Music Trivia World's Morbid Facts Pages

Musicians Who Have Died From Heroin Cont'd

Sid Vicious (May 10, 1957 – February 2, 1979)

Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious stayed true to his motto of "live fast, die young". He shared a heroin dependency with his then-girlfriend Nancy Spungen, but after her death and his suspected involvement, he recorded an album to help with his legal defense bills. At a small gathering to celebrate the release of the album, he used some heroin and died around 10 AM the morning after. The heroin used was reportedly determined by the coroner to be "99% pure".

Kenny Kirkland (Sep. 28, 1955- Nov. 13, 1998)

Kenny Kirkland was a gifted jazz pianist who performed with a who's who of greats, such as Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett. His most high-profile work may be his collaborations with Sting, who recruited jazz musicians to back him up after The Police broke up. Kirkland appeared on several of Sting's albums, and in the concert film Bring On The Night. He was found dead in his Queens apartment, and the cause of death was attributed to heroin use, according to police reports.

Robbin Crosby (August 4, 1959 – June 6, 2002)

A bear of a man at 6'6" and 245 pounds, Crosby cut a menacing figure onstage as half of the guitar duo in '80s metal band Ratt. He lived the rock and roll lifestyle to the max, and was supposedly introduced to heroin by Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. He contracted HIV through his intravenous use, and also developed a pancreatic condition that caused his weight to balloon. Reports vary about the cause of death, but most say it was a heroin overdose coupled with complications from AIDS. The autopsy report listed his weight at over 400 pounds.

Next page... More Morbidity

Music Trivia World Home