3 Big-Name Artists Who Tragically Died Too Soon in the 2020s

The 2020s aren’t even half over and still the music world has lost some important names this decade. Songwriters and performers who made an impact on the landscape but ones that also didn’t get a chance to stick around as long as they should have. That refrain can unfortunately be said for every decade, sadly. But nevertheless it continues today.

Here below, we wanted to explore the lives of three such artists whose lives were cut short. Three big name musical acts who were rising through the ranks but whose lives ended prematurely. Indeed, these are three big-name artists who tragically died too soon in the 2020s.

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Justin Townes Earle

When a singer of Justin Townes Earle’s skill sings about going to a river to drown, the first thought is likely something along the lines of What a talent, what a raw artist! But maybe we should start to take songs like “Harlem River Blues” more seriously. Was it a cry for help? Who knows. But the song from the 2010 album of the same name was released just a decade before Earle died of a drug overdose. Born on January 4, 1982, Earle, the son of iconic country artist Steve Earle, died on August 20, 2020. He was just 38 years old. He was a rising songwriter and performer. Sadly, his full potential never came to fruition.

Young Dolph

The Memphis-born rapper Young Dolph has garnered about 1 billion streams on YouTube alone. Brash and bold, the lyricist was true to himself and his hometown. With a southern drawl, he released hits like “Talking to My Scale.” Sadly, though, his lifestyle involved lots of tension and violence. On November 17, 2021, the country rapper was murdered while visiting a bakery in his home city. He incurred 22 gunshot wounds from the event, which wasn’t even the first time he was shot at. With that, Memphis lost a creative star. Born July 27, 1985, Dolph was just 36 years old.

Aaron Carter

Aaron Carter, the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, was born December 7, 1987. By 10 years old, he’d released his first album and by 13, he was a pop star. But the lights of fame seemed, in the end, to be too bright for the young Carter. Despite his success, he was found dead in his home on November 5, 2022. He was just 34 years old. The cause of death was accidental but it was the result of drowning in his bathtub after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam. Another life of a musician cut short needlessly.

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Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins