Top 10 Musician Plane Crash Deaths
Published on January 9, 2008 - 93 Comments
The life of a musician is a treacherous one. Many die from substance abuse, gunfire or even angry fans, whilst many, though seemingly a lot fewer, die of plain old age. There are some though, who have died from plane or helicopter crashes; many of whom are very well known and sad losses to the music industry. Here are the ten most famous.
10. Randy Rhoads
March 19, 1982: Randy Rhoads (25), the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, died when the Beech Bonanza F35 he was aboard crashed into a house after a wing clipped Ozzy Osbourne’s tour bus. All 3 aboard were killed as a result of the pilot attempting to ‘buzz’ the bus.
9. Otis Redding
On December 10th, 1967, quite a foggy night, Rock ‘n’ roll singer Otis Redding (26), and four members of his Bar-Kays band were killed when their Beechcraft H18 plane crashed in icy Lake Monoma near Madison, Wisconsin. Redding is best known for his hit, “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”, which was released after his death. Redding had recorded the song just three days previous.
8. Ricky Nelson
On December 31st, 1985, Rock & roll singer Ricky Nelson (45), five members of his Stone Canyon band, and his fiancée, were all killed when a fire broke out on board a DC-3 taking them to a New Year’s Eve performance in Dallas, Texas. Only two people survived the crash landing near DeKalb, Texas. The fire was caused by a malfunctioning heater. Nelson was first known as the son of Ozzie and Harriet in their TV show of the same name in the late 1950s. He later became famous as the singer of such hits as “Travelin’ Man” and “Garden Party.”
7. Aaliyah
August 25, 2001: Singer and R&B vocalist and actress, Aaliyah (22), was killed in a plane crash when leaving the Bahamas following a video shoot. Her Cessna 402-B crashed during takeoff. Investigations revealed that the pilot had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body, and, apparently, the airplane was overloaded. All nine people on board died.
6. John Denver
On October 12th, 1997, Singer John Denver (53) died when his experimental single-engine Rutan Long EZ plane crashed near Monterey, California. At first, rescuers could not identify the body because the face was burned beyond recognition, but authorities were later able to identify Denver by his fingerprints. Denver was famous for writing and performing “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Country Roads”, “Rocky Mountain High”, “Sunshine on My Shoulders (Makes Me Happy)” , and other songs. The crash occurred when Denver inadvertently pressed down on the plane’s right rudder pedal while trying to switch fuel tanks by reaching for the fuel selector switch behind him. The plane had been modified to place the fuel selector switch behind the pilot rather than between his legs.
5. Patsy Cline
March 5, 1963: Patsy Cline (30), ‘Cowboy’ Copas, ‘Hawkshaw’ Hawkins, and Cline’s manager, Randy Hughes, were killed when their Piper PA-24 Comanche plane crashed near Camden, Tennessee, in adverse weather conditions. Cline was famous for her country hit, “Crazy.” Copas and Hawkins were Grand Ole Opry stars. The plane flew into severe weather and crashed at 6:20 p.m., according to Patsy’s wristwatch, found in a forest just outside of Camden, Tennessee, only 90 miles from the destination.
4. Jim Croce
On September 20th, 1973, Rock singer Jim Croce (30), members of his company (accompanist Maurice Muehleisen, manager Dennis Rast, and comedian George Stevens), and the pilot, died when their chartered Beechcraft E18S crashed while taking off from the Natchitoches, Louisiana airport. The plane hit a tree when it failed to gain enough altitude on takeoff. Croce was famous for his rock hit, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.”
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
August 27, 1990: Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan (35) was killed in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin. Four helicopters were being used to night-transport the concert group. The helicopter in question, a Bell BHT-206-B Helicopter, remained at a lower altitude and crashed into the ground soon after taking off into dense fog. Failure to attain adequate altitude by the pilot before flying over rising terrain resulted in the deaths of all five aboard.
2. Ronnie VanZant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines
October 20, 1977: The Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash killed lead singer and song writer Ronnie VanZant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick. Also killed were pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray.
