With the death of singer Amy Winehouse on Saturday (July 23rd), many people are quickly adding her name to the sad and doomed “27 Club” list of popular musicians who all met their early demise at the ripe old age of 27. Although there have been literally thousands of musicians over years that have died young — be it Buddy Holly (aged 22); Hank Williams (aged 29); and John Lennon (aged 40) — the end of the 1960’s brought forth the legendary “27 Club” — starting with the British Invasion’s first real casualty, Rolling Stones co-founder and guitarist, Brian Jones.
Among the high profile members of the “27 Club” are:

Brian Jones: The Stones guitarist died on July 3rd, 1969, at the age of 27. He was found dead at the bottom of the swimming pool at his Cotchford Farm home, in Hartford, England. For years there have been conspiracy theories about what went on the night Jones died, including several suggesting foul play.

Jimi Hendrix: Hendrix died on September 18th, 1970 at the age of 27, about two months shy of his 28th birthday. 40 years later, the events surrounding his death remain sketchy at best, with the only clear fact being that the coroner report stated that Hendrix had asphyxiated in his own vomit, which mainly consisted of red wine. Monika Dannemann, his girlfriend at the time, has long contended that he was alive when placed in the ambulance.

Jim Morrison: The “Lizard King” and Doors frontman was found dead on July 3rd, 1971 in the bathtub of his apartment in Paris, France by his longtime companion, Pamela Courson. The local coroner ruled the official cause of death as “heart attack induced by respiratory problems,” although many insiders believe was that Morrison simply OD’d on heroin. He was buried in Paris’s Pere Lachaise Cemetery six days later on July 9th, 1971.

Janis Joplin: On October 4th, 1970, after a long night of partying, Joplin’s body was discovered in her room at the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood with fresh needle marks in her arm, and her death was ruled an accidental overdose. Joplin was 27-years-old, and at the time of her death was working on what became her final album, Pearl.

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: The co-founding Grateful Dead keyboardist died on March 8th, 1973 due to a gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism.

Pete Ham: Due to intricate and crippling business problems, the Badfinger leader and guitarist hung himself on April 24th, 1975.

Kurt Cobain: On April 5th, 1994 the Nirvana leader took his own life by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun.