The "stage" was a maybe 6' riser, so as he comes in a little closer i realize that i'm making eye contact with Peter fucking Steele. Afterward we had a couple beers and talked for a bit. He was his self depreciating self. Told me "You almost suck as much as me."
No-Cod-9516@reddit
Hahaha love it. That was Pete. Wish I had been there to have a drink with him as well.
Saw them a dozen or so times over the years. Met Johnny several times.
fireflypoet@reddit
John Lennon. Never forget hearing of it over car radio, then his songs being played constantly for days.
spider1178@reddit
Sinead and Layne Staley.
RobotClean73@reddit
Layne Staley
spider1178@reddit
Surprised I had to scroll so far to find Layne. It's weird to miss someone you've never met, but I do.
Zehava2022@reddit
He had one of the best singers of all time. He doesn't get enough attention, but seeing professional singers react to him is somehow healing for me.
barredowl123@reddit
Layne’s passing shocked me in several ways. I knew he was an addict and am not talking about that. But the length of time it took to realize he was gone really affected me. He reminded me of my brother who is (now!) a recovered/recovering addict. They looked alike, too. His death still bothers me on such a deep level.
zighawk@reddit
Layne reminded be of my brother-in-law. We all wept when drugs finally took him but there was never any real doubt that it was coming.
silverbullet1972@reddit
Jeff Hanneman. Wrote some of the best thrash songs ever.
No-Cod-9516@reddit
Peter Steele of Type O Negative 🥺
Stefgrep66@reddit
Phil lynott is probably the one for me, probably because of his age (36) and mine (19). Couldn't quite get my head around how such a young guy could be gone
Different-Steak-27@reddit
I was genuinely sad when Chris Cornell died and still get sad on anniversaries
Brick_Eagleman@reddit
Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nQIyeMY_gg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_Brew
hippiestitcher@reddit
Bowie. Not over it, doubt I ever will be.
SandyBullockSux@reddit
The way he released Black Star right at his death was the final master stroke from one of the greatest ever. Miss Bowie so much but, even in death, dude was making art. You gotta respect it.
geminiloveca@reddit
And then to look up what a Black Star is....
New-Geezer@reddit
Bowie was my fist real concert. I skipped school to get tickets. It was the Serious Moonlight tour.
nyxblackroot@reddit
Glass Spider tour. I still have the t-shirt.
Magnolia05@reddit
Same! Except my mom took me. Black spider tour.
LuckyAd2714@reddit
It was glorious
Ordinary_Victory_261@reddit
Me too. Still have the t shirt too. Sydney 1983.
smylegirl71@reddit
Yep, it was Bowie for me too.I remember seeing his name in a headline early in the morning and assumed it had to do with his new album. Then I read it again, and my heart just stopped. I STILL haven't listened to Blackstar the whole way through.
Bollywood_Fan@reddit
I still haven't brought myself to listen to Blackstar either. The loss still feels fresh.
Cucumburrito@reddit
Same
LuckyAd2714@reddit
I can’t listen to it either
Roopie1023@reddit
I'm definitely not over it - but can you imagine how lucky we are to have been on this planet at the same time as that amazing, talented being? ❤️
hippiestitcher@reddit
Yes, and raised my kids to be mega fans as well.
TwyZilla@reddit
same
paperkitten75@reddit
Same here.
purpletwinkletoes@reddit
💯
LuckyAd2714@reddit
Same I am absolutely gutted.
Crazy_Banshee_333@reddit
Same here. The world lost some of its magic when he passed.
Riverbug69@reddit
Then the universe went to shit
Honest_Tutor1451@reddit
2016 was a terrible year.
davster99@reddit
It was around the same time as Harambe, wasn’t it?
Top_Marzipan_7466@reddit
Same!
redfyv@reddit
Absolutely Bowie. I was a huge fan from my teens and was so upset when he passed. I had wanted to see him live for years and finally had a chance when he came close on the Reality Tour. I’m so glad I decided to splurge on the tickets and was 10th row.
TheCyclographer@reddit
I’m still grieving that man. The world would be a far better place if more of us were like him.
sydwiggum@reddit
I came here to say Bowie as well.
I grew as his 80s music was fresh, then during the 90s I went back to his 70s work and utterly adore his complete catalog of music. I made the mistake of never seeing him live. I could have a few times. But I had this self-righteous mindset against seeing older rockers doing tours because I felt they couldn’t capture their original magic and it was just a revivalist nostalgic money grab. By the time I got over myself and learned to appreciate older artists, he was on my list to see and he suddenly passed.
Lesson: NEVER wait to see a great artist when you get the chance!!
IllogicalFoxParanoia@reddit
Ohhh... this one was a definite omg...
stillaredcirca1848@reddit
When I heard about his death I played Heros a couple times straight through and just sat listening. Still miss him.
WimpyZombie@reddit
I was never a big fan of Bowie, and I wasn't "upset", but yeah, when he died, it did stop me in my tracks for a minute.
Stitchin_Squido@reddit
Bowie hit me hard.
percybert@reddit
Me too. The last gig he played in Ireland was around 2003 and I just couldn’t afford to go as I’d just returned home from travelling. I regret not just going anyway
Ok_Andyl8183@reddit
Me either. That was a huge down point when he stopped living
Dedar7@reddit
Tom Petty
Euphoric-Use-6443@reddit
David Bowie! My youth! Rebel, rebel!
IntoTheSunWeGo@reddit
Freddie Mercury.
meninaiscrazy@reddit
One of the first big celebrity deaths that had said that they had HIV/AIDS and then passed away from it.
A good book and miniseries on the HIV/AIDS p@ndemic is And the Band Played On. I highly recommend the author Randy Shilts as well. He has two other books he published and they are very good too. Unfortunately he will never publish anymore. He passed away in 1994 from HIV/AIDS. 😞
toocrazyforthis@reddit
Agree with everything. Even thinking of And The Band Played On, I want to cry and watch it again.
toocrazyforthis@reddit
I wish this were higher up.
Far_Situation3472@reddit
Prince, Amy, Selena, Juan Gabriel, George Michael, Whitney, Bob Marley
armaedes@reddit
Scott Weiland. So tragic.
motherbatherick@reddit
Lemmy
SWNMAZporvida@reddit
Chris Cornell. Can’t accept it.
Tator-bugg@reddit
Jim Morrison
nyxblackroot@reddit
I can't say it affected me the most, but Rick Ocasek from The Cars was a bit of a busy blow. I was really sad, but then daw ) Paulina Poriskiva's posts on IG. They gutted me.
CreatrixAnima@reddit
Adam Schlesinger
Christine McVie
Tom Petty
Nanci Griffith
someonestoleananke23@reddit
George Harrison and David Bowie both came at difficult times and effected me a lot.
JoesCageKeys@reddit
George Harrison. I’m still not over it lol.
Ralph--Hinkley@reddit
Jerry Bear
1blueShoe@reddit
Into music of artists that were already dead like Hendrix, The Doors, but I remember when Kurt Cobain died, like, WHAT?? I was enjoying that dude!! 😢
Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit
John Prine hurt
RedCelt251@reddit
It definitely hit hard.
At least he’s able to smoke that cigarette that’s 9 miles long.
Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit
lotta love went out to rose on that day
Imaginary-Alphabet@reddit
John Prine did hurt. Then me singing along to Picture Show after learning he died and hearing then remembering Tom Petty sang backup, double stinger.
Suspicious_Victory_1@reddit
I met him once at the Dallas Airport. About 15 flights were on delay and he sat down across from me, next a mom and her two kids. He started telling them stories and I recognized him right away. Tried not be a nerd about but you can’t really help it.
We all spent the delay talking and joking it was a great time he was a very kind and funny guy.
I was genuinely sad when he passed during Covid. Hope he’s resting in peace.
Imaginary-Alphabet@reddit
So, real life Clay Pigeons, pretty much?
Mr_Tort_Feasor@reddit
That one did hurt, I'm glad he got a resurgence at the end. Dying at 73 as a lifetime committed heavy smoker is not all that unusual, especially during COVID.
Pickles_McBeef@reddit
I grew up listening to John Prince. His death was like the death of childhood and innocence for me. It was definitely a punch to the gut.
gogozrx@reddit
Prine is the only celebrity death that's made me cry
evility@reddit
Even after all this time, it's still hard.
BlueAndMoreBlue@reddit
No kidding, man. That was a tough one
allbsallthetime@reddit
All the artists from my youth are sad for me.
Freddie, Meatloaf, Tom Petty, Olivia Newton John, etc...
Recently Clem Burke passing was very sad because I really enjoyed his talent.
A really sad one was Eddie Money, he opened Pine Knob for 27 consecutive years, we were at a lot of those shows and we were at his last show.
It was tough watching knowing how sick he was but he still put on a helluva show. He was a great showman.
This song always takes me back.
I was listening to the radio, I heard a song reminded me of long ago
Back then, I thought that things were never gonna change, It used to be that I never had to feel the pain
I know that things will never be the same now
I wanna go back, And do it all over
But I can't go back, I know...
https://youtu.be/gt-zDlGcSpU?si=fs-b5XWyTtsdGa7L
neverinamillionyr@reddit
I didn’t even realize Eddie Money was gone. Such great music.
pantheroux@reddit
For me it was Amy Winehouse too. I liked a lot of her music, but didn’t know anything about her personal life or struggles with addiction. When she passed, I was doing locum work and being put up for the summer in a seedy motel. There were fires up north, so people had been evacuated from remote reserves and a lot were staying in my motel. It was sticky hot, so I had the door propped open and was just sitting there scrolling and listening to little reserve kids playing in the parking lot when I read the news. It was like a gut punch to learn she was in the 27 club (I had thought she was older). As an xennial, this was the first one in my own age group that really made me feel my own mortality.
Kurt Cobain hurt too. Nirvana broke just as I was transitioning from a little kid to an angsty tween. Their music found me at just the right time to appreciate it. I was looking forward to see what direction their music would take.
George Michael and Michael Jackson were both hard as I listened to them with my mom when I was a little kid, and danced around to their songs. It felt like a part of my childhood died with them.
Delores O’Riorden was hard because I loved the Cranberries and it seemed so sudden and tragic. We spent a day listening to The Cranberries at work in her honour.
But Amy Winehouse was the first that somehow felt personal.
rhionaeschna@reddit
Leonard Cohen. He's always been a favourite. David Bowie. It took a long time to be able to listen to Blackstar after he passed.
Goliardojojo@reddit
George Michael.
Puzzled_Tomatillo528@reddit
Still gutted
Klonopina_Colada@reddit
I saw him in concert in the early 90's and he was amazing. Such a tragedy.
discospageddyoh@reddit
George Michael's death totally gutted me. I learned of it from the radio as I pulled into my driveway. Just sat there alone and cried for 10 straight mins before walking into the house, and then when I shared the news with my family, I just got a "meh", which made me spiral more. I'm still sad a talent and human like him is gone.
BookMobil3@reddit
“…maybe we should be praying for time” 😓
LuckyAd2714@reddit
Yes. I wanted to see him in Vegas and like a fool put it off. Never again. I go see everyone in concert now.
estheredna@reddit
I never really appreciated George Michsel until Keanu (the Key and Peele movie about a kitten). Anyone who hasn't seen it, try it.
totallyjaded@reddit
By far. He was incredibly talented, and I think he was too easily dismissed for having big pop songs. And his passing was so out of the blue.
Also, as much as I adored Paul Reubens asking the audience "Heard any good jokes, lately?" after his arrest, nothing will top George Michael's response after his arrest.
meninaiscrazy@reddit
Such an iconic mv.
LookParty5244@reddit
Oh my GOD that video was amazing!
Hell8Church@reddit
George Michael turned that arrest into an iconic response!
PreferenceNo7524@reddit
And wasn't it around Christmas?!
Direct-Date-8170@reddit
Yes, it was 25th of December.
davster99@reddit
The ultimate Whamageddon loss
theoneIfed@reddit
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...
vankirk@reddit
And by natural causes. Such a loss.
vedderamy1230@reddit
Tom Petty. He had music to make yet and was a huge part of my childhood. I was lucky enough to see him several times, including his last tour.
Puzzled_Tomatillo528@reddit
Still gutted about George Michael
Bromodrosis@reddit
Wow. I cannot believe nobody has said Layne Staley yet.
I didn't have his problems, but his naked pain and anguish helped a lot of people feel not quite so alone at a weird time in our lives.
Traditional_Ad_5859@reddit
2Pac
Mr_Tort_Feasor@reddit
The ones we lost to COVID hit me hardest. Matthew Seligman (Soft Boys, Robyn Hitchcock, Thomas Dolby, Thompson Twins) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, songwriter).
Kittybra13@reddit
Adam yauch.
Also Mac miller. I still find myself not over Mac Miller's death and get really shook over how talented he was and he was just beginning. Had he not died I cannot even comprehend how great he would've been
thirddownloud@reddit
Not a huge Mac fan, more of a casual listener, but I watch his tiny desk concert all the time. Such a loss. And MCA, I remember exactly where I was when I read it on Facebook. I had to excuse myself and go cry in the bathroom for a few minutes.
Kittybra13@reddit
I honestly wasn't a huge fan of Mac either. His whole persona of "frat rap" never caught my interest. Never cared about him, nor had any desire to check his music out. I'd roll my eyes if anyone mentioned his name. I'm nearly 50 so not really my genre. But last year I had 4 major surgeries and multiple extended hospital stays. I was desperate for new things to watch. One nite I randomly came across Ty dolla $ign's tribute to him on tiny desk. I kept going back to that tribute for some reason and finally realized that Ty, Justice West, and thundercat were all crying at the end. THAT piqued my interest. I went down a million different rabbit holes- who were the guys crying and why were they crying. Tributes by an unending number of (well known and respected) musicians, music producers that worked with him talking about his raw talent, etc. Like no one had anything but insane love for him All of that really showed that he seemed to be really loved and respected in the industry. Not at all the perception I had of him. I gave in and finally watched his tiny desk. It was not at all what I was expecting to see. I was impressed, but still unsure. I decided to play the ty dolla song on the album and I was sold. The Divine Feminine album is honestly one of the best albums. Some of the lyrics are a tad juvenile (feels like a way to soften his vulnerability honestly), but the album is so damn legit that I even love how juvenile some lyrics are. Then I checked out Swimming and Circles. I keep those 3 albums on repeat. I go back and watch his tiny desk on a weekly basis now. It's incredible and gives a small glimpse into how talented he actually was. I've listened to all 3 albums at least 100 times each and every time I discover something new that solidifies my opinion that, while most people will say he was at the height of his popularity, I absolutely disagree - he was just getting started. I cannot even comprehend the level of talent he would've grown into as he matured as a person and musician. I'm really ashamed at how closed minded I was about him and I almost missed out on those albums 😭 Those albums are so raw, so vulnerable. The 3 together represent love, loss, and honesty. Seriously. I know I probably sound crazy going on about him, but honestly, if you liked his tiny desk, you should check out those 3 albums. I'm still not into his really early "frat rap" stuff, but I'm a new fan so I've slowly checked out his other stuff and the older stuff that I find that I like, I really, really like. Dude was out of this world talented. Even so many years after his death, I've never seen so many grown men cry when talking about him (absolutely nothing wrong with men crying, it's just very uncommon to see so many cry when talking about someone and their music- that really says something). The music world really lost someone special when he died. I was feeling some sort of way thinking that about him, but the more I watch "reaction to hearing Mac miller" videos and such done by really talented people, they all have the same opinion. I went from- ew, he's an Eminem wannabe to a solid fan. Do yourself a favor and listen to those 3 albums at least once! I'll link a YouTube video with the well known producer that produced his posthumously released album, Circles. Even he was holding back tears talking about him. Sorry, for that rant! I just hope that maybe I can convince others that have a preconceived idea of Mac to give him a chance by conveying it's not a casual recommendation 😬
Yeah, Yauch was a tough loss. Not sure how old you are, but I was 10 when license to ill came out, so altho many musician deaths cut deeply, Yauch had been a part of nearly my entire life. Like he was an uncle of sorts. In my (our) life almost longer than anyone else. Shit, I have siblings that haven't been a part of my life as long as he had been! Cancer sucks, but for some reason, it seemed much more tragic with Adam 😭 I was actually playing license to ill the other day and when brass monkey came on, a dude at the bus stop (I was stopped at a red light) starting going wild and singing along with his whole chest. I was like, yeah!!!
But Mac, I literally still have moments when I feel like I'm grieving someone I personally knew (I also just discovered him less than a year ago).
https://youtu.be/faEKDnNXt4o?si=VCsQxigq5PhL746x
thirddownloud@reddit
Oh yes, I definitely know Mac's music and have listened to all of those quite a bit. Swimming is my favorite. I also really like Kids.
Kittybra13@reddit
Ok good! I always assume that GenX may have the same roll eye reaction that I originally did, but his music is so fucking good! I love swimming. I really love circles too, but since my play list has the 3 in order, swimming and circles kinda run as one in my brain. I actually just realized that 2009 and good news are on different albums. Such a different vibe than the divine feminine so it's hard to say which is my favorite, but I can say that it's hard for me not to keep replaying songs from the divine feminine. I can't believe I almost didn't get to experience those albums. Now that I'm a (new) solid fan, I'm actually listening to kids now! I'm only on my 2nd listen, so if there are any songs or other albums that are "must listen to", feel free to share and I'll add them to my discover more Mac playlist! I've been really loving all of his collabs- lil Wayne, talib kweli, Pharrell, etc
maeryclarity@reddit
Cannot believe I'm the first to comment Jerry Garcia
Deeschuck@reddit
Yep by far and away this one hurt the worst.
justjulesagain@reddit
I was driving on the interstate when I heard it on the radio. Pulled over and cried my eyes out
bughunter_@reddit
Yeah. I sobbed.
RunningInCali@reddit
Same
grateful_eugene@reddit
Scrolled too far for this comment.
jfellrath@reddit
I was with a friend at lunch who brought up that Jerry Garcia had died that day, and I smart-assedly said something like "big surprise there." I don't think I realized just how much some people loved the Grateful Dead until that point because she was really disappointed at my reaction, to say the least.
PotAndPansForHands@reddit
Even—especially—people who loved the GD (raises hand) knew Jerry was a mess and not long for this world. If people could have left him alone for a couple of years to get his shit together who knows what might have happened.
Interesting_Whole_44@reddit
But Bobby and the boys were all about that money….as evidenced by their current Vegas gig.
Interesting_Whole_44@reddit
I went to the Pittsburgh show and then he was gone.
BlueAndMoreBlue@reddit
I’m of two minds on this, he almost let go during the coma thing but it was nice to have him around for a few more years but I don’t think it served him directly
New-Geezer@reddit
I was looking for him and was going to add him if he wasn’t here. His death was a big shift in a majority of my friends’s lives for a while. Phil’s passing wasn’t as bad, he at least got to be old(ish). Brent’s passing bummed me out as I loved what his voice and his keyboard style added to the band. Bobby’s will be especially hard, because that will probably be the end. Grateful to have them as long as we did.
Suwer63@reddit
Tina Turner. And Aretha Franklin. The world will never see the like of those 2 again, but there are so many it’s hard to choose.
Zehava2022@reddit
I'll never be over Tina Turner.
Due-Complaint-5719@reddit
I'm a grunge loving dude and people would be surprised how much I love these two women. I adored Tina for her impressive energy and backstory and Aretha has always been my most favorite singer, the power in her voice is unmatched.
BookMobil3@reddit
Two Aretha tidbits: at the Rock n Roll HOF they have a one-sheet advertisement for one of her first shows and she gets second billing underneath her father (for preaching)…like “Hear HIM preach, Hear HER sing” type deal.
And when she passed away, I was at a local live music festival, and a DJ at one of the stages did an all Aretha set for like an hour. The joy that people felt that night has always stuck with me.
Crazy_Banshee_333@reddit
Yes, Tina. There will never be another like her.
Zehava2022@reddit
Kurt Cobain ... I'm still not over Kurt Loder announcing that on Mtv News
The-Blaha-Bear@reddit
For the other Canadian: Gord Downey.
Leanne_Elan@reddit
Not only Canadians - he was and will always be loved in Buffalo ❤️🇨🇦
Friendaim@reddit
And Vermonters.
StraightPotential1@reddit
Thank you Buffalo. The poetry we won’t get anymore because Gors is gone.
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
I’m not Canadian but grew up 20 miles from Kingston ON in NNY and I too took that hard. Tragically Hip had a cult following at my high school, one that I was glad to be on the ground floor for.
Majestic_Course6822@reddit
This is it for me. Others were lousy, for sure. I miss Amy and Prince and Kurt and Lemmy and David. But Gord was our beacon. He made me feel something about being Canadian that I don't know if I'll feel again.
feral_witch@reddit
Yep definitely Gord. I remember when the news came out that he had incurable cancer and I just went to the park and listened to Ahead by a Century.
Also, as a Canadian Leonard Cohen.
Then just because, Sinead O'Connor. Absolutely tragic
monkey_monkey_monkey@reddit
I don't know if that loss will ever stop hurting. In Gord we trust
dirtytxhippie@reddit
Chris Cornell
Friendaim@reddit
In 1997 I cried when TuPac died. I am a white woman from the suburbs but his death really affected me. He was such a misunderstood and smart person who got himself involved in some shady stuff and fame is a hell of a drug. With everything going on with Diddy, I just know he was involved with his death.
NihilsitcTruth@reddit
None, I do not have any emotional attachment to celebrities as they are just paid to entertain people. I miss their art but it does not have any impact on my life just like if a person at work dies. If I don't personally know you, I'm sorry it happened but I feel very little and I refuse to lie I do.
PasGuy55@reddit
Lane Staley by far. I’m still mad Cantrell still calls his band Alice In Chains.
Substantial-Art-482@reddit
Whitney 💔
whileurup@reddit
This is WAAAAY too far down the list.
And I blame her mother and Bobby.
Expensive-Signal8623@reddit
Yes yes yes. I sat down and started listening to her for hours when I found out. Saw her in concert in the late 80s and she oozed class. Her talent was incredible. I know she went downhill and I was already heartbroken about that. Such incredible talent.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Honestly it’s hard not to blame Bobby for this … and to sad
Likely_A_Martian@reddit
Freddie Mercury. Queen has always been the number 1 British band for me.
Others that hit hard are
ChickenOSea@reddit
Chris Cornell, Freddie Mercury
North-Alfalfa-6052@reddit
David Bowie
dmulcahy311@reddit
Shannon Hoon crushed me. That band was so much more than no rain.
unoriginallbagel@reddit
I saw John Mayer at Numbers in 2002 and I was so distracted being in that place and thinking about Shannon that I remember nothing about the performance.
Churny_McButters@reddit
This. 100% Shannon Hoon.
PezCandyAndy@reddit
I went with a few friends to one of their final concerts of '95 about a month before he died. It was at the Metro in Chicago. It is a smaller venue but one of my favorites. It seemed that no matter where you were, even in the balcony area, you always had a great view of the show.
Anyway, they had an amazing performance. We were all super close to the stage so it was easy to notice how he looked pretty messed up with big dark circles around his eyes. He was acting a bit wild too so I thought he was just into the performance. By the 2nd or 3rd song it became obvious that something was not right with him. Afterwards, my friends said he had a bit of that tired & wired feel to him. I didn't want to kill the mood so I kept quiet, but the signs seemed to indicate that he was 'coked out'. It sucked when I heard of his death but it also did not seem very surprising either after that show.
dmulcahy311@reddit
Omg I was at that show. It was amazing. I didn’t get that vibe at all. I just thought it was him. I also saw them open for Soundgarden and Neil Young at the world music theater in Tinley Park Illinois.
Jerpoz@reddit
This is mine. Saw Blind Melon at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park back in the 90s. The band is still in my top five
dmulcahy311@reddit
I saw them at the metro in Chicago like a week or two before he died
OutOfEffs@reddit
I've been singing "Mouthful of Cavities" in my head all morning for no reason.
Unplannedroute@reddit
Mary Travers, of Peter Paul and Mary. It was like the last hippy died.
rparky54@reddit
John Lennon because it was a violent tragedy and snuffed out any chance of a Beatles reunion.
Dog1234cat@reddit
Bourdain (he was a writer so we can file him under artist).
ChrystineDreams@reddit
Bowie and Prince from my own childhood, as well as Sinead O'Connor.
and from the music I know and love that I inherited from my parents when I was a small child: JJ Cale, Jeff Beck, Florian Schneider (founding member of Kraftwerk).
Relative-Scholar3385@reddit
Amy Winehouse and Biggie
angry_old_dude@reddit
The two that come to mind right away are Ronnie James Dio and Christine McVie.
I'm a huge fan of Ritchie Blackmore and have been a fan of RJD since I first heard him when he was in Rainbow. The RJD Rainbow records were a big part of the soundtrack of my youth. I've only recently starting listening to his band Dio and I'll eventually get around to the Black Sabbath records he's on. His autobiography is excellent, BTW.
Christine McVie was always my favorite member of Fleetwood Mac. I've always like her songs and singing better than Buckingham or Nicks. I spent hours listening to this lineup trying to pick out her harmonies.
unoriginallbagel@reddit
Christine McVie. I think Tom Petty was a pinch, but she was a stab - the gut punch that my heroes are getting old.
abbagodz@reddit
I still haven't recovered from Christine McVie's death.
angry_old_dude@reddit
This one hit me pretty hard. I have always thought that she was the best songwriter in Fleetwood Mac (YMMV) and I always enjoyed her singing more.
Franziska-Sims77@reddit
YMMV?
angry_old_dude@reddit
Your mileage may vary. I wrote that because I don't mean any disrespect to Nicks or Buckingham write great song and are excellent singers.
Franziska-Sims77@reddit
I was so sad when she died! I absolutely adored her voice!
Ornery-Egg9770@reddit
She was a great singer/songwriter. I favored her over Stevie. No CMV and LB = No FM.
Hehateme123@reddit
I can’t even believe they are continuing the band without her and Lindsay. That’s like 2/3 of their great songs…
NHBikerHiker@reddit
Such a sweet voice!!
No_Original5693@reddit
Voice of an angel
otter_mayhem@reddit
There's been several but I have to say that Chris Cornell broke my heart.
Dr_Grinsp00n@reddit
Chris Cornell, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Prince
goingfrank@reddit
Avicii
nadiaco@reddit
Prince . cried for days . played all his music
PapayaFew9349@reddit
Warren Zevon
songbirdathrt4122@reddit
Yup - it completely dates me but I was gutted by this at the time.
RainyAlaska1@reddit
Elvis. John Lennon.
mom2elal@reddit
George Michael
Knitiotsavant@reddit
Neil Peart. He was amazing.
Character-Being4248@reddit
I literally broke down over Prince's death. But I also vividly remember being in high school listening to the 'Quiet Storm' late at night and hearing the announcement of Phyliss Hyman's suicide. I was simply stunned and it really bothered me for months.
SeparateCzechs@reddit
Shannon Hoon. Still so sad about this. He missed everything. I’m pissed at him for it. His baby girl was just three months old. He missed her entire life. He missed HIS entire life. He should be the same age as me, doing anthologies of his now extensive catalogue of music, welcoming grandkids, touring with other aging rockers. Bitching about aching joints(synovial, not the ones you smoke).
I miss All the achingly beautiful, resonating lyrics he never wrote.
PezCandyAndy@reddit
I saw their concert in Chicago a month before he died so it felt a little 'closer to home' in that way. It was such a good show and he was really into the performance. The memory sticks out in my head not only because it was a great show but also because he looked and acted fairly messed up that night. I didn't know he had substance abuse issues. My friends thought he was more 'wired and tired', but it was clear to me that it was something else. It hit me a bit hard when I heard the news about his death, but after what I saw that night I was not surprised either. Wow... that was almost 30 years ago but I remember bits of that concert like it was last month.
SeparateCzechs@reddit
Maaan. I never got to see them live. I’ll always regret it.
bryan_norris71@reddit
Mac Miller.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Too sad really !
Quietimeismyfavorite@reddit
Mark Lanegan hurt real bad. Marie Fredriksson also. I have eclectic tastes.
