Joey Ramone

popular name: Lemmy Kilmister

date_of_death: December 28, 2015

age: 70

cause_of_death: Prostate cancer, cardiac arrhythmia, and congestive heart failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Inspired by the Beatles and worked as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s, Lemmy Kilmister was the pure embodiment of the rock 'n' roll spirit. A fixture at the Rainbow on Hollywood Blvd when not on the road, Lemmy had his first taste of success as a member of Hawkwind, where he developed a distinctive bass style and sang lead vocals on the 1972 hit "Silver Machine." In 1975, Kilmister founded Motorhead, a band that has had an enormous influence on the heavy metal genre, largely because of Kilmister's furious bass playing, guttural vocals and innovative songwriting. His unique style brought punk influences to heavy metal, resulting in metal classics such as "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill." Kilmister also co-wrote songs for Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 album, "No More Tears," including the No. 2 hit "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and the Grammy-winning "I Don't Want To Change the World." The intimidating warrior with a wart and rasping voice, always with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth was also a really kind guy; one of the nicest in the business.

popular name: Dick Dale

date_of_death: March 16, 2019

age: 81

cause_of_death: Heart and kidney failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Dick Dale was an American rock guitarist. He was the pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known as "The King of the Surf Guitar", which was also the title of his second studio album. Dale was one of the most influential guitarists of all time and especially of the early 1960s. Most of the leading bands in surf music, such as The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and The Trashmen, were influenced by Dale's music, and often included recordings of Dale's songs in their albums. His style and music influenced guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Eddie Van Halen and Brian May. He has been mentioned as one of the fathers of heavy metal. Many credit him with tremolo picking, a technique that is now widely used in many musical genres (such as extreme metal, folk etc.). His speedy single-note staccato picking technique was unmatched until guitarists like Eddie Van Halen entered the music scene.

popular name: Jimmy Scott

date_of_death: June 12, 2014

age: 88

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: A jazz vocalist known for his naturally high contralto voice who started his career with Lionel Hampton and was a favorite of Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and Frankie Valli before becoming a solo artist. He is considered by many the most underrated jazz singer in modern times.