It’s always tragic when a beloved rock icon passes away. For the following four classic rock legends, fans at least got to enjoy a final send-off in the form of their very last performance. Let’s take a look at the final songs of a few of the greatest classic rock legends of all time. A few of these might just bring a tear to your eye.
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Freddie Mercury
The incomparable Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock band Queen, passed away at the age of only 45 in 1991 from complications related to AIDs. His voice was unlike any other. And it appears as though his final live performance took place in 1986 at Knebworth. With Queen, Freddie Mercury’s final song was an uplifting rendition of “We Are The Champions”. He finished the concert in his signature crown, which was quite fitting.
Tina Turner
She was the woman who kicked down racial and gender barriers in rock music, and she was an absolute legend until the very end. Tina Turner passed away in 2023 at the age of 83, and it has been widely reported that her final performance took place quite a few years earlier in 2009. To close out her final concert, which took place in April 2009 at Globen Arena Stockholm, Turner performed the hit 1990 song “Be Tender With Me Baby” as her final send-off.
Kurt Cobain
We lost legendary grunge songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Kurt Cobain of Nirvana to s*icide in 1994. His death was an unimaginable tragedy, and Nirvana’s music lives on in the hearts and ears of listeners and fans today. Cobain’s last performance with his band took place in Munich, Germany, shortly before his passing. The last song he performed to fans was the 1993 grunge staple, “Heart Shaped Box”.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley makes it to our list of final songs performed by classic rock legends with a tune that wrapped up his last concert before his death in 1977. At his famous final concert, which took place mere weeks before he passed away at the age of 42, he closed his set with a rendition of “Can’t Help Falling In Love”. It was an earnest performance, to say the least.
Photo by Raffaella Cavalieri/Redferns
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