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Saddest Moments in Rock History

Being a rockstar is great... or is it? The saddest moments in rock history prove that it's not always a happy ending in the world of music.

By Skunk UzekiPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
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The other night, I had heard that Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, was found dead. It was a clear case of suicide via hanging, and if you ever listened any of the music his band produced, it's clear that he struggled with depression throughout his life.

I'd be lying if I said his suicide didn't shake me. Like many other people my age, Bennington's music spoke to me when I was a bullied, wounded teenager. Knowing he's gone made me shed some tears, if only because he was such a talented singer.

As tragic as Bennington's suicide was, it's not that unusual. Rock history is one that is filled with tragedy, tears, and sorrow — especially when it comes to the bigger names in the industry. Bennington aside, here are some of the saddest moments in rock history that most may have forgotten about.

John Lennon's Death

John Lennon's death is often considered to be one of the saddest moments in rock history — and it's easy to see why. He was one of the greatest legends in rock history. He was a man who was known for producing famous musical works that talked about love, acceptance, and what life would be like if we were all immortal.

For many, John Lennon and the Beatles embodied the spirit of the 60s. He was a man who was full of life and ready to record even more music. He literally was at the peak of his career.

... And then, he was shot by an obsessed fan.

Unlike other moments on this list, John Lennon didn't want to die. He didn't want to go. He was happy; his life was just so wrongly stolen from him that it was tragic.

With John Lennon went any hope of a Beatles album ever being produced again. With his death also died a huge chunk of the 60s peacenik spirit, making it one of the saddest moments in modern music history as a whole.

Lennon Admitting to Abusing Women

One of the most commonly brushed over facts about the Beatles is that John Lennon was a known domestic abuser and cheater.

In fact, his own children recalled him as an absent father, and Yoko Ono's divorce documents showed him to have been a regular cheater, a wife-beater, and a verbal abuser.

However, those moments might be discredited as a shill for attention after a rocker died. What became one of the saddest moments in rock history was when Lennon himself admitted to being a domestic abuser.

There's something about seeing a man who everyone knew as this peaceful hippie admitting to hitting someone who loved him so much that is heartbreaking. By doing this, he crushed so many people's respect for him — and hope that the fathers of the peace-loving movement would have been peaceful, themselves.

The Fame and Death of Hideto Matsumoto

Hideto Matsumoto was the lead guitarist of X-Japan, one of the hottest J-rock bands of the 1990s. He had started up a record label, was an active talent scout for the J-rock industry, was a celebrated model, and even worked as a photographer as well.

A true talent powerhouse, Hideto was the cream of the crop. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, he was falling apart. Word had it that he struggled with body issues, alcohol, as well as emotional problems dealing with his own sexuality.

Whatever the reason may be, his emotional issues led him to take his own life. Some claim it was an accident due to drinking, but official records state suicide as the cause of death.

In the past couple of decades, Hide's legacy became the foundation of the visual kei movement. As one site put it, his death's impact in Japan was as if "Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley both died."

His death marks one of the saddest moments in rock history to happen in all of Asia. Despite the adoration of fans, his grave has been repeatedly vandalized, which makes this all the more tragic.

The Yellow Dogs Get Put Down

The Yellow Dogs were a band of Iranian expats who managed to escape their country in order to play music without persecution. The group had moved to Brooklyn, and found a number of steady gigs.

Everything came crashing down after a dispute with fellow Iranian expat Ali Akbar Mohammed Rafie. In 2013, Rafie broke into the group's Brooklyn apartment and fatally shot the drummer, the guitarist, and two other family friends.

The Yellow Dogs as a band ceased to exist. Rafie turned the gun on himself and commit suicide in front of the band's family friend, permanently scarring her for life.

What makes the demise of these two band members is the fact that they fought tooth and nail to get refugee status in America because they were afraid of being killed in Iran for making music — only to be gunned down when they finally thought they were safe to practice the craft they loved the most.

Kurt Cobain's Suicide (?)

For people who grew up in the 90s, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain were the voices they never really felt like they had. He was angsty. He was genuine. Above all, Cobain had a raw, soulful talent when it came to music that is rarely ever seen in music — mainstream or otherwise.

Throughout his rise to fame, Cobain struggled with the pressure of Hollywood, the cheapening of his music, and heavy drug use. The more money he made, the more drugs he used.

His death, which was ruled a suicide via gunshot to the head, ended up being one of the saddest moments in rock history. The grunge movement died along with him, and he left behind a wife and child.

Unfortunately for Cobain's wife, many people believed that she had killed her former spouse. The stigma associated with her ended up being enough reason to outcast her from rock society.

While no one is for sure if Love killed Cobain, the fact is that it adds to the tragedy either way. If she's innocent, she was wrongly cast out and labeled a murderer by millions. If she's guilty, then that means that a murderer walked free after killing one of the best singers of last century.

Freddie Mercury Dies of AIDS

In the 1980s, HIV and AIDs were just beginning to be noticed by the medical world. No one knew what was causing it; it was just a random illness that caused people's immune systems to die — then cause them to die soon after. It was terrifying, and it was unreal.

However, it became very real when one of the greatest rock stars in history was diagnosed with HIV. Freddie Mercury, an openly bisexual man, was one of the very first celebrities to get diagnosed with the illness.

Queen was one of the best bands of the 70s and 80s, and was known for its iconic, anthem songs. Freddie Mercury's very public battle with HIV/AIDS made the disease very real to audiences who may never have heard of the illness before.

His death broke the hearts of millions, and almost drove his guitarist, Brian May, to suicide. The world is a little less hopeful without Mercury's golden voice and surreal stage persona, and that's why his death was one of the saddest moments in rock history.

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About the Creator

Skunk Uzeki

Skunk Uzeki is an androgynous pothead and a hard partier. When they aren't drinking and causing trouble, they're writing articles about the fun times they have.

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