Rest In Peace
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor
Performing musicians usually lead double lives - they put on a metaphorical mask to conceal their innermost troubles, thus casting a shadow over their turbulent existence. They construct mental barricades in between their stage personas and private lives so that they can uphold their larger-than-life stage presence - and keep their mortal weaknesses away from the prying eyes of the public.
Musicians are human, after all, and there comes a time when each and every one of them suffers a bout of reality - we mortal men and women go through this every day - and when we see their menacing façade crumble before our very eyes, we know only too well what they’re going through.
When you take away someone’s momentary pleasures and worldly possessions, they are left with only their minds and emotions. Sadly, some of these musicians never had a chance to return to reality, and their cruel fate was such that they were erased from our lives forever.
We pay a tribute to the tragic deaths of some of the greatest musicians in rock history.
Dimebag Darrell
Dime, was he was popularly known by the metal community, was brutally murdered on stage by a mentally-unstable gunman on the 6th of December, 2004. Arguably the best-known metal guitarist of all time, Dime’s tragic demise created waves in the music industry and his fans are still recovering from the incident.
His never-before-seen guitar wizardry and gargantuan stage presence riveted thousands of fans for years, right to the day he was shot on stage in the middle of a show in front of his fans and band members - his drummer was his elder brother, Vinnie Paul.
Dime was a down-to-earth man - which makes the killing seem even more absurd that it already is - and treated his fans like they were his friends.
Trivia:
Dime was laid to rest in a KISS coffin - KISS was his all-time favorite band.
Cliff Burton
Hugely popular ex-bassist of Metallica, Cliff was the reason why crowds thronged to see the band perform in the early 80s. He would play his bass guitar like it was an electric guitar - crazy bass solos included - and the greatest example of this is the track Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) from their debut album Kill ‘Em All.
Unfortunately, a tragic bus accident in September 1986 took the life of this amazing musician - at the tender age of 24.
The bus skidded on an ice-covered road, catapulting him out - and it proceeded to land right on top of him. Cliff died at the scene, and from that moment on the band was never the same again. His departure threw Metallica into years of chaos and many fans can say that the band never actually recovered from the incident.
Trivia:
The remaining members of Metallica played the song Orion (Instrumental) in his tribute at Cliff’s funeral.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
One of the greatest blues musicians of all time, SRV had a memorable voice and unmistakable stage persona. The critics, though, closed their eyes to his brand of blues for being too rock-oriented, but SRV carved a name for himself, nonetheless by fusing the two elements together - and this made SRV appealing to both blues and rock fans.
A disciple of Jimi Hendrix, SRV even covered the Hendrix song Little Wing: not only did he do justice to Hendrix, but his version of the song sounds even more soulful than the original!
Tragically, the man was killed in a freak helicopter crash - just when he was about to grow into an even bigger incarnate than he already was. SRV can be credited for popularizing Texas Blues, and for influencing a younger generation of blues guitarists such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Johnny Lang.
Trivia:
SRV’s trademark song is Pride and Joy.
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