When in 1994 he died Kurt Cobainat 27 years of age, many fell for a curious (and disturbing) coincidence: the Nirvana singer wasn’t the only famous musician to have died at that age. In the ’70s, four superstars —Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison Y Brian Jones—, they died exactly at 27 years.
This is how he was born 27 Cluba select club of musicians whose life ended at the age of 27. Amy Winehouse has been one of the most recent additions, although there have also been posthumous admissions, such as that of Robert Johnsona blues musician who died in 1938.
Almost all members of the fateful club are men, except for Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse. However, in addition to them, there are also two other women who share the dubious honor of being part of the group: Mia Zapata Y Kristen Pfaff. Below is a brief profile of all four.
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Janis Joplin
Just three weeks after Jimi Hendrix’s death, Janis Joplin became the first woman to enter the fateful 27 Club. Much has been speculated about the causes of his death, although the only thing certain is that he died as a result of a heroin overdosethe October 4, 1970in a hotel in Los Angeles.
Born in a small town in the state of Texas, Janis Joplin’s childhood was marked by teasing from her peers, because Janis was a chubby, freckled and masculine girl. At the age of 19, she fled that suffocating environment and settled in San Franciscowhich at that time was the center of movement hippy.
Joplin felt good in the midst of all this, and was able to enjoy a freedom that she had never known before. Shortly after arriving in the city, he joined the Big Brother and the Holding Companywith which he quickly achieved fame, thanks to songs like Piece of My Heart Y summer time.
In 1968, the excessive prominence in the group of Janis Joplin – whom many critics considered too good for the band -, it ended up generating tensions between its members, and the group dissolved. Joplin then got together with other musicians and formed the Full Tilt Boogie Bandwith whom he recorded hits like Me And Bobby McGee Y Get It While You Canboth belonging to the album Pearlfrom 1972.
Mia Zapata
Far less well known than Joplin’s membership in the 27 Club is that of Mia Zapata, band vocalist punk rock Y grungy The Gits.
His entry into the Club, however, was far more striking and violent than Joplin’s. In the early morning of July 7, 1993, Zapata’s body was found lifeless and with signs of violence. The autopsy revealed that she had been raped, beaten and finally strangled by her killer.
The murder was shrouded in mystery for many years, and various bands from the grunge scene, such as NirvanaPearl Jam and Soundgarden, hired private investigators on their own to clarify the causes and the perpetrator of the crime.
Finally, the mystery was solved in 2002, from a saliva sample found on the victim’s body. When comparing this sample in the national bank of criminals, it was found that it coincided with that of a man of Cuban origin, Jesús Mezquía, who in March 2004 was charged and sentenced to 36 years in prison for the murder and rape of the singer .
Kristen Pfaff
On June 16, 1994, Kristen Pfaff, Bassist for alternative rock group Hole, was found dead in her Seattle home. As confirmed by the autopsy, the cause of death was a heroin overdose.
Pfaff, who had received classical piano musical training as a child, learned to play the electric bass after graduating from college in the early 1990s. Before joining Hole, she played with Janitor Joethrough whom he met Courtney Lovewho offered him to join his band.
Initially, Pfaff turned down Love’s offer, though he eventually agreed to join the group and moved to Seattle to play with them. Due to his addiction to heroin, which he started using when he arrived in Seattle, he has to leave the group several times to detoxify. His commitment to the band was intermittent, although he did participated in the recording of Hole’s best-known album, live through thisfrom 1994.
Amy Winehouse
She is the most famous female member of the Club, along with Janis Joplin. His death in 2011 came after several years of battling addiction.with which the name of Amy went on to join a long list of artists who died because of drugs.
But the British singer’s history with drugs in no way overshadows her musical legacy. Winehouse began singing as a teenager, touring with various jazz combos in small London venues. At the age of 16, her boyfriend at the time sent a demo of hers to the producer simon fullerwho was the first to model Amy’s raw talent.
Many others after Fuller tried to steer Amy where they wanted, both musically and personally. In fact, Amy Winehouse’s life was full of bad influencesstarting with her father, who had no qualms about exploiting his daughter’s talent for his own benefit, and passing through some of her partners, who led Amy down the wrong path of drugs and addiction.
Through it all, Amy remained independent, at least when it came to her music. In her short career, Winehouse knew how to evolve stylistically, and although she started out doing a rather conventional jazz, on her debut album Frankfrom 2003, little by little he was configuring his own style, with a marked influence of black music. Among his most famous songs are back to black, rehab Y You Know I’m No Good.
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