# 27 Club

The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, often expanded by artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific research, it remains a common cultural conception that the phenomenon exists, with many celebrities who die at 27 noted for their high-risk lifestyles.

## Cultural perception

Beginning with the deaths of several 27-year-old popular musicians between 1969 and 1971 (such as Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison), dying at the age of 27 came to be, and remains, a perennial subject of popular culture, celebrity journalism, and entertainment industry lore. This perceived phenomenon, which came to be known as the "27 Club", attributes special significance to popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27, often as a result of drug and alcohol abuse or violent means such as homicide, suicide, or transportation-related accidents. The cultural interpretation of events gave rise to an urban myth that celebrity deaths are more common at 27, a claim that has been refuted by statistical research as discussed in the scientific studies section below. However, a subsequent statistical analysis demonstrated that the myth itself has shaped cultural memory by boosting the visibility and cultural prominence of those who die at 27. This phenomenon, deemed the "27 Club effect", reflects the power of collective storytelling and media reinforcement in turning unrelated events into lasting cultural narratives.

### White lighter myth

The white lighter myth or white lighter curse is an urban legend based on the 27 Club in which it is claimed several musicians and artists died while in possession of a white disposable cigarette lighter, leading such items to become associated with bad fortune. The myth is primarily based on the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. The myth has been integrated with cannabis culture.
In 2017, Snopes published an article discrediting the theory, noting that Bic did not begin producing white disposable lighters until 1973, several years after the deaths of some members of the 27 Club (including Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison) and that disposable lighters produced by other companies were not widely available at that time.

## History

Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison all died at the age of 27 between 1969 and 1971. At the time, the coincidence gave rise to some comment, but, according to Hendrix and Kurt Cobain's biographer, Charles R. Cross: "It wasn't until Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994 that the idea of the 27 Club arrived in the popular zeitgeist." Cross claims that the "launch of the Club concept" can be traced to the growing influence of the Internet and sensational celebrity journalism on popular culture in the years following Cobain's death, as well as media interpretations of a statement by Cobain's mother, Wendy Fradenburg Cobain O'Connor, quoted in the local Aberdeen, Washington, newspaper The Daily World, and subsequently carried worldwide by the Associated Press: "Now he's gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to join that stupid club." Many contemporary journalists interpreted her words as referring to the infamous untimely deaths of fellow rock musicians like Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison, a view shared by Cross and R. Gary Patterson, chronicler of rock music urban myth.
   That's really selfish to live to 90 years old unless you have something to offer like maybe William Burroughs. I definitely don't want to be that old. I feel more bonded with the Jim Morrison type of living on the edge, rock & roll poet, in a conservative way. –Kurt Cobain
The intended meaning of "that stupid club" referred to by Cobain's mother is disputed. In his analysis of how her quote helped popularize the 27 Club, Eric Segalstad, author of The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll, asserted that she was actually referring to the "tragic family matter" of Cobain's two uncles and his great-uncle, all of whom had committed suicide. Other contemporary journalists linked her quote to the then-recent heroin-related deaths of fellow young Seattle rock musicians Stefanie Sargent of 7 Year Bitch and Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, both aged 24. Cross, himself, dismissed "the absurd notion that Kurt Cobain intentionally timed his death so he could join the 27 Club", noting that Cobain "had nearly died from drug overdoses on at least two dozen occasions in the year before his death... [and] made several previous suicide attempts at various ages."
In 2011, seventeen years after Cobain's death, Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27, prompting a renewed swell of media attention devoted to the 27 Club. Three years earlier, Winehouse's personal assistant, Alex Haines, told the British press that Winehouse, then 25, feared she would join Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, and Kurt Cobain in dying at 27: "She reckoned she would join the 27 Club of rock stars who died at that age. She told me, 'I have a feeling I'm gonna die young.'"

## Scientific studies

Despite the cultural significance given to musician and celebrity deaths at age 27, the common claim that they are statistically more common at this age is an urban myth, refuted by scientific research.
A study by university academics published in the British Medical Journal in December 2011 concluded that there was no increase in the risk of death for musicians at the age of 27, stating that there were equally small increases at ages 25 and 32. The study noted that young adult musicians have a higher death rate than the general young adult population, surmising that the conclusion that could be drawn is as such: "fame may increase the risk of death among musicians, but this risk is not limited to age 27".
A 2014 article at The Conversation suggested that statistical evidence shows popular musicians are most likely to die at the age of 56 (2.2% compared to 1.3% at 27).

