3 Could-Have-Been Superstar Rock Icons Who Walked Away at the Peak of Their Fame

Quite a few legendary rock icons walked away from their bands or their entire careers in music, despite being at the height of their fame. That’s the case for the following musicians, and their stories are quite interesting. Let’s take a look.

Izzy Stradlin

When one thinks of Guns N’ Roses, one thinks of killer guitarist Slash or legendary frontman Axl Rose. More people should think of Izzy Stradlin, considering how central he was to the band’s sound. A co-founder of Guns N’ Roses, Stradlin stayed with the band from 1985 to 1991. He can be heard on the band’s first four albums, though some of his guitar tracks were uncredited on the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident?. He also wrote a number of songs for the band, including “You Ain’t The First”, “Pretty Tied Up”, and others.

So, why did Stradlin leave the band in 1991 at the height of their success? It’s a bittersweet thing. Stradlin was sick of being treated poorly while on tour and noted that getting sober encouraged him to part ways with the band.

“When you’re f*cked up, you’re more likely to put up with things you wouldn’t normally put up with,” said Stradlin.

He went on to form several new bands, launch a solo career, and occasionally reunite with Guns N’ Roses.

Syd Barrett

Everybody knows the tragic story of Syd Barrett. He was the mastermind behind Pink Floyd’s debut album and can be credited with being a core part of their breakthrough with A Saucerful Of Secrets. However, following struggles with psychedelic drug use and growing mental health problems, Barrett left Pink Floyd in 1968. He made music for a few years after, but then completely abandoned his music career for the rest of his life. He lived a quiet life in his hometown, painting, gardening, and riding his bicycle, until he passed away from cancer in 2006 at the age of 60. While his music career didn’t become what it could have been, Barrett is still remembered fondly among fans of psychedelic rock.

John Deacon

When frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991, Queen had just released a No. 1 UK album (and a Top 30 album in the US) with Innuendo a few months prior. Queen were at the top of their game, despite being together for decades at that point. Despite Mercury’s passing, the band decided to stay together. That is, except for this entry on our list of rock icons who walked away at the height of their fame.

John Deacon was Queen’s bass guitarist. After Mercury’s death, which left Deacon distraught, he only performed on occasion with the remaining members of Queen. He has not performed on any other projects that Roger Taylor or Brian May have arranged. He officially retired from the music industry completely in 1997. No potential powerhouse solo career, no reunion tours, no nothin’.

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