JiminPA67@reddit
Only two affected me at all: John Lennon and Neil Peart.
urban_mystic_hippie@reddit
John Lennon, Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Prince, Tom Petty, Stevie Ray Vaughn, jeez, the list is too long. So much talent, just gone.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
The list is far, far too long it’s true !
audvisial@reddit
John Prine.
demann1963@reddit
Prince, because it was such a surprise. It just came straight out of nowhere. He was not that old, he always seemed really healthy to me, and I did't know he had any health/drug issues at all. I was such a Prince super fan back in the 80s. I even had purple outfits to try and dress like him.
I got to see him the Purple Rain surprise concert in Cincinnati. It was supposedly just an event to publicize the movie before it came out, and there were maybe going to be some actors from the movie there and some clips from the movie shown. But it was a full blown Prince concert. It was the 2nd one after one he had one in Minneapolis. They had to cancel all the rest of them due to the craziness that ensued once word got out.
It was in a very very small club, and I was like only 15 feet away from him. He smiled directly at me! I hadn't ever seen him smile before that.
And because it wasn't billed as a Prince concert, I think the tickets were only like $15! Still the most amazing concert I've ever been to. I'd compare it to the effect that Woodstock had on the previous generation, but because so few people got to see it, it isn't even a well known evert.
So yeah, Prince dying really messed me up for a bit.
Image_Heavy@reddit
Clem Burke of Blondie !
forever_29_ish@reddit
Michael Hutchence and Andy Fletcher. Hutchence had such a great sound and sometimes I can't believe we'll never get more music from him. And Fletch, eesh, I had to hit as many DM shows this last tour since there's now only two of them. I loved how he got the absolute best out of Dave and Martin.
tesky02@reddit
Michael Hutchence for sure. It was a shock, he still had a lot of music to make. There first album is on Spotify with the surf songs. Man, they were great. Saw them several times.
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
I was at a Hard Rock Cafe when the deejay played an INXS song announcing the death of Michael Hutchence . It doesn’t get more 90’s than that.
digawina@reddit
Michael Hutchence for me too. I may still not be quite over it. And it feels like he's been forgotten. INXS was SO BIG and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I was at a work lunch and he came up and two co-workers, early 30's, were like, "Who? Never heard of him."
GArockcrawler@reddit
Why did i have to scroll so far to find Michael Hutchence? To this day my family still puts up with my “(::sigh::) Michael…” when I see something about him on tv.
INXS was part of my world when it was falling apart. I saw them in concert in the arena (small venue) the day my mom showed up unannounced on my dorm doorstep and announced she was leaving my dad. I danced and sang a lot of my pain away that night. Michael did a dramatic version of Mediate that stays with me still.
mADmARTigan66888@reddit
Shannon Hoon, Brad Nowell
Invisibella74@reddit
Neil Peart from Rush. I am a HUGE fan of the band, and especially Neil. I've read all his books and he reminded me so much of my own father, who I lost in my teens. He went through so much in his own life, and was such a talent and light in this world. To lose him to brain cancer was rough.
ColgrimScytha@reddit
Cornell, Staley and Lemmy.
ColgrimScytha@reddit
Oh and Mark Sandman from Morphine.
Fine-University-8044@reddit
Prince was a rough loss, but Bowie was a real shock. I mean, we probably guessed he wasn’t doing well since he had lost so much weight, but to wake up to his passing on the radio news was terrible. I audibly gasped. Taking my kids to school and seeing other parents in shock. Then some 20-something teaching assistant asking “who was he?” Damn.
MayoIsMyFave@reddit
Michael Hutchinson. I was a huge INXS fan. This one was heartbreaking.
itsmellslikefish@reddit
2Pac, Adam Yauch, Phife
ProfessorExcellence@reddit
None. When Michael Jackson died my coworkers were all shocked. I just looked at them and asked why they were surprised. He was barely alive for years.
ConsequenceUpset8875@reddit
Tom Petty
crs1904@reddit
Roy Orbison.
lokilady1@reddit
And George Harrison and Tom Petty. Part of the Traveling Wilburys
beyeond@reddit
Cobain at age 11
PositiveStress8888@reddit
Prince was a big one for me also, I was much younger than I should have been to be listening to his music in 84 but my older sisters were into him.
What stood out to me was, that nobody considered him strange or "gay" in so far as the term was widely used back then, even his hight didn't matter, all those supposed faults just did t stick to him because he was phenomenally talented and supremely confident. The lesson to me as a child was
Talent and confidence in your talent essential clears your path of nay sayers.
Prince was who he was at his core and he let it all out every single time he preformed.. and nobody called him a short scrawny sexually confused weirdo.. he was simply Prince, the artist who can leave you in awe of his raw talent as not only a singer but a musician who was the master at any instrument he touched.
That's why he was such a loss, he transcended any label we give others and ourselves. And he's a constant reminder to be more open to others and forgiving of our precived faults.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
☝🏼
GoingBananassss@reddit
Well said.
No_Original5693@reddit
Here’s one from left field- John Belushi. The Blues Brothers weren’t just a SNL sketch turned into a movie, they were a real band and John was the frontman. What a frontman, too
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Tourmaline_tigrinum9@reddit
Michael Hutchence and Delores O’Riordan
rrstewart257@reddit
John Lennon for me in SO many ways.
youngforever8809@reddit
Layne Staley, and I wasn’t into their music as much as his tortured voice. The look in his eyes was so sad, and it came thru in that haunting harmony. Still gets me to see his final appearance.
RikB666@reddit
Lemmy.
MsColumbo@reddit
Yeah. Lemmy's death kicked off all those other shock deaths that followed in 2016 (Bowie, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher, Prince, so many others).
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
16 was a shit year .. we lost many that year 😔
swampboy62@reddit
Yeah, for sure. Still brings me down when I see his picture from those last couple of months.
Died on my birthday too. Not that I celebrated that much anyways.
Wallstreetk3nny@reddit
Who’d win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?
RikB666@reddit
Trick question. Lemmy was God.
ripvanwiseacre@reddit
If Death can take Lemmy, none of us are safe.
EvolutionaryLens@reddit
🤘 Saw Motorhead in '84 when I was 14. A dream come true.
RikB666@reddit
I met Lemmy a couple of times in the early 2000's. He was a really nice guy (after all).
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Yes 🙌🏼 it
lokilady1@reddit
Freddie
Zerly@reddit
Gord Downie. Crushing.
DrinkDirtyChai@reddit
Prince goes without saying. Also Tom Petty and Dolores O'Riordan. Her death really shook me for some reason.
ad_duncan_@reddit
Joe Strummer
BrianDamage666@reddit
Lemmy from Motorhead. They were the biggest part of the soundtrack to my teen years. Met him multiple times and was always super cool and never tried to rush through the conversation.
PDM_1969@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Knowing I would never get the opportunity to hear new music from him. To not get another opportunity to see him play live again, only got to see him once 😞
Even more than that though was knowing his story. His struggles with drugs/alcohol, he pulled himself out of that hole was in a better place only to be taken from this existence due to a helicopter crash...just so tragic.
Ry_lee77@reddit
Kurt Cobain was pretty sad.. & tupac... aging myself here hahaha
ReaperOfWords@reddit
Bowie. Cornell, and Shane McGowan.
Blodeuyn13@reddit
Neil Peart of Rush.
DangerKitty555@reddit
Prince brought me to tears, was a gut punch.
Kurt Cobain as a young’n, still remember where I was when I heard the news as I was a huge Nirvana Fan.
I still think about Elliott Smith at least every other day, probably the hardest loss for me.
Recently was Quincy Jones..
Fun_Examination_1435@reddit
Actually same. Prince and Amy winehouse
stickytuna@reddit
I remember exactly where I was when I heard about Amy Winehouse. I only knew like 2 songs but as someone who also struggled with mental health/knew people dealing with addiction, I was really rooting for her.
Dear_Office6179@reddit
Chris Cornell, scott weiland
SignificantTransient@reddit
Scott is really the only one I have ever felt because I identified with him so much.
Dear_Office6179@reddit
core was one of my favorite albums, amazing front to back.
Equivalent-Dig-7204@reddit
John Lennon. I still get sad when I think of the future he never got.
vankirk@reddit
Aaliyah. She was so young and had so much ahead of her.
GoingBananassss@reddit
Oh yeah, I remember as well. Tough couple of weeks. First here then 9/11 happened and blew her off the news circuit.
SecretaryTricky@reddit
Freddie, Sinead, Kurt, Prince, Chris.
SwimmerOk8179@reddit
This pretty much sums up my list, with Tom Petty added.
untactfullyhonest@reddit
Sinead for me. Definitely
Stellatombraider@reddit
Had to scroll much too far to see Sinead mentioned.
Alternative_Field_45@reddit
Mine is Warren Zevon. Grateful my husband I got to see him over 10 times at different venues in Texas beginning in the 80’s. My husband was diagnosed with cancer at the same time as Warren, they’re both gone now and it’s truly heartbreaking.
dalby2020@reddit
I had to scroll way too far for this answer. I still choke up when I think of his final appearance on Letterman.
SheriffBartholomew@reddit
I still can't believe Michael Jackson is dead. The only musician I was actually sad about though was Leonard Cohen. My wife and I laid in bed all day that day, drinking beer, and watching Leonard Cohen concerts across the decades.
thestatedrone@reddit
I can't just pick one. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Freddie Mercury, then the 2016 trifecta of David Bowie, Prince, and George Michael. Each one brought something unique into this world, and they all made it a better place. Each one also gone way too soon.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Well said
Jo3kewl@reddit
Eddie van Halen, always thought i was gonna get to see that guy. Eruption has been my pledge of allegiance since.
GoingBananassss@reddit
Prince, I actually cried, and I never cry over celebrities or people I don’t know. He was an amazing artist. I went to many of his concerts. He was a musical genius. IMO. He played 26 instruments and was involved in every aspect of his music, he didn’t slap a persona on it and call it his.
windowatwork@reddit
Michael Jackson. I just could not believe it.
elammcknight@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn because I saw him a few months before his passing and it affected me like no other show. To see someone so musically gifted and powerful and then them die tragically only a few months later is sad AF.
Babbs03@reddit
I know you this isn't musical, but I think Val Kilmer's death has hit me the hardest yet. I've loved that man since his Real Genius days in the mid 80s. I'm heartbroken over his fate. It just shows that we're all human. We all get old and we're all susceptible to disease, no matter how rich, talented, famous or attractive we might be.
Ridere_et_nutu@reddit
Val Kilmer as Madmartigan in Willow made me feel all kinds of ways (I was 11). Loved him since then. I was so sad when he died
Bexarnaked@reddit
Jerry Garcia 💔
BuffsBourbon@reddit
Cliff Burton. After his death, Metallica sucked. Justice was good, not the same…then everything else blew donkey balls.
-DethLok-@reddit
Amy for me too :(
Such a waste of talent, the poor woman . . .
pinkbunnyinthecorner@reddit
Trugoy of De La Soul hit hard
speedracer1263@reddit
Michael Jackson David Bowie Tom Petty Prince.
All affected me deeply .
SwimmingTambourine@reddit
Tom Petty
GrizzOso@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn
ManufacturerOk7236@reddit
Kurt Cobain & Jeff Healey. Both very close in age to me & both died too young.
erino3120@reddit
Whitney and prince.
elijuicyjones@reddit
Chris Cornell
bendecco08@reddit
Marvin Gaye
Flimsy-Owl-8888@reddit
A great loss.
No-Foundation-7790@reddit
Cliff Burton
randomresearch1971@reddit
Weiland
captaindomer@reddit
John Prine. I grew up with my dad learning how to play his songs on guitar and I know every word, chord and tab. It was a sad day when he died and then my dad died a few years later. Every time I hear his songs is a bittersweet walk through my childhood and music memories
Gelnhausenjim@reddit
Ronnie Van Zant and his band mates. Eff that plane crash
naytahlee@reddit
Justin Townes Earle.
KitsMalia@reddit
2PAC. I still remember when I heard the news. I was parking my car at my college dorm. Tears just started flowing.
Also, Michael Jackson hit me pretty hard.
YesterdayPurple118@reddit
I had to scroll too far to see this! Me and my friends got absolutely hammered in his memory that day
sparklepl8nty@reddit
david bowie
sparklepl8nty@reddit
prince
V01C30FR3450N@reddit
Dimebag Darrell
Ill-Football-5218@reddit
3 people that have had a major influence on my life all died on December 8. John Lennon, Dime and my Dad.
YesterdayPurple118@reddit
Absolutely!
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
Ooof that was terrifying. I’m not even a Pantera fan and I was traumatized by that.
NuggetsAreFree@reddit
Had to scroll way too far down for this one, RIP.
Beneficial-Neat-6200@reddit
Jimi Hendrix. He only completed three albums and they were all groundbreaking. It was really sad because his death was accidental and he had so much more to give the world
John lennon. He was one of the first assassinations for fame, and that someone would kill him like that changed the way I looked at the world
Ok-Huckleberry-6326@reddit
Chris Cornell. I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about his passing. I thought that his melancholy was a part of him and he'd made peace with it, but s*&*ide never seemed likely to me. I remember an interview/article in Spin about Soundgarden in which someone quoted a study to him, that said that we're not meant to be happy all the time. He seemed to get a kick out of that.
Miss his voice to this day. I went back over all the SG/Audioslave/solo content. We shall never see his like again!
Bigot-Consequences@reddit
MCA 😫 I’m SO SAD I never got to see Beastie Boys live 😞
Krakensuppe@reddit
Scott Weiland. So much wasted talent.
gvarsity@reddit
Prince was the biggest but Scott Weiland is the one I can’t shake. Not sure why. There was something there that hit different.
OpeningFuture6799@reddit
Kurt Cobain, born the same year as him and his life story was very similar to mine. Also, his music captured my angst in my mid-20s. I felt like he was a spokesperson for the older GenXers who were trying to find purpose out of the chaos of the late 80s and early 90s.
Weird-Ad7562@reddit
Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart)
BigMekNutCruncher@reddit
2 - Kirsty McColl and Gary Moore
In_The_End_63@reddit
Amy's passing did hit hard. Also, Chester.
Grendeltech@reddit
Scott Weiland. Partly because it was only the beginning of a lot of others. Not like they were connected, just that they seemed to come pretty fast after him 🫤
tboy160@reddit
MCA was the first "celebrity" death that hurt me.