According to the NTSB report, the pilots miscalculated the amount of fuel provided in Lakeland, Florida two days earlier. When they refueled in Greenville, South Carolina on the 20th, they compounded this error by believing they had more fuel than they really did. The airplane was also experiencing some mechanical difficulties which required the pilots to operate the right engine in the “auto-rich” position which burned fuel at an excessive rate. The combination of these problems resulted in nearly complete fuel exhaustion. The pilots changed course and headed for an airport near McComb, Mississippi but the plane stalled near Gillsburg, Mississippi and crashed in swampy woods.
1. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper
On February 3rd, 1959, often considered: The Day The Music Died, Rock Hall of Famers Buddy Holly (22), the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) (29), and Ritchie Valens (18) as well as the pilot Roger Peterson died when their Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed just outside Clear Lake, Iowa, during a stormy winter night. Holly was famous for many hits including “Peggy Sue.” The Big Bopper had one big hit, “Chantilly Lace,” and Valens was best known for his hits, ” Oh, Donna”, and “La Bamba.”
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1. Mikkle - January 9th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Maybe by plane isn’t the best way for musicians to travel.
2. Nelia - January 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
It always frustrated me that Stevie Ray Vaughan died so young. He had so much talent. I had no idea how young Holly, Valens, and the big bopper were. Very sad.
3. byaskal - January 9th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Just want to offer a correction to #9 - the name of the lake is Monona. I grew up in Madison and sat on the shore of that lake at the Otis Redding memorial on several occasions.
Great list, but how heart wrenching!
4. corinthian0430 - January 9th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
ever noticed how Beechcraft planes figure in the majority of the crashes?
5. Idreno - January 9th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I think the bonus for this list should be Glenn Miller, whose plane was never found.
6. 20Fan20 - January 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Excellent list.
Aerosmith is very lucky not to be on the list as well. They were set to buy a plane but the plane and crew looked shoddy.
As it stands the plane was sold to #2.
In fact, The Drive By Truckers sing about this on thier album Southern Rock Opera.
7. StewWriter - January 9th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Idreno: Agreed. I’ll petition Jamie to add that as soon as he’s able. I inadvertently left him off though I do know of his tragic loss and subsequent missing-person label. Thanks for the reminder
8. 20Fan20 - January 9th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
So is the next list motorcycle accidents or drinking accidents…
9. StewWriter - January 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
20Fan20: Surprisingly, Not too sure. I actually began this list this morning as simply a celebrity-deaths-by-plane list, but the musicians quickly filled the thing up. I don’t know, anyone want to weigh in on the choices? I’ll do either a vehicle accident/death list or a drug overdose list. Granted the latter will encompass significantly more in the count than the former, but I don’t mind. Let me know here in the comments and I’ll be happy to oblige.
10. Jim C - January 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Thanks for taking the time to actually get the details of many of the crashes right, esp. the John Denver crash.
/aviation nut
11. Crimanon - January 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
::::takes his hat off in memory of the greatest music that can never be written:::::
12. StewWriter - January 9th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Jim C: Absolutely welcome, my friend. Believe me, on a few of them, there were different sources with slight variations. Fortunately, I found most of them correctly at other sites so I was able to weed out the errors. I appreciate the comment.
Crimanon: Amen, brother. Amen.
13. jongleur - January 9th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
The thing I’ve always wondered about, is how many of these would have been as well remembered if they hadn’t died at or near the peak of their careers (John Denver and Ricky Nelson excepted)
14. trebek - January 9th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Man, that’s a piss-poor final minute for all involved. RIP
15. NestorV - January 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I didn’t think you could do a list like that, but I guess you can.
Shame we lost such good performers.
16. slipstick - January 9th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
According to interviews before Aaliyah’s final flight, she had a prophetic dream about it.
