Celebrity air crashes that involve musicians seem to capture the most public attention. These deaths are also reported on in the media and on social media, often in a sensationalist or lurid way. The death of Rick[y] Nelson, on December 31, , is a case in point.
Nelson, who had been a much-publicized teen idol in the s, had gone beyond his celebrity to write and perform more sophisticated rock music. The outraged Nelson family went to great lengths to defend Rick Nelson from any wrongdoing. The American fascination with the aerial death of rock musicians came about because of the legendary February 3, , Winter Party Dance Tour crash of a Beech Bonanza in a cornfield near Clear Lake, Iowa.
September 20, — Jim Croce, rock music singer-songwriter, died at age 30, when his chartered Beechcraft E18S crashed on takeoff from Natchitoches Regional Airport in Louisiana. October 12, — John Denver, an American singer-songwriter-composer died at age 53, when the Rutan Long EZ experimental aircraft he was flying crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Monterey, California. Many of them have become the stuff of legends, with rumors and speculation springing up around them that have taken on a life of their own.
Flip through the gallery below to learn the details about the deaths of several country singers who died in plane crashes. Home News. Cline ominously gave her scrapbook to her friend, up-and-coming country singer Dottie West. It ain't gonna do me no good," she told West. On March 5, , at approximately p. Minutes after take-off, Hughes, an inexperienced pilot without instrument training, inadvertently put the plane into a deadly spiral over a forested area near Camden, Tenn. All on board were killed instantly.
Just over a year after Patsy Cline's death, country music lost yet another voice in a tragic plane crash. According to AllMusic , Texas-born Jim Reeves was a pioneer of the sophisticated "Nashville sound," which moved country music away from its rustic roots to a more polished, cosmopolitan sound.
He began his career in the s with such hits as "Mexican Joe" and "Bimbo. Like Cline, Reeves also found success in popular music. On July 31, , Reeves, at the controls of his single-engine Beechcraft Model B Debonair, was returning from Arkansas with his manager and piano player Dean Manuel.
Departing in clear weather, Reeves and Manuel expected a smooth flight back to Nashville. According to Rich Everitt, author of Falling Stars: Air Crashes that Filled Rock and Roll Heaven , the country crooner reported he was flying into heavy rain as he made his approach to the airport. At p. For two days, a search team of people, 12 planes, and two helicopters combed the area near Nashville's Berry Airport.
On Aug. One of the most influential singers of the s, Otis Redding crossed racial barriers to find success in both soul and pop music.
Beloved for his powerful voice, Redding's music dripped with emotion. Influenced by Sam Cooke and Little Richard, Georgia native Redding began singing in church as a child, but his love of gospel music soon gave way to an obsession with blues and rock 'n' roll. By the mids, Redding had released two strong-selling albums of high-energy soul music.
His third, Otis Blue, was a magnum opus recorded in a single hour session. Composed largely of soulful cover songs, the album also featured "Respect," which would become Aretha Franklin's signature song when she re-recorded it in , as per Biography. His performance at the Monterey Pop Festival was a career-defining moment. At last bringing his talents before an enthusiastic, white audience, Redding was poised to become a musical icon. No satisfactory explanation for the accident has ever been determined.
Redding was Acoustic guitar in hand and clad in faded denim and work boots, Jim Croce set the standard for s singer-songwriters "Time in a Bottle" and "Operator.
Croce, however, was no overnight success. A string of hit singles from the album made Croce a superstar, but life on the road put a toll on his marriage. Fed up with the music business, Croce decided to concentrate on his family.
After one more tour, he planned to leave the road for good. On Sept. On takeoff, the plane failed to gain altitude and slammed into a row of trees. He also had the American number 2 hit ''Donna''. On February 3, , on what has become known as "The The Big Bopper. Jiles Perry "J. October 24, — February 3, , known as The Big Bopper, was an American musician, songwriter, and disc jockey.
His best known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and "White Lightning", the latter of which became George Jones' first number-one hit in He was killed in a plane crash in Iowa in , along with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and the pilot Roger Peterson.
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band best known for popularizing the southern hard-rock genre during the s. The band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its live performances and signature tunes "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". At the peak of their success, three members died in an airplane crash in , putting an abrupt end to the band's most popular incarnation.
The surviving band members re-formed in for a reunion tour with lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant, the younger Aaliyah Dana Haughton ; January 16, — August 25, was an American singer, actress, and model.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold 3 million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association Otis Redding.
Otis Ray Redding Jr. September 9, — December 10, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues.
Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the s. Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and at the age of 2, moved to Macon, Georgia.
Redding quit school at age 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard's backing band, the Upsetters, and by performing in talent shows at the historic Douglass Ricky Nelson. Eric Hilliard Nelson May 8, — December 31, was an American pop star, musician, and singer-songwriter.
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