Kikyo10@reddit
Jerry Garcia
Absinthe_gaze@reddit
None. People die. These are people I don’t know. I can still use the only part of them I’m associated with.
Maleficent-Crow-446@reddit
Leonard Cohen. John Prine.
lichahere@reddit
Prince 💜 I loved his music since I was 12.
Sleeplessmi@reddit
John Denver. I grew up listening to him as a kid in the 70s, then singing/playing guitar around the campfire when I worked at Girl Scout camp. I saw him in the early 90s and I am really glad.
Blaaamo@reddit
Jerry
Thee_Watchman@reddit
John Lennon. I was such a big fan (all the albums, bootlegs, first editions of his poetry books, hand-made t-shirts from his lithographs, I put the "fan" in "fanatic".)
Double Fantasy's release after years of silence had me so excited for the future. I had looked forward to it for months and was thrilled when it came out. It was still John, but it also showed him growing, a shift hinting at new directions. I was all on board and imagining Lennon working with a new generation of performers who'd been influenced by him.
I was nearly destroyed during the breaking news interruption by Howard Cosell. Daily, I feel John Lennon's loss and the loss of what he might have done.
Fool_In_Flow@reddit
Kurt
FluffyShiny@reddit
Freddy Mercury and David Bowie. 😢💞
WorldGoneCrazee@reddit
Christine McVie
One-Earth9294@reddit
Kurt Cobain was like a galaxy-shifting event. But I've long been over it.
The one that's less impactful but I'm still not over it is Bowie.
Heh, the Men who Saved the World.
coffeemug73@reddit
Chris Cornell.
I was just not prepared for the news.
Appropriate_Art894@reddit
John Lennon. At 13, huge fan but the nature of his assignation changed my world view, and have been a cynical malcontent since lol
edgarjwatson@reddit
Exactly !!
Normal-Belt3089@reddit
Chris Cornell. I cried. Prince was a very close second.
Apprentice0816@reddit
When Prince died, I was working the patio in Minneapolis. At one point that night with no precipitation in the forecast prior, the sky went purple and it rained. It was crazy, I'll never forget that.
SignificanceTrick435@reddit
Kirsty MacColl - her final album was her best and the way she died was so heartbreaking.
adashiel@reddit
Bowie. I was actually listening to Space Oddity when I found out. Then Alan Rickman died a few days later. Not a great start to 2016.
SpiritualMuffin2623@reddit
2016 was just a terrible year in general. David Bowie, Prince and George Michael. Three of our music icons. https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/george-michael-david-bowie-prince-shapeshifting-7633320/
hoarse_of_course@reddit
2016 was a dumpster fire of epic proportions for me. Lost my dad 3 days before my birthday that year.
Munchkinpea@reddit
It didn't get better did it? Carrie Fisher passed at the end of 2016.
Haunting_Bottle7493@reddit
Oh man Carrie Fisher then her mom. That was just terrible.
Cob_Dylan@reddit
Elliott Smith. Just incredibly sad and pointless. In addition to the accounts of him being a generally sweet guy, his fans are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. His musical output was superb, I still often wonder about the music he’d be making if he were still around.
icrossedtheroad@reddit
Can we just say 2016?
BluenoseTherapist@reddit
Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit.
spider3407@reddit
Prince and Avici
nv-erica@reddit
Avicii. 😢
spider3407@reddit
I know, right? Did you see the documentary? It broke my heart.
GoodArm6210@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Branciforte@reddit
I can actually remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the moment the news came through the crappy little radio in the work van I was driving. I had to pull over and wipe the tears from my eyes. It was just so random and meaningless.
Lord-Bunny@reddit
Same, first icon who was a major influence on my own music practice whom I experienced losing in real time. Still recall the time and place I learned the news. Saw him with Bonnie Raitt earlier that summer. Shocking.
DramaticCollege3520@reddit
Was lucky enough to see him 5 times. So sad that he had just gotten sober and was playing better than ever, and didn’t get more time to show the world what else he had in him.
sungodly@reddit
Yeah, this one crushed me. I had started really getting into his music about two years before and hadn't had a chance to see him live. I walked around in a daze when I heard the news, just impossibly sad.
WimpyZombie@reddit
I didn't discover his music until a few years after he died, so it wasn't really traumatic for me. Just very disappointing
Lumbercounter@reddit
I can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find SRV.
xmneax@reddit
Tony Sly
BununuTYL@reddit
George Michael--beyond the nigh technical perfection of his voice, especially live, and his song writing talent, his emotional depth as a singer makes him one of the best.
He left us at 53, much too young, with so much left to give.
paperkitten75@reddit
David Bowie. It happened at the beginning of 2016, and pretty much set the tone for the remainder of that shitshow of a year. I was at work when I found out. My husband sent me a text saying that it looked like David Bowie had died. I was totally shocked, and began looking for information online, hoping it was a hoax. But it was true and I was beyond devastated. I went to the staff room at my school, sat down on a sofa, and cried. Soon, I had to get to my lesson, so I collected myself and tried to focus on my job. One of my colleagues saw that I was upset and asked me what was wrong. I told her that David Bowie had just died. Her response: "Who's David Bowie?"
I was totally disgusted. Hearing that just made it feel so much worse. Now, this took place in Sweden. Maybe David Bowie is simply not as well known here as in the UK or the States or literally everywhere else in the fucking world. However, the colleague who asked me is French. She taught French at that school. But get this: she also taught music. I was just flabbergasted.
The night before, my husband and I sat down and listened to Bowie's Black Star album, which had been released that day. He died the day after his last album was released, which is just so Bowie. He was a total artist, a beautiful, brilliant human being. It still doesn't feel right that he isn't here. I convinced that he was somehow holding the fabric of the universe together, because everything went to shit after he died.
Fast_Enthusiasm8728@reddit
Same. Sobbed with my best friend when we found out. 😭
macmiss@reddit
Prince. Bowie
USNDD-966@reddit
Lemmy, Jeff Hanneman, Dimebag
Dull-Dance-3615@reddit
Do
xReturnerx@reddit
Prince & David Bowie
BoldBoimlerIsMyHero@reddit
Kitsty Maccoll BUT I actually didn’t start listening to her until recently. She came up on Spotify and I was like “who is this fantastic singer I’ve never heard of?” And I started listening to all of her albums. And then I googled her. Like 20 years after her beyond tragic death and was so so sad.
TwyZilla@reddit
Bowie and Prince
Drillerfan@reddit
Neil Peart
dagmargo1973@reddit
Scott Hutchison.
Interesting_Emu9387@reddit
Chester still breaks my heart
nv-erica@reddit
Every time I hear his voice I now hear him telling us.
LessSpecialist1027@reddit
David Bowie, Mark Sandman, Amy Winehouse and the Wilbury Brothers no longer with us...
Best-Theory-330@reddit
Michael Hutchence
Pandabumone@reddit
Probably not on many people's lists, but two greatly affected me. Ladies' Code - a Kpop group that sadly had two members, EunB and Rise, pass away tragically after an accident en route to a show. The driver - their manager, had been speeding at high speeds in rainy weather. A completely avoidable crash that affected the other two members greatly. They made a brief comeback following, but could never get what should have been a promising career going again.
Lil Peep - died to overdose when his career was just taking off. He didn't achieve Mac Miller levels of stardom, but his songs were emotional and beloved with a cult following, and he was branching into other talents like acting, modelling, etc. Taken well before his prime at 21 years old.
nv-erica@reddit
❤️ lil peep. Prayers for his mama.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
♥️
FelineCanine21@reddit
Freddie & Bowie. Still hurts. They were the soundtrack of my youth.
Ridere_et_nutu@reddit
Scott Weiland and Chris Cornell. Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Audioslave were a huge part of my life for such a long time. Music is the only thing that really lets me process my emotions, and theirs got me through some really awful times. I was really naive in thinking that, because they hadn't died "young", they would just be around for as long as I was. Both deaths hit me hard.
Any_Neighborhood4980@reddit
Joe Strummer was a shock. I had just seen him the year before.
SnooTangerines9068@reddit
Mark Lanegan.
Dorothea2020@reddit
Prince, definitely. I think I thought he was immortal.
jezebel103@reddit
Freddy Mercury and David Bowie. I grew up with their music, went to their concerts (Wimbledon 1986 was the greatest concert I've ever been to).
But I was 14 when I was dressing myself for school in the morning and my mother came running up to my room: 'You know what the news said just now? Elvis has died'. I remember being that day being crushed.
baseballzombies@reddit
Jerry Garcia
demonmf@reddit
Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus from Gwar. I’d been a huge fan of him and his art since I was in high school in the early 90s and saw Gwar live many times prior to his sudden death. While the band has carried on, it was definitely the end of an era with him.
rainbowtison@reddit
Jerry Garcia was tough. Kurt Cobain. Bradley Nowell. So many really.
SubstantialPressure3@reddit
Bowie.
Joe Strummer.
Chris Cornell.
Duran518@reddit
David Bowie
ZVreptile@reddit
Chris Cornell, we didnt expect him like Layne
swampboy62@reddit
Johnny Cash passing hit me really hard.
Holly_Hobbie@reddit
Michael Hutchence of INXS
infinitecosmic_power@reddit
Tom Petty was a fixture in our household. Full moon fever was one of the first cassettes I ever owned. I tried a few times to see him live. Had tix to a show. Joe Cocker would have been the opener. The date was cancelled following Cocker's passing. I never got another chance to see Tom Petty. His passing sucked quite expectedly. So for me, in a somewhat roundabout way, Joe Cocker's death impacted me the most. He was an icon in his own right, and I was quite looking forward to seeing him as well.
Layne Staley and Chris Cornell too.
Flaky_Reflection_881@reddit
Me..Prince or George Michael.my mom . Elvis
Minute_Concept_4354@reddit
Tom Petty--his music was the soundtrack of my life beginning in 79. I couldn't listen to him at all for at least 3 years after we lost him. Still difficult to this day.
Weak_Employment_5260@reddit
Ronnie Van Zant
So much more music to be made.
LadyCoru@reddit
Chester Bennington.
Linkin Park redefined the music of the early 2000s.
Hydrogen1313@reddit
Layne Staley.
Capable_Stranger9885@reddit
Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and Kate Spade suicides within a year of each other. People my age who were successful artists at career peaks choosing suicide? Rotten.
Maleficent-Sport1970@reddit
Jimmy Buffet. There isn't a part of my life that hasn't been touched by his music and books. I'm tearing up as I type this.
I used his songs as mood stabilizers growing up. My dad and I got to meet him 30yrs ago. My heart still hurts.
Also: Tom Petty and Glenn Frey
And Clarence Clemons!
kptstango@reddit
Fife Dawg hit me hard. The down-to-earth guy in A Tribe Called Quest.
ubermonkey@reddit
The only 4 that affected me at all emotionally were Lou Reed, MCA, Bowie, and Prince.
They all hit super hard.
Wake95@reddit
David Crosby
MsLexicon@reddit
Shock G/Humpty Hump
Primaveralillie@reddit
Around the timey father died of pancreatic cancer and my mom was on her way out with ovarian cancer, I had just had my one and only child and my marriage started to circle the drain
Prince, Bowie and George Michael died. They were my foundation. It was a trifecta of fuck you, there's no joy left in the world. Needless to say, it only got worse from there.
(I have since rallied. Us gen Xers are tough, yeah?)
Lawndemon@reddit
Johnny Cash - used to listen to him with my dad and grandfather on fishing trips. Great memories flood back when I hear Johnny.
AztecGodofFire@reddit
Not a death, but I was really annoyed when David Lee Roth left Van Halen.
bevansaith@reddit
Helno from the French band Les Negresses Vertes. All that astounding potential just gone suddenly when it had barely started.
fuzzyedges1974@reddit
Ronnie James Dio & Eddie Van Halen
uberpickle@reddit
John Lennon, first. Joe Strummer. Prince. Warren Zevon. Tom Petty. Delores O’Riordan. Siobhan.
I high recommend Zevon’s last album- Life’ll Kill You. Ev
Mobile_Aioli_6252@reddit
Lennon - came out of nowhere and made absolutely no sense!!! I remember by brother and dad ( and myself ) driving to pick up a Christmas tree in the evening when the news came on the radio. It just didn't make any sense ( plus he just put out a brand new album in like, 5 years, and it was pretty good )
reganomics@reddit
Kurt died before I could see them live. I was never a mess about it, just really bummed
debcon14@reddit
I was devastated when Davy Jones died. Loved the Monkees when I was little and it really surprised me how upset I was. Literally sobbed.
RaeAhNa@reddit
I agree. I grew up in the 70s watching the Monkees reruns. I loved them all. Now there's only one Monkee left. 😢
Kicktoria@reddit
Mike Nesmith for me
BackOnTheMap@reddit
Omg I know!!! Like a piece of my childhood was gone. Peter Toek was awful, too, but Mike was older so not as bad.
mycatsaremyfriends@reddit
Jeff Buckley
kickinghoops@reddit
This is mine too.
panickedindetroit@reddit
As well as Tim Buckley for me. Christ, I am getting old!
Feeling_Manner426@reddit
Yes, me too.
GaryNOVA@reddit
I named my cats Bowie and Prince the year both artists died.
BookMobil3@reddit
I hope they both are living great
kcjonezz@reddit
Jerry Garcia
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
John Lennon, Sinead, Dolores (had a major crush on her), Freddie, Cliff Burton, Taylor Hawkins, and George Harrison all hit hard. I don’t know if I was absolutely wrecked about them, but it definitely tear up a little.
Bowie, Prince, Tom Petty, and Michael Jackson all shocked me as being so unexpectedly out of no where.
One that got me that I haven’t mentioned yet was Johnny Cash. That last year of his life was a sad one, from the loss of June Carter Cash to the “Hurt” song and video (the latter of which still makes me shed a tear).
captainbeautylover63@reddit
Bowie. I sobbed all day.
Perfect_Distance434@reddit
The fairly recent death of Luis Vasquez (The Soft Moon) was particularly upsetting. I first saw him opening for another band in maybe 2011, and always caught TSM live whenever possible. He had so much more to contribute.
