Joey Ramone

popular name: Jerry Nolan

date_of_death: January 14, 1992

age: 45

cause_of_death: Bacterial meningitis, bacterial pneumonia and a stroke

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: One cannot talk about the origins of punk rock without mentioning the New York Dolls lead guitarist Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan on drums. This underrated American glam band played an important role in influencing bands as diverse as the Sex Pistols to Motley Crue. Unfortunately the Dolls were never able to translate the energy of their live shows into their records, thus fame and fortune were elusive.

popular name: Franz Schubert

date_of_death: November 19, 1828

age: 31

cause_of_death: Bacterial typhoid infection brought on by tertiary syphilis

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre, including more than 600 secular vocal works (mainly lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music. His major works include "Erlkönig" (D. 328), the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 (Trout Quintet), the Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 (Unfinished Symphony), the "Great" Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, the String Quintet (D. 956), the three last piano sonatas (D. 958–960), the opera Fierrabras (D. 796), the incidental music to the play Rosamunde (D. 797), and the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin (D. 795) and Winterreise (D. 911). He gave a concert of his works to critical acclaim in March 1828, the only time he did so in his career. He died eight months later at the age of 31, the cause officially attributed to typhoid fever caused by a long-standing infection of tertiary syphilis. Appreciation of Schubert's music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased greatly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music.

popular name: Johnny Ramone

date_of_death: September 15, 2004

age: 55

cause_of_death: Prostate cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Johnny Ramone was the hard right conservative punk with an affinity for serial killers and nazi memorabilia. But without his discipline, anger and guitar - there would be no Ramones. His wife, Linda, as well as rock stars such as Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and hard-rocker Rob Zombie, were at his bedside when the end came about 3:00 in the afternoon of September 15th, 2004