And the story behind Richie Valens on Miss American Pie is that originally Waylon Jennings was supposed to be with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, but the Big Bopper had a cold and Waylon didn’t want to fly with him. Waylon said that he’d go in his bus. The last words that they said to Waylon was “I hope your bus freezes.” and Waylon replied, “Well, I hope your plane crashes.”
Honorable mention should be given to Reba McEntire’s band.
Hats off for Heaven’s house band.
17. 20Fan20 - January 9th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
A tough but cool list would be along the lines of the most influential musicians to die early. You know folks like Hendrix, Cobain, Morrison, Bonham, Bon Scott etc etc.
What would the face of rock and roll be like if these folks lived!
18. Mom424 - January 9th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Great list StewWriter
Patsy Cline and Stevie Ray are two of my personal faves,,I often wonder how their music would have evolved if given the chance…
How about a list of former rock stars/movie stars that succeed when their careers over, and not on hollywood squares or dancing with the stars…lol
You know become business moguls, or nuclear physicists…
19. Clues - January 9th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
It’s like watching a train wreck. This list is so fascinating but extremely depressing. It’s good to read something that makes you feel.
Peace be with them all.
20. jbjr - January 9th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
20Fan20: You could almost break it down even more - like boozing/drugs,car crashes, murder or suicide (Selena, Marvin Gaye, even Nia Zapata)
Jongleur: Definetly Lynyrd Skynyrd seemed to get bigger after death with Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird becoming southern anthems and in the case of the former heard in movies. Aaliyah seems bigger now thru music videos and new music and her rememberence from pop music world. As well as the day the music died (#1). Jim Croce always underrated and very tragic end just while he was hitting his stride like Stevie Ray.
21. jbjr - January 9th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
of course John Lennon (murder) too!
StewWriter - 2 great lists in a row!
22. Borg - January 10th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Very good list. If I ever become a musician (who am I kidding?), remind me to buy a bus.
23. suzi - January 10th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Great and thought provoking list with many details I was unaware of.
I like the idea of further lists breaking the causes of death down into overdoses and murders, etc.
I am like the others who have mentioned their sadness over the loss of the great music that was probably coming as these very talented people matured and evolved.
Stevie Ray, Patsy, Jim C, you know they had a lot of good music still in them.
24. Hannah - January 10th, 2008 at 2:02 am
I noticed the Beechcraft connection too. I think I’ll stay away from those…
25. dangorironhide - January 10th, 2008 at 2:13 am
Rest in peace Randy Rhoads. Metal will always miss you. What a legend.
I’d only heard of 4 of the other ones.
Borg: Cliff Burton (Metallica) died in a bus crash in Sweden in 1986. He’s also sorely missed.
R.I.P. Cliff.
26. StewWriter - January 10th, 2008 at 5:34 am
Thanks for the kind words, guys. Not only toward me, but also to the ten-plus lives we lost above. So tragic. Ok, hold on tight for the top musicians who died too young (I believe 23 is the prophetic number?) We’ll see… I’ll send the list over to Jamie in a few hours for consideration. Till then, Heaven is gonna have a Hell of a band, for sure…
27. bucslim - January 10th, 2008 at 7:00 am
How exactly does one get a license to fly a plane after your driving license has been revoked because of two drunk driving arrests?
Somebody must have thought it was a good idea and went ahead and let John Denver fly an experimental plane.
28. JOE ROSSON - January 10th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Randy Roads is to this day still one of the baddest ass axe slingers to ever play. RIP R.R.
29. heavybison - January 10th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Dunno if a bike crash is eligible for this list in which case, one of my favourite slide guitarists should be here…Duane Allman..(Allman Brother’s Band)
30. Jackie - January 10th, 2008 at 7:47 am
StewWriter: I believe the number you are thinking of is 27…..Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones all died at 27.
Cool list, I remember when I found out Aaliyah died I was so shocked! I came into work and someone told me and I didn’t believe them at first and they said “no really!” It was so sad..
