Ever heard of the 27 Club? It sounds like a fancy nightspot – but it’s actually the ‘cursed’ age when dozens of celebrities have lost their lives
It’s the notorious club, where no-one wants to be a member!
October 4 marked 55 years since the iconic singer Janis Joplin died, at 27. Spookily, she’s just one of a host of stars to die at that age.
In fact, the supposed curse has affected so many famous folk it has been dubbed The 27 Club. And though boffins doubt if there is any special statistical spike, the cases still seem eerie.
Now we look at ten unfortunate celebs to have ‘joined’ its ranks…
1. Janis Joplin – Overdose
Famous for her performance at the legendary Woodstock festival and belting out hits like Mercedes Benz, the American singer had an amazing voice – but sadly battled alcohol and drug addictions.
She died from an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970, while working on a new album at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood. Her body was found in room 105 by manager John Cooke.
In her will Joplin left 2,500 dollars for a party to be held at her wake.
2. Jimi Hendrix – Choking
The American guitarist, known for lighting up the psychedelic era with tracks like Purple Haze, used LSD and often mixed drink and drugs.
He died on the morning of September 17, 1970 at a hotel in London.
An autopsy found that he’d choked on his vomit, following an overdose of barbiturates. He was found by girlfriend Monika Dannemann.
3. Jim Morrison – Overdose
On July 3, 1971, the lead singer of the Doors was discovered dead in a bathtub of an apartment in Paris, by his then girlfriend Pamela Courson.
The American, known for songs like Light My Fire, is believed to have died from a heroin overdose, though no autopsy was performed and the official cause of death was heart failure.
His grave in the city’s Père Lachaise Cemetery has since become a shrine for fans. Oddly, Courson also died of an overdose, aged 27, in 1974.
4. Brian Jones – Drowning
A founding member of the Rolling Stones, the guitarist left the band in June 1969 after his drug and alcohol problems led to erratic behaviour.
On July 3, 1969, he was found motionless at the bottom of the swimming pool at his Cotchford Farm home in East Sussex. A coroner concluded that he’d drowned accidentally and that his lifestyle had caused enlargement of his liver and heart.
However, there has since been speculation that the rocker was murdered.
5. Kurt Cobain – Suicide
Frontman for the grunge band Nirvana and famous for hits like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Cobain apparently talked about the possibility of dying aged 27 as a child.
Struggling with heroin addiction and depression , his body was found by an electrician at his US home in Seattle on April 8, 1994, with a shotgun wound to the head.
Cobain left behind wife Courtney Love and their daughter Frances Bean.
6. Amy Winehouse – Alcohol poisoning
The Back to Black singer poured her troubles with drug and alcohol addiction into her 2006 hit Rehab. She reportedly once told her personal assistant that she feared joining the 27 Club.
Tragically, on July 23, 2011, she was found unresponsive at her home in Camden, North London by her bodyguard. The star was found to have five times the legal driving limit of alcohol in her blood stream. It was later ruled that she’d died from accidental alcohol poisoning.
7. Jade Goody – Cancer
A dental nurse from Essex, Goody found fame on Channel 4’s Big Brother in 2002 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, where she was involved in a racism controversy with contestant Shilpa Shetty.
A year later she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which then spread to other organs. The mum-of two died on Mother’s Day, March 22, 2009, a month after marrying partner Jack Tweed.
8. Andres Escobar – Murder
The dark phenomenon seems to have extended into the beautiful game…
At the 1994 World Cup, Colombian defender Andres Escobar scored an own goal, leading to their exit from the tournament.
A few days later, on July 2, he was shot to death outside a nightclub in his home city of Medellín, by a killer who shouted ‘Goal’ as he fired each bullet.
9. Anton Yelchin – Accident
In June 2016, Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a freak accident involving his own car.
The American had got out of his Grand Cherokee Jeep to check the mailbox at his Los Angeles home, when it rolled down the driveway pinning him to a gatepost and security fence.
Found by friends, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
10. Richey Edwards – Disappeared?
One of the biggest 27 Club mysteries involves Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards.
The Welshman disappeared on February 1, 1995. His car was found two weeks later at a motorway service station near the Severn Bridge.
No trace of him has ever been found and though there were rumours he’d faked his own death, suicide was suspected. He was declared legally dead in 2008.