Only the Good Die Young

There is something obviously tragic and unfair, yet also undeniably uncanny, about the plethora of deaths of treasured musicians at a young age, more spookily specifically at 27 years old. Some will say it is inevitable when you consider the fast-drinking, high-living, burning-the-candle-at-both-ends lifestyles that these people take up, but surely there is more to it than that? Whatever the causes, this timely book includes entries on a range of artists who famously died at 27, but many others who died at other points in their teens, twenties and early thirties – at the height, or just before the achievement, of their creative potential. It is pointless to pine for the music that could have been, and best to celebrate the music that was – the flashes of brilliance, the often impressive oeuvre created over such a short time. Whether you love to rock out to Kurt Cobain, swoon to the music of Jeff Buckley, are fascinated by the story of blues legend Robert Johnson or worship at the altar of Hendrix, this guide gives an absorbing account and memorable images of them all.