While most organizations that track fatality rates in different professions often highlight lumberjacks as facing the highest risk of occupational deaths, it is widely recognized that being a musician actually entails far more significant risks. In numerous music genres, it is often easier to tally the living artists than to compile a list of those who have passed away.
I once came across a roster of 80 rock stars that had died, and remarkably, none of them had exceeded the average life expectancy for individuals of their gender. The three primary causes of their untimely demise were drug overdoses, suicides, and accidents. Several deaths categorized as natural causes can often be attributed to a short life lived by burning the candle at both ends.
There is much talk about the 27 Club, an informal list of famous musicians who died at age 27. It began with the deaths of several 27-year-old famous musicians between 1969 and 1971 (such as Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.) At the time, the coincidence gave rise to some comments, but according to Hendrix’s and Kurt Cobain’s biographer, Charles R. Cross, “It wasn’t until Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994 that the idea of the 27 Club arrived in the popular zeitgeist.” In 2011, seventeen years after Cobain’s death, Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27, prompting a renewed swell of media attention devoted to the 27 Club.
The phenomenon of rock stars passing away early has become so common that the significance of the 27 Club has somewhat diminished. If a club were to be established for celebrity musicians who died before reaching the age of 60, it would boast a staggering membership of over 200 individuals.
The Grunge era has a very high premature death rate. Of the top five Grunge bands, every group eventually lost a lead singer. Pearl Jam still has its original lead singer, Eddie Vedder, but when they were called Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose.
Here is what happened with the other four grunge bands. Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland died from a drug overdose on his tour bus. Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell hung himself. Vocalist Layne Staley of Alice in Chains died from drugs. The king of the Grunge movement, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, killed himself with a shotgun.
The type of music with the highest death rate is the Rap/Hip-hop genre. The body count is so frequent that three rappers died while I was creating this article. Someone produced a video called Rappers That Died In 2024 (Part 1), which was uploaded in April. I expect to find (part 8) posted on the net by November.
There is an unintentionally humorous article entitled “Rappers We Lost Way Too Soon.” If a rapper lived to age 30, they can be considered living to a ripe old age. I asked some friends what they thought the average life expectancy of a rapper was, and most thought 20 would be a fair guess. Because some rappers live to the really, really old age of 50, the total average is around 30 years old. On a Wikipedia list of all dead rappers, the most prevalent age at the time of passing was 21.
The elevated mortality rate among rappers stems from their reckless lifestyle. There is no other category of music that has murder as the leading cause of death. In the rap world, there exists a pervasive cult of death where being killed is viewed as an advancement in one’s career.
I would largely attribute the rising prominence of rappers in our society to demonic-driven depravity. When rapper Nipsey Hussle was gunned down outside his establishment, I examined his latest album. It appeared to be a series of hateful lyrics that resembled the work of a child. One song took five people to write and required three people to sing it. The N-word must have been mentioned 500 times on the album. It could be that I’ve become an old fuddy-duddy who’s not hip with contemporary music trends, but I can recognize senseless stupidity when I encounter it.
I was amazed to find many photos of rappers waving currency, often standing in front of luxury cars. The Bible tells us that the love of Money is the root of all evil. In the rap world, currency is evidence of material success. Here are three photos of rappers flashing their cash:
The guy in the third image is called Foolio. He was partying with his friends at a hotel, and they got kicked out for being too rowdy. He told his fans on social media that they were moving to the local Holiday Inn Express. Some of his rap rivals thought Mr. Foolio needed a promotion, so they staged an ambush. Foolio’s car was hit with several bullets that led to his death.
Foolio, whose real name is Charles Jones II, died on his 26th birthday. His attackers, Sean Gathright, 18, Alicia Andrews, 21, and Isaiah Chance Jr., were arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
I fail to comprehend the rationale behind a rapper adopting the moniker Foolio. Such a title seems apt for an individual consumed by thoughts of death, frequent encounters with law enforcement, and seeking retribution against adversaries. The death of his 18-year-old cousin and being shot in a previous attempt on his life should have convinced Foolio that he might be in the wrong line of work. He died like so many, becoming an eternal foolio by ignoring the Bible’s most crucial warning:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37).