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Q: Early Jazz Musician Deaths ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   7 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
Category: Arts and Entertainment > Music
Asked by: tomwaits-ga
List Price: $4.00
Posted: 19 Apr 2002 11:54 PDT
Expires: 26 Apr 2002 11:54 PDT
Question ID: 2101
Name 100 20th century jazz musicians who died before the age of 45, what 
they died of and when.

Request for Question Clarification by researcher-ga on 19 Apr 2002 12:03 PDT
How do you qualify 20th century jazz musician? Do they have to have died in the 
20th century or have the height of their career in the 20th century or do they 
have to be born in the 20th century?

Request for Question Clarification by researcher-ga on 19 Apr 2002 12:34 PDT
How do you qualify 20th century jazz musician? Do they have to have died in the 
20th century or have the height of their career in the 20th century or do they 
have to be born in the 20th century?

Clarification of Question by tomwaits-ga on 19 Apr 2002 13:56 PDT
Ignore the 20th century parameter.  Any jazz musician.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
Answered By: zrica-ga on 19 Apr 2002 18:57 PDT
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hello, tomwaites: 

Here’s a list of 56 jazz musicians, including instruments, cause of death, 
birth and death dates, and a link to the musician’s bio.  All of these 
musicians died at or before 45 years of age. 

For more information on jazz musicians, visit:

Jazz Magazine
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/

All Music Jazz Guide
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=F0JAZZ

Jazz, A Film by Ken Burns
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/

Thanks for trying out the new Google Answers service.  I’m glad I was able to 
find so many musicians for you that fit your criteria.  

I hope this helps!

Zrica



1. Albert Ayler
Saxophone
drowned
1936-1970
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bbxfibka96akc

2. Mildred Bailey 
Vocalist
natural causes
1907-1951
http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF96/Ismael/jazz/1930/baileym.html

3. Bix Beiderbecke
Trumpet/Brass
alcoholism
1903-1931
http://ms.cc.sunysb.edu/~alhaim/brief.htm

4. Leon "Chu" Berry
Saxophone/Reeds
car accident
1908-1941
http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/people/hallfame/1998berr.htm

5. Jimmy Blanton 
Bass
tuberculosis
1918-1942
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/goldenage/blanton.htm

6. Al Bowlly
Vocalist
bomb explosion
1899-1941
http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-
bin/mserver/SID=1300943877/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/frompage=music
/ArtistID=BOWLLY*AL/select=biography

7. Lenny Breau
Guitar
drug problems
1941-1984
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Brmf4zfgheh2k

8. Clifford Brown 
Trombone/Brass
car accident
1931-1956
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/brownie.html

9. Jeff Buckley
Vocals/Guitar/Organ
drowned
1966-1997
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1JEFF|BUCKLEY

10. Randy California
Vocalist/Guitar
drowned
1951-1997
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bib5uak2k5m3v

11. Helen Carr
Vocalist
car accident
1927-1960
http://www.shepherd-express.com/shepherd/23/08/night_and_day/grooves.html#The

12. Eva Cassidy
Vocalist
cancer
1933-1963
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bkvnyxdfb8ol0

13. Paul Chambers 
Bass
natural causes
1935-1969
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Byuaxqj2bojaa

14. Charlie Christian
Guitar
liver cancer
1916-1942
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1CHARLIE|CHRISTIAN

15. John Coltrane 
Saxophone/Reeds
liver cancer
1926-1967
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bbt5k8qptbt94~C

16. Eddie Costa 
Piano/Keyboards
car accident
1930-1962
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B081gtq1ztu45

17. Eric Dolphy
Saxophone/Reeds
diabetic coma
1928-1964
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B67d8vwpva9yk~C

18. Don Ellis
Trumpet/Bandleader
heart problems
1934-1978
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B5unyxdfbjols

19. James Reese Europe
Conductor
stabbed
1881-1919
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B43jqeay14x87

20. Marvin Gaye
Vocalist
shot by father
1939-1984
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bu69ss34ba3ng~C

21. George Gershwin 
Vocals/Composer
brain tumor
1898-1937
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1GEORGE|GERSHWIN