Emmaleesings@reddit
It was a long time ago but Kurt Cobain really affected the course of my life lol I cancelled plans to leave my tiny island and go to lalapalloza and got pregnant instead (not planned but it turned out pretty amazingly anyway)
KyOatey@reddit
Jimmy Buffett
YamAlone2882@reddit
Prince. Loved his music and his death was so unexpected because he was still young.
George Michael. I loved me some George. I was a senior in high school when I saw him in concert. Again, so unexpected.
Aaliyah. I wasn’t a fan of her music really, but because she was so young (21, I think) and her career was starting to grow; she had been in a couple of movies as well as her music. Her death was just tragic.
BookMobil3@reddit
That role Aaliyah played in the horror flick: she was SO mesmerizing it was almost too good for the movie. I remember watching and thinking at the time, I don’t know of any experienced actresses that could pull this off
Life_Transformed@reddit
John Lennon and John Denver
uberpickle@reddit
Scrolled much, Much too far to find John Lennon!
Assassinated! I ugly cried, and so did my punk rock friends.
It was senseless. It was shocking. And to impress Jody Foster?
It even made me feel sorry for Yoko.
My mom died 40 years to the day later. 😢
MyriVerse2@reddit
Yeah, I was too young when those infamous "27" deaths happened. Elvis was never my thing. So, Lennon was like the first big celeb musician death for me. And The Beatles were just everywhere in my life since I started forming memories.
Even typing this gets tears flowing.
Life_Transformed@reddit
Yeah, I can’t think about this too much or I will start tearing up
aplumgirl@reddit
You are a person after my own heart. Two of my favorites since childhood.
I'd add i did cry more when Gordon Lightfoot died.
RIP legends
Divtos@reddit
Holy crap had to scroll way too far down for this. I’m guessing many younger GenX don’t remember it so strongly. He’s also the only one I can think of that was assassinated.
18RowdyBoy@reddit
Yeah I heard it on Monday Night Football.Cosell made the announcement and I was shocked that a peaceful man like John was shot. I was 22
Glass_Net_7445@reddit
I was wondering when someone would say John Lennon! I was just a kid but I was straight up hysterical that night. Even my cat tried to console me.
EAPotter@reddit
Kurt, Tom Petty, and Chris Cornell.
I often wonder what music Kurt would have gifted us with had he lived just a little while longer. He was so young.
KingTrencher@reddit
Steve Albini
He was only 61, and was getting ready to go on tour to support the new Shellac record.
Most of you won't know he is, but you have probably heard something he was involved with.
He was a producer and recording engineer who worked with Nirvana, Pixies, Bush, Plant & Page, and so many others.
YouDaManInDaHole@reddit
Eddie Van Halen
TrickyCartographer73@reddit
Chester Bennington
boiseshan@reddit
George Michael Michael Hutchins Whitney Houston
whatamook2@reddit
Taylor Hawkins was the first musician death to affect my whole family. I can still see the scene of when my youngest came in shocked and told us all. We were all at a loss for words.
dumpster_kitty@reddit
Chester 😞
Left-Thinker-5512@reddit
John Lennon. I was 13 when he died and I kid you not, I cried all day.
And yes, my parents made me go to school anyway.
DisastrousTrash-2022@reddit
I was the same age & when my Mom told me she was crying. I couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying and she said, “it’s true, somebody killed him last night” then I started crying, too. She did let me check-in late for school.💔
Affectionate-Club725@reddit
Weirdly, Tony Lewis from The Outfield. I’ve been to hundreds of concerts, but I never had a chance to see these guys. Bob Marley is my favorite artist of all time, but I was only 10 -years-old when he died and I didn’t really discover and explore his music fully until I was in college.
Designer-Effort-1426@reddit
Kurt. I was 22 and I remember feeling like someone punched me in the stomach.
bookworm1421@reddit
Michael Jackson - don’t come for me. That one really hurt. His was the first album I ever bought with my own money and i loved his music so much.
To see his life end so tragically just left me broken hearted. I cried like a family member had died.
There will never be another MJ.
MiriMidd@reddit
Chris Cornell.
HoneyWyne@reddit
Prince for me too. I lived in the Twin Cities and we all have our Prince stories here.
Negative-Appeal9892@reddit
Prince. He did a concert in Atlanta and then a day or two later, he was gone.
Individual-Army811@reddit
I am so glad I saw Prince live during his "Artist formerly known as.." era. We didn't see him much in Canada, but it was magical to be that close to him.
Moist_Rule9623@reddit
Both Bowie and Warren Zevon hit hard, and both of them recorded incredible final “farewell” records that I can still barely listen to today without crying.
I’ll say Bowie’s was probably just a tiny bit more impactful because he hadn’t publicly discussed his health, that I was aware of, so his death really hit out of the blue. Zevon at least I was aware that he was ill; didn’t make it any less sad when he passed, of course, but less shocking.
nWo4life77@reddit
Malcolm Young. Seeing AC/DC recently perform on stage without him was quite strange. A major influence to my guitar playing, especially rhythm.
Cinnamon_heaven@reddit
I really liked the movie Back to Black on Netflix. I love her music. I have watched it multiple times (usually killing time traveling) I feel so bad by how young and how much potential she had. It made me sad that all she wanted to do was have her man, a baby, and sing. Money meant nothing.
sharksfan707@reddit
In chronological order: Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, George Harrison, David Bowie, and Matthew Seligman.
I’ll probably call off work when Willie Nelson and Paul McCartney die.
My all-time musician is Robyn Hitchcock and I can’t imagine what I’ll do when his time is up.
Not a musician, per se, but musician adjacent: Bill Walton, the world’s tallest Deadhead. That one just gutted me for some reason.
Efficient-Hornet8666@reddit
I have my eye on Paul and Willie, also. Absolute legends that greatly influenced my music choices for my entire life.
Far_Eye_3703@reddit
Chris Cornell, RIP. He had the most beautiful voice in rock and roll.
Individual-Army811@reddit
Amen.
It is so awful that so many people with incredible gifts are so sad. If only they could see themselves through our eyes...and how much they've helped us. ❤️💔
One-girl-circus@reddit
Ella Fitzgerald, then Prince, the Chris Cornell.
Barbies_Burner_Phone@reddit
Chris Cornell, Prince, Tom Petty
LeadingImpression717@reddit
Jimmy Buffett—
RealTigerCubGaming@reddit
Prince and George Michael
MadbcBadIguess@reddit
Kurdt Cobain
Wise-Novel-1595@reddit
Shannon Hoon. Still annoyed we only got three Blind Melon albums. One of the most underappreciated bands of the 90s.
Jerpoz@reddit
💯
toxchick@reddit
Kurt Cobain. So shocking.
irmarbert@reddit
So many. Cornell hit hard.
notabadkid92@reddit
Prince
JtotheMFMo@reddit
Walter Becker for me . I love Steely Dan and it really stood out to me how little the world noticed and quickly moved on. Also made me realize I hadn’t appreciated him enough while he was here. Couldn’t say exactly what, but Walter’s passing definitely gave me some more perspective on mortality.
downtotech@reddit
Chris Cornell
Kinda_ShouldaSorta@reddit
Layne Staley
Michael Hutchence
AccomplishedBus7493@reddit
Aaliyah and Whitney Houston man both of those women were gorgeous and they had amazing voices.
UtahUtopia@reddit
Patrick Swayze.
Kwayze for Swayze. And he’s like the wind.
rico277@reddit
Mr. Rogers. That’s all I have to say
emarcomd@reddit
Steve Albini.
EvieBroad@reddit
I’ll never be over Prince.
fonebone819@reddit
Tom Petty.
InternationalWheel61@reddit
Kurt Cobain hands down.
AfraidEnvironment711@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
rocketman1969@reddit
Harold Reid of the Statler Brothers. I legit cried.
DDChristi@reddit
Selena. I grew up thinking I could be her.
SantaRosaJazz@reddit
Joe Zawinul.
Babbs03@reddit
George Michael. It was just hard thinking of him older and sick. I always thought he was so attractive and loved him when I was younger.
moggin61@reddit
Tom Petty’s passing still bums me out. He had a lot more to write, sing and do in his life. He was such a gift.
whereameyeat@reddit
Dave from hairy bikers cooking show, uk. just an amazing friendly guy. best show is when he and kingy get smashed on weed laced food in america. His big red smiling, stoned as fuk face, dude couldn't speak for laughing. seeing him dressed as a sumo wrestler did scare my a.all brain though. love you Dave x
slatetrain@reddit
Bradley Nowell
PatanicSanic6@reddit
I was looking for this. RIP Badfish
Psychological-Dirt69@reddit
Kurt Cobain. I remember where I was standing when I found out.
thirddownloud@reddit
Went up to my room after school, turned on the TV and there was Kurt Loder, telling the awful news.
unicornbelly@reddit
Shannon Hoon's passing broke my heart. I didn't feel that way again until Chester Bennington. Both had a big impact on me in both life and death.
ElFlauscho@reddit
Pete Steele (of Type O Negative). Whoever met him remembers him as a kind and often self-ironic person with a strong tendency to dark humour. He’s still being missed in the community.
ronwabo@reddit
The two that affected me the most I have to say first Edward Van Halen, without a doubt, VH was and is my favorite band ever, and he still had so much more music in him. Second is Scott Weiland, I wasn't into grunge or the Seattle bands, but I loved STP, sad but not surprised at all. Dimebag Darrell is on here too, crazy how he died.
Dizzy_Hedgehog_3150@reddit
Adam Yauch
Mupps64@reddit
Prince. David Bowie.
ponyboycurtis1980@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
timlygrae@reddit
David Bowie above all others. Loads that hurt, but that one was crushing.
DrKlahnsRightHandMan@reddit
Chris Cornell - I was a fan of Mother Love Bone since I got their album from Columbia House accidentally back in the day (didn't mail the card in to decline that month). That got me into all the music that was even remotely connected. The Temple of the Dog reunion tour they were on at the time of his death had me listening to all the songs of my teens/early twenties, so I was on a huge nostalgia high - then he died and it just bummed me out completely. Really took the wind out of those nostalgia sails, like instantly.
almostaarp@reddit
Chester. Broke my heart. Still saddens me.
EatingBuddha3@reddit
MCA 😭😭😭
ElkIntelligent5474@reddit
I really mourned the loss of David Bowie, not with tears but rather an appreciation of his art that he shared with the world.
thembones44@reddit
Neil Peart
08_West@reddit
Jerry Garcia - no other artist comes close.
Others that affected me: Tom Petty, Bowie, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, Gregg Allman.
sp1der11@reddit
Always will. What an absolute treasure.
wezelboy@reddit
Joe Strummer.
Ok-Ear9289@reddit
Chris Cornell,Chester Bennington
Ru4Smashing2@reddit
Randy Rhoads. I wasn’t even 10 but had a thing for guitars and loved the way he played. He was only 25, and I imagine all the guitar riffs he would have written had he not got on that plane. Also Dimebag Darryl from Pantera. He was the best shredder I’ve ever seen live.
Business-Boot262@reddit
Sinead O’Conner. It hit me hard, I was in shock when I heard. Then couldn’t stop crying. I listen to all her music, so much that she’s listed always as the 2nd top artist on my Apple Music most listened to. I have so many memories attached to songs and songs that have connections to things that have deep meanings to me. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to hear her singing live at Lilith Fair many years ago. She was such a powerful voice that she seriously had the entire audience captivated. It was unforgettable. Amazing woman.
thatTNgirl422@reddit
That's a hard one Prince most definitely was the hardest for me. Layne Staley, Andrew Wood, George Jones, Loretta Lynn. I tell you when it's Ozzys time I'll be beyond devastated I've been listening to him since I was 5! His music has gotten me through some rough times.
OldFitDude75@reddit
Chris Cornell. He was an incredible artist and a generational talent, but like so many others he was troubled and didn't see a way out.
Standard_Poetry_4728@reddit
Kurt Cobain
Cold-Ad8865@reddit
Jerry Garcia
dlax6-9@reddit
Bowie
clover_1414@reddit
Neil Peart. That was a gut punch.
sp1der11@reddit
Mark Linkous💜
mcian84@reddit
Prince.
Robin Williams.
spabettie@reddit
Leonard Cohen.
camelslikesand@reddit
Chris Squire. Such a huge talent, and the brains of the band (Jon A is the heart). So influential. So fun.
Particular-Pain8848@reddit
I love Widespread Panic, so Michael Houser‘s death was devastating.
Layne Staley hit me really hard, too. And Chris Cornell.
ssquirt1@reddit
Chris Cornell. What a gut punch.
bishpa@reddit
I could to come up with some good GenX answer, but if I’m being honest, it’s Jerry Garcia.
k1mruth@reddit
Dan Fogelberg
Kblast70@reddit
There have been a lot of them, but Chester Bennington hit me extra hard.
Key_Quote_3273@reddit
David Bowie. I feel like the world changed forever that day.
leungadon@reddit
Neil peart and Olivia Newton John
EdwardJamesAlmost@reddit
Sharon Jones
gangofone978@reddit
Prince, George Michael, and Adam Yauch.
bigredroyaloak@reddit
Kurt Cobain. At first shocked then very angry as I didn’t understand suicide and thought about the pain his daughter would feel. But because of him I’ve actually developed more compassion for those suffering from depression.
BrendonWahlberg@reddit
John Lennon
GS2702@reddit
Tony Sly
No_Intention1713@reddit
George Michael. I’ll never get over it!!
LaurenTheGemini@reddit
Same 😢
M0untainHead@reddit
David Bowie. He was always the quintessential musician and knowing that he was dying, gave us a parting gift the only way he knew how.
LuckyAd2714@reddit
⚡️
LaurenTheGemini@reddit
George Michael, hands down. The details (and date!!) of his death, the loss of such a great person…all of it. One of my favorite Christmas songs has always been “Last Christmas”, and when I heard of his death it was one of the few ‘celebrities’ I actually shed a tear for. I always think of him now when the Christmas season begins 😢
Character-Cut-66@reddit
Layne Staley. I heard it on the news on my way to work and when I got in, everyone asked me why I looked like someone just died. I said 'because they did'. Chris Cornell hurt too, but he passed years after I stopped following him, but Soundgarden and Alice in Chains are two of the greatest bands of our time.
bourbonislifewater@reddit
Jerry Garcia. 27 year old me was like. “ well , he had a good run “. 57 year old me is like “ he could have played 30 more years
maxka1@reddit
Adam Yauch
Roland-Of-Eld-19@reddit
Chris
Fluffy_Tap_935@reddit
Eazy E. First loss to make me cry. One of the few ever.
