Some celebrity deaths have had a profound impact on the music industry, to the extent that musicians have written tribute tracks.
From The Notorious B.I.G. to Princess Diana, these icons have all been remembered in song!
Songs that explore loss and agony…
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Some celebrity deaths have had a profound impact on the music industry, to the extent that musicians have written tribute tracks. From The Notorious B.I.G. to Princess Diana, these icons have all been remembered in song!
‘I’ll Be Missing You’
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Rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G, was murdered in March 1997 in a drive-by shooting when he visited Los Angeles. Later that year, rapper Puff Daddy teamed up with Biggie’s widow Faith Evans and the group 112 for the tribute song ‘I’ll Be Missing You’. The record – which samples the Police’s hit ‘Every Breath You Take’ – topped charts across the world.
‘American Pie’
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February 3, 1959 was “the day the music died” as rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed in a plane crash. Don McLean paid homage to the trio with the 1971 track ‘American Pie’. The song also alludes to the cultural changes that took place in the decade following the tragedy although McLean has declined to expand further on the symbolism of the song. The track was covered by Madonna in 2000 and also proved to be a global hit.
‘Oh, Thank You Great Spirit’
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Jimi Hendrix is a member of the infamous 27 Club as he passed way at that age in 1970. The iconic guitarist’s style was channelled by Chicago musician Terry Kath for the rock band’s 1975 tribute song ‘Oh, Thank You Great Spirit’. Hendrix is thought to have considered Kath as his favourite guitarist and the song shows that the admiration was mutual.
‘Roll on John’
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Beatles icon John Lennon was shot dead in New York City at the age of 40 in 1980. In 2012, Bob Dylan paid tribute to the music titan with the track ‘Roll On John’ – which featured on the album ‘Tempest’. The song features nods to Beatles tracks including ‘A Day in the Life’ and ‘Come Together’.
‘Desperado’
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The Doors frontman Jim Morrison is another member of the 27 Club and he passed away in a Paris apartment in 1971. Heart failure was listed as the official cause of death, although no autopsy was performed. Morrison’s friend and fellow rocker Alice Cooper included the song ‘Desperado’ on his album ‘Killer’ later that year in tribute.
‘Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of’
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U2’s song ‘Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of’ is inspired by a fictional conversation that frontman Bono had with the INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence – who was found dead in his hotel room aged 37 in 1997 – about taking their own lives. Bono later told Rolling Stone magazine: “I feel the biggest respect I could pay to him was not to write some stupid soppy song, so I wrote a really tough, nasty little number, slapping him around the head.”
‘Never Without You’
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Beatle George Harrison died at the age of 58 in 2001 after losing his battle with cancer. Harrison’s Fab Four bandmate Ringo Starr released the tribute song ‘Never Without You’ two years later. Starr explained how he had remained closest to Harrison after the Beatles broke up in 1970 and the track showed “how I miss him in my heart and in music”.
‘Lay Down Burden’
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Beach Boys musician Carl Wilson passed away at the age of 51 in 1988 from lung cancer and his brother (and fellow Beach Boy) Brian Wilson his solo track ‘Lay Down Burden’ to his memory.
‘The Endless River’
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Pink Floyd musician and co-founder Richard Wright died from lung cancer aged 56 in 2008 and the band released an album, ‘The Endless River’, as a tribute six years later. Guitarist David Gilmour told Uncut magazine: “There’s a bit of Rick speaking I pinched. Rick loved sailing. I miss his ability and out common intuition, or telepathy, which is pretty obvious on ‘The Endless River’ album. It’s a great shame Rick wasn’t around to help out on this one.””
‘Candle in the Wind’
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Sir Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin had originally written the song in tribute to tragic Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe but re-wrote the track following the death of Princess Diana – a good friend of Elton’s – in a Paris car crash in 1997. Many of the lyrics were adapted to reflect Princess Diana’s life and death and Elton only performed the song once in public at her funeral.
Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.