31. SocialButterfly - January 10th, 2008 at 7:51 am
slipstick: I remember hearing about how Richie Valens was petrified of flying… I believe they also chronicled it in the movie about him “La Bamba”
The other lists are a great idea… how about a list on best movies based on a musician’s life… Walk the Line, La Bamba etc…
32. 20Fan20 - January 10th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Another couple I think should make the cut….
Robert Johnson and Warren Zevon. Micheal Hutchens (sp?) from INXS also died young. I dont know how big the “died in a kinky sex act” list would be.
Warren was still making great music when he died but I think was a little older. He might be too old for a list like this.
Warren died of cancer. Robert died of poisoning froma girl or a jealous boyfriend killed him in a fight. Either way you could probably chaulk it up to the deal he made with the devil.
33. 20Fan20 - January 10th, 2008 at 8:01 am
SocialButterfly: I think that would be a fun list. Would Spinal Tap count!?!?! It was about a fixtinal band but they have also put out an album!
34. dangorironhide - January 10th, 2008 at 8:05 am
20fan20: “fictional”. Sorry to be an ass but I honestly can’t see how you got from that to ‘fixtinal’…
35. 20Fan20 - January 10th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Dangorironhide: You can be an ass, any problems with that should be taken up with your parents.
“Fixtinal” is called a typo. It is when you make a mistake and push the wrong buttons when typing.
I honestly can’t see why you care.
PS you should take a look at the list “15 common message board errors” I think it was one of the earlier lists.
36. SocialButterfly - January 10th, 2008 at 9:38 am
20Fan20: I was thinking more along the lines of autobiographical etc.. but fictional band films could be fun… what would some of the others be though?? I can only think of Spinal Tap, Almost Famous and Rock Star.
I know I might get crucified for this but I though Rock Star was a great movie!
37. MzFly - January 10th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Great List as usual. I had no idea some of these musicians were so young.
38. dangorironhide - January 10th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Socialbutterfly: School of Rock! I fucking love that film! Another Jables one that could be included is Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. Maybe not a fictional band, but a fictional story, so it could count…
39. 20Fan20 - January 10th, 2008 at 9:46 am
As long as no one else sees this post… Rock Star was a great movie!
40. Rick B - January 10th, 2008 at 10:16 am
#1 was screaming “STOP STOP!” because the pilot was an idiot and Rhoads was afraid to fly. #5 “Crazy” was written and also recorded by Willie Nelson. SRV was on the way up when he went down.
41. Lizzie - January 10th, 2008 at 11:59 am
it’s missing in this list the accident of glen miller and his entire band. they were famous for that hit “moonlight serenade”, in the 40’s.
42. Ravyn - January 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
*makes airplane noises*
BOOM!!!
sorry had to do something different. I do believe that it is sad how many musicians died by plane.
43. kiwiboi - January 10th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Jim Reeves is a strong contender for this list.
And once again…it was a Beechcraft plane.
Also, from wikipedia : “Both Reeves and the pilot of Patsy Cline’s ill-fated plane were trained by the same instructor.”
44. kiwiboi - January 10th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Randy Rhoads; in my view, possibly the most talented rock guitarist ever (from both a musical and technical perspective).
The Ozzy Osbourne album “Tribute” is one testament to this.
A sad, sad loss to music.
45. jfrater - January 10th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Lizzie: he would certainly be number 11 (Glen Miller I mean) - I like the Moonlight Serenade a lot.
46. Kelsi - January 10th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Great list, Stew. I’d love to see one for drug OD deaths in music. Sad, but interesting.
47. Gr8flDdFn - January 10th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
all the good ones go too soon, except denver .. well i guess he rly did leave on a jet plane lol.
48. stugy - January 10th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
SocialButterfly: Another fictional band, the band from the movie “Garage Days.” I can’t remember the actual band name off the top of my head though
49. SocialButterfly - January 10th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
stugy: I never saw that one… I’m gonna have to look it up on IMDB.
Lizzie: Was Glen Miller the one that sang King of the Road??
50. kiwiboi - January 10th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
social - erm, that’ll be Roger Miller
51. SocialButterfly - January 10th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
kiwiboi: ooh my bad… thanks!
