Joey Ramone

popular name: Ludwig van Beethoven

date_of_death: March 26, 1827

age: 56

cause_of_death: Liver disease, viral hepatitis and alcohol consumption

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist who remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. His works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era in classical music. His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. His early period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his middle period showed an individual development from the styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized as heroic. During this time, he began to grow increasingly deaf. In his late period, from 1812 to 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression. Nearly 200 years since his passing Beethoven's works remain mainstays of the classical music repertoire.

popular name: Tex Ritter

date_of_death: January 2, 1974

age: 68

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Tex Ritter was an American singer, songwriter, and actor known for his contributions to country music and his work in Western films. Ritter's early life was shaped by a love for music, especially traditional country and cowboy songs. He pursued his passion for music and acting in the 1930s, first gaining recognition with his debut recording, Rye Whiskey in 1932. He became a prominent figure in the 1940s, recording numerous hit songs like "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)" in 1952, which became his signature song and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In addition to his music career, Ritter appeared in over 78 films, often playing cowboy roles in B-Western movies, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a regular on the radio and television, and he became an influential figure in Western film and music. He remains to this day the only artist to be elected into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

popular name: King Curtis Ousley

date_of_death: November 13, 1971

age: 37

cause_of_death: Homicide - stabbed to death

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Playing the saxophone when he was 12, King Curtis turned down college scholarships in order to join the Lionel Hampton Band and in 1952 moved to New York to become a session musician where he recorded Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Buddy Holly, Andy Williams, The Coasters, The Five Keys, Aretha Franklin and many more. His saxophone virtuosity was widely admired in rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, blues, funk and soul jazz. King Curtis and his band, The Kingpins, backed Aretha Franklin. Curtis was stabbed to death by Juan Montanez, a vagrant drug addict on the front steps of his New York home on August 13, 1971. He was only 37.