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: Ronnie James Dio

date_of_death: May 16, 2010

age: 67

cause_of_death: Stomach cancer

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Ronnie James Dio was an American heavy metal singer, songwriter and composer who is considered by many to be one of the great heavy metal vocalist. He fronted or founded numerous groups throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell. His successful career began in 1967 when he formed the rock band Elf, which became a regular opening act for Deep Purple. In 1975, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore founded the band Rainbow and hired Dio to be his lead singer; during his tenure, the band released three studio albums. Dio quickly emerged as one of heavy rock's pre-eminent vocalists. In 1979, Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's lead singer and appeared on three studio albums with the band, all three of which met with success: Heaven & Hell (1980), Mob Rules (1981) and Dehumanizer (1992). In 1982, he left to form the band Dio, which itself had two albums certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2006, he founded the band Heaven & Hell with ex-bandmate Tony Iommi. He was awarded the "Metal Guru Award" by Classic Rock Magazine in 2006. He was also named the "Best Metal singer" at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2010 and ranked as the genre's best vocalist in 2013 by music journalist Sacha Jenkins.

popular name: Johnnie Ray

date_of_death: February 24, 1990

age: 63

cause_of_death: Hepatic encephalopathy resulting from liver failure

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: In the early 1950s, Johnnie Ray was arguably the biggest musical star in the world. His emotional singing and sexually suggestive performances earned him the titles "The Prince of Wails," "The Cry Guy," and "The Million Dollar Teardrop," and put him at the top of the music charts. From Sydney to Chicago to London, teenage riots erupted wherever Ray performed. Sadly his songs seemed hopelessly dated after "Rock Around The Clock" came out, let alone "Hound Dog" or "Maybelline." If that wasn't bad enough, an ear surgery in 1958 robbed him of even more of his hearing.