The bible of music's deceased idols—Jeff Buckley, Sid Vicious, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Elvis—this is the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last 40-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, and reckless living. The truths behind thousands of fascinating stories—such as how Buddy Holly only decided to fly so he'd have time to finish his laundry—are coupled with perennial questions, including Which band boasts the most dead members? and Who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower?, as well as a few tales of lesser-known rock tragedies. Updated to include all the rock deaths since the previous edition—including Ike Turner, Dan Fogelberg, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes, Eartha Kitt, Michael Jackson, Clarence Clemons, Amy Winehouse, and many, many more—this new edition has been comprehensively revised throughout. An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, this collection is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.

"First published by the Penguin Group, London, as Number one in Heaven: the heroes who died for rock 'n' roll.

Did you know that Brian Jones was told by a medium to “avoid water”? Or that Buddy Holly only decided to fly so he’d have time to finish his laundry? The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars reveals the truth behind these and thousands of other fascinating stories, while answering such perennial questions as: • which band boasts the most dead members? • who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower? • and did Cass Elliot really check out before finishing lunch? The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is the bible of pop music’s dead--the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, lethal weapons, and reckless living. Jeremy Simmonds here draws on a lifetime’s obsession to match the industry’s biggest departed stars--Buddy, Jeff, Sid, Jimi, Biggie, Janis, Elvis, Marc, Tupac--with more than a few lesser-known tales of rock tragedy. He also includes a smorgasbord of lighter-hearted sidebars, including strange facts, lucky escapes, and top-ten death discs. An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.

This edited collection explores the reception of dead rock stars, ‘rock’ being taken in the widest sense. When music artists die, their fellow musicians, producers, fans and the media react differently, and this book brings together their intertwining modalities of reception. The commercial impact of death on record sales, copyrights, and print media is considered, and the different justifications by living artists for being involved with the dead, through covers, sampling and tributes. The cultural representation of dead singers is investigated through obituaries, biographies and biopics. The book discusses the gendering of death and posthumous prestige, and the enduring appeal of the notion of ‘tragedy’ in popular music culture.

Presents year-by-year chronologies of influential artists from the past fifty years.

This edited collection explores the reception of dead rock stars, 'rock' being taken in the widest sense. When music artists die, their fellow musicians, producers, fans and the media react differently, and this book brings together their intertwining modalities of reception. The commercial impact of death on record sales, copyrights, and print media is considered, and the different justifications by living artists for being involved with the dead, through covers, sampling and tributes. The cultural representation of dead singers is investigated through obituaries, biographies and biopics. The book discusses the gendering of death and posthumous prestige, and the enduring appeal of the notion of 'tragedy' in popular music culture.

This is the definitive book of rock 'n' roll, pop, R&B and blues deaths. From Johnny Ace to Frank Zappa, every famous name is included, along with dates, details and the drama. But this major work of research is not just about the rock legends who lived hard and died young, it also includes obituaries of numerous music industry personalities from the mid-fifties to present day.

Contains over 750 alphabetically-arranged entries that provide information about the rock group Grateful Dead, featuring profiles of band members and associated musicians, filmmakers, photographers, composers, and others, and descriptions of the band's albums and solo releases.