22. Donny Hathaway
Vocalist/Composer
suicide
1945-1979
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bjudsyl3jxpnb

23. Tubby Hayes
Vibraphone/Sax/Flute
heart trouble
1935-1973
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bz9n8b5c4tsqe

24. Bertha "Chippie" Hill
Vocalist/Dancer
hit & run accident
1905-1950
http://www.redhotjazz.com/chippiehill.html

25. Billie Holiday 
Vocalist
heart & liver disease, drugs
1915-1959
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bge8zefwkhgf8

26. Elmo Hope
Piano/Composer
drug problems
1923-1967
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B2s520r3ac48v

27. Phyllis Hyman
Vocalist
suicide
1941-1995
http://discomuseum.com/PhyllisHyman.html

28. Bobby Jaspar
Saxophone/Flute
heart ailment
1926-1963
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1BOBBY|JASPAR

29. Freddie Keppard
Trumpet/Brass
tuberculosis
1889-1933
http://www.redhotjazz.com/keppard.html

30. Kenny Kirkland
Piano/Keyboards
found dead in apartment
1955-1998
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B5zfqoa8abijd

31. Eddie Lang
Guitar
botched operation
1902-1933
http://www.redhotjazz.com/lang.html

32. Scott LaFarro 
Bass/Violin
car accident
1936-1961
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1SCOTT|LAFARO

33. Booker Little 
Trombone/Brass
uremia
1938-1961
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B71867ub0h0jw

34. Glenn Miller
Trombone/Arranger
plane crash
1904-1944
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B56dsa9igy238

35. Wes Montgomery
Guitar
heart attack
1925-1968
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bogjqeai04xk7~C

36. Lee Morgan 
Trombone/Brass
shot by girlfriend
1938-1972
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bsudfyl6jxpcb

37. Fats Navarro 
Trombone/Brass
tuberculosis
1923-1950
http://csis.pace.edu/~varden/navarro/bio.html

38. Oliver Nelson 
Saxophone/Reeds
heart attack
1932-1975
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B5q6ftr89kl1x

39. Charlie Parker
Saxophone/Reeds
drugs, bad health
1920-1955
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B3ae67uy070j3~C

40. Jaco Pastorius
Bass/Violin
fatal injuries from club brawl
1951-1987
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1JACO|PASTORIUS

41. Bud Powell 
Piano/Keyboards
mental breakdown
1924-1966
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Baxkbikn6bb79

42. Art Porter
Saxophone
boating accident
1961-1996
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B3c821vjjzzza~C

43. Chano Pozo
Congo/Percussion
killed in bar fight
1915-1948
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B55rn282c055a

44. Michel Petrucciani 
Piano/Keyboards
pulmonary infection
1962-1999
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B8q2tk60x9krf

45. Django Reinhardt 
Guitar
cerebral hemorrhage
1910-1953
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bsq63tr89kl3x

46. Rhasaan Roland Kirk 
Saxophone/Reeds
stroke
1935-1977
http://www.eclipse.net/~fitzgera/rahsaan/rrkhome.htm

47. Woody Shaw 
Trombone/Brass
hit by a train
1944-1989
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1WOODY|SHAW

48. Calder Spanier
Saxophone
struck by car
1964-1997
http://www.charliehunter.com/players/calder.html

49. Billy Stewart
Vocals/Drums/Piano
car accident
1937-1970
http://www.soul-patrol.com/soul/billystewart.htm

50. Frank Teschemacher
Saxophone/Clarinet
car accident
1906-1932
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bemf6zfiheh8k

51. Bobby Timmons 
Piano/Keyboards
cirrhosis of the liver
1935-1974
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bltouakjk5m3k

52. Fats Waller
Piano/Keyboards
pneumonia
1904-1943
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B6zdqoaeabijp

53. Dinah Washington 
Vocalist
accidental overdose
1924-1963
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=1DINAH|WASHINGTON

54. Chick Webb
Drums/Percussion
Precarious health, operation
1909-1939
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B5yr9kect7q7q

55. Nick Webb
Guitar
pancreatic cancer 
1954-1998
http://elvispelvis.com/nickwebb.htm

56. Lem Winchester
Vibraphone
gun accident
1928-1961
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bz7qvad3kv8w2
tomwaits-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars
4 stars for a good attempt to get to 100.  100 would have got you 5 stars.  
Great links, I will definitely check them out.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: astearns-ga on 19 Apr 2002 17:27 PDT
 
Here's 39, and an interesting book reference

http://www.upress.state.ms.us/catalog/spring2002/jazz_and_death.html
Jazz and Death
Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats
By Frederick J. Spencer, M.D.

