Boxcar Willie

popular name: Béla Bartók

date_of_death: September 26, 1945

age: 64

cause_of_death: Leukemia

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and one founders of comparative musicology (ethnomusicologist). He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century, and he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers.

popular name: Gene Krupa

date_of_death: October 16, 1973

age: 64

cause_of_death: Heart failure coupled with leukemia and emphysema

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Before Keith Moon, before John Bonham there was the one and only Gene Krupa - one of the greatest drummers and drum kit innovators in the 20th century. With his arms flailing behind the drum kit, Krupa forever changed the role of the drummer and provided his fans with an everlasting visual and musical image of the swing era. In 1936 he joined Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson for the first incarnation of the Benny Goodman Trio (later expanding to a quartet with Lionel Hampton) where his drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on the hit "Sing, Sing, Sing" were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially. After his gig with Goodman he continued to record with his own group, Tommy Dorsey, Gerry Mulligan and starred as himself in several Hollywood musical-based films. In addition to his drum skills, he was also a well regarding composer with compositions which he wrote or co-wrote included "Some Like It Hot" in 1939, "Drum Boogie", "Boogie Blues", his theme song "Apurksody", "Ball of Fire", "Disc Jockey Jump" with Gerry Mulligan, "Wire Brush Stomp", "Hippdeebip", "Krupa's Wail", "Swing is Hee", "Quit and Roll 'Em" with Sam Donahue, and "How 'Bout This Mess". Even today Krupa’s reputation still looms large in pop culture: Rolling Stone recently put him at Number 7 in its list of the 100 greatest drummers of all time.

popular name: Sergei Rachmaninoff

date_of_death: March 28, 1943

age: 69

cause_of_death: Melanoma

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor and is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Rachmaninoff’s music is known for its complexity and the rich melodies that take audiences on a journey of soaring, expansive emotions. His various piano concertos bear testament to a mastery and knowledge of that instrument’s nuances that puts him among the greatest artists in classical music. He didn’t have that one distinctive piece that makes a connection to his music easy, such as Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5,” Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” or Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.” Rachmaninoff’s signature piece, his “Piano Concerto No. 2,” is considered the greatest piano concerto ever written—an intense display of piano virtuosity that illustrates the composer’s depth and breadth better than anything in his repertoire. His early fame came with the Prelude in C-sharp Minor, but his first symphony's failure in 1897 led to a deep depression and creative crisis. He eventually recovered and made a triumphant return with his Piano Concerto No. 2, which remains one of his most beloved works. Rachmaninoff became internationally known for his virtuosic piano playing and deeply expressive compositions, including the Piano Concerto No. 3, Symphony No. 2, and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. After leaving Russia due to the 1917 Revolution, he settled in the United States, where he focused more on performance and conducting, composing less frequently. His final major work, Symphonic Dances, reflects a nostalgic and reflective tone. Upon his death, he was interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.