The music industry is often pitiless, overwhelming the lives and souls of those who do its heavy lifting for interest. Tales of self-destruction, substance abuse, excesses, anguish, and lasting depression, alongside freak accidents — shocking and unexpected incidents that almost unavoidably happened — fill the pages of the history books of rock and roll. We look back at the 3 Tragic Rockstar Deaths In 1969:
3. Martin Lamble – Fairpoint Convention
On May 12, 1969, as the band went back from a celebratory concert in Birmingham soon after working on their next record, their vehicle swerved off the highway. As a result of the crash, Fairport Convention would encounter a tragedy to their career. The crash killed the 19-year-old drummer Martin Lamble.
2. Shorty Long
Unfortunately, when his career seemed to take off at last, on June 29, 1969, he died drowned in the river Detroit, when the little boat in which he had left fishing with his friend Oscar Williams capsized. Long had 29 years. After his death, Motown released a second LP, ‘The Prime of Shorty Long ‘which, like the previous one, showed the great talent of this musician.
1. Brian Jones – The Rolling Stones
In the early morning of July 3, 1969, Brian Jones was found drowned in the swimming pool of his home in Sussex. At just 27 years old, he joined the list of artists who could not beat that age (Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and much more here in time, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse). The verdict of death was “accidental” but to this day the true cause of his death is a mystery.