Sites used after google searching for: jazz musician "cause of death"

http://www.findagrave.com
http://elvispelvis.com/fullerup.htm: FULLER UP THE DEAD MUSICIAN 
DIRECTORY
http://www.dead-or-alive.org/

Ayler, Albert  b. July 13, 1936  d. November 25, 1970
Cause of death: Suicide by drowning

Beiderbecke, Bix (Leon)  b. March 10, 1903  d. August 6, 1931
Cause of death: Lobar Pneumonia brought on by alcoholism

Berry, Leon 'Chu' [original burial site]  b. September 13, 1908  d. October 
31, 1941
Cause of death: Injuries from car accident

Beiderbecke, Bix : Age 28 (b. 10 March 1903, d. 6 August 1931
Cause of death: Alcoholism

Berry, Chu : Age 31 d. 30 October 1941
Cause of death: Car Crash

Bowlly, Al : Age 42 Died: Apr 17, 1941
Cause of death: Bomb

Breau, Lenny  Age 43 Born August 5, 1941, Died August 12, 1984
Cause of death: Murder

Brown, Clifford : Age 25 (b.  30 October 1930, Wilmington, Delaware, USA, 
d. 26 June 1956)
Cause of death: Car Crash

Buckley, Jeff : Age 30 (b. 17 Nov 1966, d. 29 May 1997)
Cause of death: Drowning

Randy California: Age 45 (b. Randy Wolfe, 20 Feb. 1951, Los Angeles, d. 
2 January 1997). 
Cause of death: Drowning

Cassidy, Eva:  Age 33 d.1963
Cause of death: Cancer

Carr, Helen : Age 36 or 38 Died 1960
Cause of death: Car Crash

Coltrane, John  b. September 23, 1926  d. July 17, 1967
Cause of death: Cancer

Europe, James Reese : Age 38 (Born: Feb 22, 1881 in Mobile, AL; Died: 
May 9, 1919 in Boston, MA) 
Cause of death: Stabbing

Gaye, Marvin  Age 44 d. 1 April 1984
Cause of death: Gunshot

Hathaway, Donnie b. 1 October 1945, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 13 
January 1979)
Cause of death: Suicide

Hayes, Tubby  b. January 30, 1935  d. June 8, 1973
Cause of death: second heart operation

Hill, Bertha "Chippie" : Age 45 (Born:  March 15, 1905 in Charleston, SC,  
Died: May 7, 1950 in NYC) 
Cause of death: Car Crash

Holiday, Billie  b. April 7, 1915  d. July 17, 1959
Cause of death: Influenzal pneumonia

Hope, Elmo : Age 43 (Born: June 27, 1923 -- Died: May 19, 1967)
Cause of death: Pneumonia, Heart Attack

Phyllis Hyman: Age 45 (b: July 6, 1941 in Philadelphia, PA, d:June 30, 
1995 in New York, NY) 
Cause of death: Suicide

Jaspar, Bobby (Robert-Louis-Joseph)  b. February 20, 1926  d. March 4, 
1963
Cause of death: heart surgery.