52. bdizzle - January 10th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
ive been to the last place buddy holly played in clear lake, Iowa. its pretty sweet
53. Gravy - January 10th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Um…. John Denver?!?!
54. Gravy - January 10th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Oh, wait, never mind.
55. Chestica - January 10th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Is it bad that until now I had no idea that Lynyrd Skynyrd was even involved in a plane crash!?!?!? Man I feel stupid. Or grossly uninformed. Better go with the latter.
56. Ben Heitzman - January 10th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Yeah, Skynyrd got lucky that Ronnie’s little brother sounds just like him. Listen to the pre-1977 recordings and the same song sung now. Uncanny.
57. jbjr - January 11th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Johnny Horton die in an airplane crash? Can’t remember off hand.
58. heavybison - January 11th, 2008 at 2:58 am
#Ben: Unfortunately though, couldn’t replicate Ronnie’s style, charisma and success..
59. TMo - January 11th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Man, Aaliyah was sooooo hot, what a shame.
60. Loophole - January 11th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Great list indeed. Thanks for your work.
February 3rd, 1959 really was the day music died.
61. bookishwulf - January 11th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
As a Canadian, I feel obliged to mention Stan Rogers. He didn’t die in a crash, but a fire on the tarmac almost counts.
62. Conni - January 11th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Yeah, buddy…Aaliyah was so hot. And so darn young. =( Patsy Cline makes me the saddest. I love her stuff.
63. nellerbear - January 12th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Okay, February 3rd, 1959 may be when the music died, but why do I have to suffer through that damn stupid song American Pie because of what happened? Didn’t we suffer enough?
64. amoondoo - January 13th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
i know a movie of a fictional band!! “That thing you do” with the band The Wonders!!
best movie…and i liked Rockstar too.
65. Norma Hales - January 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
In the 50’s there were two classical musicians i can recall, one a violinist Jeannette Nevu a young French woman and a Stadivarius violin went down in plane crash with her.
The other was a Pianist -male but I cann’t remeber his name although it’s on the tip of my tongue.
Sincerely
Normah
66. Gomez - January 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
What about a list of musicians that died by choking on vomit? Janis Joplin and Bon Scott from AC/DC come to mind. (Not sure if I’m right though.)
Of course, reminds me Spinal Tap… can’t prove it was actually their own vomit. But you can’t really “dust for vomit.”
67. SocialButterfly - January 17th, 2008 at 8:17 am
amoondoo: I believe the band from “That Thing You Do” was originally called the “Oneders” thank you.
So happy someone else liked Rockstar!
Gomez: It’s a little nasty but I think that could be a good list.
68. Athenasia - January 17th, 2008 at 8:24 am
No Stan Rogers?
Though technically he died from the smoke in the plane after it landed and couldn’t get out fast enough.
Good list though, even though it’s sad
69. T - January 18th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Lisa “left eye” Lopes dying in that car wreck was pretty shocking.
70. Ikkin - January 20th, 2008 at 4:18 am
What about Graeme “Shirley” Strachan. Lead sing for the Australian band Skyhooks. He was killed in a helicopter accident in August 2001. Totally sucked when he died
71. jfrater - January 20th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Ikkin: I haven’t heard of the Skyhooks - are they particularly famous? I have heard of quite a lot of Aussie bands so I am a bit surprised.
72. Ikkin - January 20th, 2008 at 5:05 am
jfrater: They are an old band but they’re pretty famous down here. I’m sure you would of heard one or two of their songs “Horror Movie” “Living in the 70’s” “Ego’s not a dirty word” Youtube em
73. Barnacle - January 20th, 2008 at 5:50 am
I remember Shirley Strachan most for his spot as the presenter on a lifestyle show called Our House. He had a really squeaky voice and he was a very cheerful fella.