## In popular culture

The 27 Club frequently appears by name and reference in popular culture and mass media. Several exhibitions have been devoted to the idea, as well as novels, films, stage plays, songs, video games, and comics.

### Music

* The title of the song "27" by Fall Out Boy from their 2008 album Folie à Deux is a reference to the club. The lyrics explore the hedonistic lifestyles common in rock and roll. Pete Wentz, the primary lyricist of Fall Out Boy, wrote the song because he felt that he was living a similarly dangerous lifestyle.
* John Craigie's song "28", which appeared on his 2009 album Montana Tale, and 2018 live album Opening for Steinbeck, is written from the perspective of 27 Club members Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain, as each contemplates their respective mortality and imagines what they would do differently "if I could only make it to twenty-eight". Craigie wrote the song when he himself was age 27.
* The theme is referenced in the song "27 Forever" by Eric Burdon, on his 2013 album 'Til Your River Runs Dry.
* Magenta's studio album The Twenty Seven Club (2013) directly references the club. Each track is a tribute to a member of the club.
* Halsey's song "Colors", from her debut album Badlands (2015), includes the line: "I hope you make it to the day you're 28 years old."
* Frank Ocean referenced the club and the white lighter myth on the song "Nights" from his 2016 album Blonde, where he says: "No white lighters 'til I fuck my twenty-eighth up."
* JPEGMafia's album Black Ben Carson (2016) includes a song titled "The 27 Club", which the song refers to the club. He references members Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain.
* Adore Delano released a song called "27 Club" on her studio album Whatever (2017), with the repeated lyric: "All of the legends die at twenty-seven." Delano was aged 27 at the time of release.
* Juice Wrld referenced the club on his song "Legends" (2018), where he says: "What's the 27 Club? We ain't making it past 21."
* Nessa Barrett's song "La Di Die", released in collaboration with Jxdn in 2021, contains a reference to the club: "I'll be dead at 27, only nine more years to go."

### Video games

* In the video game Hitman (2016), one of the in-game missions, Club 27, involves killing an indie musician who is celebrating his 27th birthday.