LaFaro (LaFaro), Scott (Rocco Scott)  b. April 3, 1936  d. July 6, 1961
Cause of death: Auto crash (his car left the highway, struck a tree, and 
burned)

Eddie Lang: Age 29 Died: March 26, 1933, New York, NY 
Cause of death: Botched tonsillectomy

Montgomery, Wes (John Leslie)  b. March 6, 1925  d. June 15, 1968
Cause of death: Heart attack 

Morgan, Lee  Age 33 d. 19 February 1972, NYC
Cause of death: Gunshot

Parker, Charlie 'Bird'  b. August 29, 1920  d. March 12, 1955
Cause of death: Heart failure/pneumonia/cirrhosis of the liver from years 
of drug and alcohol abuse

Pastorius III., John Francis 'Jaco' 'Jaco'  b. December 1, 1951  d. 
September 21, 1987
Cause of death: Beaten to death by a nightclub bouncer trying to enter a 
club in a disheveled condition

Porter, Art  b. 1961  d. November 23, 1996
Cause of death: Drowned in boating accident

Pozo, Chano  Age 33 d. 2 December 1948, NYC
Cause of death: Gunshot

Reinhardt, Django  b. January 24, 1910  d. May 16, 1953
Cause of death: Brain hemmorhage

Shaw, Woody Age 44 d.1989
Cause of death: Kidney failure after subway accident

Sheppard, James  Age 33 d. 24 January 1970)
Cause of death: Gunshot

Spanier, Calder : Age 33  (died 4 Dec 1997) 
Cause of death: Car Crash

Stewart, Billy : Age 33 (Born: Mar 24, 1937 in Washington, D.C., Died: Jan 
17, 1970 in Neuse River, NC)
Cause of death: Car Crash

Teschemacher, Frank : Age 25 (b. Mar 13, 1906 in Kansas City, MO, d. 
Feb 29, 1932 in Chicago, IL) 
Cause of death: Car Crash

Waller, Thomas 'Fats'  b. May 21, 1904  d. December 15, 1943
Cause of death: pneumonia

Webb, Chick  b. 1909  d. June 16, 1939
Cause of death: After operation

Webb, Nick died in 1998 at age 43
Cause of death: Pancreatic Cancer
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: tomwaits-ga on 20 Apr 2002 05:13 PDT
 
Thank you, astearns.  Wow, I'll be picking up that book.  That's wild.
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: prognathous-ga on 22 Apr 2002 03:09 PDT
 
One more name that springs to mind is Wardell Gray, the great tenor saxophonist.

Quote:
"Wardell Gray disappeared during the last week of May, 1955, right after the 
Moulin Rouge opened.  Later, the 34 year old tenor man's body turned up in the 
desert outside of Las Vegas.  He had been dead for several days and his neck 
was broken.   Without performing an autopsy, local authorities declared that 
Gray died of a drug overdose and closed the case.  Unable to overcome the 
damage caused by Gray's mysterious death, the Moulin Rouge was gone by the end 
of 1955.  Exactly how Wardell Gray's neck got broken, and how his body made its 
way to the desert, remains unexplained to this day."
http://www.oklahomajazz.com/w_gray.htm

Prog.
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: plotinus-ga on 05 May 2002 06:11 PDT
 
I'm surprised not to see James Booker on the list. Booker was probably
the greatest jazz and blues pianist of all time, but was never very
famous because of his mental instability. He would sit at the piano
and either play it better than anyone had ever heard, or just sit
giggling for half an hour. He was born in New Orleans - where else? -
in 1939, and died there in 1983 from a drug overdose.
Subject: Clifford Brown correction
From: godfreyb-ga on 29 Oct 2002 01:50 PST
 
In the answer above, Clifford Brown's instrument is incorrectly listed
as "trombone".  He played trumpet.
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: shakes-ga on 29 Oct 2002 11:44 PST
 
here's another...
Emily Remler -guitar
died of a heart attack at 32
http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1099215163/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/frompage=music/ArtistID=REMLER*EMILY/select=biography
Subject: Re: Early Jazz Musician Deaths
From: letmegetback2ya-ga on 06 May 2003 20:54 PDT
 
let us not forget about Gabor Szabo.  Outstanding jazz acoustic
guitarist who used an amplifier to get a spacy feedback sound.  Gabor
Szabo died 2 young....about 46 years old.  Carlos Santana cites him as
a great influence, and recorded one of his songs (part of black magic
woman)...Gabor Szabo used to team up with Gary Mcfarland (who also
died young)...If you want information on Gabor, than, of course...type
"gabor szabo" into the best search engine in the universe.

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