The 27 Club: stars who died too soon

19 October 1996 - 30 March 2024.

The 27 Club has a new member. He rose to fame with 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' (2018, Netflix), and confirmed his star status in 'Gen V' (2023, Prime Video) but the actor met his death in an unfortunate and lethal motorcycle accident.

The 27 Club is a real thing. It is the term used to group musicians, artists, and actors who have died prematurely at the age of 27. While not an official, scientific list, it has made its mark on pop culture. Robert Smith (The Cure) went so far as to say on NPR that "the death of these stars at 27 has really changed the way we look at rock music."

Who joined the club over the years?

14 September 1983 - 23 July 2011.

One of the most brilliant singers of the 21st century had a life of ups and downs that ended in her London apartment in 2011. Authorities found that Amy Winehouse had taken a massive amount of vodka. Her blood alcohol level was 416 mg of alcohol per deciliter of blood while the fatality threshold is determined by pathologists at 350 dl/mg.

19 January 1943 - 4 October 1970.

Janis Joplin was a force of nature on the stage. Inspired by blues divas like Billie Holiday, Big Mama Thornton, and Ma Rainey, she swept up memorable concerts in Woodstock, Monterey, and Canada.

The problem? Alcohol and drugs were a constant throughout her life. The singer was found dead on the night of October 4, 1970, in her home in Los Angeles. She is one of the five original members of the 'Club of 27'.

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December 8, 1943 - July 3, 1971.

"True to his own spirit." The epitaph on Jim Morrison's grave in Paris, written in Greek, is as legendary as the singer himself.

The lead singer of The Doors passed away in the bathtub of his Paris apartment, the cause being heart failure. Some speak of drug abuse, however, or even a conspiracy of murder. That's what happens when you have such legendary status by age 27.

20 February 1967 - 5 April 1994.

The singer of the legendary grunge band Nirvana was the leader of Generation X, but he did not want such a label. In fact, he was uncomfortable with fame and frustrated that the message of his songs was not interpreted the way he wanted.

Perhaps we should have taken one of his lyrics more seriously: 'I Hate Myself and Want to Die'. His name was added to that of the four original members of the Club of 27.

8 April 1990 - 18 December 2017.

Known as Jonghyun, he was one of the great South Korean musical phenomena of recent times. A singer with the boy band SHINee for nine years, he decided to go solo in 2015.

Two years later, Kim Jong Hyun was found dead in a Seoul apartment. The cause of death: a heart attack.

27 November 1942 - 18 September 1970.

Considered one of the greatest rock guitarists in history, Jimi Hendrix only had a four-year musical career. It was enough to make history and shake up the music industry altogether.

In his final days, Jimi Hendrix fought several battles: one with his production company, another with his manager, then some with the bassist who left his band, and finally there was the stress of a newborn baby and writer's block. On September 18, 1970, he took a large dose of Vesparax, mixed with wine, in an attempt to get some sleep. It was a lethal cocktail.

28 February 1942 - 3 July 1969.

For the Rolling Stones, Brian Jones was reportedly the person who "formed the band, chose the members, made up the name, chose the music, and got the gigs..." However, the guitarist suffered from addictions and depression that led him to drop out of the band.

Not a month had passed since his departure from The Rolling Stones when he suffered an asthma attack while in his pool. He's part of the original '27 Club'.

22 December 1960 - 12 August 1988.

The most successful visual artist in the history of African-American art lived fast, created a lot of art, and died young and handsome. He was close to Andy Warhol and Madonna, and despite his youth, he had more than 40 exhibitions on his name in cities like Paris and New York.

In the end, Basquiat's addictions took their toll on him. After a retreat to Hawaii to get off the drugs, he returned to New York in July 1988, claiming to be completely clean. He would die on August 12, 1988, of an overdose.

13 April 1976 - 12 November 2003.

By the age of five, Jonathan Brandis had already recorded television commercials. At the age of 14, he got his first leading role in 'The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter.' And at 17 he became a global idol thanks to 'SeaQuest', after which he received around 4,000 fan letters a week.

By the late 90s, though, his star was fading and he got mostly supporting roles. His last part, in 'Hart's War,' was completely eliminated. According to those close to him, this was a definitive blow for the troubled actor. He was found dead in his Los Angeles home in 2003.

4 December 1992 - 7 January 2020.

Actor Harry Hains's career took off with roles in 'American Horror Story', 'Sneaky Pete' and 'The OA.' They helped him establish himself as more than actress Jane Badler's son.

Yet, it was his mother Jane Badler who announced Harry's death on Instagram. She made no secret of the fact that her son had been struggling with "mental illness and drug addiction" for years.

Image: Harry Hains in 'American Horror Story'

4 July 1990 - 19 January 2018.

Fredo Santana was a rising star of trap music, whose first album 'Trappin' Ain't Dead' (2013) swept the charts. Unfortunately, the singer was hooked on purple syrup, a potentially harmful homemade cough syrup that caused him kidney and heart problems.

Santana himself wrote on social media that he wouldn't wish this addiction "on my worst enemy." A few months later, an epileptic attack caused by kidney failure ended his life.

11 March 1989 - 19 June 2016.

One of the brightest young stars in Hollywood, known for the reboots of 'Star Trek' (2009) and 'Fright Night' (2011), suffered one of the strangest deaths of the 27 Club. It happened in his home in Studio City, California.

According to the investigation, Anton Yelchin got out of his car to walk into his home, but he didn't put the emergency brake on the vehicle. The car then caught him between a pillar and a safety fence. As the coroner later declared, the official cause of death was "confused traumatic asphyxiation."

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