The 27 Club: These Famous Musicians All Died Tragically At Age 27

Why do so many musicians die at 27? It’s a decades-old mystery that keep growing.

Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson is a legendary blues guitarist who is considered one of the greatest influences on rock and roll, even though he died before rock and roll was a thing. Johnson’s death is shrouded in mystery.

Some say he was poisoned by a jealous husband, while others surmise he died of syphilis. He was 27.

Pete Ham

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Pete Ham was the lead singer/guitarist for power-pop godfathers Badfinger in the early ‘70s. He wrote and sang such stone-cold classics as “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.” On April 24, 1975, one month before the birth of his daughter, Ham hanged himself in his garage.

He was 27.

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse had a long history of substance abuse. In addition to her drug habits, Winehouse went through periods of abstaining from drinking followed by ferocious benders.

Her family believes years of bulimia resulted in a weakened constitution that was a major contributing factor to Winehouse’s death from alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. She was 27.

Rudy Lewis

Rudy Lewis was a member of The Drifters, and sang lead on timeless hits like “Up on the Roof” and “On Broadway.” He was supposed to perform lead vocals on “Under the Boardwalk” too, but died on the day the Drifters were scheduled to record it.

There was no autopsy, but Lewis’ death was presumed to be from a heroin overdose. He was 27.