## Identified members

Because the 27 Club is entirely notional, it has no official membership. The table below lists individuals explicitly described as "members" of the 27 Club by journalists and writers in various books and publications.
Some deaths linked to the 27 Club pre-date its emergence as a cultural phenomenon. Blues musician Robert Johnson, who died in 1938, is one of the earliest popular musicians included by various sources.
Despite the club's original association with the deaths of popular musicians, later sources began to link actors, artists, athletes, and other celebrities to the 27 Club. Rolling Stone included television actor Jonathan Brandis, who died by suicide in 2003, in a list of 27 Club members. Anton Yelchin, who had played in a punk rock band but was primarily known as a film actor, was also described as a member of the club upon his death in 2016. Likewise, Jean-Michel Basquiat has been linked to the club despite being known primarily as a painter, with his music career being relatively brief and obscure.
Purported 27 Club members :
| Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Cause of death | Fame | Age |
| Alexandre Levy | November 10, 1864 | January 17, 1892 | Not recorded | Composer, pianist and conductor | 27 years, 68 days |
| Louis Chauvin | March 13, 1881 | March 26, 1908 | Neurosyphilitic sclerosis | Ragtime musician | 27 years, 13 days |
| Rupert Brooke | August 3, 1887 | April 23, 1915 | Sepsis | Poet | 27 years, 263 days |
| Robert Johnson | May 8, 1911 | August 16, 1938 | Unknown | Blues singer and musician | 27 years, 100 days |
| Ghazi of Iraq | March 21, 1912 | April 4, 1939 | Traffic accident, probable murder | King of Iraq 1933–1939 | 27 years, 14 days |
| Nat Jaffe | January 1, 1918 | August 5, 1945 | Complications from high blood pressure | Swing jazz pianist | 27 years, 216 days |
| Camilo Cienfuegos | February 6, 1932 | October 28, 1959 | Unknown, alleged plane crash | Cuban revolutionary | 27 years, 264 days |
| Jesse Belvin | December 15, 1932 | February 6, 1960 | Car crash, suspected foul play | R&B singer, pianist and songwriter | 27 years, 53 days |
| Rudy Lewis | August 23, 1936 | May 20, 1964 | Drug overdose | Vocalist of the Drifters | 27 years, 271 days |
| Joe Henderson | April 24, 1937 | October 24, 1964 | Heart attack | R&B and gospel singer | 27 years, 183 days |
| Rockin' Robin Roberts | November 23, 1940 | December 22, 1967 | Car crash | Vocalist of The Fabulous Wailers; recorded the earliest cover version of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie" | 27 years, 30 days |
| Malcolm Hale | May 17, 1941 | October 30, 1968 | Carbon monoxide poisoning | Original member and lead guitarist of Spanky and Our Gang | 27 years, 166 days |
| Dickie Pride | October 21, 1941 | March 26, 1969 | Drug overdose | Rock and roll singer | 27 years, 156 days |
| Brian Jones | February 28, 1942 | July 3, 1969 | Drowning | Rolling Stones founder, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist | 27 years, 125 days |
| Alexandra | May 19, 1942 | July 31, 1969 | Car crash | German singer | 27 years, 156 days |
| Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson | July 4, 1943 | September 3, 1970 | Drug overdose | Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat | 27 years, 61 days |
| Jimi Hendrix | November 27, 1942 | September 18, 1970 | Asphyxia due to drug use | Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys | 27 years, 295 days |
| Janis Joplin | January 19, 1943 | October 4, 1970 | Drug overdose | Lead vocalist and songwriter of Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band | 27 years, 258 days |
| Arlester "Dyke" Christian | June 13, 1943 | March 13, 1971 | Murder | Frontman, vocalist and bassist of Dyke and the Blazers | 27 years, 273 days |
| Jim Morrison | December 8, 1943 | July 3, 1971 | Heart failure | Singer, lyricist, and leader of the Doors | 27 years, 207 days |
| Leslie Harvey | September 14, 1944 | May 3, 1972 | Electrocution | Guitarist in several Scottish bands, most notably Stone the Crows | 27 years, 232 days |
| Ron "Pigpen" McKernan | September 8, 1945 | March 8, 1973 | Gastrointestinal hemorrhage | Founding member, keyboardist and singer of the Grateful Dead | 27 years, 181 days |
