Which music artist's untimely death was the greatest loss? Why?

Question

Which musician would have done the most if they'd just stayed alive longer?

My nominations are:
Robert Johnson
Hank Williams
Jimi Hendrix
Nick Drake
Gram Parsons
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Kurt Cobain
Janis Joplin

Who am I missing? I'm not asking which of these artists was the greatest artist considering the work they'd already done (personally, I think Cobain had already reached his full potential and wouldn't have done much more if he'd lived longer, though I also think he may have made the second biggest impact [after Hendrix] of the lot before he died), I'm asking which one would have done the most if they'd lived long enough to reach their full potential.

In my opinion, I think we lost the most with the deaths of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. Though I'd be hard pressed to pick between those three.

Convince me otherwise for ten points!

I didn't forget John Lennon, but I DO think he'd already done his best work with the Beatles -- just like Bob Dylan can make eight more five star albums but his peak will always be the late sixties Highway 61/Blonde on Blonde era. My bad for missing Tupac.

Answer 1

You have mentioned some great artists... but in terms of a singer, songwriter, and producer, I think that Buddy Holly's death robbed music of such an incredible talent. I believe that the impact of his death changed rock and roll and the direction that it went in. From a social stand point I believe that the drug related deaths of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin, were the end of the sixties... what ever peace, love, and hope there was in the 1960's died with them... and the government could point to these deaths to weaken the beliefs of the counter-culture. I do have to totally disagree with you though about Kurt Cobain... he had not even scratched the surface of his talent... He was surrounded by people who gave his art nothing... Nirvana would have broken up soon enough if he had stayed alive... Kurt had all of the talent... I think he would have evolved beyond the sonic noise of Nirvana and been some kind of a cross between Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe... we will never know. I have to think of John Bonham too... Led Zeppelin is still the God of Rock and the only reason they disbanded was because of his death... Zep would have weathered the storm of punk rock and who knows how much great rock they had in them... Robert Plant truly blossomed as a solo artist but as a group Zep is unrivaled.

Answer 2

I think you'd have to strongly consider Bob Marley. He was just 36 when he died of cancer in 1981. He had only been known worldwide for 5 or 6 years, and it was only the last handful of albums that he'd really come into his own as an artist. Given that, imagine what he'd been able to do if he'd lived another 30 or 40 years. Also, realize what impact his music has today - 25 years after his death. He's one of the most recognizable figures in the world; he's the most famous third world musician ever, and his music is played on the radio and listened to by more people than ever before.

Answer 3

My vote goes to Roy Orbison. Now i know The big O left a legacy of brilliant music behind, but he still had So much more to offer. I'm not sure we will ever again see a band with the individual and collective talent of the Traveling Wilburys again, and it is a shame we didn't get to see more. But of course, aside from that Roy had probably the greatest voice i have ever heard, he moves so carelessly accros his entire vocal range, he blended different types of music together into his rockabilly style that sounded so smooth and, i must say, sexy. Another great musician who died too young, 52 to be exact. Didn't get the credit he deserved early but by the end he was justifiably deemed one of the best. I suppose something as good as the Wilburys wasn't meant to last.

A second person i'll name is Duane Allman from the Allman Brothers, He's also the guy who played the riff at the start of the Dominoes' Layla. An extremely talented and innovative guitarist who died years before his prime. He was recognised as a brilliant guitarist by his peers and that says quite a lot to me.

I'll give a few other mentions. One person said Otis Redding, and i'll have to agree. The man was a fine musician and had a ripper soul voice. Bon Scott, the man who made AC/DC, his loss was perhaps overshadowed by the success of his replacement Brian Johnson. Keith Moon from The Who, although i think they were pushing on extinction anyway when he carced it, although he was a fine drummer. John Denver, he could have continued singing for years to come. Oh, and i've completely forgotten about Hendrix, whose loss was obviously massive. No one will ever be able to replace the talent that this man was. And of course all of the others on your list.

