Gone Too Soon
Some of the best musicians in history lost their lives in the most horrific plane crashes. These are the real-life nightmares that shocked the music industry to its core.
Glenn Miller
Born in 1904, Glenn Miller was a man of many musical talents—a conductor, composer, and trombone player. During the big band era, he led one of the most successful bands, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. However, he was doomed to a tragic end.
Glenn Miller
When Miller boarded a military plane in 1944, he had no clue that he'd never reach his destination in Paris. While soaring over the English Channel, the aircraft went missing.
Billboard magazine, Wikimedia Commons
Glenn Miller
Glen Miller's plane was never found. On December 15, 1944, he was declared missing in action—and a year and a day later, the official declaration of his demise came through. Miller was only 40 years old. But what caused his plane to crash?
United States Air Force, Wikimedia Commons
Glenn Miller
One theory for Miller's demise was that his plane's wings had frozen over, leading to the accident. Another theory suggests that the plane may have been targeted by enemies, and shot out of the sky. However, speculation aside, the truth remains a mystery.
Buddy Holly And Ritchie Valens
Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens were both phenomenal rock and roll talents—and the day of their sad ends has gone down in history as the "The Day the Music Died".
Brunswick Records, Wikimedia Commons
Buddy Holly And Ritchie Valens
In 1959, the "Winter Dance Party" tour brought together several musical legends: Buddy Holly and his band, Dion and the Belmonts, and Ritchie Valens. But the tour was no walk in the park.
General Artists Corportation, Wikimedia Commons
Buddy Holly And Ritchie Valens
Chilly weather conditions combined with lengthy bus rides were not exactly a delightful experience for the musicians—and as a result, their health often suffered. On one occasion, after a show at Clear Lake, Buddy Holly came up with an idea.
Buddy Holly And Ritchie Valens
Holly wanted to fly to their next destination in Moorhead, Minnesota. There were four people on board the plane: Buddy Holly, JP Richardson, Ritchie Valens (who won his seat thanks to a coin toss), and the pilot, Roger Peterson. But this shortcut cost them everything.
Buddy Holly And Ritchie Valens
It was a cold, dark night when the plane launched into the sky on February 3, 1953. But the winter weather was perilous, and it wasn't long before the flight took a dark turn, the plane slamming into a cornfield.
Sadly, none of the passengers survived the crash.
Patsy Cline
Born in 1932, Patsy Cline was a darling of country music—and was at the top of her game when she played her final show in Kansas City in 1963. But there's an ominous detail about her life that few know.
Shanecollinswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Patsy Cline
You see, in the years leading up to her untimely demise, Cline seriously worried about dying and had premonitions about the end of her life. She was only 28 when she drafted a will—even selecting her funeral clothes.
Decca Records, Wikimedia Commons
Patsy Cline
Cline wasn't alone on that fateful flight back to Nashville on March 5, 1863. Three other passengers accompanied her: Her manager Randy Hughes (who was also the pilot), Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins. But sadly, around 90 miles from their destination, the plane crashed.
Thomas R Machnitzki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Patsy Cline
Though the pilot Randy Hughes had been warned about the poor weather conditions, he decided to fly anyway. This turned out to be a major mistake. Based on the details of the crash, it's almost certain that everyone lost their lives instantly.
Jim Reeves
Born in 1923, Jim Reeves was a big name in country music, making the charts for decades—even after he met a horrific end at the young age of 40.
RCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
Jim Reeves
On the very last day of his life, July 31, 1964, Jim Reeves was the one operating the doomed aircraft—a single-engine Beechcraft Debonair plane. But he wasn't alone.
Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jim Reeves
Accompanied by his manager Dean Manuel, Reeves set a course for Nashville. They had some real estate business to attend to. However, a vicious thunderstorm and some bad decisions turned the day into a horror show.
Jim Reeves
Reportedly, Reeves had been warned about the storm, with the approach controller instructing him to hang a right to get around it. However, it seems that the country musician did the opposite, going left in order to reach the airport.
Jim Reeves
At 4:51 pm, the plane flew into a spot of heavy rainfall. One minute later, the aircraft had spiraled out of control and smashed into the ground. The investigation that followed the tragedy suggested that Reeves had experienced spatial disorientation thanks to the storm.
Crimsontideguy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Otis Redding
Born in 1941, Otis Redding was only 26 years old when all of his potential and talent got cut short by a horrific plane crash.
Even at such a young age, he earned the nickname, the "King of Soul," penning major hits like "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," which rose to number one in the wake of his demise.
Stax Records, Wikimedia Commons
Otis Redding
On December 9, 1967, Otis Redding and his band boarded his Beechcraft H18 aircraft. They were on their way to Madison Wisconsin for a show at the Factory nightclub. Little did they know, they would never make this performance.
Spotter lannuon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Otis Redding
Yet again, bad weather was the enemy in the situation. There was intense rainfall and foggy conditions, but that didn't stop the plane from beginning its journey.
