The world of popular music has lost an icon with the passing of Michael Jackson at the age of 50, but Jackson is not the first music star to die at a relatively young age.  In each generation, stars have passed before their time.

 

Florence Ballard (The Supremes) 1943-1976

 

The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard by Peter Benjaminson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band 1946-1971

 

Skydog: The Duane Allman Story by Randy Poe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) 1948-1980

 

 

John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums by Chris Welch and Geoff Nichols

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) 1967-1994

 

Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvin Gaye 1939-1984

 

Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye by Michael Eric Dyson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimi Hendrix 1942-1970

 

´Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky: Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Child by David Henderson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Lennon (The Beatles) 1940-1980

 

Lennon Revealed by Larry Kane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freddie Mercury (Queen) 1946-1991

 

Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best by Peter Freestone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elvis Presley 1935-1977

 

Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley by Charles L. Ponce de Leon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Ruffin 1941-1991 Paul Williams 1942-1973 (The Temptations)

 

Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tupac Shakur 1971-1996

 

Tupac Remembered: Bearing Witness to a Life and Legacy edited by Molly Monjauze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys) 1944-1983

 

Dumb Angel: The Life and Music of Dennis Wilson by Adam Webb

 

 

 

 

 

–Booklist compiled by Sherry Utterback, Central Library