In Pics: From Kurt Cobain to Anton Yelchin, Stars Who Died at 27
From graphic artists to actors and musicians, here’s a list of some lesser known artists who died at 27.
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It wasn’t until the deaths of musicians Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin at the age of 27 that the number became a statistical anomaly. They all posthumously became part of the “27 club.”
And while the world grapples with the shock of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin’s death following a car accident at the age of 27, those familiar will know that the 27 club has found its newest member.
We compile a list of some of the lesser-known artists who died at 27.
Anton Yelchin
Best known for playing Chekov in the new Star Trek films, Yelchin was killed in a fatal traffic collision on 19 June, 2016.
Jonathan Gregory Brandis
American child actor, Brandis committed suicide by hanging in his Los Angeles apartment on 12 November 2003. Brandis starred in The Never Ending Story II and seaQuest DSV.
Reggie Lewis
An American professional basketball player for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Lewis suffered a sudden heart attack on the court at a practice session on 27 July, 1993.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Basquiat was a celebrated graphic artist, who died of a heroin overdose in his Manhattan studio.
Rupert Chawner Brooke
An English poet known for his war sonnets written during World War I, Brooke died on 23 July 1915, of sepsis from an infected mosquito bite on a British navy ship off Lemnos in the Aegean Sea, en route to Turkey.
Jade Goody
A reality television star, Goody came into limelight during season 5 of Celebrity Big Brother, where she was criticised for bullying Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty. Goody died of cervical cancer on 22 March, 2009.
This list would be incomplete if we didn’t mention the musicians who died at the age 27.
Kurt Cobain
Frontman for the grunge band Nirvana, Cobain died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
And when the news of his suicide broke, his mother said, “Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club.”
Amy Winehouse
Winehouse, a British R&B and soul singer died of alcohol poisoning at her London home on 23 July, 2011. She had been battling drug and alcohol abuse for a long time before her death.
Jim Morrison
Lead singer of The Doors, Morrison was found dead in his bathtub in Paris on 3 July 1971. The cause of his death was listed as “heart failure”, but heroin use was probably involved. His girlfriend, Pamela Courson, was reported to have given a contradictory report about his death. She died of a heroin overdose three years later, at the age of 27.
Jimi Hendrix
Guitarist, singer and songwriter, music legend Hendrix’s death has never been fully explained. While doctors said he asphyxiated, his girlfriend had a different story to tell.
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