74. Ikkin - January 20th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Barnacle: Oh! I remember that show! So long ago now. Didn’t he also build on there or something or am I just imagining things :\
75. kiwiboi - January 20th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Skyhook ? Heh…takes me back. I remember “Blue Jeans” and “All my Friends are Getting Married”. And Shirley Strachan, of course.
76. Polly Odyssey - February 8th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Why do people with so much talent die so young? Ritchie Valens…too young.
77. Bill Candler - March 31st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
top is WRONG … it should be Worst 10 unless you are happy they have gone to meet the the big music guy in the sky
78. Matthew B. Tepper - April 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
It’s not just rock and pop musicians — several very gifted classical musicians have died in plane crashes.
January 26, 1947 - Opera and concert singer Grace Moore was one 22 people killed when a KLM Royal Dutch DC-3 crashed while taking off from the Copenhagen, Denmark airport.
October 28, 1949 - French violinist Ginette Neveu [note correct spelling], her brother (and accompanist) Jean, and 46 others were killed when their Air France Lockheed 749 Constellation airplane flew into a mountain on San Miguel Island in the Azores.
September 15, 1953 - Jacques Thibaud, French violinist, died in an airplane crash on his way to a concert.
October 29, 1953: American pianist William Kapell died along with 18 others when a British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-6 plane crashed as it descended into the San Francisco area. He was returning from a successful Australian tour.
November 24, 1956 - Orchestra conductor Guido Cantelli and 22 others died when a Linee Aeree Italiane DC-6B airplane crashed while taking off from Orly Airport in Paris.
January 4, 1995 - Mexican conductor and composer Eduardo Mata, principal guest conductor of the New Zealand Symphony and the Orquestra Sinfonica Simon Bolivar in Caracas, was killed when his light plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Cuernavaca airport.
79. Shell - June 12th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Good list. I have a question about one comment above.
Did Aaliyah’s dream include the part where the pilot told her she and her “entourage” had too much stuff, the airplane would not fly with it and them on board, and some of the baggage would have to be left behind? Did it also include her retort that he was being paid to fly them and ALL their baggage so shut up and load?
The rest of the list died due to accident or someone else’s error. In her case it was her own stupidity that cost her her life.
80. james - June 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
hi there when aws stevie wonder born
81. max - June 28th, 2008 at 5:12 am
This is all sad,,,,Aaliyahs pilot should have refused to fly if he knew they were to heavy…But autopsy findings revealed coke and alcohol in his system…Bad pilot error…
Skynyrds plane had extreme pilot error and judgment should have fixed the engine on the ground and refuled again
auto rich mixture burns alot of fule fast…Patsy Clines pilot should have aborted on the ground an waited for better weather…Otis Reddings cause never determined…Was a lot of fog when they crashed…Something happened crashed at a steep 32 degree angle…Alot of things can happen fast in a plane you need a clear head to fly..I pray for all their familys..Max retired military pilot,,,,,
82. Norfick - July 3rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Been searching your lists for someone I thought was a planecrash victim, Johnny someone, singer/guitarist who did something called Summertime? Around at the same time as Chuck Berry, probably late 50’s? I’m probably just getting early dementia!
83. monelle - September 1st, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Thank you for this list, but two major names you left off come to mind, from totally different musical worlds: 1) William Kapell, arguably the greatest pianist ever, especially known for having popularized the Khachaturian piano concerto; and 2) Stan Rogers, the wonderful folk singer/songwriter from Canada who brought us such wonderful songs “Northwest Passage” and “The Mary Ellen Carter.”
84. leah - September 7th, 2008 at 5:02 am
love u baby gurl ^ __ ^
85. HiImJacob - September 20th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
My penis is hard.
86. Nikki - September 21st, 2008 at 1:46 am
Shell: Where did you get your misinformation from. While they were told of the plane being to heavy, nothing was ever said that Aaliyah ever said anything to the pilot so please get your facts straight, you sound totally ignorant. As the pilot of the plane he should have refused to fly if he thought it was that serious. Since he didn’t, he obviously felt it wasn’t heavy enough for them to fall out of the sky before landing in Miami. Pilot error, and that doesn’t mean they deserved to die. I hope you get the help you really need for the mental condition you obviously suffer from.
