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This Is the End: A 60-Second Tour of Rock Star Death Sites

7/3/07, 3:10 pm EST


Ol’ Dirty Bastard (36 Records, New York)
On November 13th, 2004, Russell Tyrone Jones, a.k.a. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Big Baby Jesus, Dirt McGirt, collapsed and died at this recording studio. The 35 year old rapper was fresh out of prison and was working on a comeback album at the time. He had been complaining about chest pains for days, but had refused to go to a doctor. An autopsy revealed a lethal mix of painkillers and cocaine in his system (a small plastic bag full of cocaine was found in his stomach).


John Entwistle (Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas)
Who bassist John Entwistle died like a true rock star: high on coke and in bed with a stripper in Las Vegas. The Who were one day away from kicking off their 2002 tour at the Hard Rock Hotel at the time, and Entwistle came to town early to appear at a local art gallery that was displaying his paintings. He met up with local stripper Alison Rowse at the bar and they quickly retreated to his room. A few weeks later she blabbed to a UK tabloid that after they had sex she had trouble falling asleep because of his loud snoring – but she was greatly relieved when it finally stopped. When she woke up he was cold.

Sid Vicious (63 Bank Street, New York)
On February 1st, Vicious was released from jail after making bond on charges that he murdered his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Deeply depressed, he went to his new girlfriend’s apartment at 63 Bank Street. She threw a party for him and Sid spent the night shooting up heroin; he got into bed that night and never woke up. His ashes were sprinkled over Nancy’s grave, in Philadelphia, much to the horror of Nancy’s parents, who blamed him for the murder of their daughter.

Bob Marley (Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, Miami)
In 1980 Bob Marley was flying to Jamaica from a cancer clinic in Germany when the plane landed in Miami because Marley was gravely ill. Three years earlier doctors discovered a malignant melanoma on his right big toe, but he refused to have it amputated due to his Rastatari beliefs that the body must remain whole. In late 1980 he learned the cancer had spread to his entire body and no treatment could cure it. Desperate, he flew to Germany where he met with former SS doctor Josef Issels who attempted alternative treatments that proved fruitless. He died on May 11, 1981 at this hospital. His final word to his son Ziggy were “Money can’t buy life.”


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Comments

jason | 7/3/2007, 6:21 pm EST

how about Jim Morrison’s death site after all it was 36 years ago today . . .

Bobby | 7/3/2007, 7:12 pm EST

Jim Morrison? Skynyrd? John Lennon? Dimebag Darrell? That goofy guy from Drowning Pool? Michael Bloomfield? Nice touch with ODB, though. I never knew that one…

mato (buenos aires) | 7/3/2007, 7:14 pm EST

obviously, graceland or john lennon’s murder site is quite known. is that why you missed it guys? and what about brian jones? or joey ramone?

clark_gable | 7/4/2007, 12:39 am EST

why no wolf river?
jeff buckley anyone…

Steven | 7/4/2007, 4:21 am EST

psssst, I believe you mean “Rastafari” beliefs…

GhostofTomWaits | 7/4/2007, 9:59 am EST

How about Gram Parsons death in Joshua Tree Inn swimming in heroin and alcohol.

Ron J | 7/4/2007, 11:43 am EST

The greatest guitar player that ever lived, Duane Allman…?

Juan Pablo | 7/4/2007, 1:46 pm EST

Elliott Smith?, Nick Drake?

Banjo | 7/4/2007, 3:29 pm EST

obviously you can’t write about every single musician/singer who died, but good work RS. i’d like to see this “death site” column become a regular thing! please? come on! very interesting

mark | 7/4/2007, 6:57 pm EST

ian curtis (joy division) surely…..for who he was, and the way he did it !!!!!!

Tori Biggs | 7/4/2007, 7:13 pm EST

how very klosterman.

snwriter | 7/5/2007, 12:14 pm EST

How about the always underrated Marc Bolan, 30 years ago this September, at the infamous tree that Gloria Jones dove them into in Barnes Common London?

partialaftereasyomeneffects | 7/5/2007, 12:20 pm EST

I agree with Banjo that this would be cool as a regular thing…I like it. It’s very interesting.

Andy Greene | 7/5/2007, 1:32 pm EST

Glad you guys like it. The only problem is that I’m limited to areas Google has made street view available in – which so far is just parts of Denver, New York, Miami, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Beatles Lover | 7/5/2007, 3:04 pm EST

What about John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, and Jimi Hendrix? You should more people on here! But it was cool anyways.

Joe | 7/6/2007, 10:46 am EST

Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper? Pictures of that site with the bodies in the snow still give me chills.

Cover Campaign 2007 | 7/8/2007, 12:30 pm EST

Totally interesting. I do a lot of video shows on the deaths of famous rock stars.
http://www.rockingfunm usic.com

Cover Campaign 2007 | 7/8/2007, 12:33 pm EST

I had a mistake in my url. Lots of sid, Jim, and Hendrix etc.videos
http://www.rocking funmusic.com

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