Joey Ramone

popular name: Charlie Parker

date_of_death: March 12, 1955

age: 34

cause_of_death: Pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver and a heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Charlie Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Often accompanied by the likes of Miles Davis, John Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Jordan, or Max Roach, Parker's wild excesses never seemed—at least until the very end of his life—to interfere with his music.

popular name: Michel Delpech

date_of_death: January 2, 2016

age: 69

cause_of_death: Throat cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Michel Delpech (1946–2016) was a celebrated French singer-songwriter whose smooth voice and melodic pop chansons made him one of France’s most beloved artists from the late 1960s onward. He rose to fame with early successes such as Chez Laurette, before achieving major popularity in the 1970s with iconic hits like Wight Is Wight, Pour un flirt, and Que Marianne était jolie, songs that blended gentle lyricism with themes of youth, love, and idealism. Though his career later experienced quiet periods, Delpech repeatedly returned to the spotlight, releasing reflective albums that revealed a more introspective and spiritual side. His personal life was marked by both reinvention and struggle, including battles with depression and, later, throat cancer. Even as illness advanced, he continued to write—publishing books and releasing music that explored resilience and hope. Fans today can visit him at his tomb at Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise in Paris, France.

popular name: Frédéric Chopin

date_of_death: October 17, 1849

age: 39

cause_of_death: Pericarditis - a rare complication of tuberculosis that causes swelling of the membrane surrounding the heart

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Frederic Chopin was a Polish-born pianist and composer of matchless genius in the realm of keyboard music. As a pianist, his talents were beyond emulation and had an impact on other musicians entirely out of proportion to the number of concerts he gave — only 30 public performances in 30 years. No one before or since has contributed as many significant works to the piano's repertoire, or come closer to capturing its soul.