GothScottiedog16@reddit
Michael Hutchence
DinodiAnversa@reddit
John Entwistle
cmeleep@reddit
David Bowie.
Adventurous_Soft5549@reddit
Conway Twitty - still miss him
discussatron@reddit
Between EVH, Tom Petty, and Neil Peart, Peart's death saddened me the most.
LuckyAd2714@reddit
Bowie
polkastripper@reddit
Mimi Parker from Low. The fact that she was married to Alan Sparhawk for so long and they had such a close bond, and the music they made is so emotional in general, has been so sad. I'm only now getting to where I can listen to them again.
DaytimeDawg1951@reddit
John Lennon
Cmorethecat@reddit
Chris Cornell
NICEnEVILmike@reddit
Michael Jackson's death was a huge shock, but I felt bad for Farrah Fawcett because she died the same day and Michael's death completely overshadowed hers.
Pleasant_Influence14@reddit
John Lennon
New-Geezer@reddit
They announced it over our school PA system. We were all in shock.
Pleasant_Influence14@reddit
I found my journal recently and wrote about it. It was so shocking.
nouniquenamesleft2@reddit
Jerry Garcia,
for good an bad
MyriVerse2@reddit
Lennon, hands down. I was a basket case on the day, and even now it destroys me. I watched that recent documentary about it, and it took me about 45 minutes to compose myself.
Prince and Bowie are up there, as well. Dolores O'Riordan. Falco hurts too.
UsualCharacter@reddit
Elliott Smith.
LucySushi66@reddit
Yes, still crushed over this one even though it was so predictable.
Independent-Use-7833@reddit
My 15 year old has become almost as big a fan as me but there’s no way to convey what it was like to love him and lose him that way.
No-Escape5520@reddit
Can't believe I had to scroll this far. I still listen to his music almost daily. What a huge talent that never got to fully spred his wings.
MurderedRemains@reddit
My man.
Ok-Writing9280@reddit
Taylor Hawkins
Chris Cornell
Kurt Cobain
NetLumpy1818@reddit
2Pac and Biggy
Hey-buuuddy@reddit
Peter Steele, Dave Brockie.
TifCreatesAgain@reddit
Freddie Mercury
6mcdonoughs@reddit
David Bowie
therealmizC@reddit
Leonard Cohen.
Old_lifter_65@reddit
SRV. I was in Germany (Bremen) when the helicopter was reported down. The concert promoters I was with were heart-broken.
Great_Office_9553@reddit
Bowie. Still can’t get through Blackstar without cracking a bit.
norakb123@reddit
I think Amy Winehouse makes sense. Looking back, she was treated terribly in the public eye. When she needed compassion, she got hate & mockery. And she was so young!
Throwaway-ish123a@reddit
Ok not music artist but Robin Williams' death affected me a lot. The narrative made it sound like he was despondent, which he was, but it was specifically due to Lewy Body Dementia, which from seeing it up close with my uncle, is one of the cruellest diseases out there. It is horrible suffering and I felt deeply for what they both endured.
ZooterOne@reddit
Warren Zevon.
It wasn't a shock, obviously, but I was listening to his final album The Wind when I heard he passed and I cried like a child. I'm still not over it.
Meat Loaf, too, though his death makes me angrier than sad.
ImpressiveFrame2334@reddit
David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. In the same year.
SprinklesGood3144@reddit
David Bowie.
Imaginary_Deal_1807@reddit
Chris Cornell.
MaleficentExtent1777@reddit
Whitney Houston. 😭
tallulahgti@reddit
George Michael. I just can’t believe he’s gone.
DeadManAle@reddit
None.
carriestewbert@reddit
George Harrison and Tom Petty.
EstablishmentFirm204@reddit
David Bowie. 💔
Necessary-Flounder52@reddit
Kurt.
FillQueasy9596@reddit
Jimmy Buffet. Such a huge part of my world.
Bulky-Property5080@reddit
I cried for days. I read A Salty Piece of Land every summer, while I’m by the pool. I still cry when I finish it.
ripvanwiseacre@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn. A genius who had decades of music ahead of him.
Aldo_Buttahflake@reddit
‘80s Dead Head, when Jerry died that hurt, also Joe Strummer, that hurt
Simple-Purpose-899@reddit
None. I don't put personal value on the lives of strangers. I might enjoy what they do, but their passing won't even register in my emotions.
benbenpens@reddit
Back when, it was probably the shock of Elvis’s death. Now, the most recent loss was Dolores O’Riordan.
AbsintheRedux@reddit
Michael Hutchence. I loved INXS and while I know he was plagued with a lot of demons, I just wonder if his marriage to Paula Yates didn’t do him any favors. They seemed a toxic pair.
Meauxjezzy@reddit
Aw you care about your favorite artist dying! Why? they didn’t give a shit about you all they wanted to do was be famous and take your money they are apart of consumption ism.
all8things@reddit
I was 7 when John Lennon died, and I remember being so sad about that, even though I don’t remember being really into the Beatles or their solo work until around 10. People gave me magazines about his death at the ten year anniversary, so I’m definitely remembering correctly. I took Kurt hard, George Harrison, Prince, Bowie…I’m still not over Chris Cornell or Taylor Hawkins. We’re huge music people in my house. Any time one of the greats dies, we’re sad for a while.
Hucklebearer_411@reddit
SRV was a shock in my younger years . I think watching him survive all of his own demons, just to see him go in a tragic accident while he was out on a victory tour hit me. Now that I've laid that all out to print so to speak, that probably has a bit to do with the next one, being Chris Cornell. Again, survived (well, most I suppose), his own demons, seeming to be in a good place in life and then to see it cut short by his own actions. Not sure if it was other things going on in my life at the time, but Cornell has and continues to hit some old, deep, something that's burrowed in.
Status_Jelly_8419@reddit
Prince, Tina Turner, MJ, Eddie Van Halen
pm_fearless@reddit
Freddy
dougcohen10@reddit
Prince & Michael Hutchence both hit me really hard…
wildmstie@reddit
Clarence Clemons
letshopethis1works@reddit
Chris Cornell. I was absolutely heartbroken, still am. Kurt Cobain was pretty damned sad too, I was also 27 when Kurt died and I was like but there's so much more life to live my dude. I'm a Seattle girl and almost all of our original grunge leads have died.
itaintbirds@reddit
Gord Downie. A whole nation mourned his loss. The last concert really hit hard.
Twitter_2006@reddit
Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.
RockSteady65@reddit
Phillip Lynott. Taken way too soon
QueenScorp@reddit
OMG, Prince and Amy Winehouse for me, too!
Prince because well, he was prince, but also because I live in the twin cities and it was so close to home. I remember seeing the news that he had been found collapsed in the elevator and I was glued to the media waiting to hear if he was okay. He had been in the music scene my entire formative life.
I think for me Amy was such a blow because she was such a unique talent, she seemingly had been overcoming her demons and then, boom, it was just gone. Heartbreaking.
And both Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell hurt because both of them were also part of my high school formative years and informed the type of music I still like to listen to. But as much as their deaths sucked, neither of them struck me quite as hard as Prince and Amy.
Tammy993@reddit
Gordon Lightfoot. Loved his music since a young girl. Saw him in concert with my dad, with my brother in my 20s and later with my husband. Massive talent and Canadian icon.
PobodysNerfect802@reddit
Jimmy Buffett. A really decent human being who didn't take himself too seriously and taught the rest of us that same lesson. The world seemed a bit darker the day he died but his music keeps the party going for the rest of us. Bubbles up.
MzHllyWd-0121@reddit
Biggie, Tupac, Michael Jackson, Whitney Huston, and Prince
Thumber3@reddit
Gord Downey
In Gord we trust
cincyhuffster@reddit
Jim Croce
Ornery-Egg9770@reddit
Edward Van Halen. It still messes with me to think he is gone already.
20_BuysManyPeanuts@reddit
same man. you should go listen to Wolfgangs latest song. the opening put a smile of nostalgia on my face and his solo is a good nod to his old man... he tries to hide it but he's got his old mans fingers.
defsentenz@reddit
Jerry Garcia. No comparison....wrecked my circle of people for a long long time
Oolon42@reddit
David Bowie, musical genius.
eaglemg1@reddit
George Michael, Prince, Taylor Hawkins, and even after all of the horrific things we learned about Michael Jackson, his death deeply affected me. It was truly the soundtrack to the most impressionable part of my childhood. I can’t listen now tho.
Scotchyscotchscotch7@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
FangioDuReverdy@reddit
George Michael. I felt like a part of my childhood died. 2016 sucked…Bowie, Price, and GM in the same year.
PopeCerebus@reddit
Bowie
I just met someone at karaoke and we bonded over our love of Bowie. Teared up right there. BLACKSTAR huts me like a train whenever I listen to it.
savedbytheblood72@reddit
Joey Ramone
latomar@reddit
Whitney Houston, Michael Hutchence
Royal_Inspector8324@reddit
Tomorrow Petty
StupidSexyScooter@reddit
Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus) from GWAR. Their last album together was incredible
Classic_Barnacle_844@reddit
Elliot Smith was a bummer. He had so much talent, it's really sad.
2hardbasketcase@reddit
Jeff Buckley
ae7empest@reddit
Definitely Chris Cornell. First celebrity death that had me crying for daze. Chris, "No one sings like you anymore..." RIP 🤘
disharmony-hellride@reddit
This one shocked me to my core
Independent-Wheel354@reddit
Oderus Urungus. Dude was my favorite guy in the world for nearly 30 years.
logan48227@reddit
Prince.
He and Mr. Rogers are the only 2 celebrity deaths I've ever cried over.
CompetitiveReading71@reddit
Elvis, Karen carpenter
TheGreenLentil666@reddit
For me it was Kurt Cobain. I was at work, in Seattle, and the whole city was in shock. I guess everyone knew about his dependency issues but nobody thought he’d actually pull the trigger.
Classic_Barnacle_844@reddit
I was caught off guard by Bowie's death. I thought we had a lot more time with him.
_ItsTheLittleThings_@reddit
Chester Bennington! His pain breaks my heart.
Breakfastclub1991@reddit
Randy Rhodes Stevie Ray Vaughn Freddy Mercury Prince Eddie Van Halen
Everyone of them was exceptional
AccomplishedIgit@reddit
Kurt Cobain. Then a few short years later, Jeff Buckley
Magpie-IX@reddit
David Bowie
Neil Peart
SairYin@reddit
Kurt Cobain but I was 14
andthrewaway1@reddit
recently Phil lesh eventhough I knew it was coming
Dry-Calligrapher614@reddit
Kurt Cobain
GrumpyCatStevens@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
auslan_planet@reddit
Mozart.
Gone too soon.
MrsEDT@reddit
100% agree
Prestigious_Stay7162@reddit
Rock me, Amadeus
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Haha but true too
Impressive-Yak-7449@reddit
Jimmy Buffett
SMH_My_Head@reddit
Sinead was our girl! not having her anymore still hurts.
blackkristos@reddit
Joe Strummer. The world lost a lot that day.
ddurk1@reddit
You beat me to it as well. I was working as a chef in Singapore at the time. My brother called me with the news while I was at work. He and I grew up with The Clash as a near constant soundtrack to our lives.I dropped what I was doing and just stood there for a couple minutes. I had to go outside and collect my thoughts.
I drank a half bottle of gin that night after work while listening to Clash CD's, sometimes crying, mostly smiling. His cover of Redemption Songs off his last solo album still punches me hard whenever it comes on.
Missing-Digits@reddit
The only band that mattered.
RemoteRAU07@reddit
You beat me to it.
Fair_Illustrator_727@reddit
Yes, I cried.
MrsEDT@reddit
George Michael and Freddie Mercury
1nt2know@reddit
Freddie Mercury and Eric Carr on the same day Nov 24th 1991. Such a large shock for the rock world. This was the first to hit me.
Others that followed.
Jani Lane - incredible lyricist and musician. Wrote a lot of the songs I still rock out too to this day.
Michael Jackson - this really does not need explanation. Prince- again, really needs no explanation. These two combined were huge shocks. Arguably the two biggest pop stars of the 80s.
EVH - we all knew was sick. Wasn’t that big of a shock. But was still a bit part of my youth.
DMaury1969@reddit
Harry Chapin. He had so much more to do.
PrunesForBreakfast@reddit
John Lennon murdered in cold blood. The man promoted peace and love.
Jrzgrl1119@reddit
Jerry Garcia and Kurt Cobain, those hurt:(
Aggressive-Bath-1906@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
BootyMcSqueak@reddit
Aaliyah.
More-Complaint@reddit
Joe Strummer. He was finally established in his own distinct, post Clash sound. I probably don't think about him daily, but it feels like I do.
Prestigious_Stay7162@reddit
Same. I was bellowing along to Love Kills last night while making stew last night. Very punk.
Jpkmets7@reddit
Same here. I listen to the Clash and/or Mescaleros pretty much daily. He’s on my mind a lot these days.
OxygenThief7@reddit
Neil Peart and Chris Cornell.
I knew Neil had health issues, so it wasn’t shocking that he’d passed, but as a lifelong Rush fan it still hit pretty hard.
Cornell’s death shook me, though. Of course any suicide comes out of the blue, but seeing him come through all the tragedy of that Seattle scene only to take his own life years after the fact… damn.
PotentialLanguage685@reddit
Joey Ramone.
Aurora_Gory_Alice@reddit
Chris Cornell. His music is still a big part of the soundtrack of my life. Then, losing Chester Bennington soon after was brutal.
DR34MGL455@reddit
I was pretty upset when MJ died, not gonna lie. Just so needlessly tragic. 🙁
Brain-Waster@reddit
John Lennon. I was twelve years old and just discovering The Beatles when he was killed.
Danimal_300zx@reddit
Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy.
slingblade1980@reddit
Richie Valens, I was a kid at the time I found out and the "La Bamba" movie just came out.
His was the first music artists death that I remember.
tfid3@reddit
Chester from Linkin Park. I loved their songs and I loved his messages but what a stupid coward for killing himself. I will never listen to another one of their songs ever again.
