Elvin Shepherd

popular name: Toy Caldwell

date_of_death: February 25, 1993

age: 45

cause_of_death: Cardiac arrest brought on by cocaine use

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Toy Caldwell was a musician, songwriter and occasional vocalist of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. A founding member of the band, Caldwell remained with the group until 1983. During their glory years, The Marshall Tucker Band had seven gold and two platinum albums, peaking in the mid-1970s with songs such as "Heard It in a Love Song," "Can't You See" and "This Ol' Cowboy." After 15 years with the band, he left in 1985 to begin a solo career and released his debut album, "Toy Caldwell," a mix of rock 'n' roll, country, blues and pop with a lyrical thread of romantic entanglements.

popular name: R. L. Burnside

date_of_death: September 1, 2005

age: 78

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: R. L. Burnside was a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for much of his life but received little recognition before the early 1990s. During his resurgence in popularity he won 4 W.C. Handy Blues Awards and was nominated for another 11 awards in 8 years as well as one for a Grammy. In 2014 he was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis, Tennessee. For the last decade of his life, Burnside was championed by the international media, earned six figure sums and outsold every other black blues icon except BB King and the late John Lee Hooker.

popular name: Francesco Tamagno

date_of_death: August, 31, 1905

age: 54

cause_of_death: Cerebral Hemorrhage

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Francesco Tamagno (1850-1905) was considered the greatest dramatic tenor of his generation. During the last quarter of the 19th century, this legendary singer captured the attention of audiences everywhere with his performances in opera and concert. Born in Turin to a wine merchant and tavern keeper, Tamagno showed early promise as a singer, but was refused entry to the Turin Conservatory when he first applied at the age of seventeen. Not to be dissuaded, the young tenor repeatedly auditioned for the Teatro Regio in his hometown. Eventually he was accepted into the chorus and began studying with celebrated composer and teacher Carlo Pedrotti (1817-1893). The most famous heroic tenor of his age, Tamagno went on to perform in 26 countries, gaining renown for the power of his singing, especially in the upper register. Tamagno was among the rare species of singers known as a tenore robusto or tenore di forza, and critics likened the sound of his voice to that of a trumpet or even a cannon. Tamagno's vocal range extended up to high C-sharp during his prime. Best known as the creator of the protagonist's part in Verdi's Otello at La Scala, Milan in 1887, he also was the first Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's 1881 revision of Simon Boccanegra, a far more lyrical assignment than the "Moor of Venice". He participated in the premiere of Verdi's Italian-language version of Don Carlos when it was staged at La Scala in 1884, singing the eponymous role of the Infante of Spain. Five other operas in which Tamagno created leading roles were Carlos Gomes' Maria Tudor (in 1879), Amilcare Ponchielli's Il figliuol prodigo (1880) and Marion Delorme (1885), Ruggero Leoncavallo's I Medici (1893) and Isidore de Lara's Messaline (1899). Unfortunately, Tamagno’s career was not destined to be a lengthy one. As far back as 1887 (during rehearsals for the premiere of Otello), the tenor was suffering from chest pains and shortness of breath. Acute hypertension coupled with arteriosclerosis, eventually caused Tamagno to curtail his activities. After the turn of the century, the fifty year old singer had cut back his stage appearances markedly and began concentrating on concert work. His final performance seems to have been a recital in Turin in March of 1905. Several weeks later, the tenor suffered a serious heart attack and spent the summer convalescing at his villa in Varese. In mid-August, however, Tamagno suffered a massive stroke from which he never recovered. Paralyzed, the great tenor lingered for two weeks before dying from a second stroke on August 31. He was only fifty-four years old. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Cimitero Monumentale di Torino in Turin, Piemonte, Italy.