Good old Freddie, Kurt and definetly Jeff Buckley.

As for Jimi he died at the right time. He would of turned out like Eric Clapton and all those beens. Seriously he'd of released a load of shit albums and people would only remember his stuff from the 60's. Want more examples? James Brown, Jeff Beck and the rolling stones there is so many more examples.

disagree. jimi was considerably more experimental than those folks. jeff beck and clapton played pretty much a straight blues rock. i think jimi would've gotten into more jazz music as time progressed and kicked out some great collaberations. as was already said in the jimi hendrix's band of gypsies documentary it was said that lots of top jazz musicians including miles davis were searching him out to play with him on sessions.

Well it's all down to opinion but that's what I believe. :o

well my unusually reasonable sonic friend, we'll just have to agree to disagree

Tim Buckley
Nick Drake
Ian Curtis
Jeff Buckley

jimi died right before he was going to make an album with miles davis. so i'd say that's premature.

No love for D Boon?

There is much love for D Boon.

YES

jimi had a lot more to give

Shannon Hoon...

No that would be the worst premature death...

"proving that not all musicians that od on drugs at a young age become cult icons"

oh this reminds me of

kristen pfaff -- (some say at the filthy hands of courtney whore)

not "the greatest premature death" but a sucky event no doubt

wow, good fucking lyrics. anything about clits and balls and i'm all ears.

There are so many dead rock stars that died prematurely. D Boon/Minutemen, Kurt Cobain/Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix/Experience, Billie Holiday, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens (but not the Big Bopper, fuck him), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Andy Wood/Mother Love Bone, Shannon Hoon/Blind Melon. Sigh, so many dead people that meant so much. Brings a tear to yr eye socket. If i still had tear ducts.

Ian Curtis.
I get the feeling that having him among us until these days, the whole indie (and partly also electronic) scene would look different.

For sure. I'd go with Ian Curtis as well. Joy Division would have went a long way. I disagree with Elliott Smith though, because I never really noticed a big change from when he started to what he sounded like at the end of his career. I love his music though, raw fucking emotion.

I'm a gonna say it again! D. BOON!!!

yeah, i didn't mention d cos someone already had, but i miss him. i was just rocking out to some minutemen yesterday, too.

big scissors- CUT!

Wow, everyone's stumped me...The people I'd mention already have...With a few exceptions...

Clifford Brown (The man who showed the world that you can play jazz and not be a flakey and cranky drug addict.)

Hank Williams,Sr. (For a man who's lack of educational skills made even endorsing his own royalty checks near impossible, he got as much mileage out of the English language as Ernest Hemmingway.)

Buddy Holly (His songs may seem pretty corn ball to some,but, he was starting to grow more as an artist as his career kept going post-Crickets...He very well could've ended up doing something similar to "Pet Sounds" if he'd lived...And Brian Wilson would've had more than Phil Spector to match his skills to.)

D. Boon (Absolutely tragic)

Frank Zappa (There's so much more he could've done)

Duke Ellington (He had an amazing 3+ decade run but he he never ran out of fresh ideas.)

John Lennon.

timmy taylor.

Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone

no one said ricky wilson or cliff burton? well, i
just did.

and big pun was a greater loss to me as a hip
hop fan than 2pac or BIG.

I was going to say Timmy Taylor.

And I'll add Albert Ayler.

Buddy Holly

Freddie Mercury of Queen

I'll say it again= D. Boon

john coltrane

Billy Fury.

Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaugh
Randy Rhoads
Keith Moon (premature in a sense)

There's so many. Maybe no one has written

Eric Dolphy

yet.

I know it's been mentioned, but Elliott Smith's death was truly tragic. He was such an incredible song writer.


Also been mentioned, but Kurt, Nick Drake and Ian Curtis of course.

D Boon is another good choice. It's odd how much Mike Watt still brings D's death up in interviews and stuff. It really effected him, which I guess is understandable considering they were best friends and all.

elliot motherfucking smith one of the best song writers of all time

Jon Lee?

SID VICIOUS

His musical genius was never truly realized.

d. boon

hahahahahah

Obvious choice, but Cobain. Reason: You Know You're Right.

Cornelius Cardew
Jhonn Balance

ian curtis

and of course kurt and d. boon and many others... i guess charles gocher hasn't been mentioned yet.

My list, in no specific order

Ian Curtis
John Henry Bonham
Buddy Holly
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin
Duane Allman
Darby Crash
Sid Vicious
Shannon Hoon (tragic)
Jeremy Ward
Hillel Slovak
John Lennon
Jim Morrison