Life is not always fair, and we all know that. It could be ferocious when young people die before their time. You tell us, but we don’t think there’s anything more unfair than losing a young life. In the article, we will talk about some huge metal legends who died too young.
Many rock and metal musicians die because of their crazy lifestyle filled with alcohol and drugs. Some others perish because of some freaky accidents. It just seems that not everyone is mentally strong enough to deal with this kind of life. But that’s what most of them chose for themselves, right?
Jeff Hanneman
Jeffrey “Jeff” Hanneman was a guitarist and a founding member of the thrash metal legends Slayer. He died just 49-years old in 2013 for a ridiculous reason – suffering from necrotizing fasciitis after being bitten by a spider in a hot tub. That’s a terrible disease that causes your body’s soft tissue to die. It spreads very quickly, and it can cause some brutal pain.
Jeff Hanneman died on May 2, 2013, in California. Soon after that, they revealed that he also had cirrhosis, leading to liver failure.
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles “Chuck” Schuldiner was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the American death metal band Death. He formed the group in the ’80s and quickly became one of the most influential figures at the death metal scene. In 2009, Joel Mcliver ranked him 10th in his book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.
Chuck died because of a brain tumor at the end of 2001. He was just 34-years old at this time. Now some fans consider him the Godfather of death metal – you can notice how big he was.
Cliff Burton
During the ’80s, Cliff Burton was an essential member of the thrash metal giants Metallica. He was not just the band’s bassist, but some might say – its heart and soul.
Tragically, Cliff Burton died just 24-years old in 1986 after a freakish accident in Sweden with the band’s tour bus. While the band was traveling, something happened on the road, and the tour bus flipped out of the road. Burton had the bad luck of being thrown out of the window and smacked by the bus a few seconds later. The driver said he hit a piece of black ice which caused the accident, but it’s still debatable what really happened.
Randy Rhoads
During his short life, Randy Rhoads had the privilege to play with rock bands such as Quiet Riot and the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne. While working with Ozzy, Randy contributed to songs like “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley.”
Randy Rhoads had to live just 25 years on this Earth. He died in a plane crash in Florida in 1982. Nowadays, Randy is considered a pivotal figure in the history of metal, pioneering a new fast and technical style of soloing.
Dimebag Darrell
Because of some crazy fanatic, “Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbot had to live just 38 years before being brutally murdered during a show. Dimebag was a guitarist of the heavy metal legends Pantera and also founded the band Damageplan. He was a massive figure in the world of metal music.
Dimebag’s life came to an end on December 8 in Columbus, Ohio. Pantera had a show at the Alrosa Villa club, but nobody ever expected what a tragic night it would be. The band’s fan Nathan Gale came up on the stage and shot Darrell to death with his Beretta 92FS. Few other people died at the venue before Gale himself was killed by a police officer.
Wayne Static
Well-known for his eccentric haircut, Wayne Static was the founding member of the highly successful metal band Static-X. He was the band’s vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and primary lyricist. He was a loved figure in the realm of heavy metal – there’s no doubt about that.
Wayne Static shockingly died at 48 of age in November 2014. They reported that Wayne took a fatal dose of oxycodone mixed with alcohol – a pretty bad combination. Afterward, the coroner found some other prescription drugs in his system, including hydromorphone and alprazolam. His wife, Tera Wray, couldn’t live with the pain, so she took her own life in 2016.
Kyle Pavone
Kyle Pavone was the frontman of the American metalcore band We Came As Romans. Shockingly for WCAR’s fans, Pavone died in August 2018. He was just 28-years old.
Later they confirmed that Pavone died because of an accidental overdose. To honor his life, We Came As Romans created the Kyle Pavone Foundation – an organization meant to help others battle addiction.
Mitch Lucker
Mitchell “Mitch” Lucker was the singer and songwriter of the American deathcore band Suicide Silence. Making some waves with his crazy tattoos, covering his whole body, Lucker was a charismatic frontman who knew how to move the crowds.
Mitch Lucker’s life ended in 2012 when he was just 28-years old. He was a victim of a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach, California. His bandmates honored his life in the best way possible as they created an educational fund for his daughter.
Jill Janus
Jill Janus was not just a beautiful woman but also the vocalist of the heavy metal band Huntress. She died 42-years of age in 2018 when she committed suicide.
There’s much history behind this decision, though. Jill had bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, while she also had to battle cancer. While she was 16, she made several suicide attempts as well.
Duke Collins
Maybe you’ve heard about The Deadlights – they only had one album, but they quickly became a sensation on the nu-metal scene. We are pretty sure this band had a great future, but in 2001 they decided to split up, as announced by their frontman Duke Collins.
Duke Collins didn’t end his musical career, though. He started playing bass in the groove metal band Droid but died because of his drug addiction in 2015.
These metal legends died too young – it’s a sad case. We are absolutely convinced all 10 of them could have contributed even more to the scene. But it wasn’t meant to be.