C-romero80@reddit
Definitely good music, but all of his songs screamed depressed and lonely. It makes me wonder if anyone really tried to help, or if he didn't let them.
tfid3@reddit
I thought his songs were cathartic but I guess his message to himself was different in the end.
KaramazovFootman@reddit
Shane MacGowan
elidan5@reddit
Dolores O'Riordan from the Cranberries
RaybeartADunEidann@reddit
Freddy. Shocked.
BakeSoggy@reddit
Steve Clark from Def Leppard
Jeff Hanneman from Slayer
divergurl1999@reddit
Chester Bennington hit hard for me. I didn’t fully appreciate LPs music until I understood a lot of the songs were about growing up with narcissistic abuse. And I didn’t understand that until I fully saw my own parents for who they actually are instead of the picture perfect family my parents showed the world. We were anything but a good, healthy family. Everything about my own upbringing was toxic af, a degradation of who I am, and I had parents who could never do wrong and definitely we’re never accountable for their own mistakes no matter how much they hurt the people around them.
I didn’t start seeing my own family for what they are until after Chester passed. Now, I am a huge advocate for getting away from the things that hurt us, and dealing with our past trauma because if you have trauma brain caused by childhood abuse, any of us could end up exactly like Chester. He tried to get it out in his music, but he lost that battle. The abuse cycles I am breaking, I am now doing it, not only for my own health, but in memory of Chester also. RIP Chester.
10yearsisenough@reddit
Jerry Garcia
Prince
Johnny Cash
hazelquarrier_couch@reddit
Sinead O'Connor hit me really hard. I started listening to her when I was an angsty teen needing an outlet for my internal rage. "Black boys on mopeds" made me feel like somebody understood how I was feeling.
mamajaybird@reddit
Mac Miller 💔
Nightcalm@reddit
David Bowie, he was my soundtrack
squarebody8675@reddit
Jerry Garcia
rushfanatic1@reddit
Neil Peart.
she_slithers_slyly@reddit
Whitney Houston
Severe_Feedback_2590@reddit
Chris Cornell. I’m not an emotional person, and wasn’t emotional when he died. But his was probably the only death that I was like “damn”.
mysboss@reddit
Lane Stayley hit me really hard.
Sensitive_Snark@reddit
Prince - RIP 🕊️
scholarlyowl03@reddit
Tupac. I still remember where I was when I heard he passed. It was such a shock because they said just days before that he was going to be fine.
segascream@reddit
Bowie, Prince, Bob Casale, Ric Ocasek, Adam Schlessinger, Elliot Smith.
There were plenty of others that I was bummed by, but those were the ones where I was actually just stopped cold in the middle of whatever I was doing and said "oh........fuck."
AgathaJones2022@reddit
Bowie. It's as though the world turned darker and crueler.
AgathaJones2022@reddit
After he died.
RunningPirate@reddit
Jimmy Buffett
kmtf75@reddit
Harry Belafonte
BarbaraDoreen@reddit
Bowie and MCA I was devastated
BackOnTheMap@reddit
Neil Peart
Pete Shelley
Keith Moon, when I was a teenager
TheFrontierzman@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Dede0821@reddit
Not a music artist, but it really hit when Mr. Rogers passed away
bluntpointsharpie@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddy Mercury, Bon Scott
Electronic_Cow_7055@reddit
Dio
Val32601@reddit
Chester and Prince
WATERMELONCARRIER@reddit
George Michael & Prince
NoChipmunk8780@reddit
John Denver. I remembered him from his guest appearances on The Muppet Show, and the first Oh God! movie. Plus, there was this "based on a true story" made for TV movie i saw once, that has made Country Road super depressing to me (RIP Merlin... if you know, you know)
Alternative-Water473@reddit
David Bowie.
Bazoun@reddit
Freddie Mercury then Kurt Cobain
JimVivJr@reddit
Hands down, Chris Cornell. Prince, MJ, and Tom Petty hurt me, but Cornell really killed me.
cowbutt6@reddit
Chuck Schuldiner.
hill138@reddit
Had to scroll to see if someone else would post him before I did. Huge influence on the metal community, too bad he wasn't widely known outside of it.
cowbutt6@reddit
His death was a sad indictment of the US heath care "system", too.
hill138@reddit
Indeed it is.
bmaayhem@reddit
Neil Peart, according to this post everyone my age was listening to prince, tom petty or Kurt Kobain, in 1995 I discovered rush so that’s all I listened to. My entire musical perspective changed, sent me down a path to “YES” and “Genesis” I was devastated when Neil died.
speeder61@reddit
John Lennon
Big_Fat_Polack_62@reddit
Chris Cornell and Bowie. My youth died along with them. 'Honorable Mention,' Lane Staley.
Future-Chemical7812@reddit
SRV and Johnny Thunders.
To GenX, both don't have the same effect as more modern artists, but those were both gut punches to me.
Milo_Minderbinding@reddit
Chris Cornell
Next-Ad-5343@reddit
Richard Wright from Pink Floyd, followed closely by Frank Zappa.
Robby777777@reddit
Ronnie VanZant and Steve Gaines.
swimbikerunnerd@reddit
Eddie Van Halen. He was the reason I started playing guitar, which, then set the entire trajectory of my life. Cried for days.
cserskine@reddit
John Lennon. I was only 7 but I realized how influential his music was in my childhood.
jenicide1@reddit
The first one to really affect me was John Lennon. I mean I was just a kid but I loved The Beatles. That was insane. The other crazy one was Michael Jackson. As a kid I wanted to marry him of course, but damn. The news coverage was just crazy. With Prince I was so stunned I sat and looked at my phone not believing it. Then I went into my office at work and just sat there. Such a shock for me that I didn’t cry at first.
justimari@reddit
Elliott Smith also because I knew him personally.
UselessOldFart@reddit
For me it was Eddie Van Halen. While I’m a drummer instead of a guitarist, his approach to music, his showmanship on stage, and - most important to me - his obvious outright joy performing and living everything music was an enormous influence on my musical life and overall personality. To this very day I still admire and respect the artist and person he was. I know as a human he wasn’t perfect, but he dam sure tried hard to be a good person, husband and father. I have eternal respect for him.🙏🎸❤️🤍🖤🎸
ADF21a@reddit
Steve Mackey, Pulp bassist. It hit me harder than I thought, mainly because it was out of the blue.
But probably the one that will hit even harder is Jarvis Cocker's death. Pulp literally changed my life. I owe so much to them.
And Nick Cave's death. That will hit hard too.
archedhighbrow@reddit
I don't know why, David Bowie. It's not like I was an album holder or watched Labyrinth or anything. I really liked him singing Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby.
TropicoTech@reddit
Had to be Dolores O’Riordan and Chris Cornell for me. Kurt and Layne were also huge losses obvs. But for some reason Dolores and Chris just ripped my gut out. R.I.P legends and thanks for all the memories.
DainasaurusRex@reddit
Sinéad O’Connor for me. She was such a bad ass young woman at a time when that role model was sorely needed.
voodooskull@reddit
Tony Sly of No Use for a Name.
SkeymourSinner@reddit
I only got to see them once. They opened for NOFX and he was gone not long after. RIP Sly. The Shortest Pier still stings.
SkeymourSinner@reddit
Trevor Strnad
instantlyregredditit@reddit
Shannon Hoon
N-Y-R-D@reddit
Dimebag.
Glass_Net_7445@reddit
Joey Ramone. :(
jamesdmccallister@reddit
Jerry Garcia. Two weeks later, I turned 30. Childhood had ended.
thekennytheykilled@reddit
Joe Strummer hit me harder than I could have expected.
darkmaninperth@reddit
Andy Fletcher from Depeche Mode.
ADF21a@reddit
Oh yes, Andy 😭 He seemed like such a nice guy 😥
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
🙏🏼
IllogicalFoxParanoia@reddit
Chris Cornell.
yearsofpractice@reddit
Hey OP - mine are exactly the same as you - Prince and Amy Winehouse.
Prince, well because Prince. He died on my 40th birthday and I still had plans to see him live.
Amy Winehouse because I followed her entire career and she was the first person in the spotlight that I knew was doomed. I was about 10 years older than her and just knew she was not going to last long. I saw her live at Glastonbury and - even though she was strung out - she was 100% the real deal in terms of technique and power.
Charlie61172@reddit
Jeff Hanneman.
paisley_life@reddit
Adam Yauch, Amy Winehouse, and Bowie. Winehouse was just so needless and she could have been a mega superstar if she beat her addictions and had a better support system.
tawnyfritz@reddit
Kurt Cobain. I was 14 and super into Nirvana, so it was bound to wreck me.
robertwadehall@reddit
Chris Cornell, Prince, and Tom Petty all hit hard.
tseo23@reddit
My Krush Groove loves - MCA, Jam Master Jay, Buff Love
modbotherer@reddit
"This from the guy who still owes me 10 bucks over which was gonna be the bigger movie, ET or Krush Groove."
MurderedRemains@reddit
"Who's house?!?"
modbotherer@reddit
“RUN’S HOUSE!!!”
MurderedRemains@reddit
Time will tell on that one.
splorp_evilbastard@reddit
John Lennon, Tom Petty, Prince, Chris Cornell
solomons-marbles@reddit
Garcia. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Comfortable-Help9587@reddit
Neil Peart and Eddie Van Halen
heffel77@reddit
Jerry Garcia, no question
Max_Powers-@reddit
Jimmy Buffett
ctbadger92@reddit
I can see the day when my hair is full of gray
And I finally disappear
Statistician6675@reddit
Someone wrote a line in a tribute post, along the lines of "Buffett gave us the hope of eternal summer" and that hit me right in the feels. We went annually to see him for years, some of the most fun nights of my life. His death hit hard.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Yes 🙌🏼
Traditional_Ant_2662@reddit
John Lennon
ctbadger92@reddit
Neil Peart hit me like a sledgehammer. Totally out of nowhere.
Jimmy Buffett hit me very hard as well. I know he was sick but it was unexpected.
They are similar in a lot of ways, I'd like to think Neil is teaching Jimmy how to ride a motorcycle and Jimmy is teaching Neil how to surf.
Astorstranata@reddit
Chris Cornell. I woke to several texts of condolences.
SOMEONENEW1999@reddit
For sure Kurt Cobain. I was 20 when Nevermind came out and it and Jane’s Addiction were game changers for me. I was still young when he died and it REALLY shocked me.
snailquestions@reddit
Avicii - I'd been enjoying his music so much as it came out.
rogermcgruder@reddit
Neal Peart. His lyrics reached me in adolescence. Felt his passing deeply.
Careless-Caramel-997@reddit
David Berman
kalelopaka@reddit
Ronnie Van Zant, Bon Scott, Cliff Burton,
missdawn1970@reddit
Burton was a tough one for me. I was supposed to see Metallica, but they cancelled the rest of their US tour and went to Europe, and that was when the accident happened.
WimpyZombie@reddit
I have never been affected by a celebrity's death ...until Jimmy Buffett died.
He was too much about having a fun life to die before 100.
CeilingUnlimited@reddit
Neil Peart
Lost-Leadership1767@reddit
Chris Cornell hit me pretty hard
Extension_Worry_9766@reddit
Stevie Ray, remember it like yesterday.
Jon Lord, Ray Manzarek.
Also Chrissy Amphlett and Doc Neeson.
TheHouIeigan@reddit
Frank Zappa
MurderedRemains@reddit
Would have been US President by now.
sebthelodge@reddit
Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. Took me a decade to even be able to listen to Elliott again.
MurderedRemains@reddit
Still was worth the wait though, I'll bet.
SambaTisst@reddit
Euronymous
Puzzleheaded_Log_398@reddit
Shannon Hoon
GrumpyDrunkPatzer@reddit
MCA and Scott Weiland
DanimusMcSassypants@reddit
Mimi Parker.
Aside from the world losing a beautiful soul, LOW was on a streak of the best records of their career. Rest easy, Mim.
Lucky-Resolution890@reddit
Bowie.
he was my 1st musical memory at age 4 or 5.
Adorableviolet@reddit
It is Prince hands down. It still hurts.
Crusty8@reddit
Sinead. I heard the news at work and started crying.
Prince.
carneviva@reddit
David Bowie, felt like I took for granted his time on this planet
Pleasant_Garlic8088@reddit
I was 14 when Kurt Cobain died. It seemed really significant at the time. I found some high school buddies and started my first band.
zappyface1@reddit
For me it was Stevie Ray Vaughan. My boyfriend at the time took me to a concert of his and I was blown away by his music! My main love is Bon Jovi (8 concerts) but the best concert will always be Stevie Ray Vaughan!
chefontheloose@reddit
SRV for life, he was truly amazing
Law_of_Attraction_75@reddit
Chris Cornell
chefontheloose@reddit
Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys. That one still hurts.
NoIamthatotherguy@reddit
Most recently, Jimmy Buffet.
StrictFinance2177@reddit
Ronnie Van Zant
gamblinonme@reddit
2pac
hendooman@reddit
Jerry Garcia…RIP brother!
Miserable_Smoke_6719@reddit
When David Bowie died, I laid on my kitchen floor and cried.
When Prince died a few months later, I was so overcome that I started crying at work.
Michael Jackson was big for me too. Even though he became such a weirdo later in life, my childhood self was heartbroken.
Amy Winehouse too. Damn.
rulerofthewasteland@reddit
Prince then Michael then Rozz Williams.
cactus-vagus@reddit
Jeff Buckley, hands down.
Hour_Particular3906@reddit
Omg I couldn’t believe it 🩵
Hour_Particular3906@reddit
Chris Cornell’s death really broke my heart
MurderedRemains@reddit
Elliott Smith. I miss him every single day.
secret_someones@reddit
Kurt and Prince
DisastrousYam6185@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn
ethridge_wayland@reddit
John Lennon. Not so much because I felt personally impacted being 8 years old, but because I witnessed and felt the family and media's reaction to it.
keirmeister@reddit
Michael Jackson’s death was a huge shock, but the one that hit me most was losing Prince. I was a huge fan of his music since “1999.” The funny thing was, when news came out of his death, all of my friends were calling me to make sure I was OK. I had to finally update folks saying, “Yeah, I’m OK. I mean, I’m not related to him!”