Answer 4

Bob Marley

It's an interesting question - some of the artists mentioned had obviously peaked long before they died (Elvis), while some, having achieved much and then faded were enjoying a revival (Lennon).

Some are over-rated largely because they burned brightly and died at their peak, leaving behind a legendary status which their actual output hardly merited (no names mentioned for fear of oiffending their fans), while some, though great, were only singers and not song-writers, so their deaths, while sad, hardly amounted to the same degree of loss.

Now I know that many (if not most) people on this site will dismiss any reggae artist out of hand, but in a relatively short career (he died shortly after his 36th birthday) Bob Marley not only wrote some of the best loved songs in popular music, but he brought an entire genre of music to the attention of the world and even had a beneficial impact on the violent political scene of his home country.

After his death, the search for his successor (a fruitless record-company driven quest) was eventually abandoned and that genre fragmented, giving birth to countless modern forms.

Had he lived, not only would he have written and sung many more amazing songs, but he might also have helped further heal his country's dividions and we might never have had RAP music!

Answer 5

WOW! This is a hectic question to answer. I agree with all of the artists you have mentioned, but there are SO many others. It's actually really hard to pin-point just one. At first I was going to mention John Lennon. I mean what an icon, artist, visionary and innovator, but I don't know how much further his music would have "progressed" after 1980. He seemed to have reach sort of a plateau just before his death.
Then I thought about Cliff Burton, the original bassist for Metallica. When you compare pre-1987 Metallica albums to post-1987 ones, you are able distinguish between pure, unadulterated POWER and just plain good bass playing. I think he might have been on to something great.
Then I thought about drummers. Keith Moon came to mind. The best way to describe his drumming would be "organized chaos on steroids". Some times I wonder how he managed all of that in his condition with just two arms!
But then, finally, the name JOHN BONHAM came to mind, and I thought YES this is the one. John Bonham's untimely death resulted in the disbanding of Led Zeppelin entirely, and I feel that Zeppelin were, and are, far from meeting their creative peak. Just pure genius, lyrically and musically. Always exploring new worlds and dimensions. Yes, definitely JOHN BONHAM.

Answer 6

you have great choices and you are absolutely right in saying that we are not talking about the best, but the greatest loss! i would most definitely choose Stevie Ray Vaughan because he was a great student of the blues guitar. he could mimic the all and always gave them proper credit. So, when he died he had taken the blues to another level that had not been reached before. and although, those that were fortunate enough to see him perform, were seeing a living legend, because of his and the many that influenced him, affected these fans. i was very late in being a fan of his-he had already died, and i regret not knowing about him. i know i would have gone to see him, and when i watch the converts on DVD, or the CD's, i know that he would still be ahead of what blues guitarists are doing now. And, they are mostly influenced by what he had done. it's a full circle. Janis, Cobain, Valens, Elvis-they were all good, especially Janis but SRV was simply more talented as well as more influential, and that transcends throughout time, making you immortal,
great question!

Answer 7

My thoughts on this are: how can you compare and say one loss was greater than the other. Each artist has made huge impacts in peoples lives through their music and to say that one artists death is a greater loss would be taking away from the accomplishments of the others. Fortunately, the great artists of all time inspire the music of future artists... so the music always lives on!

I personally think Ray Charles (different music style, but my nominee :) was a great loss. Not only his music, but his life was an inspiration considering the great obstacles he overcame.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I agree with the others,and Buddy Holly would be the most missed as, if he had been alive, the 60's and 70's bands would produce some different sounds and the face of pop would have been enriched that bit more. Even John Lydon's Sex Pistols would be doing that bit extra!

Answer 10

Tupac Shakur would have made the biggest impact, because he spoke about social change. Sure a lot of his songs were hate filled, or gang related, but he also wrote a lot about social controversies and problems he faced when he grew up. I think with his voice he could have inspired more change and as he grew older and richer, he would have spoke out more to become a catalyst for change in the poor communities.