10 Biggest Career Downfalls In The Classic Music Industry

There have always been two sides to the music business. Fame, wealth, and a stage presence are all benefits, but they also frequently come with a great deal of pressure, temptation, and emotional hardship. These are ten accounts of musicians whose successful careers were marred by untimely deaths.

Jerry Lee Lewis
“The Killer,” Jerry Lee Lewis, dazzled audiences with songs like “Great Balls of Fire”. He was a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer thanks to his ferocious piano performances. However, he married Myra Gale Brown, a 13-year-old cousin, in 1958, which led to an uproar. The reaction was swift: boycotts, postponed tours, and a collapsing career. Even though Jerry Lee made an effort to recover, the harm was too great to undo.

Syd Barrett
On early hits like “See Emily Play”, Pink Floyd’s founding leader Syd Barrett captivated with his psychedelic sounds. However, his extensive LSD usage resulted in mental health issues and unpredictable conduct. After being replaced by David Gilmour in 1968, Syd withdrew from public life and lived out his remaining years alone. Although his narrative is one of lost possibilities, his fleeting genius left an enduring impression.

Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter’s angelic voice helped define the 1970s with hits like “We’ve Only Just Begun”, but fans were mostly unaware of her battle with anorexia nervosa. Karen tragically died of the consequences of her eating disorder in 1983 as a result of the devastating toll that the strain to maintain a perfect image took. Her passing continues to rank among the saddest catastrophes in music.

Peter Green
Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac wrote classic songs like “Black Magic Woman”, but his use of LSD and schizophrenia caused his career to take a nosedive. He left the band in 1970 as a result of his unpredictable actions. He spent years in mental care and never recovered his early success, despite his attempts at a comeback.

Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson was a musical pioneer and the mastermind behind “Good Vibrations” and “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys. However, schizoaffective disorder, substance abuse, and the demands of celebrity took their toll. For years, Wilson avoided public life. Despite his eventual return to music, his career was permanently impacted by his hardships.

Sly Stone
With funk classics like “Dance to the Music”, Sly Stone, the lead singer of Sly and the Family Stone, transformed music. However, his career and the band were shattered by his unpredictable behavior and cocaine addiction. Notwithstanding his occasional resurgence, Sly’s decline into addiction eclipsed his revolutionary musical accomplishments.

Jim Morrison
With songs like “Light My Fire”, Jim Morrison, the mysterious vocalist of The Doors, became a counterculture hero. His arrests for public obscenity and substance addiction, however, garnered media attention. The Doors’ heyday came to an end in 1971 when Morrison, then just 27 years old, passed away in Paris under strange circumstances.

Elvis Presley
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, dominated with hits like “Jailhouse Rock”. Yet, as his fame grew, so did his struggles with prescription drug abuse. On August 16, 1977, Elvis died of a heart attack linked to his drug dependency, leaving behind a tarnished legacy.

Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin’s powerhouse voice shone on tracks like “Piece of My Heart”. Yet, the pressures of fame and self-esteem issues pushed her deeper into heroin addiction. At 27, she was found dead of an overdose in 1970, cementing her place in the infamous “27 Club.”

Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix revolutionized rock with hits like “Purple Haze”. His unparalleled guitar skills influenced generations, but substance abuse and the pressures of stardom led to his untimely death at 27. In 1970, Hendrix died of asphyxia from barbiturate intoxication, cutting short a groundbreaking career.