Larry
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In no particular order, these artists, musicians, and performers all passed away at the young age of 27:
* Jimi Hendrix - songwriter, composer, guitarist, singer, bandleader; died of complications from a probable drug overdose.
* Janis Joplin - singer and songwriter; likely died of a drug overdose.
* Jim Morrison - singer and songwriter, frontman for The Doors; uncertain cause of death.
* Kurt Cobain - guitarist, songwriter, singer of Nirvana; suicide.
* Brian Jones - guitarist for the Rolling Stones; drowned, experts speculate that drugs or alcohol were involved.
* Pigpen - Grateful Dead keyboardist; gastrointestinal disease.
* Robert Johnson - Hugely influential 1930s bluesman; thought to have died after being poisoned.
And now Amy Winehouse, acclaimed vocalist and songwriter.
There are probably other famous musicians or performers who died at 27, but those are the most famous ones who most people would recognize.
I actually thought Tupac Shakur died at 27, too, but unfortunately his life met a violent end at an even younger age, 25.
As for why "27" is seen as an unlucky number, or maybe as more than a coincidence . . . I believe it started when Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison all died within roughly 9 months of each other, all at the age of 27. And Brian Jones died just a year earlier (in fact, Morrison died on July 3, 1971, which is two years to the day after Jones' demise on July 3, 1969.)
I think these facts feed the superstitious hysteria:
* Jones, Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison all died when they were (arguably) at high points in their careers;
* all four deaths were presumed to be drug-related;
* the deaths came in relatively rapid succession;
* all of these artists were part of the 1960s counterculture movement, and certain subcultures within that movement were very into conspiracy theories and/or mysticism. These types of folks may have perpetuated the mythology about age 27.
 Posted 4868 day ago
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