What is the 27 club? All celebrities who’ve made the morbid list

Chances are you’ve heard of the 27 Club at some point in your life, but what exactly is this tragic cultural phenomenon?

An informal list, the 27 Club consists of celebrities who died at the early age of 27, many of whom are musicians. It has since become a staple in pop culture after being first coined following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994.

Prior to Cobain, rock fans had already begun to notice a pattern of their favorite artists dying at 27. However, the death of Nirvana’s lead singer attracted significant attention to the phenomenon.

The list has since evolved to include celebrities from all entertainment industries, from actors to artists and every performer in between.

Which celebrities are members of the 27 Club?

As the 27 Club is informal, there is no official membership. Nonetheless below are some of the most well-known names who joined the morbid club, including how they died.

Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson’s Tombstone.

While some records of the 27 Club date back much earlier, a majority start with blues singer and musician Robert Johnson. His singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent resulted in Johnson being recognized as a master of the blues, although his career only spanned seven months.

Johnson died on August 16, 1938, of unknown causes. His death certificate — obtained 30 years later — failed to include a cause and no formal autopsy has ever been done.

Rudy Lewis

Rudy Lewis was the lead vocalist in The Drifters.

Posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rudy Lewis was the lead vocalist for The Drifters and died on May 21, 1964. Like Johnson, an autopsy was never performed.

Authorities ruled his death likely to be the result of a drug overdose after he was found dead in a Harlem hotel room after The Drifters were due to record one of their songs, Under the Boardwalk.

Brian Jones

Brian Jones in the locker room of the gym of Georgia Southern College.

The founder and original leader of the Rolling Stones, Brian Jones was the first major death of the 27 Club which saw fans of rock ‘n’ roll start to notice a pattern.

Jones died around midnight on July 3, 1969, after being discovered at the bottom of his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm. The official cause of death was listed as drowning, with the coroner’s report later clarifying this as a “death by misadventure.”

Jimi Hendrix

A promotional photo of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

One year later, influential electric rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix’s four-year mainstream career came to an end after he died on September 18, 1970.

Drug and alcohol abuse led to his death after Hendrix was found unresponsive and unconscious by his girlfriend at the time, Monika Dannemann. An inquest concluded that Hendrix had aspirated on his vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.

Janis Joplin

A publicity photo from a photo session with Janis Joplin.

Hailed as one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time, Janis Joplin died the same year on October 4, 1970, of a heroin overdose, possibly compounded by alcohol.

Joplin’s close friend Peggy Caserta, however, believed that the American singer and songwriter had died as the result of a head injury after falling and hitting her face on a table. Caserta did admit though that intoxication may have played a role in Joplin’s death.

Jim Morrison

Publicity photo of James Morrison.

One year later in 1971, Jim Morrison died unexpectedly in a Paris apartment on July 3. The lead vocalist and primary lyricist of The Doors was found dead in the bathtub by his girlfriend, Pamela Courson.

The official cause of death was listed as heart failure, although no autopsy was performed and some have since suspected drug and alcohol abuse were involved. Courson would die of a heroin overdose three years later, also at the age of 27.

Ron McKernan

Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan in 1968.

Known by his stage name ‘Pigpen’, McKernan was the founding member, keyboardist, and singer of the Grateful Dead. He had developed alcohol dependency from a young age resulting in numerous health issues including cirrhosis of the liver and ulcers.

McKernan died on March 8, 1973, of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage. He wasn’t found until approximately two days later by his landlady at his home in Corte Madera, California.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Graffiti of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Eme Freethinker.

An American graphic artist part of the Neo-expressionism movement, Jean-Michel Basquiat became an art-world celebrity in the late 1970s. His paintings were being exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, however, the young artist also developed a drug addiction.

This ultimately led to his death on August 12, 1988, after being found unresponsive at his home on Great Jones Street in Manhattan. It was determined Basquiat had died of a heroin overdose.