Music and death have a fascinating relationship. On a positive note, music encases the legacy of the deceased artist in a sheet of amber. On a fairly negative note, a lot of musicians don’t reach astounding commercial success until after their passing. It is a morbid and consistent phenomenon, but one that is unarguably true. In short, death plays well, especially when it comes to scoring a no. 1 hit.
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A handful of artists from several different genres had to tragically pass away before they scored their first no. 1 hits. A few of those artists include Jimmy Buffett, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Croce, and several others. Needless to say, it happens more often than you might imagine, and here are three other artists it has happened to.
Otis Redding
On December 10, 1967, Otis Redding passed away in a plane crash in Wisconsin. He was only 26 years old and had acquired mass success thanks to his songs “Love Man”, “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember”, and “A Little Tenderness”. Though, Redding finally garnered his biggest all-time hit after his early demise.
Roughly a month after his passing, Otis Redding’s team released his iconic song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” on January 8, 1968. Months later, Redding procured his first-ever no. 1 hit, as the single peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of that year.
Janis Joplin
Despite passing away at 27 years old, the masses still remember Janis Joplin‘s music and career as an integral part of the historic 60s music scene. This is partially thanks to her singles, “Piece Of My Heart”, “Try”, and “Cry Baby”. However, Joplin scored her first no. 1 hit thanks to the Kris Kristofferson-written song, “Me And Bobby McGee”.
On October 4, 1970, Janis Joplin passed away from an overdose. Months later, in March of 1971, her record label posthumously released “Me And Bobby McGee”. Following the release, the single peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G. is one of the most prolific rappers of all time. Frankly, his contributions to the genre helped make it into the monster that it is today. However, and surprisingly, the man did not acquire a no. 1 hit while he was alive. Which is incredibly shocking when you realize that he released “Big Poppa” and “Juicy” before his passing.
Regardless, after Biggie died in a drive-by shooting in March of 1997, his record label released the single “Hypnotize” months later in May. Shortly after its release, the song peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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