Musicians' passings that hit you hard

[cuthbert]

Syd Barrett of The Pink Floyd and Arthur Lee of Love, two of my musical heroes who died within a month of each other in the summer of 2006.

Of course, Syd had been retired from music for decades and wasn't ever coming back, but Arthur who had never really retired, had been riding high with a comeback tour for his 'Forever Changes' masterpiece and probably had more music in him before he passed.

[AndyR]

Freddie Mercury and Rory Gallagher.

Rory affected me most. He'd kind of slipped off the map, and the previous couple of live performances I'd seen were going downhill, so I wasn't really thinking much about him at the time. The news was kind of a bolt out of the blue. The sadness came in waves every couple of months for a few years as I found out more about why we hadn't been getting any music out of him and what had happened leading up to his death.

I even wrote a song about him when I found out how he'd been living (about 6 months after his death). I might or might not be working up a recording of it sometime in the nearish future.


EDIT: And there's one that I suspect is coming in the near future that is probably going to rank with those for me. I actually feel very sad thinking about how he might be getting on at the moment. I read a while back that Robin Gibb is very ill, and the noises being made seemed to imply "not too long". If anything, he's a been bigger influence/inspiration to me than FM and RG. It's his voice that sings the "All that I need..." in my signature.

[Rata-tat-tat]

Stevie Ray Vaughn... I was living in San Antonio when he passed. It was pretty much the same as when Elvis died for me... You heard his songs playing continuously on the radio for what seem'd like the whole year to follow... No matter how many times I heard his overplay'd songs... I never got sick of listening... He is a legend!!!

And yes... I was/am always will be an Elvis fan... and his death was felt throughout my entire family. My mother was a huge fan of his... She had an old "Console" Stereo with a turn table and an 8 track player built in... This thing was huge... but I can remember playin those eight tracks the day he died. We also watched Blue Hawaii that day!!!

Although he wasn't exactly a musician... Sam Kinison hit me pretty hard... I was a huge fan of his comedy... and was floor'd when he busted out into some killer rockin good music during his stand up. Great stuff I will remember for the rest of my life.

[Oldrottenhead]

Although he wasn't exactly a musician... Sam Kinison hit me pretty hard... I was a huge fan of his comedy...

bill hicks had a similar effect on me.

[Gritter]

watched Uncle Buck the other night and felt sad because I really miss John Candy.



He was a musician...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmSC52Npuq0

[Oldrottenhead]

come to think of it so was bill hicks.

[thetworegs]

It was John bonham for me ...the end of Zep.....

[AndyR]

Crumbs that takes me back, I'd forgotten that. It's also reminded me, around the same time, Bon Scott. I was in the 6th Form, we (apart from the new-wavers) were gutted by Bon going...

[ODH]

Gotta be John Peel for me, was like the father I never had.  Had a great attitude to life and taught me so much about celebrating difference.  And introduced me to pretty much every major musical influence in my teens and twenties.  Not to mention being an occasion mandolin mimer on Top of the Pops.

I'd also like to mention Jim Morrison.  Although I was too young to appreciate Jim at the time, his work with the Doors remains among the most influencial on me and on the bands that have influenced me.

[dobrodaddy]

Jimi, Jim, and Janis.   End of an era.  Definitely Lennon and Harrison.  Bill Hicks too.  Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton.  Harry Chapin.  Warren Zevon.  Richard Manuel and Rick Danko.  John Lee Hooker.  Muddy, Wolf, and Willie Dixon.  Mississippi John Hurt.  Skip James.  Leadbelly.  So many.....

"I don't know how long we'll have together; who does?"  -  last line of 'Bladerunner'.