Amy Winehouse Joins the 27 Club; Who Are the Other Members?

Amy Winehouse joined a long list of musicians who died at the age of 27 when she was found dead in her house in London on Saturday.

What is the 27 Club? Who are the others?

What is the 27 Club?

The 27 Club is the name of a group of leading rock musicians who died at the age of 27. The group is also known as Forever 27 Club or Club 27. The club was formed after the death of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Nirvana front-man Kurt Cobain was later added to the group. Every musician, except Joplin, in this group of four has died controversial deaths.

Hendrix’s autopsy showed that he asphyxiated on vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine. Morrison’s cause of death was listed as heart failure while he was in bath-tub at a rented apartment in Paris. No autopsy, however, was performed on him. Cobain’s death was ruled as suicide by shotgun but some believe that he was killed by Courtney Love.

"Don't join that stupid club," Cobain's mother once told her son before he committed suicide at age 27. Also according to Cobain's biography, Heavier Than Heaven, Cobain's sister admitted that Kurt, as a child, talked about wanting to join the club.

Who are the other notable musicians in the club?

Brian Jones (1942-1969): Rolling Stones founder and guitarist. Jones was found dead in a swimming pool and was tagged “death by misadventure.”

Robert Johnson (1911-1938): He was a Bluesman who recorded his influential set of 29 songs which inspired musicians after him. He is considered the first of the 27 club.

Malcolm Hale (1941-1968): Hale was the original member of Spanky and Our Gang who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a damaged space heater.

Arlester "Dyke" Christian (1944-1971): Front-man and vocalist of Dyke & The Blazers, he was shot.

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1973-1946): He was the founding member, singer and keyboardist of the Grateful Dead. McKernan died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism.

Dennis Boon (1958-1985): Boon was the lead singer and guitarist of a punk band Minutemen who died when he was lying down in the back of a van which swerved off road and he fell from the vehicle and broke his neck.

Alexander Bashlachev (1961-1988): He was a Russian rock musician, songwriter and poet who committed suicide by jumping from the window of the ninth floor of his apartment on Kuznetsova Avenue in Leningrad.

Les Harvey (1944-1972): Harvey was the guitarist of Stone the Crows. He was killed on stage when he was electrocuted by touching a microphone with wet hands.