Age curse in popular music?

[Mickey is a gyrl]

When I was getting a tour of the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando (one of two HRCs in the world with a tour guide- the other being in London), the tour guide mentioned that there is a curse in the music industry with being 27 years old, and cited multiple people. The ones I remember him citing are Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Curt Cobain. (Upon searching each of these musicians, two died just shy of 28 years old)

Has anyone else ever heard of this UL, and are there any other musicians' deaths that can be attributed to this "curse"?

If one believes the whole "Paul is dead" conspiracy, he would have died at age 27. (Those who subscribe to the theory point out that the license plate on the Abbey Rd album cover is 28 IF, meaning Paul would have been 28 had he lived to see the album's release.)

But, considering that the real Paul McCartney seems to still walk among us, I don't know if I'd put much stock in any of it.

[hambubba]

This was on a documentary last week, don't know the channel, caught it in passing.

There's a wikipedia page, though. (There's one for everything!)

A combination of lifestyle choices and coincidences may seem to give an indication of a "27 curse". It's apparently well known in the music industry. A country singer on that documentary mentioned that her only concern for her career was reaching 28. I think she was joking.

[jw]

Elvis(42), Michael Hutchence(37), Phil Lynott(35), amongst other musicians/singers, all died prematurely in drug related accidents/overdoses, but not at age 27.

[putitinwriting]

I have a friend who threw a huge "come as your favorite dead rocker" party when he turned 28, referencing this.

[queen of the caramels]

Er how old is Britney then???

[Ramblin' Dave]

Originally Posted by Zamboni_Rodeo

If one believes the whole "Paul is dead" conspiracy, he would have died at age 27.

Actually, the theory suggested that he was dead as early as 1967 (he was supposed to be the victim in the car accident in "A Day In the Life"), when he was 25.

I can't think of any other musicians who died at 27. The real curse seems to be airplanes (Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Jim Croce, and most of Lynnyrd Skynnrd - as far as I know, none of them were 27 at the time.)

[Cervus]

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones died at age 27. People always forget him even though he was a contemporary of Joplin, Hendrix, and Morrison.

Rod "Pigpen" McKernan, keyboardist for the Grateful Dead also died at age 27. He gets forgotten to, though I'm not sure how you can forget a guy named Pigpen who looked like a Hell's Angel.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Ramblin' Dave

Actually, the theory suggested that he was dead as early as 1967 (he was supposed to be the victim in the car accident in "A Day In the Life"), when he was 25.

Actually, he was supposed to have died in 1966, when he was 24. He didn't turn 25 until a couple of months after "A Day in the Life" was recorded.

- snopes

I've been in the music industry for near on twenty years, and I've never heard of this curse. And I'm 37 so I guess I'm ten years overdue...

[smackmac]

A local radio station personality keeps a list of how rockers met their deaths. He has a separate list of those who didn't make it past 27:

*jimi hendrix (see "barbituates") (1970)
*janis joplin (see "heroin") (1970)
*jim morrison (see "alcohol") (1971)
*brian jones (see "drowning") (1969)
*kurt cobain (see "heroin") (1994)
*robert johnson (see "poison") (1938)
*al "blind owl" wilson (see "heroin") (1970)
*gram parsons (see "barbituates") (1973)
*ron "pigpen" mckernan (see "alcohol") (1973)

The whole list is here, if'n you want to take a look. It's organized by method, but that's about it.

[queen of the caramels]

Originally Posted by smackmac

A local radio station personality keeps a list of how rockers met their deaths. He has a separate list of those who didn't make it past 27:



The whole list is here, if'n you want to take a look. It's organized by method, but that's about it.

Sorry but Kurt Corbain shot himself......so why the
drug sticker

[queen of the caramels]

Originally Posted by Paulie Jay

I've been in the music industry for near on twenty years, and I've never heard of this curse. And I'm 37 so I guess I'm ten years overdue...

Oh come on, you're in Oz , it just takes more time Okay

[Missie]

Originally Posted by queen of the caramels

Sorry but Kurt Corbain shot himself......so why the
drug sticker

He's under both categories on the page, heroin and guns. I don't actually know if he was under the influence of heroin when it happened, but I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, if that's the case, I guess that's why he's under both.

[smackmac]

If there was a mention of a secondary cause of death in the death certificate, the DJ put them in both categories. I believe in the case of Kurt Cobain, the autopsy revealed heroin in his bloodstream. Probably not enough to kill him, but enough to maybe influence his thinking.

Jim Morrison's death was listed as a heart attack, but alcohol was a contributing factor.

I just wish the list was alphabetical or by date or just sortable. It doesn't even seem like the most recent ones are at the end.

[Esprise Me]

Originally Posted by smackmac

I believe in the case of Kurt Cobain, the autopsy revealed heroin in his bloodstream. Probably not enough to kill him, but enough to maybe influence his thinking.

I read a biography of Kurt Cobain a few years ago (Heavier than Heaven by Charles R. Cross) and if I recall correctly, Cobain was found with a lethal dose of heroin in his bloodstream, in addition to an apparently self-inflicted bullet wound to the head. The anti-Courtney tinfoil hat brigade cites this as evidence that he couldn't possibly have killed himself, because he wouldn't have been able to operate a gun with so much heroin coursing through his veins. Therefore, his wife must have offed him. (Let us pause for a communal rolling of the eyes.)

[KingDavid8]

Originally Posted by Zamboni_Rodeo

If one believes the whole "Paul is dead" conspiracy, he would have died at age 27. (Those who subscribe to the theory point out that the license plate on the Abbey Rd album cover is 28 IF, meaning Paul would have been 28 had he lived to see the album's release.)

The one problem there was that the album was released in September 1969, and Paul didn't turn 28 until June, 1970.

David

[Thebobo]

Since there are way more muscians who either died after 27 or are still living cancel the curse out?

[smackmac]

Originally Posted by Thebobo

Since there are way more muscians who either died after 27 or are still living cancel the curse out?

The story of the curse that I heard is that the "great" ones died at 27. The ones who would have "changed the world."

Doesn't explain Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, et al.

[Sylvanz]

Originally Posted by smackmac

The story of the curse that I heard is that the "great" ones died at 27. The ones who would have "changed the world."

Doesn't explain Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, et al.

Or McCartney, Lennon, or Elvis, to name but a few.

P&LL, Syl