The Death of Rock: Fire

Key

Some entries have special notations prior to their names. They represent induction into one of the following Halls of Fame:

* denotes induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

# indicates induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

^ symbolizes induction into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Ty Longley

night club fire in 2003; he was 31. Longley was the guitarist for '80s hair band, Great White. The band was playing The Station, a club in Rhode Island, and used pyrotechnics, setting the building ablaze. One hundred people ultimately died and 230 others were injured. The club's owners claimed they did not give permission for pyrotechnics; band members say otherwise. Investigators determined that the foam used for insulation was intended for use in packaging and product display rather than sound-proofing and was not treated with fire-retardant materials used in acoustic foam. Witnesses to the blaze claimed the flames spread across the foam at approximately one foot per second. The Station (illegally) did not have a sprinkler system. The owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, and Great White's road manager, Daniel Biechele, were charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter (criminally negligent manslaughter and misdemeanor manslaughter). Daniel Biechele, against his lawyers' advice, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Biechele was sentenced to 15 years in prison; four to serve and 11 years suspended, plus three years probation. (Biechele was released from prison in March 2008.) Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, changed their pleas from not guilty to no contest. Michael Derderian received 15 years in prison; four to serve and 11 suspended, plus three years probation. Jeffrey Derderian received a 10-year suspended sentence, three years probation, and 500 hours of community service. (According to the sentencing judge, the difference in the brothers' penalties reflected their roles in purchasing and installing the flammable foam.) Michael Derderian will be released early from prison in September 2009. As of August 2008, nearly $175 million has been offered to the families of the victims of the fire by various defendants. Great White offered $1 million dollars in a settlement to survivors and victims' families; Jeffrey and Michael Derderian have offered $813,000. (Information from Wikipedia.) Original bassist, Lorne Black, would pass away from undisclosed causes in 2013 at the age of 49. Great White: "Once Bitten (Twice Shy)," "The Angel Song," "House of Broken Love"

*Steve Marriott

(Stephen Peter Marriott), house fire in 1991. Marriott was the singer and guitarist for The Small Faces and Humble Pie. After a return flight from the US, Marriott had dinner with his wife at a friend's house, but returned home alone in the early morning. Valium, cocaine and alcohol were in his system. According to investigators, Marriott fell asleep with a lit cigarette. He was found on the floor next to his bed, dead from smoke inhalation. He was 44. (Marriott's co-founder in the Small Faces, Ronnie Lane, would succumb to multiple sclerosis in 1997.) The Small Faces were awarded the Ivor Novello Oustanding Contribution to British Music "Lifetime Achievement" Award in 1996. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Read about Marriott's connection to the Curse of Buddy Holly. With The Small Faces: "Itchycoo Park," "Tin Soldier," "Lazy Sunday," "All or Nothing." With Humble Pie: "Black Coffee," "Shine On," "30 Days in the Hole"

Luther Perkins

house fire. He was 40. Perkins was a guitarist with the Tennessee Three, Johnny Cash's backing band. He is credited with creating Cash's signature "boom-chicka-boom" music style. On 3 August 1968, Perkins fell asleep in his living room with a lit cigarette. His daughter awoke to find the room engulfed in flames and her father collapsed by the door. He was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later. He is buried near Johnny and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Hendersonville, TN. (Both Johnny and June Carter Cash died in 2003; Johnny of complications from diabetes at the age of 71 and June of complications from heart surgery at the age of 73.) Luther Perkins was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. With Johnny Cash: "Folsom Prison Blues," "Ring of Fire," "In the Jailhouse Now," "I Walk the Line"