Linda Cooley, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Otis Redding
Redding's plane wound up crashing into Lake Monona. Ben Cauley, a member of the Bar-Kays, was also on board. In the end, he was the only passenger who survived the accident.
By holding tight to a seat cushion, Cauley saved himself from drowning.
Otis Redding
Though Cauley managed to stay above water, he wasn't a swimmer and couldn't lend a helping hand to any of the other passengers. In addition to Otis Redding, the pilot, and the valet, four members of the Bar-Kays also perished.
Rosina Peixoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jim Croce
Jim Croce was another phenomenal artist taken from the world too soon. As a talented singer-songwriter in the folk and rock genre, he enjoyed his big break with the album You Don't Mess Around with Jim. But the very same year, a terrible accident cut his life short.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Jim Croce
30-year-old Croce was on top of the world and in the midst of a major tour on the fateful date of September 20, 1973. After all, his single "I Got a Name" was slotted to come out the very next day.
Jim Croce
Croce had just finished a show in Natchitoches when he boarded a chartered flight to Sherman, Texas. But the plane met a tragic end. According to a deputy named Walter Braxton, “It was a single-engine plane, I believe. It was taking off and it did not get any altitude". The consequences were devastating.
Jim Croce
The aircraft ended up flying into a tree beyond the runway and crashing. Six passengers lost their lives, including Jim Croce. An investigation into the accident later revealed that the pilot had made a mistake due to a sensory illusion caused by his downwind takeoff.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, And Cassie Gaines
In 1964, the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd began a musical career that went down in history—but sadly, not all the band members would live to see the 1980s.
MCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, And Cassie Gaines
By 1977, the band had put out five albums and one live album. They'd enjoyed four years of peak success, but on October 20 of that year, everything came apart at the seams thanks to one chilling accident.
Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, And Cassie Gaines
Flying from South Carolina to Louisiana, Lynyrd Skynyrd was on a Convair CV-240 when the unthinkable happened: It ran out of fuel. They needed to make an emergency landing in Mississippi—but not everyone made it out alive.
MCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, And Cassie Gaines
When the plane crashed, six people perished instantly. Some of Lynyrd Skynyrd's troupe were among the victims, including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant (29 years old) and guitarist Steve Gaines (28 years old). Gaines's sister Cassie (29 years old)—a backup singer—also passed, along with the band's assistant road manager, Dean Kilpatrick.
Jimmy Barnes, Wikimedia Commons
Aaliyah
Despite being just 22 years old, Aaliyah Dana Haughton had gained a shocking reputation. She was music royalty, becoming known as the "Queen of Urban Pop" and "Princess of R&B". She had her entire life ahead of her when an awful plane crash tore it all away.
Mika-photography, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Aaliyah
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah boarded a flight from the Bahamas to Florida. She had just finished working on the music video for the song, "Rock the Boat". Unfortunately, she wasn't technically supposed to be on this plane.
Aaliyah
In truth, Aaliyah had been scheduled for a different flight the following day, but she and her team didn't want to wait. They opted to take a much smaller plane instead. But this was a major mistake.
Aaliyah
You see, when the Cessna 402 took off, it was too heavy—700 pounds too heavy and carrying an extra passenger. It barely even got into the air before it crashed. Then it caught fire.
Mika-photography, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Aaliyah
According to an official report made by The National Transportation Safety Board, "The airplane was seen lifting off the runway, and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway 27". But that wasn't even the craziest part.
MikaV, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Aaliyah
An investigation later revealed that the pilot, Louis Morales III, did not have the proper credentials to fly the plane in the first place. He had lied about his experience—and so his FAA license was not deserved. He also had illicit substances in his system at the time of the crash.
In total, nine people lost their lives in this senseless crash, including the music star herself, Aaliyah.
D C McJonathan, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
John Denver was a beloved American singer-songwriter whose career soared during the 1970s. Some of his major hits included "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High". Tragically, at the age of 53, one plane ride sealed his fate.
John Mathew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
On October 12, 1997, Denver decided to take his homebuilt plane out for a ride. As the pilot, he was the only one on board. Denver was no stranger to being behind the controls. After all, he had 2,700 hours of piloting experience. However, there were some unsettling details about this last flight.
John Mathew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
You see, John Denver decided to go up in the air on that final day even though he was not allowed to. The musician had a history of heavy drinking, and in the past, he had even been caught driving while inebriated.
RCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
Therefore, when the FAA discovered that he still had a penchant for drinking in 1996, they stripped him of his medical certification. However, despite this, drinking was not the reason Denver crashed his plane.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
The investigation that followed Denver's demise revealed that the musician must have struggled to switch his fuel tanks. During this attempt, he lost control of his aircraft.
There were obvious flaws in the design of his plane as the fuel selector handle was difficult for him to access.
Kingkongphoto, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
John Denver
Additionally, Denver wasn't properly trained to handle this kind of transition while flying. His tragic end truly highlighted what safe plane design should include: complete accessibility to all of the plane's controls.
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