| Roger Lee Durham | February 14, 1946 | July 27, 1973 | Horseriding accident | Singer and percussionist of Bloodstone | 27 years, 163 days |
| Pamela Courson | December 22, 1946 | April 25, 1974 | Drug overdose | Long-term companion of Jim Morrison and heir to his estate | 27 years, 124 days |
| Wallace "Wally" Yohn | January 12, 1947 | August 12, 1974 | Plane crash | Organ player of Chase | 27 years, 212 days |
| Dave Alexander | June 3, 1947 | February 10, 1975 | Pulmonary edema due to alcohol abuse | Bassist of the Stooges | 27 years, 252 days |
| Pete Ham | April 27, 1947 | April 24, 1975 | Suicide | Singer, songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist, leader of Badfinger | 27 years, 362 days |
| Gary Thain | May 15, 1948 | December 8, 1975 | Drug overdose | Bassist of Uriah Heep and the Keef Hartley Band | 27 years, 205 days |
| Cecilia | October 11, 1948 | August 2, 1976 | Car crash | Singer-songwriter | 27 years, 296 days |
| Helmut Köllen | March 2, 1950 | May 3, 1977 | Carbon monoxide poisoning | Bassist of 1970s prog rock band Triumvirat | 27 years, 62 days |
| André Paiement | June 28, 1950 | January 23, 1978 | Suicide | Playwright and musician, member of progressive rock band CANO | 27 years, 209 days |
| Barry Brown | April 19, 1951 | June 25, 1978 | Self-inflicted gunshot | Playwright, actor | 27 years, 67 days |
| Chris Bell | January 12, 1951 | December 27, 1978 | Car crash | Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo | 27 years, 349 days |
| Zenon De Fleur | September 9, 1951 | March 17, 1979 | Car crash | Guitarist of the Count Bishops | 27 years, 189 days |
| D. Boon | April 1, 1958 | December 22, 1985 | Car crash | Guitarist, lead singer of punk band Minutemen | 27 years, 266 days |
| Alexander Bashlachev | May 27, 1960 | February 17, 1988 | Defenestration, possible suicide | Poet, rock musician and songwriter | 27 years, 266 days |
| Amar Singh Chamkila | July 21, 1960 | March 8, 1988 | Murder | Singer, songwriter, musician, and composer | 27 years, 231 days |
| Jean-Michel Basquiat | December 22, 1960 | August 12, 1988 | Drug overdose | Painter and graffiti artist; formed the band Gray | 27 years, 234 days |
| Pete de Freitas | August 2, 1961 | June 14, 1989 | Motorcycle accident | Drummer of Echo & the Bunnymen | 27 years, 316 days |
| Finbarr Donnelly | April 25, 1962 | June 18, 1989 | Drowning | Singer of Five Go Down to the Sea? | 27 years, 50 days |
| Chris Austin | February 24, 1964 | March 16, 1991 | Plane crash | Country singer and guitarist/fiddle player for Reba McEntire | 27 years, 20 days |
| Dimitar Voev | May 21, 1965 | September 5, 1992 | Cancer | Poet, founder of the Bulgarian new wave band New Generation | 27 years, 107 days |
| Mia Zapata | August 25, 1965 | July 7, 1993 | Murder | Lead singer of the Gits | 27 years, 316 days |
| Kurt Cobain | February 20, 1967 | April 5, 1994 c. | Suicide | Founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Nirvana | 27 years, 44 days c. |
| Kristen Pfaff | May 26, 1967 | June 16, 1994 | Drug overdose | Bass guitarist of Hole and Janitor Joe | 27 years, 21 days |
| Andrés Escobar | March 13, 1967 | July 2, 1994 | Murder | Footballer | 27 years, 111 days |
| Richey Edwards | December 22, 1967 | February 1, 1995 | Disappeared; later declared legally dead | Lyricist and guitarist of Manic Street Preachers | 27 years, 41 days |
| Stretch | April 8, 1968 | November 30, 1995 | Murder | Rapper | 27 years, 236 days |
| Ken Steadman | June 26, 1969 | September 20, 1996 | Car crash | American film and television actor | 27 years, 86 days |
| Fat Pat | December 4, 1970 | February 3, 1998 | Murder | American rapper and member of Screwed Up Click | 27 years, 61 days |
| Louie Spicolli | February 10, 1971 | February 15, 1998 | Drug overdose | Professional wrestler | 27 years, 5 days |
| Freaky Tah | May 14, 1971 | March 28, 1999 | Murder | American rapper and member of the hip-hop group Lost Boyz | 27 years, 318 days |
| Kami | February 1, 1972 | June 21, 1999 | Subarachnoid hemorrhage | Drummer of Malice Mizer | 27 years, 140 days |
| Rodrigo Bueno | May 24, 1973 | June 24, 2000 | Car crash | Cuarteto singer | 27 years, 31 days |
| Sean Patrick McCabe | November 13, 1972 | August 28, 2000 | Asphyxia | Lead singer of Ink & Dagger | 27 years, 289 days |
