0

17

35

52

70

1967

1970

1974

1978

1982

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006

2010

Tracks Released That Year

0

7

15

22

30

1964

1966

1968

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

Nirvana’s LifetimeRecords Earned

6RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

0

7

15

22

30

1968

1970

1974

1978

1972

1976

1980

1982

1984

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006

2010

1988

1992

1996

2000

2004

2008

2012

The Club’s MostInfamous Members

The notion of a "27 Club" arose after the deaths of Brian Jones of the Rolling stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin,

and Jim Morrison of The Doors. Later added were Kurt Cobain of Nirvana who died in 1994 and Amy Winehouse

who died in 2011. With the exception of Joplin, there is controversy surrounding their deaths.

27 CLUB

1983–2011 Amy WinehouseCause of Death: Alcohol Poisoning

1967–1994 Kurt CobainCause of Death: Suicide (Disputed)

1943–1971 Jim MorrisonCause of Death: Heart Failure (Disputed)

Janis Joplin 1943–1970 Cause of Death: Heroin Overdose

Jimi Hendrix 1942–1970 Cause of Death: Asphixiation (Disputed)

Brian Jones founded The Rolling stones with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1962.

Jones was asked to leave the Stones in June 1969 due to erratic behavior. He drowned in his swimming pool a month later.

Brian Jones 1941–1969 Cause of Death: Drowned (Disputed)

Club Members’ Cause of Death Distribution

1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Robert JohnsonBlues Singer27y, 100d

Malcom HaleRock Guitarist27y, 166d

Jacob MillerInner Circle27y, 324d

Brian JonesRolling Stones Founder

27y, 125d

Dickie PrideRock Singer

27y, 156d

Jim MorrisonThe Doors, Poet

27y, 207d

Ron McKernanThe Grateful Dead27y, 181d

Alexander BashlachevRussian Poet, Rock Singer27y, 266d

Jean-Michel BasquiatGray, Artist27y, 234d

Rodrigo BuenoArgentine Cuarteto Singer27y, 31d

Sean Patrick McCabeInk & Dagger27y, 289d

Bryan OttosonAmerican Head Change27y, 32d

Roger Lee DurhamBloodstone27y, 163d

Linda JonesSoul Singer27y, 91d

Leslie HarveyStone and the Crows27y, 233d

"Dyke" ChristianDyke & the Blazers

27y, 273d

Jimi HendrixGuitarist, Rock Singer

27y, 295d

Janis JoplinSinger27y, 258d

Alan "Blind Owl" WilsonVocalist—Canned Heat

27y, 61d

Dave AlexanderBassist—The Stooges27y, 352d

Pete HamLeader/Guitarist—Badfinger27y, 362d

Gary ThainBassist—Uriah Heep, Keef Hartley Band27y, 207d

Kurt CobainLeader/Guitarist—Nirvana27y, 44d

Kristen PfaffBassist—Hole, Janitor Joe27y, 51d

Nat JaffeSwing Jazz Pianist27y, 216d

Jesse BelvinR&B Singer

27y, 53d

Rudy LewisVocalist—The Drifters27y, 271d

Chris BellVocalist—Big Star27y, 349d

Pete de FreitasEcho & the Bunnymen27y, 346d

Helmut KöllenBassist—Triumvirat27y, 62d

D. BoonMinutemen27y, 266d

Mia ZapataThe Gits27y, 316d

Fat PatRapper—Screwed Up Click27y, 61d

Freaky TahRapper—Lost Boyz27y, 318d

Maria Serrano Passion Fruit27y, 363d

Valentín ElizaldeMexican banda singer27y, 297d

Wallace YohnOrganist—Chase

27y, 212d

Richey EdwardsManic Street Preachers

27y, 41d

Jeremy WardMars Volta, De Facto

27y, 20d

Amy WinehouseSinger

27y, 312d

Richard TurnerTrumpet Player

27y, 12d

Year of Death (inducted)

0

10

20

30

40

1967

1970

1974

1978

1982

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006

2010

0

5

10

15

20

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

0

17

35

52

70

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Lifetime and Posthumous Track Releases

27 Club MemberTimeline

Displays Number of 27 Year Old Musicians Who Died Each Year

Alexand

re Lev

y

UNKNOWN/DISPUTED

Nat Jaf

fe

Richey

Edward

s

MURDERED

Robert J

ohnson

Arleste

r Chri

stian

Mia Zapa

taFat

PatFre

aky Tah

Valen

tín Eli

zalde

Louis C

hauvin

HEART FAILURE/

ILLNESS

Jim M

orriso

nLin

da Jon

esDave

Alexand

er

Richard

Turner

Malcolm

Hale

FREAKACCIDENT

Brian J

ones

Leslie

Harvey

Roger L

ee Durh

am

Helmut

Köllen

Jesse

Belvin

VEHICULARACCIDENT

Wallace

Yohn

Chris B

ellAlan "B

lind Owl" W

ilson

Jacob

Miller

D. BoonPe

te de

Freita

s

Rodrigo

Bueno

Maria S

errano

Serrano

Rudy Le

wis

DRUG/ALCOHOL OVERDOSE

Dickie P

ride

Jimi H

endrix

Alan "B

lind Owl" W

ilson

Janis J

oplin

Ron "Pi

gpen"

McKern

an

Gary Thai

nJea

n-Mich

el Basq

uiat

Kristen

Pfaff

Sean Pa

trick M

cCabe

Jerem

y Mich

ael W

ard

Bryan O

ttoson

Amy Wine

house

Pete

Ham

SUICIDE

Alexand

er Bash

lachev

Kurt Coba

in

27% 5%20% 14%14% 9%11%

Trac

ks R

eleas

ed T

hat Y

ear

Trac

ks R

eleas

ed T

hat Y

ear

Trac

ks R

eleas

ed T

hat Y

ear

Tracks Released That YearTracks Released That Year

Album Back to Black earned five Grammy Awards.

The success of Nirvana’s Nevermind earned them an RIAA Diamond Certification.

Released 6 months after Cobain’s death, MTV Unplugged earned Nirvana a Grammy Award.

“Body and Soul,” a duet with Tony Bennett, was Amy’s final recording.

Posthumous ReleaseReleased During Lifetime

Dubbed The Queen of Rock and Roll as well as The Queen of Psychedelic Soul.

Released three months after her death,Pearl went quadruple platinum.

Inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Was first successful in the UK with his first single, “Hey Joe.”

Nirvana’s LifetimeRecords Earned

RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

The Doors’ debut single "Light My Fire" was their first and most successful single.

The final 40th Anniversary re-release of The Doors’originalstudio albumswill be released on January 24, 2012

21

Janis Joplin’s LifetimeRecords Earned

RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS3

Jimi Hendrix’s LifetimeRecords Earned

RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS106

Amy’s LifetimeRecords Earned

RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS11

The Doors’ PosthumousRecords Earned

19RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

The Doors’ LifetimeRecords Earned

11RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

Janis Joplin’s PosthumousRecords Earned

10RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

Jimi Hendrix’s PosthumousRecords Earned

9RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS

The Rolling Stones’Records with Jones Earned

RIAA PLATINUMCERTIFICATIONS5

Over the years there has been a curiously high frequency at which musicians die at age 27, a

Rock and Roll controversy that has brought upon the notion of The Forever 27 Club.