Joey Ramone

popular name: Dennis Brown

date_of_death: July 1, 1999

age: 42

cause_of_death: Collapsed lung

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: If Bob Marley was the King of Reggae, then Dennis Brown certainly earned his title of Crown Prince of Reggae. Brown's musical career began at age nine and he is credited with over 70 albums and touring relentlessly throughout the world up until his early demise. Blessed with a melodic vocal quality with a roots-conscious message to his lyrics. Brown scored his first hit in 1969 with "No Man is an Island". He spent much of the 1970s moving between studios and recording a series of now-classic albums before he had an international hit with "Money in My Pocket". After the death of Bob Marley, Brown was signed by A&M Records in an attempt to corner the international crossover market. He recorded with K.C. and the Sunshine Band in an effort to expand his American audience. Both efforts failed completely. He continued with his pop hits set to a reggae beat for much of the 1980s during which time he also became a fixture at the Reggae Sunsplash Festival in Jamaica. After an extensive tour of Brazil with close friend and peer Gregory Issacs, Brown fell ill and checked into the hospital where he rapidly declined and died suddenly at the age of 42.

popular name: Fritz Kreisler

date_of_death: January 29, 1962

age: 86

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Making his professional debut at the age of 13, Fritz Kreisler is considered the one of the greatest, if not the greatest, violinist ever to play the instrument. His technique was animated by a riveting vibrato the likes of which no one had previously possessed or even imagined, and he used it constantly, even in passagework. Kreisler owned several antique violins made by luthiers Antonio Stradivari, Pietro Guarneri, Giuseppe Guarneri, and Carlo Bergonzi. He was the owner of the great Guarneri "del Gesu" violin of 1733 which was donated to the Library of Congress.

popular name: Louis Armstrong

date_of_death: July 6, 1971

age: 69

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: From a New Orleans boys’ home to Hollywood, Carnegie Hall, movies and television, the tale of Louis Armstrong’s life and triumphant six-decade career epitomizes the American success story. His trumpet playing revolutionized the world of music, and he became one of our century’s most recognized and best loved entertainers. With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser. He was also skilled at scat singing. By the end of Armstrong's life, his influence had spread to popular music in general. Armstrong's best known songs include "What a Wonderful World", "La Vie en Rose", "Hello, Dolly!", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "When You're Smiling" and "When the Saints Go Marching In". He collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald, producing three records together: Ella and Louis (1956), Ella and Louis Again (1957), and Porgy and Bess (1959). He also appeared in films such as A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932), Cabin in the Sky (1943), High Society (1956), Paris Blues (1961), A Man Called Adam (1966), and Hello, Dolly! (1969). Armstrong received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, and induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York.