| María Serrano Serrano | November 26, 1973 | November 24, 2001 | Plane crash | Singer of Passion Fruit | 27 years, 363 days |
| Thuy Trang | December 14, 1973 | September 3, 2001 | Car crash | Vietnamese-American actress, known for her role as Trini Kwan on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | 27 years, 263 days |
| Rico Yan | March 14, 1975 | March 29, 2002 | Acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis | Filipino actor | 27 years, 15 days |
| Jeremy Ward | May 5, 1976 | May 25, 2003 | Drug overdose | The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator | 27 years, 20 days |
| Jonathan Brandis | April 13, 1976 | November 12, 2003 | Suicide | American actor | 27 years, 213 days |
| Pat Tillman | November 6, 1976 | April 22, 2004 | Killed in action by friendly fire | Professional football player and United States Army specialist | 27 years, 168 days |
| Andrea Absolonová | December 26, 1976 | December 9, 2004 | Glioblastoma | Porn actress | 27 years, 349 days |
| Bryan Ottoson | March 18, 1978 | April 19, 2005 | Drug overdose | Guitarist of American Head Charge | 27 years, 32 days |
| Valentín Elizalde | February 1, 1979 | November 25, 2006 | Murder | Mexican banda singer | 27 years, 297 days |
| Damien "Damo" Morris | May 22, 1980 | December 19, 2007 | Bus accident | Member of Australian deathcore band the Red Shore | 27 years, 211 days |
| Orish Grinstead | June 2, 1980 | April 20, 2008 | Kidney failure | Founding member of the R&B group 702 | 27 years, 323 days |
| Jade Goody | June 5, 1981 | March 22, 2009 | Cervical cancer | Reality-television personality | 27 years, 290 days |
| Dash Snow | July 27, 1981 | July 13, 2009 | Drug overdose | Artist | 27 years, 351 days |
| Amy Winehouse | September 14, 1983 | July 23, 2011 | Alcohol poisoning | Singer-songwriter | 27 years, 312 days |
| Richard Turner | July 30, 1984 | August 11, 2011 | Aortic rupture | Trumpet player, collaborator with Friendly Fires | 27 years, 12 days |
| Nicole Bogner | March 22, 1984 | January 6, 2012 | Severe disease | Singer for Visions of Atlantis | 27 years, 290 days |
| Sahara Davenport | December 17, 1984 | October 1, 2012 | Heart failure | Drag queen | 27 years, 289 days |
| Christian Benítez | May 1, 1986 | July 29, 2013 | Respiratory failure | Footballer | 27 years, 89 days |
| Stuart Baggs | July 23, 1988 | July 30, 2015 | Asthma attack | Businessman | 27 years, 7 days |
| Tomas Lowe | May 1988 | February 13, 2016 | Car crash | bassist of Viola Beach | 27 years, 9 months |
| Thomas Fekete | July 1, 1988 | May 31, 2016 | Cancer | Guitarist of Surfer Blood | 27 years, 335 days |
| Anton Yelchin | March 11, 1989 | June 19, 2016 | Car crash | Actor, Chekov in the Star Trek reboot series | 27 years, 100 days |
| Shot | December 1, 1989 | September 21, 2017 | Diabetes | Russian rapper | 27 years, 294 days |
| Kim Jong-hyun | April 8, 1990 | December 18, 2017 | Suicide | Vocalist and lyricist of Shinee | 27 years, 254 days |
| Fredo Santana | July 4, 1990 | January 19, 2018 | Idiopathic epilepsy | American rapper | 27 years, 199 days |
| Tyler Skaggs | July 13, 1991 | July 1, 2019 | Asphyxia due to drug use | American professional baseball starting pitcher | 27 years, 353 days |
| Benjamin Keough | October 21, 1992 | July 12, 2020 | Suicide | Elvis Presley's grandson, son of Lisa Marie Presley and brother of Riley Keough | 27 years, 265 days |
| Murda Killa [ru] | March 9, 1993 | July 13, 2020 | Asthma attack provoked by the use of alcohol and antidepressants | Russian rapper | 27 years, 127 days |
| Yoo Ju-eun [ko] | May 3, 1995 | August 29, 2022 | Suicide | Korean actress | 27 years, 118 days |
| Walkie | May 24, 1995 | September 30, 2022 | Suicide | Russian battle rapper | 27 years, 129 days |
| Julián Figueroa [es] | May 27, 1995 | April 2, 2023 | Myocardial infarction and Ventricular fibrillation | Singer, actor, and composer | 27 years, 310 days |
| MohBad | January 3, 1996 | September 12, 2023 | Undetermined | Nigerian rapper | 27 years, 252 days |
| Chance Perdomo | October 19, 1996 | March 30, 2024 | Motorcycle accident | Actor | 27 years, 163 days |
| Dutty Dior | November 30, 1996 | April 6, 2024 | Undetermined | Rapper | 27 years, 128 days |