The Death of Rock: Other Known Causes

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.

El Duce

(Eldon Hoke), "death by misadventure" at the age of 39. El Duce was the drummer with The Mentors, but his notoriety stems from his claim that Courtney Love offered him 50 thousand dollars to kill her husband, grunge icon, Kurt Cobain (see 1994). In 1996, El Duce told his story to a filmmaker and a polygraph test supposedly determined that he was telling the truth. A week after the interview, he was found dead by a railway track. Supposedly there was a high volume of alcohol in his blood and the authorities dubbed his a death by misadventure, but his friends suspect foul play. Read how his story ties to the Shadows of Seattle.

Mike Edwards

(later known as Swami Deva Pramada). Edwards was killed on a highway in Devon, England, in 2010, when a cylindrical bale of hay rolled down a hillside and collided with his van. He was 62. (Edwards's age would typically exclude him from The Archive, but I chose to include him because of the bizarre manner of his death.) Edwards played cello for Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and appeared on the albums, ELO II, On the Third Day, The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) and Eldorado. ELO: "The Dying Swan," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Evil Woman," "Strange Magic"

^Blind Lemon Jefferson

(Lemon Henry Jefferson); 1929. Reports about his death are conflicting; the most popularly circulated stories have Jefferson either freezing to death or suffering a heart attack while disoriented in a Chicago snowstorm. No death certificate has ever been found. Jefferson was one of the earliest blues artists to record, logging over a hundred titles between 1926-1929. Jefferson was between 32 and 37 years old at the time of his death. In addition to his cause of death and age, Jeffereson's exact burial place is also a mystery. The general area of his final resting place is marked in what is now Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery in Wortham, Texas. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. "Matchbox Blues," "See That My Grave is Kept Clean," "Easy Rider Blues," "Jack O'Diamonds"

Joe Hill Lewis

(Lester/Leslie Hill), tetanus. Louis was an early musician on the seminal Sun Records, who billed himself as "Be-Bop Boy and His One-Man Band." He was fairly popular in his day and had a radio show (WDIA) on which he was known as "The Pepticon Boy." In 1957, he severely cut his thumb, supposedly on a guitar string, and it became infected; he died of tetanus at the age of 35.

Taylor Mitchell

attacked by coyotes while hiking in 2009. She was 19. Mitchell was a Canadian folk singer who was nominated for Young Performer of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards. During a break while touring, she decided to go hiking on the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia. Fellow hikers witnessed the coyote attack and called 911. Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital, where she died 12 hours later. Her album, For Your Consideration, was released in 2009.

Jerome Smith

construction accident in 2000. He was 47. Smith was a founding member and rhythm guitarist of KC & the Sunshine Band. While working construction, he fell off his bulldozer and was crushed by the machine. "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"

Merle Watson

(Eddy Merle Watson), tractor accident in 1985. Watson was a folk/blues/gospel/country/bluegrass musician who collaborated with his legendary and award-winning father, Doc Watson. (Merle shared two Grammy Awards with his father.) One night, unable to sleep, Merle went to the basement to trim some paneling for his basement walls. The saw blade hit a fault in the grain and a large piece of wood splintered off, embedding itself in his upper arm. He grabbed the key to his farm tractor and left to seek help. He proceeded to a house at the summit of a steep hill, where the owners of the house were able to aid him in removing the splinter. Bandaged, but weak from the loss of blood, he left to return home. On the way back down the steep hill, the tractor brakes locked, and it pitched over a high embankment. Watson was thrown off the tractor which landed on him, killing him instantly. He was 36. MerleFest, an "Americana Music Celebration" named after Watson, is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world. It was hosted annually by Doc Watson in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Doc Watson died after colon surgery in 2012 at the age of 89.) "Cotton Row," "Freight Train Boogie," "Interstate Rag," "Guitar Polka"

Peter Wood

reports vary; some state suicide, others say he slipped on his kitchen floor and suffered a fatal head injury in 1993. He was 43. Wood was an English keyboardist who co-wrote Al Stewart's hit, "Year of the Cat". Wood was responsible for the piano introduction and theme that ran throughout the song. He was also a member of the groups, Quiver and Natural Gas, and he collaborated with various artists, including Cyndi Lauper, Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, and Tommy Shaw.