The 27 club is the name given to a group of prominent musicians who all died at the age of 27. Hence the name. Some consider it a myth, others, nothing more than a coincidence. There are those however, who consider it a curse among musicians and take it very seriously.
It is difficult to argue with the simple fact that more musicians have died at 27 than any other age. Charles R. Cross (Cobain and Hendrix biographer) even writes "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. Although humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27."
The 27 Club Story
The club was instigated when four prominent musicians: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all died at the age of 27, within a two year period. The first who died was Jones on the 3rd of July 1969, and exactly two years later, on the 3rd of July 1971, Morrison died. When Kurt Cobain comitted suicide in 1994 at the age of 27, he was inducted into the 27 Club. Making him the fifth most famous musician to be a member of the 27 Club. It is these musicians; Jones, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and Cobain, who are most closely associated with the 27 Club.
While many musicians have died at the age of 27 due to the rock 'n' roll lifestyle of living hard and fast, and adhering to the cliche of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, there were many accidents and tragedies that have marked these early deaths.
The 27 club has not always been such a great mainstream phenomenon in music history However, with Cobain's induction into the club, along with his popularity and greater media outlets for such news to spread, and his mothers response given to The Associated Press just after his death; "Now he's gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to join that stupid club", it gained recognition. With this mention of the club, came the theories and conspiracies and the want to know more about this club that Cobain wanted to join.
The club now has over thirty members, all of which died for different reasons. The deaths range from suicide, accidental overdose, murder and just plain tragic accidents, such as Wallace Yohn, the organ player of "Chase", who died in a plane crash, along with three other band members, at 27 years old. Perhaps one of the most interesting member of the infamous 27 Club, is Richey Edwards, the lyricist and guitarist of Manic Street Preachers.
Edwards mysteriously disappeared on the 1st of February 1995 at the age of 27, never to be seen again. This case is the most intriguing, because although he is considered a member of the 27 Club, his death is only presumed. No body has ever been found and it was on the 23rd of November 2008, that he was no longer considered a missing person, and his status changed officially to "presumed dead".
There are many musicians who have died at 27 with varying causes. In modern times, many mainstream artists who have ventured too far into the world of alcohol and drugs, are being watched closely by fans and the media, to see if they will make it past 27, or will they become the next member of the 27 Club.
While the number of deaths is large and it is fair for many to consider the 27 a cursed age in the music industry, it may only be so due to the copious amounts of drugs consumed by rock 'n' roll artists; especially in the seventies when the first four artists joined the club. Regardless of whether it is mere coincidence or not, the legend of the 27 Club will live on and the superstition surrounding the age will never die.
Further Reading
For further reading and insight into the lives of members of the 27 Club, check out the non-fiction narrative by Eric Segalstad and illustrated by Josh Hunter, "The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll"
Christine Caruana - My name is Christine, I am an aspiring music journalist. I am currently a writer for Loud Australia Magazine where so far I have ...
