10 Musicians Who Died While on Tour

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at musicians who tragically passed away while they were on tour.

Taylor Hawkins

Dave Grohl might be known as the nicest guy in rock-n-roll, but his bandmate Taylor Hawkins was just as beloved. As a long-time member of the Foo Fighters, Hawkins was known for his on-stage charisma and lending his vocals to several fan favourites. But on an ill-fated 2022 tour, the 50-year-old Hawkins reportedly was exhausted by the work involved, although accounts vary. But on March 25, after calling emergency services due to chest pains, Hawkins was found unresponsive upon their arrival. Urine toxicology reports indicated that there were 10 different substances in his body. The death was a huge shock to fans of the band and to the music world as a whole, leading to a number of tributes from his contemporaries, family, and friends.

Jim Croce

The legendary folk-rock singer Jim Croce had just walked off-stage after a gig in Natchitoches, one hour before boarding a plane to Sherman, Texas. He was in the middle of a 45-date tour, just one day before the release of his single I Got a Name. But in a tragic turn of events, the plane would never land. The exact reason for the crash is not 100% confirmed, but foggy conditions made visibility a real problem for the pilot. When the plane crashed shortly after take-off, Croce and the five others on-board lost their lives. Croce was 30 years old at the time and was considering pivoting from music to script-writing, a development that was cut short before it began.

Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell was the beloved front-man of Soundgarden and Audioslave, among other projects. Through the 1990s and 2000s, he carved out a reputation as one of the most impressive singers in rock music. His powerful voice was regularly complimented by fellow greats - including Axl Rose and Ronnie James Dio. However, a long battle with depression would eventually cause him to take his own life after performing a show with Soundgarden in Detroit, Michigan. The music world as well as Cornells family and friends were shocked as this seemingly came out of nowhere. He was 52-years-old at the time of his passing.

Scott Weiland

Scott Weilands work as the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver made him one of the standout singers of his era, but his turbulent relationship with substances led to some issues with the law and his bandmates - often in very high profile fashion. There has been some discussion regarding his leaving that lifestyle behind, with Weiland himself claiming he had been off drugs since 2002. However, during a tour with his band The Wildabouts, things took a tragic turn. The band were set to perform in Rochester, Minnesota, but on December 3rd Weiland was found unresponsive on his tour bus. He was declared dead - with the official reason being an accidental overdose of substances and alcohol.

Cliff Burton

The tragedy of Cliff Burton is one that feels surreal even to this day. Beloved by fans of Metallica due to his bass-work on seminal albums like Kill Em All and Master of Puppets, Burtons life would unfortunately end in shocking fashion. While the band were touring 1986s Master of Puppets, their tour-bus was involved in a crash while they were sleeping. With no safety belts or harness to protect him, Burton was flung out of the window and killed instantly. He was just 24-years-old at the time. The bus driver claimed there was black ice on the road, but no ice was found. Metallica eventually persevered, but it was a moment that changed the band forever.

Randy Rhoads

The death of former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads was so avoidable that it almost hurts to think about it. With the band fast asleep, the mischievous Rhoads along with pilot, Andrew Aycock, and Rachel Youngblood, decided to take a late-night joyride in a small plane. The goal? To try and fly the craft as close to the tour bus as possible in order to play a prank. The first couple of attempts were not close enough for Aycock. On the final attempt, the wing of the plane clipped the bands tourbus, causing a crash that killed all three passengers. Rhoads was 25 years old at the time.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Unlike many tragic figures, the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan successfully kicked a long-standing alcohol and substance addiction in 1986. But in 1990, following a jam session at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, Vaughan, accompanied by his bodyguard, agent, and tour manager, boarded a helicopter. They were to be flown to an airport in Chicago. However, the helicopter crashed into a nearby ski hill not too long after takeoff - killing all five men instantly. Poor weather conditions and hilly terrain were to blame. An estimated 3,000 people showed up to pay their respects to the 35-year-old at his funeral - including Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and members of ZZ Top.

Ronnie Van Zant & Steve Gaines

Not many bands have been ravaged by one particular incident quite like Southern Rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd. Following a 1977 performance in Greenville, the band boarded a plane to Baton Rouge, but ran out of fuel mid-flight. Upon attempting an emergency landing, they crashed into a heavily forested area. Five people were killed - including singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backing-singer to the band Cassie Gaines, along with their assistant road manager and the pilot and his co-pilot. Aside from a few performances, the band were utterly incapable of continuing for another decade until they reformed with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, on lead vocals.

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott

Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbotts legacy as one of the greatest metal guitarists of his era was already established by 2004. But during a performance in Columbus, Ohio that year, Dimebag was shot and killed by a fan during the first song of his band Damageplans set. Three others were killed in the chaos, with a further three sustaining injuries. The perpetrator, Nathan Gale, was gunned down by a police officer before he was able to keep shooting. Gale had previously been discharged from the US Marine Corps due to his paranoid schizophrenia and may have believed a higher power was compelling him to carry out this crime. Dimebag was pronounced dead at the scene, aged 38. Fellow rockstars such as Eddie Van Halen, Gene Simmons, and Zakk Wylde all paid their respects at his funeral. It was a tragedy that no-one could have seen coming.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & The Big Bopper

February 3, 1959, otherwise known as The Day The Music Died was a moment in music history that truly shook the world to its core. Upon leaving Clear Lake, Iowa by plane after a performance, legendary musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper J. P. Richardson all perished in an infamous crash. They were in the middle of a 24 date tour and when their bus kept breaking down, they opted to use a plane instead. But when the vehicle crashed into a field, all three were killed, along with their pilot. The day was, of course, immortalised in Don McLeans song American Pie, but make no mistake, twelve years before, when it actually happened, this news brought the music world to its knees.

Have we missed any other tragic deaths of musicians that occurred on tour? Let us know in the comments section below.