HeslopDC@reddit
Michael Hutchence was probably the first one for me that hit hard. And the one I just could not begin to make sense of.
JJQuantum@reddit
Tom Petty. He hit his peak in the 80’s when I was in high school, is one of my absolute favorite artists and has always been underrated. Luckily I saw him 3 times in concert.
BobCalifornnnnnia@reddit
I definitely do not believe he was underrated.
jitterbugperfume99@reddit
I’d argue he hit a second peak in the 90’s.
I will never not miss him.
BobCalifornnnnnia@reddit
Tom Petty. I left work.
AnarchoReddit@reddit
Alan Vega
cnation01@reddit
I remember watching MTV when the news broke that Jeff Buckley was missing after going into that stupid river to swim.
About a week later, mews came around that they found his body. That felt like a big blow to me.
Direct-Date-8170@reddit
George Michael. I was a fan since 1982 and I was heartbroken.
theoneIfed@reddit
I just posted him too. I think that's how I learned about homosexuality. I was in loooove with him and my older brother used to tease the shit outta me and I never knew why, until I did.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Yeah I get it !
SandyBullockSux@reddit
Tom Petty & Phil Lesh.
Shit still has me bummed.
metalfan78@reddit
Dimebag Darrel
WTM73199@reddit
Chester Bennington
dudetellsthetruth@reddit
Frank Zappa
Swimming_Tennis6641@reddit
Chris Cornell
theoneIfed@reddit
George Michael.
NightOfTheHunter@reddit
Neil Peart. Never been affected by the death of someone I didn't know personally like that. Ran outside and just wandered around staring up at the stars.
Jpkmets7@reddit
Joe Strummer. What a huge loss.
BluMaybelline@reddit
Marie Fredriksson and Dolores O'Riordan. RIP🙏🕊️
Funny-Berry-807@reddit
George Michael. Ooooph.
darkstar8977@reddit
Garcia
DiverWing@reddit
For me Chris Cornell. That bothered me alot for some reason
flashingcurser@reddit
Layne Staley. He cried out for help for a decade and nobody was there to help him.
Sanjomo@reddit
Jerry Garcia. It was the sudden end of a long great party and adventure.
Solomon33AD@reddit
David Bowie. Truly, gone too soon
therelybare5@reddit
George Harrison, especially how well the Traveling Wilburys were doing! They’ve lost three of their five members!
dem4life71@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan. I was mesmerized by him after I saw the “Pride and Joy” video as a kid in 5th or 6th grade. I started buying all his albums, and was already taking guitar lessons.
And then, the helicopter goes down! I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. Still miss him! Imagine what his career would have looked like had he lived…
Upper-Dig56@reddit
The day Prince died. I had people calling to check on me. I was shook!
SerentityM3ow@reddit
It was more because I was in my formative years but Kurt Cobain.
Realistic-Currency61@reddit
Neil Peart
Eddie Van Halen
marshallkrich@reddit
Dimebag Darrell. Just such bull shit, man gets murdered on stage because some lunatic was mad that Pantera was broke up. Not to mention the other people who were murdered on stage as well.
Crusoebear@reddit
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip.
His farewell tour throughout Canada with everyone knowing his impending death was right around the corner was really something. His incredible artistry, courage & perseverance in the face of what was to come - all too soon - was matched only by his fan’s love & respect reflected back at him was pretty spellbinding.
boilersnipe@reddit
Ronnie James Dio 🤘🏻😝🤘🏻
alright410@reddit
Mark Lanegan, Steve Albini.
Jeannette311@reddit
Kim Jonghyun.
Thin-Significance838@reddit
Freddie Mercury George Michael
Naive_Product_5916@reddit
John Lennon. I was in middle school. I was learning so much ….
lfartalot@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Myfanwy66@reddit
Eddie Van Halen.
Read the book Brothers, if you haven’t.
ShockBeautiful2597@reddit
John Lennon, not because, just because it was one of the first celebrity murders I was alive for and the details were so troubling. How the shooter thought he was the catcher in the eye 🙂
teleheaddawgfan@reddit
Jerry
meandhimandthose2@reddit
Justin Townes Earle.
He was amazing and would have gone on to do so much more. I'm still so sad about the wasted talent.
0hheyitsme@reddit
Michael Hutchence
Cool-Strategy1659@reddit
George Michael was the one that broke my heart. To me, he so represented the 80s. 💔
WielderOfAphorisms@reddit
Chris Cornell and Jeff Buckley
gladyskravitz64@reddit
Bowie, Cobain
Woodwork_Holiday8951@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan. David Bowie.
BlueAndMoreBlue@reddit
John Hartford for me
Acrobatic_Trifle8374@reddit
Amy Winehouse - she was so close to getting sober…incredible talent, once in a generation voice…
mrbaggy@reddit
Bowie. My best friend’s older brother turned us onto him when we were in elementary school. He was so much more sophisticated and cool than anything our peers were into. He seemed so original. So free. When he died it brought it reminded me of that time when everything seemed possible. Suddenly it wasn’t.
untactfullyhonest@reddit
Sinead O’Connor. I loved her music. Loved her look. Her style. I learned of her tragic childhood and made me respect her even more. She fought those demons her whole life. She loses a child. I felt like no one was genuinely there for her as she got older and only wanted to use her. I feel like she needed a good solid friend who wasn’t there for her to take advantage of her. I’m guessing she was very lonely. Her whole life just feels like it was full of heartache and tragedy.
davdev@reddit
Because of my age at the time and the influence he had on younger GenX the only real answer to this is Cobain.
Think_Selection9571@reddit
Robert Palmer
BottleAgreeable7981@reddit
Chris Cornell.
PennieLane7500@reddit
Freddie Mercury
Sumokat@reddit
Same.
utaee1992@reddit
Neil Peart
vankirk@reddit
Aaliyah. She was so young and had so much ahead of her.
bowie2019@reddit
When Bowie died it took months for me to get back to a point where I could still see the glass half full, saying to myself, well I can at least still go and watch a Prince concert! 2016 was a brutal year for so many reasons.
phlebonaut@reddit
CHRIS CORNELL
DangerBird-@reddit
Dave Brockie, AKA Oderus Urungus of GWAR.
Glittering-Rock-3048@reddit
Leonard Cohen. Quintessential Canadian poet and never to be heard again voice.
Awkward_Art_6586@reddit
RIP B.B. King & Jimmy Buffett
chillinwithabeer29@reddit
Edward Van Halen
KillKillKitty@reddit
Jeff Buckley.
pomdudes@reddit
Neil Peart.
LongjumpingTone3544@reddit
It was Chris Cornell for me. Not that i hadn't felt Prince and Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain, but Chris hit different. I still get a kind of way when I hear his music. And what is odd is Soundgarden is/was not my favorite. Of the big grunge bands in way more into Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.
brandonsarkis@reddit
Bowie and Petty. Prince was hard but it wasn’t a surprise.
kunk75@reddit
David Berman and Leonard Cohen
gtrmike5150@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Think_Secret_7315@reddit
Cliff Burton, Chris Cornell, Dio, and John Bonham
Beatnik1968@reddit
I have two. I was deep into grunge, and way in the Nirvana camp when Kurt Cobain died. Then Prince. I live in St. Paul, so getting to Paisley Park for a show was a common occurrence. Prince has been my #1 since 1983, and his death devastated me for months.
Lazy-Operation478@reddit
Jerry Garcia. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news
Public-Air-8995@reddit
I’m Australian, Michael Hutchence (INXS) death deeply shocked me. He was the voice of my youth. I felt older after that and many others since.
Head_supper@reddit
George Michael!
Federal-Membership-1@reddit
Bowie.
FAHQRudy@reddit
David Bowie & Jimmy Buffett, hands down. Both of them were huge impacts on me.
tw0tonet@reddit
Mark Linkous
tonefreq@reddit
James Brown on Xmas Day.
TransitJohn@reddit
Jerry Garcia.
Adventurous-Leg-216@reddit
Leroi Moore.
AMMJ@reddit
Jimmy Buffett hit hard.
It was like the party suddenly ended.
Aroundapole@reddit
MCA
erikrocks1975@reddit
Yauch. Fucking cancer. Ugh it still stings.
Blue22Studio@reddit
Honestly, Prince.
teej73@reddit
Tom Petty. He would have made a great elder statesman of Rock.
prairiescary@reddit
Chris Cornell.
kestrel_watcher@reddit
Vic Chesnutt is always my first answer to that question.
Bowie too, for sure.
FlamingoImpressive11@reddit
Kurt Cobain. I was 17 and if was so shocking.
MomsBored@reddit
Kurt Cobain. Broke my heart. I stopped listening to music for a year.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
I really understand this feeling.. it’s happened a couple of times now !
vhc8@reddit
Kurt Cobain
We not only lost an incredible musician and song writer, but a guy who was ahead of his time in speaking out against hate and speaking for those who needed support.
Incesticide (1992) liner notes written by Kurt Cobain:
"If any of you in any way hate homosexuals, people of different color, or women, please do this one favor for us—leave us the fuck alone! Don't come to our shows and don't buy our records."
That was a huge statement to make in 1992, after the massive success of Nevermind, and coming from the man being called the voice of his generation.
Too bad that a majority of our fellow GenXers would go on to support a despicable human being for president who represents everything young GenX and Cobain would've despised. GenX has too high of an opinion of itself. GenX is worse than the Boomers they criticized.
GenX could've used Cobain's voice over the past 30 years. In more ways than one.
QuietBirthday2470@reddit
Way to turn a simple post into a political fit.
Affectionate_Yak8519@reddit
You poor thing, how will you go on? Them dang liberals ruining your life again?
vhc8@reddit
You know what they say about the truth.
But I get it. GenX wants to think we're the cool generation and better than those damn baby boomers. All that went out the window for good in 2024. GenX showed who they really are and what really matters to them.
Ok-Translator9809@reddit
Yeah, I'm embarrassed to be Gen X.
CricketSuccessful192@reddit
Gee. Let me guess your political affiliation and who you voted for if you think that comment is "a political fit".
Besides, music and politics have always been closely linked.
eyeballburger@reddit
Kurt Cobain. I’m about the latest you can be in genX, I suffered from depression, still do. He did it at a very influential time of development in my life. “You know you’re right” hits me like a bag of bricks, especially knowing what was going to happen.
Visible_Ice5061@reddit
Randy Rhodes
Less-Helicopter-745@reddit
David Bowie.
I was never into his music, but for a small handful of songs. I'm still not.
But I didn't realise that I liked that he was out there, doing his weird thing, until he died. Then the world felt a poorer place.
Affectionate_Yak8519@reddit
Kurt Cobain and then later on Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse
GoodArm6210@reddit
Neil Peat needs to bin this list
Efficient-Spirit-380@reddit
Neil Peart and Gord Downie. 🇨🇦
International_Low284@reddit
George Michael was tge absolute saddest.
Random0s2oh@reddit
Prince. He defined my teenage years. I also loved Queen and thought Freddie Mercury, along with Prince, was one of the greatest singers of all time.
tequilasundae@reddit
There are more prominent artists that affected me, but this one is odd. I was on prednisone due to rib pain from an extended case of bronchitis. During that whole thing Christine Mcvie died. While I like Fleetwood Mac, the side effects had me, 53 yr old man sobbing
StillC5sdad@reddit
Ronnie James Dio. It still sucks.
twitch68@reddit
Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Amy Winehoussse, John Lennon,,, Kurt Cobain,, so many of them went too young.
menellinde@reddit
Gord Downey from The Tragically Hip. The man was a national treasure, the whole country paused to watch his final concert which was broadcast nationally. Even just typing this is choking me up.
Happy_Handle_147@reddit
Delores O’Riordan
tuttyeffinfruity@reddit
The first were James Honeyman Scott & Pete Farndon from The Pretenders. I was 13 and thought my life was going to end when they both died within a year or so. But Bowie & Chris Cornell are the ones I still can’t listen to without being deeply affected.
ArtisticDegree3915@reddit
I guess this is the most so far. But it really doesn't affect me that much.
I do remember that David Bowie, Prince, and George Michael all died in the same year. And then Tom Petty was not long after that.
In a way that was kind of like my day the music died.
I have a feeling that there will be some in the future that may affect me. Some of the ones that I've listened to are getting up there in age. And I feel like they're going to start to pass away at a rate that sucks. But that's life.
TheAngelsCharlie@reddit
Stevie Ray Vaughn, such a gifted musician. Micheal Hutchens, I think INXS had a long way to go yet. But the one that really got to me was Neil Peart. He was my musical idol, my inspiration as a drummer, and part of a group that I’d been enamored with since before I could legally drive.
sorenelf@reddit
Bowie, and then Alan Rickman in the same week. There was a meme that said something about “I am going to a very exclusive Bowie concert…and you are not”. That was a shit week. Chris Cornell, Kurt Cobain and John Lennon. Michael Hutchence, because INXS was a big chunk of my 80s teen existence. Freddie Mercury.
Time_Meeting_2648@reddit
Kurt Cobain
CryEnvironmental9728@reddit
Chino XL. And ill keep saying it until you all know that name.
Knees bent heads bowed for a grand master wordsmith.
Unable-Salt-446@reddit
Toss up between Chris Cornell, John prine, and Levon helm….all for different reasons. Could also throw in Leonard cohen
mrsbennetsnerves@reddit
Chris Cornell. I couldn’t hear his voice for months. He put what my depression and loneliness in a crowd felt like into the universe and made it easier to understand. Still grieve for his loss, the world needed him longer.
TXHaunt@reddit
I don’t think any really affected me, but the biggest ones for me were EVH, Meatloaf, and Jimmy Buffett.
Craig1974@reddit
Cobain.
oldschoolhc@reddit
peter steele
1999_1982@reddit
Prince and Luther Vandross
DaveFoucault@reddit
Bon Scott. I was 11 and he had been my hero for a few years by that point.
FreedomExpress747@reddit (OP)
Yes Bon Scott is as another for me
Stunning-Slide4562@reddit
Prince
SitamoiaRose@reddit
Phil Lynott. His music got me through my teens and at 53 I still love listening to him.
BaldBombshell@reddit
Freddie, Bowie, and Prince.
Bonoisapox@reddit
Adam Yauch
Stillconfused007@reddit
Grew up listening to George Michael and he was such a lovely guy, that got to me..