4 Classic Rock Bands Who Can Never Reunite With Their Founding Singer

Everyone has a favorite classic rock singer. And sadly, many of the biggest vocalists of the 20th century have since passed on. We’ll never really have a true original/classic lineup reunion of the following four classic rock bands, as their singers are no longer with us.

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Blind Melon

Shannon Hoon founded the alternative rock group Blind Melon in 1990 with guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, along with drummer Glen Graham. Sadly, those three will never be able to reunite with their founding lead singer. Hoon, following a difficult bout with addiction, passed away from a heart attack while on tour in 1995.

“Shannon had a magnetism,” said Gia DeSantis of Capitol Records, who worked with Blind Melon. “You couldn’t take your eyes off him. They knew to bring in a new singer to sing his lyrics would not have had the same magnetism.”

Alice In Chains

Few grunge-era vocalists were as talented and beloved as Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley. His range and ability to belt in that gritty, growling tone were unlike any of his contemporaries. Sadly, like many other extremely talented frontmen to come out of the grunge movement of Seattle, Staley struggled with addiction. 

Staley’s substance abuse issues forced the band to go on hiatus in 1996. After that hiatus, Staley’s addiction took a turn for the worse, and he was found dead in 2002 from an overdose. The remaining members were inactive for a while, but have since gotten back together with William DuVall as their lead vocalist.

The Doors

This is probably the most famous instance of a classic rock band that will never reunite with its founding singer. Jim Morrison was the beating heart of The Doors. Like many of the greats of his era, Morrison died from heart failure related to an accidental overdose in 1971. 

The surviving members of the band tried to keep it going and released two additional albums after Morrison passed. However, due to a dispute with Morrison’s estate and their former drummer, they had to stop using The Doors name in the 2000s.

Thin Lizzy

I’ve always found this story particularly tragic. You likely know Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy from the hit 1976 tune “The Boys Are Back In Town”. It’s a legendary song from a solid band. Sadly, Thin Lizzy eventually fell off the map, as rock bands usually do in the ever-changing music industry. 

Lynott struggled with the band’s 1984 breakup and turned to alcohol and drugs. He died just two years later. The remaining members of Thin Lizzy resurrected the band in the 90s as a tribute to their fallen friend, and the band (with a very different lineup) has remained ever since.

Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images

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