87. Reedfella - September 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I know this is a list of musicians from the “pop” world-greats all, of course- but don’t forget the young legends of classical music who also perished in air crashes- conductor Guido Cantelli and violinist Ginette Neveu. The few recordings they left-pre-stereo, etc.- still sound amazing, even today.
88. Shell - September 23rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
From CNN.com, 27AUGUST2001: “Gloria Knowles, who works for Abaco Air Ltd. at Marsh Harbour airport, said baggage handlers reported the plane was overloaded with suitcases.
She said the handlers and the plane’s pilot complained about the heavy load but the passengers insisted on taking everything with them.”
………….
From CNN.com, 31AUGUST2001: “Immediately after the crash Saturday at Marsh Harbour airport, airport employees told CNN that baggage handlers and the pilot of the Cessna 402 had complained before takeoff that the aircraft was overloaded with luggage, but the passengers insisted on taking everything with them.”
………….
From The Independent (independent.co.uk) 28AUGUST2001: “Just before the plane took off on Saturday night, the pilot is said to have argued with the singer and her entourage over the amount of equipment they were carrying to Florida, having shot a video on the Bahamas.
Veteran Bahamian charter pilot Lewis Key told the New York Post on Monday that he heard the argument before the plane took off.
Mr Key said: ‘With nine people and all the camera and sound equipment they were loading, the pilot kept saying, ‘There’s too much weight for a safe flight to Opa-Locka [airport in Miami]. He tried to convince them the plane was overloaded but they insisted they had chartered the plane and they had to be in Miami on Saturday night.’”
………….
From the Florida Sun-Sentinel, 28AUGUST2001: “”With nine people and all the camera and sound equipment they were loading, the pilot kept saying, ‘There’s too much weight for a safe flight to Opa-locka,’ Key told the Post.
‘He tried to convince them the plane was overloaded, but they insisted they had chartered the plane and they had to be in Miami Saturday night.’”
and from the same article: “…a South Florida freight company said it, too, was pressured by Aaliyah’s representatives to haul equipment to the Bahamas without a careful weight check, citing production schedules. But that company refused to give in.
On the trip to the Bahamas, Aaliyah’s crew also demanded Pro Freight Cargo Services, based at Opa-locka Airport, place nearly seven tons of video equipment on cargo planes - and immediately take off without a weight check.
‘We got into argument with these people because they didn’t want it weighed. They just wanted to load it on the planes and go,’ Eddie Golson, owner of Pro Freight, told the Sun-Sentinel.
‘We told them we don’t do business like that and if it had to be done that quickly, they could take their business elsewhere,’ he said.
Aaliyah’s representatives estimated their equipment weighed about 8,000 pounds, Golson said. His staff weighed it in at just under 14,000 pounds.”
………….
So not only did she and her people insist that the pilot do what they paid him to do, all other considerations aside, they also tried to run over another company the same way. Fortunately for the lives of the latter company’s employees, Aaliyah’s outfit were told “No!”
As for the pilot of the crashed flight, you are entirely correct, he should’ve refused to take them. He knew damn good and well the aircraft was too heavy. But, have you ever been told “Do it my way or hit the highway!”? He didn’t want to lose his job, or the company to lose the contract, and ended up losing his life.
Ultimately, though, the fault lies with Aaliyah and her people for being so far up their own asses that it cost them their lives.
89. cali - September 27th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Nikki - please get help for your lack of brain activity. Shell - thanks for all the backup and all your work on this - it’s very much appreciated.
90. David in London - September 27th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Great list and what a sad way to go, especially when many were in their prime.
Cali and Shell. Well done on telling us the facts. It pisses me off when people refuse to believe a hero (or heroine) could have done something selfish or stupid. In this case, all those lives were lost.
91. kiwiboi - September 27th, 2008 at 4:28 am
Shell - good work.