Joey Ramone

popular name: Marvin Isley

date_of_death: June 6, 2010

age: 56

cause_of_death: Complications of diabetes

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Marvin Isley was an American musician best known as the deep, funky bass player for the Isley Brothers. The Isley Brothers were initially a vocal trio made up of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley. They broke in 1959 with their first composition “Shout,” also a big UK hit for Lulu. The first single for their own T-Neck label, 1964’s “Testify,” also stands out for being one of Jimi Hendrix’s first recordings, as Hendrix recorded and toured with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vocal group. By 1971, Marvin began performing bass guitar on The Isley Brothers' album, Givin' It Back. Within two years, he became an official member of the group. Following the Grammy-winning “It’s Your Thing” (1969), the Isley Brothers, in varying configurations and incorporating different styles, wrote and recorded such hits as “Pop That Thang,” “That Lady,” “For the Love of You” and “Caravan of Love,” with Ice Cube sampling their song “Footsteps in the Dark” for his hit “It Was a Good Day” and Notorious B.I.G. likewise sampling “Between the Sheets” for his hit “Big Poppa.” In addition to playing bass, Marvin also provided percussion and also wrote or co-wrote some of the group's hits including "Fight the Power", "The Pride" and "Between the Sheets". Isley stopped performing in 1996 after suffering complications from diabetes that included a stroke, high blood pressure, the loss of both legs and use of his left hand. Upon Marvin Isley passing away, his grave at George Washington Memorial Park is well visited.

popular name: Otis Spann

date_of_death: April 24, 1970

age: 46

cause_of_death: Liver cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Arguably the most important pianist of the postwar Chicago blues scene, Otis Spann started playing piano at the age of seven, with some instruction from local piano players in his native Jackson. By 1944 he was playing in local bands around that city and three years later left for Chicago, where he would live for the rest of his tragically short life. Spann replaced Merriweather as Muddy Waters' piano player in late 1952, and had his first recording session with the band on September 24, 1953. From 1952 to 1969 Spann was a full-time member of the Muddy Waters band, which also included Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter. He was also in great demand by the Chess label as house pianist, accompanying artists like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry ("No Money Down", "You Can't Catch Me"), Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter. In April of 1970, blues pianist Otis Spann flew to Boston to play a gig. With him were his wife, Lucille, and his band. The concert would be Otis' last. Before he flew to Boston, doctors had diagnosed Spann with terminal liver cancer — he died three weeks after the concert. He was laid to rest at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

popular name: Chris Cornell

date_of_death: May 18, 2017

age: 52

cause_of_death: Suicide by hanging

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Possessing a nearly four-octave range and one of the key figures in the 1990s Seattle grunge music movement, Chris Cornell was know as the lead singer and guitarist of Soundgarden and Audioslave as well as successful solo efforts. Voted "Rock's Greatest Singer" by readers of Guitar World Cornell sold over 30 million albums world-wide and was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards (winning 3).